Libsyn Directory

125. Best of Mental Health: The Foundation of Brain and Whole Body Health

Release Date: 12/30/2025

135. Sarah Ann Macklin: Self-Compassion and Sustainable Behavior Change

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people know what they should do to be healthy, yet still struggle to follow through. What if the real barrier is not discipline or knowledge, but mindset. In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Sarah Ann Macklin, a nutritionist and health educator who blends nutrition science with psychology and self-compassion. Sarah shares her journey from high fashion modeling to nutritional science, and how burnout, illness, and neurodiversity shaped her approach to sustainable health. We explore why health changes often fail when driven by restriction and scarcity, how self-compassion creates...

134. Dr. Jessica Shepherd: Stop the Decline: Perimenopause Strategies

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people assume losing strength, energy, and bone health is inevitable as we age. But what if maintaining muscle, optimizing hormones, and protecting bone density were about targeting the right systems early rather than treating symptoms later? In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB/GYN and expert in midlife health and longevity. With years of experience merging clinical medicine with functional approaches, Dr. Shepherd shares how resistance training, hormone therapy, nutrition, and modern therapies like GLP-1 medications can work together to...

133. Dr. Abid Husain: The Hidden Drivers of Heart Disease

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people focus on cholesterol and plaque when thinking about heart health. The truth is, there are hidden drivers that can silently damage your arteries and increase cardiovascular risk. In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Abid Husain, cardiologist and expert in cardiometabolic health, to unpack how microvascular dysfunction, glycocalyx degradation, metabolic disease, and mental stress contribute to heart disease beyond traditional risk factors. We break down the role of nitric oxide, small dense LDL, clotting mechanisms, and the often overlooked impact of stress on...

132. Nathalie Niddam: Reverse Aging Signals with Bioregulators and Peptides

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people assume fatigue, low energy, and age-related decline are unavoidable. What if supporting your body, optimizing recovery, and enhancing longevity were about activating the right systems, rather than chasing symptoms? In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Nathalie Niddam, holistic nutritionist, longevity educator, and host of the Longevity Podcast with Nathalie Niddam, to unpack how bioregulators, mitochondrial peptides, and targeted nutritional strategies can support cellular health, improve energy, and enhance resilience over time. We also explore how bioregulators influence...

131. Dr. Elizabeth Yurth: The Science of Ketones, Hormones, and Faster Recovery

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people assume joint pain, fatigue, and limited mobility are inevitable with age. But what if protecting your joints, optimizing recovery, and maintaining energy were about targeting the right systems early, rather than treating symptoms later? In this episode of Extend, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Yurth, co-founder and chief medical officer of the Boulder Longevity Institute and a Stanford-trained sports and spine physician. With over 30 years of experience merging orthopedic expertise with longevity science, Dr. Yurth brings a unique perspective on preventing joint degeneration,...

130. Smarter Drinking: Cut Alcohol Without Sacrifice

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

How much control do you really have over your alcohol consumption and its effects on your health? Many people assume drinking is just part of social life, but science shows there are practical steps to reduce intake while still enjoying your routine. In this solo episode of Extend, Dr. Darshan Shah, longevity expert and founder of Next Health, breaks down why smarter drinking is a key strategy for improving sleep, metabolism, and long-term wellbeing. He explains how alcohol impacts the body, from disrupting sleep and recovery to impairing executive function, metabolism, and reward pathways....

129. Ashley Koff: The GLP-1 Conversation Most People Are Missing

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people think weight loss is about discipline, calories, or finding the right medication. But what if the real issue is that we’ve misunderstood how hormones, digestion, and recovery actually regulate metabolism in the first place? In this episode of Extend, we sit down with registered dietitian Ashley Koff to unpack what GLP-1 medications are really doing in the body and why bariatric surgery revealed metabolic changes long before significant weight loss ever occurred. We explore incretin hormones, vagus nerve signaling, and why appetite, blood sugar, and inflammation are part of a much...

128. Hidden Environmental Toxins Are Destroying Your Health

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

How much control do you actually have over the toxins in your daily environment? Most people assume chemical exposure is unavoidable, but the science shows there are practical steps that can significantly reduce your toxic load. In this solo episode, we break down why environmental detoxification is a key strategy for protecting your long-term health and longevity. We walk you through the main sources of exposure, from household cleaners and cookware to synthetic fragrances and clothing materials. We explore how these toxins affect your hormones, immune system, and metabolism, and why...

