The Health Feast

What do you do the morning after you quit?

That’s the question at the center of Steve Kamb’s new book, How to Try Again. Steve founded Nerd Fitness and has spent 17 years helping people try again in their health and fitness journeys.

In our conversation we discuss:

• Why Steve wrote a book for the person who already gave up, and how failure went from something that happened to something you are
• His four steps for trying again: pause, accept, change, try
• Why doing the wrong thing harder is worse than treading water
• How to tell acceptance from avoidance (avoidance usually sounds like “next week”)
• Why normal is never coming, and where strategically half-assing it comes in
• Being an insecure overachiever, and why self-compassion was the most important lesson Steve had to learn while writing the book
• A scenario I gave Steve: Sarah, 45, two kids, joined a gym in January and hasn’t been back in three months
• Looking back like a detective, with curiosity instead of judgment, then moving forward like a scientist, with a small experiment and an end date
• What’s worth tracking, what to stop tracking, and when the half-assed version is enough
• Chaz, his inner critic, and what a pretty good day looks like for him now
• The story of the quilt his grandmother gave him

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:23 A book for the morning after you quit
5:52 Why failure became an identity
9:05 The Museum of Failure wall
11:57 Share from a scar, not a wound
15:58 The four-step framework: pause, accept, change, try
18:15 Treading water vs. doing the wrong thing harder
21:09 Acceptance vs. avoidance
25:13 “Normal” is never coming
27:57 Strategically half-assing it
29:33 Giving up vs. quitting
33:09 Self-compassion and the insecure overachiever
39:27 Sarah’s story: detective, then scientist
45:21 Experiments with an end date
48:39 What to track, and what to stop tracking
52:46 When is half-assed enough?
1:01:36 Meet Chaz, the inner critic
1:06:04 A pretty good day: wayfinders vs. warp speed
1:09:37 The quilt story
1:17:44 Words to live by

Find Steve: his book How to Try Again at howtotryagain.com, and @stevekamb on Substack, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.

The Health Feast is where health stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a joyful and abundant feast. Hosted by Dr. Rak Jotwani, board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine. New episodes every week. If this episode was useful, leave a review. It is the best way to help the show reach more people. Live well and RAK ON.

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise, nutrition, or health routine. The views expressed are those of the hosts and guests only and do not reflect the views of any employer or affiliated institution.

Liam McClintock left a career in finance to build FitMind, the meditation app I have used for years. He went back to school for a master's in applied neuroscience. Then he became a Buddhist monk, gave away his savings, and spent three years training under a master teacher, planning to stay for life.

Seven months ago he came back, and in this conversation he explains why. There is a message he wants us all to hear. Most of us were taught two ways to handle an unwanted feeling: suppress it or express it. Liam teaches the third option, releasing it, and makes the case that it is a trainable skill, that it should feel good, and that the more you relax, the deeper it goes. Near the end, he leads a live guided release.

In this episode:

• Suppress, express, or release: the third option nobody taught us
• The shock study, and why sitting with your thoughts is a trainable skill
• The four R's: recognize, release, relish, remain
• Three years as a monk, and why he came back
• Why loving-kindness beat the breath, and why the more you relax the deeper it goes

Find Liam: the FitMind app (free and donation based): http://fitmind.org
And his book, Fit Mind: 4 Steps to Lasting Bliss can be found wherever you buy books.

The Health Feast is where health stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a joyful and abundant feast. Hosted by Dr. Rak Jotwani, board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine. New episodes every other week. If this episode was useful, leave a review. It is the best way to help the show reach more people.

Live well and RAK ON.

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise, nutrition, or health routine. The views expressed are those of the hosts and guests only and do not reflect the views of any employer or affiliated institution.

Optimism is not a personality trait. It is a muscle, and muscles grow with reps. My friend Charles Inniss, a physical therapist turned optimism coach and author of Up Your Optimism Game, returns to the Feast to break down the 24 mental muscles behind joy, confidence, and peace of mind. Charles gives you a five-minute daily workout to build them.

In this episode:

• The 24 mental muscles, and the three that count as core
• Doom scrolling as pessimism cardio, and how to reprogram your feed
• "How do you want to be?" Picking an emotional goal, not just a career goal
• Affirmations that feel like lying, and the four keys that make them believable
• The strengths resume, live, plus the five-minute daily mental workout

Chapters:
0:00 Intro: the voice in your head
2:28 The men's group question: who trained us to be this way?
3:48 Pride goeth before the fall
9:25 Mental muscles: the premise of Up Your Optimism Game
12:10 Doom scrolling is pessimism cardio
21:28 The pit, and three words: joy, create, connect
25:09 How do you want to be?
27:57 Wrecking your mental health to fix your physical health
31:53 The skeptic: gratitude fatigue and affirmations that feel like lying
36:08 When does hope become denial? Growth vs protection
41:15 Chop down the blaming tree
46:01 Rak in the chair: the strengths resume
51:09 The five-minute mental workout
56:19 Strengths glasses and the forgiving wimp
1:06:09 We see the world as we are
1:07:57 Joy through the journey, game night, and a thank you

Find Charles: http://charlesinniss.com (which includes a link to the his book on Amazon).

The Health Feast is where health stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a joyful and abundant feast. Hosted by Dr. Rak Jotwani, board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine. New episodes every week.

If this episode was useful, leave a review. It is the best way to help the show reach more people.

Live well and RAK ON.

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise, nutrition, or health routine. The views expressed are those of the hosts and guests only and do not reflect the views of any employer or affiliated institution.

Two doctors, no filter. My friend Kaveh Hoda, MD (gastroenterologist and host of The House of Pod) and I get into why the loudest voices in health are usually the least trustworthy, what supplement companies never have to prove, and the three questions I use with my patients to reorganize a whole health life. We recorded this over a year ago for his show, and I am finally releasing it on mine, because when something is true, it stays true. And because it is Kaveh, we laugh the entire way through.

