Top 5 Biohacking Podcasts You Need on Your List
You may have heard this “biohacking” buzzword being thrown around recently and you’re interested in learning about new ways to optimize your daily energy and performance…or you’re getting a little bored of your current podcast subscriptions (been there!) and want to spice up your list with some interesting listens. Whatever it is, this list has got you covered.
I’m a little (ok, VERY) passionate about all things biohacking and longevity. I’ll be the first to admit that I want to live healthier for longer, and I want my body and mind to feel 10/10…preferably every. single. day. I’m fairly certain that I’ll live until 150 at this rate and you’re welcome to hop on the longevity train with me at any time.
Podcasts are the perfect way to ease into this whole mind/body/spirit optimization trend (ahem, but actually lifestyle!!). I mean, who doesn’t love podcasts in this day and age ? It’s the perfect thing to get you through those morning commutes in public transit or sitting in rush hour traffic in your car. Or to have something to listen to while doing laundry or cleaning your place on a weekend. Just me ? I swear it’s a thing.
Now, I prefer podcasts that are almost mini-lessons. If I’m going to spend my time listening to something, I better get some value out of it. Yeah yeah, Type A forever — totally guilty.
So I put together a list podcasts that have made it through the test of time and have cemented themselves as my top 5 go-to’s — the podcasts I look forward to notifications from, podcasts with episodes that I’ve re-listened to, and podcasts I actually spend time taking notes from (yep, I’m a nerd like that !). Enjoy !
Muscle Intelligence (previously Muscle Expert) Podcast — Ben Pakulski (@bpakfitness)
You might be thinking, “Muscle Expert ? I thought we were talking about biohacking and living longer !” I know, I was hesitant about this one as well, at first. I mean, I work out but I’m no body builder. Truth be told, if one of my friends didn’t send this podcast my way with high praise, it might’ve taken me a while to stumble upon it myself. But don’t let the name throw you off, you don’t have to be a bodybuilder to listen to this podcast !
The impressive list of guest speakers drew me in, but the content is what quickly made this one of my top podcasts that I listen to. I genuinely get all giddy when I see a new episode notification.
Now, the new re-branded Muscle Intelligence podcast just launched in 2019, but I would HIGHLY recommend checking out past Muscle Expert podcast episodes — there are some episodes I’ve listened to more than once that are definitely worth scrolling back for !
Who’s Ben Pakulski ?
An IFBB professional bodybuilder, originally from fellow Toronto, Canada ! Woop ! I’ll admit I actually didn’t know this fun fact until very recently and now I kind of love this podcast even more !? Go Canada ! Ben also won Mr. Canada 2008 and is the founder of the MI40 muscle building program.
What I like about Muscle Intelligence:
- Actionable Insights — this one scores high points in my book and it’s something I strive for whenever I’m running my Biohacking & Longevity TO meetups or publishing content on social media. I find with many other podcasts, while the topics and guests may be interesting, at the end you’re left wondering if there is anything from what you heard that you can actually apply to your day-to-day life. What I love about Ben’s interviews is he makes it a point to challenge his guest speakers to share actionable biohacks, habits, and health tips, ensuring his listeners can walk away and apply what they just learned. To me, this is where true value lies.
- Approachable Content — this goes hand in hand with the previous point, but worth calling out that despite covering such a wide range of topics and hosting some of the top experts in their respective fields of research, Ben has a talent for distilling complex ideas and finding a way to make the content accessible and approachable for everyone, regardless of academic background.
- Expert Guests — absolutely incredible guests, experts in their field who are willing to share knowledge, which translates to credible and authoritative content for the listener.
- Interview Style — Ben has one of the best interview styles that I’ve heard on a podcast and I’ve listened to my fair share. The biggest value driver with Ben’s podcast is that he asks pointed questions to truly dig in to the topic at hand, and ensures that his listeners have actionable takeaways throughout the discussion, down to what brands of products the guest speaker personally uses or which health tests/experiments they’ve run on themselves, or where to find follow-up information on certain tips or health approaches. There are no “surface” interviews. The other thing I enjoy is Ben’s humble approach to interviewing and learning from his guests. You feel like you’re on a learning journey along with him and I enjoy his genuinely down-to-earth and curious approach to asking questions and providing feedback and accounts of personal experiences. I believe certain people just have a natural ability of making people feel comfortable and Ben’s got that, so the conversation flows which makes every episode that much more of a joy to listen to.
The Drive — Dr. Peter Attia (@peterattiamd)
I have been following Dr. Peter Attia’s work for a while and was so thrilled when his podcast series finally came out last summer ! While I do feel like some of the episodes may take some easing into for those without a science background as they do often get deep into the details and technicalities, I would still recommend this podcast to anyone who is motivated to harness their biology. My advice would be to read the episode descriptions, start by listening to those that pique your interest the most, and go from there.
Who’s Dr. Peter Attia?
