Ever Forward Radio with Chase Chewning

What if pleasure isn't a luxury, but a biological signal that your nervous system finally feels safe? Regena Thomashauer, aka Mama Gena, is here to explore the powerful connection between pleasure, nervous system regulation, trauma, grief, desire, and our ability to feel fully alive. Regena challenges the idea that pleasure is purely sexual or indulgent and instead reframes it as a daily practice for reconnecting with the body, processing difficult emotions, cultivating creativity, and breaking free from a culture obsessed with productivity and struggle. She shares how her own journey through childhood trauma led her to discover the transformative power of pleasure and is here to help you explore how to move emotions through the body, bring more pleasure into relationships and everyday life, and ultimately learn to love your life—even when you hate what's happening.
Follow Regena @
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
-----
 
00:00 – Is Pleasure a Measure of Nervous System Safety?
01:13 – Why Pleasure Is a Necessity, Not a Luxury
03:08 – Redefining Pleasure Beyond Sex
05:08 – Unlearning Our Cultural Conditioning Around Pleasure
06:42 – Why a Pleasurable Life Requires Discipline
09:18 – What Pleasure Does to the Brain and Body
15:23 – The Connection Between Pleasure and Relaxation
17:11 – Making Pleasure a Daily Practice
19:20 – The Divine Feminine and Reconnecting With the Body
20:23 – Navigating Heartbreak, Worry, and Difficult Emotions
27:17 – A 3–5 Minute Practice for Processing Difficult Emotions
31:10 – Combining Grief With Life Force and Pleasure
34:02 – Moving From Victim to Victor
35:05 – Loving Your Life Even When You Hate What's Happening
35:44 – How "Ever Forward" Helped Chase Survive Grief
38:41 – How Regena Used Pleasure to Heal From Trauma
41:25 – The Pleasure Exercise That Changed Regena's Life
45:37 – How to Build a Consistent Pleasure Practice
48:15 – What If Your Partner Isn't on the Same Journey?
52:15 – Are We Actually Afraid of Who We'll Become?
54:40 – Why We're Conditioned to Resist Pleasure
56:35 – Rapid Fire: Safety, Burnout, Desire & Success
58:43 – What Your Inability to Feel Pleasure Is Teaching You
59:26 – What "Ever Forward" Means to Regena
-----
Episode resources:
FREE 30-day trial of Audible
Watch and subscribe on YouTube

What if the reason you keep struggling to lose weight has less to do with discipline—and more to do with the way you've been taught to think about fat loss in the first place? Today we welcome nutrition scientist Dr. Joey Muñoz, PhD for a refreshingly honest conversation about what actually works for sustainable fat loss, building muscle, improving metabolic health, and creating a body you can maintain for life. Joey breaks down why "going on a diet" may be one of the biggest mistakes people make, how your environment can overpower willpower, and why changing your identity and daily habits matters more than finding the perfect meal plan. He challenges the obsession with clean eating, protein-everything, restrictive diets, seed oils, and other nutrition trends that often distract people from the fundamentals that matter most. We also dive into GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, the growing trend of GLP-1 microdosing for longevity, peptides, muscle loss during weight loss, protein requirements as we age, chronic stress and inflammation, and why Joey remains skeptical of health claims that sound compelling mechanistically but lack meaningful human evidence.
Follow Joey @dr.joeymunoz
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
-----
00:00 The Most Profitable Lie in Fitness
02:27 Why Getting in Shape Takes Longer Than You Think
04:28 The Uncomfortable Truth About Losing the Last 10 Pounds
08:43 Why "Going on a Diet" Keeps You Stuck
12:33 The 80/20 Rule for Better Health
15:09 Your Environment Is Controlling More Than You Realize
16:31 Identity Change: Becoming a Healthy Person
22:06 Why Maximum Effort Doesn't Guarantee Maximum Results
23:38 Discipline vs. Environment
31:08 Is Your Health Actually a Priority?
34:00 The Problem With "Clean Eating"
38:13 Seed Oils, Alcohol and Nutrition Hypocrisy
42:10 When Health Optimization Becomes Unhealthy
45:32 How Your Environment Shapes Your Health
47:40 Audit the People Around You
50:03 Turning Adversity Into an Advantage
53:34 Chase and Joey on Their Childhoods and Fathers
57:47 Stop Looking for the Perfect Diet and Start Becoming the Person
1:00:26 Why You Don't Need a Perfect North Star
1:01:48 Has Protein Become the New Diet Religion?
1:03:12 How Much Protein Do You Actually Need?
1:06:22 Aging, Menopause and Accepting Your Changing Body
1:08:25 Chronic Stress, Inflammation and Disease
1:13:23 How Your Beliefs Change Your Outcomes
1:19:43 Peptides: Promise, Hype and Long-Term Safety
1:25:09 GLP-1s, Ozempic and Microdosing for Longevity
1:27:47 GLP-1s, Muscle Loss, Libido and Motivation
1:30:02 Why Joey Is Skeptical of the Next "Miracle" Health Intervention
1:35:17 Why Fitness Is About So Much More Than Your Body
1:37:41 Fat Loss Rapid Fire
1:39:15 What Does Ever Forward Mean to Joey?
1:42:35 Self-Improvement, Joy and Finding Peace
1:45:20 Realizing You May Already Have the Life You Want
-----
Episode resources:
Learn more at StrongStandard.com
Watch and subscribe on YouTube
Fatty15 - Support your cellular health and longevity with C15:0. Visit Fatty15 and use code EVERFORWARD to save an additional 15% on their 90-day starter kit.
LMNT - Support hydration, energy, training, and recovery with science-backed electrolytes. Visit Drink LMNT through Ever Forward to receive a free variety sample pack with any purchase.
Operation Podcast - Record world-class podcast and social media content at Operation Podcast's turnkey Los Angeles studios. Visit OperationPodcast.com and use code EVERFORWARD to save 20% off your first studio session.

