Leadership

Tero Isokauppila – Four Sigma Foods

**Summary:**

In Episode #183 Ari interviews Tero Isokauppila of [Four Sigma Foods](http://www.foursigmafoods.com/), a company dedicated to making medicinal mushrooms more popular in the United States. Listen as Ari and Tero take a deep-dive in the fun and surprisingly healthy world of fungi.

**Special Announcements:**

[Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

##[Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 13:42 – Introduction of Tero Isokauppila of [Four Sigma Foods](http://www.foursigmafoods.com/), a company that makes dietary supplements using mushroom extracts

– 14:02 – Tero talks about the Nordic history with foraging mushrooms and berries

– 15:00 – Why people (at least in the United States) aren’t overly interested in mushrooms

– 15:30 – People are scared of fungi just like they’re scared of bacteria because there has been an excessive focus on the negative rather than positive properties

– 16:30 – Half of the best selling drugs in the world are based on fungi

– 16:45 – The healthiest mushrooms are tree mushrooms which are bitter

– 18:07 – There are 6x more variety of fungi on the planet than plants

– 18:55 – Almost all poisonous mushrooms are ground mushrooms

– 19:25 – Medicinal (tree mushrooms) versus Nutritional/Culinary (ground mushrooms)

– 21:21 – The Four Sigma Foods extraction method—mushrooms consist of water-soluble compounds and fat-soluble compounds

– 23:05 – Reishi is the most popular medicinal mushroom—“The Queen of the Mushrooms”

– 23:25 – Well known for its ability to improve the microbiome and act as an anti-histamine

– 24:19 – Lion’s Mane is also a great mushroom to try—it acts as a nootropic

– 24:46 – Mushroom Coffee

– 25:57 – Micro-toxins are actually mushrooms themselves

– 28:25 – Temperature as related to drinking mushroom-based drinks

– 31:25 – Mushrooms Four Sigma Foods would like to add to their inventory in the future

– 32:30 – Turkey Tail Mushrooms are the easiest to find in the US and are anti-viral and anti-inflammatory

– 33:22 – Tero’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_:

– 33:33 – Hydration

– 34:10 – Breathing

– 34:58 – Constantly try one new thing

– 35:50 – [www.FourSigmaFoods.com](http://www.FourSigmaFoods.com)

**5 Key Points:**

1. Mushrooms have astounding anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and positive microbial properties.

2. Microtoxins are actually mushrooms.

3. The Turkey Tail Mushroom is the most prevalent mushroom in the United States and has a variety of positive properties.

4. Much like bacteria, fungi have gotten a bad rap—people focus on the negative without considering the positive.

5. When it comes to safety and medicinal relevance, tree mushrooms (as opposed to ground) can’t be beaten.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [All the Rooms](http://alltherooms.com/?utm_content=buffer30866&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

– Searches all the different types of places one can stay—essentially a Kayak for rooms – [World’s Strongest Man](http://www.vocativ.com/news/226436/the-worlds-strongest-man-eats-7360-more-calories-than-you-do/)

– An article in Vocativ talking about World’s Strongest Man, Brian Shaw’s, diet

– [Gatekeeper](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gatekeeper/nmppodcjnnmchdnllnkddkmmneghcggf?ref=producthunt)

– A Chrome Extension for filtering Facebook feeds – [Pipetop](https://pipetop.com/?ref=producthunt) — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Russ Perry – Design Pickle

# Episode 182

**Summary:** In Episode #182 Ari – fresh off the Labor Day Weekend – interviews Russ Perry of [Design Pickle](http://www.designpickle.com/), the company that’s turning the world of graphic design on its head in favor of the consumer. Listen as Ari and Russ talk entrepreneurship, Optimized Dad, and discuss what makes outsourcing so effective.

**Special Announcements:**

##[Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City.

[Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

## [Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 20:04 – Introduction of Russ Perry, founder of [Design Pickle](http://designpickle.com/)

– 21:20 – Russ outlines the idea for Design Pickle

– 21:48 – Design Pickle is a way to get a graphic design done without the need to post jobs, etc.

