Health Is A Skill with Todd Vande Hei
Welcome to the Health is a Skill podcast with host Todd Vande Hei! Todd is the CEO of Stark, which exists to change the future of health and fitness in the communities they serve. For the last 15 years, Todd has been on a journey to discover what it means to be in a state of peak health. After suffering from a series of seizures and being diagnosed with high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation in his early 30’s, Todd decided it was time to make a change. Those changes fell into one of four categories: lifestyle, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. But the biggest thing Todd learned through it all? Health is a skill. You’re not born with it, like some would like you to believe, and it isn’t acquired by simply buying another product or starting that new diet. Health is something you can create for yourself, and over time it is possible to attain peak health.
Episodes
77 episodes
From Burned Out to Built Different — Matt Cook’s Stark Transformation
What happens when someone stops guessing about their health and fully commits to a system?In this episode, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Stark student Matt Cook, host of The Pull Hook podcast, to unpack a seven-month transformation that res...
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Season 4
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Episode 40
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1:05:48
Mercury Toxicity, Hormones, and the Hidden Root of Chronic Health Issues with Kyle Hulbert
What if your anxiety, fatigue, joint pain, or low testosterone isn’t a motivation problem or a discipline problem, but a toxicity problem?In this episode, Todd sits down with Kyle Hulbert, co-founder of Longevity Centers of America, to u...
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54:21
Building a Human Health Protocol — Brain Optimization, Data & the Future of Performance
In this episode, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Thoryn Stephens, co-founder and CEO of BrainOne, to explore a simple but powerful idea: most people aren’t unhealthy because they lack data — they’re unhealthy because they lack structure.T...
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Episode 38
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47:57
Genetics, Epigenetics, and Taking Back Control of Aging | Jeffrey Mark Gaal
What if your genes weren’t your fate — but a starting point?In this episode of Health Is a Skill, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Jeffrey Mark Gaal, co-founder of Genetic Lifespan, to explore how genetics, epigenetics, and lifestyle choices i...
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Season 4
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Episode 37
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1:00:17
Sleep Is a Skill — And It Changes Everything | Mollie Eastman
In this conversation, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Mollie Eastman, founder of Sleep Is a Skill, to explore how AI, wearables, circadian rhythms, and daily habits are transforming the way we understand and improve sleep.Mollie breaks down h...
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Season 4
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Episode 36
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38:26
Raising Strong Men & Healthy Women — A Psychiatrist’s Warning About the Next Generation with Dr. Mark McDonald
Todd Vande Hei is joined by Dr. Mark McDonald — psychiatrist, author, and one of the sharpest, most unapologetically clear voices on the psychological development of young people today. Dr. McDonald has spent decades working with children, adol...
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1:08:24
From Burnout to Balance — Blueprint for Personalized Nutrition, Recovery & Sustainable Performance
In this episode of Health Is a Skill, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Katie, founder of MyPeak, to unpack why so many driven, health-conscious people feel stuck despite “doing all the right things.” From constant grazing and over-cardio to poor r...
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34:08
Magnesium, Stress & Performance — Why This Mineral Might Be the Missing Piece
In this episode, Todd Vande Hei sits back down with “the magnesium guy,” Dr. Robert Fredrickson, to go deeper into one of the most underrated levers in health optimization: magnesium.Dr. Fredrickson explains why magnesium isn’t just a l...
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Episode 33
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39:31
Strong on Purpose, Part 3 — Purpose, Discipline & Rebuilding Young Men
In the third and final part of his Young Men series, Todd Vande Hei shifts from diagnosis to strategy: how do we actually help boys become strong, grounded, purpose-driven men in a world of endless comfort and distraction?Building on parts ...
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Season 4
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Episode 32
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18:05
Thriving Through Thanksgiving — Todd’s Guide to Enjoying the Holidays Without the Setback
In this special Thanksgiving episode, Todd Vande Hei shares how to navigate the holiday season without derailing your health journey — and maybe even use it to get stronger.From practical nutrition strategies to mindset shifts, Todd refr...
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17:36
Is Your House Making You Sick? Mold, Mycotoxins & Heart Health with Dr. Jack Wolfson
In this episode, Todd sits down with cardiologist-turned-functional-medicine leader Dr. Jack Wolfson to unpack one of the most overlooked drivers of chronic disease: mold toxicity and water-damaged homes.Jack shares how discovering mold ...
