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

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Stephen G. Post, renowned researcher, author, and one of the world’s leading voices on altruism, compassion, and the science of love. As the founding director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University, Dr. Post has spent decades exploring how love, meaning, and generosity shape human flourishing.

In this episode, we move deeper into the philosophical and spiritual foundations of his book, *Pure Unlimited Love*. Dr. Post introduces the idea of “the one mind,” sharing powerful stories and scientific perspectives that challenge the belief that consciousness is produced solely by the brain. We explore how creativity, intuition, and insight emerge when people access deeper states of awareness—and why chronic fear, stress, and disconnection keep us from doing so.

We also discuss freedom as a spiritual quality rather than a purely material one, the healing role of nature and social prescribing, and why serving others is essential to restoring dignity, meaning, and joy in our lives.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“I’m a believer that we need to have identifiable constituencies to which we apply our kindness and our callings.”

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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:

• Pure Unlimited Love (Book)
• The Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Stony Brook Bio
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Official Website

Produced by NOVA

In a time marked by social tension and cultural fragmentation, we welcomed Dr. Stephen G. Post—founding president of the Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. With more than forty years of work exploring compassion at the intersection of science and spirituality, Dr. Post helps us move beyond reductionist ideas of altruism and into a richer understanding of what it means to truly care for others. This episode is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

We explore why empathy alone isn’t sufficient without moral direction, how different forms of helping shape our inner lives, and what research reveals about the emotional and psychological benefits of volunteering—especially during seasons of grief and loss. Dr. Post also invites us to reflect on what’s lost as human connection becomes increasingly mediated by screens, and why presence and intentional love matter now more than ever.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“The security and well-being of others [is] as real or meaningful to us as our own, and sometimes more so”

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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:

• Pure Unlimited Love (Book)
• The Institute for Research on Pure Unlimited Love
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Stony Brook Bio
• Dr. Stephen G. Post – Official Website
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Produced by NOVA

Writer, historian, and Emmy Award–winning host John T. Edge joins us for a powerful conversation about identity, inherited stories, and the emotional resonance of food. Best known for True South and his acclaimed books—including House of Smoke, the focus of our discussion—John T. shares how growing up in a home steeped in Confederate mythology shaped his early worldview, and how his adult life became an intentional act of rewriting those narratives.

As John T. explains, food is never just food—it’s memory, migration, and the emotional weight of history. He helps us understand how Southern cuisine is deeply rooted in West African traditions, why food becomes a meeting place for shared humanity, and how acknowledging its origins allows us to approach it with honesty and connection. He also opens up about grief, loss, and how emotional reckoning transformed his relationships and his trajectory as a writer and cultural leader.

John T. discusses the rise and collapse of his work with the Southern Foodways Alliance, sharing the humbling lesson of recognizing one’s own power, the pitfalls of hubris, and how accountability and reinvention shaped who he is today. His reflections on resilience—including two life-altering car wrecks—offer a grounded reminder that what matters most is how we choose to act on the other side of adversity.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“Don’t save the word love for the people who are your blood kin. Tell your friends you love them—and why. And mean it.”

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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:

• John T. Edge’s Website
• House of Smoke
• 
  

Produced by NOVA

Professor, speaker, and transformation strategist Dr. Danielle McGeough joins us to explore a powerful reframe that can reshape the way we plan, work, and show up in our lives. Known for her Rise Ritual Method and her podcast “Plan Goal Plan”, Danielle helps high performers reconnect with their core identities, navigate transitions with clarity, and build intentional practices that support real, sustained growth.

Danielle shares how she spent years building the career she thought she wanted—earning her PhD, securing her dream job, and achieving tenure—only to feel unexpectedly flat and disconnected once she arrived. That realization led her to revisit the research she’d been teaching for years on identity and ritual. By infusing her daily life with intentional sensory-driven rituals rather than automated habits, she rediscovered presence, joy, and meaning in the everyday moments.

She breaks down the full Rise Ritual Method:Reflect, Intentionally Plan, Sensory Activation, and Embody the Story—showing us how to use rituals to enter the states we want to inhabit, whether that’s calm, focus, creativity, or presence with our families. Danielle also shares common pitfalls, the importance of designing multiple “versions” of a ritual, and why flexibility and curiosity matter more than perfection.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

“What is your current state and what’s your desired state—and what is one small thing you could do, ideally through sensory activation, to move you closer to that desired state?

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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:

• Learn more about Dr. Danielle McGeough
• Listen to the Plan Goal Plan podcast
• Connect with Danielle on LinkedIn

Produced by NOVA

Pop culture commentator and YouTube creator Gary “Nerdrotic” Buechler joins us for one of the most candid conversations he’s ever shared publicly. Known for his massive presence on YouTube and Rumble, with millions tuning in for his unapologetic takes on fandom and culture. Gary opens up about the long, painful road that came before Nerdrotic. In his new book, Waiting for a Nerdrotic, he traces his story through early addiction, homelessness, crime, and a prison sentence that ultimately reshaped his understanding of freedom.

Gary describes growing up adopted, discovering alcohol and drugs before age 13, and spiraling into burglary to fuel his addiction. Multiple arrests and jail stints eventually led to prison, where recovery began to “seep in.” He shares the moment everything changed, realizing his kids might grow up without a father—and how gratitude, consistency, and rigorous honesty became the pillars of his lasting sobriety.

What began as a hobby podcast recorded in a San Francisco Starbucks grew into Nerdrotic, one of the most influential fandom channels online. Gary explains why authenticity resonated with viewers, how cultural polarization seeped into entertainment, and why he believes fans needed someone to speak up about it. Yet through every challenge—personal or cultural—gratitude remains the mindset that keeps him grounded.

The Biggest Helping: Today’s Most Important Takeaway

"What am I grateful for today? … It’s a mindset, and it works. That’s the thing that clicked for me in recovery that made it work to this very day by the grace of God."

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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:

• Read Waiting for Nerdrotic by Gary Buechler
• Watch Gary’s YouTube channel: Nerdrotic
• Follow Gary on Twitter: @nerdrotics
• Follow Gary on Instagram: @nerdrotic

Produced by NOVA