On this episode of Remarkably Human Radio, I take you high into the Himalayas as I recount my journey to Mount Everest Base Camp just prior to the devastating earthquakes that struck Nepal.   From the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to make such a trek happen - including how to prepare physically, what to expect for food, shelter and sanitation and the challenges of hiking at high altitude - to my deeply personal reflections, including how the trek challenged my willpower, emotional...

A mere few weeks ago, I returned from an extraordinary adventure deep into the Khumbu region of Nepal. My trip took me from Kathmandu all the way to Mt. Everest and back... Nepal changed me in direct proportion to the size of its glorious mountains, the largest in the world. This past Saturday, Nepal itself changed as it suffered the most devastating earthquake to hit the region in over 80 years. This is an audio essay in support of Nepal Earthquake Relief Efforts.

On today's episode, we talk float tanks with veteran flotation expert and researcher Richard Bonk.   Sometimes called sensory deprivation, isolation, flotation or REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy) tanks, we chat about their beginnings in 1950s neuropsychiatry research and their resurgence today as a therapeutic tool for modern man. The thought of paying for the privilege to step into a small, enclosed box filled with water and spending ninety minutes alone in the dark with...

If there were a pill that could increase your focus, improve your memory, alleviate your anxiety and protect your brain from age-related decline, would you take it? On this episode of Remarkably Human Radio, we talk about smart drugs - also known as nootropics or cognitive enhancers - with the host of the leading podcast on the topic, Jesse Lawler of Smart Drug Smarts.   WE CHAT ABOUT What smart drugs are, and what they are not. How smart drugs differ from simple "healthy lifestyle." The...

Today’s show is an incredible one!  We had a few Skype issues so I spent some extra time cleaning up the audio for you, but secretly I was using it as an opportunity to listen to my guest, Dr. Stan Beecham, over and over again. Dr. Beecham is a very successful sports psychologist who’s been in the industry virtually from the birth of the field.  He’s also the author of a recent book called Elite Minds and has a lot to teach anyone - whether you like sports or not. If you’re interested in...

On a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I met up with the host of Entrepreneur Fitness, Brandon Epstein. Brandon has a strong interest in the role of thought, as it relates to fitness and well-being, and he himself has quite a success story, having been an overweight former college football player who turned it all around in just a few short months to become a competitive body builder and a sought after fitness model for some of the world's biggest fitness brands.  He's gone on to apply his...

On April 15th, 2013, the largest domestic terrorist incident since the 9/11 attack hit the city of Boston and the surrounding communities. Two bombs were detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring an estimated 264 others. What ensued was one of the largest and most complex tactical responses in the history of civilian law enforcement, involving an unprecedented shut-down of the city, multi-community collaboration, a pioneering use of social media to...

By all outward appearances, Tim Cannon looks like a fairly ordinary guy.  If you saw him on the streets of his hometown of Pittsburgh, he’d probably blend in. But on the inside, he’s far from ordinary.   What sets him apart are not only his several electronic implants that make him part cyborg, but the fact that he has done this himself – at home, outside of the lab, without the help of a team of surgeons, using affordable, safe, open-source technology. He’s the co-founder of an organization...

On this episode of Remarkably Human Radio, I chat with living sideshow legend and pain control expert Tim Cridland (aka Zamora the Torture King) about the extreme demonstrations of pain control that he performs on-stage, how and why he does it, and what the rest of us can learn from his experience. Tim Cridland is known worldwide for his demonstrations, which involve pushing large skewers through his body - directly through deep muscle tissue - with no pain, no blood and extremely rapid...

Anti-aging and life extension technologies are rapidly accelerating, and some scientists, doctors and futurists believe that we are just a few decades away from being able to extend our lifespans indefinitely. But what happens if you're not in that younger generation? Or perhaps you are - but what happens if you die in an accident? Cryonics - the low-temperature preservation of the human body in hopes of future revival - is the topic of this episode of Remarkably Human Radio, and here to talk...

Most of us have heard of – or even practiced – what call we “curating.”  But Joel’s method of curating his experiences is nothing short of outsourcing human memory.  We chat about what he outsources, how he does it, and most importantly, the surprising ways in which it has changed his life significantly for the better. I must admit that I was a skeptic when I first picked up his book, but he quickly converted me into a believer, and I’m thrilled to have him on the show."DON’T LET YOUR...

On the inaugural episode of Remarkably Human Radio, I chat with 5-time Arctic Man Champion Eric Heil about the human side of the "world's toughest downhill ski race."  He shares with us the history of the Arctic Man Competition, how he mentally rehearses for such an extreme performance (where the top competitors are skiing over 5 miles in under 4 minutes), and what happens when it all goes terribly wrong.