In this episode:

• Why the loudest health advice grows fastest, and why real medicine sounds boring
• "Expensive urine" and what actually shows up in liver clinics
• The three most important questions: experience, growth, contribution
• Why habits fail when your life keeps changing
• The carnivore diet, the manosphere, and why fiber is your friend

Chapters:
0:00 Intro, the certainty trap
1:49 Why the loudest health advice wins
3:58 Supplements, false hope, and expensive urine
9:11 The three most important questions
10:27 Question 1, what do I want to experience?
17:49 Question 2, how do I want to grow?
22:46 The exercise and weight loss trap
25:53 F3, community, and loneliness
34:57 Question 3, how do I want to contribute?
39:35 A foodie's case for eating more plants
54:57 The carnivore takedown

Find Kaveh: The House of Pod, anywhere you get your podcasts, and on Bluesky @KavehMD.

The Health Feast is where health stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a joyful and abundant feast. Hosted by Dr. Rak Jotwani, board-certified in Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine. New episodes every 2 weeks. If this episode was useful, leave a review. It is the best way to help the show reach more people.

Live well and RAK ON.

This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise, nutrition, or health routine. The views expressed are those of the hosts and guests only and do not reflect the views of any employer or affiliated institution.

Fitness trackers are everywhere, watches, rings, bands, all promising better health. But research suggests they can backfire.

A Harvard/Mass General Brigham study found over a third of Americans now track their sleep with a device, and researchers found these devices can fuel guilt and anxiety when the numbers come in low. There's even a word for it: orthosomnia, an obsession with a "perfect" sleep score that wrecks the sleep itself.

Dr. Amitha Kalaichandran knows this from the inside. A residency she calls "genuinely toxic" left her with disordered sleep, rising cholesterol, and anxiety she couldn't name, despite being a physician trained to read data for a living. It took her years of integrative medicine to close that gap, work she wrote about in her book, On Healing.

Now she's built Evra Health, a company with a goal that's almost radical in tech: not to keep you on the app, but to help you need it less.

Here's what we get into:
Why more data can make you feel worse, not better. Why your health app quietly runs on shame. How she trained her own AI to call dessert an occasional treat instead of flagging it red. What a 12-city book tour taught her about the real gap in healthcare. What she learned trying hypnosis and therapeutic MDMA. Your tracker isn't supposed to be your judge. It's a data point. Nothing more.

CONNECT WITH DR. AMITHA
Website: http://evrahealth.com
Book: On Healing, at http://onhealingbook.com
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/amithakalaichandran

CONNECT WITH DR. RAK

Website: https://rakyourlife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rakyourlife
Podcast: https://rakyourlife.com/podcast

Timestamps
00:03 Cold open: is your fitness tracker making you sicker?
02:25 The stats: orthosomnia and technohypochondria explained
05:19 The dumb watch trend, and the report card problem
07:30 Red, green, and the shame built into app design
10:10 What has to exist between a number and a lasting habit
13:51 When Amitha first realized data needs meaning
15:44 Residency, sleep debt, and a genuinely toxic culture
18:19 Reversing her own cholesterol without medication
20:26 Why the book is called On Healing, not curing
22:31 Hypnosis and therapeutic MDMA: what most doctors won't discuss
25:09 The book tour that led to building Evra
25:36 Inside Evra: what it actually does for a user
33:44 Training the AI to never flag food as bad
35:04 Building a tool that isn't designed to be addictive
39:20 Why Evra measures outcomes, not engagement
42:14 Why change has to come from an intrinsic place
46:09 Fixing healthcare as this generation's moonshot
50:59 Life philosophy: trusting and letting go

There's someone new in your life. They help you write, plan, think through problems. They're available at 2am, when you can't sleep, because they never get tired of listening to you.

You know it's not a person. But your brain isn't always so sure.

One in four Americans have already used AI for their health. A third of people under 30 use it like a therapist. A Harvard study found daily users are 30% more likely to show signs of depression.

That's an association, not proof. But it's the question that's been sitting with me: are these tools making us healthier, or reaching for something that quietly makes us worse?

Dr. Aaron Neinstein is an endocrinologist who's spent his career building technology inside healthcare. We trained together in residency almost 20 years ago, taking care of ICU patients side by side, long before either of us could've guessed where this was headed.

Aaron tells me about the night he almost brushed off his dog swallowing a thread — until ChatGPT told him, at midnight, that it was an emergency. It probably saved her life. We talk about where AI is closing real gaps: the oncology visit patients walk into with zero prep, the colonoscopy prep calls that never used to happen, the ambient scribe that finally let him look at his patients instead of typing notes.

Then we get honest about what it's costing us. Aaron's sleep has slipped 90 minutes a night for four months. His guitar has sat untouched. I told him about my own late nights on Claude Code, and the spirals I've caught myself in that I now recognize as rumination dressed up as productivity.

FREE RESOURCES

What is a plant-based eater's best friend? A good sauce. Start with the Sauce Library, a free collection of whole-food sauces and dressings that make anything taste incredible. It comes with Health That Flows, a free 5-day email series built around the same approach that helped me lose over 80 pounds and reverse my own chronic diseases. One idea a day. Nothing to overhaul.

