SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey guys, are you ready to transform your mind so you can transform your life? Coach Mirna brings you one-on-one coaching in expert guest weekly to get you to grow. Because happiness is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.

SPEAKER_02 0:18

Looking for personal growth? Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Now that said, you know, a concept that I'm sure many of your listeners are familiar with is neuroplasticity, and the idea that your brain, just like any other organ in your body, uh, can continue to be strengthened. And so, you know, you see neuroplasticity when people are learning microhabits, uh, such as maybe learning a new language or trying art or even, you know, dancing, community. I mean, a lot of these pieces can actually help um, you know, rewire your brain. And that's actually into your later stages of life. So um, you know, while you have your genetic blueprint uh and then you have your gene expression, you know, again, there are certain things that you can absolutely um, you know, do relative to your microhabits that will help drive neuroplasticity.

SPEAKER_02 1:12

Welcome back to the Transform Your Mind to Transform Your Life Radio Podcast and Television Show. I'm your host, life coach Marnie Young. And sitting in the guest year today is Thorne Stevens. He is an AI and neuroscience expert. And Thorne and I are going to be talking on the topic the future of your mind, how AI, behavior, and consciousness are redefining human potential, potential, I should say. Welcome, Thorne.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Hi, so good to glad to be here and uh excited for the conversation, Myrna.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

You're very welcome, right? I'm excited about this conversation too. I'm always loving to learn things, and I'm gonna learn right along with you guys today from um Thorne. All right, so let me ask you guys a question. There was a time when taking your health meant just one thing living longer. What if living longer didn't mean living better? What if your mind, your clarity, your focus, your ability to feel joy, to think sharply, to remember the moments that matter? What if that's the real frontier? Because the truth is, we're not just fighting to expand our lifespan anymore. We're fighting for our mind span. And in a world where more burnout is normalized, rain fog is common, and distraction is constant, what if the solution isn't working harder, but thinking smarter? My guest today is standing at the intersection of AI, neuroscience, and human behavior, helping us understand not just how to live longer, but how to perform, think, and feel better while we're here. Thorin Stevens is the founder and CEO of Brain.1 with a background in molecular biology, data science, and global innovation. His mission is to help people think sharper, age slower, and perform at their peak. Don't you guys all want that? I want that. Right. I've already started with the brain fog uh thing, you know what I mean? Menopausal, you know. So, Thorne, as we get started, can you expand on the topic of mind span? Is it linked to the hidden crisis we're experiencing right now of cognitive decline, burnout, and brain fog?

SPEAKER_01 3:38

I think it certainly could be. Um, you know, we talk a lot about lifespan and then health span as an artifact of, you know, the the last 10 to 20 years of your life, can you really live them the most optimally? So the concept of health span has really uh become more prominent. And then the uh the concept of mind span, I think, is an extension of that. Um, my perspective on mind span is it really pulls together the concept of consciousness uh plus just your you know general neurological activation, fitness, optimization, and so forth.

SPEAKER_02 4:14

Okay, so yeah, you're right. I mean, I um I read um Peter Atia's book on longevity, and um he introduced the topic of health span. And you know, everybody now that's in the longevity space has been talking about you don't just want to live until you're 90, you want to live until you're 90 and maybe do marathons, like it's extra 100%.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

Yeah, you don't want to do marathons, but at least you want to walk to the bathroom, right? And right, cognitive decline is becoming a big thing. Oh my gosh. So yeah, mind span. Yes. So you want three things. You want to live longer, you want to have health span, and you want to have mind span. So that is that is, you know, it's a new word for me on this show, but um, it's a great word to focus in on. So um uh so to follow up to that, what does it really mean to have a high performing brain in today's world? So maybe we can break it down to a high performing brain. I mean, a high performing brain with somebody in their 20s. And uh what does it mean to have a high performing brain when you're in decline? Uh what are some of the things that you want to have?

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Yeah, that's a great question. So generally, the way we uh approach the topic is, you know, understanding your baseline, you know, and that the baseline of measurement for brain is a spectrum. A lot of the uh historical work that's been done over the last century uh was through qualitative surveys, um, you know, relative to the brain, but also the mind. And as the technology's progressed, you know, we've gone from um just qualitative to quantitative and EEG and QEG and SPECT and MRI and all these different ways of measuring um neurological activation activity. And um, and so we uh our process at Brain One, we we work with humans and understand where they're at today. Uh and that could include um brain mapping as an example and understanding brain age. And so, what is your current state? Uh, we also look at biologics. Um, so along with just your EEG electrical activity, you could look at um specific biomarkers within the brain, things like omega-3s, um, your inflammation index, uh, EPA, and so forth. And we have blood biomarker kits that we work with there. And so you begin to understand, you know, where are you at immediately. And then um, and then we can help put a plan together to get you where you'd like to go ultimately. And we're big fans of behavior modification uh and lifestyle. Yeah, there was a paper uh that has um really been um it's really gone into the public zeitgeist around dementia being preventable. And that is generally based on a paper. It's you could look up Lancet 2024. I'd be happy to share it with you as well. And so we'll what that paper does is it looks at essentially 14 what we call microhabits. You know, these are small incremental lifestyle changes. You could also call them like um risk modifications, things you can do to um ultimately prevent dementia based on you know your behavior. And so it's it's actually very empowering. And that's 45% of global dementia cases. So it's not going to help in all cases. You can still have a genetic predisposition. Um, but what these modifications and these lifestyle behavioral changes can do is really help um, you know, stabilize the onset of the disease. And so we still have some, you know, empowerment uh as um as we go down these uh these pathways.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Well, you know, my next question I have here is exactly that. But before I get to that, um I want to circle back on something or just an expansion of my question. So I've heard of the term brain mapping. I don't really know what it means, but um so does our brain operate the same way as uh when you're a 20-year-old, if you do a brain mapping to let's say you're a 70-year-old, which is which is the question that I ask. Um so let's answer that question first. Is the brain the same the same thing? Like for instance, um you're talking about consciousness, and one of the things I know about consciousness is it's spirit, your spirit is the same, right? It doesn't change. So does your brain change um as far as before it gets into decline? I mean, uh, tell us the difference between a 20-year-old brain and a 70-year-old brain when you do this mapping.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

