The Ronan Levy Podcast

When it comes to being successful in the business of managing musicians, there is one piece of advice that trumps them all: do your best to keep them on the straight and narrow. So it's no surprise that Brandon Reid, whose clients include The National, Big Red Machine, Broken Social Scene, Georgia Harmer and Aaron Dessner (co-author of Folklore by Taylor Swift, for all the Swifties out there) chose the name Straight x Narrow Management for his business. Whether that's actually the impetus for the name of his company or not, I don't know. But it sounds like a good story. And this conversation is full of good stories. Like the one off the top about Ed Sheeran, Aaron Dessner and a giant stuffed animal. Enjoy the conversation.

Dr. Jared Pelo is the Chief Medical Officer at Bionic Health, a pioneering health startup that integrates biomarker testing, AI, and advanced technology to deliver personalized, precision, and preventative medical care. With a background as an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Pelo has also co-founded and led successful health tech startups, bringing a blend of clinical expertise and entrepreneurial innovation to the medical field. Known for his thoughtful and balanced approach, Dr. Pelo focuses on making advanced healthcare accessible and promoting well-being through holistic, evidence-based strategies.00:00:00 - Intro: Ronan shares the podcast’s evolving focus and introduces Dr. Jared Pelo.00:01:10 - Journey into Medicine: Dr. Pelo’s path to medicine and early life experiences.00:02:42 - Medical Training Challenges: The tough realities of medical school and their personal impacts.00:04:18 - Therapy and Self-Reflection: Seeking therapy and learning self-forgiveness.00:07:09 - Psychedelic Therapy: First experiences with ketamine therapy and its subtle benefits.00:10:22 - Struggles with Self-Worth: Discussing self-worth, upbringing, and societal pressures.00:13:07 - Impact of Therapy: How ketamine therapy helped dissolve self-loathing.00:18:25 - Entrepreneurial Shift: Transitioning from ER doctor to startup founder.00:25:39 - Mind-Body Connection: Ronan’s personal story on stress and IBS.00:27:07 - Bionic Health Overview: Dr. Pelo explains Bionic Health’s mission in precision medicine.00:33:09 - AI in Healthcare: Role and future of AI in personalized patient care.00:43:08 - Longevity Considerations: Spiritual and emotional implications of living longer.00:50:20 - Community and Connection: Importance of combating loneliness for better health.00:53:29 - Challenges in Modern Medicine: Addressing late-stage treatment and systemic issues.01:01:50 - Supplement Recommendations: Dr. Pelo’s take on supplements for health.01:07:54 - Cancer Screening Tips: Early detection strategies and full-body MRI insights.01:12:31 - Closing Thoughts: Ronan’s thanks and reflections on the conversation.

After my efforts to convince Scott Galloway to start a podcast with me failed, I decided to go for the next best thing and started a podcast with Ben "Doc" Askins. And so we'd like to introduce you to The Know Nothing Podcast, a podcast dedicated to nothing. Think of it as Seinfeld meets The Big Lebowski for the podcast generation by two below average talent podcast hosts. If you like what you hear, or just want to take pity on us, please subscribe to The Know Nothing Podcast on Apple or Spotify.

After disrupting the hospitality industry twice, first as the founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, the second-largest operator of boutique hotels in the U.S., and then as Airbnb’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy, leading a worldwide revolution in travel, Chip Conley co-founded MEA (Modern Elder Academy) in January 2018.Inspired by his experience of intergenerational mentoring as a ‘modern elder’ at Airbnb, where his guidance was instrumental to the company’s extraordinary transformation from a fast-growing start-up to the world’s most valuable hospitality brand, MEA is the world's first ‘midlife wisdom school.’ A New York Times bestselling author, Conley's 7th book “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age” is about rebranding midlife to help people understand the upside of this often-misunderstood life stage.In this conversation we talk about identity, purpose, wisdom, life and death and more. It's a good one. To learn more about Chip, visit chipconley.com and to learn more about The Modern Elder Academcy, visit meawisdom.com.

After the death of a close friend at seventeen, Tom Turcich resolved to make the most out of life; to travel and be forced into adventure; to experience and understand the world. On April 2nd, 2015, he set out to see it all—one step at a time.The World Walk is the emotional and exhilarating story of the tenth person and first dog to walk around the world. Together, Turcich and his dog, Savannah, covered twenty-eight thousand miles over the course of seven years. Through deserts, jungles, cities, and mountains, Turcich meditated on what’s important in life and took lessons from cultures around the globe.After reading Tom’s book I wanted to have him on the podcast to ask him some of the deeper, personal questions other interviewers might not bring up about what he’s learned from his travels.

