2% With Michael Easter

Today, Michael covers belonging and how to find it. Belonging is linked to greater happiness and better health outcomes—yet belonging is dwindling today.Here’s an easy way to belong: Become a fan of something or join a group.You’ll learn a strange way I found belonging through fandom, and four research-backed ways to find belonging in an increasingly fragmented, isolated world.Note: I’m in the wilderness for a couple months, so this episode’s audio was generate by AI. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comPost Summary* We’re covering the gear I’m using on my 850-mile hike.* The video above covers the gear I’ll be using along the way and my philosophy on outdoor gear.* Below, I’ve also listed each item, a quick sentence or two on why I’m taking it, and linked to it.Housekeeping* Full access to this post and video is for Members of Two Percent.* Members get access to all our Gear Not Stuff posts and videos and everything else Two Percent offers. Become a Member here:* Thanks to our partners:* Momentous Nutrition: The company that made me feel good about supplements again. They’re researched back and tested for purity because Momentous has contracts with most pro sports leagues and the US Military. My picks: Essential Plant Protein + Daily Multivitamin. Use discount code EASTER for 15% off.* Maui Nui Venison harvests the healthiest meat on planet Earth. 100% wild, ethically-harvested, and delicious. Maui Nui is offering Two Percent readers a limited collection of my favorite cuts and products, like the Sugar-Free Peppered meat stick. Supply is limited because axis deer are wild. Head to mauinuivenison.com/EASTER to secure access.* GOREWEAR. I’m using the hell out of GOREWEAR gear on the trail. Especially the Concurve LE3 Jacket. It’s light, weatherproof, and has a bunch of features that make it ideal for all outdoor runs, hikes, rides, and more. Check it out. EASTER gets you 30% off your first GOREWEAR purchase.The postToday is the second Friday of the month, which means it’s time for Gear Not Stuff.Read more about the idea behind Gear Not Stuff here.* In short: Gear Not Stuff is a framework that helps us make smarter purchasing decisions. Gear has a clear purpose of helping us achieve a higher purpose—a tool we can use to have better experiences.Today’s Gear Not Stuff covers 12 pieces of essential gear I’ll be using on my hike. Watch the video above to learn:* My philosophy on gear for the hike (balancing gear that’s light but not “stupid light”). This is useful for anyone who spends time outdoors.* A deep dive into each item. * An explanation of why I’m using the item.Below, I’ve also listed each item and a sentence or two about why I’m bringing it.Rain jacket: GOREWEAR Concurve LE3Super lightweight, weatherproof, and has brilliant features like a hood that snaps in place when you’re not wearing it (so the hood doesn’t whip about slapping you in the face on windy days). It’s the perfect weatherproof shell for most outdoor excursions and workouts.Link (code EASTER gets you 30% off.)Backpack: ZPacks Arc Haul Ultra EPX 60L + Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60Both packs weigh around two pounds or less. The ZPacks bag is light, durable, waterproof, and comfortable. It doesn’t have many pockets, but that saves weight.The Mariposa will be my backup bag in case I break the ZPacks bag. (The downside of ultralight gear is that it’s more fragile!).Link and linkSleeping “bag”: Enlightened Equipment Revelation 10f quilt + Cumulus Equipment Aerial 330

In May of 2016, Melissa Arnot Reid became the first American woman to summit Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.She has a wonderful new book out called Enough. (I LOVED the book. It’s one of those rare books that pushes you forward from page to page.) Buy it here.The book is about much more than mountaineering and Everest. It’s about Melissa’s fascinating life journey, what pushes us to do great things, why hardship can help us grow, and more (think part Wild and part Into Thin Air). Michael spoke about the book and Melissa’s life, work, and the lessons she’s learned from the mountains. You can watch our conversation at TWOPCT.com or listen here. We covered:* Why Melissa climbs mountains.* How Melissa delineates between discomfort and danger. She explains the wild training strategies she’s used to push herself in training to thrive and stay safer in the world’s highest, most dangerous environments.* Why nature isn’t your competitor, but your best teacher.* What it was like reaching the summit of Mount Everest without oxygen—and what it was like after.* The “arrival fallacy.” We think that by reaching a big goal, we’ll “arrive,” and all will finally be well. But life doesn’t work like that—and that can teach us a lot about growth.* What Melissa learned from her failed attempts on Everest and how they were necessary for her to finally reach the summit without oxygen.* Why mountaineering is a metaphor for life.* How Melissa leveraged the hardships of her childhood to find a suitable path in life.* What Melissa has learned from the Sherpa people of Nepal.* Melissa’s thoughts on the popularity of Mount Everest, whether it’s overcrowded, and how to put that in context (I found this really fascinating given all the media around overcrowding on Everest).* How Melissa learned to get out of her own head.* What her experiences were like mountaineering and guiding, which is a largely male-dominated sport, and advice she’d give women entering male-dominated pursuits.* What men can do to support women in male-dominated fields.* How Melissa trained to climb the biggest mountains in the world.* Melissa’s most indispensable piece of gear not stuff.* Skills that every outdoor person should have. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comWe live in a world where its easier than ever to get information (think Google and ChatGPT).That’s great overall—but easy information is often inaccurate, lacks context, and is easily forgettable. If you want to learn and understand something deeply, there’s a better framework. Michael uses it in his work and breaks it down here. You’ll learn:* Just how much information we now consume (the numbers are … wow).* The upsides and downsides of having so much access to information.* A framework that’s helped Michael get better information and make better decisions.Note that I’m on the trail for a couple months and this episode was generated in advance with AI.

