The B.rad Podcast

In this episode, I talk with my good friend and greatest mentor for personal growth and self-awareness, Dave Rossi—appearing for his fifth time on the podcast, a new record, in the B.rad studio during his tour for his new book, Alphas Die Early: For the Man on a Mission — And the Women Who Love Him.
The book is so rich and deep, and I strongly urge you to read it—it can be life changing, as it has been for me. I had the great privilege of contributing to the book, and every time I talk to Dave, it’s like a 10-hour therapy session packed into a short conversation, where you get these awakenings and ideas that can help you navigate every single day.
We discuss the rise of what Dave calls the Omega man—a new, evolved definition of masculinity—and the central argument of Alphas Die Early: that the traditional Alpha male model, driven by dominance, control, competition, and relentless achievement, is ultimately destructive. The very traits that create success in business and status—stress, emotional suppression, ego, and constant striving—can also lead to burnout, poor health, and shortened lifespan.
Dave explains the shift toward leading from self-awareness, emotional control, authenticity, and purpose, emphasizing inner calm over constant pressure, authenticity over performance, vulnerability over emotional suppression, and sustainable purpose over endless achievement. It really comes down to this: the traits that help men win in modern society can also destroy them—unless they evolve toward a more balanced, self-aware way of living and leading.
Finally, our conversation ends with me throwing a few "Rossi-isms" back at him—ideas and notes I’ve taken from our many conversations that really stick with me and continue to shape how I think and show up day to day, and Dave shares his perspective on each of them.

TIMESTAMPS:
The traits that help men win in modern society can also destroy them unless they evolve toward a more balanced, self-aware way of living and leading. [01:54]
Society is taking a whole new look at masculinity. We don't understand what it means to be Alpha. [08:06]
Being masculine wasn't a behavior 80 years ago like it is today. [12:39]
Learn to not be reactive to pushes that come at from others. Learn about what triggers you. [16:55]
Gratitude stops the landslide of negative thinking. [22:43]
We're all biologically driven to be Alpha, but then in real life, we learn to cope. [24:42]
Every day is going to be another opportunity to get triggered. [28:52]
You shouldn't have to compete to survive. When you are competing, it isn't really you, it's your identity or your ego that is competing. [32:50]
When you develop your awareness of your reactions, you can begin to slow down and develop techniques. [40:50]
Brad and Dave talk about a coaching method and how it works or doesn't work. [47:22]
Apologies are nice but sometimes they don't satisfy. Compassion for the person you hurt is very effective. The only true apology is a changed behavior. [53:33]
It's not the events that makes us angry, it is the belief in them that does. With that awareness, you can chose your behavior. [56:11]
In the business world the same sense of the need to survive exists. [01:01:21]
Are you doing things for the right reasons? [01:11:13]
Do you have to be successful to like what you do? [01:21:40]
Are you stuck with your desires and don't know how to get what you want? [01:22:13]
We have to stop looking at the rest of the world as our example for success. [01:27:53]
Don't react to emotions. They're not the truth. Emotions cannot exist without thought. [01:29:23]
It is important to let people with whom you deal what your preferences are, what you think, what you want, your values, your principles. [01:34:42]
You don't have to let go of your beliefs to accept somebody else's. [01:38:14]

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com - 20% OFF Your First Order!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Alphas Die Early
The Imperative Habit

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!
Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!
Jaspr Air Scrubber: Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $400 on your unit with code BRAD.
Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience
Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!
#bradpodcast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk about why only about 21% of Americans are regularly active despite today’s booming fitness culture—and I share 4 simple ideas to help make fitness more accessible, affordable, and doable for more people.
Inspired by Derek Thompson’s “The Great American Fitness Boom” and data from the American Time Use Survey and Sports & Fitness Industry Association, I break down how fitness participation is highly stratified, why exercise is arguably the #1 longevity intervention (impacting inflammation, visceral fat, and neurodegenerative disease), and how modern habits and complexity have kept so many people on the sidelines.
Then I get into four practical, low-cost approaches—walking more, micro-workouts, brief high-intensity efforts, and simplifying your overall fitness habits—that can help cut through the hype, make it easier to stay consistent, and keep fitness simple and doable.

