Is addiction really your problem—or the way you learned to survive? In this raw conversation from Metabolic Health Day in Tucson, Mark Young sits down with Joe Polish (Genius Network, Genius Recovery) to unpack addiction as a connection disorder, why you can’t punish pain out of people, and what it actually takes to heal.

Joe shares decades of experience in addiction recovery, entrepreneurship, and relationships: from his own relapse after losing his father, to why shame keeps people stuck, to the 4 pillars he believes you need to get sober and stay sober: community, biochemistry, trauma work, and purpose.

This episode is for you if:

• You’ve tried to “white-knuckle” your way out of addiction and feel like you still can’t stop
• You’ve watched a parent or loved one drink or use themselves into an early grave
• You’re in 12-Step, recovery, or just sober-curious—but still feel disconnected or stuck
• You’re wondering how AI, social media, adult content, and modern life are reshaping addiction today

Nothing in this episode is medical advice. Always talk with your doctor or qualified professional before making changes to your health, medications, or recovery plan.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Joe says “addiction is a solution”—and why focusing only on the substance often misses the real problem
• The difference between first-stage recovery (sobriety) and second-stage recovery (healing the deeper wounds)
• How addiction thrives in shame, secrecy, and isolation (“your sick is your secrets”)
• Why Joe calls addiction a connection disorder—to self, others, and something bigger than you
• The role of biochemistry (nutrition, seed oils, gut health, dopamine, serotonin) in cravings and relapse
• How trauma—especially early childhood trauma—shows up later as addiction, even in high performers
• Why “less alcohol” doesn’t necessarily mean less addiction in a world of adult content, social media, and AI
• How service and helping others can become one of the most powerful tools in long-term recovery

Resources Mentioned

Genius Recovery – education, blogs, interviews, and resources on addiction & recovery

Visit: GeniusRecovery.org

Joe Polish – Genius Network & I Love Marketing – Author of What’s In It For Them? and The Miracle Morning for Addiction Recovery

We’re all just taking it one day at a time with our own struggles. Don’t do yours alone.

Subscribe to Performance Driven Living for more deep-dive conversations on health, performance, relationships, and the hard questions most shows won’t touch.

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Is Your Sunscreen Actually Toxic? Non-Nano Zinc, UVA/UVB & Endocrine Disruptors Explained

Most of us were told, “Just wear SPF 30 and you’re safe.” But what if the lotion you’re rubbing into your skin is loaded with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, potential benzene contamination, and ingredients that quietly shut down your body’s own sun-defense system?

In this episode of Performance Driven Living, Mark Young sits down with chemical engineer and Third Rock founder Dr. Guerry Grune to dismantle everything you think you know about sunscreen, SPF, tanning, and skin health.

If you’re a health-conscious parent, athlete, biohacker, or Floridian who lives outside, this conversation will completely change how you look at that bottle of sunscreen in your beach bag.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The real difference between chemical sunscreens (like oxybenzone, avobenzone & friends) and mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide) — and why some widely used chemical filters are under fire for potential hormone-disrupting and environmental effects.
• The truth about tanning beds vs natural sunlight, what melanin actually does, and why controlled UV exposure can be a smart tool when you understand UVA vs UVB.
• Why your skin is a mirror of internal health, how endocrine disruptors can interfere with detox pathways, and why “garbage in, garbage out” applies to both your diet and your skincare.
• What the recent benzene contamination recalls in aerosol sunscreens revealed about the industry, quality control, and why “what’s on the label” is only half the story.

Why this matters now

“Clean” beauty, endocrine disruptors, and benzene in consumer products are all trending because people are finally asking harder questions about what goes on their skin.

