EarthRise w/ Derek Beres: Recent Episodes
Derek Beres
Derek Beres is a multi-faceted author, media expert, and fitness instructor based in Los Angeles. On the EarthRise Podcast, he discusses movement, neuroscience, psychology, mythology, technology, and music, sometimes alone, sometimes with guests.
http://www.derekberes.com
Medicating Normal follows the journeys of a newly married couple, a female combat veteran, a waitress, and a teenager whose doctors prescribed psychiatric drugs for stress, mild depression, sleeplessness, focus, and trauma. The subjects struggle with serious physical and mental side effects as well as neurological damage that resulted from taking the drugs as prescribed and also from attempting to withdraw. Angela Peacock, MSW, is a US Army veteran, benzo survivor,... Read More
RP Eddy served at the White House National Security Council and as a senior US diplomat. He is the co-author of Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes.
Robert Whitaker is an American journalist and author who has won numerous awards as a journalist covering medicine and science, including the George Polk Award for Medical Writing and a National Association for Science Writers’ Award for best magazine article. In 1998, he co-wrote a series on psychiatric research for the Boston Globe that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. His first... Read More
I came across this article today and had to respond. This melding of “wellness” with right-wing conspiracies is really disturbing. Specifically, I discuss implicit bias and white privilege in the context of the following paragraph. “There seem to be many incongruences with the black man who was murdered, was he really who he said he was, did he actually die, was that man really a... Read More
Dax-Devlon Ross has led a career as an educator, non-profit executive, equity consultant, and journalist with a focus on social justice. His recent investigative journalism has appeared in The Washington Post, NY Times, and The Guardian. In this episode, we discuss his recent essay, “A Letter to My White Male Friends of a Certain Age.” We had a number of problems with Zoom, so I... Read More
Matthew Remski and Julian Walker join me to discuss the many suspect medical claims made by Kelly Brogan and Sayer Ji. We also talk about Julian’s new essay, “The Red Pill Overlap.” Read Matthew on Brogan and Julian’s essay. Subscribe to my newsletter here.
Matthew Remski and Julian Walker join me for a discussion on conspiracy theories and cult dynamics centered on “Plandemic” and recent videos by comedian JP Sears. Subscribe to my newsletter.
This week I discuss anxiety management techniques during the pandemic. I also cover two studies for Big Think: one at UPenn on why Gen X is more stressed than other generations and another from Penn State about mistakes being necessary for learning. Subscribe to my newsletter.
My Big Think article discussing a clip from the documentary, “The Plandemic,” has been making the rounds. I recorded this episode to address the points being made in my writing.
I intended to release this brief talk a few weeks ago announcing my anti-anxiety coaching program, EarthRise Wellness. Then the world changed. I had to reassess the entire talk. This podcast is the result.
Dax-Devlon Ross has led a career as an educator, non-profit executive, equity consultant, and journalist with a focus on social justice. He is also one of my best friends. We’ve been having in-depth conversations since first meeting at Rutgers in the nineties. We share our thoughts on this generation-defining moment as well as our thoughts and hopes regarding what comes next.
Jordan Hall is the co-founder of Neurohacker Collective and one of the most interesting polymaths I’ve ever spoken to. We discuss life during the coronavirus, virtual reality, physiology and nootropics, and the fate of America.
Investigative journalist and anthropologist Scott Carney is the author of the NY Times bestselling book, What Doesn’t Kill Us, about his time with The Iceman, Wim Hof. His forthcoming book is The Wedge: Evolution, Consciousness, Stress, and the Key to Human Resilience.
Born in Iran and raised in India, Azam Ali has one of the most beautiful voices in the world. Through her solo albums and work with Niyaz and her former band, Vas, she has spread the explored, studied, and presented the sacred music of the world in new contexts for 25 years. She is also an accomplished producer, percussionist, santur player, artist, and jewelry maker.
Richard J. Miller is the Alfred Newton Richards Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and author of Drugged: The Science and Culture Behind Psychotropic Drugs.
Charles Grob is a professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Pediatrics and Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He was the first researcher granted FDA approval to clinically study MDMA and ayahuasca in the nineties and has spent nearly 50 years studying psychedelics.
Michael Ehlers is the former Executive Vice President for Research and Development at Biogen and former Chief Scientific Officer for Neuroscience at Pfizer. He was recently named as an advisor to Field Trip Health, the psychedelic research organization that has opened the world’s first psilocybin research center.
