What's the CO2?

Matthew Martinez
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Medicine
  • Updated Biweekly

Ever feel like the world is moving fast but no one’s really taking a deep breath? What’s the CO2? is a podcast that filters out the noise and dives into meaningful discussions across medicine, wellness, society, and the human experience, one breath at a time. Hosted by a Registered Respiratory Therapist, this show brings curiosity, clarity, and connection to the topics that fill our airwaves and our minds. Whether we’re talking with medical experts, personal storytellers, or just asking better questions about the world around us, you’ll walk away with something to think about (and maybe even exhale a little). Breathe in. Tune in. Let’s see what’s really in the air.

  1. 14h ago

    Episode 15: "Brave Enough to Disappoint Dad" - Aldair Perez

    Aldair Pérez never planned on being a coach. He wanted to be a pro soccer player, then a WWE wrestler, then an MMA fighter. When that window closed, he worked job after job, from a janitor at a UFC gym to an assembly line to construction with his dad, before finally telling his father he was leaving the one job that gave him security. He did it in a long text, because he was so concerned about disappointing him. In this episode, Matt sits down with Aldair, a personal trainer, boxing coach, and manager at Storm MMA & Training Center in Laguna Hills, California, for his very first podcast appearance. It’s a conversation about following your calling, even when it costs you stability. In this episode: The childhood dreams that shaped him, and the “what if” that still tugs at him from his amateur MMA daysHow he drifted into coaching, long before it was a career, by running his high school track team and a faith-based MMA programFree MMA training for at-risk youth, and the short Bible study that closed every sessionA bullied boy who walked in shy and timid, and what boxing did for his confidenceAn honest talk on concussions and what parents should know before putting a kid in combat sportsWhat a first session at Storm looks like, from movement screens to a recovery centerWhy motivation fades and habits lastFaith, gratitude, stepping out of your comfort zone, and finding your purposeFind Aldair on Instagram at @kinetic_kingdom. If this episode meant something to you, like, share, subscribe, and leave a review. It helps the show more than you know.

  2. Oct 5

    Episode 14: "Full in Every Way" - Allison Knott

    Registered dietitian Allison Knott has spent her career helping everyday athletes eat well, and she says the protein craze is crowding out the rest of the plate. In this episode of What's the CO₂?, she talks about why protein is in everything from cereal to ice cream, why she calls herself a "supplement skeptic," and what to look for before you trust a label. Allison also gets personal. She talks about the three years it took to rebuild her strength after back-to-back pregnancies, why the "six-week" recovery expectation doesn't match reality, and what that experience taught her about the clients she works with. Along the way, she explains why food is more than nutrition and how a meal can be both physically and mentally satisfying. We also cover: Why a dietitian still serves frozen pizza some nightsHow GLP-1 medications are changing nutrition, and why lifestyle still mattersGut health and her biggest takeaway: eat more fiberFind Allison at anewwell.co or on Instagram @endurance.sports.nutritionist.

  3. Sep 21

    Episode 13: "Worth Fighting For" - Gail Grimes

    What does it actually take to hold a hospital accountable, and what happens to the people who choose to try? In this episode of What's the CO2?, we sit down with Gail Grimes, ICU nurse, nurse educator at Des Moines University, and a leading voice in the fight to unionize nurses at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines. Gail takes us through her path into healthcare, from three generations of summer camp roots, to a soul searching study abroad trip in India that sparked her interest in medicine, to the ICU floors of Des Moines during one of the hardest stretches in modern healthcare history. She opens up about the patients who never left her, the emotional weight of critical care, and the moments that made it all worth it. Then the conversation turns to what's happening right now: the push for safe staffing ratios, the fight for union recognition, and why nurse density, not good intentions, is what actually moves hospitals to change. Gail breaks down what a union really offers, why Iowa lags so far behind neighboring states, and why she believes this fight is bigger than pay, it's about dignity, accountability, and better care for everyone who walks through hospital doors. Honest, hopeful, and grounded in a decade at the bedside, this is a conversation worth your time.

  4. Sep 7

    Episode 12: "Killing the Stereotype" - Sergio Gonzalez

    In this episode of What's the CO2?, Matt sits down with childhood friend Sergio Gonzalez, Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator at Sam Rayburn High School in Pasadena, Texas. From playing on a historic undefeated Galena Park team to building programs from the ground up at Chavez and now Rayburn, Sergio opens up about the journeyman years, the instability that comes with coaching, and what it took to earn a community's trust. The conversation takes a serious turn as Sergio recounts suffering a heart attack on the sideline just weeks into his first season at Rayburn and the wake-up call that followed, including a 50+ pound weight transformation and a completely new relationship with health. Sergio also shares his work as a founder of the Hispanic Texas High School Football Coaches Association, why representation matters to the kids he coaches, and his mission to challenge outdated stereotypes about Hispanic-led programs in Texas football. The episode closes with a candid reflection on loyalty, moral compass, and what it really means to do right by people, no matter what side of anything they're on. A conversation about resilience, representation, and what it takes to build something that lasts.

