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ReWild Yourself

Welcome to the ReWild Yourself Podcast! I’m Daniel Vitalis, and I’ll be your guide through the world of human ecology and lifestyle design. We’ll explore the strategies that our ancient human bodies and minds need to thrive in a modern world — awakening our instincts and freeing ourselves from the degenerative effects of human domestication.
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Now displaying: 2016
Jul 1, 2016

Sweating has always been an integral part of being human. Indigenous groups, like those in North America, used the sweat lodge used a sweat lodge, and today, many of us use saunas for this purpose. In this episode, you’ll learn the benefits of regular sauna use in my conversation with the leaders in the infrared sauna industry, Dr. Raleigh Duncan and Andy Kaps of Clearlight Saunas.

When you’re using a sauna regularly, the health benefits are clear, and these benefits are also backed by extensive studies and research. The folks from Clearlight are here to share this fascinating research, as well as the details on their premier line of infrared, low EMF/ELF saunas. Tune in to learn why you should consider making regular sauna use a part of your overall health strategy!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • How Raleigh and Andy got started in the sauna industry
  • The incredible cardiovascular benefits of sauna use
  • Detoxifying your body through regular sauna use
  • Infrared saunas vs sweat lodges
  • Electricity use of an infrared sauna
  • Daniel’s experience with one of Clearlight’s competitors
  • Why we need to pay attention to ELFs and EMFs
  • Circuit requirements for a Clearlight in-home sauna
  • Common feedback from Clearlight's customers
  • Relaxing the parasympathetic nervous system
  • Clearlight sauna breakdown
  • Clearlight's company culture
  • What to expect when you order a sauna
  • Andy's & Raleigh’s prognoses for the future of the human species
Jun 29, 2016

Jake Steiner — holistic eye guru & natural vision health advocate — learned how to naturally improve his -5D myopia and, in the past decade, has helped thousands of others get their healthy eyes back too. In this episode, Jake is here to give us the lowdown on myopia and how it isn’t actually a disease at all, but instead a contrived illness created by mainstream optometry. The cause of most nearsightedness is (surprise!) staring at screens, small text and the like for extended periods of time. You may be surprised to learn, however — especially those of you with eyesight issues — that myopia can be reversed. This interview is full of insights, tips and strategies on how you can do just that. Tune in to learn Jake’s unique, holistic approach to healing eyesight!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Jake’s story and how he learned to beat his -5D myopia
  • What is myopia?
  • Lens-induced myopia
  • Learned helplessness
  • Habit changes to improve your vision
  • Outdoor vs indoor lighting
  • Challenging your eyes to improve your eyesight
  • Two quick tests to measure your eyesight
  • Turning haters into benefactors
  • Jake’s eyesight course and blog
  • Jake’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Jun 21, 2016

Amanda Archibald is a trailblazer in the field of Culinary Genomics — a unique interface between the culinary arts and genomic medicine — and her work is literally changing how we translate the science of nutrition. Science has proven that our lifestyle and dietary choices shape our epigenetic health. In this interview, Amanda details what lifestyle characteristics and foods can produce beneficial gene expression in your body and potentially help you to live a longer, healthier life. She shares some powerful insights on the topic of Social Genomics and the importance of community for epigenetic health that I think you’ll find particularly interesting. Learning how your daily habits and choices literally shape you on a genetic level is a vital tool to add to your toolkit!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • What is Culinary Genomics?
  • The lifestyle characteristics of centenarians
  • How mothers-to-be can shape their child’s epigenetic health in-utero
  • Social Genomics and social isolation in a more connected world
  • Consequences of contemporary social threats
  • How fostering true social connection can mean living longer
  • Eating wild foods for beneficial gene expression
  • Changing your diet to work with your genes
  • How to incorporate culinary genomics into your diet strategy + work with Amanda
  • Amanda’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Jun 15, 2016

