UNIITY RADIO

George Mumford's road to becoming an influential author & mindfulness coach to Micheal Jordan, Kobe Bryant & other pro sports legends was filled with peril. He grew up in the Boston in the 60s during a time of massive racial tension, constantly having to be on his toes & aware. In College, he roomed with future NBA legend Dr. J. George was hoping for a similar destiny until his athletic career was cut short by severe injuries. He developed addictions to pain killers & later heroine to help him deal with all his physical & emotional pain. After College he found himself leading a double life, a smart & successful financial analyst with a dope habit. He soon hit rock bottom. It was through AA & the discovery of mindfulness meditation that George would turn it around. He spent years reading, studying & practicing meditation & mindfulness with some of the most skilled & renowned teachers. He would go on to work with Jon Kabat-Zinn, a pioneer in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. It was through clandestine encounter with Phil Jackson, then coach of the Chicago Bulls, that George would bring his life full circle. I had a chance to chat with George a few minutes prior to his sold out talk in Toronto, where he was invited by lululemon to speak about mindfulness, performance & a lifetime of work. - Dhani Oks George's book, "The Mindful Athlete" is available everywhere.

On this special episode of the podcast we sit down with collegiate athletes to talk about how they deal with life inside & outside of sports. This podcast taped live at an event hosted by lululemon & organized by Nate Virgo (https://www.instagram.com/natevirgo/). Nate, an student athlete himself, wanted to put together a night where athletes could come together & talk openly about what they go through, the sacrifices they make & how mental health & mindfulness plays a role.

Episode 1 of UNIITY Radio could not have started with 2 better or brighter guests. I met India Amara almost a decade ago & she's been a constant force in my life ever since. She's tattooed me. Inspired me with her incredible work ethic. And been a there during the toughest times with wisdom & coffee. She introduced me to Krista too. We all worked out together during the early days of CrossFit & spent a lot of time philosophizing about it. In the years since, India & Krista have developed their own practices & philosophies that they are taking on the road to Bali & beyond. I caught up with them at a very crazy time. I was coming off an incredibly difficult 2016 & they were a few days away from traveling to Indonesia to hold a very special retreat. Our conversation touches on all these things & more. ------------------ Recorded LIVE at the LOCAL at 96 Ossington Ave in Toronto - a new concept space by lululemon.

14 years ago I was working at a record store in Thornhill, Ontario. I vividly remembering racking copies of the Goldfinger's "Open Your Eyes" at the time. The cover of that record featured a rough looking tattooed guy who looked like he had just been punched in the face.   About 10 years later, I met that guy. And even though it got off to a rocky start, Chris Hammell has become one of the major influences on my life.  I'll let the podcast speak for itself, but to frame what you are about to hear, Chris & I dip in & out of travels, insights & relationships while riding a current of conversation that begins with Chris & I meeting in the Barber Shop he would soon be fired from. It was a low point in his life that he'd later turn into a strength and another great story. In the years since our very first meeting, I've learned many things from Chris and run many miles with him - all of which was not foreseen all those years ago.     ------------------ Chris "Hambone" Hammell / Town Barber @stillhambone The song in this episode is called Dead To Me by TotalXWar, Chris' band. Click here for more on these guys.

It's been a minute since Nat Niddam joined me on the show. It's always a fun conversation that's packed with valuable nutrition & lifestyle takeaways.  This episode starts with a procrastination confessional, an ode to imperfection and (believe it or not) a MEDITATION COMPETITION/WORKOUT using my new favourite technology, the MUSE Brain Sensing Headband.  Nat & I also dig into why Bone Broth is so great, how to make it super cheap, fast & easy, and we review the latest Protein Powder product fromPaleoethics which is made from Bone Broth.  -------------------- Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam The music from today's episode is courtesy of Arts & Crafts Music. Feist, "I Feel It All" (Diplo Plastic Remix).

