The Reaching Higher Podcast

Re-posting this episode with Michigan State Senator and 2026 US Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow who brings a refreshing, no-bullshit approach to politics — one rooted not in law school, but in industrial design. In this candid conversation, Mallory shares how her Notre Dame design background shaped her problem-solving mindset, her mother's powerful example of faith-in-action over performative religion, and the now-viral 2022 Senate floor speech that changed everything. She unpacks her new book, Hate Won't Win, a part memoir, part step-by-step blueprint for everyday Americans who want to drive real civic change — including why she urges people to ditch cable news and online petitions in favor of genuine community engagement. Mallory also opens up about appearing on The Daily Show, taking calls from President Biden, and her vision for a "new American dream" built on success, safety, and sanity. An inspiring, honest, and laugh-out-loud conversation you won't want to miss.📘 Hate Won't Win by Mallory McMorrow — Amazon 🗳️ McMorrow for Michigan (campaign site) — mcmorrowformichigan.com 📺 Mallory McMorrow on The Daily Show with Desi Lydic 🏛️ Mallory McMorrow's viral 2022 Michigan Senate floor speech 🎭 Kyra Harris Bolden — Michigan Supreme Court Justice (recommended future podcast guest) 🌐 Emerge America — training program for Democratic women candidates

What happens when your professional mission and your deepest personal loss become the same thing? Phyllis Barkman Ferrell — former Eli Lilly executive, global health architect, and relentless Alzheimer’s advocate — knows firsthand. Six months after taking over Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease portfolio in 2011, her father was diagnosed. Eighteen months later, her father-in-law was too. That loss became the fuel for a 30-year career and, ultimately, the reason she walked away from a major drug launch to go fix a broken system.In this episode, Phyllis breaks down the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia, explains why amyloid plaque builds up 10–20 years before symptoms appear, and shares the science-backed steps — sleep, diet, exercise, social connection — that can prevent up to 42% of dementias. She also talks about building the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative from a blank sheet of paper, launching the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s Moonshot, and why one drug will never be the silver bullet. Plus: does Wordle actually help your brain? She answers that too.In This EpisodeAlzheimer’s vs. dementia — and why getting the language right mattersThe 10–20 year preclinical window and the PET scan breakthrough that changed everythingWhy only 50% of people with Alzheimer’s ever get a diagnosisBuilding the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative across 80 sites in 19 countriesThe Alzheimer’s Moonshot: 50+ startups racing to solve the puzzle togetherThe 2024 Lancet Commission’s brain health protocol — and why sleep is the most underrated interventionJames Keach, Earth Wind & Fire, and the podcast about poisoners with cocktail recipesShow LinksPhyllis Barkman Ferrell on LinkedInDavos Alzheimer’s CollaborativeStartUp Health Alzheimer’s MoonshotAlzheimer’s Association — Find Your Local ChapterI’ll Be Me — Glenn Campbell Alzheimer’s Documentary

What if the most powerful tool for your mental and physical health has been with you your entire life? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Charlie Baldwin, a certified breathing instructor with the Art of Living — a global wellness organization founded in 1981, now active in over 185 countries.During this episode, Charlie shares his remarkable journey from a college student battling depression and nearly dropping out, to a transformative breath work teacher at universities and retreat centers worldwide. Together, Aaron and Charlie explore the science behind SKY Breathing, how your breath serves as a biological lever for your emotions, and how to bring even the most skeptical people into the practice.Show Links:Art of Living Foundation - https://www.artofliving.org/ SKY Breathing Overview - https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/sky-breath-meditation Charlie Baldwin demonstrating "UJAI" breah - https://youtube.com/shorts/Jb4Bph9MX20

What if the most powerful cancer-fighting tools aren't found in a pharmacy, but in your daily habits? In this episode, Aaron sits down with Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, a pioneer in integrative oncology who has spent nearly 30 years at MD Anderson Cancer Center blending conventional cancer care with evidence-based lifestyle interventions.Dr. Cohen introduces us to the "Mix of Six" — six lifestyle pillars that can meaningfully reduce cancer risk — and explains why how you sleep, eat, move, and connect may be just as important as any treatment protocol. It's a conversation that will genuinely change how you think about your health.Resources & Links:📖 Anticancer Living: Transform Your Life and Health with the Mix of Six — Get the book🌿 Alison Jefferies, wellness coach & co-author — Living Well with Alison🔬 Learn more about Biofield Therapy — Phenomena Healing📄 Peer-reviewed study on Biofield Therapy and cancer — Wiley Oncology Journal📰 Biofield Therapy slows pancreatic cancer progression — Business Wire Study Announcement🌳 EWG -- https://ewg.org 🛸 https://www.phenomena.com/🛸 https://www.phenomena.com/