Why aren’t I a Vegan? I get asked this question all the time, and in this solo episode I break down the core reasons why I think we need to reexamine the Vegan approach. I consider myself to be a conscious omnivore and promote a Four Kingdoms approach to diet (eating from the animal, plant, fungal and bacterial kingdoms). In my personal quest for the most natural diet, I was a vegan for about 10 years. In this show, I’ll tell you a bit about my experience as a vegan, why I started eating animal foods again and why long-term veganism is an experiment and maybe not an appropriate diet for a healthy, robust human ape. In the end, I give a strategy for those who still want to see the world go vegan, and explain how they could best achieve that!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • The issue with “isms"
  • My personal search for the most natural diet
  • The two types of veganism
  • Chimps, bonobos & 3.6 million years of archaeology
  • The hand-raising experiment
  • Anthropomorphic cartoon animals and charismatic megafauna
  • Factory farmed animals
  • Nutrient deficiencies in vegan diets
  • Kids and veganism
  • Social isolation
  • Our hunting lineage
  • How a misanthropic world view takes humans out of the ecosystem
  • Conscious omnivory — the Four Kingdoms of Food
  • The vegan experiment
Jun 8, 2016

Have you ever wondered what your local landscape was like in years past — before sidewalks, stop signs and modern buildings? In this episode, Dan Flores — author of American Serengeti andCoyote America — gives us some context about the history of our North American landscape and ecology. No matter where you are in the world, though, the story he shares is pertinent and relatable. In our very recent past, the Great Plains region of North America was a wild and undomesticated landscape rich with megafauna. Dan shares a bit about how the forces of domestication shaped the ecology of the Great Plains we know today and the promising conservation efforts going into the ReWilding of the American West.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • How an early fascination with nature & wildlife shaped Dan’s life and work
  • The ecology of the American Serengeti
  • Are wild horses an invasive species of the American West?
  • The role of Homo sapiens in ecology
  • Ecological involvement of Native Americans
  • Native American use of bows and atlatls
  • Canids of North America
  • The wolf in your backyard
  • Coyote’s trickster archetype
  • The war on canids
  • What do coyotes eat?
  • ReWilding the American Serengeti
  • Dan’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Jun 3, 2016

As we often discuss on this show, developing and maintaining a connection to the elements — fire, earth, water, air — is a vital component of a beneficial overall health strategy. Direct, personal connection to your water source is a topic I’m particularly passionate about, and I’ve offered strategies and best practices for procuring your own spring water in a previous episode of the podcast (Why I Forage Wild Water - Daniel Vitalis #80). Gathering your own spring water is not always possible for everyone, for various reasons (location, lack of time, etc), so for all of you on the West Coast, I have an exciting service to share.

Fountain Of Truth Spring Water is sourced from the pristine Opal Springs, which emerges from the earth in the high desert of Central Oregon. Today’s guest, Mukhande Singh, bottles this water in glass jugs at the source and delivers, chilled, right to the doors of spring water drinkers along the West Coast. In this interview, he shares his experience with stewarding a spring and how you West Coasters can take advantage of this wonderful service.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Mukhande’s first experiences with spring water
  • How Mukhande came to steward a spring
  • Effects of sterilizing water with UV light
  • Breakdown of Opal Springs
  • How to get water delivered from Opal Springs
  • Mukhande’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Jun 1, 2016

Brian Mackenzie is a human performance and movement specialist, and the innovator of the endurance, strength and conditioning paradigm. Originally, I brought Brian on the show to talk with him about performance breathing (which we do discuss!), but our conversation ends up traversing some fascinating terrain on the topics of harmonizing with the natural world, conditioning your body for adaptation through hormesis, how practicing discipline can actually give you more freedom and why specialization is less than optimal.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Harmonizing with the natural world
  • Merging nature with technology in human performance
  • Hormesis — turning down comfort, turning up adaptation
  • Top recovery recommendations
  • Brian’s morning hydration protocol
  • Discipline is everything
  • Developing a breathing practice
  • Specializing vs generalizing | Applying the fundamentals
  • A breathing practice you can do right now
  • Drowning euphoria
  • Brian’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 25, 2016