We're back.  It's been about a month since we last met and a lot has happened. Nat's life altering flight to Texas for the Paleo FX Conference, where she found all sorts of new products & foods and some interesting developments in the Paleo community.   Dhani also had a life altering experience of a different kind in Asia, where he travelled to meditate, see an ancient Buddhist site and do some Yoga with 45 other lululemon ambassadors.  That and another jam-fest on the topic of Ketosis and how to make it work for you.  ------------------ Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

This was a fun episode.  Nat brought a sack of health and biofeedback gadgets to the podcast and reviewed them all. I also give you my thoughts on the Apple Watch, which I have been wearing for the last few weeks.  It seems there are more & more wearables and Quantified Self devices by the day. It's important that we don't get caught up in the hype and buy things that actually improve our life through the technology and not just distract us further with shiny things.   Here's all the stuff that we talk about in this episode. Everything from gadgets that will help you mind inner peace to curing jet lag.   * Inner Balance Sensor  http://www.heartmath.com/innerbalance/  * Muse Headband  http://www.choosemuse.com/ * Oura Ring  https://ouraring.com/ * Human Charger  http://www.humancharger.com/ * Jawbone https://jawbone.com/ * New Age Performance Mouthguard  https://new-age-performance.myshopify.com/ * Apple Watch  http://www.apple.com/ca/watch/    -------------- Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

Chris Ritchie walked into my gym 8 years ago. In the years since, he has been on of my loudest and proudest voices. He has represented us in spirit and in competition.  And even though he now lives thousands of miles away in Portland, he still takes every opportunity to fly our flag.  While on a visit to Toronto, Chris dropped in for some workouts and we took the opportunity to catch-up and talk about his journey from the Hardcore Punk scene to MMA to CrossFit.    ------------- Chris Ritchie / @chrisritchie Music / "Stars & Sons" & "Meet Me In The Basement" by Broken Social Scene " from "You Forgot It In People"

Did you know healthy food can make you sick?  Yes, it's true, there are some foods - although healthy for most - which can cause serious reactions. However, we may not even know it.  Some foods can send us to the hospital in a screaming Ambulance.  But there is an entire range of healthy stuff that can cause our bodies grief even days after consuming them.  These food 'sensitivities' may be the reason some of us are lacking energy, enthusiasm or having a hard time sleeping, focusing and being productive. We look deeper into what food allergies and sensitivities are and how you can identify what foods do NOT work for you.    ------------ Nathalie Niddam /  @nathalieniddam

Don't back down. Dig deep. Stay in school. Never stop believing. Don't quit.   Is giving up for losers? Matt Manhire and I talk about how quitting University allowed him to finally pursue the work & life that had been calling him for years.  Matt's a fascinating guy, a person you want to keep in your world because his perspective makes ordinary things come alive. We're at the Academy most mornings working out and getting way too philosophical about it all. In between lifts & rounds we riff on books, politics, art and how we can hack our muscle-ups & handstands. He's worn a lot of hats: sailor, climber, dinosaur wrangler, runner, traveller & photographer. But whatever the work, he throws himself into it with great effort, study & enthusiasm.  Most of our conversations should be podcasts, so I finally turn on the record button.  Hope you enjoy it.   ---------------- Matt Manhire / @manhire

Erin McCutcheon or "EMac" as she is known around these parts, is the type of glue that holds our community together. She's always armed with observations & insights that will quickly get you laughing out loud. Her heavy metal workout playlists are some of my favourites.  Erin does not sit still. She's constantly challenging herself through her curiosities, her art and her choice of physical challenges. In this episode, we catch up with Erin fresh off her trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania where she confronted not only a mountain, but her self-doubt, terrible tragedy and some difficult realities in the communities she visited.  Despite the intensity of the physical & emotional challenges of her recent trips, she's going back for more. ---------------- Erin McCutcheon / @epmccutcheon Music / Past In Present " from the record "The Reminder" by Feist

This is the episode you've been waiting for... The Keto Diet is based on low carb, no refined sugars and really really high-quality sources of fat & protein.  We go in-depth on the ketogenic diet and discuss who should do it and why. In the episode we'll cover... * How your body makes energy out of stored fat, and why it the best source of fuel * How can ketosis help you think clearer and be less hungry * The best kinds of fat and how can actually lose body fat by EATING MORE FAT * How ketosis can help you become a better athlete * How to start your own ketogenic experiment

I didn't plan on releasing this podcast...  I was texting my good buddy Mike Krupica, along some other friends, to wish them luck on an amazing journey. It then occurred to me that we should DEFINITELY do a podcast on this whole thing. Mike and some other members of the Parkdale Roadrunners are only hours away from a truly EPIC run that will test them in every way imaginable.  I caught Mike just before the start of the race to see where his head was at and how he plans to deal with the challenges ahead. We cover all of that plus much much more. --------------- Mike Krupica / @mike_krupica

