How to nurture your microbiome’s power: Food, dreams & community - Richard Nikoley

This week’s show is with Richard Nikoley. Richard was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, the son of a German immigrant. He attended a private, church-run high school before moving on to Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga for his first year of college. He later transferred to Oregon State University, where he graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, along with minors in mathematics/computer science and naval science. During his time at OSU, he was a member of the NROTC unit and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the U.S. Navy upon graduation.

Richard’s naval career began with eight months of training in San Diego, California, followed by a deployment to Yokosuka, Japan. There, he served on the USS REEVES (CG-24) from 1984 to 1987 in various roles, including Assistant Missiles Officer, First Lieutenant, and Electrical Officer. He then joined the U.S. SEVENTH FLEET aboard the USS BLUE RIDGE (LCC-19) from 1988 to 1989, managing a substantial fuel budget as Assistant Fleet Scheduling Officer and Assistant Logistics Officer.

After five years in Japan, Richard moved to Monterey, California, to study French at the Defense Language Institute. This led to an exchange officer position with the French Navy from 1989 to 1992, where he served as Navigator on the FNS COLBERT (C 611) and FNS DUQUESNE (D 603). He left the Navy in 1992 and returned to the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1993, Richard founded a company that grew significantly over a 20-year period. Although he was married for much of that time, since 2019, he and his former spouse have maintained a friendly relationship while pursuing separate lifestyles.

Since January 2020, Richard has been living in Thailand as an unintended expat. Initially planning to be digital and nomadic, he decided to settle more permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, he built a house in a rural province and wrote extensively about COVID-19, masks, lockdowns, and global drug trials - earning recognition for his insights.

Currently, Richard manages multiple income streams while engaging in various creative pursuits. He writes, makes videos, takes long walks, swims and snorkels in the tropical ocean, rides a motorcycle without a helmet, and enjoys cooking and eating exquisite food. A self-proclaimed gym junkie and honorary "Bro," Richard is known for his clever and well-crafted writing.

In this show, Richard and Lian explore the intricate connections between community, diet, and the microbiome, weaving together science, storytelling, and spirituality.

They delve into how inner and outer communities shape human experience and how ancestral diets can connect us to the wisdom of the past.

They reflect on the distortions of industrial society, the transformative power of dietary choices, a shamanic perspective on consumption and well-being, and the mysterious interplay between nutrition and our psyche.

We’d love to know what YOU think about this week’s show. Let’s carry on the conversation… please leave a comment wherever you are listening or in any of our other spaces to engage.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The microbiome is more than a physical system - it’s a dynamic ecosystem influenced by diet, community, and the stories we tell about ourselves. Understanding and honouring this interplay can lead to profound transformation.

• By adopting practices, like eating more fibre and cooking and cooling starchy foods for resistant starch, we can support gut health and reconnect with natural ways of eating that shaped human evolution.

• What we eat can shape not only our physical health but also the content of our dreams, illuminating symbols for self discovery - which suggests a greater link between our food and our psyche than is generally discussed.

Resources and stuff spoken about:

• Richard’s Free The Animal blog

• Richard’s book: Paleo Perfection: How to Lose Weight and Feel Great

• Richard’s PDF downloads

• Richard on social: Facebook and X

• Join UNIO, the Academy of Sacred Union. This is for the old souls in this new world… Discover your kin & unite with your soul’s calling to truly live your myth.

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