The Metabolic Compass™ Podcast

<p>The Metabolic Compass™ Podcast helps you decode your body’s signals and recalibrate your biology using a proven 4-direction framework—Nurture, Energize, Strengthen, and Withdraw. Rooted in cutting-edge science and real-life application, each episode guides you toward lasting health, resilience, and purpose.</p>

Episode 034 — The Compass Approach to Women’s Health, Hormones & Cycles

If you’ve ever followed a plan perfectly and felt worse, you’re not “too sensitive”—you’re cyclical. Most health advice ignores the female rhythm and the way hormones shape metabolism, stress tolerance, recovery, and sleep across the month. In this episode, Brandon shows how to work with your cycle instead of fighting it: why some trends (aggressive fasting, late-luteal HIIT, constant low-carb) backfire, how each phase changes what your body needs, and how the Compass (Nurture → Energize → St...

10-17
30:34

Episode 033 — Your Immune System Isn’t Overreacting — It’s Overwhelmed

If you’ve been told your immune system is “overreacting,” here’s the reframe: it’s overwhelmed and doing its best. In this episode, Brandon explains why immune dysregulation is usually a coordination problem—not a willpower problem—and how miscommunication across the gut–liver axis, mitochondria, circadian rhythm, and nervous system keeps you stuck in flares. You’ll learn how to spot immune overload in real life (fatigue, flares, “catching everything,” histamine reactions), why chronic suppre...

10-15
25:32

Episode 032 — Gut vs. Mitochondria: How to Know Where Your Symptoms Are Coming From

Is it your gut—or your mitochondria? Picking the right starting point can save months of effort. We map gut-driven vs. mito-driven patterns; how butyrate and mitochondrial signaling cross-talk; and how layered drift happens. Then we teach you to triage with patterns (meals vs. exertion, fasting response, stool changes) and a minimalist set of tests (stool panel, zonulin, calprotectin; OAT, lactate:pyruvate, HRV; plus ferritin, B12/MMA, hs-CRP, fasting insulin/glucose). 🎯 Take the Drift Quiz: ...

10-08
27:35

Episode 031 — Rewiring a Burned-Out Nervous System: What Actually Works

Feeling wired but tired, fragile, or checked out? This episode explains nervous system burnout and how to rewire it. We cover the gatekeeper role of the nervous system, real-life signs of burnout, why common advice backfires, how to create a daily rewiring window (predictability, slowness, breath, orientation, HRV awareness), tools that actually help (NSDR/Yoga Nidra, weighted blankets, glycine/magnesium, morning light, L-theanine/taurine), what to avoid during repair, and where this work fit...

10-06
28:16

Episode 030 — The Sleep Reset Blueprint (Even If You’ve Tried Everything)

If you’re still wired at night or waking at 3AM, you don’t need more hacks—you need alignment. This episode reframes sleep as a signal cascade, not a behavior. We cover circadian and ultradian rhythms, the brain’s glymphatic “night crew,” evening mistakes that backfire (even “healthy” ones), morning anchors (sunlight, movement, breakfast, caffeine delay), wind-down rituals your nervous system learns to trust, and what to do when sleep still won’t come (NSDR/Yoga Nidra). You’ll learn Sleep as ...

10-03
31:11

Episode 029 - Why Order Matters More Than Motivation

Tired of doing “everything right” and still feeling stuck? You’re not broken—you’re out of sequence. In this episode, Brandon explains why order matters more than motivation and how The Metabolic Compass (Nurture → Energize → Strengthen → Withdraw) turns effort into results. We cover the Compass hierarchy, why skipping steps backfires, and how to identify the right entry point using the Drift Quiz. You’ll learn: You’re not stuck—you’re out of sequence (direction over discipline) Biology respo...

