Episodes

Anthony Scamardella joins Michael Chernow for a powerful conversation about Adderall addiction, ADHD, prescription stimulant abuse, recovery, mental health, and rebuilding your life through movement. Anthony shares how a legitimate Adderall prescription spiraled from 40mg a day to as much as 300mg on his worst days, including crushing and snorting pills, doctor shopping across multiple states, barely sleeping, spending tens of thousands of dollars, and eventually reaching a point where he needed...

Tyler Noyes joins Michael Chernow for a raw conversation about childhood trauma, entrepreneurship, burnout, breathwork, success, and rebuilding your life. Tyler opens up about being told by his father at seven years old that he would “never amount to anything,” and how that pain became fuel for decades of achievement. He also shares the terrifying reality of building Kalahari Biltong, losing expected funding during COVID, carrying a $500,000 personally guaranteed line of credit, and searching fo...

In this Monday Moment, Michael Chernow shares some of his biggest everyday pet peeves—and the small habits that can say a lot about who you are. From bathroom etiquette and making your bed to dinner-party manners, seat belts, dirty dishes, and showing up empty-handed, Michael breaks down the unwritten rules he thinks every adult should know. He also explains how hearing the things that bothered his wife ultimately helped him become more considerate and improve their relationship. It’s a funny bu...

Modern dating has changed completely, and Ayesha Sehra, founder of Coffee and a Good Date, has a front-row seat to what men and women are actually looking for. She and Michael Chernow break down dating apps, modern matchmaking, why men approach women less, what women want in men, provider energy, attraction, age preferences, and the endless-options problem that makes commitment harder today. They also discuss why dating apps and social media can create the feeling that someone better is always o...

Sometimes asking for help is the strongest thing you can do — but there are also moments when it’s just you and God. In this Monday Moment, Michael Chernow reflects on how sobriety taught him to ask for help, while also learning that some battles require you to keep moving even when nobody else is moving with you. He breaks down the difference between your automatic first thought and the second thought you actually have the power to control. Michael also explains why changing your language from ...

In this episode, Michael Chernow sits down with Dr. Sagan Schultz, co-founder and CEO of Sonata, to talk about the future of preventative healthcare and why personalized, doctor-led medicine may be what traditional healthcare has been missing. They break down everything from advanced blood work, whole genome sequencing, epigenetics, DEXA scans, VO2 max, visceral fat, and clinical AI to the downside of obsessing over sleep scores, wearables, and health tracking. Michael and Sagan also get into th...

In this Monday Moments episode, Michael Chernow gets real about one of the most universal—and somehow still embarrassing—parts of being human: farting. Michael shares the hilarious moment he first farted in front of his wife on a trip to Mexico and how it became an unexpected relationship milestone. From marriage and relationships to getting comfortable enough to completely be yourself, sometimes the little moments say more than we realize. Michael’s message is simple: everybody poops, everybody...

Laura Pastor is a breast cancer survivor, yoga and meditation teacher, author, hospice volunteer, and certified death doula who has spent years sitting with people near the end of their lives. In this conversation with Michael Chernow, Laura shares what cancer taught her about resilience, why movement and humor became medicine, and what dying people reveal about what actually matters in life. They also get into parenting through depression, overcoming adversity, spirituality, faith, meditation, ...

What you do when nobody is watching may be the clearest reflection of who you’re becoming. In this Monday Moment, Michael Chernow breaks down why your morning routine, daily habits, discipline, and private decisions directly impact your confidence and success. He also gets vulnerable about the stress of running Kreatures of Habit and how the pressure of being a founder and CEO started to become debilitating. Michael explains why building strong routines and rituals gives him the confidence to ke...

Nick Walker joins Michael Chernow for a raw conversation about discipline, childhood trauma, ultra running, therapy, and the pursuit of hard things. Nick opens up about training for the Leadville 100, why he intentionally puts himself through suffering, and what running has taught him about who he really is. The conversation turns deeply personal as Nick discusses trauma therapy, EMDR, growing up around instability, and why he remembers so little of his childhood. He also shares his earliest mem...

What actually makes content go viral, and why does so much content fail? Zachary Cummings joins Michael Chernow to break down viral content strategy, podcast growth, social media marketing, and the years of testing that helped grow The Journey Podcast to millions of followers across platforms. Zach shares how posting four times a day for months led to his first viral breakthrough, why understanding human emotion matters more than chasing the algorithm, and how his work with Michael generated mil...