Alla Kovgan is the award-winning filmmaker of “Nora” and many others. Her latest documentary, “Cunningham,” focuses on the work of avant-garde choreographer Merce Cunningham’s work between 1942-72.
David Bienenstock is the author of How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High and co-creator of the podcast Great Moments in Weed History. Previously, he served as Head of Content at Hight Times and worked at VICE Media, where he co-produced the series, Bong Appetit.
Tim Harford has a popular Financial Times column where he writes thought pieces on the economics of the everyday experience. His books, including The Undercover Economist and Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, have become worldwide bestsellers and his TED talks have garnered over 8 million views. His new podcast is Cautionary Tales.
Dr. Shahrzad Fattahi is a functional and holistic dentist. A graduate of USC Dental School, she has been in private practice in the Los Angeles area since 1994.
Dan Carlin is the host of Hardcore History, the beloved history podcast that’s been downloaded over 100 million times. His first book is The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, From the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses.
Austrian director and cinematographer, Richard Ladkani, is behind many important documentaries, including his latest, Sea of Shadows. The National Geographic film, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival 2019. The film illustrates how Mexican drug cartels and the Chinese Mafia have declared war on one of the world’s most beautiful ecosystems, which Jacques Cousteau once called “The Aquarium... Read More
Glenn Albrecht is an Australian philosopher. In 2003, he coined the term “solastalgia.” His most recent book is Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World. https://glennaalbrecht.com/http://www.derekberes.com/
Ronan Levy is one of the founders of FieldTrip, a venture firm blending operational execution with strategic investing across all aspects of the psychedelics value chain. They are behind the world’s first psilocybin research center in Jamaica. https://fieldtriphealth.com/ Stay in touch at https://derekberes.com/
Arthur Holland Michel is the founder and co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College and author of the new book, Eyes In the Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How It Will Watch Us All.
M.R. O'Connor is a science journalist and author of Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World.
Regan Williams is the CEO and co-founder of Seen & Heard, a nonprofit that provides foster and disconnected youth with professional and personal development via the performing arts.
Ronald Purser is a professor of management at San Francisco State University and author of McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality.
John Ratey, MD, is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
Maxine Trump is a documentary filmmaker whose latest project, To Kid Or Not To Kid, explores women who choose not to have children.
The link between the stories: science evolves. A look at white nationalism, male pride, calorie counting, and the myth of supplements.
This week I look at articles on the nature of suffering; increased rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide in America; and a month of trying out Marie Kondo's method.
Axel Foley of DVR Podcast Network comes on to discuss issues of the week, including Derek’s article on gambling addiction. For more info visit https://www.patreon.com/DVR.
New research on food deserts and dollar-store produce; old hotels are being converted for low-income housing in Los Angeles; the munchies are real; and a bit of history on vaccinations (which are also real).
This week’s look at recent Big Think articles covering owning your mistakes, an ingenious smartphone study to treat anxiety and depression, and pushups for heart health.
A look at four recent Big Think articles covering MDMA and relationship counselling, Spotify and Big Data, men telling women to wear makeup, and Jordan Peterson on cleaning up your room.
One of the greatest myths is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. The narrative we believe is the one we live. Fortunately, we can change the narrative any time we choose. Ritual provides us that opportunity. Stay in touch @ www.derekberes.com.
Evan Caron is the co-founder and managing director of Swytch, a blockchain-based platform that tracks and verifies the impact of sustainability efforts and actions on the worldwide level of C02 emissions. For more information visit swytch.io/
Michelle LeClair is a former high-ranking Scientologist and author of the new memoir, Perfectly Clear: Escaping Scientology and Fighting for the Woman I Love.
Michael Gazzaniga is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind. His latest book is The Consciousness Instinct: Unraveling the Mystery of How the Brain Makes the Mind.
Lauren Slater is a psychologist and author of Prozac Dreams, Opening Skinner’s Box, and, most recently, Blue Dreams: The Science and the Story of the Drugs That Changed Our Minds. We talk about the history of psychotropic drugs as well as the future of psychedelics for therapeutic use. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Will Storr is an award-winning journalist and novelist. His work has appeared in Esquire, The New Yorker, The Sunday Times, and The Guardian. His latest book is Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us.
