Asprey - Head Strong

The motivation to write Head Strong came directly from the millions of Bulletproof followers, readers, and listeners who inspire me daily with their questions and comments on Facebook, the Bulletproof website, and on Bulletproof Radio . Im grateful for your time and attention, and promise to fill every minute of it with the very best information that will help you the most. Knowing this work is making such a huge difference inspires me and makes it fun.

In the middle of writing this book, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that really took me out of my game. I used Head Strong techniques to minimize damage and protect my mitochondria, but they alone werent enough. Fortunately, I was opening the worlds highest-end brain-training center. Special thanks to Dr. Drew Pierson, Jenna and Chris Keane, and the entire team at the 40 Years of Zen neurofeedback brain-training institute for putting my brain all the way back together, and for continuing to make it better every time I visit. Without your hard work, I wouldnt have been able to finish the book.

When you get your brain working all the wayand then someits still hard to come up with a complete list of people who have helped you. Should I list all 350 guests who shared their knowledge and experience on Bulletproof Radio ? The 200 lecturers and presenters who graced the audience at the nonprofit Silicon Valley Health Institute (SVHI) with their knowledge? The entire American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine because the physicians there have spent twenty years pushing mitochondrial boundaries?

The short answer is yes, and then some. So thank you.

Dr. Barry Morguelon, thanks for writing the mitochondrial meditation for this book, and for the amazing energy your program and treatments have produced for me. Vishen Lakhiani, founder of Mindvalley, has been really helpful with book launch plans. And thanks to Jenna and Chris Keane for running the quarterly Biohacked curated box, which has so many biohacking toys at a discount for true fans.

Special thanks to Barry Sears, author of the famous Zone Diet, who really helped me double down on polyphenols in his interview on my show. Dr. David Perlmutters many works on the brain have helped countless people think better over the years, and Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic and Dr. David Ludwig of Harvard and Boston Childrens have helped shift the national conversation about fat. Dr. Daniel Amens pioneering work showed me that brain dysfunction isnt a moral failing; its a hardware failure. Dominic DAgostino and Dr. Richard Veech are two leading ketone researchers who came on Bulletproof Radio to share their knowledge. And eternal thanks to Steve Fowkes, author of one of the first books about smart drugs, a book that saved my cognitive function and career years ago, when my mitochondria were not working. Dr. Frank Shallenberger was the first person to publicly sound the alarm bell about early-onset mitochondrial dysfunction (and show how ozone fixes it)and for both of these Im grateful.

Then there are so many people who have helped me learn to effectively share important work using business. Jay Abraham, famous marketing guru, has spent countless hours supporting and mentoring me. Thanks, Jay! Likewise, Joe Polish and his Genius Network have opened doors Id never imagined were there. Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach has helped me learn to focus on what matters most, and Cameron Herald has helped me learn how to operate it. My dear friends JJ Virgin and Mike Koenigs have helped me learn how to be a successful author and marketer. Im inspired every time I get to spend time with the amazing Brendon Burchard. Peter Diamandis and Rick Rubin have each in his own way inspired me to think differently and more deeply. Thanks, guys.

Celeste Fine, my literary agent, must have the most incredible mitochondria in her brainshes amazing. Jodi Lipper, your lightning-fast editing and writing skills were so helpful. Special thanks to the team at Harper Wave, including Sarah Murphy and Julie Will, editors extraordinaire, and Brian Perrin and Victoria Comella, marketing and publicity rock stars.

Team Bulletproof works tirelessly to help literally millions of people, and Im grateful beyond words that they have joined in the mission. Thanks for your extra help, Zak Garcia, Susan Lyon, Karen Huh, Amy Herrera, Genevieve Gunderson, Nikki Hoyrup, and Mary Polzella for helping get Head Strong written. Steven and Kathleen Crandell, thanks for double-checking and testing all the recipes! Kailey and Gedaly, your work helping to get this book in as many hands as possible is so important. Thank you. Kathleen Raferty and Arthur Page, thanks for the illustrations!

Finally, to my wife, Dr. Lana, and kids, Anna and Alan, thank you for all your patience and support while I stayed up late writing Head Strong while still working my day job as CEO of Bulletproof. Dear readers, should you run into my family in person, please thank them for helping Head Strong happen! And thanks, Mom, for your mitochondria... and Dad, thank you too, but not for your mitochondria! Those were all Moms. ;)

Ill be honest with you. After all of these years as a professional biohackerspending hundreds of thousands of dollars hacking my biology and traveling to the ends of the world to seek out the most cutting-edge, extreme, and ancient hacks for improving human performance, I was surprised to learn that it really all comes down to our mitochondria. I never would have imagined the extent to which these billions of tiny bacteria that live in all of us are calling the shots, controlling our energy, brains, and performance and basically determining who we are.

Its shocking, but its also excitingbecause while our mitochondria are controlling us, its entirely possible to take control over them by changing the environment around us. Using the relatively simple techniques that you now know, you can start calling the shots. You can decide how much energy you want to have, how you want to feel, and how you want to treat the people around you.

Since I learned to hack my mitochondria, Ive become more successful, sure, but Ive also become a better person. Im more patient. Im kinder. I have more empathy. And Im more present when Im with the people I loveall because Ive taken control of my mitochondria, and that has made it easier for me to focus on self-improvement.

You now understand your body on a deeper level than ever before. You know what you can do to help your mitochondria work more efficiently and what you can do to slow them down. Every time you turn on a light, take a bite of food, or move your body, you are deciding how to treat your mitochondria and how much power you want to have. Once you experience what its like to have control over your mitochondria instead of vice versa, its hard to ever go back to the way things used to be. I hope you never do. Instead, I hope you enjoy owning this knowledge and the power it gives you over your own destiny. And I hope you decide to do great things with it.

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Dave Asprey is a Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur, a professional biohacker, a New York Times bestselling author, and the creator of Bulletproof Coffee made with butter. He is the host of Bulletproof Radio , the Webby Awardwinning, number oneranked podcast, with 50 million downloads, and is actively pursuing a plan to live at least 180 years. He has been featured on the Today show, Fox News, Nightline , and CNN and in the Financial Times , GQ , Mens Fitness , Rolling Stone , Mens Health , Vogue , Marie Claire , the New York Times , Cosmopolitan , Forbes , and dozens more. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and Seattle, Washington.

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