Get it free at https://rakyourlife.com/experience-life/

CONNECT WITH DR. AARON

Website: http://aaronneinstein.com
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/aaronneinstein

CONNECT WITH DR. RAK

Website: https://rakyourlife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rakyourlife
Podcast: https://rakyourlife.com/podcast

Timestamps

00:03 – Cold open: the tool that never gets tired of listening
02:22 – The stats: 1 in 4 Americans, and a Harvard depression study
04:39 – AI as healthcare's "get out of jail free card"
09:36 – Colonoscopy prep calls and cutting cancellations in half
15:49 – The ChatGPT message that saved Aaron's dog's life
25:09 – Rak and Aaron confess: losing sleep to Claude Code
27:19 – Inside Aaron's AI chief of staff
35:16 – Why there's no universal truth in an AI's answer
39:54 – AI as sophisticated rumination, Rak's honest confession
44:26 – Setting guardrails before your bad moments arrive
55:08 – Sycophancy, and what a good therapist does differently
1:00:41 – Life philosophy: enjoy every sandwich

1:02:18 – How Dr. Aaron makes his own life a health feast

We live in a post-truth world. Anyone can say anything and call it a fact.

Strawberries cause cancer. Beans destroy your gut. Beef tallow is the new health food.

This is what happens when attention is more profitable than accuracy. When influencers sell confusion and call it health advice. Rip Esselstyn has been watching this happen for decades. He is not an influencer. He is the real thing.

What we get into: why the carnivore wave is built on bro science and not evidence. The truth about carbs and why 95 percent of Americans are eating what Rip calls carbage. His father's landmark work reversing heart disease at the Cleveland Clinic. Adam Sud's transformation from 350 pounds and addicted to reversing 15 conditions in eight months on rice, beans, and oatmeal. His 90-year-old mother's Guinness World Record dead hang. And why every nourishing meal is an act of self-love, whether you feel it yet or not.

Inappropriate application of a method is no reason for its abandonment. If it did not work before, that does not mean it cannot work now.

This is about freedom, not discipline. Once you feel it, you will not want to go back.

FREE RESOURCES

What is a plant-based eater's best friend? A good sauce. Start with the Sauce Library, a free collection of whole-food sauces and dressings that make anything taste incredible. It comes with Health That Flows, a free 5-day email series built around the same approach that helped me lose over 80 pounds and reverse my own chronic diseases. One idea a day. Nothing to overhaul.

Get it free at https://rakyourlife.com/experience-life/

CONNECT WITH RIP ESSELSTYN

Website: https://plantstrong.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn
PLANTSTRONG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong
Podcast: https://plantstrong.com/podcast

CONNECT WITH DR. RAK

Website: https://rakyourlife.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rakyourlife
Podcast: https://rakyourlife.com/podcast

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro
02:25 The cultural swing back to meat and dairy and why it is not rooted in science
05:38 What went wrong with the plant-based products of 2013 to 2019
09:41 The strawberries claim and the state of nutrition confusion
15:54 His father's journey at the Cleveland Clinic reversing heart disease
18:03 Why Rip started eating whole food plant-based at 19
18:54 From triathlon circuit to firefighter and how the movement grew
24:47 Building a support system and why setbacks are not failure
32:08 Turning intention into routine with the Plant Strong food line
37:19 Building a best-for-you brand in the CPG space
43:11 Vital Signs a new gathering for healthcare providers
46:46 The 2026 monthly health challenges
47:28 His mother's Guinness World Record dead hang
51:10 Reframing health as a celebration not a punishment
55:05 The Plant Strong Podcast and moving beyond fad diets

You're not lazy. So why does your workout keep losing to the snooze button?

You set the alarm for 6am. Clothes laid out the night before. The alarm goes off, you hit snooze, and by 6:18 you’ve decided today is a write-off. You’ll start again Monday.

That moment is not a willpower problem. It has a name, and once you see it you cannot unsee it.

Dr. Michelle Segar is back on the show. Her work inspired the name of The Health Feast. She has spent 30 years at the University of Michigan studying why exercise habits fall apart, and she just published the first study of its kind on all-or-nothing thinking in exercise.

Here’s what we get into:

• Why skipping a workout can feel like relief, and what that relief is quietly costing you
• The difference between “I can’t do five days, so I won’t start” and “my plan broke, so I did nothing”
• The perfect workout trap, and how fitness culture trained us to think pass or fail
• POP in the moment: Pause, Open up your options, Pick the joy choice
• Building a movement menu so you can flex when life gets in the way
• The story of what I did within an hour of my wedding, after months of forcing myself to run

You do not need a better workout. You need a more flexible, more forgiving relationship with movement. This conversation shows you where it starts.

Live well and RAK ON,

– Dr. Rak 👊🏽

Timestamps

00:00 – The 6:18 AM scenario
02:28 – What's happening in your brain when you skip
03:27 – The study: how it started and what they found
09:06 – Rigid idealized criteria explained
11:59 – How fitness guidelines backfire
19:38 – The cancer patient who wouldn't walk around the block
22:51 – Why skipping feels like relief
25:56 – Novice vs. expert exercisers
32:51 – The brain's cost-value calculation
38:47 – When failure becomes identity
40:05 – The trap of comparing yourself to your past self
52:49 – The solution: where to start
56:37 – POP: pause, open options, pivot
01:03:04 – Building a new identity through small choices
01:08:10 – Fitness culture as a cult and how to deprogram

About Dr. Michelle Segar

Dr. Michelle Segar is a motivation scientist at the University of Michigan and one of the leading voices on how people build health behaviors that actually last. Across 30 years of NIH-funded research she has chased one stubborn question: how do we help people stay active inside the unpredictability of real life, instead of quitting the first time the plan breaks?

She is the author of The Joy Choice and No Sweat, and her work has informed the World Health Organization and the US National Physical Activity Plan. Her latest research is the first study of its kind on all-or-nothing thinking in exercise.

Connect with Michelle

• Website: http://michellesegar.com
• Book: The Joy Choice, No Sweat
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelsegar/
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Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or professional services. We recommend you consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

You’re doing everything right. But how do you actually know any of it is working?