Yeah, so we've definitely seen in the data that there can be a loss of um, you know, think of your brain essentially as an electrical circuit. And so when you do the brain mapping, you actually see the different quadrants of the of the brain. It could be the neocortex, the prefrontal, um, you know, what that looks like again at this moment in time. And I think absolutely, as you age, you um you see shifts in the brain relative to um, you know, different areas of electrical activity or maybe lessening in some. Um, so I think the answer to the question is yes, absolutely. You you do see uh changes in the brain. Now that said, you know, a concept that I'm sure many of your listeners um are familiar with is neuroplasticity and the idea that your brain, just like any other organ in your body, uh, can continue to be strengthened. And so, you know, you see neuroplasticity when people are learning microhabits, uh, such as maybe learning a new language or trying art or even you know, dancing, community. I mean, a lot of these pieces can actually help um, you know, rewire your brain. And that's actually into your later stages of life. So, um, you know, while you have your genetic blueprint uh and then you have your gene expression, you know, again, there are certain things that you can absolutely um, you know, do relative to your microhabits that will help drive neuroplasticity.

SPEAKER_02 10:07

Yes, I love that. You know, um I go out with a group of women once a week, and um they're all over 60, which is where the group that I the age range that I'm in. And every week these women dance these line dances that they have to do the moves. And you know, I'm just too lazy to learn those moves, but I know that if I learn but I am sitting there and I'm amazed because I know what it's doing for their brain to learn at those steps, and it's not one dance, they have like five or six that they know all the moves, and and I know I have to get off my butt and learn them because I know what it does. There's one time I started to uh learn the piano because I know what neuroplasticity is and learning and rewiring the brain. Again, I didn't continue with the neuro or whatever, but you know, I read and I learn, and I'm hoping that's doing something. But I I'm glad that what we're talking about is that yeah, if you're in the decline or you find out that you go to this brain mapping and you find that, you know, one of one of the hemispheres or your brain is not working optimally, that you can probably work on some things to strengthen it and and to bring it back up. So um before I go on to the um the habits, I want to ask another question. So um let's say that uh you go you go to the doctor and you or like you know, a neurologist or whoever checks your brain for dementia, um, and they find out that you've got an early onset. Can you do anything like you just talked about um some of these uh what we're you know, the steps that we're gonna talk about in a minute. Can we do anything to help stop that? Reverse it or not?

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Yeah, it again depends on the progression of the disease. And um, you know, there are tests that you can do. So generally you have what are called amyloid plaques, which is kind of like this fry fibrous material that um propagates in the brain, and then the p tau proteins. Um, so there's absolutely ways you can measure that. And are there things you can do with early onset? I think um I'd like to say yes. Again, you have to consult your doctor in this, but um what we've definitely seen is the ability to start to stabilize at least some of the onset. Um, but again, it just depends on the stage of the disease and and really the specifics of that human relative to their genetics.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

Right, right. Yeah, because it is um, I remember when I started having brain fog and all that stuff, and I went to my doctor and I says, Maybe I'm having early onset dementia or Alzheimer's or whichever one you want to call it. I don't know the difference. And he says, No, it's genetic, you don't have it, but I know that that's not true. So I am paying no darn attention to him.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Yeah, yeah, it's uh that's certainly a challenge. Um you hear that a lot. You're not alone. We we hear that a lot.

SPEAKER_02 13:15

So you're really right, yeah. So I'm sure there's no evidence in my family of it. So um, but um yeah, but anyway, so that's good. All right. So um the question I've been alluding to, and what you've also alluded to in one of your answers, is what are some small science-backed habits that we can do every day to improve our newer performance? You said there were 14, so you want to list them?