Jayson Gaignard is the Founder and Head Curator of MMT (MastermindTalks), one of the world’s most exclusive communities for entrepreneurs.The invite-only MMT community has a lower acceptance rate than Harvard University and brings together brilliant minds from various industries for networking, targeted troubleshooting, and community building.Jayson’s work has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Life Hacker, Business Insider, and as part of Tim Ferriss' New York Times bestseller Tools of Titans but I really brought him on to have an excuse to go deeper with my close friend and learn more about his origin story and values.What makes for a great event? How do we find our tribe? What does it all mean in the big scheme of things anyway?I finally got in all the questions I’ve always wanted to ask and remembered that Jayson is one of my favorite people on the planet and my life is infinitely richer for his presence in it.

Whether you are a big hockey fan or not at all, I thought the beginning of the NHL season was a good excuse to invite strength & conditioning coach Andy O’Brien on the show.He’s worked with some of the world’s biggest athletes and I wanted to ask him about how sports are changing and what lessons us non-athletes can take away from hockey players around team building and resilience.For more than 25 years the athletes have turned to Andy for sports nutrition, rehabilitation, injury management, and the unique mental health struggles they face.This year we started working together on Cwench Hydration where he is the Chief Performance Officer.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Pilar Gerasimo is a health journalist, podcaster, and the author of The Healthy Deviant: A Rule-Breaker’s Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World.In today’s society where such a small percentage of people are truly happy and healthy, Pilar says we have to take it upon ourselves to buck a lot of society’s norms and reject a lot of conventional health prescriptions to find our own sense of balance and wellness.When I started thinking about it, rule-breaking really is one of the most prominent traits that every single guest on this podcast shares, whether it comes to health, business, music, or spirituality.If you feel like you might be a fellow Healthy Deviant like us take Pilar’s quiz and sign up for her email list at https://healthydeviant.com/quizThis podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

In 1968 a young Canadian filmmaker named Paul Saltzman was seeking solace in transcendental meditation for a broken heart and was befriended by The Beatles in Rishikesh, India during their immersive study with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. 2020 saw the release of his documentary, Meeting The Beatles In India - a film that brings together others who were there for this pivotal moment in music history.As amazing as his experience in India with The Beatles may have been, it is by no means the only incredible story from his fascinating life and career. In this podcast we talk about what we can learn from the virtues of the 60s hippie movement, our understanding of consciousness, and the power of love for our fellow humans.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Raghunath Cappo (@raghunathyogi) is the punk who became a monk.A teen in search of meaning, Ray Cappo fled his suburban Connecticut enclave for New York City—and found community among the misfits of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He fell in love with punk rock, so he started a band and a record label. By the late 1980’s, Youth of Today had thousands of fans, cementing Ray as a leading voice and trendsetter at the bullseye of hardcore culture.However, a growing existential itch led Ray to call it quits. At just 22, he walked away from his band and label and decamped for India—a spiritual pilgrimage that led him to the holy village of Vrindavan where he would become Raghunath.Ultimately Raghunath returned to the States. Now married with 5 kids, he leads spiritual quests throughout India, teaches yoga training in upstate New York at his Supersoul Yoga and Farm. This is the incredible story of a modern day yogi who has a lot of wisdom to share around how we can improve our lives through connection and service.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Mike Brcic is an entrepreneur, adventurer, writer, and family man in Toronto with a penchant for world travel.After selling his company Sacred Rides in 2019 (the AirBNB of adventure mountain biking) He went into a deep existential search for meaning and a journey to find new practices that would raise his consciousness and self awareness.Today he runs Wayfinders, where he works with impact-driven entrepreneurs through courses, workshops, consulting, and of course, travel adventures.In this podcast we talk all about connection. Connection to the self, the planet, other human beings, and the great mystery that is life.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Dr. Jack Feldman @jacklfeldman is a neuroscientist, the David Geffen School Chair in Neuroscience, and a Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology at The University of California Los Angeles.If you are a fan of Andrew Huberman and the “physiological sigh” you can thank Jack’s research for making that a thing.We’ve never really explored breathing in depth on this podcast but if you do a little bit of digging you’ll see that our breath is one of the most powerful tools we have for changing our state of mind.In fact, my biggest psychedelic experience so far involved zero substances but only my breath. So I brought Dr. Jack Feldman on to discuss everything we need to know about breathing and the brain for our mental and physical health.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Ben “Doc” Askins, PhD (Hon.) has an eclectic background with degrees in Outdoor Education, Intercultural Studies, Physician Assistant Studies, and Divinity. I wanted to bring him back on the podcast after his last visit was an audience favorite so he could share his ideas on how to live a good, long life.Doc has nearly two decades of experience practicing and teaching wilderness, tactical, and expeditionary medicine in the military.In civilian life, he is a Psychiatric Physician Assistant with an evidence-focused and integrative approach to mental health that includes extensive experience providing ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, medicine management, and spiritual direction. He is certified with the Multidisciplinary Association on Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Dr. Jordan Shallow aka The Muscle Doc (@the_muscle_doc) is a chiropractor, strength and conditioning coach, powerlifter, and founder of Pre-Script and RX’D RADIO.Jordan works with teams, companies, and individuals on biomechanics, sports performances and injury risk management.In this episode we discuss the role of intuition and feeling in fitness, the dangers in putting too much faith into scientism as a belief system, and what evidence-based living really means.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start, whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.

