Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Zen Buddhist teacher and author Haemin Sunim discusses how we always have a choice in how we interpret and respond to life's challenges, even when things don't go our way. This bitesize episode, drawn from a longer conversation, explores the crucially important notion that difficult times offer opportunities for growth and unexpected joy.

Most of us only think about our immune system when we're ill. But what if it's actually the single most important system shaping your health and longevity? In this episode, Dr Jenna Macciochi makes a powerful case for rethinking immunity.

Dr Jenna Macciochi, a leading UK immunologist, reframes immunity as your body's master wellness system—not just a defense against colds. She explores how chronic stress, relationships, and daily habits send signals to your immune system, why midlife is a biological turning point where protective genes shift against you, and practical strategies from her own transformation (meditation, self-compassion, jiu-jitsu) that rewired her nervous system. The conversation challenges the obsession with lifespan in favor of what she calls 'soulspan'—the quality of years lived.

Today’s guest passionately believes that the decisions we make every day about what we eat have a huge influence on our overall health. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.

What if the secret to great health, more energy and feeling happier isn’t a diet, a fitness routine or a supplement – but the quality of your relationships?

When was the last time you did something just for joy? “Research shows that a lack of pleasure is central to poor mental health.” – Dr. Camilla Nord Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart.

Listening to this conversation could help you sleep better, quit snoring, and wake refreshed. You’ll learn a simple trick to stop anxiety in its tracks, and find out how to keep asthma and high blood pressure in check. And the secret to all these health gains?

As you may know, all throughout March, I have been releasing short 10-minute meditations from Henry Shukman every single Sunday to inspire you to join our 30-day meditation challenge with The Way.

Many of us feel under constant pressure to optimise every moment, to become more efficient, more productive and somehow more worthy. But what if embracing our limits could be the key to living a calmer, more meaningful life?

Do you believe there’s something inside you that knows who you really are? It knows what kind of life you're meant to live, the type of work that lights you up, and what your soul is asking of you? In this episode, you'll learn how to start listening to it.

Throughout March, our community has been building a simple, daily meditation habit. And if you haven’t started yet, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of time to join us. How about trying a super-simple, easy-to-follow meditation right now?

Are you trying to create better habits and quit those that don’t serve you? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

This podcast contains some of the simplest, most effective advice on brain health you will ever hear. It explains why the cognitive decline we expect with age isn’t inevitable at all. And why up to 70 percent of cases of dementia are, in fact, preventable.

All through March, our community has been building a simple daily meditation habit — and if you haven’t started yet, there’s still plenty of time to join us. Here’s a beautiful meditation from Henry, just for the Feel Better, Live More community.

Many of the habits and reactions that shape our adult lives began as clever coping strategies in childhood. While they once helped us survive difficult situations, they can later limit our relationships and happiness. By becoming aware of these patterns, we can start to change them.

Most of us are quite comfortable with change when we’ve chosen it: a new job, new home or new relationship. It’s the unwanted, unexpected changes that tend to floor us - like an illness, loss or breakup - that leave us wondering who we are and how on earth we’re meant to go on.

In this special episode of my Feel Better, Live More podcast - the second in the series - I’m inviting you to join me for something that has truly transformed my own life. I am a big believer in the transformative power of meditation.

We are living in the middle of a stress epidemic – the World Health Organization calls stress ‘the health epidemic of the twenty-first century’. Chronic stress can have a huge impact on physical and emotional health.

NHS GP Dr. Gemma Newman shares six evidence-based habits from her book Get Well Stay Well: plant-rich eating, daily movement, quality sleep, stress management, meaningful connection, and time in nature. Her clinical experience shows these habits reverse chronic disease.

In a world of constant noise, stimulation and busyness, meditation is often framed as another self-improvement tool – something to calm us down, make us more productive or fix what feels broken. But this week’s returning guest believes that this way of thinking completely misses the point.

I am a big believer in the transformative power of meditation. I also know how hard it can be to start and stick to a daily practice in our busy, modern world.

Why has nutrition – something that should be so simple – become so complicated? With 70% of our diet now consisting of ultra-processed foods and conflicting advice everywhere we look, is it any wonder we’re confused about what to eat?

Walking is something most of us take for granted. We do it to get from A to B, we track our steps on our phones, we might even use it as a bit of exercise. But what if walking is far more than that? What if, quite literally, your life depends on it?

What’s holding you back in life at the moment? Is there a problem – be it practical or emotional, to do with your health, relationships, work, finance or anything else – that seems insurmountable?

Most of us spend our lives in conversation – yet very few of us are ever taught how to communicate well. Whether it’s with our partners, colleagues, family or friends, we often assume that being heard is the same as being understood.

What if the secret to living well into your 80s and 90s is nothing to do with your DNA? What if the longevity hackers have got it wrong, and it’s actually far more simple than you think to become a ‘super ager’? We all want to live a long, happy and healthy life.

What is it that really makes us healthy? Is it regular trips to the doctor, a swift diagnosis, and medicine when we need it? Or do we need a more holistic approach? Today’s guest believes it is the latter. Dr Gemma Newman has been a family doctor in the NHS for 20 years.

Why do we find it so hard to exercise despite knowing how good it is for us? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests.

Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin on how music affects the brain: it activates more brain regions simultaneously than any other activity, reduces cortisol, increases dopamine, and can improve outcomes in pain management, dementia, and surgery recovery.

