The Urban Monk podcast with Dr. Pedram Shojai

• Energy Sovereignty: Reclaim Your Power Through Boundaries

  🎙️ In this transformative episode, Dr. Pedram Shojai addresses the modern energy crisis that leaves so many people chronically depleted. Moving beyond simple fatigue from lack of sleep or overwork, he reveals how we experience systemic energy depletion from thousands of tiny leaks we haven't learned to protect against. Through practical frameworks and actionable strategies, he teaches listeners how to identify what drains their vital energy, recognize energy drains in real time, and implement boundaries that protect their life force. This isn't about becoming selfish or isolated—it's about learning to give from fullness rather than depleting yourself to emptiness. 🎯 What You'll Learn: The Four Categories of Energy Drains: Digital vampires (social media, email, notifications), relational drains (victims, narcissists, boundary pushers), environmental factors (clutter, noise, crowds), and internal leaks (unexpressed emotions, unaligned actions, mental loops) The Three Types of Sensing to practice daily: Interoception (internal energy state), proprioception (body position and tension), and exteroception (environmental impact)—catching drains in real time The Three Levels of Boundary Management: Awareness boundaries (internal energy accounting), interpersonal boundaries (the clear no and qualified yes), and environmental boundaries (digital, time, space, social protections) How to practice "the clear no" with exact phrases that require zero explanation or justification The 24-hour rule: Never say yes to anything non-urgent immediately—check your calendar and energy capacity first Why every yes when you mean no betrays yourself and builds resentment (worse for relationships than an honest no) The relationship audit framework: Five critical questions to identify which connections nourish versus deplete you 🔑 Key Insights: "Your energy is your life force, and when you protect it, you protect your health, your relationships, your capacity to serve and to be fully alive." "Every time you say yes when you mean no, you are betraying yourself and you are building resentment towards the other person. That's worse for the relationship than an honest no." "When someone pushes on your boundary, that's information. People who genuinely care about you will respect your limits. People who only value what you give them will resist your boundaries." "Your body knows before your mind even rationalizes it. Please learn to trust that." "Resentful giving helps nobody. Good boundaries make space for aligned, joyful giving." 💡 Action Steps: Rate your current energy level on 1-10 scale right now—then track how many times you feel noticeable energy drain today Practice the body check-in before agreeing to anything: Does it feel expansive and aligned (yes) or constricted with dread (no)? Implement Week 1: Build awareness of what's draining and what's restoring throughout your day Week 2: Start with ONE boundary—your biggest energy drain—and protect it fiercely Practice "the clear no" phrases: "I don't have the capacity for that right now" and "That doesn't work for me" (no explanation needed) 🎧 Perfect for: Anyone running on empty by day's end, people-pleasers who say yes when they mean no, highly sensitive people exhausted by environments and relationships, anyone spending more time managing other people's emotions than their own, or those who've forgotten what having energy actually feels like. 📚 Mentioned Resources: The Sanctuary Course (available in academy)—creating energetically supportive physical environments Temple Grounds—Qigong and restorative practices Monthly Reading: "The Gene Keys" (large reference book, review mid-January) Gut Testing Options: $199 test only, $299 includes Jeff Bland's Gut Healing Masterclass 🌐 Connect with Dr. Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Books: The Urban Monk, Inner Alchemy, The Art of Stopping Time, Focus Documentaries: Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Trauma, Conscious Parenting #EnergySovereignty #BoundariesForHealth #EnergyManagement #VitalEnergy #HealthyBoundaries #SelfCareIsNotSelfish #EnergyDrains #ConsciousLiving #HolisticHealth #ProtectYourPeace #IntentionalLiving #EmotionalWellness #DigitalDetox #MindfulBoundaries #EnergyHealing #UrbanMonk #Wellness

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• The Supplement Trap: What You Actually Need