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Um yeah, I can certainly pull them up. We can speak to a few. Um, so those are that paper specifically is looking at microhabits that can help support dementia prevention. Uh, but to answer your question first, I would say, you know, some of the the small, again, microhabits. Um, so, you know, sleep is the foundation of everything. And um, like in the morning, direct sunlight, circadian regulation, actually getting direct sunlight on your face. It could be a walk, um, it can just be sitting on the patio, but you know, roughly 15 minutes is one of the top of the list relative to microhabits. Um, one you mentioned earlier with the line dancing, you know, that's a really good example because you're you're combining physical activity uh plus the sense of community. You know, you're doing this with other humans. And it's it's one of those things, and as a data scientist, you know, I really I sometimes over-index on the biomarkers and the biometrics, but something as soft as community, the people you surround yourself with, and you know, having this on the calendar that you're doing once or twice a week and whatever it is, if it's, you know, line dancing great or if it's a book club, or in some ways it doesn't matter, but that out, you know, getting out there with the community, with the music, and then also uh just with the activity, I mean, there's nothing better that you could do. So um, so I think that would be another big one that sometimes is overlooked is the power of community. Um what else is another another big one? Um, yeah, so generally we we look at the um, you know, the the profile of the humans, so uh nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, um, connection, and then some level of like um metabolic um, you know, management. And so from there, that could look at other different types of um could be supplements and things like peptides, which I'm sure you're hearing a lot of. Uh, are you hearing a lot of about peptides in your world?

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Well, not in not in brain function, in weight loss.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

And in weight loss, of course. Yeah. So GLP one, you know, is all the rage right now. We I come out of the triathlon world. So we've been doing peptides for like decades. Uh, but there are peptides that are specific for uh for your brain. And so there's Salonc, there's uh Samonc, there's like, you know, a handful of them, uh, which can help things like anxiety. They could also potentially help things like performance. Uh so they absolutely exist. But again, we usually start with that, you know, core foundation of things that people can do on their day-to-day. Um, so we talked uh about a couple of the ones from the study. So that would be things like connection, you know, TBI support. We work with um uh NFL Super Bowl um and NFL CBI. So that's traumatic brain injury and generally from the you know the concussion and these guys. Yeah, I mean, it's actually quite sad. You know, some of them did really well, and some of them are, you know, driving for Uber and it's you know, really the whole spectrum. Um, but many of them are dealing with TBI from that, you know, that concussion. And so again, you know, the first um generally the first step is like understanding and doing a diagnosis and getting the brain mapping and really, you know, laying that foundation of where you're at and then how ultimately you can start to put a protocol together and ultimately a plan uh to help support you know through these later stages of life.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

That's beautiful. All right. So let me circle back with a couple of those there. So um so yes, sleep. I mean, it comes up in almost every conversation, regardless of what I'm talking about. People are listing sleep. Um, and yeah, I I I I found out about sleep a long time ago, which is the main reason I have a Fitbit here, that I um uh that I'm I every single morning I'm looking at my rim, I'm looking at my deep sleep, and I'm looking at my resting heart rate, which is another story. But but that's what I'm looking at. And I know that that sleep is is um is very, very important. And I tell my husband all the time, he doesn't he bought a Fitbit, it stopped working, and he wouldn't buy another one.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

I know.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

And I says, you're not understanding how important understanding if you're getting REM sleep is because you don't want to be, because I know that in deep sleep it cleans your brain. That's one of the things that helps present prevent Alzheimer's. So you need to know if you're getting deep sleep. And people just don't understand. Um but then the second one I want to talk about is the sun. I live in Florida and I walk every day in the sun for an hour. And I I know that there was some benefit to it, and I know that walking has a lot of benefits, but I didn't understand the importance of the sun until a couple of weeks ago when I listened to a YouTube video, I think it was, and the guy was talking about what happens when the sun hits your eyes and what happens when the sun hits your skin.

SPEAKER_01 18:34

100%. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Yeah. So you want to talk about that or you want me to tell them?

SPEAKER_01 18:39

I'm sure, yeah, I can uh fill in some details, but yeah, that whole the whole concept again of circadian regulation and what people don't realize is how you begin your morning is really what sets not only the foundation for your day, but also even the sleep that evening. And so in the mornings, you know, you can have a cortisol spike. Um, and so that could be related to again, how much direct sunlight you're getting. Uh, and so that's a very easy, free uh, you know, microhabit that all of us can pretty much do. I mean, I live in the mountains in Colorado, so we don't get direct sun until about 9 a.m. So, you know, ideally you want to do it within, yeah. Obviously, it depends where where you're at in the world, but um, but yeah, we also focus on you know microhabits that are um, you know, that anyone can do anywhere. Um, and so that's a great one, along with things like cold plunging.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

But yeah, it's great. Just 15 minutes a day, right? Yes. But I'll expand on that because what I learned was that um that your skin and your eyes have receptors for the sunlight. And when the sunlight hits your skin and your eyes, it travels down to your liver, and then the liver makes some kind of hormones, and then the hormones go to, I don't know, I think I'm not sure, but it's a process, and the sunlight affects your hormones. And I think, right, the feel-good hormones, which is why when you walk in the sun or whatever, you you're feeling better because of the hormones is doing. I think one of the biggest mindset shifts happening right now is that women are finally realizing that they don't have to struggle alone when it comes to weight loss and wellness. For years, many of us blamed ourselves. We thought we lacked discipline, motivation, or willpower. But the truth is, our bodies are complex and sometimes we need real medical support to help us reach our goals. That's why I'm excited to share today's sponsor, HERS. HERS connects women with licensed healthcare providers online to create personalized weight loss treatment plans that fit your needs and lifestyle. So, if you ever felt stuck trying to lose weight, you're not alone. Weight loss by HERS is designed to support you in reaching your goals. And HERS now offers access to an affordable range of FDA-approved GLP1 medications, including the Wagovi pill and the Wagovi Pen. And what I really love is the convenience. Everything is done online, from the consultation to ongoing support, making it easier to prioritize your health without adding more stress to your life. If you've ever been thinking about taking the next step in your wellness journey, visit for hers.com slash transform to get personalized affordable care that gets you. That's F O R H E R S dot com slash transform. For hers.com slash transform. Weight loss by Hers is not available in all 50 states, but Govi is the registered trademark of Novo Nordisk AS. To get started and look at the Learn more, including important safety information, but Govi Clinical Study Information and Restrictions. Visit FurHers.com. So yeah, now that I am conscious of that, I look up at the sun. I get that, I get that light on my eyes, even though I'm wearing sunglasses. But um uh so yeah, so I'm doing and and you know what? Thank you for you know highlighting uh the line dancing. I knew it, but a lot of times people know things and they don't do it, like people smoke even though they know they shouldn't, or people, you know, all the things drink even they know they shouldn't, you know, and I know that I'm sitting there every week and I should learn those steps, but I don't. So I'm gonna I'm gonna learn the steps.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

