Brain Shaman

Michael Waite

Brain Shaman is a philosophical and scientific journey towards better brain health. Michael Waite discusses how you can change your brain state and overall nervous system via behavior, nutrition, nature, and technology. Mental illness, addiction, and low brain function are destroying so many people and societies. By becoming increasingly disconnected from our natural mind-body-world and plugged into the artificial ones, we are getting sicker, weaker, and less free. We must become more conscious of how the information that we consume (in the form of action, food, drugs, sensory input, media, etc.) affects our brain. This podcast teaches you how to reconnect with your primordial nature, reprogram your brain, regain your freedom, and redirect your life. 

  1. William Person: Bobsleds and Brain Injuries | Episode 143

    4D AGO

    William Person: Bobsleds and Brain Injuries | Episode 143

    William Person is a former Olympic bobsledder for Team USA. He talks about what it was like flying 90 mph down the ice, taking up to 80 Gs, and what happened after the cheering stopped: brain fog, headaches, memory and focus loss, sensitivity to sound and light, disorientation, depression, and suicidal thoughts. We talk about the hidden suffering in sports, how CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) might relate to ADHD and other mental health struggles, why so many athletes and veterans go untreated, and the deadly consequences that follow. William shares his lowest moments, his fight to stay alive, and how hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) helped him when nothing else could. Connect & Learn More 🍭TikTok: @hyperbarichealing 📘 Facebook: One Man With a Chamber | William Person 💼 LinkedIn: William Person 📸 Instagram: @willp1234567 ▶️ YouTube: @braininjurysurvival 💰 GoFundMe: CTE Recovery for Athletes and Military Resources 🎢 Six Flags Magic Mountain — Goliath  📰 Sledding Athletes Are Taking Their Lives. Did Brain Injuries Play a Role? – The New York Times ⚖️The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)  👥People: Cuba Gooding Jr., Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z, Joe Namath, Kanye West, Lance Armstrong, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Jackson, Russell Crowe  🎬 Films: A Beautiful Mind, In Whose Name?, Jerry Maguire, One Battle After Another 💥Incidents: 2025 Anaconda Shooting, 2025 Grand Blanc Township church attack, 2025 Midtown Manhattan Shooting, Washington Navy Yard shooting

    1h 17m
  2. Steven Puri: Flow, Focus & Your Great Work | Episode 139

    OCT 1

    Steven Puri: Flow, Focus & Your Great Work | Episode 139

    In this episode, I talk with Steven Puri, co-founder of the focus app Sukha and former Hollywood executive, about focus and flow — what it feels like, why it matters, and how to increase it. We cover a range of tools and techniques, including: sound, physical space, to-do lists, community, solitude, time of day, and simple items like a pencil, paper, and a timer, along with lessons from Hollywood on creating great work and fulfilling your dreams. Connect and Learn More:  Website: thesukha.co Email: Shared in the episode LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/steven-puri Resources Mentioned: Apps: Brain.fm, Endel, Forest, Todoist Books: Deep Work by Cal Newport, Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Indistractable by Nir Eyal, The Net and the Butterfly by Olivia Fox Cabane & Judah Pollack Companies: Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Disney, Dreamworks Animation, Fox Corporation, Hilton, LucasFilm, Marvel, Meta, M. Fredric, News Corp, Nike, Oura Health, Pixar, Spiegel, TikTok, Twitter, Universal Studios, Vine, YouTube Movies: A Good Day to Die Hard, Alien vs. Predator, Ant-Man, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Independence Day: Resurgence, Live Free or Die Hard, Mission: Impossible III, My Best Friend's Wedding, Rain Man, Stargate, Star Trek, The Island, The Mask of Zorro, The Wolverine, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen People: Alex Kurtzman, Bob Iger, Bob Orci, Chase Carey, Dean Devlin, Elon Musk, Evan Spiegel, Francesco Cirillo, George Lucas, Hephaestus (character), Jake Paul, James Clear, James Dean, John Diemer, Judah Pollack, Logan Paul, Mark Zuckerberg, Marie Curie, Michael Jordan, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Nir Eyal, Olivia Fox Cabane, Pablo Picasso, Prometheus (character), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ronald Bass, Ronald Emmerich, Rupert Murdoch, Spike Jonze, Steve Jobs, Tony Mauro Places: Austin, Bali, Chiang Mai, Cyprus, Kathmandu, Puerta Vallarta, San Francisco, Vienna Podcasts: Deep Questions with Cal Newport

    1h 10m
  3. Paul Taylor: To the Edge of Yourself — Becoming Unbreakable | Episode 138

    SEP 24

    Paul Taylor: To the Edge of Yourself — Becoming Unbreakable | Episode 138

    In this episode, I talk with Dr. Paul Taylor, author, neuroscientist, exercise physiologist, and host of The Paul Taylor Podcast. He is an expert in hardiness, the science of turning stress into strength.  Modern life is quietly weakening us through the way we eat, move, sleep, socialize, and use technology. By introducing stress, challenge, and discomfort in safe and deliberate ways through exercise, nutrition, temperature, sunlight, and other natural experiences, we can regain our strength and hardiness. This idea is rooted in hormesis, the concept that exposure to manageable stress or challenge can strengthen the body and mind.  We also discuss Paul’s lessons from his upbringing in Ireland, his time in the military, and his experiences as a parent, in sport, and through personal challenges. He shares practical ways to build hardiness in daily life: move regularly, play outside, eat mostly minimally processed foods, limit screen time, set simple rules and routines, gradually increase effort, and reflect on how you spend your time. Seeing life as a challenge and viewing stress as a chance to grow helps us step out of our comfort zone, so we can strengthen ourselves physically and mentally and be better prepared for whatever life throws our way. Connect and Learn More: Website: paultaylor.biz Instagram: @paultaylor.biz Podcast: The Paul Taylor Podcast Books: Death by Comfort, and the upcoming The Hardiness Effect Resources Mentioned: Books: Antifragile, Elite Minds, Enchiridion, The Black Swan,  People: Arrian, Bengt Saltin, Bente Klarlund Pedersen, Epictetus, Frank Booth, Friedrich Nietzsche, Grant Schofield, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Seneca, Stan Beecham, Walter Mischel

    1h 12m

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Brain Shaman is a philosophical and scientific journey towards better brain health. Michael Waite discusses how you can change your brain state and overall nervous system via behavior, nutrition, nature, and technology. Mental illness, addiction, and low brain function are destroying so many people and societies. By becoming increasingly disconnected from our natural mind-body-world and plugged into the artificial ones, we are getting sicker, weaker, and less free. We must become more conscious of how the information that we consume (in the form of action, food, drugs, sensory input, media, etc.) affects our brain. This podcast teaches you how to reconnect with your primordial nature, reprogram your brain, regain your freedom, and redirect your life. 

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