Mighty Pursuit Podcast

Body Keeps The Score Author: We Got Trauma All Wrong

The Body Keeps the Score.
The book was published twelve years ago. And yet here we are — it’s 2026, and it’s still sitting on bestseller lists week after week. Not just in psychology. Across all categories.
It has become one of the bestselling books of the modern era. And it didn’t just contribute to the trauma conversation — it defined how an entire generation understands it.
Chances are, you’ve encountered it. Maybe you’ve read it. Maybe someone sent you a quote from it. Maybe its language changed how you understand your own story.
Even if you’ve never opened the book, you’ve felt its impact. Trauma is no longer a clinical term. It’s part of everyday conversation.
But something happened along the way.
As trauma entered the mainstream, nuance didn’t always come with it. Complex biology got reduced to slogans. Healing became aesthetic. Language spread faster than understanding. Truth mixed with myth — and for some people, that confusion has kept them stuck.
Which raises a bigger question: what did we get right? What did we get wrong? And what has the science uncovered since the book was first written?
The man behind the book, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, joins us to revisit these questions.
And he’s not alone.
With him is Dr. Frank Anderson. For two decades, Frank worked inside Bessel’s trauma center — learning, practicing, and refining the science at its source. In many ways, he represents the next chapter of this work. In recent years, his rise has been dramatic, helping bring trauma research into a new generation and a new cultural moment.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is not at the beginning of his career. He’s in its final chapter.
As his public appearances have become more selective, conversations like this have become rare. It’s one of the last opportunities to hear him step back and reflect — not just on what trauma is, but where this work must go next.
Alongside Dr. Anderson, they lay out what may amount to a blueprint for the coming age of trauma healing.
And some of what they say may surprise you.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro2:22 - Sign Up For The Nine3:37 - A Typical Story of Trauma15:04 - Reducing Trauma To Slogans & Myths26:32 - How Trauma Changes The Brain40:48 - Trauma Leads To Physical Illness55:03 - Survival Strategies 1:15:15 - New 2026 Breakthroughs1:30:55 - Psychedelics1:38:14 - EMDR1:42:58 - Why Talk Therapy Can Fail1:53:26 - Trauma Caused By Parents & Family2:06:03 - Bessel’s Final Word on Trauma
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How Science (Finally) Proved The Afterlife

What you’re about to watch has taken eight years to make. Research began in 2018, as we started studying disciplines that almost never speak to each other.
 
Today, we’ll walk through eleven separate scientific fields. Collectively, they span 134 years of modern research — though the roots of their findings stretch back thousands of years. Within each field are serious scientists who have uncovered data that is, at this point, very difficult to ignore.
 
Some researchers have connected parts of the puzzle. But to our knowledge, no one has stepped back and laid it all out in one straight line. That’s what this episode attempts to do.
 
We will not reference religious texts or holy books. Not Christianity. Not Islam. Not Buddhism. Not any religion.
 
That’s what makes this different from almost everything you’ve likely seen on this subject. You’re not getting pseudoscience. You’re not getting dogma. You’re not getting a single narrow perspective. You’re getting the full synthesis.
 
And at the end, we’ll talk about what it actually means.
 
Because if these fields are pointing where they appear to be pointing, the implications for your life are massive.
 
0:00 - 11 Fields, 134 Years of Research
1:33 - Defining Terms
5:08 - Tier 1A Evidence
5:49 - Near Death Studies
17:51 - Hospice Care
24:33 - UFOs
36:05 - Tier 1B Evidence
37:30 - Psychedelics
42:44 - Science of Spirituality
47:27 - Science of Happiness
52:52 - Tier 2 Evidence
54:47 - Spontaneous Remission
1:00:28 - Precognition
1:06:02 - Telepathy
1:08:25 - ADC
1:11:18 - Non Local Memory
1:13:55 - Interpretations
 
Related Episodes:
UFOs: https://youtu.be/pKlrHqJkt38
Hospice Care: https://youtu.be/X_I3h3fruJQ
Near Death Studies: https://youtu.be/m-9o5aFAqrI
Science of Spirituality: https://youtu.be/jDkH6SWvnJ4 
 
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Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/
TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/
X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
 
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An Update From Us...