TIMESTAMPS:
Only 21% of Americans are involved in this fitness boom. The suggestions Brad makes here for getting more fit are not time consuming, not expensive, and should be within reach of everyone. [00:43]
Seniors are 50% more likely to be inactive than 18 to 24 years olds. [02:25]
Exercise may be the single most broadly beneficial health intervention in the world. No other medication or behavioral remedy is so effective at simultaneously combating system-wide inflammation. [05:31]
Inflammation can be caused by poor sleep habits, too much stress, poor stress management, and chronic overproduction of stress hormones. [08:35]
What is the difference between visceral fat and subcutaneous fat? Visceral fat is very health destructive. [11:13]
The disturbing rate of cognitive decline are now being strongly associated with one's activity pattern. [15:31]
Motor learning builds brain plasticity during exercise. Going barefoot in daily life to give our brain more neural feedback so we can move with great precision and great awareness. [20:03]
The number one tip is to walk more. It is free and accessible. Even taking a few minute break from your work desk is helpful. [22:12]
Micro workouts are brief bursts of explosive efforts sprinkled throughout the day. [30:01]
Conduct brief high intensity training sessions. [36:33]
Make fitness simple, doable, and enjoyable. Make your equipment where you see it all the time to remind yourself to do a mini break. [42:03]
Be sure to educate yourself on what you are putting into your body in the way of supplements or nutrition smoothies. There are many products available, but some are not that healthy. [51:32]

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com - 20% OFF Your First Order!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Atomic Habits
Burn
The Stimulated Mind
Brad's Micro Workouts Video
Why The Fitness Boom Involves Only A Small Percentage Of (Affluent) Americans


We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!
Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!
Jaspr Air Scrubber: Ultra high-performance air purifier - blows other air filters away! Save $400 on your unit with code BRAD.
Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience
Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!
#bradpodcast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode describes why your time in the 400-meter run could be the single best indicator of your longevity potential and your overall fitness competency.
The 400 is known in track & field as the “race of truth” because it sequentially exhausts the various high-intensity systems of the body—testing all of your attributes: speed, strength, power, metabolic fitness, and your ability to hold it together when your body is under maximum stress. No hiding, no faking it. While your aerobic competency is also a great longevity indicator—things like your mile run time (per Cooper Institute and UT Southwestern Medical School research) and your daily step count are great ways to track longevity potential, the 400 reveals your competency with the anaerobic energy systems and muscle fibers that are often ignored—even by devoted fitness enthusiasts.
In this show, I break down the fascinating physiology behind this brutal event—how it uniquely blends anaerobic power with aerobic support—and why it reveals far more about real-world fitness than jogging miles or grinding through long workouts. Here’s the problem: modern fitness culture is heavily biased toward endurance—steady-state cardio, group classes, even so-called broad based or hybrid fitness formats like CrossFit and Hyrox that, in the big picture, are still dominated by the aerobic energy systems. Meanwhile, the qualities that decline fastest with age—and matter most for longevity—are strength, power, explosiveness, and the ability to produce force quickly. Those are the attributes that protect you from the number one cause of injury and death after age 65: falling. And they’re exactly what the 400-meter run demands.
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand why the 400 might be the ultimate longevity benchmark, why most fitness programming has it backwards, and how to start tracking your own performance—whether it’s a full lap or a scaled effort—to keep score as you age.
Time to hit the track, fire up the stopwatch, and find out where you really stand!

