▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/

Most of us know that modern tech is hijacking our nervous system at some level, and, if you’re anything like me, even after trying to get a lot of ‘tech hygiene’ right, you’re still feeling some of the effects.

On this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton is joined by Justin Hai, an award-winning British entrepreneur and author of the international bestseller, Stress Nation: Escape the Technology Trap and Eliminate Stress. Justin started his work in health in the biotech skincare industry. His company, Alastin, which specialises in regenerative skincare with peptides and growth hormones, was sold to Galderma in 2022 for over a billion dollars. But in the process of his research, Justin stumbled upon something he called "the master hormone": cortisol.

Justin discovered that increased levels of cortisol suppress melatonin, leading to sleep deprivation, which stops the body from producing the necessary hormones – and once this cycle keeps going, things start falling apart. Weight gain, brain fog, poor libido, mood swings, and exhaustion. Not as individual issues to deal with, but all manifestations of an underlying problem are being exacerbated each year due to technology.

We discuss:

• Why cortisol is the master hormone and how it controls everything
• How the modern world removed your body's natural off switch
• Why 95% of the supplements you're taking are destroyed in your stomach
• Men go through menopause too — and most have no idea
• Simple daily habits that bring cortisol down and sleep quality up

Links: Stress Nation - The Book

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/

What if your healing journey that took you years could have taken months and the tool to get there is growing in the Colombian jungle?

In this episode of Being Human, Richard Atherton is joined by Sam Believ, marine engineer and founder of Lawayra, an ayahuasca healing retreat in the Colombian countryside. Born in the Soviet Union and raised in post-independence Latvia, Sam grew up in a household shaped by intergenerational trauma: alcoholic, abusive father, an emotionally unavailable mother, and a culture where emotions were a sign of weakness. He channelled everything into his engineering career, built the life he was supposed to want, and found himself empty.

After quitting his job and travelling South America, Sam discovered ayahuasca in Colombia. Initially it was out of curiosity, he then rediscovered it in a crisis. When the lockdowns forced him to stop for the first time in his life, everything he had suppressed caught up with him. A ceremony gave him both his healing and his purpose. He never left.

Today Sam has guided close to 3,000 people through ceremonies at La Wayra, where the mission is simple: connect, heal, grow.

We discuss:

• Surviving Soviet childhood trauma and escaping intergenerational pain
• Why achieving the "right" life left him completely empty
• What actually happens inside an ayahuasca ceremony
• Therapy vs ayahuasca
• Addressing abuse by shamans

Links: LaWayra Retreats Sam's Website

▶️ Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardatherton-firsthuman/

What if your body could tell you exactly where you're out of balance—before it shows up as illness or burnout?

In this episode, Richard sits down with Daniel Zavrel, co-founder of ConsciouzScan, to explore a cutting-edge, powerful technology that claims to map your body and mind through your energy field.

From his early career in consulting at Accenture, to his shift into spirituality and human performance, Daniel shares how this technology is being used with elite athletes, executives and individuals seeking deeper awareness.

Daniel performs a full body scan on Richard to reveal how this technology works.

Together, they explore:

• How one super simple 5-minute yoga technique transformed one CEO’s health
• How stress actually shows up in the body
• The link between focus, emotion and energy
• Why high performers often miss the real source of their exhaustion
• And what it means to “listen” to your body at a deeper level

Whether you’re sceptical or curious, this conversation will challenge how you think about health, performance and consciousness.

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Book your session and claim your discount here: https://checkout.consciouz.com/checkout/bodymindscan

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Want to learn more about the ConsciouzScan method in general first? Then visit: https://checkout.consciouz.com/consciouz-body-mind-scan?revision=1