Sign up for The Nine here: https://www.mightypursuit.com/thenine
The Nine is how we help you stay oriented week to week. 
It brings together the nine core areas of life that actually matter — across mind, body, and spirit — and keeps them in view at the same time.
In a world that constantly pulls your attention everywhere at once, The Nine acts as a weekly lifeline — a way to pause, re-center, and notice what’s drifting before it quietly compounds.
Every week, it does three specific things:
1) It points your attention to the part of life that matter, instead of letting stress, noise, or algorithms decide2) It offers one evidence-based insight — drawn from science, history, spirituality, and lived experience — that brings clarity and perspective3) It suggests one grounded action you can take that day to respond
You’re not meant to master all nine areas at once. You’re meant to pay attention to them honestly, over time.
If you do that — imperfectly, but consistently — you start to thrive.
That’s what The Nine is for. And you'll receive it every Thursday.

Why Women Are Told They Can Only Be One Thing (ft. Neha Ruch)

Everywhere online, you see the extremes.
On one side is the trad-wife trend, painting a flawless picture of family life: dad works, mom stays home, everything is harmonious. A supposed return to how things “always were.” But that picture was a myth. It never truly existed.
In reaction came the backlash. The rise of the girlboss. Women told their value is measured only in ambition, career, and relentless independence. Another rigid extreme.
And maybe you’ve felt caught between them. Both stories loud. Both stories unforgiving. Neither one actually fitting the life you’re living.
The truth is, these binaries are hurting us. They’ve stigmatized the very group that makes up the majority of mothers — women who may want to pause their careers temporarily, step back for a season, or move fluidly between roles without being erased or shamed for it.
That’s why we sat down with Neha Ruch, founder of Mother Untitled and one of the most influential voices redefining what it means to be a woman today. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and across national media. She’s built a movement followed by tens of thousands who are exhausted by false extremes and hungry for a more honest story.
In this conversation, we debunk the myths that have polarized women into rigid categories. More importantly, we explore how to navigate different seasons of life — parenting, career, or both — without losing your sense of identity, ambition, or worth.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro1:58 - The Stigma of Being At Home19:12 - The Stay-At-Home Mom Never Existed38:35 - The Tradwife Hashtag54:50 - Why Neha Decided To Quit Her Job1:08:24 - The Fear Of Never Getting Your Career Back1:23:51 - Power Dynamics With Your Partner1:35:45 - Setting Goals in Motherhood1:49:26 - Creating A New Future
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Neha Ruch Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neha_ruch/Book: https://amzn.to/4jcMZ3h
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com

Dr. Jessica Knurick: Why 76.4% Of Americans Are Chronically Sick

76.4% of Americans are living with at least one chronic disease.
Cancer. Heart disease. Diabetes. Autoimmune disorders. The list goes on. And if you’re living with one of these, you know how devastating it can be — the fatigue, the pain, the emotional toll. Chronic illness reshapes the quality of life in ways most people never see.
What’s hard to ignore is how rapidly this has escalated. Over the last 60 years, chronic disease has exploded. And as more people have woken up to that reality, so has the blame game. Big Food. Big Pharma. The medical system. The government. Much of the criticism is warranted — but outrage alone isn’t enough to solve a problem this complex.
To fix something this big, we first have to understand it. And that’s where things break down. Fact has been mixed with fiction. Bad science circulates faster than good data. People are left overwhelmed, angry, or afraid — without a clear path forward.
If we’re ever going to take back control of our health, we need clarity.
That’s why we sat down with Dr. Jessica Knurick — a registered dietitian, public policy expert, and PhD in nutrition science whose work has reached more than 1.3 million people online. She’s become one of the most trusted voices cutting through misinformation, debunking false claims, and explaining what’s actually driving the modern health crisis.
By the end of this conversation, you’ll understand what’s really behind the chronic disease epidemic — and what it takes to reclaim your health, your energy, and your life.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro1:39 - The Summit on Capitol Hill12:52 - How Ultra Processed Food Made Us Sick42:15 - American Life Is Not Designed for Health48:47 - The Failure of the U.S. Medical System1:02:22 - Health Insurance Companies Make Trillions1:15:35 - Living in the U.S. Shortens Your Life By 8 Years1:34:14 - Analyzing the MAHA Movement1:42:36 - How To Take Back Your Health
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Dr. Jessica Knurick Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjessicaknurick/
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com