There are things that happen, good things, that can be traced back to very specific moments. You can follow the breadcrumb trail back to them and pinpoint that exact time when everything changed.  It's not the big things, like finding a bunch of money, getting a dream job or winning a someone's love. It's always something so small that you don't even know it's there. But much later on, you can reflect on it and see that it was the drop that would become the ocean. I had such a moment several months ago with Demacio Castellon. I'd known him for a couple of years, but it turns out I didn't really know him at all.  His wife introduced us back then, and my only interactions with Demo were at the gym during workouts. He didn't say too much - just humbly threw himself into the work. I never really learned that much about his life outside of the Academy, but I sure had heard of the people he'd worked with.   Madonna, Jay Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Wyclef Jean, Ludacris, Rihanna, Nelly Furtado... the list is long but only the tip of the iceberg of who this man really was. Despite working with some of the greats as an engineer & producer, Demo is most proud & passionate about people. Everyday people with the same challenges and dilemmas that he faced as a kid in mean Miami, dreaming of artists he hoped to work with one day.  His wife had told me he was into some interesting projects as of late, and I was curious. It turned out we had a few mentors & teachers in common and I thought it was a good excuse to learn something.   Demo has a lot going on, so I was expecting a quick chat & catch-up over coffee. It turned into a 4-hour marathon of insights, meditations and homework. He gave me things to read and some new habits to incorporate. Since that day in Yorkville, many things have changed for me.  Again, nothing on the scale of a lottery win, or an earth-shattering epiphany.  Demo didn't tell me anything really that new. But it was the way in which he told me, about the things that I already knew, that caused a monumental shift.  He was very focused on my word choices during our conversation. Demo is highly tuned into the subtle linguistic choices we make in everyday speech.  Words can divulge deeper, lurking attitudes that dictate our lives - often times residue from harder times - that affect us in the present. It made a lot of sense; I took it to heart. He suggested I focus on a few simple changes to my morning routine. To me, it was all very similar to working out: doing little things often with the knowledge & confidence that something powerful is happening under the surface.  Take a listen to Demo on the podcast. Great stories along with a little homework. Music to your ears.

The most frustrating thing is doing something you think is working, but in fact is not. We may be spending time, energy & money to fix problems only to be causing more.  This episode is devoted to 3 little things that many people do to be healthier, but may in fact take us in the other direction.  Plus Nat & Dhani get into an interesting discussion on the politics of the  Canada Food Guide and how government is not always acting in the interests of your health. ------------------- Nathalie Niddam / @nathalieniddam

So, Nat's in Costa Rica soaking up the sun, but that doesn't stop us from podcasting - no way. This episode is brought to you by the letter "D" as in Vitamin D3, one of the most important vitamins your body needs to stay healthy and be generally awesome.   Nat is getting plenty of D from the Sun, which is how our bodies used to get it naturally when we were hunting, gathering, roaming & playing. But nowadays, most of the light we get is from our phone screens, laptops & Kindles. What do we do to remedy this? In this episode we'll cover: * Why Vitamin D is so important and what it helps our bodies do * What are the natural & cheap food sources we can get it from * How we can supplement Vitamin D in a safe and cost effective way This episode is so bright, you have to wear shades (shout-out to Corey Hart) -------------- Nathalie Niddam/ @nathalieniddam

There is one word to describe Rhea... MULTIDIMENSIONAL.  She holds a PhD in molecular toxicology, makes the world's best smoothies, travels the world teaching Soca dance & getting into psychedelic adventures.  Rhea grew up being very sick. At a young age, she struggled with arthritis, a burden that eventually led her on the path to figuring out how to heal herself through food, mindfulness, self-actualisation and movement.  Our conversation touches all these topics and a few more. A truly insightful episode that may help get you started down your own path to healing, strength or just being a little more healthy every day. ----------------- Dr. Rhea Mehta  / PhD, Smoothie Master, Psychadelic Adventurer / @drrheamehta Music / "Set Yourself On Fire" & "Ageless Beauty" by Stars " from the record "Set Yourself On Fire"