Oliver Burkeman on why the belief that life will feel easier once we clear our to-do list is a persistent illusion. Four Thousand Weeks philosophy: embrace finitude, stop trying to optimize time, and choose what matters instead of doing everything.

Dr. Darshan Shah shares the daily habits of his longevity patients who are aging exceptionally: morning sunlight, cold exposure, time-restricted eating, diverse plant intake, strength training, and consistent sleep schedule.

Trial lawyer Jefferson Fisher shares communication strategies for conflict, confrontation, and difficult conversations. How to stay calm when provoked, set boundaries without aggression, and speak with authority without raising your voice.

Solo episode where Chatterjee shares five evidence-based habits for a reset: morning sunlight, daily movement, connection rituals, an evening wind-down routine, and a weekly 'whitespace' block for reflection and restoration.

Dr. Eric Topol discusses his research on 'super agers' — people in their 80s and 90s with the cognitive function of 50-year-olds. What distinguishes them: social engagement, physical activity, cognitive challenge, and purpose — not supplements or exotic interventions.

Dr. Kristin Neff explains why self-compassion — treating yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a friend — is more effective than self-criticism for motivation, resilience, and mental health. Her research shows self-compassion reduces cortisol, anxiety, and depression.

Mel Robbins discusses her #1 NYT bestseller The Let Them Theory — a framework for releasing the need to control others' behavior. The 'Let Them' approach reduces stress by focusing only on what you can control.

Mel Robbins returns to discuss her bestselling book The Let Them Theory and how letting go of control over others transforms stress, relationships, and inner peace.

Dr. Howard Schubiner on the neuroplastic model of chronic pain: the brain generates pain signals even after tissue healing is complete. His Unlearn Your Pain program uses psychological techniques to retrain the brain and eliminate pain that has no structural cause.

New Year solo episode where Chatterjee addresses 'expert overload' — the paralysis caused by conflicting health advice. His antidote: simplify to the fundamentals, start with one change, and build consistency before adding complexity.

Year-end compilation of the 13 most impactful ideas from 2024's episodes: the Let Them Theory, eating 30 plants, morning sunlight, sleep consistency, UPF reduction, and more — distilled into an actionable framework for the year ahead.

Solo episode reframing stress: it's not events that cause stress — it's the gap between expectations and reality. Chatterjee's clinical framework: identify the type of stress (physical, mental, emotional, social), then apply the right pillar intervention.

Solo episode on nasal breathing: why breathing through the nose is superior to mouth breathing for sleep, exercise, stress management, and dental health. The science of nitric oxide production in the nasal passages and its systemic effects.

Solo episode on micro-stresses: the small, unnoticed stressors (email notifications, unresolved conversations, cluttered environments, decision fatigue) that individually seem trivial but cumulatively produce chronic stress activation.

Solo episode arguing that relationship quality is the most undervalued health metric. The Harvard Study of Adult Development's 80+ year finding: the quality of your relationships at 50 is a better predictor of health at 80 than cholesterol, blood pressure, or genetics.

Biochemist Jessie Inchauspé (Glucose Goddess) shares practical hacks for flattening blood sugar curves: eat fiber before carbs, add vinegar to meals, walk after eating, and never eat carbs on an empty stomach. Simple changes, dramatic metabolic impact.

Solo episode on journaling as a mental health tool: expressive writing reduces rumination, improves emotional processing, and has measurable effects on immune function. Chatterjee's three journaling prompts for morning clarity and evening reflection.

Peter Crone on the subconscious beliefs formed in childhood that create invisible ceilings on health, relationships, and success. His framework: identify the limiting belief ('I'm not enough'), trace it to its origin, and rewrite it by experiencing evidence to the contrary.

Gabor Maté's fourth appearance on the show. Five lessons people learn too late: authenticity over approval, curiosity over judgment, presence over productivity, compassion over control, and connection over achievement. Why longevity without quality is meaningless.

Dr. Matthew Walker returns to explain why sleep is the single most important health behavior: every system in the body degrades when sleep is insufficient. The link between sleep deprivation and Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, and mental illness.

Dr. Gabor Mate returns for his fourth appearance to discuss the five regrets of the dying, why we should stop trying to extend lifespan at the expense of lived experience, and how curiosity leads to compassion.

Tim Spector returns to discuss his latest research on personalized nutrition: why the same food affects different people differently, the 30-plant challenge, fermented foods for gut diversity, and why the 'healthy eating' advice most people follow is outdated.

35th-generation Shaolin Master Shi Heng Yi on the five hindrances to self-mastery: sensual desire, ill will, dullness, restlessness, and doubt. How physical discipline creates mental clarity, and why the body is the gateway to the mind.

Prof. Russell Foster on circadian neuroscience: why body clock disruption causes disease, the truth about sleep supplements, why separate beds may improve both sleep and relationships, and the surprising link between sleep timing and mental health.

Dr. Chris van Tulleken explains the UPF crisis: 50-60% of calories in the UK and US now come from ultra-processed food. His self-experiment showed measurable brain changes from 4 weeks of UPF-heavy eating. Why the food industry designs food to override satiety.

Tim Spector discusses his latest thinking on eating well, including new data on fermented foods, polyphenols, and why he has changed his mind about certain foods since discovering his own personal metabolic response.