Psychoanalyst Dr. Hillary McBride: How Aging Became A Crime

Aging women are worthless. That’s the message culture keeps sending.
Of course, no one says it outright. 
That would be too crude. Too impolite. So instead, it’s communicated through all the little social cues — who gets attention, who gets opportunities, who gets centered, and who gets quietly passed over.
And over time, you start to feel it in your own life. The compliments come less often. The interest shifts. The male gaze doesn’t linger the way it used to. With every birthday that passes, it can feel like you’re losing value.
So you respond the only way that makes sense. Time feels like an army advancing, and you raise your defenses to hold the line. Skincare routines. Workouts. Maybe a little Botox. Maybe something more. Not because you’re vain — but because you’re fighting for survival.
What makes this even more suffocating is that the timeline has been pushed up. What once felt like a concern in your forties now starts in your twenties. Gen Z celebrities are picked apart for “aging badly” before they’ve even finished growing into themselves. 
Millie Bobby Brown, at just twenty-one years old, was told she looks forty.
So what do you do in a world where aging has started to feel like a crime? Where the natural evolution of a body is treated like a personal failure?
To help make sense of this moment, we invited Dr. Hillary McBride into the studio. Hillary is one of the world's leading psychologists working at the intersection of body image and aging. 
With years of clinical experience sitting with women under this exact pressure, she’s uniquely positioned to see the full picture — what’s happening culturally, how it’s shaping us psychologically, and what it actually takes to break free.
This is one of the most comprehensive conversations you’ll hear on this topic. We don’t shy away from the uncomfortable or the taboo. Hillary names this moment with rare precision, and what she suggests comes next deserves serious attention.
0:00 - Intro1:57 - What Culture Tells Aging Women13:51 - Men and Women Experience Aging Differently25:35 - “Aging Badly” Is The Ultimate Fear49:07 - The Pressure To Stay Young In Your 20s54:32 - Gen Z & The Rise of Looksmaxxing1:12:36 - How Social Circles Become Toxic1:22:52 - Aging Can Be Your Liberation1:47:59 - Expanding Your Sense of Self-Worth2:02:11 - The Cost of Appearance Obsession
Related Episodes:https://youtu.be/96Xx5Kll-y8
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Dr. Hillary McBride Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillaryliannamcbride/Books: https://hillarylmcbride.com/books/
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com

20-Year Couples Therapist: Why You Repeat What You Hate

You know the moment. A conversation starts small, almost harmless. And suddenly it’s spiraling. Your reaction feels bigger than the moment. Your partner’s response feels completely disproportionate. And somewhere in the middle of it, you’re wondering: How did we get here again?
Because this isn’t the first time. You’ve had this fight before — maybe with this partner, maybe with someone else. Different details. Same tension. Different words. Same emotional ending.
Afterward, you’re left confused. Why does something so small feel so big? Why do you both react in ways you don’t fully recognize — or even agree with?
Here’s the truth: this isn’t just you. Conflict is normal in every relationship. But decades of research and clinical work show that most people fall into the same unhealthy patterns again and again. Not because they want to — but because something deeper is running the show.
That’s why we sat down with Vienna Pharaon. She’s one of the most influential couples therapists in the world, a bestselling author, and a trusted voice for more than 750,000 people online. After twenty years of sitting with couples in pain, she’s seen the same patterns repeat — and she helps people finally understand what’s underneath the fight so real change can happen.
In this conversation, Vienna takes us beneath the surface. Whether you’re single and trying to understand what went wrong in the past, or in a relationship wondering why the same moments feel so familiar, this episode meets you where you are — and shows you how to break the cycle for good.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro1:31 - The Pattern Underneath A Fight9:53 - Why We Have High Divorce Rates18:52 - Dysfunction on the Dating Scene24:19 - Links Between Childhood & Our Love Life36:30 - The Pursuer-Withdrawer Dynamic1:01:40 - How Small Moments Provoke Big Reactions1:05:05 - Why We Repeat The Things We Hate1:26:14 - Dating While You’re Still In Process1:33:38 - Expressing Your Needs To Your Partner1:45:03 - Words & Phrases That Are Landmines
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Dr. Vienna Pharaon:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmft/Book: https://amzn.to/499RgjBOrigin Wound Quiz: https://1wsm6geg69z.typeform.com/to/d981R7Cl?
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com