At the corner of King & Spadina in Toronto, there used to be a big brownstone-y building that housed a back packer’s hostel.  Visitors to the city shacked-up there and used it as a pivot point to explore the local scene, meet interesting people and ultimately gain new experiences.    A few years ago, this hostel was replaced by an entirely new kind of business, one that hoped to offer visitors a different kind of knowledge, but as I found out the differences were not that big. Brain Station is a company that hopes to empower 1 million people in the next 10 years to learn the skills necessary to live in a fast-paced digital world, economy and workforce.  The company’s co-founder, Jason Field, saw that there was a huge gap in his own knowledge and thought he should do something about it.  The rumour I heard was that the idea for the start-up hit Jason and the other founders during one of their workouts. Sweat and business is very linked in his world.  He credits sports and working out regularly as a huge contributor to the success of Brain Station and building a great team over the years.  In 2013, he issued a challenge to himself to “sweat” every day that year. He did that and more: running, walking, yoga-ing and CrossFitting more than 365 times and charting his progress online via a blog.  Before Brain Station, Jason backpacked through Asia gaining an appreciation for the challenges and opportunities that travel offered. When he returned home from travel, he knew he wanted to be a leader and work on something big.  It’s fitting that his company eventually found its home in the old backpacker’s hostel. The building on the corner of King & Spadina still offers visitors a chance to explore, but in a very new and digital way.  Hope you enjoy this episode. ------------------ Jason Field / Co-Founder of Brain Station / @field37 / www.brainstation.io

There are people that walk into a place and immediately bring up the vibe and put smiles on the faces of those around them.  Moe Bsat is one of these people.   Before he joined Academy last year, he played competitive basketball and was winning sprint Triathlons. In 2012, he won his age group in the Canadian 100km Championships. He’s run 7 Ultra Marathons in total and he’s not done yet.  Even though he’s competed in the hardest human challenges at the highest levels, Moe is still humbled by the other obstacles that face him.  In last year’s CrossFit Open, he struggled and found brand new weaknesses. But for Moe, that’s where the real work and fun begins.  In this episode, we talk a lot about the dark places, discouraging voices and anxiety one faces on the road to achieving ultimate performance. Moe has faced them all, in sports but also as a young law student. We dig into the anxiety that drove him to quit law for a year and get a retail job at lululemon. A move that Moe says has helped him find balance and focus on what he loves about life, athletics and his ultimate career path as a social justice attorney.  And we also talk a lot about basketball, Kobe and of course Donald Trump. ------------------------------ Moe Bsat @elginsdiner

At age 16, Danielle Gulic, convinced her parents to let her fly across North America to work an after-school job.  The seeds of Hustle & Entrepreneurship were sown early in her life through this experience and the family pressures of growing up with a hard-nosed Croatian father.   Danielle & her husband Chris "Hambone" Hammell Danielle has had a wild year. Her fiance proposed to her during an encore of a City & Colour show at the Air Canada Centre. She opened a fashion & bridal shop on Ossington called LoversLand. She got married. She supported her husband as he opened his Barber Shop. And she did all of this while recovering from a back injury and working to maintain her health & fitness.  It took a while for Danielle & I to schedule this podcast - even though we have businesses steps away from each other, we are both busy living the lives of business owners in Toronto, hustling for every minute of time.  In this conversation, we talk about the characteristics needed to be successful in business and the importance a healthy & balanced life.

It’s a good time to be Canadian.  In contrast to our friends south of the border who seem to be at a crossroads of culture & freedom, we Canucks seem to be heading in a better direction.  Not to say that we don’t have our problems - we’ve got a lot. But at least we seem to be divesting ourselves of all the fake problems that were created in the last century.  We’re talking about weed & other drugs that have been marginalized & criminalized despite showing undeniable benefits for health and pain relief.   My guest today is someone who you would least suspect to be on the front lines of the battle to do whatever we think is right for our own bodies.  Angelina is a sweet, strong and extremely disciplined athlete. To be exact, she’s a fighter who has competed in Muay Thai tournaments before large crowds in China & Thailand.  In between fighting, training and working her day job as a hair stylist, Ang also bakes cannabis edibles.  In this episode we discuss weed and in particular CBD, a non-psychoactive chemical found in cannabis (i.e. won’t get you high). CBD has been shown to have some powerful benefits and may be able to help athletes train harder, recover faster and manage pain in a natural, healthy way.  Ang and I go deep into the benefits, politics, and future of drugs and medicinal plants.