You eat well. You move. Maybe you track your cholesterol, your VO2 max, your labs.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth. Almost everything we use to measure health is a proxy. An association. A stand-in for the thing we actually care about.

And the thing we actually care about is simple. Can your body still do the things you love? Will it keep doing them as you age?

That question is what my guest this week has spent his career answering.

Scott Fulton lectures on aging at the University of Delaware and sits on the True Health Initiative Council. In his new book, Function, he builds the framework medicine forgot. Not how to manage disease, but how to measure whether your body can actually do what your life requires of it.

In this episode we explore:

• Why most of what we measure in medicine is a proxy, not a direct answer
• The five domains of functional health, and the blind spot hiding in the one you ignore
• Why fitness can coexist with fragility, but function cannot
• The simple at-home tests that tell you where you really stand
• How Scott’s wife rebuilt her bone density in 16 months
• Why doing a little bit every day beats chasing the optimal program

Whether you’re in midlife and want to stay ahead of this, or you’re a little older and want to know where you really stand, this episode shows you what’s possible and what to do next.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why your health metrics might be lying to you
01:38 – Drowning in hype, starving for truth
04:12 – Proxy vs. direct measure: why the difference matters
07:28 – The problem with the VO2 max obsession
09:52 – The fear underneath every health conversation
11:45 – What an engineering and failure-analysis mind sees that clinicians miss
15:12 – Fitness can coexist with fragility. Function cannot.
18:46 – The word “fragility,” and what it really means
21:23 – The five domains of functional health
23:30 – Blind spots: the domain quietly failing while you optimize the rest
30:52 – The user guide: five domains, three tiers, 44 self-assessments
38:57 – Why the low quartile is your biggest opportunity
44:25 – The house of cards: why one weak link brings it all down
45:33 – How Scott’s wife rebuilt her bone density in 16 months
56:30 – Scott’s words to live by
59:38 – Making life a feast: try something new, plan to fail

About Scott Fulton

Scott Fulton is a longevity authority and aging educator who came to this work not as a clinician but through engineering, systems research, and failure mode analysis. That background shapes everything about how he thinks. He is the person who walks into a broken system, figures out what to measure, gathers data you can trust, and uses it to fix what’s wrong.

He lectures on aging at the University of Delaware, is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, sits on the True Health Initiative Council, and is past president of the National Aging in Place Council.

His new book, Function, lays out a framework for measuring functional health span, the five domains that determine whether you can keep doing the things you love as you age. It’s built around 44 self-assessments you can do at home, drawn from standard tests refined over decades of population data. He is also an Ironman triathlete based in Charlottesville, Virginia.

—
Disclaimer: This is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your health routine.

Hey there- Dr. Rak (“rock”) here. When it comes to training and working out, I used to think more was always better. More workouts. More intensity. Less rest.

Several years ago, I became addicted to Spartan obstacle course races, and it has really fueled my training. Early on, I was aiming to train six days a week, often pushing through pain, and I kept getting hurt. Pulled muscles. Knee pain. Cramping in my calves one week before a race I had trained six months for. I thought the answer was to do more. It turns out I had it completely backwards.

Coach Nick Smoot is back on The Health Feast, and this time we are talking about the half of training almost nobody pays attention to: recovery.

Because you don’t get stronger when you train. You get stronger when you’re not training. And if you’re not recovering, you are leaving every single gain on the table.

We get into:

• Why your body can’t tell the difference between a hard workout and a hard day at work
• Why walking might be the most underrated tool you have
• Why the couch is not the same as recovery
• And Nick tells a jiu-jitsu story that will change how you think about working hard.

Whether you are grinding and going nowhere, or you love someone who is, this one is for you.

Timestamps

0:00 Intro
1:54 What recovery actually is
4:11 Two types of athletes: under-recovery vs. over-resting
5:30 Sleep: the greatest recovery tool you have
10:24 Your body can’t tell the difference between training stress and life stress
12:34 Why walking is the most underrated recovery tool
18:04 Why sitting on the couch is not recovery
26:39 How to fuel for training -- and when protein timing actually matters
37:13 Training when sick: the above-the-neck rule
41:12 Rest is not weakness -- it is part of the work
45:10 The jiu-jitsu story: 75% consistent beats 100% burned out
48:23 Coach Smoot’s closing message

Follow Coach Smoot:

• Instagram: @smoot_fit
• Substack Newsletter: https://smootfit.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smootfit/

About The Health Feast

The Health Feast is the podcast where health stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like a joyful and abundant feast. Hosted by Dr. Rak Jotwani, a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine and Internal Medicine physician. New episodes every week (or two). Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, join the conversation on YouTube, and if this episode was useful, leave us a review and share with others! These are the best ways to help the show reach more people.

Live well and RAK ON.
Dr. Rak
—
Disclaimer: This episode is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a conversation with your own physician or healthcare provider. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your exercise, nutrition, or health routine.

What if the biggest barrier to healing isn't your body — but the belief that you have to fix everything alone?

Want more from The Health Feast? Sign up for my free 5-day email series and learn how to make health habits stick with ease in your life. Visit http://rakyourlife.com to get started.

Nearly half of middle-aged men say they feel lonely. One in five admit to having zero close friends.

A couple years ago, I was one of those men. When my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, I realized I had almost no close friends nearby. That's when I found F3 — a completely free men's movement that changed my life.

Today I'm sitting down with Frank Schwartz (Dark Helmet), CEO of F3 Nation. He went from over 250 pounds and what he calls "curating the museum of himself" to now leading a movement that's reached over 100,000 men worldwide.