  🎙️ Are you spending hundreds of dollars a month on supplements you can't even remember why you're taking? Dr. Pedram Shojai exposes how the $50 billion supplement industry has convinced health-conscious people to swallow 20-30 pills daily—creating more confusion and expense than actual health benefits. He reveals the uncomfortable truth: most people are medicating symptoms they don't have, optimizing pathways that aren't broken, and actually creating deficiencies through nutrient competition and over-supplementation. 🎯 What You'll Learn: Why taking more supplements doesn't equal better health—and how over-supplementation creates new deficiencies through nutrient competition The three types of supplement users (Deficiency Corrector, Optimization Chaser, Symptom Medicator) and which trap you're falling into The Core Three supplements most people actually need: Vitamin D3+K2, Omega-3s, and Magnesium—plus how to test and dose them properly The Evidence-Based Decision Tree framework: six critical questions to ask before adding any supplement to your regimen The One-at-a-Time Protocol for actually knowing what works (Weeks 1-2: baseline, Weeks 3-6: add ONE supplement, Week 7: assess) Why the healthiest people aren't taking the most supplements—they're taking the right ones for specific needs, for appropriate durations, and they know when to stop Understanding practitioner incentives and business models when receiving supplement recommendations 🔑 Key Insights: "The healthiest people aren't taking the most supplements. Supplements are tools, not a lifestyle—meant to correct deficiencies temporarily." "You're medicating symptoms you probably don't have, optimizing pathways that aren't broken, and creating deficiencies through over-supplementation." "Simplicity is the primary medicine. The goal should be fewer supplements over time, not more." "When you stop managing dozens of bottles and start trusting your body's wisdom, health becomes simpler, cheaper, and more sustainable." 💡 Action Steps: Audit your current supplements using the decision tree—eliminate everything you can't justify with clear reasoning Get tested for the core three nutrients: Vitamin D (25-hydroxy), Omega-3 index, and RBC magnesium (not serum) Stop taking anything you can't identify a clear purpose for—check in with yourself in two weeks to see if you notice any difference Implement the One-at-a-Time Protocol: never change multiple supplements at once or you won't know what actually helped 🎧 Perfect for: Anyone spending $300-500/month on supplements, biohackers drowning in optimization strategies, health-conscious people overwhelmed by conflicting advice, or anyone who can't remember why they're taking half the pills in their cabinet. 📚 Mentioned Resources: Third-party tested Omega-3 brands: Jeff Bland, Thorne Testing recommendations: 25-hydroxy vitamin D, Omega-3 index, RBC magnesium, serum B12/methylmalonic acid Magnesium forms: glycinate (sleep/calming), threonate (brain), citrate (constipation) 🌐 Connect with Dr. Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Books: The Urban Monk, Inner Alchemy, The Art of Stopping Time, Focus Documentaries: Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Trauma, Conscious Parenting #SupplementOverwhelm #FunctionalMedicine #TestDontGuess #HolisticHealth #BiohackingTruth #NutrientDeficiency #HealthOptimization #SupplementSimplicity #RootCauseHealing #IntegrativeHealth #UrbanMonk #Wellness

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• Food Fear Pandemic: Break Free from Food Anxiety

  🎙️ Dr. Pedram Shojai addresses one of the most pervasive issues in modern wellness: the food fear pandemic. Are you spending 20 minutes reading ingredient labels? Avoiding social situations because you can't control the food? This isn't about real food sensitivities—it's about the crippling anxiety that's turning food into the enemy. Dr. Shojai reveals why the stress of restriction might be more inflammatory than the foods you're worried about, and shares a practical framework for shifting from fear-based eating to body wisdom. 🎯 What You'll Learn: Why "healthy eating" becomes obsessive and how to recognize orthorexia patterns The Four Phases of Restriction Failure—and why you're stuck in phase 4 How over-restriction creates MORE food sensitivities through reduced microbial diversity The science showing restriction stress can be as inflammatory as the foods themselves Developing sophisticated interoceptive awareness to distinguish true reactions from anxiety The 80/20 principle for both nourishment and psychological resilience Building digestive resilience through variety instead of constant protection The "Yes Foods" framework that transforms your relationship with eating 🔑 Key Insights: "Food isn't the enemy. Fear is." "The stress and anxiety that we create around food might be more inflammatory than the food you were worried about." "You want a robust, resilient digestive system that can handle a variety of foods, not a fragile system that requires constant protection." "When you learn to listen, and I mean really listen, with sophisticated interoceptive awareness, you end up becoming your best nutritionist." 💡 Action Steps: Practice the three-part interoceptive check-in: before, during, and after eating Shift from asking "Is this allowed?" to "What information does my body need right now?" Create your personal "Yes Foods" list focusing on what you GET to eat If recovering from elimination diets, start GI map testing and systematic reintroduction Build digestive resilience with bitter foods, thorough chewing, and parasympathetic eating states 📚 Resources: GI Map Analysis for microbiome testing 176-food sensitivity testing Gut health coaching programs Google, ChatGPT, Claude for "Yes Foods" recipe inspiration #FoodAsMedicine #IntuitiveEating #GutHealth #BodyAwareness #MindfulEating #FunctionalMedicine #FoodSensitivities #DigestiveHealth #Orthorexia #FoodFreedom #HealthyEating #WellnessJourney #MicrobiomeHealth #AntiInflammatory #HolisticHealth