So never, never too late though. You know, whenever it calls to you, make it happen. Um, you know, that's the in all of these things, it's better to start, you know, as soon as you can, but um, you know, ultimately whenever you're ready. So that's the hardest part in all this is the human behavior. You know, we build these amazing AI algorithms that can personalize the healthcare protocols based on adaptive AI, and that's really cool. But the the challenging part is to get the human to do the things, you know, to get up in the morning and get the direct sunlight.

SPEAKER_02 23:14

I like that. The human don't want to do the thing.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Oh no, that's the by far the hardest part is changing the human behavior. Uh, the technology in a lot of ways is the easiest. And so, um, yeah, so it's really showing them the value and the reward of doing the thing, which they want to be doing anyway. You know, people want to get better sleep, but again, you know, it's almost like counterintuitive, like your sleep starts in the morning. So, yeah, it's training the brain, training the mind to be this, you know, have this be part of your daily routine and in what we call a protocol.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

Protocol. Amazing. All right. So you're always, you know, um the questions that I have here, you're always kind of like introducing it in the last one. So that's great. So you also talk about AI and the future of brain health. Are we moving towards a world where AI knows our brains better than we do? What is the connection there?

SPEAKER_01 24:09

Um, yeah, I think that's a that's a great question. Um, does the AI know our brains better? Well, again, you have to differentiate the brain from the mind, you know. So the brain, again, is an organ. Um, I think the AI could map out, you know, the electrical activity uh of the brain and and know your brain quite well. It doesn't necessarily know who you are in your mind. So I think, you know, delineating that point is is important. Um, one of our chief scientists is an amazing human named Dr. Galen Buckwalter. And Galen uh had a tragic accident. He was 17, jumped off a bridge and hit a rock, and so he's in a wheelchair. But he uh qualified for a clinical trial at Caltech, where they put six neural implants. These are chips on his brain, and these are called brain computer interfaces. Uh, it's an eight by eight chip, um, you know, looks like just almost a normal chip out of your phone. And um, what that's doing is allowing him to measure the different areas uh within his brain. Um, one on the prefrontal cortex, one of the first humans in the world, five on the neocortex, and uh it's allowing them to basically map his brain with much higher resolution than you would get from something like an EEG or even a QAEG. Uh so from that perspective, you know, we are really the uh we're the generation where we're seeing this intersection of biology and machines and the technology. Um and in Galen's case, you know, he's doing this to help support people who have spinal cord injuries and, you know, ultimately brain injuries. Um, and uh, it's part of a clinical trial to help um, you know, really advance the science in this area. So it's it's pretty amazing. But I've been with him at Caltech and seen um, you know, some of these studies, and it's measuring a single neuron firing, which we've never had that resolution. Uh, and so it's it's very exciting. And then he can basically use his brain and they screw on these things that are called PEDs and then connect his brain to the internet, and he can control a robotic arm as an example. Uh so yeah, so answer your question, but you know, again, where it's really truly going is this concept of brain BCI, brain computer interfaces. Um, one of the most popular examples of companies would be Neuralink. This is one of Elon's companies, um, and that's what exactly what they're focused on are what are called invasive BCIs because they're actually putting these chips on the brain, but then there's non-invasive where it could just be a headband or almost like a cap, um, where you can also measure your brain activity, but maybe not have the excitation.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

All right. So, what's the benefit of that? Um I was listening to hear you say that it's gonna help him walk, which is, you know, I've watched like four um Superman documentaries. I I, you know, he wasn't going with the brain implants, he was going with the stem cell things. But yeah, does your specific human want to walk? Is that gonna help him?

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Or it probably will not help him, unfortunately, you know, in his lifetime. Um, but it could help future humans, you know, future generations. So, you know, sometimes science is a selfless act. Uh, but it's laying that foundation, you know, ultimately to to help people so someday they could absolutely walk.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

So well, that's beautiful. That's beautiful. I like that. Not in his lifetime, but it's coming. Wow. I love they're using him as a way to research how to make it happen. Is that it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Yeah, it's part of a clinical trial. So he's he's, you know, essentially doing research um with the mapping. And so AI is aggregating all that data and then, you know, driving like the action or the insights around it. Um, so very much intertwined. And so those are called brain computer interfaces. There's also spinal, uh, essentially spinal cord um interfaces as well that are going into the spine. So it's a very exciting area of science, especially for people who, you know, maybe um, you know, in a wheelchair. So it could offer them, you know, the ability to walk someday.

