#16: Gift Guide & 2025 Podcast Roundup
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A special issue to round out the year:
Quick Takes: 10 podcasts that topped our 2025 playlist.
Community Buzz: The ultimate health & wellness gift guide for your shopping enjoyment.
Member Spotlight: Leadership Coach Lisa Foote gained a blueprint to optimize her health and wellness and is seeing amazing results.
QUICK TAKES
Takeaways from content we’ve enjoyed & other timely topics
We’ve assembled our top 10 podcast picks from the past year that we think are worth a listen. 🎧 We hope you enjoy these on your holiday travels, or relaxing at home as you prepare to welcome the new year.
In no particular order, here's what topped our 2025 playlist:
Diary of a CEO — The Fastest Way to Burn Dangerous Visceral Fat: Cardiologist Dr. Pradip Jamnadas explains how chronically elevated insulin leads to visceral fat, and outlines practical strategies such as fasting, low-refined carbs, strength training, and HIIT to reverse metabolic dysfunction.
The Dr. Hyman Show — Food, Fat, and Pharmacology: Rethinking Obesity Treatment: Dr. David Kessler explains how processed refined carbs contribute to overeating and visceral fat. He and Dr. Hyman discuss why GLP-1 medications can help with appetite, but cannot fix a food environment built around ultra-processed products. The episode highlights simple ways to reduce reliance on these foods and why Kessler is urging the FDA to limit them.
The Drive — Women’s Sexual Health Across the Lifespan: OB-GYN Sally Greenwald explains the physiology and hormonal drivers of women’s sexual health, including desire, arousal, pelvic floor function, and the transitions of perimenopause and menopause.
Perform with Andy Galpin - Enhancing Bone Health at Every Age: Galpin explains why poor bone health is common across all ages and why it is preventable and reversible. He explains how bone remodeling works, how to assess your own bone health, and the most effective ways to improve it through impact training, nutrition, supplements, and emerging therapies.
Found My Fitness — Dr. Darren Candow: The Optimal Creatine Protocol: Creatine is one of the most studied supplements for muscle, cognition, and aging. Candow breaks down ideal dosing, timing, and who can benefit the most.
Huberman Lab — How Nature Shapes Brain Health, Focus & Cognitive Longevity: Neuroscientist Dr. Marc Berman explains how time in nature improves attention, reduces stress, enhances memory, and supports long-term brain health. It highlights relationships between the environment, nervous-system regulation, and cognitive resilience.
Rich Roll — Arthur Brooks on Happiness & Emotional Fitness: Brooks blends science and storytelling to reveal the habits that create durable happiness, emotional resilience, and meaning. We found this to be an uplifting and thought-provoking conversation.
Rich Roll — Oliver Burkeman on Time, Attention & Living a Meaningful Life: In this episode, Burkeman reframes our relationship with productivity, time scarcity, and overwhelm. The conversation touches on building a life that prioritizes presence, meaning, and what truly matters.
The Dr. Hyman Show — Become an Alzheimer’s Survivor: Dr. Richard Isaacson’s Breakthrough Approach: A fascinating deep dive into brain health, dementia prevention, and cognitive-risk reduction. Isaacson offers practical steps tied to metabolism, glucose, inflammation, sleep, and lifestyle.
Found My Fitness: The Best Type of Exercise for Longevity: Dr. Rhonda Patrick and Brady Holmer discuss how even brief bursts of vigorous activity can dramatically lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. They explain why vigorous exercise is so powerful, from lactate signaling to boosts in VO₂ max and mitochondrial health, and what this means for everyday training.
COMMUNITY BUZZ
Highlights from Benchmark’s community
Attention holiday shoppers! We’ve assembled our top gift ideas, based on reviews from Benchmark members and scouting by the Benchmark team. These community picks are sure to please anyone on your list.
Dreamy gifts 🛌
For the person who’s a cold sleeper, a hot sleeper, or a determined-to-better sleeper, we hear great reviews of the 8-Sleep mattress cover. It’s a splurge, but we’re bullish on any promising sleep investment. Speaking of sound investments, in June, Mariana told us about the Ozlo headphones to block the sounds of snoring and lull you to sleep with your preferred audio. Along similar lines, the Loftie alarm clock has bedtime reminders, wind-down routines, gentle two-phase wakeup alarms, and plenty of well-considered features for better sleep.
For low-tech ideas, we’ve heard good things about this customized pillow, and highly recommend a silk pillowcase that offers a luxurious feel and skin-friendly benefits. Pair these with a book that makes the case: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker is a fascinating read on the benefits of sleep and the role it plays in our daily lives.
Sweat in style 🚲
For the yogi in your life, or anyone who enjoys a spacious mat that folds up neatly without unraveling, we like this Stakt yoga mat, available in stylish colours. One of our favourite ways to squeeze in a workout anytime is with a Peloton bike, along with a digital subscription for access to high-energy, high-style instructors from anywhere. If your loved one is more of a hiker than a biker, consider a rucking backpack to add extra oomph to a walking routine; it can be loaded with different weights for a gradual progression.
A touch of recovery 👐
Encourage relaxation and recovery through touch. Give soothing lotions and oils made in small batches with all-natural ingredients from coco-bare. For deep-tissue attention, Therabody’s Theragun Prime Plus combines percussive massage with heat to loosen muscles and aid in recovery. Using more subtle vibration, the Apollo Neuro wearable uses gentle stimulation for mindfulness and relaxation. For a low-tech yet futuristic sensory gift, try the Nike Mind 001 recovery shoe; the nodes on the soles stimulate parts of your feet with each step. Now that we’re touching on recovery shoes, Hoka’s Ora Recovery slide is like walking on a cloud, and perfect to wear from the pool to the shower. The Oofos Thermo Mule slippers makes a great gift for cozy relaxation at home.
Raise a glass 💦
Toast the season with health-conscious beverages. Non-alcoholic drinks are on-trend, and for good reason. These feel indulgent while avoiding the unhealthy effects of alcohol. Consider a fun variety pack of NA beer, wine or mocktails, or a gift card from Sobr Market.
If you’re shopping for an athlete looking to replenish electrolytes post-workout, LMNT comes in various salty and tasty flavours; try the variety pack or a subscription. Pair it with a nice water bottle. Purist Collective offers a bottle that’s stainless steel on the outside, with a paper-thin glass coating on the inside to keep your drink free of any lingering taste of steel or plastic, or whatever you had in it before. For a pure stainless steel option, in a slew of cool colours and finishes, consider Stanley’s All Day Slim Bottle, with removable collar for easy ice filling.
Get together 👯
Or you might skip those store lines and shipping deadlines altogether, in favor of fun experiences and social connection. For the ladies who love to dance and get to bed early, plan to hit the next Earlybirds Club event together. For an "otherworldly" experience, treat someone to a social sauna session at Othership, the pools at Aire Ancient Baths, or really take it to the water, and gift a floating sauna and cold plunge experience. We love the idea of giving a spot in an upcoming road race and committing to train together. Finally, we're biased of course, but we whole-heartedly recommend a Benchmark experience as a gift for a loved one, or better yet, sign up to take part together!
Whatever you choose to give, or if you simply focus on spending time with loved ones, we hope you enjoy the merriment of the season!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Featured members and their health journeys
Lisa Foote, Leadership Coach
Lisa Foote
In her second Benchmark, Lisa saw significant improvement after making focused changes over the past year. 📈
As a Leadership Coach, Lisa helps executives reach peak performance and enhance their wellbeing. She knows the value of strategy and focus in achieving our goals. She also believes that a journey of self-improvement is better with a guide alongside you and a strong community around you. Read more...