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• The Invisible Thief: How Social Media Steals Your Self-Worth

  🎙️ Dr. Pedram Shojai exposes the invisible thief stealing your peace, presence, and authentic self-worth: social media comparison culture. 🎯 What You'll Learn: Why your brain—evolved for tribes of 150—now compares you to billions of curated highlight reels 24/7 The five-step neuroscience behind the comparison spiral (from comparison trigger to deepening spiral) How chronic "not enoughness" drives anxiety, depression, elevated cortisol, and inflammation The difference between true inspiration and toxic comparison Practical protocols: three-breath awareness practice, ruthless curation, and the 100-day digital fast 🔑 Key Insights: "Your insecurity is monetizable. Algorithms are designed to keep you scrolling because attention equals profit." "Everyone is struggling. Everyone's on a journey. Everyone carefully curates what they share. You're comparing your full reality to everyone else's highlight reel." "True inspiration elevates and energizes. Comparison depletes and discourages. The test: Do you feel better or worse after closing the app?" "You don't need to be better than anyone. You just need to be more yourself. Your worth isn't comparative—it's intrinsic." 💡 Action Steps: Practice the three-breath awareness technique before opening social media Ruthlessly curate your follows—unfollow anything that triggers inadequacy or makes you feel "less than" Try the comparison exit protocol: Name what you're feeling, ask what you're afraid it means, redirect to interoception Daily check-in: What matters to me today? What are my values? What's my body telling me? 🎧 Perfect for: Anyone struggling with social media anxiety, chronic comparison, imposter syndrome, or seeking external validation instead of authentic self-worth. 📚 Mentioned Resources: Stanford's Behavior Clinic (BJ Fogg) - research on Instagram's addictive design Research linking 3+ hours daily social media use with 3x higher depression rates 🌐 Connect with Dr. Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Books: The Urban Monk, Inner Alchemy, The Art of Stopping Time, Focus Documentaries: Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Trauma, Conscious Parenting #UrbanMonk #SocialMediaDetox #MentalHealth #SelfWorth #Mindfulness #DigitalWellness #Anxiety #Comparison

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• The Science of Hormesis: How Strategic Stress Makes You Stronger

  🎙️ Discover why deliberately stressing your body might be one of the most powerful health interventions available—hormesis: the principle that low to moderate doses of stress trigger beneficial adaptations that make you anti-fragile. 🎯 What You'll Learn: The science behind cold therapy, strategic fasting, and exercise as consciousness-expanding tools The adaptation cascade: from immediate stress response (minutes) to long-term resilience (months) Four-week cold therapy progression protocol (300% norepinephrine increase, 250% dopamine boost) Three-level strategic fasting approach: from time-restricted eating to multi-day fasts Traffic light system for monitoring your capacity and knowing when you're overdoing it 🔑 Key Insights: "The right stress at the right dose with adequate recovery makes you anti-fragile. Not just resistant to stress, but improved by stress." "These practices aren't just physically beneficial—they're consciousness-expanding tools disguised as physical challenges. The therapeutic benefit may come from forced engagement of multiple awareness streams simultaneously." "Comfort doesn't build capacity. Your body is designed to adapt, but only when you give it a reason to." 💡 Action Steps: Start the four-week cold therapy protocol: Week 1-2 with 30-60 second cold shower endings Implement time-restricted eating with 12-16 hour fasting windows to build your foundation Use the traffic light system: Green (stable energy, good sleep) = continue; Yellow (declining energy, irritability) = ease up; Red (chronic fatigue, illness) = take 3-5 days off 🎧 Perfect for: Anyone looking to build resilience, optimize health through strategic stress, or expand consciousness through physical practices. Essential for biohackers and wellness enthusiasts. 📚 Mentioned Resources: Temple Grounds community resources Urban Book Academy monthly book readings Upcoming clinical trial with 150 participants (collaboration with Dr. Jeff Bland) Cold therapy protocol: 50-59°F for 2-10 minutes post-adaptation 🌐 Connect with Dr. Shojai: Website: theurbanmonk.com Books: The Urban Monk, Inner Alchemy, The Art of Stopping Time, Focus Documentaries: Interconnected, Gateway to Health, Trauma, Conscious Parenting #UrbanMonk #Hormesis #ColdTherapy #Biohacking #IntermittentFasting #HealthOptimization #Resilience #WimHof #AntiFragile

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