In this episode we explore:

• Why the "lone wolf" mindset is destroying men's health
• The three Fs of F3: fitness, fellowship, and faith (and why the order matters)
• How naming, ritual, and identity create deeper transformation
• Why leadership can be lonely — even in a movement fighting loneliness
• What Frank would tell a man who feels completely stuck right now
• The completely free resource any man can access this week

Whether you're a man feeling this isolation yourself or you have someone in your life who is — this conversation will show you what's really going on and what's actually possible.

Live well and RAK ON,
– Dr. Rak 👊🏽

Timestamps

00:00 Dr. Rak's intro: The loneliness epidemic in middle-aged men

02:43 Why men are struggling with isolation and the "lone wolf" mentality

05:50 How society pushes individualism too far

08:56 What is F3 and where did it come from?

10:59 The three Fs: fitness, fellowship, and faith

13:33 Why men connect "shoulder to shoulder" vs face to face

17:12 The accountability factor and outsourcing responsibility

18:51 Dr. Rak's personal F3 discovery story

21:36 The raw vulnerability that emerges after physical exhaustion

25:16 The power of naming, ritual, and tribal identity

28:59 How nicknames represent a new chapter of life

32:03 Frank's transformation: from "curating the museum" to authentic leadership

36:20 The completion vs creation phases of a man's life

42:45 Why leadership can be profoundly lonely

48:52 Maintaining mental health as a leader

53:12 The intentionality behind F3's common language

58:44 Frank's advice to men who feel stuck: "Just stand up"

1:05:52 Overcoming the mental barriers to getting started

1:09:05 Frank's mindset tip: continuous improvement with no arrival point

1:10:49 How Frank makes his own life a health feast

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

If you’ve been paying attention to all the things: the chronic disease epidemic, a food system full of processed food, a planet that is genuinely struggling, then you feel it. The scale of it. The weight of it.

And then comes the question that stops so many of us cold.

Does anything I do actually matter?

My guest today, Dr. Scott Stoll, has spent more than 20 years answering that question. He’s a former Olympic athlete turned physician who built the largest annual gathering of plant-based healthcare professionals in the world, bringing together thousands of clinicians and changemakers from across the globe. And he is one of the most gifted storytellers I’ve come across in this space — the kind of person who can make you feel something and think something at the same time.

Does anything I do actually matter? After this episode, you’ll agree the answer a resounding yes.

Live well and RAK ON,

Dr. Rak 👊🏽

⏱️ Episode Timestamps
Timestamps
0:00 – Dr. Rak's intro
3:37 – What feels most urgent right now?
6:07 – The plate as a convergence point
7:37 – Why health became a personal responsibility
9:49 – Why food is such a powerful entry point for change
12:51 – Community as the multiplier
15:56 – When Scott started seeing the plate as more than nutrition
20:55 – Why a new kind of gathering is needed — the Power of the Plate
24:40 – The origin of the Plantrician Conference (2013)
30:01 – Living with urgency without burning out
33:08 – How people actually make change — the power of story
36:27 – The patient in the borrowed camper
40:45 – The conference as a recharge
47:44 – Healthcare as illness care, not health care
50:43 – Health as a more wonderful life
51:07 – Mindset tip: Maya Angelou and grace for the past
53:26 – How Scott makes his own life a health feast
55:52 – On storytelling and oration
58:14 – How to find and register for the Power of the Plate Conference

About Dr. Scott Stoll

Dr. Scott Stoll is a board-certified physician specializing in sports and regenerative medicine and an internationally recognized leader in lifestyle medicine and whole food plant-based nutrition. Before medical school, he was a member of the 1994 U.S. Olympic Bobsled Team at the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

He co-founded the Power of the Plate Conference and the previous International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, which has grown into a global community of clinicians and changemakers. He has hosted week-long Total Health Immersions for over 16 years, helping hundreds of patients recover lost health, reverse chronic disease, and restore their quality of life.

Connect with Dr. Scott Stoll

• Website: http://drscottstoll.com
• Instagram: @drscottstollofficial
• The Plantrician Project: http://plantricianproject.org
• Power of the Plate Conference — May 14–17, San Diego: http://poweroftheplate.org

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes.

What if the reason you’re still inflamed… isn’t what you think?

Hey Health Feasters —

You’re bloated.
Foggy.
Tired.

You’ve cut foods.
Added supplements.
Tried protocols.

Some things improve.
But you still don’t feel right.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, or Dr. B, a board-certified gastroenterologist, microbiome expert, and New York Times bestselling author of Fiber Fueled as well as his new book Plant Powered Plus. Dr. B and I unpack what might actually be going on.

Because sometimes the issue isn’t effort.
It’s the diagnosis.

In this conversation, Dr. B breaks down three big ideas:

1. Misdiagnosis is common. The most frequent cause of bloating is constipation, even when you “go every day.” Getting the diagnosis right matters more than trying another protocol.

2. Inflammation isn’t the enemy. Chronic activation is. Seventy percent of your immune system lives in your gut. When the gut barrier breaks down, the immune system stays switched on. That’s very different from the short-term inflammation that helps you heal.

3. Gut health is bigger than food. Sleep, circadian rhythm, stress, trauma, loneliness, and human connection all shape the microbiome. You can’t out-supplement a nervous system that never downshifts.

This conversation reframes gut health in a powerful way.

It’s not just about what you eliminate.
It’s about what you restore.

So if you’ve been trying hard and still feel off, this episode offers a clearer lens for understanding what’s happening, and where to focus next.

Live well and RAK ON,

– Dr. Rak

🌿 Want to Put This Into Practice?

For $11/month (or $99/year), you can join our membership community where we practice this work together LIVE.

Click here to sign up and learn more.