127. Allison Evans: Hidden Household Toxins That Are Making You Sick

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Toxin exposure rarely announces itself loudly, yet it quietly shapes hormone balance, immune resilience, mood, and neurological health long before a diagnosis appears. The real tension lies in the fact that these exposures are largely invisible, normalized, and happening inside the very spaces meant to keep us safe. We dive deeper into this in the Extend podcast with Allison Evans. We also chat about the “toxic bucket” concept, why synthetic fragrance and harsh disinfectants can act as endocrine disruptors and neurotoxins, how asthma, fertility challenges, and chronic symptoms can be...

126. How to Fix Your Metabolic Health at Any Age

Extend Podcast with Darshan Shah, MD

Most people think they’re doing “enough” for their health, yet nearly 90% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy and don’t know it. In this episode, I challenge outdated metrics like BMI, explain why sleep quality matters more than hours slept, and break down what actually moves the needle when it comes to long-term health. In this solo episode of EXTEND, I outline my five core health frameworks for 2026. I also walk through what it means to become the CEO of your own health, how to use simple biomarkers instead of guesswork, how to run personal N-of-1 experiments, and why muscle,...

More Episodes

Mental health is shaped by how well the brain produces energy, how well the nervous system remains under stress, and how effectively the mind adapts over time. When these systems begin to break down, problems often appear years before a diagnosis, showing up as anxiety, brain fog, distraction, burnout, or emotional dysregulation that are frequently treated in isolation.

This is a special Best Of episode of Extend, where I’ve compiled the most important insights from conversations with leaders examining mental health through neuroscience, metabolism, nervous system regulation, and mental training, including Jay Shetty, Dr. Chris Palmer, Jim Kwik, Maya Raichoora, and Gabby Bernstein.

These selected clips highlight why mental health cannot be reduced to brain chemistry alone, how metabolic dysfunction and chronic stress quietly impair brain energy, and why nervous system safety is foundational to healing. You’ll hear how focus and mental fatigue are often physiological, how visualization and mindset influence neural pathways, and why regulation, meaning, and consistency matter more than quick fixes. By pulling together these key moments, this episode reflects the patterns I see repeatedly in practice and across these expert discussions, offering a clearer framework for supporting mental health early, when intervention is most effective and long-term resilience can be built.

What We Discuss:

Jay Shetty, bestselling author and former monk, explores why mental health begins with inner alignment, how chronic stress is amplified by disconnection from values, and why vulnerability is a skill that deepens emotional resilience rather than a weakness.
Dr. Chris Palmer, Harvard-trained psychiatrist and author of Brain Energy, explains why mental illness cannot be separated from metabolic health, how impaired brain energy drives symptoms like anxiety and depression, and why addressing mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction changes outcomes.
Jim Kwik, brain coach and author of Limitless, breaks down why brain fog, distraction, and mental fatigue are not character flaws, how modern habits drain cognitive energy, and what actually restores focus, memory, and mental clarity.
Maya Raichoora, mental fitness expert and author of Visualize, explores how visualization rewires neural pathways, why the brain responds to imagined experiences as real, and how mental training can influence both cognitive performance and physical health.
Gabby Bernstein, #1 New York Times bestselling author and podcast host, explains why nervous system safety is foundational to mental health, how emotional regulation directly affects inflammation and recovery, and why feeling safe in the body is essential for long-term resilience.

Thank You for Our Sponsors:

NextHealth: NextHealth: Your destination for cutting-edge health optimization—from IV therapy to hormone balancing. Explore at https://www.next-health.com/

Learn more about Dr. Shah:

Website: https://www.drshah.com/

Clinic: https://www.next-health.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darshanshahmd/

Learn more about Jay Shetty:
Website: https://www.jayshetty.me/

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/jayshetty

Learn more about Dr. Chris Palmer:

Website: https://www.chrispalmermd.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrispalmermd

Learn more about Jim Kwik:

Instagram: @jimkwik

Facebook: @jimkwikofficialLog in or sign up to view

Twitter: @jimkwik