10-01
25:46

Episode 028 - The Withdraw Reset — Clear the Static and Come Back Online

If you feel flat, fried, and fragile—even while doing everything “right”—your Withdraw domain may be off. This is the quiet shutdown: epigenetic dysfunction, clogged autophagy, and broken cellular communication. In this episode, Brandon maps a **Withdraw Reset** that reduces interference so your systems can hear again. You’ll learn core tools (butyrate/BIOMEnd®, zinc carnosine, glutamine, ImmunoLin®, quercetin/EGCG, fiber blends), movement for lymph & reconnection, circadian scaffol...

09-29
32:59

Episode 027 - The Strengthen Reset: Rebuild Repair, Defense, and Resilience

Feeling slower to heal, more fragile, or less responsive to training—even with ‘normal’ labs? You might be in **Strength Drift**. In this episode, Brandon lays out **The Strengthen Reset**—how to rebuild repair, defense, and resilience systems so your body can adapt again. We cover the three hallmarks that quietly erode strength (telomere attrition, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion), the nutrients that restore signal and structure (omega-3s, collagen+glycine, creatine, Urolithin A, s...

09-26
32:52

Episode 026 - The Energize Reset: How to Restore Fuel, Flexibility, and Focus

If you feel wired and tired, foggy after meals, and stuck in a crash cycle—this reset is for you. Brandon lays out the **Energize Reset**: restore metabolic flexibility and realign your energy systems by fixing the control panel—not slamming the power button. You’ll learn how mitochondrial readiness, protein quality control (proteostasis), and nutrient sensing (AMPK↔mTOR) interact; why circadian rhythms and caffeine timing matter; how movement can **recharge** instead of deplete; and simple t...

09-24
34:22

Episode 025 - How to Rebuild the Nurture Domain—When You’re Fried, Fragile, and on Edge

Fried. Fragile. On edge. When the Nurture domain drifts, “more hacks” make things worse. In this practical episode, Brandon maps a calm‑first rebuild: stabilize the gut–liver–immune axis, use targeted nutrition (butyrate/BIOMEnd®, zinc carnosine, glutamine, immunoglobulins, EGCG/quercetin), and restore rhythm (morning light, delayed caffeine, HRV/vagal tone, sleep depth). Then tie it together with a 2‑week Nurture Reset that’s doable—even when your system is on high alert. What we cover: • Wh...

09-22
34:57

Episode 024 - The Withdraw Breakdown: Autophagy, Epigenetics, and Cellular Static

When your biology is overwhelmed, it doesn’t always crash—it clogs. In this episode, Brandon breaks down the **Withdraw** domain: epigenetic alterations, disabled macroautophagy, and altered intercellular communication—why they’re the quiet source of brain fog, flat mood, and ‘clogged’ recovery—and how to restore clarity without overcorrecting. What we cover: • What Withdraw drift feels like (foggy but wired, numb but inflamed) • Epigenetic alterations: reading the wrong ‘pages’ and how to re...

09-19
33:21

Episode 023 - The Strengthen Breakdown: Repair, Defense, and Why Your Body Gets ‘Stuck’ in Maintenance

Recovery that takes too long. Injuries that linger. Feeling fragile without a diagnosis. In this episode, Brandon maps the **Strengthen** domain—your body’s repair, defense, and resilience systems—and why they drift when Nurture and Energize are already off. You’ll learn how telomere attrition, cellular senescence, and stem cell exhaustion quietly erode your ability to bounce back—and exactly how to rebuild it. What we cover: • Telomeres: your DNA’s “shoelace caps”—what shortens them and how ...

09-17
30:51

Episode 022 - The Energize Breakdown: Mitochondria, Protein Stress, and Broken Fuel Signals

Feeling tired but wired—even when you sleep, eat clean, and try to do everything right? In this episode, Brandon maps the **Energize** domain: how mitochondria, protein stress, and broken fuel signals create fatigue long before labs go “abnormal.” You’ll learn how to rebuild energy by restoring **signal trust**, not just adding more effort. What we cover: • Signals vs. fuel: why you can feel drained with plenty of stored energy • Mitochondria as **sensors**, not just engines—fusion, fission, ...