This episode goes way beyond fear-mongering headlines. You’ll hear from a PhD chemical engineer who’s spent decades in materials science, patent work, and photobiology, breaking down:

• How FDA sunscreen rules actually work
• Why the market pushed nano-sized filters and “invisible” lotions
• And what a truly non-toxic, performance-driven sunscreen has to do differently

Erectile dysfunction is more than a bedroom issue—it’s often the first visible sign of systemic vascular trouble. In this fast-paced conversation, Dr. Nathan Bryan and Mark Young unpack how nitric oxide (NO) drives endothelial health, blood flow, and sexual function—and why PDE5 inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis) don’t work for many men unless the upstream NO pathway is working.

If you (or a partner) are dealing with ED, hypertension, or low energy, this episode explains the root cause model: restore endothelial function and nitric oxide bioavailability, then everything downstream—circulation, exercise capacity, sexual performance—has a chance to improve.

What you’ll learn

• Why ED often precedes cardiovascular disease by years (the “canary in the coal mine” effect).
• How the endothelium regulates vessel dilation and blood pressure—and how NO (the 1998 Nobel Prize molecule) keeps that system responsive.
• The exact NO → cGMP → smooth-muscle relaxation pathway (and why PDE5s need NO to work).
• Why a significant slice of men don’t respond to PDE5 drugs—and what that suggests about NO deficiency and endothelial dysfunction.
• Practical levers that influence NO biology (diet/lifestyle, oral microbiome choices, training)—and how to think about “root cause” vs. symptom-chasing.

If this episode opened your eyes to how important nitric oxide is, don’t stop here: Watch more from Dr. Nathan S. Bryan - https://www.youtube.com/@DrNathanSBryanNitricOxide Visit N101.com to explore their nitric-oxide –supporting products and educational resources - https://n1o1.com/

Stay connected with Performance Driven Living: https://www.youtube.com/@UCwDm5SaqG6k33EbijfiGqdw

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“Autism Isn’t Political—It’s Personal.” Special-Ed Teacher + Autism Dad Reveals IEP Secrets (and What Food Dyes Did Overnight)

If U.S. autism rates are ~1 in 31 (and higher in some states), why do so many families still feel alone in IEP meetings? Today’s guest, Shane Taylor—veteran special education teacher, autism dad, and founder of IEPcentral.org—brings a rare 360° view: classroom, parent, and advocate. We dig into practical IEP tactics, nutrition and behavior (Red Dye 40, additives, seed oils, glyphosate), environmental toxicity, ABA and speech strategies, and a lesser-known angle: cerebral folate deficiency and targeted folate support.

This convo is for autism parents & grandparents, caregivers, teachers/administrators, and anyone who wants to turn pain into purpose—and get better outcomes for neurodivergent kids.

What you’ll learn

• How to prepare for IEP meetings so you’re not “eaten alive”
• When diet (e.g., food dyes like Red 40) can flip behavior in minutes—and what to do next
• Why autism is a spectrum (and why policy sound bites miss the lived reality)
• How to think about environmental toxins and brain inflammation
• A parent-friendly intro to cerebral folate deficiency and folate support discussions with your clinician
• How IEPcentral.org gives parents community, advocacy, and tutoring resources

Who should watch Autism parents/caregivers, special-ed teachers, general-ed teachers with inclusion students, school leaders, pediatric/functional clinicians, and anyone navigating IEP, ABA, speech therapy, nutrition & behavior, sensory regulation, or school placement.

Support the show If this helped, please subscribe, like, comment your IEP wins/questions, and share this with a parent or teacher who needs it.

To stay connected with Shane and IEP: Website - https://iepcentral.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathonpaper/?hl=en Stay connected with Performance Driven Living: Watch more episodes & subscribe: / @performancedrivenlivingpodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ot9njg... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performance...

Struggling after the time change—and wondering if melatonin is really the answer? As “fall back” hit on Nov 2, 2025, sleep is top of mind again. Headlines are questioning long-term melatonin use and regulators have recently warned about misuse and labeling issues, while the American Heart Association continues to spotlight how sleep quality affects heart health. In this episode, Mark sits down with Carl Pardelli, co-founder & CEO of NatureCity, to talk about trustworthy supplements, transparent labels (no “proprietary blends”), and thoughtful sleep support—including non-melatonin approaches like L-theanine and saffron that aim to support your body’s own sleep rhythms.