– 24:36 – The specialization of outsourcing

– 25:55 – Complications drive up costs

– 26:22 – How can Design Pickle afford to provide unlimited Graphic Design

– 27:35 – Power users aren’t actually a huge problem

– 28:00 – Design Pickle runs on 1) a custom software solution, 2) Stripe, 3) Fresh Desk

– 29:25 – Design Pickle uses an “air traffic controller” to route the design need to the right designer

– 30:32 – Russ uses graphic designers all over the world, particularly in the Philippines

– 32:15 – The hope is that outsourcing can come full circle and companies like Design Pickle will be able to employ US-only workers

– 33:02 – The future of Design Pickle

– 34:30 – Russ’ _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_

– 34:47 – Know your core values

– 35:18 – Delegate as much as possible to software and services

– 36:12 – Enjoy what you’re doing

– 37:15 – [www.DesignPickle.com](http://www.DesignPickle.com)

**5 Key Points:**

1. Outsourcing is specializing and it’s a welcomed change.

2. Knowing your core values will help you run a business more efficiently.

3. Complications increases costs—avoid them as best as you can.

4. Expect frequently outsourced tasks like manufacturing to come _back _to the US in the future.

5. Life is short—there’s no point in doing something you don’t enjoy every day.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [Butter in Your Coffee and Other Cons](http://vitals.lifehacker.com/butter-in-your-coffee-and-other-cons-stories-from-a-fi-1724843201)

– Article attacked the Bulletproof Diet and other dietary/fitness phenomena – [Pull an All Nighter](http://greatist.com/grow/pull-an-all-nighter?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-)

– An article from Greatest highlighting ways to hack an all-nighter – [Get Graava](https://www.getgraava.com/)

– This is a GoPro that automatically pulls out the “best parts” and creates a fully edited video – [Mobile Passport](http://mobilepassport.us/)

– An app for the phone that lets you use your phone as a passport – [Tiny Nudge](http://www.tinynudge.co/pomello/?ref=producthunt)

– Pomello turns Trello cards into Pomodoro tasks – [Enlighten](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/enlighten/id695298744?mt=8)

– An app that uses GPS and math to predict when a red light will go green – [Ollert](https://ollertapp.com/?ref=producthunt)

– Learn what your Trello cards aren’t telling you —

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Eric Glyman – Paribus

# Episode 181

**Summary:** In Episode #181 Ari – fresh off his trip to the ER – interviews Eric Glyman of [Paribus](https://paribus.co/), a company wholly dedicated to helping online consumers save money in the most simple, straightforward way possible.

**Special Announcements:**

[Hello Harvard](http://www.studentsuccessharvard.eventbrite.com/) Ari will be speaking THIS SATURDAY at Harvard in Cambridge, MA! The even lasts from 1-5 PM so for those in the Boston area don’t miss this last-minute opportunity to see Ari bring the thunder in person!

##[Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City.

##[Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

##[Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 06:01 – Introduction of Eric Glyman

– 06:15 – Eric defines Paribus

– 08:00 – Businesses take advantage of the “we have your back” psychology, but do the absolute minimum to enforce it

– 09:40 – Paribus needs to deal with a HUGE amount of data

– 10:26 – Design a business that is always in the best interests of the consumer

– 11:15 – One of the challenges of Paribus, prices change incredibly fast—for example, Amazon changes 80 million prices per day

– 12:50 – Paribus is now working to take advantage of mass buying and mass discounts

– 13:20 — Never stray from fighting for consumers

– 13:40 – The Paribus team is constructed in a lean, startup way

15:03 – Paribus is based out of Williamsburg, NY and Menlo Park, CA

– 15:30 – Dealing with stores that Paribus is _not _connected with

– 16:15 – Paribus plans to add stores based on customer input and total store sales

– 17:25 – Eric’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_

– 17:43 – Don’t start going to work right away—have a plan

– 19:00 – Don’t be shy about telling people what you’re working on

– 20:20 – The base status of a startup now is that “nobody cares”—you need to _push_ people

– 20:54 – [Paribus.Co](http://www.paribus.co/)

**5 Key Points:**

1. Don’t trust retailers just because “they have your back” on paper.

2. Don’t keep your project to yourself, share it with the world.

3. Get comfortable pushing people—it’s the only way to get what you want.

4. People don’t care about startups anymore, so being aggressive and committed is key.

5. Always keep the consumers best interests at heart and your business will thrive.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– NO LINKS!!! Surprise!

**Credits:**

– Audio Engineering provided by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708)

– Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/)

– Show Notes provided by [Mike Rossi](http://www.MallardCreatives.com)

——- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprint here.](https://go.lessdoing.com/blueprint?utm_campaign=blueprint-ari&utm_medium=link&utm_source=podcast)

— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Abelard Lindsay – CilTep

**Summary:**

In Episode #180 Ari – joined by special guest hosts Nick Sonnenberg, founder of [Calvin App](http://www.calvinapp.com/) and co-founder of [Less Doing Virtual Assistants](http://www.lessdoing.com/VA) – interviews Abelard Lindsay, the creator of CilTep, a powerful, over-the-counter nootropic. Listen as Ari and Abelard talk brain chemistry, memory development, and cognitive function.

