96 episodes
The FitMind Podcast: Mental Fitness, Neuroscience & Psychology FitMind: Neuroscience, Meditation & Mental Fitness Training
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- Health & Fitness
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4.8 • 240 Ratings
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Expert insights on the science of a fit mind. Topics include psychology, neuroscience, mental health, mindfulness meditation, productivity, brain technologies, Stoicism, happiness hacking, and more.
Liam McClintock, the Founder of FitMind, talks with leaders in their fields, from neuroscientists and psychologists to Buddhist monks and professional athletes.
At FitMind, we believe that the next great human frontier is the mind. FitMind combines ancient techniques with western psychology to provide mental fitness training that is taught at Fortune 500 companies, addiction centers, schools, government organizations, and on the FitMind meditation app.
Liam McClintock received a B.A. from Yale and worked in finance before traveling to Asia to study meditation full-time. He is currently completing an MS in Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London. Liam is an RYS Certified Yoga & Meditation Instructor and has trained in various meditation styles. He has been featured in Time, Vice, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, NBC, and Men’s Health.
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#90: Master of Sleep - Nick Littlehales
Nick Littlehales has been an elite sport recovery coach for nearly a quarter-century and is the bestselling author of Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps... and the New Plan to Recharge Your Body and Mind.
On this episode, we uncover the common myths and misunderstandings about sleep. We also discuss the circadian rhythm, chronotypes, polyphasic sleep, and treating sleep as recovery.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co
SHOW NOTES
0:00 | Intro to Nick Littlehales
1:42 | Sleep Tips
3:45 | Becoming a Sleep Coach
7:28 | How the Pros Optimize Sleep
9:38 | What to do Before You Sleep
19:36 | Understanding Circadian Rhythm
26:10 | Polyphasic Sleep: Importance of Naps
28:58 | 7 Key Sleep Recovery Indicators
37:27 | How to Improve Sleep
43:54 | Microrest
45:20 | Rapid Fire Questions -
#89: Consciousness, Perception & Reality - Donald Hoffman, PhD
Donald Hoffman, PhD is a cognitive scientist and author of The Case Against Reality: Why Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes.
He is currently a professor at UC Irvine, where he studies consciousness, visual perception and evolutionary psychology.
On this episode, we “take the red pill” and hear Dr. Hoffman’s theory on why reality is not what it seems. He explains this complex topic by comparing reality to a user interface.
We discuss many topics, such as his mathematical theory of consciousness, questioning beliefs, and how the mind forms new mental models.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co
Show Notes
0:00 | Introduction to Donald Hoffman, PhD
2:23 | Why Reality Isn’t as It Seems
7:30 | Reality as a User Interface
13:51 | Adapting to Evolving Technology
16:06 | Creating New Mental Models
18:31 | Moving Beyond Spacetime
23:06 | Consciousness is Fundamental
25:26 | Ancient Wisdom & Science of Consciousness
30:00 | Conversation with the Dalai Lama (starting at 54:40)
30:15 | Reality Transcends Concepts
36:39 | Questioning Beliefs
38:56 | A New Worldview
45:04 | Mathematical Theory of Consciousness
45:39 | Rapid Fire Questions -
#88: Profound States of Mind - Andrew Holecek
Andrew Holecek is an author and meditation teacher with decades of intensive practice experience, including a 3-year silent retreat in the Tibetan tradition.
Andrew’s work combines ancient wisdom with modern science.
We discuss the insights gained from his lengthy silent retreat, the 2 vectors of enlightenment, how our minds construct our realities, and much more.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co
SHOW NOTES
0:00 | Intro to Andrew Holecek
4:55 | In the Presence of Meditation Masters
10:10 | 3-Year Silent Retreat Experience
18:58 | Insights Gained from 3-Year Retreat
22:50 | Unsticking the Mind
30:06 | Enlightenment Defined
38:58 | Waking Up & Growing Up
44:23 | How Our Minds Construct Our Realities
54:20 | Deconstructing Mental Constructs
62:23 | Rapid Fire Questions -
#87: The Future of the Brain - Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD
Miguel Nicolelis, MD, PhD is a Brazilian neuroscientist and physician famous for his pioneering work in the field of brain-machine interface (BMI) technology.
