Breath Is Strength: The Science of Stability, Power, and Endurance
Breath is not just background noise. It’s biomechanics. It’s neurology. It’s the bridge between tension and relaxation, between effort and recovery. It dictates strength, stability, and endurance long before muscle takes over.
Yet breath is often an afterthought. It happens automatically, unconsciously. But in training, unconscious breath is unstable breath. Strength is not just about force generation—it’s about pressure management, about knowing when to brace and when to release, when to create tension and when to allow movement.
Let’s get into the science.
Move Like Your Life Depends on It—Because It Does
When we move, we aren't just burning calories or strengthening muscles. We are sending biochemical signals that alter our mood, enhance cognitive function, regulate stress responses, and even protect against neurodegeneration. And just as movement has the power to build a more resilient, adaptable brain, the absence of movement can do the opposite—dulling cognition, increasing inflammation, and contributing to mental and emotional imbalances.
Healing the Nervous System: What Vestibular Therapy Taught Me About Trauma, Recovery, and Resilience
Vestibular dysfunction is a perfect allegory for how trauma is stored in the body. Both involve miscommunication between the brain and the autonomic nervous system (ANS)—a glitch in perception that tells the body it isn’t safe, even when it is. And both require the same counterintuitive approach for a meathead like me: not forcing, but listening. Not pushing, but pacing. This process requires patience, presence, and a willingness to listen deeply.
Could Ketamine Accelerate Concussion Recovery? Insights from an N=1 Case Study
In this post I share why I chose to try ketamine as an acute intervention for a traumatic brain injury, the science behind its potential benefits for brain injury recovery, the risks I considered, and the possibility of future clinical trials. Please note, this is an N=1 experiment—just one person’s experience. If you’re considering a similar approach, I strongly encourage you to consult with a healthcare professional first.
Gains or Pains: What’s Lurking in Your Protein Powder?
If you know me, you know I rely on protein powders, ironically, because I’m so particular about food quality. I like having something I trust on hand, especially when life on the road makes it hard to find reliable options. However, recent findings from the Clean Label Project have cast a dark shadow over the industry, raising serious concerns about the presence of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury in these widely consumed supplements.
The Shape of Grief
For anyone navigating their own shadows, I invite you to explore the stories you tell about your grief. Write them down, speak them out loud, or share them with someone who can bear witness. In doing so, you may find not answers, but a sense of connection to the process—a reminder that the shifting ground beneath your feet is also where your story continues.
Intelligent Supplementation: The Essential Nutrients to Boost Health, Energy, and Performance
In a perfect world, food alone would supply everything our bodies need to thrive. Unfortunately, modern living has made this less and less likely.
Supplements fill this gap, but supplementation is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and it comes with challenges. How do you identify what you need? What forms are the most effective? When should you take them, and in what combinations?
The Science of Interoception: Listening to the Wisdom Within
Imagine walking into a room and sensing that it feels warm and inviting—not because of the decor but because you feel physically at ease. Or consider the moments when your chest tightens as you anticipate a difficult conversation, or your stomach flutters before a significant event. These sensations, subtle yet profound, are your body’s way of communicating its internal state—a phenomenon known as interoception.
The Radical New Year’s Resolution: Embracing Your Authentic Self
As the calendar turns and the collective drumbeat of New Year's resolutions grows louder, it’s easy to get swept up in the narrative that you need to become someone else—stronger, thinner, more organized, more ambitious. But what if, instead of striving to change, you resolved to be more of yourself? What if the goal wasn’t transformation but reclamation?
The Neuroscience of Rest: How Slowing Down Fuels Brain Health
December is a natural time for rest, both biologically and culturally. As daylight shortens and temperatures drop, our bodies naturally crave more sleep due to increased melatonin production from reduced sunlight. Culturally, December often brings a break from work and an opportunity to slow down, spend time with loved ones, and recharge.
This seasonal shift aligns with our brain’s need for rest, helping consolidate memories, process information, and support neuroplasticity—the brain’s incredible ability to adapt and rewire itself. Embracing rest during this time isn’t just a cultural norm but a biological necessity. By understanding the neuroscience behind rest, we can intentionally create space for our brains to recover, optimize function, and prepare for the year ahead.
