In this expansive and deeply honest conversation, Darin sits down with Gregory Schwartz for a wide-ranging exploration of awakening, ecology, food systems, energy, consciousness, and what it truly means to live in right relationship with the planet and ourselves.
What begins as a conversation about athletic identity and environmental travel unfolds into a profound dialogue on political ecology, spiritual awakening, mitochondrial intelligence, community-scale solutions, and the collapse of outdated belief systems.
This episode bridges the scientific, the spiritual, and the deeply human—offering a grounded yet visionary roadmap for creating a future where health, sovereignty, and connection replace extraction, disconnection, and burnout.
How early athletic identity, injury, and discipline shaped Greg's lifelong path
Why travel and "ground-truthing" reality changes how we see the world
The concept of the "Planet Doctor" and speaking on behalf of Earth
Why data alone doesn't change behavior—and why the heart must lead
How food systems, soil health, and gut health are inseparably linked
The real reasons environmental solutions stall despite available money and technology
Why community-scale action is the missing link between individual and government change
How regenerative food systems ripple into health, ecology, and social cohesion
The dangers of hyper-productivity and the loss of rest, recovery, and contemplation
Why mitochondria are not just powerhouses—but listeners and conductors of energy
What spiritual awakening actually feels like—and why it can be destabilizing
The collapse of identity as a necessary step toward integration
The difference between being a messenger and being the message
How awakenings mature from chaos into discipline, embodiment, and service
Why optimism comes from living examples, not abstract ideology
How small, aligned actions create resonance fields that attract new realities
00:00 – Athletic roots, injury, and the pivot into physiology & nutrition
03:00 – Travel, environmental exposure, and seeing reality beyond data
07:00 – Political ecology, capitalism, and the illusion of separation from nature
12:30 – Food systems, soil health, and gut microbiome parallels
16:00 – Regenerative agriculture, working with farmers, and nuance over dogma
20:00 – Community-scale solutions: food, energy, microgrids, and localization
24:00 – Burnout culture, productivity addiction, and missing rest cycles
27:00 – Mitochondria, flow state, and the intelligence of the cell
30:00 – Spiritual awakening: lightning bolts, breakdowns, and integration
35:00 – Heaven, hell, and altered states as present-moment realities
39:00 – Discipline vs. chaos: maturing the awakening process
44:00 – Being the message vs. delivering the message
49:00 – Embodiment, purpose, and integrating spirituality into real life
55:00 – System collapse, courage, and rebuilding new realities
01:00:00 – Hope, optimism, and why examples matter more than arguments
01:05:00 – Creating resonance through aligned action and community
Political ecology research and teaching
Environmental systems, food sovereignty, and regenerative frameworks
Community-scale energy and food solutions
Writing and speaking on consciousness, awakening, and integration
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Website: theplanetdoctor.com
Instagram: @theplanetdoctor
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Instagram: @darinolien
Podcast: SuperLife Podcast
Website: superlife.com
Book: Fatal Conveniences
"The systems don't change because we lack solutions—they don't change because we haven't changed our relationship to ourselves, to nature, and to each other. When that shifts, everything else follows."
