At age 9, Michael Ostrolenk looked at his overweight, chain-smoking psychiatrist and asked his mother: "He can't help himself. How's he gonna help me?" Then he walked out and never looked back.

Now 54, Michael completes 50-mile rucks with weighted vests and trains Navy SEALs through SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind Academy. After 43 years in martial arts and decades as a performance coach, he's identified why 72% of Americans are failing at health—and it's not about willpower.

In this conversation, Michael reveals:

Why willpower is a terrible strategy for change

The "via negativa" approach that makes failure impossible

His 4-pillar system (physiological, psychological, social, environmental)

Why he gets blood work every 3-6 months (and what markers matter)

The pull-up bar trick that transformed his client's military fitness test

How removing M&Ms matters more than resisting them

The connection between circadian biology and mental health

Why "normalizing pathological behaviors" is destroying our health

Plus: The surprising parting wisdom from someone who trains special operators—and why kindness might be the most powerful intervention of all.

Guest Bio: Michael Ostrolenk is a licensed therapist and Master Coach in Resilience, Leadership, and Elite Performance, with over three decades of experience guiding high performers, special operators, and visionary leaders. He specializes in integrating psychological, physiological, and relational frameworks to optimize human potential. Co-creator of elite training programs with SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind Academy, and affiliated with Apeiron Zoh precision medical clinic in Austin, Texas.

Connect with Michael: Website: https://www.michaeldostrolenk.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelostrolenkresiliencemastery/ Instagram: @mostrolenk Podcast: Resilience Reimagined on Spotify

Dr. Heather Lee: When Traditional Therapy Fails, Sacred Medicine Succeeds

Mind Body Health Politics Episode - Dr. Richard Lewis Miller

Episode Description

A mother lost her 2-year-old to cancer and spent two years bedbound with grief. Traditional therapy, medication, and family support all failed her. Then she discovered Dr. Heather Lee's psilocybin therapy in Colorado—and everything changed. What happened next will challenge everything you think you know about healing trauma and grief.

Dr. Heather Lee is Colorado's 22nd licensed psychedelic facilitator and author of the upcoming book The Psilocybin Sessions: 10 True Tales of Women's Wisdom Awakening. Her legal, clinical work with sacred medicine is producing results that conventional medicine struggles to explain.

Timestamped Chapters

00:00 - The Epidemic of Isolation and Why We Need Community03:00 - Dr. Heather Lee's Revolutionary Approach to Healing05:00 - The Grieving Mother's Two-Year Journey Through Hell08:00 - When Her Deceased Child Appeared During the Session11:00 - The Goosebumps Moment: When Spirit Confirmed the Healing14:00 - Why People Fly from South Africa for This Treatment17:00 - The Art of Psilocybin Dosing: Why 4 Grams Is the Sweet Spot20:00 - How Colorado Became the Gold Standard for Legal Psychedelics23:00 - The Documentary "Last Journey": Cancer Patients Find Peace28:00 - The Forgiveness That Decades of Therapy Couldn't Unlock32:00 - When Clouds Spelled "FORGIVE" in the Sky35:00 - Building the Conscious Conversation Collective40:00 - Working in Service of the Mushrooms

Key Insights

Traditional therapy's blind spot: Some wounds require soul healing, not just cognitive processing

The safety profile: Psilocybin is safer than anything in your medicine cabinet

Colorado's licensing system: Rigorous year-long training with Johns Hopkins and NYU researchers

The demographic shift: Most clients are women 50+ seeking wisdom and healing

Integration is crucial: Follow-up sessions ensure lasting transformation

The Forgiveness Trap: Why "Forgive and Forget" Perpetuates the Very Harm It Claims to Heal

Description: Most people think forgiveness means welcoming harmful people back into your life. Veronica Monet reveals why this approach actually perpetuates cycles of abuse—and what real healing looks like.

Guest Bio: Veronica Monet is a former high-end escort turned therapist and domestic violence counselor. Having survived childhood sexual abuse in what she describes as "a family of pedophiles," she now specializes in Internal Family Systems therapy and helping survivors break generational cycles of trauma. She's the author of the upcoming book "The Pedophile Who Loved Me: My Treacherous Path to True Forgiveness."

Key Topics:

Why religious forgiveness often enables continued abuse

How shame drives harmful behavior underground instead of stopping it

The difference between true forgiveness and dangerous reconciliation

Breaking generational cycles of sexual abuse in families

Internal Family Systems and how trauma creates "split" personalities

Why our approach to pedophiles may be creating more victims

The hidden prevalence of incest in "normal" families

How to heal families and communities without enabling perpetrators

TIMESTAMPS:

[00:00] Intro: Living in Tribes vs. Isolation [02:00] Polyamory as Community Support System

[05:00] The Real Meaning of "Many Loves"

[06:00] From Sex Work to Trauma Therapy

[08:00] "The Pedophile Who Loved Me" - Why the Title Matters [10:00] The Dangerous Side of Religious Forgiveness

[13:00] "Where Does the Misery Stop?" - Generational Trauma

[16:00] Walking the Line Between Compassion and Accountability

[20:00] How Trauma Creates Split Personalities

25:00] Multiple Personalities vs. Sub-Personalities

[31:00] The Soul-Killing Nature of Child Sexual Abuse

[37:00] Creating Safety for People to Come Out of Denial

[42:00] Why Pedophiles Repeat and What We're Missing

[48:00] Education Level and Sexual Abuse Patterns

[52:00] Sex Work Safety vs. Other Professions

[57:00] Why She Wouldn't Recommend Sex Work Today

[1:05:00] Final Message: Healing Requires Treating Perpetrators as People