In this special crossover episode, Aaron trades his usual hosting chair for the guest seat alongside "Joyosity" author Jenn Whitmer — and the two are interviewed by none other than bestselling author and Non-Obvious Company founder Rohit Bhargava. What unfolds is a rich, candid conversation about two books, two missions, and one shared conviction: that humanity — joy, purpose, belonging, and genuine human connection — is the most powerful differentiator in an age of accelerating technology.What We CoverJoy at work isn't soft — it's strategic. Jenn makes the case that joy doesn't belong on the sidelines of business; it belongs at the center. She draws from occupational psychology research to show that when leaders prioritize joy — defined by three markers: feeling fortunate in your work, a sense of connection and belonging, and a sense of purpose — they unlock exactly the business results that number-crunchers care about.The cultural myth of "earning" joy. Why do so many people feel they don't deserve joy at work? Jenn traces it back to deep-seated Western cultural stories around productivity and worthiness. Her framework — the Joy Ratio — argues we should spend 35% of our time in joyful work and no more than 10% in toil, and that toil, not work itself, is joy's true opposite.Why Aaron left "AI" out of his book title. Aaron shares the deliberate thinking behind Wired for Purpose — why he chose to anchor his message in humanity rather than technology, even as a longtime early adopter, and what the physiological evidence says about calm under pressure, gratitude, and giving before you get.Purpose in an age of tribalism. Aaron discusses why it's especially hard to find purpose right now — personally, professionally, and politically — and why he believes it starts with self-happiness before it can radiate outward to others.Remote work and the joy of belonging. Can hybrid and remote teams still cultivate genuine connection? Jenn says yes — but only with intentionality. Companies that do it best, she notes, find ways to gather people physically at least once a year, even at small scale.Community building as a competitive advantage. Rohit reflects on Aaron's long track record of investing in communities — and Aaron unpacks the philosophy behind it, including how 50 one-on-one conversations with someone in need ultimately built a thriving, reciprocal community around his work.What they'd change about their books. Both authors get refreshingly honest: Aaron reflects on a healthcare chapter that went more technical than he'd have liked, and Jenn admits she may have included too many "how to do it" options — a teacher's instinct she couldn't quite suppress.The power of storytelling. The conversation closes on why stories are the engine of every great business book — from Jenn opening Joyosity on the couch the day she was fired, to Aaron's belief that the business books that last are the ones that feel like something more.Links & Resources📘 Wired for Purpose by Aaron Strout — https://getwiredforpurpose.com📘 Joyosity by Jenn Whitmer — https://jennwhitmer.com/books | Amazon -- https://www.amazon.com/Joyosity-Art-Cultivating-Joy-Work/dp/1646872851📘 Non-Obvious Thinking by Rohit Bhargava — https://nonobvious.com🎙 The Non-Obvious Show (Rohit's podcast) — https://nonobvious.com/podcast/🎙 The Joyosity Podcast (Jenn's podcast) — https://jennwhitmer.com/joyosity-podcast🔗 Ted Rubin (mentioned by Aaron) — https://tedrubin.com

Aaron and Justin cover a remarkable amount of ground, from Justin's early days as a clinical teaching fellow at Georgetown (where he and Aaron first crossed paths) to his decision to quit a stable law professorship and launch the California Innocence Project in 1999. Justin explains what compelled him to visit a young woman on death row in Illinois who claimed innocence — and how that single visit changed the trajectory of his life.They dig into the Brian Banks case — the 17-year-old who took a plea deal for a crime he didn't commit — and how that story became a Hollywood film with Greg Kinnear playing Justin. The conversation turns to why media (movies, podcasts, docu-series) has been essential to shifting public understanding of wrongful conviction, and how the innocence movement has grown from a handful of organizations worldwide to 66 projects in the U.S. alone.Justin shares candidly about the emotional cost of this work — the wins that feel incredible and the losses that stack up — and the self-care practices that have kept him going: daily exercise, a lifelong vegetarian diet, HGTV, and a 270-year-old stone cottage in northern England.Show Links:Justin on Instagram and TikTok: @JustinOBrooksJustin's book website: https://youmightgotoprison.comCalifornia Innocence Project: https://californiainnocenceproject.orgLatin America innocence resource site: https://:innocente.orgNew book (pre-order on Amazon): Collateral Damage by Justin Brooks and Zach Brooks: https://www.amazon.com/Collateral-Damage-Sacrificing-Liberty-Criminal/dp/0520413776