SPEAKER_02 27:59

Wow. I love that. I love that. So that's what AI is doing, huh? Yes. The medical field is, yeah. The medical field is one of the, you know, uh every day there's people talking about what AI can do for your business as far as you know, helping you sell things and helping run your social media and helping you as a podcaster. It helps me a lot with all the things that I do in production. But yeah, we are forgetting that AI is doing really great in the medical community, what it's doing there.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

Oh, yeah, 100%. I mean, we see that um on the daily, you know, humans are now taking all their medical data and putting it into Chat GPT, which is not something I would necessarily recommend, but it's happening. And it's happening because, you know, they're not getting what they need from their doctors. And in some cases, you know, we go back to some of the pillars we talked about earlier around nutrition, exercise, sleep stress. Um, you know, most doctors are not taught anything about nutrition. And I'm a big believer that, you know, medicine is uh, you know, food is a medicine and nutrition is the foundation of everything in many ways, just like sleep, you know. I mean, it's they're of equal importance. So um, so that's a a bit of a challenge, you know, that we're seeing within the AI. And then your privacy also goes out the window. Uh, let alone some of the more advanced things like genetics and genomics or uh what's called epigenetics, you know, we're getting all this data. The question is, what do we do with it?

SPEAKER_02 29:25

So I'm chuckling to myself about what you said about people putting their information in Chat GPT, you know. Um I I take one of the GLP ones, Monjaro.

SPEAKER_01 29:37

Sure.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

And um one of the things that I learned a long time ago, because it's not new information, is that um uh the GLP ones um raise your um heart rate of a 10 points, and then it raises and then it then it affects your uh heart rate variability and you know, has it down. So I knew this and I've been seeing it with my data because it comes in my fitness. Um but it wasn't like again, it's things that humans know but they don't do until all of a sudden I was introduced to this new guy, Brian Johnson, who has spent millions of dollars on himself for longevity. And one of the first things he said is that I eat I finish eating at 12 o'clock because I want my resting heart rate to go down to the 40s, because if my resting heart rate is in the 40s, then I sleep better. So now I'm looking at mine that's in the 80s, and I says, no, that's a stop.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Well, and yeah, yeah, so uh Brian's a very interesting human uh and I think is doing so.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

I went to Chat GPT and I said, you know, put my stuff in chat GPT, no, it shouldn't raise it 10, it should only raise it two, and whatever. And I says, No, this is my data. I stopped taking that GLP one of them. I think tank. It's 10 points in one week. So Dr. Otia was right. So now I go to my doctor and I bring him the data from Chat GPT, and I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, this is what Chat GPT says. How back up pretty badly because now I'm telling the doctor what to do. I kept saying sorry.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Well, yeah. I mean, you you know, you you touch on a bunch of things. I mean, one is again, you know, most doctors don't necessarily know HRV as a metric. You know, they're, I mean, some, but you know, not, I mean, again, it wearables, like I I use all of them. I'm wearing a garment, I sleep with a whoop, I've got an aura ring. We look at um, we do time series to see which of them are accurate. But like most doctors are not necessarily taught what that means, you know, like let alone, okay. So my HRV when I'm like in top condition is a hundred, you know, like, which is like through the roof. I know, relative, right? Um, but I also know amazing athletes, and theirs is like 25, you know. So it's all relative to the human, the genetics, lifestyle, all of these things. So you don't, you know, you want to be careful comparing it. But your story is very interesting because if you have that baseline of data, you know, pre-GLP and then post, you know, like I mean, that's why we're doing the work that we're doing, is we can start to really understand and pinpoint, you know, those types of increases or decreases, you know, depending. But how I'm just curious, what was your HRV decrease then pre and post? Do you have an idea?

SPEAKER_02 32:25

I was I was around 65. Okay. And um, and then I went to 86. And every week my my Fitbit would say, Oh, your your SNR rate ran up three points and all that. Okay. So as soon as I stopped it, it dropped 10 points and went back to 75. So my doctor's saying, well, 75 to 86 is not that much, you know. But I know that it was at 65, 68 um before that. So, but anyway, yes.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Well, it could be, I mean, again, if you you have that's what's so empowering about this now is you have the data and you can look at those trends and you look at your averages, and you're like, if it jumps 20, like, yeah, that's significant, you know, that's not nothing. Um, and that's really helpful information to have. So, yeah. And again, the doctor doesn't, you know, they've never really studied these types of metrics. So I I'm sure he couldn't.

SPEAKER_02 33:12

I was very surprised that he sat there quietly and just listened to me. Then he said to me, Show me what chat GPT says, and then ChatGT says, Well, he should take these labs and click on ticket. And he says, Well, all right, yes, we're doing this lab already. We're doing that, but I felt pretty badly, to be quite honest, because you shouldn't be going into a doctor's office and telling them what to do.