What you’ll learn:

• How to vet supplement brands (branded ingredients, real manufacturers, transparent labels)
• Why “supplement” truly means supplemental to diet & lifestyle
• The D3 + K2 synergy—and why dose transparency matters
• Sleep support without mega-dose melatonin (L-theanine, saffron; support for natural melatonin production—not a knockout pill)

Chapters:

00:03:40 Supplements You Can Actually Trust

00:17:22 Food Quality: Soil & Supply Chains

00:46:20 Buying Safely Online (Amazon & Fakes)

00:59:07 True Zs: Better Sleep Without Melatonin

For more on NatureCity, visit:

Website - https://www.naturecity.com/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@naturecitysupplements

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/naturecitysupplements/?hl=en

Stay connected with Performance Driven Living:

Watch more episodes & subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCwDm5SaqG6k33EbijfiGqdw

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/performance-driven-living/id1813002543

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ot9njgjicg4lisEErPxYP?si=Guo_T6-AQOylR_MQgA3edQ&nd=1&dlsi=7619d955fcef4bdb

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performancedrivenliving_/?hl=en

What if cancer care isn’t about “kill the enemy,” but about changing the terrain so the enemy can’t live there? On location at Metabolic Health Day (Tucson, AZ), Mark sits down with integrative oncologist Dr. Nasha Winters to talk counter-culture oncology, why “I was healthy until cancer” is a myth, and how AI can serve relationship-first medicine instead of replacing it. We get into pre-habilitating the body before treatment (kidneys, liver, microbiome), why protocols-for-everyone fail, and the blueprint for a biophilic, data-guided cancer hospital that refuses to be a broom-closet add-on. If you’re done with fear-based care and “normal ranges” that normalize sickness, this one goes straight at it. Timestamps

00:07:31 — “What’s the solution?” Disrupting the status quo (not just naming the problem)

00:10:10 — No more one-size-fits-all: AI that learns you vs. protocols for “everyone”

00:16:27 — Belief vs. fear in the room: why energy and bedside still change outcomes

00:20:38 — The “mouse in the kitchen” analogy: terrain beats napalm (and why that matters)

00:27:37 — Make it exist: the donated land + biophilic cancer hospital model

We also hit: training clinicians to close the 17-year bench-to-bedside gap, compressing 10–12 hours of data review into something scalable, and ditching “at your age” labs for functional/optimal ranges (aim higher than “normal”).

If this sparks something, drop your toughest question or the belief you’re unlearning in the comments. Subscribe for more straight answers, fewer sacred cows.

Connect with Dr. Nasha Winters & the Movement

Website: drnasha.com

Metabolic Terrain Institute of Health (MTIH): mtih.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drnashawinters/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/mtihorg/?hl=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasha-winters-796374b6/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC6HW9q1YVjdCuL0vFP5MBbw

Stay connected with Performance Driven Living:

Watch more episodes & subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@performancedrivenlivingpodcast