⏱️ Episode Timestamps

00:00 Dr. Rak’s intro
03:05 – The first step: Get the diagnosis right
05:29 – You might be constipated and not know it
16:37 – Acute vs. chronic inflammation explained
20:18 – The gut barrier, leaky gut, and 70% of your immune system
24:35 – Gut health is more than food
30:00 – Sleep, circadian rhythm, and morning cortisol
36:55 – Why inflammation may tie your whole health history together
41:26 – Empowerment, personalization, and why he wrote Plant Powered Plus
48:13 – The “free” health tools: sleep, light, movement
50:53 – Organic vs. conventional and the microbiome
58:35 – Stress, safety, and the nervous system
1:07:47 – Loneliness, purpose, and gut diversity|
1:14:15 – Practical steps: nutrition, rhythm, brain–gut connection
1:19:21 – Dr. B’s morning routine
1:21:24 – The best things in life are free

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

Hey Health Feasters —

Have you ever been told your labs are “normal”… and still felt uneasy?

Maybe your cholesterol is “a little high.”
Your blood pressure is “borderline.”
Your doctor says, “Let’s just keep an eye on it.”

And at the same time, your social feed is full of people saying cholesterol doesn’t matter.

Statins are poison.
Carnivore fixes everything.
This supplement will solve all your problems.

It’s no wonder people feel confused.

We’re surrounded by strong opinions and half-truths. And when it comes to heart disease — the number one killer in this country — that confusion carries real consequences.

This week on The Health Feast, I sat down with Dr. Andrew Freeman, a cardiologist at National Jewish Health in Denver and former chair of the American College of Cardiology’s Nutrition and Lifestyle Work Group.

He’s not just reacting to internet trends. He helped shape the actual guidelines.

In this conversation, we talk about:
- What actually causes heart disease
- What heart disease “reversal” really means (and what it doesn’t)
- Whether statins are always necessary
- Why lifestyle medicine works and why and when Western medicine still has an important role
- And how to lower your risk without falling for fads

Dr. Freeman is thoughtful, evidence-driven, and refreshingly human and I know you’re going to love this conversation.

So, if you’ve felt stuck between fear-based medicine and internet hype…
If you want clarity instead of confusion…
If you care about prevention instead of regret…

this episode is for you.
--------------------------
🌱 Join the RAK ON Tribe

For $11/month (or $99/year), you can join our membership community where we practice this work together.

The RAK ON Tribe membership includes:
- Live breathwork with Yang
- Group strength training with Coach Alexander
- Cook-alongs and monthly Q&A with me, Dr. Rak
- A growing library of replays, resources, and recipes
- A supportive, encouraging community

We’re currently at 28 members, and once we reach 50, the membership price will increase. If you join now, you’ll be locked in at the founding rate of $11/month or $99/year.

As the Tribe grows, so will the live events, guest sessions, and resources inside. Early members grow with us — and help shape what this becomes.

If you’re looking for ongoing support, not just inspiration, this is where we build it.

find out more at http://www.rakyourlife.com/rakon

⏱️ Episode Timestamps
00:00 Dr. Rak’s intro
03:08 The Role of Lifestyle in Heart Health
05:57 The Impact of Nutrition on Cardiology
08:50 Reversing Heart Disease: Is It Possible?
12:10 The Importance of Tailored Medical Advice
15:02 Cultural Influences on Dietary Choices
17:52 Creating Delicious and Healthy Alternatives
20:47 The Power of Motivation in Lifestyle Changes
24:06 The Nuances of Heart Disease Reversal
26:58 The Allure of Supplements vs. Lifestyle Changes
29:46 The Quick Benefits of Lifestyle Changes
33:07 Finding the Right Medical Support
36:03 The Challenge of Patient Resistance
38:55 The Role of Healthcare Providers in Lifestyle Medicine
41:49 Key Takeaways for Heart Health

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

Is getting healthier burning you out?

Hey Health Feasters —

Ever feel like you’re doing everything for your health… and it’s still not working?

You’re meal prepping. Following a complicated workout split. Tracking macros. Taking supplements. Watching reels about cold plunges, red light therapy, and blood sugar spikes.

And somehow… you’re exhausted. Burned out. Not even sure what’s working anymore.

This week on The Health Feast, I’m back with Nick Smoot— my coach, a writer, and one of the clearest thinkers I know when it comes to keeping health simple.

We explore why so many of us fall into the trap of over-optimizing — chasing hacks, piling on complexity, and never sticking with anything long enough to see results.

Nick unpacks the power of doing fewer things better, and why most people need to standardize before they optimize — in their workouts, their nutrition, and their habits.

So, if you’re tired of starting over, this conversation will help you clear the noise and get back to what actually works.

Live well and RAK ON,
– Dr. Rak 👊🏽

Follow Nick Smoot:

• Instagram: @smoot_fit
• Substack Newsletter: https://smootfit.substack.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smootfit/

🌱 Join the RAK ON Tribe

If you’re looking for ongoing support — not just inspiration — the RAK ON Tribe is where we practice this work together.

Membership includes:

• Monthly live breathwork with Yang
• Group strength training with Coach Alexander
• Cook-alongs and live events with Dr. Rak
• A growing library of replays, resources, and recipes
• A supportive, encouraging community

$11/month or $99/year
First month free with code RAKON

Learn more and join the RAK ON Tribe

Timestamps

00:00 – Why health feels harder than it should
01:53 – The trap of overcomplicating your routine
06:24 – “Standardize before you optimize”
12:18 – Info overload and decision fatigue
16:49 – Nick’s own simplicity breakthrough
21:07 – Signs you’re making it too complex
25:44 – What sustainable health actually looks like
31:12 – Letting go of shame and keeping it simple

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

Why does getting healthier feel harder than it should?

With the new year upon us, a lot of us are thinking more seriously about our health goals.

We’re paying attention. We’re putting in effort. And it’s frustrating when that effort doesn’t seem to translate into results.

That frustration doesn’t just show up in January.