Laura Gassner Otting is an executive coach, speaker, and best-selling author who inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo by helping people think bigger and accept greater challenges.She is the author of three books, including Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like It Should… and What to Do About It, Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life, and Mission-Drive: Moving from Profit to Purpose.I brought her on the podcast to discuss how we define success as so many of us are taught at a young age that happiness will come from achievement only to realize that perhaps there is more to life.We discuss her early political career, best practices for hiring and making yourself attractive to talent scouts, the state of the self-help industry, and what it looks like to change paths.This podcast is brought to you by Cizzle Brands, a company that I helped start, whose mission is to elevate the game in health and wellness by replacing all of the unhealthy sugary and fattening foods in our cupboards with healthy nutritious alternatives.Our first product is Cwench Hydration which has been formulated to be the world’s healthiest and best made hydration drink. For a 20% Off coupon code visit CwenchHydration.com and enter LEVY20 at checkout.Head over to www.instagram.com/ronandlevy to connect with me on Instagram.

Sanjay Singhal is an entrepreneur who filed for personal bankruptcy at 31 and later sold Audiobooks.com for $56 million in 2016. This venture capitalist, author, and restaurateur has really done it all.Today he focuses on philanthropy after creating the Nikean Foundation in 2019 to fund mental health research, focusing on novel psychedelic therapies.Now at 58 years old he has started a popular blog SanjaySays.co where he passes on all of his life lessons and raw unfiltered thoughts.

Chris Van Loan II is a video marketer, content strategist, and he also just so happens to be the producer of this show.In my life I have never met anyone so committed to the craft of podcasting or someone who believes so fervently in the power of podcasts to move a generation and raise consciousness.We talk in this episode about relaunching the show as A Good Long Podcast, how the medium is changing, and how to grow your audience without sacrificing your ethics and remaining true to yourself.Head over to www.instagram.com/chrisvanloanii to connect with Chrisand to www.instagram.com/ronandlevy to connect with me on Instagram

Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, best-selling author and mental health advocate. Her company ZenFounder provides mental wellness resources for leaders as they navigate transition, loss, and conflict.She is the co-author along with her husband Rob Walling of a book called The Entrepreneur’s Guide To Keeping Your Shit Together as well as her recent book Touching Two Worlds: A Guide For Finding Hope In The Landscape Of Loss.This conversation is a wonderful reminder that whether it is business or life or loss stressing us out, we are all just doing our best to keep it together. Head over to www.instagram.com/ronandlevy to connect with me on Instagram.

What is this feeling of “awe” and what role does it play in our lives?Dacher Keltner is the Founding Director of the Greater Good Science Center, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. He is also the scientific advisor behind Pixar’s Inside Out & Inside Out 2!I brought Dacher on the podcast because for much of my life I cut myself off from feeling the full depth of my emotions and he’s spent much of his life studying how we can understand and practice tapping into all that life has to offer emotionally.In this episode you’ll learn how you can create more awe and wonder in your own life to live a richer experience in your good, long life.Head over to www.instagram.com/ronandlevy to connect with me on Instagram.

This episode touches on something that honestly scares the living daylights out of me, and that is getting cancer at a ridiculously young age.So why would I start the first official new episode of this podcast about longevity talking about early onset cancer?When you hear Florence Shaffer’s story about the diagnosis giving her clarity and finding direction and meaning in the impermanence of life, you’ll understand.Florence is a technology executive who has worked all over the world in beauty, luxury fashion, automotive, film, real estate, construction, healthcare and hospitality. Her wide ranging experiences have led her to launch a new company called Becoming (StartBecoming.co) which focuses on the intersection between humanity and technology by making the world’s experts in various holistic wellness fields accessible to the masses.This is one you won’t want to miss!Head over to www.instagram.com/ronandlevy to connect with me on Instagram.