What if the reason you're exhausted isn't because you're working too hard—but because you're carrying an identity you were never meant to become? Author, speaker, former NFL linebacker, and Chase's close friend Caleb Campbell returns to Ever Forward Radio for a radically different conversation about ambition, achievement, personal development, and what happens when the strategies that made you successful stop making you feel alive. Drawing from his new book UN Striving: 12 Lessons on Authentic Success from a Recovering Overachiever, Caleb explains why many high performers unknowingly use success to create safety, prove their worth, outrun shame, and avoid the very emotions asking for their attention.
Follow Caleb @caleb_campbell
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
-----
00:00 Intro
00:20 Are You Pursuing Success—or Avoiding Fear?
01:39 The Question That Reveals What's Driving Your Life
04:40 Signs You've Outgrown Your Current Version of Success
08:09 Stop Ignoring Your Internal "Check Engine Light"
10:12 When to Push Through vs. When to Slow Down
12:28 The Survival Strategy Hiding Behind Your Ambition
15:19 Why Getting What You Want Can Be a Gift
18:51 Are You Outsourcing Safety to Success?
24:47 Unstriving Does NOT Mean Losing Your Ambition
27:03 What You're Searching for May Already Be Within You
31:11 "Something Is Missing" — Maybe It's You
34:18 Descending Into the Parts of Yourself You Left Behind
36:16 Stop Fighting Life and Start Participating With It
38:22 The Dirty Secret of Personal Development
41:47 Why Something in Your Life Has to Die
43:39 Choose the Death That Makes You Bigger
46:34 Liminal Space: When Your Old Identity Disappears
47:43 Why You Need to Grieve the Life You Thought You'd Have
51:59 Which Version of Caleb Had to Die?
53:39 Your "Loyal Soldiers": Performer, Producer & Perfectionist
57:14 Integrating Every Version of Yourself
59:08 Why the Same Truth Changes as You Change
1:02:37 Worshiping God vs. Worshiping Achievement
1:05:24 What If You Truly Knew You Were Held?
1:08:19 The Moment Caleb Felt Completely Alive
1:10:40 What Do You Want vs. What Are You Supposed to Do?
1:12:48 Who Are You Without Fear?
1:14:07 Why Success and Joy Can Feel Unsafe
1:16:34 Teaching Your Nervous System to Receive More
1:18:07 How Caleb's Marriage Changed Him
1:22:39 The Real Reason High Achievers Are Exhausted
1:24:07 The End of Your Capacity Is the End of an Identity
1:25:30 What "Ever Forward" Means to Caleb Today
-----
Episode resources:
Get his book UNstriving
Get the audiobook for free with your Audibile 30-day trial
15% off Strong Coffee Company with code CHASE
FREE MitoPure gummies