Ladies, this is the show you have been asking for! I’m so excited to have Jeannine Tidwell — co-Founder and co-Director with her husband, Tim Corcoran of Twin Eagles Wilderness School — join us to discuss women’s rites of passage. We had Tim Corcoran on the podcast a few weeks back to tell us all about men’s rites of passage, and we received numerous requests to have a follow up show with his wife Jeannine. In this interview, Jeannine shares about mentorship, courage, feminine wisdom and so much more. Enjoy!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Jeannine’s journey and early experience with mentorship
  • Indigenous cultures vs modern cultures
  • Mentorship and cultural design
  • Gift giving
  • Courage happens in spite of fear
  • Concentric rings of awareness
  • Rites of passage for women
  • Differences between rites of passages for men & women
  • The feminine wisdom of feeling good
  • How men can facilitate the empowered woman
  • Rites of passage for women and girls
  • Jeannine’s personal experience with rites of passage
  • A wish for the women in the world
  • Jeannine’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 19, 2016

Bone broth is a vital food for the human animal. Rich in protein, collagen, gelatin, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and key minerals & amino acids, this golden elixir protects your joints, heals & supports your gut, maintains healthy skin, boosts detoxification and supports your immune system.

Jordan Rubin — NYT bestselling author, founder of Garden of Life & respected natural health expert — joins us for a bonus episode to talk about the benefits of bone broth and an exciting new SurThrival product launch. Jordan has helped to innovate and shape the modern nutritional supplement industry, and SurThrival is proud to partner with him to bring you a unique new supplement: Bone Broth Protein.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Jordan’s journey in natural health
  • Healing with traditional foods
  • Behind the scenes of the natural health industry
  • The benefits of bone broth
  • Getting your daily protein intake
  • Making bone broth vs buying bone broth
  • Breakdown of Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Protein
  • Jordan’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 18, 2016

My good friend and mentor Arthur Haines is back on the show to cover the topic of community. In our popular “How to Feed Your Human” series from last season of ReWild Yourself podcast, we briefly touched on the topic of community and so many of you reached out wanting us to go deeper. In this interview, Arthur joins me in-studio to delve into this fundamental and vital topic to the ReWilding lifestyle.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • What is community?
  • War and peace
  • The 9 traits of community:
    • Place in common
    • Hunter-gatherers were nomadic
    • Small groups
    • Low population density
    • Political structure
    • Equal wealth distribution
    • Division of labor
    • Sharing
    • Cohesion
  • Sharing fosters strong community
  • Cultivating wisdom
  • Establishing egalitarian communities
  • The benefits of community
  • The oak, the squirrel & the weavil
  • Arthur’s vision for community
  • Arthur’s prognosis for the human species
May 11, 2016

Nadine Artemis — creator of Living Libations & author of Holistic Dental Care: The Complete Guide to Healthy Teeth and Gum — is on the show today to discuss the components of a successful self-dentistry practice. Our teeth and gums are alive and capable of being rejuvenated, often without the intervention of conventional dentistry. In this interview, Nadine clears up many common myths about our teeth and dental environment and details how we can holistically care for our teeth through diet and her 8 Step Self-Dentistry protocol.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Catching up
  • Nadine’s personal health journey
  • Our teeth are like trees
  • Teeth and gums can be rejuvenated
  • Mouthwashes that de-forest the flora inside our mouths
  • Restoring the mouth’s micro biome
  • Ingredients to avoid in dental care products
  • Foods to nourish our dental environment
  • Stop, seal and seed
  • Nadine’s 8 Step Self-Dentistry program
  • Confronting your current dental situation
  • Nadine’s prognosis for the future of the human species
May 4, 2016

"Awareness is the gateway for feeling the texture of lived life." —Dr. Dan Siegel

In this episode, the fascinating Dr. Dan Siegel joins us for a conversation on the human mind and mindsight. Dr. Siegel — Harvard graduate, professor at UCLA & New York Times bestselling author — has lectured for the likes of the Dalai Lama, the Pope and the King of Thailand.

