Richard

Loretta Graziano Breuning, founder of the Inner Mammal Institute, challenges the cultural myth of constant happiness. Drawing on her work examining how “happy chemicals”—dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins—evolved in animals,

Breuning explains that our brains are naturally wired for emotional peaks and valleys, which serve the purpose of survival. She discusses how the pursuit of constant “jackpot dopamine” leads to unhealthy habits, and instead advocates for finding contentment through small, consistent steps. She also addresses the complexities of modern dating, rejection, and the “cortisol pathways” of stress.

Richard Zwicky speaks with Dr. Jenna Budreau-Roman, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Love and Theory, explores the paradox of highly successful people who struggle with imposter syndrome and a sense of conditional self-worth.

Dr. Budreau-Roman explains that this often stems from a childhood where identity becomes synonymous with achievement, making worth conditional on performance. The discussion covers the addictive and isolating cycle of constantly pushing through pain, which can lead to burnout, anxiety, and depression—with high performers often being the last to notice their struggles.

Dr. Jennifer Fraser and Richard Zwicky focus on the subliminal and socially acceptable forms of abuse, such as gaslighting, which many people—including high-achieving professionals—fail to recognize due to a lack of sophisticated vocabulary.

The discussion broadens to systemic bullying embedded in culture and politics, analyzing the dangerous “DARVO” (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) cycle that leaders use to protect aggressors and their own complicity.

To address both individual and systemic toxicity, Dr. Fraser advocates for a courageous shift from an ethical/shame-based model to a brain-informed medical model, where the core principle is: “Hurt brains hurt.”

This approach reframes the issue to offer abusers rehabilitation and creates a system genuinely focused on healing and protecting the health and well-being of everyone.

Richard Zwickey interviews Naveen Khalfan, a licensed family therapist and mental health professional at Headspace.

The discussion explores the “data gap” in mental health, examining why progress is harder to measure than physical healing and how traditional self-reporting tools often fail to capture the nuances of internal growth.

Khalfan shares insights on the rising role of AI in mental health, emphasizing that while technology can provide valuable biometric data and accessibility, it cannot replace the essential human elements of vulnerability, empathy, and connection. 

Richard Zwicky speaks with physician and behavioral change designer Kyra Bobinet to explore why traditional willpower models consistently fail. ]

Dr. Bobinet highlights the “data gap” in mental health, arguing that subjective questionnaires fall short of the precision offered by modern brain science.

The conversation centers on the habenula—the brain’s “anti-reward” pathway—which can trigger failure loops and kill motivation when we face setbacks.

Dr. Jennifer Fraser and Richard Zwicky introduce the concept of bullying and abuse not as merely a moral or behavioral issue, but as a brain-altering experience and a verifiable physical injury.

Dr. Fraser details how extensive neuroscientific research shows that repeated exposure to abuse can cause physical damage, including the demyelination of the corpus callosum, the shrinking of the hippocampus due to high cortisol levels, and an enlarged amygdala, the brain’s threat-detection center.

The discussion highlights that this “brain injury” is often unseen, leading organizations to minimize its effect. Furthermore, the conversation explores the damage done to the bully’s brain, noting the erosion of affective empathy, and emphasizes the bottom-line impact of abuse culture on businesses, leading to significant stress-related turnover and talent loss.

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with Dr. Justin Jacques, founder of the Human Theory Group, to explore the critical need for objective data in mental health treatment.

Dr. Jack highlights the limitations of traditional self-reporting—which is often inconsistent and subject to personal bias—and discusses how advanced tools like neurofeedback (qEEG) and natural language processing can provide a more precise “map” of the brain. However, as a “radical humanist,”

Dr. Jack emphasizes that data should never replace the sacred therapeutic bond; instead, it should serve as a “guardrail” to help clinicians identify therapeutic ruptures, personalize care, and navigate the unique cultural and gender-based barriers that often prevent patients from reaching the core of their issues.

Dr. Sharad Paul, author of Biohacking Your Genes, discusses the core principle of epigenetics: that while genes are a blueprint, they are not destiny, and we can influence them through personal actions. He advocates for optimizing health span—or performance in the present—over extreme, unproven longevity interventions.

Dr. Paul highlights the most overlooked health principles as personal responsibility and the profound impact of diet and non-constant exercise, such as changing your running routes or practicing free-form dance like tango, to maintain brain health.

He shares that the MIND Diet can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and underscores the power of emotional health and mindset, noting that optimism and a sense of purpose are critical factors that influence physical healing.

He cautions against common mistakes like over-supplementation without proper genetic testing.

Dr. Jeff Feinman, a veterinarian, molecular biologist, and founder of Holistic Actions, joins Richard Zwicky to explore the profound, often unarticulated connection between animals, human mental health, and consciousness.

Dr. Feinman reveals that his deep understanding of this interrelationship came not from his scientific training but from a half-century of observation, leading him to recognize how relationships with animals are directly tied to the balance of life processes, a concept overlooked in conventional veterinary medicine.

He highlights that animals are masters of “energetic hygiene,” possessing the ability to rapidly “shake off” overstimulation and remain entirely focused on the present moment, a valuable lesson for humans who tend to ruminate and overthink.

Charles Patti is Chief of Growth at Eleusis, a groundbreaking venture described as the world’s first legal luxury psychedelic research immersion retreat/resort. Eleusis is scheduled to open its first public immersion retreats on March 18th and March 25th on the island of Beckway in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

This location was chosen because the organization secured a rare government license to utilize all psychedelic compounds for research purposes. The Eleusis model is a luxury, medically supervised, research-focused experience that is explicitly distinct from traditional group-based ceremonies like Ayahuasca.

It emphasizes personalized medical care, with all vital signs being monitored and pharmaceutical-grade medicine sourced from a GMP certified laboratory in Canada, representing a “new paradigm” for the therapeutic use of these medicines.