For generations, the American Dream followed a familiar blueprint: work hard, get married, raise a family, buy a home, and build a better life—but what happens when one of the biggest pieces of that dream starts to feel financially out of reach? Luxury real estate agent and Selling the OC star Gio Helou joins us for a candid look at the state of homeownership in America and whether buying a home still makes sense in today's market. Gio breaks down why affordability has become such a challenge, what high mortgage rates are really doing to buyers and sellers, when renting may actually be the smarter financial decision, and why waiting for rates to fall could ultimately work against you. He unpacks how to recognize a buyer's versus seller's market, the importance of comparable sales before making an offer, the hidden costs of homeownership, and the negotiation mistakes that can cost buyers leverage before a deal even begins.
Follow Gio @giovannehelou
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
-----
00:00 Episode intro
01:10 Has homeownership become a luxury?
03:39 Who is responsible for America's housing problem?
05:31 Do Americans still want the traditional American Dream?
10:03 A realtor's perspective after nearly a decade in real estate
11:20 Why buying a home has become so difficult
12:08 Gio's unexpected first piece of advice: get married
15:00 When renting is actually smarter than buying
16:44 The hidden costs of owning a home
17:50 Is Southern California real estate still a good investment?
20:04 What predicts whether a housing market will appreciate?
21:20 How long should you own a home before expecting ROI?
24:09 Buyer's market vs. seller's market explained
27:00 Why you should visit open houses before you're ready to buy
30:57 The question every first-time homebuyer should ask
31:28 Why comparable sales matter more than a Zestimate
32:15 Can you actually trust your realtor?
33:56 America's declining culture of trust
38:18 Would lower mortgage rates actually make homes affordable?
40:00 Why mortgage rates are still so high
41:18 The metric every buyer should watch before making an offer
42:48 "The market speaks" — how sellers know they're overpriced
44:17 The opportunity buyers may be missing right now
45:33 The biggest negotiation mistake buyers make
49:28 How emotions can cost you a real estate deal
52:01 Gio's best negotiation lessons
54:49 The personality trait that gives Gio an edge
56:42 Confidence vs. cockiness on Selling the OC
59:22 Why your realtor is like a temporary marriage
1:00:36 Gio reveals what happened after Selling the OC
1:02:59 Why Gio says no to almost everything
1:05:17 Rapid fire: the biggest lies in real estate
1:05:36 Do you really need 20% down?
1:06:02 Should you wait for mortgage rates to fall?
1:06:40 Is renting throwing money away?
1:06:45 Should you buy the biggest house you can afford?
1:07:10 Is winter really the best time to buy?
1:07:55 Gio's biggest real estate commission ever
1:09:46 How much commission does a realtor actually keep?
1:10:27 What's next for Gio after Selling the OC?
1:12:36 What does Ever Forward mean to Gio?
-----
Epiaode resources:
Operation Podcast: Ready to launch your podcast, level up your current show, or create world-class content for your brand? Operation Podcast offers turnkey podcast studios and full-service audio/video production in Los Angeles. Save 20% off your first studio session with code EVERFORWARD.
Timeline Nutrition: Support your cellular energy, mitochondrial health, muscle function, and healthy aging with Mitopure® from Timeline Nutrition. Mitopure now starts at just $79.
ELVT Breath Control Patches: Optimize your breathing and support deeper, more restorative sleep with ELVT Breath Control Patches, designed to encourage nasal breathing while you sleep. Save 20% off your entire order with code CHASE.

What if your low energy, stubborn weight gain, brain fog, poor recovery, mood changes, and stalled progress aren't simply signs that you need to work harder—but clues that your thyroid isn't functioning optimally? Dr. Amie Hornaman, author of The Thyroid Fix, joins us to explain why she considers the thyroid the body's "master gland" and why standard thyroid testing may not tell the entire story. They break down TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies; the difference between "normal" and optimal lab results; Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism; and when thyroid hormone replacement may be appropriate. Amie also explains how gluten, over-exercising, chronic under-eating, nutrient deficiencies and aggressive GLP-1 use may affect thyroid health and metabolism. Plus, she explains the importance of iodine, selenium, magnesium, protein and dietary fat, detoxification, and so much more!
Follow Amie @dramiehornaman
Follow Chase @chase_chewning
-----
00:00 – WHOOP: Stop Guessing and Start Measuring
01:38 – Is Your Thyroid the Missing Piece?
03:20 – Why the Thyroid Is Your Body's "Master Gland"
06:12 – The Thyroid Labs You Actually Need
07:18 – Operation Podcast
08:15 – TSH, Free T3, Free T4 & Reverse T3 Explained
10:02 – Testing for Hashimoto's and Thyroid Antibodies
10:54 – "Normal" Labs vs. Optimal Thyroid Function
12:49 – When Thyroid Hormone Replacement Makes Sense
14:27 – Can You Improve Thyroid Function Naturally?
16:27 – Gluten, Hashimoto's & Your Thyroid
19:06 – What Happens If Your Thyroid Is Removed?
21:00 – C15:0 essential fatty acids
22:18 – Wellness Habits That Could Be Hurting Your Thyroid
23:01 – Can Too Much Exercise Damage Thyroid Function?
24:30 – Resistance Training vs. Cardio for Thyroid Health
25:57 – Foods That May Interfere With Thyroid Function
27:13 – Can You Take Too Many Thyroid Supplements?
27:55 – Amie's Foundational Thyroid Supplement Stack
29:38 – The Controversy Around Iodine
31:07 – Fluoride, Chlorine, Bromide & Iodine
33:22 – Thyroid Function, Detox & Sauna
34:58 – Hypothyroidism vs. Hyperthyroidism
37:28 – Hashimoto's and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
38:08 – The "Silent Thyroid Killer"
38:20 – GLP-1s, Under-Eating & Thyroid Function
40:53 – Why Eating Less Doesn't Always Mean Losing More
42:04 – Calories vs. Macros for Thyroid Health
43:32 – Protein, Fat, Carbs & Insulin Resistance
45:09 – Rapid Fire: Most Underrated Thyroid Fix
45:18 – Is Calories-In, Calories-Out Broken?
46:13 – The ONE Food Amie Says to Eat Every Day
47:09 – Where to Connect With Dr. Amie Hornaman
47:51 – What Does Ever Forward Mean to Amie?
-----
Episode resources:
FREE WHOOP activity tracker
15% off Fatty15 C15:0 essential fatty acids
20% off Operation Podcast studios with code EVERFORWARD