We’re speaking with Alex Hutchinson about his new book The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map.Michael asked Alex 17 questions about exploration—why humans are driven to explore, the benefits of exploration, how exploration is changing, and how we can explore more today.Michael gained so much insight into my own life from Alex’s book and our exchange below, and I hope you will, too.You’ll learn:* Why exploration is critical to being a human.* Why humans are hardwired to seek the unknown.* The truth about dopamine and how it factors into exploration.* Whether humans are unique in our ability to explore.* Another (surprising) animal that is a badass explorer.* How a wild occurrence 50,000 years ago allowed humans to conquer the globe.* Why living well requires pushing yourself into new experiences.* How exploration is changing, and why that’s not necessarily a good thing.* The downsides of technology and how it’s altering the rewards we get from exploration.* Why Alex thinks I should change “Burn The Ships” to “Eat The Camels.”* How endurance and exploration are related (overlaps between Alex’s books).* How writing the book changed Alex’s everyday behaviors (and why those changes led his children to complain about his driving).* How we can explore cities for better experiences.* How you can explore every single day. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael is currently on an 850-ish-mile hike through the desert.He’ll be hiking 20 to 30ish miles a day for the next 45ish days. This post details how he trained for the hike and why this type of training is ideal for being SUPERMEDIUM and improving healthspan and lifespan.He’ll also explain my training philosophy for big events like this.

I’ll be in the wilderness on a hike for the next 45-ish days.Two Percent will run as always—posts and podcasts will go out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while I’m gone. Today’s episode will cover: * The hike I’m doing. * Why I’m doing the hike (a new book!).* What I hope to get out of the hike. * Why adventure matters for us all.* What to expect on Two Percent while I’m in the wilderness (all good stuff!). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comThe Expedition is a monthly journey into thoughts, opinions, ideas, observations, studies, facts, figures, etc.Good ones, insightful ones, interesting ones, weird ones, and ones you can use to live well and long.It’s a roundup of all the worthwhile stuff Michael has discovered in the last month. The Expedition is a bit of an island of misfit toys. But, …

Michael is speaking with Brett McKay, founder of the Art of Manliness and Dying Breed.Brett has spent the last 17 years in the trenches writing and reporting about how to live a richer, more meaningful life by blending timeless wisdom and practical advice.We asked him 26 questions on topics like health and fitness, parenting, testosterone, marriage, books, faith, and more. Topics include:* Why Brett hates video.* The new Dying Breed project.* The best parenting advice Brett has heard.* How Brett stays healthy despite a hectic work and parenting schedule.* Advice for working with your spouse.* Dumb health trends.* Brett’s two favorite exercises.* What Brett learned getting really strong.* The difference between health and performance.* Testosterone replacement therapy.* Brett’s favorite books.* The benefits of being involved in church.* And much more … P.S., Brett also ran a similar interview with me at Dying Breed. Read it here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comToday is the second Friday of the month. Which means it’s time for Gear Not Stuff.Read more about the idea behind Gear Not Stuff here. * In short: Gear Not Stuff is a framework that helps us make smarter purchasing decisions. Gear has a clear purpose of helping us achieve a higher purpose—a tool we can use to have better experiences.Today, Michael is covering home-based technology that can improve your health.We’ve validated all of the items against research—that is to say, this is not some wacky s**t that biohackers hustle. Michael currently use each item.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael explains the optimal body size for different fitness activities.Using your height, you’ll be able to calculate the right weight for your goals. Think of it as a SUPERMEDIUM calculator.Why it matters: The calculator will help you find the right balance of strength and endurance, a key to performance and living longer and better.Go to the post at TWOPCT.com to get the calculator.

Michael’s work as a journalist takes him all around the world—from the streets of Baghdad and jungles of Bolivia to mountaintop monasteries in Bhutan and laboratories in Boston. He wanted a pack system to optimize his travel and keep himself safe.So Michael began working with Justin Kiel—who manages GORUCK’s custom pack division called SCARS—to tweak some of the packs he uses for travel. Justin started cutting, sewing in hidden pockets, tweaking fabrics, and more.After our designs became really, really good, we all got the idea to team up with Huckberry and release some of the designs we’d created.The result is a two-pack system to help you travel more efficiently and safely. We used GORUCK’s 40-liter GR2—big enough for a week of travel—and Bullet—a great day bag.Michael will cover the pack and its features in this episode. You can also win one of the packs if you become a Member in the next 72 hours. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comDid you see Saturday Night Live’s viral CouplaBeers skit? Watch it in the post here.Oddly enough, the skit gets so much right about addiction and bad habits.In fact, it provides a more useful view than that of the medical establishment.In today’s episode, Michael will unpack:* What CouplaBeers gets right about addiction and bad habits.* How bad habits and a…

F3 is an organization of men who gather to exercise together early each morning.It started with a group of guys at a middle school football field in 2011 and has swelled to nearly 100k people in 5169 locations today.Michael spoke to the organization’s current head, Frank Schwartz, to hear about the movement and what we can learn from it.Join us at TWOPCT.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twopct.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.twopct.comMichael just launched a new live show on Substack live called Explore the Edges. Each episode features a fascinating and inspiring guest who can help us live better.Ethan Suplee was our inaugural guest.* Ethan is known for his roles in Remember the Titans, American History X, Blow, Mallrats, Chance, and many more great films and TV shows. Ethan has also gone through major life changes—sobriety, losing 200 pounds, fame—and picked up a lot of battle-tested wisdom along the way. He talks openly about his journey—what it was like, what happened, and what it’s like now. Michael and Ethan chatted about the tactics that finally led Ethan to lose weight, his interesting thoughts on exercise, what he learned from the keto diet, what strategies have helped him most, the acting role that changed him, and more.Today, we’re running Michael’s conversation with Ethan.