Dr. Nicolelis’s extensive research with brain-machine interfaces blurs the lines between real life and science fiction.
In the episode, we discuss neuroprosthetics, monkeys controlling robots, brain-to-brain communication, and the key implications of these wild, futuristic technologies for us all.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co
SHOW NOTES
0:00 | Intro to Dr. Miguel Nicolelis
4:20 | Monkeys Controlling Robots
10:30 | Mirror Neurons & Brain-Machine Interface (BMI)
13:02 | Advances & Applications of BMIs
17:50 | BMIs for Parkinson’s Disease
21:36 | Upgrading the Human Mind?
24:50 | Why Machines Will Never Think Like a Human
29:56 | Brains are Changed by Digital Systems
32:50 | Limitations of Computers
37:07 | How Nature Shaped the Brain
40:15 | We Only Experience a Sliver of Reality
49:45 | Viruses of the Mind
59:30 | Rapid Fire Questions -
#86: The Science of Spontaneity - Edward Slingerland, PhD
Edward Slingerland, PhD, is a Professor of Philosophy and Associate Member in the Asian Studies and Psychology Departments at the University of British Columbia. He's an expert on the cognitive science of ancient philosophies.
On this episode, we discuss the science of ancient concepts like Wu Wei (”effortless action”), hot vs cold cognition, ways to alter consciousness, the paradox of trying not to try, and much more.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co
SHOW NOTES
0:00 | Intro to Edward Slingerland, PhD
1:39 | Wu Wei & Flow State
9:34 | Hot vs. Cold Cognition
13:45 | How to Get into State of Wu Wei
17:35 | When to Not Use Wu Wei
19:30 | Paradox of Trying Not to Try
26:40 | Wu Wei in Daily Life
30:10 | Microdosing Psychedelics
32:28 | Alcohol and Ways to Alter Consciousness
38:06 | How Much Effort is Needed to Become Effortless?
40:00 | Rapid Fire Questions -
#85: Neuromagic & Illusion - Stephen Macknik, PhD & Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD
Dr. Susana Martinez-Conde and Dr. Stephen Macknik are neuroscientists who specialize in the science of magic and illusion.
Both are professors of ophthalmology, neurology, and physiology & pharmacology at the Downstate Medical Center.
Together they pioneered the study of various aspects of magic such as perception, cognitive illusion, and attentional misdirection.
On this episode, we discuss how magic tricks fool the brain, why everyday life is an illusion, what neuroscientists and magicians can learn from each other and much more.
FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind
Website: www.fitmind.co Show Notes
0:00 | Intro to Stephen Macknik, PhD & Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD
8:00 | How Magic Hacks Our Minds
13:00 | What Neuroscientists Learn from Magicians
15:54 | What Magicians Learn from Neuroscientists
17:24 | Testing Attention Manipulation
22:25 | Cognition & Calculation
25:36 | How Our Brains Construct Reality
28:27 | Vision Produces Our Changing Realities
29:53 | Microsaccades Explained
32:58 | Brain on Autopilot
35:50 | Expertise as an Unconscious Process
40:46 | Magic for Kids vs. Magic for Adults
43:43 | Is Magic Still Enjoyable When You Know the Tricks?
48:24 | Rapid Fire Questions
Customer Reviews
Episode 89
What a wonderful podcast. Great presentation of his work and it’s connection to meditation. Listened twice.
Thank you for all of your efforts. Enjoyed and appreciated.
Just started
Came across this podcast and while scrolling topics, the porn episode piqued my interest. So curious to see how the brain processes porn. Not quite what I thought. Where to begin! Oh yes, equating porn to Romans enjoying gladiators getting tortured and killed. Whoa! And from there it goes on and on with extreme examples. Of course no one wants children watching and being influenced. Or young women being raped and filmed. I’m half way through and I still have not heard one word about the brain. Telling me that young men watching prom and following a script in their own lives is simplistic at best. Long before porn hub humans have experimented and explored their bodies and sexuality. That IS. natural. I could go on but why.
Episode #88
What a delightful episode. Worth a second or even third listen. Both the moderator and guest are humble, relatable, and inspiring.