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Episode 30
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42:39
Strong on Purpose, Part 2 — Young Men, Hormones & the Modern World
In part two of the Strong on Purpose series, Todd Vande Hei digs into what’s really happening to young men today — not just culturally, but biologically. Testosterone is crashing, motivation is fading, and more and more young men are drifting w...
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Season 4
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Episode 29
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22:08
Why Women and Men Need Different Nutrition for Optimal Health
In this solo episode, Todd Vande Hei breaks down one of the most overlooked truths in health optimization: men and women are biologically different — right down to how their cells process food. Yet most diets, supplements, and pharmaceutical re...
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Season 4
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Episode 28
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14:52
Strong on Purpose — Reclaiming Masculinity, Strength & Meaning
Episode DescriptionIn this solo episode, Todd Vande Hei tackles a deeply personal and cultural topic: masculinity—what it means, how we’ve lost touch with it, and why rebuilding it matters for the health of men, families, and communities.
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Episode 27
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27:08
Regeneration, Not Repair – Dr. Duncan Ross on Exosomes, Longevity & the Future of Healing
In this episode, Todd Vande Hei sits down with Dr. Duncan Ross, founder of Chimera Labs, one of the pioneers behind exosome science and regenerative medicine. Together, they unpack what exosomes are, how they work, and why they’re redefining wh...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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29:54
The Calmness of Strength – Brett Jones on Emotional Resilience, Confidence & Mastery
In this episode, Todd sits down with renowned strength coach Brett Jones of StrongFirst to explore how physical strength training becomes a pathway to emotional strength, confidence, and mastery — both in and out of the gym.They discuss...
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44:20
Evacuating 63 Families from Israel – Dean Stott on Leadership, Courage & Connection in Crisis
When crisis strikes, most people run from danger — Dean Stott runs toward it. A former Tier One Special Forces operator turned humanitarian, Stott has led evacuations from war zones across the globe — from Afghanistan and Libya to Israel. In th...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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25:42
From Fog to Focus: Regan Phillips on Reclaiming Strength, Clarity & Confidence in Midlife
In this heartfelt conversation, Todd sits down with longtime Stark student and CASA OC leader Regan Phillips to unpack a candid, hopeful journey through perimenopause—brain fog, joint pain, weight changes, and the moment everything turned aroun...
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36:08
Plaquex IVs Explained: Choline, Endothelium & Blood Pressure with Dr. Alice Nguyen
What actually happens when you infuse phosphatidylcholine (Plaquex)? Dr. Alice Nguyen breaks down the cell-level mechanics—how repairing membranes and supporting the endothelium can influence blood pressure, brain recovery post-stroke, and over...
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26:07
From Sunlight to Sulforaphane – Todd’s Fall Health Trends Breakdown
In this solo episode, Todd tackles the top trending conversations in health and longevity for Fall 2025. From circadian rhythm “microdosing sunlight” to the surprising new shift in cardio research, he shares what’s hype, what’s real, and how he...
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19:56
Todd’s No-BS Guide: Glutes, GLP-1s & Longevity Levers
CEO of Stark, Todd Vande Hei, goes solo and distills the practices he actually uses: how to make every lift a glute exercise, how to leverage GLP-1s without sacrificing muscle, why Zone 2 should be a tool (not a religion), when to prefer heat o...
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50:11
From Martial Arts to Menopause: Dr. Alice Explains the Real Foundations of Longevity
Dr. Alice Nguyen has never stopped moving. From martial arts competitions in her twenties to strength training through medical school, she’s built a philosophy of health that blends functional medicine, hormone optimization, and the overlooked ...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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44:03
Rewild Your Feet, Rewild Your Life – Nicholas Charlier’s Mission for Natural Movement
When Nicholas Charlier, co-founder of Vivobarefoot’s VivoHealth platform, talks about “rewilding your feet,” he’s not just promoting a shoe — he’s describing a path back to how the human body was designed to move. Over the last 13 years, Nichol...
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Episode 76
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51:43
From Scale Obsession to Strength – Jaclyn’s Autoimmune Comeback Story
When joint pain and fatigue nearly took her off her feet, Jaclyn discovered she was facing rheumatoid arthritis—triggered after COVID—and a future of possible bone erosion and loss of mobility. Instead of letting the diagnosis define her, she r...
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Episode 75
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37:03
From 45 Shots a Day to Sober Strength Coach – Colton Danz’s Stark Recovery
Colton Danz was the picture of discipline on the outside—an elite strength coach with single-digit body fat, running eight classes a day. But behind closed doors, he was consuming 45 shots of vodka daily, hiding tremors, neuropathy, and shame. ...
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Episode 74
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35:22