What if ancient myths are not simply stories, but encrypted records of forgotten history? And what if the technologies reshaping modern life are not separate from us, but extensions of human consciousness?

In this episode of The Biohacking Standards, filmmaker, podcast host and former professional musician Ben Stewart joins Ashley Grace for a thought-provoking conversation about consciousness, creativity, mythology, hidden history, technology and human evolution.

Ben has built his career exploring ideas that challenge conventional narratives and encourage people to think for themselves. Rather than creating films that tell audiences what to believe, he uses storytelling, imagery, music and emotion to open new possibilities. His goal is not to replace one accepted narrative with another. It is to inspire curiosity about who we are, where we came from and what we may be capable of becoming.

One of the episode’s most fascinating ideas is Ben’s view that mythology may serve as a form of encrypted history. Stories carried across generations may contain memories of real people, events and civilizations—even if those memories were gradually transformed into symbols. Ben discusses lesser-known historical accounts, including reports of mummified remains found in Kentucky, and asks whether parts of humanity’s past have been forgotten, misunderstood or excluded from the history most of us were taught.

The conversation also turns toward technology and its powerful effect on human behavior. We often think of technology as something external: a tool we create and control. Ben offers a different perspective. Smartphones, social platforms, artificial intelligence and other technologies can be seen as extensions of human thought, memory, communication and creativity.

But the relationship works both ways. We shape our technology, and our technology shapes us.

It influences what captures our attention, how we communicate, what we value and even how we perceive reality. If technology amplifies human consciousness, what happens when it is driven by fear, distraction or unconscious behavior? Could greater self-awareness allow us to use these tools in ways that support creativity, connection and human development?

Ben also shares the personal side of his creative journey. As a father of four, he is constantly balancing filmmaking and podcasting with the responsibilities of family life. Rather than seeing parenthood as an obstacle to meaningful work, he explains how raising children has deepened his thinking about culture, responsibility and the future we are creating.

His earlier career as a professional musician continues to shape the way he approaches filmmaking. Ben understands that information alone rarely changes people. Art can reach places that facts and arguments cannot, engaging emotion, imagination and intuition alongside the intellect. A powerful film does more than communicate an idea—it creates an experience.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why ancient myths may preserve fragments of real human history
• How mythology can reveal cultural truths hidden beneath symbolism
• Why consciousness may be the next frontier of human evolution
• How technology changes our attention, behavior and relationships
• What artificial intelligence may reveal about the human mind
• How music shaped Ben’s distinctive approach to documentary filmmaking
• Why emotion and storytelling can transform beliefs more effectively than facts alone
• How Ben balances creative ambition with being a present father
• Why questioning accepted narratives is essential to independent thought

This is more than a conversation about filmmaking, mythology or emerging technology. It is an invitation to examine the stories guiding your life, the tools influencing your behavior and the future you are helping to create.

Listen now for a compelling exploration of consciousness, ancient wisdom, hidden history, creativity, technology and the evolving potential of the human mind.

Dave Asprey has spent more than two decades changing how millions of people think about biohacking, longevity, cognitive performance, sleep, nutrition, and human optimization. But in this conversation, the father of biohacking goes somewhere much deeper. What if the ultimate biohack isn’t physical at all?

Dave believes biohacking is evolving beyond simply optimizing the body. The next frontier may be learning to control your state, consciousness, intuition, emotional responses, and awareness—and understanding how those forces shape the way we experience reality.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Dave opens up about a side of his journey that gets far less attention: spirituality and consciousness.

Earlier in his life, Dave says he would have dismissed many spiritual practices as nonsense. His worldview was rooted in science, measurement, and evidence. But experiences with meditation, breathwork, trauma resolution, altered states, and consciousness exploration gradually forced him to reconsider what science can—and cannot yet—explain.

That journey changed his definition of biohacking.

Rather than simply changing your environment to control your biology, Dave increasingly thinks about biohacking as gaining greater control over your state. Because ultimately, most people don't really want better biomarkers. They want to feel focused, energized, calm, connected, resilient, and alive.

We also dive deeply into intuition. Can intuition actually be trained? Dave believes it can.

Using Moneyball as an analogy, Dave explains why the smartest decisions often come from combining data with intuition rather than choosing one over the other. The challenge is learning to distinguish genuine intuitive signals from fear, emotional reactivity, bias, and imagination.

Dave shares how practices including meditation, breathwork, neurofeedback, altered states, and awareness trainingmay help quiet the nervous system enough to recognize those signals.