SPEAKER_01 33:32

Well, you know, again though, like you're not alone here. Like we're hearing this from so many of our users. Um, we actually are developing the solution around this where people can confidentially store their um, you know, their lab data because you don't really have a place to put that, maybe outside of an EHR. So that's something that we're actively thinking about. And then the ability to analyze it. And again, you know, most of these doctors like they didn't study this in medical school. You know, they didn't really study genetics either, let alone nutrition, you know, like these are all the pillars, um, let alone the more advanced things like epigenetics and you know, the whole host um of gene expression. So yeah. Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

So that was great. I love that about Chat GPT. Chat GPT is my friend.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

I mean, you're not alone.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

He's actually my friend.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:21

I mean, there's whatever you want to call it.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Well, there and there is a push, you know, to um not enforce but ensure that you know clinicians have this data at their fingertips because they're not going to be able to interpret, you know, this massive amount of genomic data as an example. So, you know, I think we're gonna start to see some pretty large shifts here.

SPEAKER_02 34:40

Okay. Awesome, awesome, awesome. All right, so now let's talk about women. You talk about the female brain revolution. What are some of the new discoveries that are coming about for preventing brain fog and dementia in women? Now, like I mentioned to you before that I have brain fog and it's you know hormonal because of menopause. And in and I think there's a study that says that I don't know, but I I think that I hear that women get dementia more than men. Is that true? Is that why we're doing the female brain revolution and not the male? Talk to us about that.

SPEAKER_01 35:17

Yeah, I don't know if that is true, actually. Uh, let me look that up um because I don't want to miss.

SPEAKER_02 35:21

I don't know. I I was on that, but I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

Um yeah, I mean, I would say in general, where we're seeing a lot of interest is within health protocols for women, uh, period. So, what does that look like? So, again, women who are undergoing perimenopause, let alone menopause, you know. And um, I gave a talk recently. This woman ran up to me afterwards. She's like, Oh my gosh, thank you for for speaking about this. I'm going through, you know, essentially perimenopause now. And she was like 30, 35. And so we've seen this acceleration. Uh, and we believe it's, you know, basically, you know, women are getting their cycles earlier, entering uh perimenopause earlier. So it's, you know, like this acceleration that's that's pretty prevalent in the data. And further, you know, the questions around why, you know, what's happening in endocrine disruption. So just the, you know, disruption of the hormonal cycles, and then what does that look like on a single molecule basis? And uh it's pretty terrifying to say the least. I think traditionally there's not been a lot of um a lot of research here, you know, in particular with women, and especially in these, these areas. Um, you know, and the questions that I have is like, why does nearly everyone I know, every woman I know, she's dealing with autoimmune disorder or you know, thyroid issues, and it's it's so prevalent. Um, so we think about protocols to help support women in these different, you know, parts of of their journey and um avoiding certain things like fragrances as an example, uh, which I think we're starting to see more and more. You know, we grew up with all these fragrances, you know, everything had a scent from your dishwasher detergent to your laundry detergent to your, you know, dryer sheets and all of that. And um, I think there's some pretty negative consequences, you know, in general. Um, and so we're starting to see a lot more research around that, but uh in particular uh within women. And um, yeah, we get hit up constantly with exactly, as you said, women who are dealing with brain fog, especially as they're progressing and going through perimenopause and menopause. So um, so some of the types of protocols that we work on then are things that are um are lifestyle-based and of course, you know, hormonal based, and working with your doctor uh as well is always recommended.

SPEAKER_02 37:30

Yeah, that's that's pretty good. Yes. Um wow, 35 and menopause pre-menopausal wow. Yes. Um yeah, we're um you're right. Women are getting new cycles earlier preteen. And white and be, you know, yes, there's a whole bunch of issues for a current woman um uh that wasn't there in uh for our ancestors. So I'm glad that um uh you know they're helping um uh you know us with uh those uh inner client issues as you call them.

SPEAKER_01 38:05

Amazing. What do you think about the fragrance piece? I'm just curious. Does that resonate with you?

SPEAKER_02 38:11

Well, it yes, I should have I should have circled back with that. No, I um I haven't found or noticed anything because I'm a fragrance person. You know, I spray my body all the time. I have fragrance in my soap, I have fragrance and everything. But I actually did hear about uh the room sprays, how dangerous it is. Yeah um and I don't use the room sprays. I have a plug-in. I don't know if that's a different, but um uh I wasn't sure that fragrances were uh were a problem.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Yeah, yeah, just be curious your thoughts on it and yeah, maybe take a look at the research and yeah, that's yeah, all right.

SPEAKER_02 38:52

I'll I'll you know I'll I'll look into that. That's great. Fragrances are some of my problems. Um, I'll look into that. All right. So um you also talk about psychedelics and conscious exploration. And I've had a couple of interviews on psychedelics, one being the Amarita um mascaria. Right, right, right. And I even bought some for my husband.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

Oh, right. Well, be careful with that one. They're they're beautiful, but they can be a bit problematic.

SPEAKER_02 39:27

Right. Um because I was impressed by what he said, what they can do, and you know, whatever. So, what kind of psychedelics are you talking about and and conscious exploration? You want to talk about that? Sure, sure.

