Contemporary life provides us with infinite opportunities. We can immerse ourselves in the vast, enticing world of digital media. But living in this 24/7 hyper-reality comes at a steep cost: left unchecked, it poses serious risks to our physical and mental health, relationships, and even the ability to control our thoughts. David Perlmutter, MD joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss how the culture around us can affect us. Based on the latest science, Dr. Perlmutter reveals the mental hijacking that undermines each and every one of us, and presents the tools necessary to think more clearly, make better decisions, strengthen bonds with others, and develop healthier habits.

Stem cells were once controversial due to their method of acquisition but the research has advanced and there are new ways to gather stem cells. The benefits of using stem cells to heal are great and Pedram Shojai himself has been using stem cells to help heal a previous hip injury of his under the supervision of this week's guest, Dr. Harry Adelson! How do stem cells work and where are doctors now getting them from? What is the success rate and what can someone using stem cells reasonably expect?

Flint, Michigan was only the tip of the iceberg. From big cities and suburbs to the rural heartland, chemicals linked to cancer, heart disease, obesity, birth defects, and lowered IQ routinely spill from our taps. Many are to blame: the EPA, Congress, a bipartisan coalition of powerful governors and mayors, chemical companies, and drinking water utilities—even NASA and the Pentagon. Meanwhile, the bottled water industry has been fanning our fears about tap water, but bottled water is often no safer. So then what is the solution? Pedram Shojai welcomes author Seth M. Siegel back onto The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss the current state of drinking water how to ensure the water coming out of your tap is safe to drink.

When you invest your money in either the banks or on Wall St. have you ever considered what your money is actually doing? What impact does your money have when you put it into a savings account or a retirement fund? Is your money going towards companies that you would want to do business with? And how can you tell if a company is actually doing good, not just on a financial sheet, but for the world and its environment? Martin Whittaker, founding CEO of JUST Capital, takes out the guesswork when trying to find ethical places to invest your money. He joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk podcast to discuss the current state of finance and how that is impacting the world at large.

Toxins are everywhere and they're difficult to avoid. Even when we try our best we may still be exposed to harmful toxics that affect our health and wellbeing. What sort of toxins are we being exposed to regularly and how do they affect us? Pedram Shojai welcomes Urban Monk Podcast regular Tom Malterre back to the show to discuss the ongoing research into endocrine disrupters that mess with our lives.

Are women showing off their full authentic selves? Traits labeled as "feminine" such as sensitivity, intuition, or feeling emotional were once disparaged as weaknesses and both men and women were encouraged to shut down these aspects of their personalities. Author Amy Stanton challenges old and outdated perceptions that feminine traits are weaknesses and the book The Feminine Revolution revisits those characteristics to show how they are powerful assets that should be embraced rather than maligned. It argues that feminine traits have been mischaracterized as weak, fragile, diminutive, and embittered for too long, and offers a call to arms to redeem them as the superpowers and gifts that they are.

Many people enjoy a glass of wine whether it be with dinner or just a way to unwind after a long day at work, but have you ever thought about what's actually in your wine? Wine doesn't actually list the ingredients on the bottle. Well Todd White of Dry Farm Wines joins Pedram Shojai on The Urban Monk Podcast to discuss exactly why that is. Todd also talks about the process in which wine is mass produced and the troubling toxins that may actually be the cause of some headaches associated with wine. What does it take to remove the wine of these toxins? What is the end result for the taste and flavor of the wine?

You may have heard (often) to fire up your metabolism in order to lose weight, but what really does that mean? How are we able to control our metabolism? Dr. Alan Christianson suggests we should focus on our livers to better serve our body. How does the liver control the fat being stored in our bodies? How can we work better to lose extra inches off our bellies? What role does the liver play in suppressing metabolism?