  5. Aug 24

    Episode 11: "Treading Water, Together" - Dr. Raquel Relph

    Dr. Raquel Relph just finished residency and is stepping into her first year as a family medicine physician, but getting there wasn't a straight line. In this episode, she opens up about missing her first shot at med school over a forgotten laptop charger, her years as a CNA in hospice care (including caring for a 104 year old Holocaust survivor), and the brutal stretch of residency where she worked 57 of 61 days as chief resident. She also shares the hardest night of her career, the loss of an infant despite doing everything medically possible, and what it taught her about grief, connection, and showing up for people at their worst. Dr. Relph will be practicing family medicine at the Iowa Clinic in North Waukee starting this fall. In this conversation: Why one summer in Puerto Rico cost her an entire year before med schoolWhat DO vs. MD actually means, and why she chose the DO routeThe chaos and emotional toll of Match DayHer CNA years in hospice care, and what it taught her about dignity and deathThe hardest stretch of her residency, and how she got through itLosing a patient despite doing everything rightThe difference between hospice and palliative careWhy she believes primary care is the most undervalued relationship in healthcare Website: https://whatstheco2.com Follow us: https://beacons.ai/whatstheco2 Subscribe to the VENT Newsletter: https://connect.whatstheco2.com/widget/form/dZ21PL9hk2zQEzo6irnp If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and leave a review, it's the best way to help the show reach more listeners.

  6. Aug 10

    Episode 10: "Magic, Sales, and a Front Row Seat" - Dr. Nate Noble

    Autism diagnoses have climbed from roughly 1-in-88 to 1-in-31 kids, but is that a crisis, or just better fishing? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Nate Noble, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and clinical geneticist who helped build Des Moines' developmental pediatrics practice essentially from scratch. Dr. Noble pulls back the curtain on what a real autism evaluation looks like (spoiler: it involves bubbles, thrown toys, and firing his staff on command), why he believes medicine needs two more required courses, magic and sales, and why "levels" of autism matter less than most parents think. We get into: Why genetics "loads the gun" but environment "pulls the trigger", and why chasing a single environmental cause usually does more harm than goodThe real reason autism diagnoses have tripled in a generation (hint: it's not what you think)The three things Iowa's most vulnerable families actually need, and why he says it bluntly, even knowing it'll upset peopleWhat it actually means to give a family "irresponsibly optimistic hope," and why he's never once had someone ask for a refund on itHis own pioneer spirit path from a Northwest Iowa farm to building a specialty that didn't exist yet in this stateWhether you're a parent navigating a wait list, a clinician who wants to communicate better, or just someone who appreciates a doctor who tells it straight, this conversation will change how you think about diagnosis, hope, and what "success" really means. 🔗 Find Dr. Noble: YouTube @drnatenoble Website: https://www.drnatenoble.com 🔗 More from us: whatstheco2.com

    Episode 10: "Magic, Sales, and a Front Row Seat" - Dr. Nate Noble

  7. Jul 27

    Episode 9: "Wired For More" - Jessica Fraser

    For years, Jessica Fraser tried to be the perfect chameleon at work, bending herself into whatever her job needed her to be. It worked, until it didn't. In this episode, she opens up about the moment she stopped stuffing her real self into a "neat container," took the leap to start her own company, and learned to see failure as fuel instead of something to fear. Jessica is the founder of ElucidCX, a company she started just over a year ago that helps businesses make better decisions by having real, one-on-one conversations with their customers, turning qualitative insight into quantitative data companies can actually use. She's also a mom of five, a Woodlands, TX native, and a longtime friend of mine from my church days back in Texas. In this conversation: Why she used to describe herself as "miswired" and what she realizes nowThe humble confidence it takes to bet on yourselfBuilding a business while raising five kidsWhy failure became something she needed, not something she fearedGrowing up in The Woodlands and the community that shaped her Connect with Jessica: ElucidCX: https://elucidcx.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-fraser4/ Website: https://whatstheco2.com Follow us: https://beacons.ai/whatstheco2 If this episode resonated with you, subscribe and leave a review, it's the best way to help the show reach more listeners.

    Episode 9: "Wired For More" - Jessica Fraser

  8. Jul 13

    Episode 8: "Life Happens Either Way" - Zane Chapman

    Zane Chapman had no guarantees it would work. Just a conviction that coaching throws was what he wanted to do with his life, and the willingness to take an unpaid volunteer job to prove it. That decision took him from Eastern Illinois University to a volunteer position at Wisconsin, working alongside an Olympic discus thrower, to Drake University, where there was no throws program at all. Zane started with a pole vaulter, a soccer player, and a football player who'd never touched a shot put, and built it into a program with All-Americans and national qualifiers. But this episode isn't just about what he built. It's about what he carried while building it. Zane and his wife walked through two miscarriages before their "miracle baby." He spent years trying to help his lifelong best friend, Aaron, fight his way out of addiction, and still lost him far too soon, at just 30 years old. This conversation is about a simple, hard truth: life is going to hand you hardship no matter what path you take. So why not spend it chasing something you actually love? We talk about betting on yourself before you have any proof it'll pay off, what it's like to coach an Olympian, the emotional weight of loss and grief, and what it really means to define success on your own terms.

    Episode 8: "Life Happens Either Way" - Zane Chapman
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About

Ever feel like the world is moving fast but no one’s really taking a deep breath? What’s the CO2? is a podcast that filters out the noise and dives into meaningful discussions across medicine, wellness, society, and the human experience, one breath at a time. Hosted by a Registered Respiratory Therapist, this show brings curiosity, clarity, and connection to the topics that fill our airwaves and our minds. Whether we’re talking with medical experts, personal storytellers, or just asking better questions about the world around us, you’ll walk away with something to think about (and maybe even exhale a little). Breathe in. Tune in. Let’s see what’s really in the air.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Martinez
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Matthew Martinez
  • Show Website
    What's the CO2?