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

On this episode of Performance Driven Living, host Mark Young sits down with Dr. Patrick Porter, creator of BrainTap, to ask a bold question: Can light, sound, and guided brainwave training help you think clearer, recover faster, and feel better—today? If you’re new here, we question everything (with receipts) to learn—or unlearn—what actually works. We keep it real, not medical. Why stick around? - Can a headset really sync your brain into high-performance states (gamma/theta)…without drugs? - Do your words actually flip thousands of gene switches on or off? - Is the “mental health crisis” really a brain-energy regulation crisis? - What’s the science behind that 2 p.m. reboot everybody needs? Timestamps 4:00 – DNA as a light antenna?! The “biosphere” idea and why energy might be the missing link for metabolism. 7:06 – “The more you know, the dumber you become… unless neuroplasticity.” Hebb’s law, pruning, and building new paths. 18:02 – Words → genes. How self-talk can up/down-regulate ~3,200 gene expressions. 19:40 – The 2 p.m. reboot. A quick BrainTap break that boosted output +26% and improved sleep in a workplace study. 24:51 – Gamma without the trip. Psilocybin-like gamma activity, integration, and why clinics pair BrainTap with therapy. What we cover Brainwave syncing (retinal flashing, frequency-following response), mitochondria as light messengers, BDNF for brain change, the purpose-vs-retirement myth, and how clinics pair BrainTap with ketamine-assisted therapy to organize neuroplasticity. If you’re a BrainTap user or just “brain-curious,” hit subscribe—we drop weekly, no-fluff conversations you can actually use. Want more from Dr. Porter & BrainTap? Website: https://braintap.com/membership-and-headset/?utm_campaign=BF&utm_source=Instagramboost&utm_medium=Instagram YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@braintaptech/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drpatrickporter/?hl=en Stay connected with Performance Driven Living Watch more & subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCwDm5SaqG6k33EbijfiGqdw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/performance-driven-living/id1813002543 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ot9njgjicg4lisEErPxYP?si=Guo_T6-AQOylR_MQgA3edQ&nd=1&dlsi=7619d955fcef4bdb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performancedrivenliving_/?hl=en

On this episode of Performance Driven Living, Mark Young sits down with Jay Campbell — 5x international bestselling author, men’s physique champion, and founder of BioLongevity Labs — for a no-BS masterclass on peptides, GLP-1s (semaglutide/tirzepatide), hormone optimization (TRT), metabolic health, and spiritual sovereignty. If you’re a biohacker, longevity seeker, fitness pro, or simply health-curious, this episode is packed with actionable insights: how to use GLP-1s the right way (microdosing, not “more is better”), Jay’s 4 non-negotiables to protect muscle and metabolism, real-world injury recovery stacks (BPC-157/TB-500/GHK-Cu), the rise of bioregulators, and the next wave of delivery tech (near-injectable-efficacy buccal peptide strips). We also get into the culture shift around men’s health, why protein targets matter more than you think, and how to build a truly performance-driven life without chasing shortcuts. Timestamps 00:06:32 — Why peptides hit mainstream + the GLP-1 boom, myths vs. real benefits

00:11:56 — Jay’s 4 non-negotiables for GLP-1 success: protein, hormone balance, lifting, insulin control

00:25:49 — Real-world healing: BPC-157 • TB-500 • GHK-Cu “Wolverine” recovery stack (use responsibly)

00:33:04 — New delivery tech: near-injectable buccal peptide strips and simpler stacks for consumers

00:53:42 — What’s next: NAD+ + MOTS-C + 5-Amino-1MQ “metabolic energy” blend Jay is developing What we’ll lean: how to set protein targets (≈1 g per lb of goal bodyweight), why hormone optimization (especially for women, too) must come before aggressive fat loss, how to preserve lean mass while using semaglutide/tirzepatide, smarter microdosing strategies, when to use CJC-1295/Ipamorelin, Epitalon, BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, and why patient compliance and simplified stacks beat complicated “kitchen sink” protocols. We also talk decentralizing health, building resilience, and choosing tools that serve your life — not the other way around. Want more from Jay? • Jay’s Website: https://jaycampbell.com/ • Jay’s Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UC45Kp9_RdWs9hkbtL3ymmxg Stay connected with Performance Driven Living: • Watch more episodes & subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCwDm5SaqG6k33EbijfiGqdw • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/performance-driven-living/id1813002543 • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7ot9njgjicg4lisEErPxYP?si=Guo_T6-AQOylR_MQgA3edQ&nd=1&dlsi=7619d955fcef4bdb • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performancedrivenliving_/?hl=en