Kris Ex is a writer, thinker, and friend. He’s written many hip-hop articles you’ve read over the last few decades. We talk about what everyone is talking about right now: Marvel’s Black Panther. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
We often call emotions “reactions,” but new research suggests they are actually constructions. This knowledge helps us understand better ways of dealing with anxiety. This is the third episode of my new audio program, Clarity: Anxiety Reduction for Optimal Health, which can be found at derekberes.com.
Britt Wray is completing a PhD in Science Communication (with a focus on synthetic biology) at the University of Copenhagen in the Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, co-host of the BBC podcast Tomorrow’s World, and author of Rise of the Necrofauna: The Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Kurt Andersen is a best-selling author and co-creator of the Peabody Award winning weekly radio show, Studio 360, which is also available in podcast form. He co-wrote a parody book on Donald Trump with Alec Baldwin, You Can’t Spell America Without Me. He’s been a columnist for the New Yorker, New York, NY Times, and Time. He is also known as the co-founder of Spy... Read More
Dax returns to catch up on what’s happening in 2018. We start with the state of politics, move into technology, AI, social relationships, social media, and the art of being a human being. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Matt Lombardo joins me to discuss green man milk, mythology, archetypes, and even a little yoga as we contemplate the legacy embodied in The Last Jedi. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Sameer Gadhia is the singer of California-based band Young the Giant. In this episode we discuss growing up Indian in America, what it was like watching Michigan go “red” in the 2016 election, Kafka, yoga, and, of course, music. Stay in touch at www.derekberes.com.
Natalia Petrzela is a scholar, writer, teacher, and activist. An Associate Professor of History at The New School, her first book, Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture (Oxford, 2015), explores the roots of the culture wars in American public schools, specifically amid heated battles over sexuality and bilingual education. Natalia’s latest research traces the rise of “wellness culture” since the 1950s, asking how... Read More
Paul Shapiro is the VP of Policy Engagement for the Humane Society of the United States and the author of Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World. We discuss the fascinating new technologies that will reduce animal suffering while offering us optimal nutritional options in the very near future. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
We talk about fitness often, yet the most important aspect is often left undiscussed. Attention matters in physical, cognitive, and emotional health. This is the first half of my keynote lecture at Shape Michigan 2017. Thanks to Brian Tass for inviting me to speak and teach a movement class. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Robert Lustig is an American pediatric endocrinologist and author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease. A professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, where he specializes in neuroendocrinology and childhood obesity, his 2009 lecture, “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” has been viewed over 7.3 million times on Youtube. His new book is The Hacking of the... Read More
Will Lopez is a 20-year-old Political Science major at UCLA who was born in Mexico. He is also a DACA recipient. We talk about what it’s like hearing the president call Mexicans drug dealers and rapists, what being a Dreamer entails, and his own political ambitions in California. Stay in touch at www.derekberes.com.
Ground rules for yoga pulled from Derek’s fourteen years of teaching. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Yoga Journal recently published an article in which senior teachers speculated about the future of yoga. Derek responds. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
The intersection of yoga and music has defined much of my movement career. In this episode I discuss the basic foundations of music in a yoga class, playing samples of tracks that work well during different phases of the flow. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Robert Wright is the author of The Moral Animal, Nonzero, The Evolution of God, and most recently, Why Buddhism Is True, the subject of this episode. We discuss mindfulness meditation, Buddhist philosophy, identity, essentialism, tribalism, and techniques for overcoming the perceived unsatisfactoriness of life. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
The title of this podcast is taken from Brooklyn-based yoga teacher J Brown’s blog, which he runs at jbrownyoga.com. J is the owner of Abhyasa Yoga Center in Brooklyn and is a prolific blogger and podcaster. I find myself reading all of his articles, and so reached out to take our online chats into the “real” world. Stay in touch at derekberes.com.
Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University and the author of the new book, How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. There are few books I’d say truly push the boundaries of neuroscience and psychology, but this is one of them. We chat about categories, perception, essentialism, concepts, and predictions to set the stage before diving... Read More
A recent comment on a post about yoga and capitalism spurs on some thoughts about the two—their inseparability, as well as forgoing the notion that a “pure” yoga exists. Stay in touch at http://www.derekberes.com.