It shows up anytime you decide your health matters.

This week on The Health Feast, Po and I are joined by Dr. Regina Ragasa, a physician who works with patients every day who are doing “the right things” and still feeling stuck.

Dr. Ragasa is triple board–certified in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine, and she helps patients achieve sustainable, compassionate weight loss by addressing root causes rather than quick fixes.

In this episode, we explore:

- Why so many well-intentioned health efforts stall, even when you’re working very hard to do everything right

- What often gets missed beneath the surface when progress feels slower than expected

- How small, meaningful shifts can completely change the trajectory of your health

- Why protein quality matters more than most people realize

- Why compassion is a practical ingredient for change that actually lasts

If you’ve ever felt like you’re trying hard and still wondering what’s not clicking…

If you’ve blamed yourself when things didn’t move the way you expected…

This episode offers a steadier, more honest way forward.

So if you’re putting in the effort and wondering what you might be missing, you’re in the right place.

Live well and RAK ON,

– Dr. Rak 👊🏽

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About Regina Ragasa, DO, DAOBM, DipABLM

Dr. Regina Ragasa is a physician triple boarded in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and obesity medicine who helps patients achieve sustainable weight loss and better overall health. Her work focuses on people who are genuinely trying to get healthier, often doing many of the “right things,” and still feeling stuck.

She blends evidence-based lifestyle medicine with practical, real-world care, emphasizing food quality, sustainable habits, and compassion rather than restriction or shame. Dr. Ragasa is especially known for helping patients rethink protein, navigate a challenging food environment, and make changes that actually fit into busy lives.

Her approach blends evidence-based lifestyle medicine with practical clinical care, focusing on food quality, sustainable habits, and compassion rather than restriction or shame. Dr. Ragasa is especially known for helping people rethink protein, navigate a challenging food environment, and make changes that actually fit into busy, modern lives.

In her work and teaching, she emphasizes that the problem is rarely a lack of effort or willpower, it’s often the system, the messaging, and the way we’ve been taught to define “healthy.” Her goal is to help people move forward with clarity, confidence, and tools that support lasting change.

=======

🔗 Links + Resources

• 📸 Instagram: CaliWellnessDoc

Timestamps

00:00 – Why Does Getting Healthier Feel So Hard?

01:18 – “I’m Eating Clean… Why Am I Still Stuck?”

04:31 – The Protein Mistake Almost Everyone Makes

08:59 – The Patient Case That Changed Everything

15:29 – Why “Just Try Harder” Doesn’t Work

24:32 – You’re Not Broken — The Food System Is

31:12 – Are Medications a Shortcut or a Tool?

41:10 – Why Self-Compassion Is the Missing Skill

50:59 – Health Is a Practice, Not a Finish Line

What if the way you’ve been told to get fit… is exactly what’s holding you back?

If you’re over 40 and still not where you want to be with your fitness or health, it might not be about willpower. It might be the method.

This week on The Health Feast, I’m joined by Maxime Sigouin — founder of FitVegan Coaching — to unpack why so many traditional fitness plans fail us… and what actually works instead.

Maxime has helped hundreds of people in their 40s, 50s, and beyond reclaim their health, reverse chronic conditions, and build sustainable strength — without chasing aesthetics or burning out.

In this episode, we get into:

• Why most fitness advice sets people up to fail
• How to rebuild trust in your body after years of dieting or injury
• What mindset and habits actually sustain long-term change
• Why slowing down — even unplugging — can be a power move

Maxime also shares what he believes is the single most important investment you can make in your health after 40: strength training. Not just for looks — but for confidence, function, and long-term vitality.

Since we recorded, Maxime announced the release of his new book, Forever Fit — which is available for preorder now here.

If you’ve ever felt like the quick fixes aren’t working anymore… this episode offers something deeper.

Live well and RAK ON, – Dr. Rak 👊🏽

About Maxime Sigouin

Maxime Sigouin is the founder of FitVegan Coaching, a fitness and lifestyle program for men and women over 40 who want to get leaner, stronger, and healthier without extreme diets or burnout. A former bodybuilder turned holistic coach, Maxime helps people shift from chasing short-term results to building a long-term lifestyle — rooted in clarity, simplicity, and self-respect.

He’s also the author of the upcoming book Forever Fit, available now for preorder.

⸻

🔗 Links + Resources

• 📘 Forever Fit – Preorder the Book

• 💪 FitVegan Coaching

• 📸 Instagram: @maximesigouin_

• 🎙 Maxime’s Podcast
=============================

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

What if the reason you can’t stop thinking about food… has nothing to do with willpower?

For so many of us, food isn’t just fuel — it’s noise. It’s the constant hum in the back of the mind: What should I eat? What shouldn’t I eat? Why did I eat that? Why can’t I stop thinking about food?

It’s exhausting.

And it’s far more common than most people realize.

In this week’s episode, Po and I sit down for a raw, honest conversation about food noise — why it happens, how stress and strong emotions make it louder, why our modern food environment works against us, and what it actually takes to quiet the mental chatter around eating.

We talk about cravings, comfort, GLP-1 medications, rumination, and the emotional patterns so many of us carry: the guilt, the judgment, the feeling that we “should” be doing better. And we explore the deeper truth — that food noise isn’t a personal failure. It’s a signal. And when we learn how to listen to it with curiosity rather than criticism, everything begins to shift.

In this episode, we explore:

• What “food noise” really is — and why it’s so overwhelming
• How stress, emotions, and our environment shape cravings
• Why GLP-1 medications quiet food noise (and why that matters)
• How food noise steals your bandwidth and self-trust
• Why restriction often makes food noise louder
• Practical ways to create space, awareness, and calm around food
• How mindfulness, fasting, and silence can retrain your brain

This conversation is vulnerable, honest, and filled with the kinds of insights Po and I have learned firsthand — for me, as a clinician, and for both of us, as humans navigating our own relationships with food.