HIIT vs. HIRT: Why Strength Training Should Be the Core of Your Workouts
I talk a lot about High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for its incredible brain and nervous system benefits. It’s quick, effective, and has a profound impact on neuroplasticity and stress resilience. But when it comes to building lasting strength, supporting metabolic health, and creating a foundation for long-term resilience, High-Intensity Resistance Training (HIRT) is the real star of the show.
Most of my workouts center around HIRT, and for good reason. It offers a unique blend of physical, cognitive, and nervous system benefits that go beyond what HIIT alone can achieve. Let’s dive into what makes each method unique, how they compare, and why HIRT deserves to take center stage in your routine.
The Neuroscience of Self-Awareness: Autonoetic Consciousness and Metacognition
Self-awareness is often regarded as the cornerstone of personal growth and emotional intelligence, but what makes this ability so profound? At its heart are two interconnected cognitive processes: autonoetic consciousness—our ability to mentally navigate through time—and metacognition, which allows us to observe and regulate our thoughts. Together, these mechanisms shape how we perceive ourselves, make decisions, and grow from our experiences.
This article explores the neuroscience of self-awareness, the benefits and challenges it presents, and practical strategies to strengthen this transformative skill.
Beyond the Journey: The Art and Science of Psychedelic Integration
Why Integration is Essential to Unlock the Potential of Psychedelic Therapy
The Neuroscience of Gratitude: Cultivating Happiness and Resilience
Discover the neuroscience of gratitude and how it boosts happiness, resilience, and emotional well-being. Learn how gratitude practices stimulate neuroplasticity, reduce negativity bias, and enhance brain function, leading to a more positive and fulfilling life.
The Neuroscience of Intuition: How Your Brain Uses Subconscious Patterns to Guide You
Have you ever had a "gut feeling" that led you to make a decision without logical reasoning, only for it to be the right one? While intuition may seem mystical, modern neuroscience reveals it to be a complex, powerful process rooted in subconscious pattern recognition, emotional memory, and bodily wisdom. In this post, we’ll explore how these systems work together, how to distinguish intuition from fear, and how to hone this invaluable skill for personal growth and decision-making.
The Science of Happiness: Why Real Fulfillment Requires More Than Success
True happiness goes beyond achieving success; it’s rooted in resilience, self-acceptance, and a deeper connection to oneself. This exploration of happiness challenges traditional definitions, weaving together personal experience with the science of fulfillment. Discover why real contentment isn’t just a state of mind but a way of living that unites mind and body in purpose and joy.
Timing your Cold Plunge: the ULTIMATE Guide to Workout Recovery, Focus, and Nervous System Health
Discover the science behind cold exposure and how to optimize it for your workouts, nervous system health, and mental clarity. From ice baths to cryotherapy, cold showers to cold ocean swims, learn how each method impacts muscle recovery, neurotransmitters, and stress resilience. Find out the best timing—before or after exercise—to align with your fitness and wellness goals, and explore accessible ways to integrate cold exposure into your routine. Whether you’re after improved focus, reduced inflammation, or a calmer nervous system, this guide has you covered.
Unlocking Your Nervous System's Potential: The Benefits of Interval Training and Breathwork for Healing
Discover how combining interval training and breathwork can unlock your nervous system's potential for healing and recovery. This post explores the synergistic benefits of these practices, highlighting their role in reducing stress, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing overall well-being. Whether you’re recovering from trauma or seeking to boost your resilience, learn how this powerful approach can transform your health.
Interval Training to Regulate the Autonomous Nervous System
Interval training offers a multifaceted approach to enhancing brain health and supporting the nervous system. By stimulating neuroplasticity, increasing BDNF production, improving cerebral blood flow, and regulating stress responses, interval training can contribute significantly to cognitive function, emotional well-being, and overall neurological health. Consider integrating interval training into your fitness regimen to maximize these benefits and promote a healthier brain and nervous system.
Music as a Neuroplasticity hack
Music as a Neuroplasticity Hack
Neuroplasticity in its most basic form is the ability of our brain to reorganize itself. Pertinent here is that it plays a vital role in recovering from injuries—it’s something I’ve almost solely focused on in my recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Our brains are continually evolving, influenced by our thoughts, experiences, and even the music we listen to while working out