Gabe Snow joins Michael Chernow for one of the most raw and vulnerable conversations we’ve had on the podcast. Gabe opens up about childhood trauma, grief, addiction, steroid abuse, losing himself behind a seemingly glamorous lifestyle, and the moment he realized he needed to change. He shares how years of anabolic steroid use contributed to a shocking heart diagnosis, including discovering that his LAD artery was 40% blocked at just 34 years old. They also dive into body image, self-worth, nerv...

Brent Richard joins Michael Chernow to break down the habits, discipline, and sacrifices that completely changed his life. From waking up at 4AM and discovering the massive productivity advantage of owning the early morning hours, to building an audience of more than 200,000 people and creating Early Dad, Brent explains why consistency beats motivation every time.They also dive into what it actually means to be a present father, why chasing money can come at the expense of your family, and how o...

In this episode of The Michael Chernow Podcast, Michael sits down with Alexander Stein for an unfiltered conversation about disordered eating, body dysmorphia, fitness obsession, and the struggles men rarely talk about. Alex shares how his relationship with food began changing at just eight years old and eventually became decades of restriction, over-exercising, coffee, and one meal a day. At his lowest point, he was 6'2" and 140 pounds, yet still struggled to recognize how unhealthy he had beco...

In this Monday Moments episode, Michael Chernow reflects on five years of building Kreatures of Habit and the lessons he has learned from 16 years of entrepreneurship. Michael opens up about the highs and lows of running a business, the stress of raising money, the resilience it takes to keep going, and the abnormal optimism required to build something that actually lasts. He also shares a powerful moment from his 22-year sobriety anniversary run, where he found gratitude, grace, and a deeper r...

Michael Chernow shares the raw story of how childhood trauma led him into addiction at just 12 years old and eventually brought him within inches of losing his life. After surviving a heroin overdose, Michael returned to using only hours later because he still didn’t know how to stop. Everything changed when one phone call connected him with the mentor who gave him the structure, discipline, faith, and support required to rebuild his life. Now 21 years sober, Michael explains why asking for help...

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After being told at just 13 years old that she likely wouldn’t survive her teenage years, Ashleigh Di Lello refused to accept the future doctors predicted for her. Years later, after a failed hip surgery left her unable to walk and living with debilitating chronic pain, she reached another breaking point that changed the direction of her life.In this episode, Ashleigh explains how she began studying neuroscience, nervous-system regulation and the connection between physical, mental and emotional...

Michael Chernow and Mattiy Christofferson sit down inside an RV after six exhausting days on the road launching the Kreatures of Habit Daily Bar at Sprouts stores across the West Coast.In this raw, off-the-cuff conversation, they break down the reality of building a company, the pressure founders feel when comparing themselves to massive brands, and why obsession is often required to succeed. They also discuss delegation, maintaining momentum, creating your own luck, and learning to accept that ...

Michael Chernow opens up about growing up in an unsafe home, searching for a father figure, and how that vulnerability led him into the hands of a predator. He shares the confusion, shame, addiction, and anger that followed, and why he believes parents need to be more aware of who has access to their children. This conversation also goes into his near-death experience with heroin, the moment that finally pushed him toward sobriety, and the mentor who helped him rebuild his life. Now 21 years sob...

In this episode, Michael Chernow opens up about the moment he realized his habits were destroying his life and how discipline became the foundation for everything he has built since.From addiction, violence, and losing control to sobriety, business, fatherhood, and personal growth, Michael breaks down why small daily habits matter more than massive life changes. He explains how little wins can rebuild confidence, why fear causes most people to quit, and why discipline is the key to freedom.This ...

Michael Chernow sits down with Kelsey Heenan for a raw conversation about food, fitness, control, and recovery. Kelsey opens up about how trying to become a better athlete slowly turned into dangerous food rules, restriction, over-exercising, and losing 30% of her body weight. Michael also shares how food became another form of addiction for him after getting sober from drugs and alcohol. Together, they talk about why eating disorders and food anxiety are not just “women’s issues,” how fitness c...

In this Monday Moments episode, Michael Chernow reflects on the constant battle between good and evil, light and darkness, and the choices we make every single day.This message is about awareness, discipline, and understanding that life will always test who you are becoming. Michael breaks down why the real battle is not always outside of us, but often within us — in our thoughts, actions, habits, reactions, and the way we choose to show up in the world.Whether you are trying to grow, heal, stay...

In this episode of The Michael Chernow Podcast, Michael sits down with Stef Sifandos for a powerful conversation on love, relationships, marriage, intimacy, ego, and why real connection feels harder than ever.They talk about how social media creates the illusion of connection, why so many people push love away, and how old survival patterns can quietly destroy relationships. Michael opens up about his 20+ year relationship with his wife, the work it takes to keep love strong, and why communicati...