SPEAKER_01 39:41

Uh yeah, I uh psychedelics have been an integral part of my upbringing. When I was 15, I was in the upper Amazon of Ecuador, and I drank a plant medicine there called Wachuma. And that was kind of my foray into consciousness and uh in plant medicines. And so I very much look at them as medicines. Um I think they can be, you know, powerful gateways and catalysts within consciousness. You know, you used to have to, you know, pray for your entire life or sit in a cave and meditate. And now through these types of substances, you can accelerate that and you know, instantly have these experiences, which I think is really beautiful. Um, it also should be done with caution, you know, generally with a practitioner of some kind, even if it's a friend, uh, you know, in a very safe space. Uh I live in Colorado, so now actually psilocybin mushrooms are legal or decriminalized, basically. So I mean, they're all over. Um you can find them, you know, almost at the gas station at this stage. Um really? Well, not quite, but but uh I mean, they're just they're everywhere, you know. And and it's I think it's like weed in Toronto.

SPEAKER_02 40:50

You buy it at the drugstore.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

Yeah, I I mean exactly. It's it's like it's basically coming. It's only a matter of time. Um, you know, there was just a an order, uh, executive order that was just passed around oboga. And oboga is a uh plant medicine with the buiti people in Gabon. And, you know, they've been using this plant medicine for, you know, I don't know, hundreds, if not, you know, thousands of years. Um, and actually now that was just again pushed through uh to help people with advanced, you know, PTSD in potentially depression, you know, veterans. And so I think these are all very helpful tools, but you know, when handled in a conscientious environment uh relative to the administration.

SPEAKER_02 41:31

Yeah, that's good. You know, I um I was introduced to the ayahuasca experience by reading, I'm a reader. So I get my education from reading, I get my education from talking to experts like you in the show. And um, yeah, Will Smith talked about his ayahuasca experience. I think he went 14 times. Okay. Sure. And he explained it, and yeah, it's the same kind of consciousness because the first time he experienced it, it was so amazing to him that he couldn't get enough of it. So he kept going back.

SPEAKER_01 42:04

We certainly hear that. Yeah. Um yeah, no, that's great. I mean, I think it's uh ayahuasca is not for everyone, um, but it can be very helpful for some, just like all psychedelics. You know, certain people should not uh necessarily be on psychedelics if you're on MAOI inhibitors, you know, bipolar. I mean, there's certain conditions where you can have even contraindications, but uh, but yeah, I mean that's that's interesting. I wasn't aware Will Smith was a fan.

SPEAKER_03 42:29

Yeah, yeah, I've said many times in this book.

SPEAKER_01 42:34

Okay, that's amazing. Um, yeah, I think these can be very, very helpful tools. Um, you know, psilocybin, we as we actually started um, you know, the discussion around the concept of neuroplasticity. I mean, there's some really compelling evidence around psilocybin in psychedelic mushrooms, uh, essentially helping, you know, open neural new neural pathways. So, you know, a lot of the stuff starts to coalesce.

SPEAKER_02 42:57

Yeah. Well, the reason I bought the emergency mushrooms for my husband is because this guy talked about how it's the only thing that affects the gamma or something, and it changes it or helps it or something like that. So I thought that that was a good reason. Um, have you tried them yet? He's tried them. I don't think he's seen any any difference because he's you still have half of the ones that I bought, and he, you know, he uh you've got to be careful when you take them because he goes to work and you know, you don't want to be drug tested or something. So he rarely takes them. So obviously it didn't work because I don't know, maybe you have to take them every day or what, but he only took a couple, so I don't think you notice any difference.

SPEAKER_01 43:36

Amanita muscaria has been used, you know, throughout millennia within humans. These are the bright red mushrooms with the white flakes for the listeners. Um, again, though, you might want to consider trying psilocybin with him. Amanita can be a bit harder ultimately on the gut, um, and uh even a bit unpleasant. So psilocybin, you know, might be another option. Better one. Okay, okay. Little bit, a little bit easier. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 44:03

All right. So now let's talk about your company, brand one. So can you tell her, you know, I know that you're CU and Fungler. So talk about your company. Talk about how listeners can connect with you after this conversation, your website, social media handles, and you know, any kind of initiate initiatives that um you want to share about brand one.

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Awesome. Thank you. Yeah, we um, you know, we're a team of scientists, neuroscientists, neurobiologists. Uh, we believe that the future of human health is the concept of a health protocol that people can um, you know, ultimately get healther more efficiently, healthier more efficiently when they follow a structured framework. And this came to me when I was uh training for triathlon. Um so I do, you know, all the way up to Iron Man's, but in triathlon, you're uh you're following a protocol. And the protocol are, you know, the activities you're doing. So swim, bike, run. But then when you're doing these longer distances, you're optimizing your nutrition in real time. So your carbohydrates, your electrolytes, your hydration, um, you know, protein to a degree. And if any one of those variables gets off, you may not finish the race. And so um, we were, I was just focusing on the vision for brain one and we were training, and and ultimately that's when the kind of the product came together. And so the product is focused on the idea that you can come in and uh, you know, maybe you're looking for a sleep protocol. So you can put in sleep protocol and you can connect your wearable, connect your Fitbit if you'd like. Um, and then it will give you a personalized sleep protocol based on your initial assessment, based on your uh your biometric data, and it has it in a tracker immediately available. So you have something that you can follow with little nudges and um essentially a plan uh to help you have better sleep, or as we discussed earlier, maybe prevent dementia, or you know, maybe just operate at a higher peak performance. Uh and so that's the that's the general um gist of it. And then we have different ways of measuring uh the brain, ranging from EEG to again, like uh blood kit biomarkers you can do at home, you know, all the way up to, let's say, like spec and MRI and some of these more advanced resolution um uh methodologies. And then a place where you can house all that information and data and then just continually optimize your health. Um so part of that is the concept of adaptive AI, and that your protocol changes every week based on your data and based on what you like, what you don't like, and it can give you additional recommendations, such as line dancing with your friends. So um, yeah, but these small, you know, behavioral changes that you can follow that's not overwhelming, that help people ultimately on their journey.