TIMESTAMPS:
The 400 meters is called the race of truth because it exposes everything about your fitness. [01:13]
When we overemphasize endurance with our fitness pursuits, it comes at the expense of the qualities that are probably the most critical for aging gracefully. [01:42]
Much of the fitness information out there is not based on real science or exercise physiology. [03:32]
People who are fast, explosive and powerful, and have good competency in the 400 meters have, by necessity, tremendous aerobic endurance. [05:49]
Walking forms the foundation of tremendous aerobic endurance for all other fitness attributes that you pursue. [07:22]
What Masters Track and Field has observed across many events is a round a 6 percent decline per decade in the peak performance standard. [09:54]
You can factor in a 6% decline per decade to compare yourself to the other challengers in your event. The records, the milestones need to be adjusted for age. [11:00]
What is the single best exercise to promote longevity? The answer is....the thing that you enjoy doing the most. [15:19]
Doing what you love to do is the number one best longevity exercise, but we need to integrate challenges that include functional muscle strength, cardiovascular enduraance, and mobility flexibility. [18:47]
You have to load the skeleton with resistance exercise on a regular basis to prevent sarcopenia and dynapenia. [24:12]
The 400 meter competency might be more valuable and more illustrative of your fitness and longevity potential, than simply your ability to throw around heavy weight. [27:33]
Your body is not capable of delivering pure maximum effort for longer than seven seconds. [31:46]
The 400 meters is only one lap around the track and in most cases, for fit people, it is about 66% contribution of the anaerobic system and 33% of the aerobic system. [35:56]
If you are training for a race that lasts for one hour, you are depending on fat as your fuel source. Depending on your sport, your body composition needs differ. [37:07]
One's time in the mile run at age 50 is strongly predictive of the potential to live to age 80 in good health. [39:56]
It is extremely important that you learn to rest during your workouts. Even if you are at the low fitness level, hit it hard for 10 seconds and rest for one minute. [44:06]
Why is anaerobic exercise so important for everyone? [51:27]
The true sprint from exercise physiology is only up to seven seconds. [55:44]
Preserving your anaerobic function, muscle power, and explosiveness is what's going to keep you safe from what the Centers for Disease Control calls the number one cause of demise and death in seniors over age 65, and that is falling and adverse related health consequences. [58:28]
A 400 meter runner has a balanced metabolic engine of high glycolytic capacity, strong acid buffering capacity, and a meaningful anaerobic contribution. [01:04:16]
Go out there and try the 400. Once a week for a sprint type workout is fine. [16:00]

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com - 20% OFF Your First Order!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!

Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!

Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk about three simple ways to control chronic inflammation—and how to keep score on your progress instead of chasing expensive supplements.
The topic was inspired by a friend who texted me a photo of a pricey bottle of antioxidants and asked if it would help with inflammation, which prompted some classic Brad-splaining. I explain why the biggest drivers of chronic inflammation are everyday lifestyle habits—especially diet—and why heavily processed foods, refined industrial seed oils, refined grains, sugars, and alcohol disrupt metabolic health and promote visceral belly fat, the dangerous fat around your organs that actively releases inflammatory agents into the bloodstream. The goal is shifting toward a protein-centric, nutrient-dense whole foods diet.
I also cover the other major pillars: movement and sleep. Sitting too much can promote inflammatory processes, while chronic overtraining can keep the body stuck in a sympathetic stress response—so the goal is regular daily movement paired with a sensible fitness program.
Finally, I explain why sleep, rest, recovery, and true downtime are essential for repair and brain health, including the role of the glymphatic system. Before spending money on exotic supplements, focus on the basics: clean up your diet, move more throughout the day, and prioritize sleep.

TIMESTAMPS:
The inflammation in your body is believed to be the root cause of virtually all disease. [01:00]
Chronic inflammtion is mostly caused by a poor diet. [03:00]
Watch out for the oils you are served when dining out. In your kitchen toss out the soy bean oil, corn oil, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed oil, and canola oil. [06:16]
Oil that is naturally yielded such as first cold pressed virgin olive oil as well as coconut oil are better. [08:35]
Be careful when you look for avocado oil because some have been altered and mixed with cheaper oils. [09:27]
If you're snacking and consuming a lot of these foods throughout the day, throughout your life, you're going to have chronic overproduction of insulin. [11:25]
We have to put alcohol and most energy bars on this list of causes of systemic inflammation. [13:00]
Steak and eggs are good breakfast choices. [14:59]
Having an accumulation of visceral fat is a huge red flag. [16:33]
Exercise and movement influence inflammation. In order for our organs and systems to work appropriately, we need to be in near constant movement throughout the day. [22:00]
Learn what works for you. Sitting to much promotes chronic inflammation and over exercising promotes chronic inflammation. [28:46]
Sleep is more important than most people think. [31:02]

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com - 20% OFF Your First Order!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
NEW: B.rad Real Rad Gummies - Creatine + Nootropics for Focus, Motivation, Performance, and Recovery!
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
B.rad Nutrition Guide
Dark Calories
Burn
Dr. Herman Pontzer Podcast (Energy Expenditure)
Podcast no. 1 with Dr. Tommy Wood
Podcast no.2 with Dr. Tommy Wood
Podcast no. 3 with Dr. Tommy Wood
Podcast with Dr. Sinha on Rumination

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!

Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!

Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Courtney Conley, world renowned foot expert and author of the sensational new book, Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity One Step at a Time.
Mark Sisson and I are big fans of Dr. Courtney’s work—there’s so much crossover with what we wrote in Born to Walk—and she does a beautiful job not just highlighting the wonderful benefits of walking, but getting into the specifics of how to create lifestyle habits so you can put in more steps, strengthen your feet, and rethink concepts like the 10,000-steps-a-day recommendation.
We talk about why walking is not exercise, but a physiological necessity—our survival as a species has hinged on one key factor: movement. Dr. Courtney makes the bold case that walking speed should be considered the sixth vital sign, explaining how slower walking pace is predictive of dementia and increased cancer risk, and how simply adding 500 steps to a 2,500-step baseline can reduce all-cause mortality by 7%. We challenge the 10,000-step myth and break down why living in the 5,000–8,500 step range delivers powerful benefits, especially when you sprinkle in five-minute movement snacks and intentional faster walking.
We also go deep into foot strength and modern footwear, including why one in three people over age 45 has foot pain, how constant cushioning can weaken the foot, why pronation is mandatory for a healthy gait, and her 24-hour shoe clock concept—there’s a time and a place for everything, but the goal is trending toward barefoot functionality so the foot can do what it was designed to do.
Dr. Courtney Conley holds a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine and bachelor’s degrees in Kinesiology and Human Biology. She is the founder and creator of Gait Happens and has worked with professional athletic organizations including the Phoenix Suns, New York Yankees, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings. She serves as Head of Patient Care at Total Health Solutions and Total Health Performance, premier healthcare destinations known for their comprehensive, science-based approach to patient care.

TIMESTAMPS:
Our survival as a species has hinged on one key factor: movement. (Dr. Conley) [01:17]
Why are we treating the foot so much differently than we're treating the rest of the human body? [07:07]
Gait Happens is an online educational company. [10:48]
The super cushioned shoes can improve performance because it allows your foot to not have to do the work that it is designed to do. But you need to get your feet stronger. [14:32]
One out of three people over the age of 45 have foot pain. [18:39]
Walking should be integrated throughout the day. [24:10]
On the bottom of the foot, we have many sensory receptors. When we put cushioned shoes on, we compromise some important sensory information. [27:09]
The speed of one's gait can be predictive of longevity. [28:43]
When the heel hits the ground, it starts the cascade of the foot unlocking or pronation. That is a mandatory thing that has to happen. [34:46]
The 10,000 steps we have heard so much about is kind of a myth. [39:36]
Walking is all about rotation. You are nourishing your joints. You’re loading your spine and bones. Your muscles are active and your nervous system is engaged. [46:28]
There is a difference between ambient walking and intentional walking. [47:40]
In her clinic, the most common things she sees are heel pain and big toe pain. [49:18]
Many folks in the running population who are heavy users of the elevated cushion shoes visit her clinic to learn ways to strengthen their feet. [53:17]
What exercises and strengthening can people learn from the book? [54:38]
Your shoe should respect the anatomy of the foot. The widest part of the shoe should be the toes. [58:44]

LINKS:
Brad Kearns.com
BradNutrition.com - 20% OFF Your First Order!
B.rad Superdrink – Hydrates 28% Faster than Water—Creatine-Charged Hydration for Next-Level Power, Focus, and Recovery
B.rad Whey Protein Superfuel - The Best Protein on The Planet!
Brad’s Shopping Page
BornToWalkBook.com
B.rad Podcast – All Episodes
Peluva Five-Toe Minimalist Shoes
Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity
Human Locomotion
Gait Happens
Dr. Courtney Conley

We appreciate all feedback, and questions for Q&A shows, emailed to [email protected]. If you have a moment, please share an episode you like with a quick text message, or leave a review on your podcast app. Thank you!
Check out each of these companies because they are absolutely awesome or they wouldn’t occupy this revered space. Seriously, I won’t promote anything that I don't absolutely love and use in daily life:
B.rad Nutrition: Premium quality, all-natural supplements for peak performance, recovery, and longevity; including the world's highest quality whey protein! Get 20% OFF your first order!

Peluva: Comfortable, functional, stylish five-toe minimalist shoe to reawaken optimal foot function. Use code BRADPODCAST for 15% off!

Get Stride: Advanced DNA, methylation profile, microbiome & blood at-home testing. Hit your stride the right way, with cutting-edge technology and customized programming. Save 10% with the code BRAD.
Online educational courses: Numerous great offerings for an immersive home-study educational experience

Primal Fitness Expert Certification: The most comprehensive online course on all aspects of traditional fitness programming and a total immersion fitness lifestyle. Save 25% on tuition with code BRAD!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.