"Mindsight is a term coined by Dr. Siegel to describe our human capacity to perceive the mind of the self and others." In this interview, Dr. Siegel explains how we can literally change our brains by developing the skill of mindsight, interconnectedness and how relationships and social networks work in the brain, and the importance of integration (the linkage of differentiated parts of the brain). Prepare to have your mind expanded!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Dr. Siegel’s journey through mindsight
  • What is interpersonal neurobiology?
  • Mind vs. Brain — who drives who? The 3 processes of the mind
  • The 4th aspect of “mind”
  • Mental training — where attention goes, neural firing flows, and neural connection grows.
  • The reason relationships/social networks are so important
  • How does “being aware” change the brain?
  • “What’s wrong with the human brain that it believes everything isn’t interconnected?"
  • The 3 potentially relevant issues of quantum physics that relate to the mind
  • How we perceive reality
  • Entrainment of two systems — relationships
  • An integrated self — honoring “MWe"
  • Why Africa is the healthiest continent in the world
  • The arrow of time & the plane of possibility
  • Your human legacy and how we connect to past and future
  • Consilience
  • The importance of integration
  • The Wheel of Awareness
  • Dr. Siegel’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Apr 22, 2016

As I mentioned in Wednesday's show with Shawn Stevenson, this week we're bringing you a bonus episode of ReWild Yourself podcast! This interview, while a bit product-focused, is also rich in vital content; if you enjoyed Shawn’s interview, this is a great supplement.

I've been hinting about my new bed for a while, and after 6 months of sleeping on it, I'm finally ready to detail my experience. Today I'm talking to Claus Pummer of Samina Sleep Systems. Claus is an expert on all things sleep, particularly setting up an ideal sleep environment. He’s here to share how we can optimize our sleep sanctuaries, give insights into sleep psychology and to take us on a tour of what I think is the healthiest bed on earth! 

Two warnings about the show:

1: While this show is content-rich, if you're someone who is triggered by promotion, you might want to skip the second half of this interview where Claus details the Samina bed :) We support the ReWild Yourself podcast through sponsors and affiliates like SurThrival and Samina. 

2: Claus has a heavy German accent and is extremely passionate about sleep (which means he can get talking fast). Please bear with us! We do our best to repeat things and slow down the pace of conversation, as necessary (:

Enjoy, and may all your sleep be sound and sweet!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Sleep landscape
  • Setting up your ideal sleep environment
  • What’s the problem with carpet?
  • Insights on sleep psychology
  • What are the best bedding materials?
  • An in-depth overview of the Samina Bed System
  • Importance of grounding while sleeping
  • Longevity and maintenance of the Samina mattress
  • What is the investment for a Samina Bed System?
  • Claus's prognosis for the future of the human species
Apr 20, 2016

Shawn Stevenson — bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show — is back on ReWild Yourself podcast to motivate us to make sleep a primary focus as he details his latest sleep research. Sleep has been a big focus for me as of late. I find I’m able to get more out of my day if I allocate a larger portion of it to getting quality sleep. In this interview, Shawn provides us with some powerful takeaways, including one important piece on the sleep—gut health connection that was completely new to me, and I think you’ll find particularly fascinating. I hope our conversation inspires you to create a nightly sleep practice that rejuvenates your mind and body.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Shawn’s path to his sleep research
  • How much sleep do you need?
  • “A good night’s sleep starts the moment you wake up in the morning"
  • Do we need to black out our windows?
  • Take control of your evening ritual — "Getting ready for bed"
  • Go device-less at night
  • Powerful new research connecting sleep and gut health
  • Nutrients that supplement good quality sleep
  • Shawn's prognosis for the future of the human species
Apr 13, 2016