SPEAKER_02 46:40

That is beautiful. I love it. I love it. And um, what's your website? And I'm assuming that people all over the country can um uh use.

SPEAKER_01 46:50

Yeah, we're just um we've been in a uh a private beta. So we're gonna be opening this up in June. And the website is brain.one. And uh we're gonna be giving away uh an initiative of a giving away a million dementia uh protocols for free. So there's no cost. You can come in and use the the basis of the service and uh have again a dementia prevention protocol. Um and then we have more advanced AI and more advanced women's health protocols and you know so forth. But um, yeah, so this summer we'll be opening up the native app and we're very excited.

SPEAKER_02 47:22

Wow. So it's in the form of an app.

SPEAKER_01 47:26

It's an app. Uh it also can be you know used on your home computer. Um, and then we're moving away from apps also and using SMS and some other tools. But but that's the concept is that you have just a daily routine and uh yep, it uh you can follow it and track it through the app you know, with your wearable data, have your blood biomarker data. We're testing a new technology, you can do a face scan. And actually, through the face, we can measure hypertension within like five percent of uh accuracy relative to like a blood, you know, old school blood um pump uh from your arm that we can now get essentially through just a face scan. Um, also testing other biometrics like voice and understanding people's stress levels and anxiety through voice. So uh Wow, I'm on this very exciting.

SPEAKER_02 48:09

I want one of those three million dollar protocols. We're we're happy to share one million dollar, one of the three million protocols that you give next.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

It's free for you. No, a hundred percent. But really appreciate the work you're doing.

SPEAKER_02 48:22

Yeah, yes, yes, yes. I love it, I love it. All right, so I'm assuming that you're on brain one everywhere else, Instagram, everything.

SPEAKER_01 48:30

So brain. And then our Instagram is Brain uh BrainFitness One. And uh my personal is uh Rage Area A-R-R-A-G-E-A-R-E-A. And um, but if they they come to the brain.one website, uh, they can mention your name and we'll put them to the front of the wait list. And we'll be opening this up in June.

SPEAKER_02 48:52

Okay. Yes. All right. So this episode will probably air in June, as I mentioned to you. Um I'm gonna bump you up. So that'll be perfect. That'll be perfect. Awesome. I love that. I love that. Um uh okay. So um, you know, um, you know, we spend so much time um uh as we close out, you know, I want to talk about we spend so much time in our lives chasing more time, sorry, more years, more milestones, more moments. But today's conversation reminds us that it's not just about how long we live, it's about how well we think, how deeply we feel, how fully we show up in the time that we're given. And your mind is not just something to um uh to neglect until it breaks. You know, it's something to train, to protect, to nurture every single day, because a sharper mind doesn't just change how you think, it changes how you live. So maybe the real question isn't how long do I have, but how well am I living right now? So, yes, um Thorne talked about a Thorne talk about um wearables and a protocol and some ways in order to track things and to do things that you're supposed to do so that you can live well. All right. So um uh if this episode resonated with you, connect with Thorne on his website. I will link out to it on the show page, which is myhelp.us and uh you you heard him talk about the um uh the free um uh protocols that he's given out, which will help you with, you know, man, you know, checking out if you're on the pack to dementia, which is very, very important, right? So I'll also link out to that, link out to social media um so that you can keep on following and and um getting this data and this information. So um Thorne, um uh as we wrap up, any last words of encouragement to our listeners?

SPEAKER_01 51:00

Um, sure. I will, you know, end with a the microhabit we actually mentioned earlier, but just the power of connection and you know the power of community and how that important that is in just neurological optimization throughout all stages of your life. And uh, you know, the power of your words and bringing together this community. So really awesome conversation and I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 51:21

I know, I loved it. Yes, I loved our conversation, so which is good, you know. Um, and I'm glad I had some input on certain things on it. Yes. So yeah, you know, I um I heard about the power of connection. Again, I get input from so many places. Um, not anyone that I spoke to on the show, but I think I was listening to somebody talk about it. And uh he was saying that the number one longevity uh tool was uh connection. Friends, loved ones, not just what we get on Facebook, but real connection. So human that you um that you mentioned that's one of your first things too, right? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 52:05

One at the top, absolutely agree. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:08

Yes, yes. All right, guys. Well, listen, I'm I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. And I hope that you there were some nuggets and some takeaways that um you can take with you about about your brain, about um uh, you know, cognitive decline, um uh how to, you know, all the things that that Thorn and I talked about. Um and if you missed something, just go listen to it again. So um I want to leave you guys with the words of encouragement. You know, I call my tribe the Transformer tribe. So I want to leave you with the catchphrase that if you change your brain, you can change your life. Uh Thorne, thank you so much for this wonderful conversation, this insightful conversation. And I enjoyed it thoroughly. And and of course, I learned a few things along the way. So thank you for being on the show. Thank you guys for tuning in. Until next time at Namaste.

SPEAKER_01 53:11

Thank you.