Jill Miller is the co-founder of Tune Up Fitness Worldwide and creator of the corrective exercise format Yoga Tune Up® and The Roll Model Method®. With more than 28 years of study in fitness, yoga therapy and anatomy, she is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, massage, and pain-management. Her innovative techniques have catapulted her to a sought after leader in the... Read More
Ally Hamilton is the co-founder of Yogis Anonymous in Santa Monica and author of Yoga’s Healing Power: Looking Inward for Change, Growth & Peace. We talk about yoga’s shifting tides over the last few decades and how to use the discipline for achieving contentment and growth.
Diversity is essential in both the world and in our movement patterns. In this episode Derek investigates the many layers of diversity, entertaining the idea that moving as broadly as possible—cultivating a discipline that allows for constant new challenges—opens your mind to a more diverse way of existing in the world.
Derek discusses the role of humility in yoga by investigating an attitude of entitlement that pervades certain segments of American society. By noticing the details of your surroundings larger problems could be solved, but first we have to develop an ability to notice those details. Derek reads two passages from Cal Newport’s book, Deep Work, to discuss how the discipline of focus helps you to notice such details.
Guy Garcia is the author of The New Mainstream and The Decline of Men, and co-author of the bestselling Self Made alongside Nely Galán. His new book, Swarm, is out now. In this episode we discuss the future of mind control, AI and VR, mindfulness, and DJ gigs inside glaciers in Iceland. For more on Guy visit ownyourmind.org.
Derek discusses best practices learned from working for fourteen years as a yoga and movement instructor regarding how to sharpen your role as an instructor and practitioner of this art. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Filmmaker W Axel Foley is one of the hosts of The Small Council: A Game of Thrones Pod and Westworld Theory Cast. He’s also an old friend from Rutgers that I love talking to. In this episode we discuss homeopathy and Breitbart—together and separately—as well as prosperity theology, mysticism, and whether or not Jesus was an alien. Follow him on Twitter @WAxelFoley. Stay in touch:... Read More
Bill Bragin is, in his own words, an agitador cultural. He is the Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi. Before that he worked for Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, and Central Park Summerstage presenting thousands of shows to global-minded audiences. We talk about how the Arts can contribute to civic conversations and tackle subjects such as global warming, how social media is beneficial... Read More
One of the main benefits of yoga is understanding identity, but what is identity other than a collection of memories? In this episode Derek explores how memory works and why yoga is a powerful tool to keep our memory system healthy.
Trina Altman is the founder of Pilates Deconstructed and leads teacher trainings in Yoga Tune Up, the Roll Method, and Rx Series. In this episode we discuss foot health and the danger of high heels, the necessity of posterior kinetic chain development, safety in pilates and yoga (including the fallacy of ‘hip opening’), trend-driven fitness, and why loaded and varied movement is key in sustainable... Read More
jdx has been documenting the transformation of Manhattan’s east village through his unique photography for years. As someone that spends a lot of time thinking about politics and social issues, we open by discussing the appointment of Steve Bannon and Judaism in America, then segue into his upcoming photography book, what it’s like living in a fast-changing New York City, America as a culture of... Read More
Katy Bowman describes herself as a biomechanist by training and a problem-solver at heart. She has spent years advocating that exercise is not movement, or at least not the type of movement we really need in our lives. In her new book, Movement Matters: Essays on Movement Science, Movement Ecology, and the Nature of Movement, Bowman discusses how that our habit of outsourcing movement to people that... Read More
Matthew Thomas Lombardo has been a yoga and meditation teacher and trainer in NYC since 2003. As a longtime political and social thinker, he had his reasons for voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 election—a decision that quickly bounced around social media due to his article, ‘Why I Voted for Trump,’ on Elephant Journal. Seeing the vitriol directed at him, and having known him... Read More
Marc Coronel is a senior master instructor for TRX and Trigger Point Therapy. Trained in numerous modalities, he is the epitome of fitness, inspiring countless clients and social media followers with his focus on research, variety, and playful yet structurally sound movement. During our talk we touch upon the dangers of hot yoga, the value of failure, the importance of active recovery and regeneration, the... Read More
Matthew Remski is a Toronto-based yoga therapist and Ayurvedic consultant. He is the author of eight books, including Threads of Yoga: a remix of Patanjali’s Sutras with commentary and reverie and the forthcoming What Are We Actually Doing In Asana? Matthew offers razor-sharp insight and commentary into yoga culture at mathtewremski.com, as well as a number of online publications. He also spent time in two cults: the Gelukpa... Read More