**Special Announcements:**

##[Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City.

##[Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

##[Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 18:34 – Introduction of Abelard Lindsay—Director of Research Development for Natural Stacks

– 20:40 – Talking about CilTep

– 21:20 – Coming up with the foundational ingredients

– 21:53 – PDE4 inhibitors

– 22:26 – There’s a long cascade from short-term memory to long-term memory

– 24:50 – Abelard basically conducted self-study with supplements to find the basis of CilTep

– 26:20 – CilTep prolongs a state of wonder—it makes studying pleasurably addictive

– 27:28 – When dopamine receptors are activated, they release CAMP into the neuron which causes memory encoding to increase

– 29:08 – PDE5 is closely related to PDE4 but it drives sexual rather than mental arousal

– 30:30 – Developing the pathway to improvement and problem solving

– 33:10 – What Abelard takes regularly

– 34:25 – Can you overdo it on nootropics?

– 35:58 – Hard to clearly say because everyone is different

– 36:45 – Nexus, CilTep, and Mitogen all work on different systems

– 38:35 – None of Abelard’s stacks feature caffeine

– 39:10 – Abelard’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_

– 39:18 – Get to know your brain

– 39:54 – Try to argue without using logical fallacies

– 40:28 – Write down ideas

– 41:38 – [www.AbelardResearch.com](http://www.AbelardResearch.com) and [www.NaturalStacks.com](http://www.NaturalStacks.com) and [www.axonlabs.io](http://www.axonlabs.io) and @CilTep

**5 Key Points:**

1. Memory isn’t a singular concept—there are different kinds of memory

2. Keep a written log of your ideas

3. Don’t necessarily be opposed to self-experimentation.

4. Become close friends with your brain—get to know it.

5. Nootropic can help you create and prolong a natural state of wonder.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [The MiFold](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mifold-the-grab-and-go-booster-seat#/story?utm_source=mifold.com&utm_medium=mifold.com&utm_term=hero_cta&utm_content=pre-order_now&utm_campaign=click-thru%20from%20mifold%20website)

– A grab and go Car booster seat – [Drones for Blood Testing](http://www.vocativ.com/news/216434/bloody-good-drones-actually/) – Exploring the use of drones for blood transfer, testing, etc. – [The Slack Post](https://theslackpost.com/?ref=producthunt)

– A simple online newspaper for the posting of all Slack integrations – [Chronic Inflammation and Behavior](http://www.medicaldaily.com/chronic-inflammatory-diseases-sometimes-cause-behavioral-problems-probiotics-might-345092)

– From Medical Daily, an article highlighting how probiotics can help with mental illness

– [Make a Game Out of Eating](http://www.yumit.io/?ref=producthunt)

— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Russel Brunson – Click Funnels

# Episode 179

**Summary:** In Episode #179 Ari – joined by special guest hosts Adam Hopper of the Less Doing Mastermind Group – interviews Russel Brunson of [DotComSecrets](http://dotcomsecrets.com/welcome) and the creator of [ClickFunnels](https://www.clickfunnels.com/). During their conversation, Russel talks entrepreneurship, team-management, and the importance of continual learning.

**Special Announcements:**

##[Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City. ## [Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here (http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

##[Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 21:30 – Introduction of Russel Brunson from [DotComSecrets](http://dotcomsecrets.com/welcome) and [ClickFunnels](https://www.clickfunnels.com/)

– 22:48 – Russel shares his background

– 24:30 – Russel was never a great student—but he became obsessed with learning when he discovered it led to money

– 25:53 – Exploring a variety of crafts and services has made Russel a better marketer

– 28:50 – If you really believe in what you’re doing you’ve got to get out there and be aggressive

– 30:28 – The difference between an employee and an entrepreneur

– 32:26 — Your employees should be able to do 70% of your role at a minimum

– 33:20 – Talking about Click Funnels

– 34:30 – It took 10 months to take Click Funnels from an idea to a product

– 35:52 – You don’t need a blueprint to get started with a project

– 37:05 – Defining what the Click Funnels and DotComSecrets team(s) look like

– 38:12 – Russel’s favorite tools

– 41:10 – Learning from embarrassment

– 44:50 – You don’t need an amazing skill-set or product to make a living as an entrepreneur

– 45:30 – Ari is great at speaking, bad at selling

– 45:48 – Russel’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_

– 46:10 – Understand sooner rather than later that you can’t do everything

– 47:00 – There are something you just have to figure out on your own

– 47:47 – Become good at modeling other people

– 48:46 – If there is someone that’s already doing something well, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it—it means you can learn from them

– 50:05 – DotComSecrets.com

**7 Key Points:**

1. Find your motivation and build everything around that.

2. If you’re passionate about your business, you need to be highly aggressive.

3. 98% of your ideas are ultimately going to fail.

