I Walked a Marathon a Day for 45 Days | Dr. Andy Galpin Made Me His Lab Rat

A year ago, Michael Easter walked 850 miles across southern Utah in 45 days — about a marathon every day. Dr. Andy Galpin turned him into a lab rat, studying his body before, during, and after his 45 days in the desert. What he found surprised both of them. In this episode, Michael sits down with …

Comfort is a Trap: Adventure is the Way to Freedom & Fulfillment

Adventure has been engineered out of modern life, and we're paying for it in ways we don't even realize. In this episode of Two Percent, Michael Easter sits down with two guests who have decentered optimization. First up: Jay Carson, a former Clinton communications director and Hollywood writer (H…

Brian Koppelman: How a Hollywood Writer Got Fit at 60, Beat Anxiety & Outworked Resistance

What does it take to get genuinely strong, healthy, and creatively alive in your late 50s — while having one of the most demanding jobs in Hollywood? Brian Koppelman is the writer behind Rounders, Ocean’s 13, and the seven-season hit show Billions. He also helped discover and promote the singer so…

Eating 1,000 Sardines in a Month + The Cheapest Grocery Store in America | Dr. Nick Norwitz & George Kamel

What happens when you eat 8 cans of sardines everyday for 30 days? For one doctor, his omega-3 levels hit numbers usually only seen in dolphins, his body fat dropped below 7%, and a smell he couldn't shake put a strain on his relationship. Host Michael Easter sits down with Dr. Nick Norwitz (Oxfor…

Why Most Habit Change Fails (And How to Break the Addiction Cycle)

Sobriety isn't just "not drinking"—it's learning how to live without needing relief on demand. In this episode, Michael Easter sits down with therapist Ryan Soave (18+ years sober) for a sweeping conversation on why addiction often acts like a solution to deeper pain, how fear and shame quietly run…

Why Dogs Make You Healthier: A Navy SEAL + Researcher on the hidden science of pet ownership

Dogs don’t just make us happy—they change how we live. Michael Easter talks with former Navy SEAL and writer Sam Alaimo about why dogs pull us back into the present, create purpose, and help us rebuild after our toughest moments. Then researcher Dr. Nancy Gee (director of a human–animal interactio…

Why More Freedom Is Making You Miserable | David Epstein on Constraints

What if everything you believe about freedom is wrong? Author David Epstein joins Michael Easter to break down why constraints — not freedom — drive better work, better wellness, and better creativity. Epstein is the bestselling author of Range and The Sports Gene, and his new book Inside the Box…

The Subtraction Mindset: How To Get More By Doing Less | Dr. Leidy Klotz

A 3-year old beat a PhD engineer at an engineering problem while playing legos—and that single moment kicked off a decade of research that exposed one of the strongest, most underrated biases in the human brain: we almost never subtract. This week, Michael sits down with Dr. Leidy Klotz — Universi…

Meth, Fentanyl, and the Power of Hard Work Without Fanfare

More than 100,000 Americans die of drug overdose every year. The solution—or at least part of it—might be dorky as hell. Sam Quinones spent 12 years reporting on America’s drug crisis and how — heroin, fentanyl, meth have reshaped the country. In this episode, l he unpacks how Mexican cartels repl…

Find Joy in Any Job: Lessons from a Top Doctor and a Vagabond

Is work supposed to feel this miserable? In this episode, Michael Easter sits down with two people who answer the question from opposite ends of the spectrum: one who found deep fulfillment inside the system, and one who walked away from it entirely. First, Dr. Mim Ari, an internist and associate…