What if the biggest threat to your performance, longevity, and clarity isn’t age but something silently building inside you?

In this episode, biochemist and biomarker scientist Jesper Eugen-Olsen breaks down the hidden role of chronic inflammation in disease risk, biological aging, and long-term health outcomes. This conversation challenges how high performers think about strength, resilience, and optimization and reveals why true longevity starts with understanding what’s happening beneath the surface.

If you care about healthspan, mental sharpness, and staying strong for decades not just years this episode will reframe how you think about your body, performance, and future.

He explains:

◻️ Why chronological age tells you almost nothing about your real health risk

◻️ The difference between lifespan and healthspan—and why most people optimize the wrong one

◻️ How chronic, low-grade inflammation quietly drives disease and accelerates aging

◻️ Why inflammation is a risk amplifier across cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurological disease

◻️ The science behind suPAR and why it’s changing how clinicians assess biological risk

◻️ Why aging is still not classified as a disease—and what that means for prevention

◻️ How high-performing lifestyles can unknowingly increase biological stress

◻️ The problem with chasing longevity hacks instead of addressing root causes

◻️ Why resilience is as much biological as it is psychological

◻️ What leaders and high performers should track if they care about long-term clarity and performance

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

03:15 – Biological age vs chronological age explained

07:40 – Chronic inflammation as a common driver of disease

12:20 – What suPAR reveals about long-term health risk

18:05 – Why inflammation predicts outcomes better than symptoms

23:50 – Aging, disease classification, and medical blind spots

30:10 – Healthspan vs lifespan: where high performers go wrong

36:45 – The limits of supplements and longevity optimization

43:20 – What this means for leaders, athletes, and entrepreneurs

49:10 – Final insights on resilience, risk, and sustainable performance

Follow Jesper:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesper-eugen-olsen-1646142/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesper_eugen/

Website: https://www.virogates.com/

Growth Island-Mads Friis:

Mads Friis

Website: https://www.madsfriis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsmfriis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madsmfriis

Growth Island

Website: https://www.growthisland.com

Instagram:

In this episode, researcher Mikael Palner reveals the surprising science behind the psychedelic renaissance, how compounds like psilocybin create a "window of opportunity" to rewire the brain for creativity and healing, and the unspoken dangers of "hero doses," emotional addiction, and the shocking risks of long-term microdosing.

Dr. Mikael Palner is a neuroscientist with over 15 years of experience in psychedelic research and advanced preclinical brain imaging. He leads his own research team investigating how psychedelic drugs impact neuronal circuits in the brain and has been awarded prestigious grants from the Danish Independent Research Foundation and the Danish Innovation Fund for his work.

He explains:

◻️️ The real reason psychedelics were banned for decades and why they're exploding in popularity now.

◻️ The surprising scientific difference between DMT, psilocybin (mushrooms), and LSD.

◻️ How psychedelics create a temporary "window of plasticity" to permanently rewire your brain and habits.

◻️ The unspoken truth about addiction: the difference between physical dependency and the "emotional addiction" many users experience.

◻️ Why a "hero dose" can be a dangerous mistake and how a proper therapeutic dose is determined.

◻️ The chilling risk that psychedelics can create traumatic memories of events that never actually happened.

◻️ The long-term dangers of microdosing and why being in a constant state of brain plasticity is like having a "teenager brain".

◻️ The future of mental health: how scientists are trying to create non-psychedelic versions of these compounds to treat anxiety.

◻️Why anxiety may be the real epidemic of our time—and the top five tools anyone can use to manage it.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

02:15 – The most surprising discovery about psychedelics

04:00 – Why research stopped for decades (and the failed CIA experiments)

08:00 – Breathwork, DMT, and natural psychedelic states

12:00 – Categories of psychedelics: mushrooms, LSD, mescaline, MDMA & ketamine

16:00 – Brain plasticity, learning windows, and long-term effects

20:00 – The risk of emotional addiction and the problem with “47 ayahuasca trips”

24:00 – Hero doses vs therapeutic doses: where science draws the line

28:00 – Inside clinical trials: psilocybin, LSD, and ketamine in therapy

36:00 – Psychedelics vs alcohol: which is more damaging?

40:00 – What science knows (and doesn’t) about microdosing long-term

44:00 – False memories, trauma, and the dark side of psychedelics

48:00 – New brain scanners, rodent studies & reducing psychedelic risks

52:00 – Who funds psychedelic research and the million-dollar machines behind it

56:00 – Anxiety as a global epidemic and why it affects 60% of people

58:00 – The 5 tools everyone can use to manage anxiety

Follow Mikael:

Website: https://www.palnerlab.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaelpalner/

Growth Island-Mads Friis:

Mads Friis

Website: https://www.madsfriis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsmfriis

LinkedIn:...

In this episode, World Champion fighter and performance coach Niclas Larsen reveals the untold truths about resilience, fear, and the warrior mindset. From nearly losing his leg to capturing world titles, Niclas shares the rituals, inner battles, and mental frameworks that forged his path back to glory — and how those same lessons apply far beyond the ring. This is not just a story about fighting, but about how every man can rise stronger when life hits hardest.

Niclas Larsen is a professional Muay Thai fighter, kickboxer, and Mental & Performance Coach. He became the IMC World Super Welterweight Champion in 2020 and the WBC Muay Thai World Super Welterweight Champion in 2021. Today, he helps men, entrepreneurs, leaders, and troubled youth harness resilience, overcome fear, and activate their inner warrior in life and business.

He explains:

◻️ How nearly losing his leg reshaped his entire perspective on life and performance.

◻️ Why resilience is built in silence, not in the spotlight.

◻️ The secret rituals that give him calm before chaos.

◻️ How to turn fear and aggression into your greatest strengths.

◻️ Why most men misunderstand toughness — and what true strength really is.

◻️ How lessons from the ring translate directly into business and leadership.

◻️ The mindset shift that separates those who break from those who rise.

◻️ Why finding peace in pain is the ultimate edge.

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction

01:21 – What toughness really means and why emotions matter

05:21 – Brave, strong, and walking in with confidence: pre-fight mindset

09:16 – The “life mantra” Niclas uses to switch state on command

13:35 – The exact words he repeats to center himself under pressure

25:00 – Near-amputation: the hospital moment that changed everything

26:23 – Rehabilitation: forced pause, relearning to walk, rebuilding identity

29:59 – The mental tool he relies on to regain control fast

34:50 – Beyond “just change your mindset”: a body-first route to calm

47:02- Niclas advice to his 10 year old self.

49:27 – Growth until the very end: Niclas’ mantra for life and legacy

Follow Niclas:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niclasrlarsen/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niclas-ricky-larsen-907074235/

Growth Island-Mads Friis:

Mads Friis

Website: https://www.madsfriis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madsmfriis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madsmfriis

Growth Island

Website: https://www.growthisland.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegrowthisland/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growthisland.madsfriis

YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Q0ij-HEj7XcMfJPthbb2A/videos

Apple Podcast:...