4. Ask yourself, _How do I give myself a raise? _every day.

5. Learn from your humiliation. Learn from your mistakes.

6. There are certain things you _need _to grasp yourself—outsourcing isn’t always the answer.

7. You will need help at some point. Don’t hesitate to ask for it.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [CoBoat](http://www.coboat.org/?utm_content=buffercc4e1&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)

– A floating (expensive) co-working space – [MoneyPenny](https://www.moneypenny.com/us/telephone-answering-service/) – A dedicated answering service – [Ignored Productivity Tips](http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/4-popular-productivity-tips-ignored/) – From Make Use Of, an article with some interesting ideas on improving productivity – [Life-Changing Tips for Sensitive People](http://www.marcandangel.com/2015/07/22/10-life-changing-tips)

— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message

Bonnie Low Kramen – Be The Ultimate Assistant

**Summary:** In Episode

#178 Ari – joined by special guest hosts [Holly Hanson](https://twitter.com/hollyous) of the Less Doing Mastermind Group – interviews Bonnie Low Kramen of [Be the Ultimate Assistant](http://www.bonnielowkramen.com/). During the interview, Bonnie defines what makes a _great _assistant, and explains how she’s remained exclusive assistant to one of Hollywood’s biggest names for more than 25 years.

**Special Announcements:**

##[Rockefeller Roundtable](http://helmsociety.com/ari-meisel-ceo-roundtable-nc/) Come watch Ari regale a roundtable of avid [Helm Society](http://helmsociety.com/) listeners with the lessons of Less Doing on September 9th from 10AM to 2PM in New York City.

##[Freeing Finland](http://www.biohackersummit.com) Come watch Ari and a collection of other well-renowned biohackers free the people of Finland from their bodily limitations at the 2015 Biohacker Summit being held in Helsinki, Finland from September 23rd through September 24th. Those interested in attending can [buy tickets here](http://biohackersummit.com/#pl_areauf9k2sm).

##[Leave Us a Review!](https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ari-meisel-less-doing/id605938952?mt=2&uo=6) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you’re not already a dedicated follower.

**Time Stamped Show Notes:**

– 13:18 – Introduction of [Bonnie Low Kramen](http://www.bonnielowkramen.com/)

– 13:53 – How Bonnie became an assistant

– 15:53 – Being a great assistant is all about customized, personalized needs-based service

– 16:55 – Every assistant wants more 1-on-1 time with their managers—the great ones make due without it

– 18:00 – It’s important to know how things work _manually_, if you don’t your life is impaired by the quality and availability of your digital devices

– 19:30 – A job description is _never _set in stone

– 19:50 – Want a successful working relationship – especially with your assistant?—remove the barriers, break down the walls

– 22:25 – What executives really want from their assistants is delegation

– 22:45 – Your work as an assistant should enable your employer to do only the things they’re capable of doing

– 24:54 – Get over the fear that mistakes may happen because – guess what? – they’re going to happen anyway

– 26:45 – The old paradigm of “managers on high” is dead

– 27:20 – Assistants often see things the executives miss

– 29:10 – Executives who empower their staff to speak their mind will do themselves a HUGE favor

– 30:10 – The strangest requests Bonnie has fulfilled

– 37:10 – Find your “service heart”

– 37:40 – If you don’t like the person you’re spending time with – personally or professionally – END THE RELATIONSHIP, life is too short to do otherwise

– 39:10 – Don’t put up barriers for people who want to stretch and grow

– 39:50 – Bonnie’s _Top 3 Tips to be More Effective_

– 40:05 – Make great lists—be supremely organized

– 40:35 – Schedule downtime

– 41:19 – Keep it personal—take the time to talk on the phone, etc.

**7 Key Points:**

1. Don’t feel limited b your studies or degree—know what you love and find a way to incorporate it into your career.

2. The secret to being a great assistant?—Know how to conduct administrative triage.

3. Trust is invaluable in a strategic business partnership.

4. Understand that if you want to be successful, your job description is _never set in stone._

5. Get over the fear that mistakes may happen if you delegate to your assistant—the mistakes are going to happen no matter what.

6. You don’t need public acknowledgment to feel happy, learn to internally relish in your own success.

7. If you don’t like the people you’re with, leave them—life is too short to do otherwise.

**Resources Mentioned:**

– [Waking Up is Hard to Do](https://medium.com/matter/waking-up-is-hard-to-do-c720dc9617a8) – An article from Medium on becoming a morning person

— Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message