I’m pretty cynical about advertising, as most people are these days - especially when it promotes a giant telecommunications corporation. But, Ben Pobjoy's video affected me in a way I never expected an Ad would. It also restored a little bit of faith that creativity & consciousness can be turned into commerce.  [See Ben's Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxmSvUDjBA8] Ben is the Creative Director of Behaviour, an Agency that creates compelling ideas that are beloved by consumers and clients alike and founded on the premise that what a brand does is more important than what a brand says. Ben's journey took place over 5800 km and led to him losing 100lbs in the process.

He cannot be described in words. You can only talk about him in colours. I met Mango Peeler - I don't really remember his real name - for the first time almost 5 years ago. We immediately clicked, and would jam out ideas on movement, athletics, art, clothing and philosophy over the course of several coffee sessions. In these conversations, there were no real borders between topics as if they were part of the same continuum and just different points along the spectrum. I enjoyed the way his mind was unfettered and free to move forward, backward and into other dimensions. These were some of my favourite discussions. I lost touch with him for a couple of years. He kind of disappeared, only leaving behind a few screen prints of Muhammad Ali and Jungle Lions behind. These can still be found hanging at the Academy to this day. Then one night I was running with the Parkdale Roadrunners, and I saw Mango again, in the place I would least expect to find him. He was a little leaner, his hair was 2 or 3 different colours, but it was still somehow less wild. And there was a new focus and sharpness to him. In the time since we last hung out a lot of stuff had happened. He had some interesting jobs. He made some even more interesting artwork. And he found running. Serious running. Mango does not do anything without passion. In his peak training, he will run over 100 Miles a week and has become one of the fastest runners in the crew. He also documents his training in a beautifully composed & illustrated journal that once again blurs the lines between athletics & art. I met Mango in his art studio above an auto garage in the west end of Toronto. We started recording our conversation just after he had finished a long day or work and had a couple of free hours before his late night track workout. He caught me up on the details and missing pieces of the last few years. And his insights on the creative process and training philosophy made me pump my fists a few times during this discussion. This was one of my favourite podcasts. And there's a really great power ballad about a third of way through. - Dhani THE CREDITS: Mango Peeler / Runner, Artist, Allen Iverson Historian / @mango_peeler Dhani Oks @dhanioks / dhanioks.com

Kevin Drew was always a friend of mine, even before he met me. I got my dream job in the summer of 2002, managing an indie record store. That was the year Toronto exported itself to the world. I did my part for the revolution; daily, I'd load the CD tray with my new found loves - Broken Social Scene, Apostle Of Hustle, Feist, Stars and the rest of the gypsy caravan that was the Arts & Crafts family. 10 years later, when I met & eventually became friends with Kevin, he would tell me that Social Scene was never intended to ascend in the way it eventually did - bringing along with it the rest of its family choirs. They were assembled to be big, small and bigger again - whatever the occasion called for. They existed to rid their city of its insecurities and reclaim its possibilities. Everyone mostly lived in town, so putting together shows was supposed to be easy and if someone couldn't make it to play a horn or sing a part, there would be other friends to slide in. They were not built to travel, but when the world came calling, that's what they had to do. Kevin says to me, he's a dreamer trying to be a realist. I've met his father Dave, and that's definitely where the steely pragmatic part comes from. But I don't think any way to describe Kevin is the right and only way. He's a seer and a talker - taking from the sky and putting it in your ears. When Kevi goes off on one of his flying carpet tangents he covers an incredible amount of intellectual distance. But the flying machine is simple, beautiful and can be rolled tight. I had a chance to catch-up with Kevi today. He's back in town from LA and I don't see him as much these days, so I thought it would be wise to capture our cross-legged conversation and call it a podcast. Enjoy Dhani. THE CREDITS: Kevin Drew / Musician & Mayor Of Our Spirits / @kevinselection Dhani Oks / Academy Of Lions Founder / @dhanioks Music / "7/4 Shoreline " from the record "Broken Social Scene" / click here visit them on the Arts & Crafts Music website