Nicholas Carr is the author of the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize finalist, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, as well as The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us. His new book, Utopia is Creepy, is a sliver of his vast collection of blog posts archived at RoughType.com, as well as some twitterings and magazine articles. Carr is a huge influence on... Read More
Tommy Rosen is the founder of the Recovery Online 2.0 Conference, as well as the book and podcast of the same name. Twenty-seven years sober, Rosen has dedicated much of his life helping people suffering from a wide range of addictions—alcohol, opioids, food, sex, pornography—overcome habitual patterns and live rich, meaningful lives. During our chat we discuss the nature of pattern formation, the cue/routine/reward system,... Read More
Andrew McPherson is a singer/songwriter based in Guelph, a tiny city with a big musical reputation located an hour outside of Toronto. Most prominently known as the founder of Eccodek, Andrew has long been influenced by a variety of ambient artists, including Brian Eno, Michael Brook, Satie, and Debussy. His new album is under yet another name, Peppermoth. I caught up with Andrew in his... Read More
Mike Hull is the video producer in the election unit at the network Fusion. He is also a longtime filmmaker, cinematographer, and keen political thinker. As he attended both the Republican and Democratic conventions this year, I chat with him about what that experience was like, and what shape he sees American politics taking in the future. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Freedom is individual and shared; it can’t be any other way. Just as consciousness is bound to the biochemical processes of our brain interacting with the physical reality of our body, freedom in society must in some ways respect the boundaries of that society—a vast, empty space with no clear lines is impossible to define as culture. We have to work together on these definitions—work... Read More
Sometimes death, even of a pet, can remind you of what is immediate and dear. I explore this notion after losing a cat, Anula, of eleven years. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Poet Vincent Toro’s new book, Stereo.Island.Mosaic., is the winner of the 2015 Sawtooth Poetry Prize. The collection ranges from the personal to the political, featuring Toro’s longtime activism in raising awareness about socio-political issues in his ancestral homeland, Puerto Rico. I’ve known the man for twenty-two years. We’re former roommates and collaborators, as well as longtime friends. I caught up with Vincent while he was... Read More
Dr. Mark Hyman received some flack for coining the term ‘pegan’ a combination of paleo and vegan. After nearly twenty years of vegetarianism, including two as a vegan, in this podcast I discuss my recent dietary changes to a paleo-based diet and all the implications this has had in my life—including strength/flexibility, inflammation, energy levels, ethics, and more. Joseph Campbell snippet from his lecture, ‘The... Read More
We’re constantly telling stories with our bodies. How we move defines a sizable portion of our identity. In this podcast I briefly discuss why storytelling is such a crucial component of modern yoga , as well as why contentment is one of the most cherished and important qualities of this discipline. Being constantly distracted is not going to develop those higher-order emotions that are the... Read More
I chat with the Sex At Dawn author about how pornography, relationships and modern sexuality.
This is an outtake from my new online course, Yoga For Anxiety. Having dealt with general anxiety disorder and panic attacks for 24 years, here I talk briefly about what anxiety is and discuss some techniques for dealing with it.
Mitch Schultz is the producer and director of DMT: The Spirit Molecule and co-founder of Mythaphi. In this episode of EarthRise we discuss the emergence of psychedelics in American culture, the origins of the DMT documentary, and new paradigms to explore global consciousness with. We also laugh a lot. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Evan Thompson is professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia. He writes about cognitive science, phenomenology, the philosophy of mind, and cross-cultural philosophy, especially Buddhist philosophy in dialogue with Western philosophy of mind and cognitive science. On this episode we discuss the concepts behind Evan’s latest book, Waking, Dreaming Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation and Philosophy, including the role of the self,... Read More
My guest is bass player and producer extraordinaire Adam Dorn, aka Mocean Worker, who joins me live in Palms, Los Angeles to discuss streaming music, the art of production, making a living in music, and, somehow, Nicki Minaj. Show music by Adam. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.
Dax-Devlon Ross is the Executive Director of the NY/Newark chapters of After School All-Stars. He is also a prolific writer, covering issues concerning race and the prison system for the NY Times, Time, Next City and more. Dax is also an old and very close friend. We started a publishing company together in 2005 and have hiked more times than I can ever remember. We... Read More
In this first podcast I explore the three most meaningful aspects of my life: music, movement, mythology. I take a look at the intersection of the three and how that results in the international-flavored yoga mixtapes I release on my Soundcloud. Stay in touch: http://www.derekberes.com.