In this episode, my guest is Tony Hawk, the legendary and pioneering professional skateboarder, video game and skateboard industry entrepreneur, and founder of the Skatepark Project, whose philanthropic mission is to help underserved communities create safe and inclusive public skateparks for all youth. We discuss his career, how he helped popularize and evolve the sport of skateboarding, and his role as an ambassador for skateboard culture. We also discuss where he derives his intrinsic drive, how he sets and evolves goals and how he has made remarkable and continual progress throughout his career. We also discuss Tony’s ability to overcome what would otherwise be career-ending injuries. For anyone seeking to find or pursue their passion and make lifelong progress while serving the larger world, this episode with Tony Hawk ought to be of deep interest.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Tony Hawk

(00:03:32) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:55) Childhood & Self-Concept

(00:11:08) Early Skateboarding & Skateparks

(00:16:58) Adolescence, Skateboarding

(00:23:10) Turning Professional, The Bones Brigade

(00:32:01) Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)

(00:35:27) Trick Development & Evolution

(00:40:33) Visualization, Dreaming

(00:47:09) “Feeling” While Skateboarding

(00:51:15) Drive & Discipline; Injuries

(00:58:46) Injury Recovery Practices

(01:06:52) Healthy Life Practices & Skateboarding

(01:15:03) Video Game Development

(01:23:00) Financial Investments, Birdhouse

(01:30:16) Professionalism; Hobbies

(01:35:43) Kids, Parents & Skateboarding

(01:44:15) Music; High School

(01:49:28) Females in Skateboarding

(01:56:04) Inspiration, Kids, Bones Brigade

(02:01:18) Memorabilia, Autographs

(02:05:50) Skatepark Project

(02:08:14) Future Goals & Aspirations

(02:13:08) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, my guest is Maya Shankar, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist, former senior advisor to the White House and Chair of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. She is the creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. We discuss how our identities develop and change, how our beliefs and internal narratives shape our perception of self, and how to use structured introspection about our values to determine our goals. We discuss how to cope and grow through uncertain situations, especially those that force us to reexamine our roles and identity. Dr. Shankar shares her experience of redefining her identity after an early career-ending setback. She also explains numerous science-based strategies to effectively define goals, structure our goal pursuits and maintain consistent motivation. This episode provides a science-supported toolkit and roadmap to assess your identity and goals and positively transform in the face of change.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Dr. Maya Shankar

(00:02:53) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:15) Identity Foreclosure, Identity Paralysis, Throughlines

(00:12:10) Identity & Adolescence; “Essence” & Shame

(00:16:58) Delight & Awe

(00:23:00) Delight & Possibilities for Self

(00:29:28) Playing Violin, Childhood

(00:35:17) Sponsor: AG1

(00:35:58) Intrinsic Motivation; Juilliard & Courage

(00:45:43) Competitive Environments; Curiosity & Growth

(00:53:46) Re-Creating of Self

(01:00:51) Pop-Science, Science Accessibility

(01:06:32) Passions & Curiosity

(01:13:20) Change, Cognitive Closure, End-of-History Illusion

(01:22:29) Self-Awareness & Critical Feedback

(01:30:48) Tools: Flexible Mindset; Reframing & Venting; Gratitude

(01:40:13) Tool: Framing Goals

(01:47:13) Tool: Agency in Goal Pursuit

(01:52:25) Tool: Like-Minded People & Goal Pursuit; Challenging Beliefs

(02:01:27) Cultivating Open-Mindedness & Empathy

(02:08:15) Building Self Narratives: Empathy, Burnout

(02:13:56) Tools: Goal Setting

(02:19:54) Tool: “Middle Problem”, Maintaining Motivation

(02:24:55) Tool: Aversion & Memory, Peak-End Rule

(02:31:41) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, I discuss how to build and apply a growth mindset — the practice of self-rewarding and focusing on learning and skill development through effort — to improve learning and performance. I also discuss how our internal narratives drive our ability to make progress. I contrast the growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset and describe how the type of feedback or praise we receive shapes our mindsets, and the huge advantage of rewarding and celebrating “verbs” (actions) rather than adjectives (performance labels). I also discuss data showing how stress can enhance performance and explain why the growth mindset works synergistically with the “stress-is-enhancing mindset,” and how to combine them. Whether you are a student, coach, therapist, parent, teacher or simply someone seeking to improve at something, this episode provides numerous science-supported tools for how to adopt a performance enhancing mindset.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Growth Mindset