Then we tackle one of the biggest questions in the longevity movement:

What is the point of living longer?

Dave has famously discussed dramatically extending human lifespan. But longevity, he argues, shouldn't simply mean accumulating more years. The opportunity is maintaining the energy, cognition, wisdom, relationships, purpose, and vitality necessary to make those additional years meaningful.

The goal isn't simply lifespan. It's having more time to grow, contribute, connect, and become more fully human.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Dave Asprey's definition of biohacking has evolved

• Why consciousness may be the next frontier of human optimization

• Why spirituality became part of Dave's worldview

• Whether intuition can be developed and trained

• How meditation and breathwork can change your internal state

• Why data and intuition work better together

• The relationship between the nervous system, awareness, and decision-making

• What altered states may reveal about consciousness

• Dave's evolving philosophy of longevity and life extension

• Why living longer without purpose misses the point

• What the future of biohacking may look like beyond physical optimization

Dave Asprey is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, investor, founder of Bulletproof, and host of The Human Upgrade. Widely recognized as the father of the modern biohacking movement, his work has helped bring biohacking, nootropics, fasting, cognitive optimization, mitochondrial health, and longevity into mainstream culture.

But after decades spent upgrading the human body, Dave is asking a bigger question:

What exactly are we upgrading it for?

If you're interested in Dave Asprey, biohacking, longevity, consciousness, spirituality, meditation, breathwork, neuroscience, intuition, human performance, life extension, AI, altered states, or the future of human potential, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

#DaveAsprey #Biohacking #Longevity #Consciousness #HumanPotential #Spirituality

What if something you chose years ago—something you were told was safe—was quietly contributing to chronic inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, and a mysterious decline in your health?

In this powerful episode, Ashley Grace sits down with former film and television actress and Olistico Life founder Candice Barley to explore her extraordinary journey from debilitating illness to becoming one of the leading voices in the breast explant and women’s holistic health community.

For nearly 15 years, Candice struggled with worsening health problems without understanding their source. Eventually, her condition became so severe that she was spending most of her day in bed, experiencing full-body tremors, heart palpitations, difficulty breathing, extreme fatigue, gut issues, and rapidly worsening liver markers.

Then came a moment Candice describes as divine intervention.

While desperately asking what was wrong with her, Candice says she heard two words: “breast implants.”

What makes her story particularly striking is that her implants weren’t ruptured. They were intact.

Within eight weeks, Candice had them removed. She says her symptoms began resolving and her liver markers dramatically improved, launching a years-long investigation into breast implant illness, chronic inflammation, silicone and siloxanes, mitochondrial health, detoxification, environmental toxins, and the body’s response to foreign materials.

Today, Candice works alongside surgeons and functional medicine practitioners, helping women better understand their bodies and make informed decisions about their health. Her message isn’t based on fear—and she isn't simply telling every woman with implants to remove them. Instead, she believes women deserve more information about what may be happening inside their bodies so they can make their own informed choices.

In this conversation, Ashley and Candice explore:

• Candice’s nearly 15-year health struggle and eventual explant

• The mysterious experience that led her to question her breast implants

• Why Candice believes intact implants can still affect some women

• Breast implant illness and what she calls “breast implant inflammation”

• Silicone, siloxanes, foreign-body response, and chronic inflammation

• Brain fog, fatigue, sleep, hormones, and mitochondrial health

• Why removing implants may only be the beginning of the recovery journey

• The connection Candice sees between mitochondria, longevity, and biohacking

• Her personal experience with Igniton products

• Why IgniCognition felt to Candice like “a light turns on”

• The importance of informed consent and becoming your own health advocate

• How a devastating health crisis ultimately gave Candice a new purpose

Candice’s story ultimately goes far beyond breast implants. It’s about learning to listen to your body, questioning assumptions, taking ownership of your health, and asking a simple but profound question:

How good can I feel?

Whether you have breast implants, have undergone an explant, are dealing with unexplained inflammation or brain fog, or are simply interested in women’s health, longevity, mitochondrial health and the rapidly evolving world of biohacking, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Learn more about Candice Barley and Olistico Life, and discover Igniton’s approach to the emerging frontier of quantum wellness at Igniton.com.

Topics: Candice Barley, breast implant illness, breast explant, explant surgery, breast implant inflammation, silicone implants, chronic inflammation, women’s health, mitochondrial health, mitochondria, brain fog, fatigue, holistic health, functional medicine, biohacking, longevity, environmental toxins, detoxification, informed consent, health optimization, IgniCognition, Igniton, quantum wellness