If you’ve ever felt like food takes up too much mental space… if you’ve blamed yourself for your cravings… or if you’re looking for a more compassionate, sustainable way to relate to eating — this episode is absolutely for you.

Live well and RAK ON,

– Dr. Rak 👊🏽

👊🏽 Want more? More strength. More flavor. More awareness. More community.

If that’s you, you can join the RAK ON Tribe and get access to:

• All Strong for Life classes
• All Live Mindful Meals with Dr. Rak cook-alongs
• Monthly Breathwork with Yang
• Coming soon: Monthly Q&A with Dr. Rak. Get your health questions answered.
• Event replays, recipes, meditations
• A supportive, plant-forward community
• A private space that makes health feel like a feast, not a fight

🍽️ Membership is $11/month or $99/year 🎁 First month free with code RAKON 👉 Learn more and join the RAK ON Tribe

What if the biggest barrier to healing… is the belief that you’re broken?

So many of us are doing everything right — eating better, moving more, trying to fix our health — but deep down, we’re carrying a quiet belief that we’re not enough. That our body is the problem. That healing has to come through restriction, guilt, or perfection.

But what if real change begins not with feeling shame — but love?

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Ocean Robbins, CEO of the Food Revolution Network, for a deep, honest conversation about what it means to root health in compassion — not shame.

Ocean is the son of John Robbins, who famously walked away from the Baskin-Robbins empire to write Diet for a New America. Ocean has forged his own path — helping millions transform their relationship with food and health to experience what truly matters to us in life.

In this episode we explore:

• Why so many people feel like they’re failing at health
• How Ocean’s upbringing shaped his values and mission
• The tension between grief, perfectionism, and purpose
• What it means to choose love — again and again

This conversation was one of our most soulful and resonant yet — and I’m so glad to have Po back for it. You’re definitely in for a treat. So whether you’ve felt stuck, not enough, and are looking for a gentler path forward — this episode is for you.

Until next time…

Live well and RAK ON, – Dr. Rak 👊🏽

===================
About Ocean Robbins

Ocean Robbins is the CEO of Food Revolution Network, a global movement dedicated to healthy, ethical, and sustainable food for all. He’s the son of John Robbins, who famously walked away from the Baskin-Robbins empire to author Diet for a New America. Ocean has carried forward that legacy while forging his own powerful path — helping millions reclaim their relationship with food and root their health journey in compassion, not shame.

He’s also the author of the best-selling book 31-Day Food Revolution, and a deeply thoughtful leader in the food justice space, blending science, systems thinking, and soul.

🔗 Links + Resources

🌎 Website: http://foodrevolution.org
📕 Book: 31-Day Food Revolution
📸 Instagram (Org): @foodrevolutionnetwork
🧠 More from Ocean: Blog + Resources

💬 Got thoughts, questions, or topic ideas? DM me, Dr. Rak, on Instagram @thehealthfeast or @rakyourlife

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.

Why do we start strong… and still end up stuck?

(Watch on YouTube) To answer that, my guest today, Kwame Terra, did something no one else ever has.

He walked over 2 million steps in 30 days — 66,000 steps a day. That’s more than a marathon’s distance daily, with no rest days. At the end of it, Kwame ended up setting a new world record.

But this isn’t a story about crushing a record.

It’s a conversation about what it takes to follow through — when no one’s watching, when you hit a wall, and when your old self is begging you to quit.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why motivation rarely lasts — and what to rely on instead
• The hardest part of walking 66K steps a day (it’s not what you think)
• How pain, rhythm, and emotional triggers show up in the body
• What Kwame learned about trusting himself again through movement
• Why “finishing something” can be more healing than we realize

More than any record, this challenge was about reclaiming a sense of identity, integrity, and forward momentum — through walking.

More from Kwame Terra: 👉 bEHR Health — a culturally grounded health platform for Black communities 📸 Instagram: @kwameterra

👍 Like this episode? Leave a comment with your biggest “aha” moment — and don’t forget to subscribe.

Until next time… Live well and RAK ON,

-Dr. Rak 👊🏽

Guest Bio

Kwame Terra is a public health strategist, digital health entrepreneur, and founder of bEHR Health, a culturally grounded health platform designed to improve outcomes in Black communities through personalized insights, real-time support, and community-based care.

With a background spanning global health, digital therapeutics, and racial equity, Kwame has advised startups, government agencies, and health systems on how to center equity and behavioral science in population health design. He’s been featured by organizations like Fast Company, Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for his work at the intersection of innovation and inclusion.

In 2024, Kwame became the first person to complete the FeSteps Challenge, walking over 2 million steps in 30 consecutive days — a world-record feat rooted not in performance, but in healing, discipline, and finishing what he started.

Timestamps

0:00 — Dr. Rak’s intro 0:02 — From App Idea to Walking Movement 0:06 — The First Brutal Days: Pain, Fuel & Headaches 0:09 — What Actually Got Him Through: Mindset & Mentors 0:13 — Inspiration, Not Just Steps 0:16 — Movement as a Tool for Health Equity 0:19 — How Kwame’s Health Philosophy Was Formed 0:23 — Plant-Based Awakening & Early Influences 0:28 — Creating a Culture Shift Around Food 0:32 — Designing bEHR Health: More Than an App 0:37 — Building Trust, Tech & Community 0:43 — What’s Next for bEHR Health 0:50 — Reimagining Health Equity 0:56 — Final Reflections & The Desire to Live 1:00 — Where to Find Kwame & How to Join

Disclaimer: The Health Feast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. As with any changes affecting your health, we recommend and encourage you to consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals before making lifestyle changes. The opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our employers.