(00:03:11) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:17) Mindset & Narrative

(00:12:58) Intelligence Feedback vs. Effort Feedback, Identity Labels

(00:20:10) Intelligence vs. Effort Praise: Performance, Persistence & Self-Representation

(00:26:45) Fixed Intelligence vs. Growth Mindset

(00:28:53) Tool: Intelligence (Performance) vs. Effort Narrative, Labels

(00:32:30) Sponsor: AG1

(00:34:36) Tool: Failure & Identity; Effort & Verbs

(00:35:41) Tool: Timing, Intelligence vs. Effort Praise & Performance

(00:40:080 Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: Failure & Performance

(00:50:28) Tool: Shift from Fixed Mindset

(00:54:23) Sponsor: InsideTracker

(00:55:30) Stress-is-Enhancing Mindset

(01:05:53) How Stress Can Enhance Performance 

(01:13:21) Growth Mindset + Stress-is-Enhancing Mindset & Performance

(01:20:36) Reframing Stress

(01:25:45) Tool 1: Student & Teacher Mindset

(01:28:17) Tool 2: Effort Praise/Feedback: Verbs not Labels

(01:31:24) Tool 3: Errors & Seeking Help

(01:32:58) Tool 4: Self-Teaching & Growth Mindset

(01:34:35) Tool 5: Reframe “Mind is Like a Muscle” Analogy

(01:39:20) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, my guest is Robert Malenka, MD, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine who has made numerous seminal discoveries of how the brain changes (neuroplasticity) in response to learning and in response to rewarding and reinforcing experiences. We discuss the brain’s several reward systems involving dopamine and serotonin and how these motivate us to seek out specific behaviors and substances. We discuss how these reward systems are modified based on context and our memories, and how they can be hijacked toward maladaptive drug seeking in addiction. We also explore how reward systems influence social connections, oxytocin and empathy and how that applies to our understanding of autism spectrum disorders. This episode should be of interest to those interested in neuroplasticity, social bonding, addiction, autism, learning and motivation.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Dr. Robert Malenka

(00:02:53) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:21) Dopamine & Reward Circuitry

(00:11:31) Reward, Arousal, Memory & Dopamine 

(00:17:34) Context, Cues & Dopamine Modification

(00:25:38) Memory & Reward Scaling

(00:30:50) Dopamine, “Addictive Liability” & Route of Administration 

(00:39:25) Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)

(00:40:40) Drugs of Abuse & Brain Changes; Addiction & Individual Variability

(00:50:51) Reinforcement vs. Reward, Wanting vs. Liking

(00:57:500 Opioids, Psychostimulants & Dopamine

(01:04:51) Self-Doubt, Confidence & Career

(01:12:40) Autism Spectrum Disorder

(01:19:29) Pro-Social Interaction & Reward; Oxytocin, Serotonin & Dopamine

(01:30:30) Nucleus Accumbens & Behavior Probability

(01:38:28) Reward for Pro-Social Behavior

(01:43:13) Social Media & “Addictive Liability”; Gambling

(01:52:17) Pain, Social Behavior & Empathy

(02:02:19) Empathy Circuitry, Dopamine & Serotonin 

(02:10:07) Autism Spectrum Disorder & Social Interactions, Empathy

(02:17:23) MDMA, Serotonin & Dopamine; Addiction & Pro-Social Effects

(02:28:13) Autism Spectrum Disorder, Social Behavior, MDMA & Pharmacology

(02:37:18) Serotonin, MDMA & Psychedelics 

(02:40:16) Psychedelics: Research & Therapeutic Potential

(02:47:57) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, I explain a set of fitness tools gleaned from the 6-part guest series on fitness, exercise and performance with Dr. Andy Galpin. First, I explain the essential components of a well-rounded fitness program for lifelong health and performance including the minimum requirements for progressive resistance and cardiovascular training. Then, I discuss 12 valuable science-supported fitness tools that take a small amount of time to implement, yet all of which can greatly enhance your level of fitness. These include short endurance-enhancing and strength and hypertrophy-enhancing tools, as well as psychological, respiration (breathing), nutrition and supplementation-based tools — all of which will improve your fitness in meaningful ways and can be easily layered into existing exercise programs to improve your fitness and performance outcomes.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.

Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Tools to Improve Fitness

(00:02:52) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:05:13) Foundational Fitness Program

(00:13:33) Tool 1: Zone 2 Cardio & Daily Activities

(00:20:33) Tool 2: Low Repetition Strength Training, 3 x 5 Protocol, Warm-Up Sets

(00:33:11) Age-Related Strength Decline

(00:34:31) Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)

(00:38:08) Tool 3: “Sugarcane” Endurance Protocol

(00:43:29) Tool 4: Exercise “Snacks”; Cardiovascular & Muscular Endurance

(00:55:31) Tool 5: Rest Period & Physiological Sighs

(01:00:20) Tool 6: Down-Regulation Breathing & Recovery

(01:05:38) Tool 7: “The Line”

(01:09:55) Tool 8: Smartphone Use & Training

(01:13:44) Tool 9: Omega-3 Fatty Acids

(01:15:37) Tool 10: Creatine

(01:20:08) Tool 11: Rhodiola Rosea

(01:25:13) Tool 12: Training Fasted or Fed, Caffeine

(01:31:09) Training Session Flexibility

(01:33:37) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, my guest is Jeffrey Goldberg, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the department of ophthalmology at the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University. His clinical and research efforts focus on retinal and optic nerve diseases such as glaucoma and discovering stem cell and nanotechnology treatments to cure blindness. We discuss how to maintain and improve eye health throughout life, the advantages and disadvantages of corrective lenses, including if you should wear “readers,” the use and risks of contact lenses, considerations for LASIK eye surgery, floaters, dry eye, the importance of sunlight and UV protection and specific exercises to improve eye and vision health. Dr. Goldberg also explains age-related conditions: cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy; and the behavioral and supplementation-based, prescription and surgical tools used to promote eye health. This episode provides essential tools for listeners of any age and background to maintain eye health and offset vision loss.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg

(00:03:25) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:06:29) Childhood & Eye Exams

(00:11:36) Eye Misalignment & Recovery

(00:20:38) Myopia (Near-Sightedness), Children & Sunlight

(00:27:03) Sponsor: AG1 (Athletic Greens)

(00:31:18) Eye Safety & Protection; Eye Hygiene

(00:40:07) Adults & Eye Exams; Optometrist vs Ophthalmologist

(00:46:35) Presbyopia (Age-Related Vision Decline), Reading Glasses

(00:54:54) Reading Glasses: Use & Recommendations

(00:58:34) Night Vision & Glasses

(01:03:54) Corrective Eye Glasses, Exercises

(01:09:52) Near-Far Exercise & Presbyopia; Smooth Pursuit Exercise & Concussion

(01:13:25) Supranormal Vision & Performance Training

(01:19:11) 20/20 Vision; Visual Acuity

(01:24:51) Contact Lenses: Use, Risks & Aging

(01:31:34) UV Protection & Cataracts, “Blue Blockers”

(01:38:20) Light Sensitivity & Eye Color

(01:40:29) LASIK Eye Surgery

(01:46:26) Dry Eye, Tears & Age

(01:53:24) Dry Eye, Serum Tears & Preservative-Free Artificial Tears; PRP

(02:00:46) Vision Loss: Cataracts, Glaucoma

(02:09:23) Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Dry & Wet Forms

(02:14:02) Diabetic Retinopathy, Type I vs Type II Diabetes

(02:18:54) Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment, Blood Pressure

(02:22:17) Glaucoma Screening & Treatment

(02:28:07) Smoking, Vaping & Vision Diseases; Cannabis & Eye Pressure

(02:35:13) Eye Pressure & Sleep Position

(02:37:48) Macular Degeneration, Optic Neuropathies & Red-Light Therapy

(02:42:23) “Floaters”

(02:45:29) Eye Twitching

(02:48:10) AREDS2 Supplementation & Age-Related Macular Degeneration

(02:53:39) Glaucoma & Vitamin B3 Supplementation

(02:58:42) Retinal Imaging & Neurodegeneration Screening, Multiple Sclerosis

(03:06:30) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, my guest is Tim Ferriss — a five-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, technology investor and host of the iconic podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show. We discuss Tim’s process of exploration, experimentation and mastery — themes that have spanned his career that have placed him on the cutting-edge of many important fields. Tim explains what questions to ask when approaching any new endeavor in order to maximize success. He also explains how to incorporate structure and playfulness into skill and knowledge mastery, how to find and work with mentors, the key importance of location and networks in creating truly impactful things. We also discuss Tim’s philanthropic efforts to support research on psychedelics for the treatment of mental health challenges and we discuss his latest creative endeavors. This episode should be of interest to a wide range of listeners, as Tim’s mastery and wisdom spans athletic and mental pursuits, business, media, technology and the arts. What distinguishes Tim is his ability to thoughtfully deconstruct these processes in order to teach others how to do the same.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) Tim Ferriss