Peter Attia is the founder of Attia Medical, his functional medicine practice with locations in San Diego and New York City. Peter’s practice focuses on improving healthspan and lifespan through applications of nutritional biochemistry, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, techniques to increase distress tolerance, lipidology, pharmacology, and four-system endocrinology to increase lifespan, while simultaneously improving healthspan. Peter earned his MD from Stanford University and trained in general surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, following with a two year surgical oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.
What I like about The Drive:
- Content — of course, since I’m including this podcast in the list, but really, every episode feels like you’re getting a free medical lesson. It’s incredible. I listen twice and take notes.
- AMAs — as with the previous point, having a functional medicine doctor host free “Ask Me Anything” sessions, explain biomarkers and lab test, discuss supplements and diets, patient management, and personal health hacks feels like a learning privilege.
- Expert Guests — Peter Attia leverages his strong personal network to bring forth highly insightful discussions with experts in anti-aging, metabolism, mitochondria, inflammation, etc to dive deep into biohacking and longevity-related topics. I’m all for credible and science-backed information so you know I’ll be listening ! (I’ve only been waiting patiently for this podcast to come out since Dr. Attia mentioned it on Twitter in early 2018 so…you get the picture).
P.S. there has been some talk of this podcast becoming a pay-per-listen so if you want free access to all the content I suggest you sign up and marathon-listen ASAP!
Found My Fitness — Dr. Rhonda Patrick (@foundmyfitness)
Alright so Dr. Rhonda Patrick is basically the biohacking goddess of today and I find her so absolutely inspiring, especially given how much fewer women are engaged in the biohacking movement and longevity science. Her academic background is just immensely impressive with extensive research on aging, cancer, and nutrition and her podcast and every interview I’ve listened with her has left me in awe of what a wealth of knowledge this woman is. Major respect and admiration.
Who is Dr. Rhonda Patrick ?
Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a Ph.D. in biomedical science from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where she investigated the link between mitochondrial metabolism, apoptosis, and cancer (so cool !!!).
Her dissertation findings were published in the 2012 issue of Nature Cell Biology, reporting on her groundbreaking work in mitochondrial respiration and maintenance of mitochondrial structure. Dr. Patrick trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, where she investigated the effects of micronutrient inadequacies on metabolism, inflammation, DNA damage, and aging and whether supplementation can reverse the damage. She also investigated the role of vitamin D in brain function, behavior, and other physiological functions and published a paper in February of 2014 in FASEB on how vitamin D regulates serotonin synthesis and how this relates to autism. Dr. Patrick has also done research on aging at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences, investigating the role of insulin signaling in protein misfolding, commonly found in neurodegenerative diseases.
Ok I’ll stop fan-girling now and get to the podcast !!
What I like about Found My Fitness:
- Myth-busting — whether on her own podcast or in her other interviews, Dr. Rhonda Patrick is awesome at picking out and busting popular myths that tend to start and often-times snowball in the health and wellness community. She’s incredibly well-read and up to date with recent scientific research and publications, and of course also bring her extensive personal academic involvement in these fields of science.
- Female-friendly Insights — while all the episode on this podcast are applicable to everyone, a particular win for this podcast is all the personal biohacking experience Dr. patrick brings to the table as a woman. It’s commonly known that there are much fewer women in STEM fields, let alone thought leaders in a still fairly niche area of biohacking and longevity science. As a woman, it’s that much more relatable and refreshing to hear advice and insights from another woman’s perspective. Dr. Rhonda Patrick recently had a child so I’d also recommend this content to new or expecting mothers interested in biohacking to optimize their health.
Ben Greenfield Fitness — Ben Greenfield (@bengreenfieldfitness)
A biohacking podcast list is not complete without Ben Greenfield. This man is truly a wonder. I mean just look at him — the guy is almost 40 but looks better than some 30 year olds I know. I want ALL of his longevity secrets (please and thanks!) so of course I subscribe to his podcast.
Who is Ben Greenfield?
There’s good reason why Ben can often be found as keynote speaker at most major biohacking conferences. Ben holds a Master’s Degree in exercise physiology and biomechanics and has been a lifelong athlete. He’s completed 120 thriathlon races, 12 Ironman triathlons, and won a gold medal for the USA in long course thriathlon. He was voted America’s top personal trainer in 2008 and one of the world’s top 100 most influential people in health and fitness in 2013 and 2014. He’s written 13 books and developed an empire of biohacking solutions from products and coaching, to education and media — all focused on achieving a fully optimized mind, body, and spirit.
What I like about Ben Greenfield Fitness:
- Relevance — I enjoy Ben’s ability to remain in tune with current and upcoming trends in health and fitness and produce timely content to address those topics.
