High on Healthy Podcasts

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.

In this episode of High on Healthy, host Richard Zwicky sits down with Dr. Sandra Bailey, a registered nurse and holistic practitioner who navigates the intersection of conventional healthcare and ancient shamanic traditions.

Dr. Bailey discusses her unique approach to treating depression, anxiety, and trauma by scanning the body for energetic “roots” and addressing spiritual concerns such as soul retrieval, past-life vows, and auric attachments.

While she maintains a background in clinical nursing, she explains how her remote shamanic practice—which includes wealth activation for businesses and central nervous system resets—offers a path for those who haven’t found relief through traditional psychiatry or medication alone.

 Dr. Tina Schermer Sellers explores the pervasive issue of sexual shame, tracing its roots to early childhood experiences, particularly caregivers’ negative reactions to a child’s natural discovery of their genitals.

Dr. Sellers and Richard Zwicky discuss how this emotional abuse, often unintentional, creates a core feeling of shame that negatively impacts attachment styles, trust, and intimacy in adult relationships.

They highlight the need for comprehensive sex education and introduces the process of “deconstruction”—curiously examining the origins of one’s shame and reconstructing a healthier narrative.