In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Ryan Williamson, a board-certified neurologist, Navy veteran, and founder of Transcend Health. With a background spanning clinical neurology, military performance medicine, and executive longevity coaching, Dr. Williamson brings a rare perspective on what it truly takes to protect the brain and extend healthspan. His work centers on prevention over reaction, helping people stay sharp, resilient, and fully engaged long before illness ever enters the picture.

Our conversation explores a simple but confronting truth: modern life is quietly undermining brain health. Dr. Williamson explains how evolutionary biology collides with today’s sedentary, overstimulated environment, and why cognitive decline is often shaped more by habits than by fate. He introduces practical, evidence-based principles that restore balance, from breathwork and sleep to movement, nutrition, and human connection. None are extreme, and all are accessible.

What resonates most is the sense of agency. This episode reframes cognitive health as something we actively build day by day, not something we passively inherit. Small, consistent choices compound into sharper thinking, greater presence, and a longer, more capable life.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“I really think it's that you as an individual have far more control than you think over your life, over your health, and over any health-related outcome.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• The Incredible Brain by Dr. Ryan Williamson
• Transcend Health Group Website

Produced by NOVA

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Benton, a licensed mental health counselor, alcohol and drug counselor, and the author of Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic and Parents in Recovery. Sarah brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to the conversation, sharing her own journey of recovery and the clarity it gave her as a therapist, parent, and advocate. Her work has been featured in major media outlets, yet her perspective remains grounded in compassion and practicality.

Our conversation explores what it really means to build a sober life as a parent, not by simply removing substances, but by reshaping daily rhythms, boundaries, and identity. Sarah challenges the myth that recovery is a single decision rather than a lifestyle, and she speaks candidly about why honest conversations with children matter more than silence shaped by stigma. We also examine the modern pressures parents face, from digital overload to social drinking norms, and how self-awareness can interrupt cycles before they take root.

This episode is an invitation to replace shame with curiosity, and isolation with connection, for anyone questioning their relationship with substances or supporting someone who is.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“There are 23 million Americans in recovery. You are not alone.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Parents in Recovery: Navigating a Sober Family Lifestyle by Sarah Benton
• Understanding the High-Functioning Alcoholic by Sarah Benton
• Follow Sarah on Facebook
• Join Parents in Recovery Support Group on Facebook
• Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn
• Follow Sarah on Instagram: @parentsinrecovery
• Visit her Website Benton Behavioral Health Consulting
• Waterview Behavioral Health Website
• Sarah’s Psychology Today blog (with many Holiday Sober Survival blogs)

Produced by NOVA

Kyle McDowell joins us for a deeply honest conversation about leadership, apathy, and the moment success stopped feeling meaningful. After nearly three decades leading massive teams inside Fortune 10 organizations, Kyle hit a wall that forced him to confront the culture he had helped create—and the leader he had become. That reckoning led to the creation of the Ten “We’s,” a set of principle-based behaviors that would eventually form the foundation of his bestselling book, Begin With We.

We explore how fear-based, command-and-control leadership erodes trust, silences truth, and fuels disengagement. Kyle shares the pivotal experiences that taught him the power of embracing challenge, setting clear standards, and letting go of ego so others can step forward. Through stories ranging from executive boardrooms to a single shopping cart in a grocery store parking lot, he shows how integrity is built in small, observable moments.

What emerges is a compelling case for a better way to lead—and to live—one grounded in accountability, shared ownership, and the human obligation to leave people better than we found them.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“There is a better way. You don’t have to be on the hamster wheel.”

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Thank you for joining us on The Daily Helping with Dr. Shuster. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube to download more food for the brain, knowledge from the experts, and tools to win at life.

Resources:

• Kyle McDowell’s Website: https://www.kylemcdowellinc.com
• Begin With We (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QG8F5P2?tag=theda0b020-20
• Follow Kyle McDowell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylemcdowellincd

Produced by NOVA