- Interesting Guests — although occasionally Ben throws in a solo episode, most of his content is with guest speakers. When you have a guy who’s been in the health and fitness industry his whole career and has dedicated himself to biohacking peak performance states, he’s bound to bring in some interesting podcast guests. There are certainly some topics that I gravitate towards more than others, but I appreciate the variety of content covered. If you’re interested in optimizing your physical and mental fitness,
- Motivation — honestly, how can you not be motivated by this guy ?! He’s maintained an incredible level of fitness throughout his life, but most importantly personally experiments and shares his experiences with new biohacking products, tools, and devices which makes it that much more interesting and motivating to learn about these health optimization approaches.
Kevin Rose Show — Kevin Rose (@kevinrose)
I stumbled upon this podcast by chance, while researching another biohacker (as one — aka me — does) whom Kevin interviewed and I very much enjoyed the conversation style. Now, Kevin’s podcast is not solely dedicated to biohacking and scientific discussions, but that’s also what I appreciate about it. The Kevin Rose Show reflects his wide range of interests from health and technology to business and entrepreneurship, so there’s something there for everyone. That said, Kevin is a pretty avid biohacker personally and often shares his own tips and experiences which I personally always appreciate hearing.
Who is Kevin Rose?
Kevin Rose is a multi-tech entrepreneur and previously a Venture Partner at Google Ventures, now a Venture Capitalist at True Ventures residing in New York.
What I like about The Kevin Rose Show:
- Topic Variety — as I mentioned in the summary blurb, this podcast covers a wide range of topics. You’ll hear Kevin and Tim Ferris have an open discussion about their personal biohacks, you’ll learn about consciousness hacking, and then hear from the Founder of Google Ventures, followed by learning about healing herbs and mushrooms, and then switching to an interview with Dr. Peter Attia about longevity compounds. It’s cool, it’s relevant, and interesting. You get a glimpse into the habits of high performer guests, and learn a thing or two that you can apply to optimize your own daily life.
- Chill vibes — that’s the best way to sum up this point. Kevin Rose just has such a chill voice and demeanor that I find his interviews actually calming to listen to. It’s truly as if you’re overhearing a fire-side chat while snuggled in a blanket. I wonder what Kevin would think of this description but it’s how I feel so I’ll own it. You know how some people or voices just tend to rile up your energy (whether good or bad) ? And sometimes you just don’t quite need that in your life. So, if you’re in the mood for a chill podcast that will still leave you with a bunch of new learnings by the end, this is it.
Honourable Mention: Bulletproof Radio — Dave Asprey (@dave.asprey)
You may be wondering, “What the heck !? How is this podcast not in your top 5 list !?”
I hear ya, some view Dave Asprey as the father of the biohacking movement. The man claims to have spent $1 million on his quest to live to 180 and built his multi-million dollar brand Bulletproof around his goal of longevity and becoming “superhuman”.
So, why didn’t Bulletproof Radio make the cut ?
While I respect and admire Dave Asprey’s work, self-experimentation, and overall promotion of the biohacking movement, I unfortunately can’t include his podcast in my Top 5. I’ve listened to the episodes and really enjoyed most of them, however, they just don’t provide me with enough value and I’ve found myself going months at a time without listening to any new episodes and not really missing them.
- Sales Pitches — more and more the episodes started feeling like long commercials and I found myself wanting to turn them off to get away from the sales pitch. If I wanted commercials I’d watch cable TV, which I don’t have.
- Lack of Depth and Actionable Insights — these are big ones for me. I find many of the Bulletproof episodes seem to only scratch the surface of the topics at hand and leave me wanting more. If I can easily find the info with a Google search, it’s not worth my while.
- Lack of Evidence — while Dave has very reputable guests on his podcast, I often find references are not well-cited, and thinking “alright, but where is the data on this ?” Perhaps the target audience is less evidence-driven but without the data the conversations on the episodes feels like “fluff”. If things have changed, please let me know, but for now, I’m checking in on this podcast only periodically in the cases when I’m all caught up on listening through my top 5 list above.
Honourable Mention: The Joe Rogan Experience — Joe Rogan (@joerogan)
While I wouldn’t have considered listing Joe Rogan’s podcast as my top biohacking go-to even a few months ago, his guests on some recent episodes — think Dr. Rhonda Patrick (a must-listen interview for everyone in my personal opinion !), David Sinclair, Ben Grenfield, etc. — deserve an honourable mention on this list.
I appreciate what Joe Rogan is doing because through featuring guests like these, he’s introducing the field of biohacking to a much wider audience that wouldn’t otherwise know or feel motivated enough to seek out this type of information. I love that after these episodes came out I had friends and acquaintances reaching out saying things like “Hey isn’t this what you’ve been posting about lately ? I listened to Joe Rogan’s podcast and it seems so interesting — I want to learn more about biohacking now !”
Music. to. my. ears.
Are there any podcasts that you think are missing from this list ? Anything you agree/disagree with ?
Please drop me a line — I’d love to hear from you !
Check out this article on CanadianBiohacker.com and send me a message to let me know your thoughts !