Joe Hudson: Why Numbing & Avoidance Will Cost You 2026

There are a small number of people in the world who could flip a switch tomorrow and affect billions of lives.
They sit at the very top of their fields. The people many of us look at and think, if only I could have a sliver of their success.
And when those people need help, they don’t go further into the spotlight. They go to one individual quietly working behind the scenes.
Which raises a simple question: what does someone at that level actually need guidance with?
Here’s the surprising part. They don’t seek help because their problems are bigger than yours. They seek help because they’re dealing with the same ones. Fear. Reactivity. Disconnection. Dysregulated emotion.
The same inner patterns — just playing out at a higher volume, with far greater consequences.
That’s why they turn to Joe Hudson. He’s the founder of The Art of Accomplishment, and what makes his work rare is how he brings together worlds that are usually kept separate. Ambition and inner work. Performance and emotional integration. Achievement and meaning.
Drawing from spiritual, psychological, and neurological practices, Joe works at the level where real change actually happens. Not surface behavior, but the internal patterns that shape everything else.
That’s what makes this conversation different.
If you’re trying to build something — a career, a company, or a life — this episode reveals what has to happen on the inside for it to work on the outside.

Pulitzer Prize Journalist: How Big Food Created Mass Disease & Addiction

In 1999, the CEOs of America’s 11 largest food companies gathered for a private meeting. Coca-Cola. Kraft. Nabisco. General Mills. Direct competitors, sitting at the same table.
They weren’t there to talk profits or market share. They were there to confront the growing evidence that their products were making people sick — fueling addiction and chronic disease on a scale comparable to cigarettes.
By the end of that meeting, they made a decision. They wouldn’t change course. They would double down.
Scientists were hired to perfect the “bliss point.” Marketers were brought in to engineer craving. Psychologists studied how to bypass willpower altogether. And chances are, you’ve felt the cost of that decision — in your own health, or in someone you love.
Today, nearly 60 percent of Americans live with at least one chronic disease. Cancer. Diabetes. Obesity. Heart disease. And the damage isn’t only physical. The same systems that hijack the body also hijack the brain, driving anxiety, depression, and addiction.
With so much speculation and misinformation around this topic, we needed someone who could tell the story truthfully — without conspiracy, and without spin.
That’s why we sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss, author of the New York Times bestsellers Salt Sugar Fat and Hooked. For years, he’s investigated the food labs, boardrooms, and marketing strategies of Big Food — tracing exactly how these systems were built, and why they persist.
Together, we created one of the most comprehensive conversations you’ll find on this subject. A clear, linear look at what’s happening, how it’s affecting you, and what it actually takes to begin reclaiming your agency.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro2:01 - The Secret 1999 Meeting11:04 - How Ultra Processed Food Leads To Disease & Addiction31:22 - What Happens Behind Closed Doors1:10:15 - How Big Food Copied Cigarette Companies1:21:53 - Where is the Government in This?1:26:41 - Defeating Big Food
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Michael Moss Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelcmoss/X: https://x.com/MichaelMossCSalt, Sugar, Fat (Book): https://amzn.to/4s6LGH7Hooked (Book): https://amzn.to/4pObS88
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com

Ivy League Scientist: We Discovered Humans Are Built to Sense God

Maybe you’ve heard people talk about hearing God’s voice or feeling a higher presence — and your first reaction is to roll your eyes. Or maybe you’ve had a moment like that yourself but never known what to make of it. You’re skeptical, but curious.
The truth is, this topic makes people uncomfortable. It’s loaded with religious baggage and often framed as anti-intellectual. But what if — scientifically — it’s real?
That’s why we sat down with Dr. Lisa Miller — an Ivy League scientist, bestselling author, and one of the pioneers in mapping the spiritual brain. Her research proves what skeptics have long dismissed and what seekers have quietly known all along: that we are biologically wired for spirituality. And if that’s true, it changes everything.
In this episode, we explore what happens when you make regular connection with a higher power part of your life. This conversation isn’t about dogma or religion — it’s about what it means to live with rhythms of connection that shape how you move through the world, how you handle suffering, and how you experience joy.
Even if you’re skeptical, this conversation matters. Because if the science is right, it may be the most important capacity you carry inside you.
Chapters:0:00 - Intro2:14 - The Emerging View of Consciousness14:56 - Experiences with Divine Guidance30:49 - Passive Experiences vs. Activating Them43:35 - The Nature of God52:53 - Nontraditional Ways of Connection1:00:50 - Synchronicities, Dreams & Imagination1:11:36 - Relational Spirituality
Mighty Pursuit Links:Website: https://www.mightypursuit.comInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mightypursuit/TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@mightypursuit/X: https://x.com/MightyPursuit
Dr. Lisa Miller Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.lisamiller/Awakened Brain:  https://amzn.to/4dhiTIZ
For business inquiries: hello@mightypursuit.com