Today’s show is all about getting the most out of your experience on planet earth. Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author and host of popular weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, joins us to discuss health, habits & happiness. You’ll learn why there is no one-size-fits-all strategy to formulating habits; rather habit formation is unique to you and your personality. In this takeaway-rich episode (grab your notebooks for this one, folks!), Gretchen lets us in on the secrets to habits and happiness she’s learned over years of research and observation.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • How Gretchen’s obsession with human nature led her to the work she does today
  • What’s the definition of happiness?
  • Discipline is freedom — really!
  • Gretchen’s personality framework: The Four Tendencies
  • Achieving happiness by mastering habits
  • Using the Four Tendencies to create your own habit framework
  • Habits can be freeing & energizing
  • The strategy of loophole-spotting
  • The power of stacking habits
  • What makes Gretchen most productive
  • Wiping the slate clean
  • How to correctly use rewards to reinforce a habit
  • Gretchen’s prognosis for the future of the human species
Apr 6, 2016

Tim Corcoran is co-Director of Twin Eagles Wilderness School, an organization he co-founded with his wife, Jeannine Tidwell, as a vehicle to support his life’s work of facilitating deep nature connection mentoring, cultural restoration, and inner transformation.

In today’s episode, Tim takes us deep into the true essence of ReWilding. This interview is such a great reminder of why it’s so important to foster our connection with nature and all living beings. Tim discusses nature immersion, community-based approach to education and the importance of Rites of Passage for men and boys. I hope you come away from this interview inspired to reconnect with the natural world!

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • Tim’s childhood journey
  • Tim’s work with men and children
  • Wilderness survival skills
  • Importance of deep relationships
  • Community-based approach to education
  • Building a relationship with one place
  • Learning to face your fears
  • Paying attention to animal signs that come into your life
  • How do Rites of Passage differ for men and women
  • How Tim works together with his wife
  • Men are emotional beings, too
  • Tim’s thoughts on the prognosis of the human species
Mar 30, 2016

My personal health strategy is based on the 4 elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire. The food I consume, the air I breathe, the solar energy I take in, the water I drink.  

I’ve been gathering my water from springs for the past decade, and today I’m going to share a bit about my personal water strategy and the spring water gathering best practices I’ve learned along the way! 

 

EPISODE BREAKDOWN: 

  • New show intro 
  • Guest shout out 
  • Beard care 
  • Want to work with FindASpring? 
  • 4 Elemental health strategy 
  • Spring water vs. tap water 
  • Surface water and ground water explained 
  • Processed water vs. whole water 
  • How to find a spring in your area 
  • Do you need to test spring water before drinking? 
  • Storage and bottle cleaning tips 
  • Glass carboy safety 
  • What to do when you can’t get spring water 
  • The pH scale  
  • How to make RO water more hydrating 
  • Your personal water strategy 
  • What’s your favorite air filter? 
Mar 23, 2016

ReWild Yourself Podcast is BACK, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off Season 2 than with the zany and lovable Bug Chef, David George Gordon.

David is the award-wining author of The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook and has been designing delectable insect dishes for quite some time. With spring upon us (in the Northern Hemisphere), the opportunity to forage insects is drawing near, so now is the time to familiarize yourself with this ancient practice. In this interview, David shares some fascinating facts on the history of entomophagy, as well as some practical advice for getting started with eating (and enjoying!) insects.

EPISODE BREAKDOWN:

  • How David got into entomophagy
  • Why does our culture find bugs so repulsive?
  • Entomophagy throughout history
  • Organically raised insects
  • The sustainability of raising insects for food
  • Cooked vs. raw — do we need to worry about parasites?
  • Tips for catching and cooking insects
  • Cooking tarantulas
  • How has entomophagy changed over the years?
  • David’s thoughts on the future of our species
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