09-15
26:38

Episode 021 - The Nurture Breakdown: Inflammation, Gut Dysfunction, and DNA Damage

If your gut is off, your immune system overreacts, and you’re inflamed—but your labs still say you’re “fine,” this episode is your map. Brandon breaks down the Nurture domain—the biology of safety—and how gut dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and genomic stress form a loop that quietly pulls your health off course. You’ll learn to spot the early whispers (not just symptoms), understand why traditional labs miss them, and use Compass-aligned moves to rebuild. What we cover: • Your body’s firs...

09-12
27:05

Episode 020 - Before You Fast, Detox, or Biohack—Do This First

Going harder isn’t the answer—going in the right order is. In this episode, Brandon explains why fasting, detox protocols, and popular biohacks backfire when stacked on an unstable system, and how to use The Metabolic Compass to build readiness first so those tools finally work. You’ll learn: • The cost of starting in the wrong place (why stress before safety stalls progress) • The real purpose of biohacking (signal-first, not stack-first) • Why Nurture comes first (gut–liver axis, inflammati...

09-10
28:05

Episode 019 - When the Alarm Won’t Turn Off—Histamine Intolerance & The Metabolic Compass

If wine, aged cheese, or leftovers leave you flushed, itchy, stuffy, or sprinting to the bathroom, you’re not just “sensitive.” You’re likely hitting your histamine budget. In this episode, Brandon maps histamine through The Metabolic Compass so you know exactly where to start—and in what order—to quiet the alarm. You’ll learn: • What histamine is and how your gut–liver axis sets your baseline clearance • Why glucose swings and redox stress can amplify histamine sensations • The four receptor...

09-08
25:53

Episode 018 - What to Eat First in the Morning to Stop the Crash Cycle

Your first bite is a message—not just a meal. In this episode, Brandon shows how leading with protein + fiber (before caffeine) anchors cortisol, flattens glucose swings, and stops the crash cycle that drives cravings, fog, and afternoon slumps. You’ll get simple templates for a quick shake or a 5‑minute plate—and why a BIOMEnd® + fiber shake is a strong option if you’re not hungry in the morning. What we cover: • Why skipping/mistiming breakfast creates invisible energy debt • What not to ea...

09-05
26:21

Episode 017 - Why Morning Light May Be the Most Powerful Hormone Reset Tool You’re Ignoring

Not a supplement. Not a device. Just light. In this episode, Brandon breaks down why morning light is your most powerful—and most overlooked—hormone reset. You’ll learn how a simple daily light cue stabilizes cortisol, sets melatonin’s clock, boosts serotonin, and recalibrates the gut–liver–brain axis. What we cover: • Light as a biological command, not just vision • The SCN (your master clock) and why timing beats willpower • Cortisol Awakening Response done right (and what blunts it) • Mela...

09-03
29:23

Episode 016 - Butyrate: The Most Underrated Molecule in Human Health

Butyrate might be the most underrated molecule in human health. In this episode, Brandon explains how butyrate stabilizes signals across the gut–liver axis, mitochondria, and immune tone—why many people don’t feel much from older forms—and how improved bioavailability changes outcomes. You’ll learn: • What butyrate does (gut barrier, immune calibration, mitochondrial support, redox balance) • Endogenous vs. supplemental butyrate—and where each shines • Practical use cases: cravings, energy st...

09-01
32:04

Episode 015 - The Only Labs That Actually Matter: And How to Read Them Yourself

Most people hear “your labs are normal” and still feel awful. In this episode, Brandon shows you how to read labs like a Compass—so you can spot drift early, not just chase diagnoses later. You’ll learn which biomarkers actually matter, what “normal vs. optimal” really means, and how each lab maps to the Compass domains so you can act with clarity. What we cover: • Why normal labs can still signal dysfunction • A Compass-based approach to interpreting bloodwork • Nurture labs: hs-CRP, zonulin...

08-29
36:46

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