(00:04:24) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:07:43) 4-Hour Body & Development Mindset

(00:15:22) Origins of Good Ideas

(00:20:06) Writing & Structured Thinking

(00:27:58) Writing, Night Owls

(00:29:50) Sponsor: AG1

(00:34:21) Investigating Outliers; Social Media & Smartphones

(00:40:37) Scientific Literacy, Randomized Clinical Trials

(00:45:09) Supplement & Experiment Fails; Cold Exposure & Hyperthermia

(00:50:46) Slow Carb Diet & Adherence

(01:03:35) Morning Protein Intake; Fasting

(01:09:53) Power of Place; Building Your Network & Volunteering

(01:21:43) Developing Skills; Examining Motivation & Good Questions; Simplicity

(01:33:32) Early Psychedelic Exploration, Depression

(01:45:38) Psychedelic Research & Mental Health Funding

(01:59:00) Saisei Foundation, Journalism Fellowship, Law & Education

(02:08:22) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Psychedelics

(02:13:28) Meditation, Transcendental Meditation, Nature

(02:18:50) Extended Nature Retreats & Integration Period; “Generative Drive”

(02:28:05) Mentors

(02:34:53) Mind & Attention Allocation, Social Media, Boredom

(02:43:08) Cockpunch

(02:59:18) Suicide & Depression, Sexual Abuse, Vulnerability

(03:13:18) Making Meaning from Suffering

(03:18:28) Role Identity, Future

(03:26:21) Parenthood, Animals & Training

(03:31:23) Podcasting, Experimentation

(03:35:47) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer

In this episode, I discuss Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine (MDMA), which is also commonly known as “ecstasy” or “molly,” including how it works in the brain to cause short- and long- term-shifts in emotional processing and its clinical applications for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol and other substance-use addictions. I discuss the neuronal mechanisms for how MDMA elevates mood, empathy, motivation, social engagement, and reduces “threat detection” and how these effects can synergistically support talk therapy. I also explain the ongoing debate about the potential neurotoxicity of MDMA, myths about the origins and treatments for post-MDMA “crash,” the evolving legal landscape around MDMA use for clinical purposes, and I caution recreational users about the extremely dangerous additives (e.g., fentanyl) now commonly found in black market MDMA. This should be of interest to those curious about MDMA, neuropharmacology, the origins of emotional processing in the brain, empathy, PTSD, neuroplasticity, mental health and psychiatry.

For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00:00) MDMA “Ecstasy”

(00:04:54) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

(00:08:18) MDMA History & Synthesis; Legality

(00:14:45) MDMA, Methamphetamine (Meth), Dopamine & Serotonin

(00:23:30) MDMA vs Psychedelics vs Ketamine

(00:26:54) MDMA & Serotonin 1B Receptor, Subjective Feelings, Trauma

(00:30:12) Sponsor: AG1

(00:34:51) Amygdala & Threat Detection, Pro-Social Behavior, MDMA Dosages

(00:45:48) Interoception, MDMA & Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

(00:52:36) Long-Term Effects, Threat Detection & PTSD

(00:56:14) MDMA, Social Connection & Empathy; Meth, SSRIs

(01:07:22) Oxytocin & MDMA

(01:16:10) Safety & Neurotoxicity; Recreational Use, Caffeine & Fentanyl

(01:26:36) Is MDMA Neurotoxic?; Poly-Pharmacology, Body Temperature

(01:37:07) Post-MDMA “Crash”, Prolactin & P‑5‑P

(01:43:07) PTSD & Trauma; Talk Therapy, SSRIs

(01:54:09) PTSD Treatment: Talk Therapy + MDMA

(02:02:46) MDMA & Addiction; Dissociative PTSD & Empathy

(02:09:47) Side-Effects?, MDMA Efficacy & Legality

(02:15:22) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac

Disclaimer