The Adversity Advantage with Doug Bopst

Dr. Jen Unwin is an award-winning clinical health psychologist and leading expert in food addiction, behavior change, and drug-free type 2 diabetes remission. For more than 13 years, she has helped patients transform their health through hope-based care, while pioneering research, treatment models, and international consensus in the emerging field of food addiction.

Today on the show we discuss whether sugar addiction is real, how ultra processed foods hijack the brain’s reward system, why stress and childhood trauma can drive compulsive eating, the difference between food addiction and eating disorders, how to identify trigger foods and create healthier boundaries, and why whole foods, exercise, community and purpose are essential for lasting recovery.

⚠ WELLNESS DISCLAIMER ⚠

Please be advised; the topics related to mental health in my content are for informational, discussion, and entertainment purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your current condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard from your favorite creator, on social media, or shared within content you’ve consumed.

If you are in crisis or you think you may have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.

If you do not have a health professional who is able to assist you, use these resources to find help:

Emergency Medical Services—911

If the situation is potentially life-threatening, get immediate emergency assistance by calling 911, available 24 hours a day.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

SAMHSA addiction and mental health treatment Referral Helpline, 1-877-SAMHSA7 (1-877-726-4727) and https://www.samhsa.gov
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnathon Schaech is an actor, writer, director and producer best known for his roles in That Thing You Do!, How to Make an American Quilt, The Doom Generation, Hush and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Throughout his three-decade career, he has appeared in more than 160 film and television productions. He currently stars as Sheriff Justin Wise and serves as an executive producer on the family crime series Blue Ridge, where his personal journey through trauma, sobriety, faith and fatherhood has deeply influenced his work.

Today on the show we discuss how hidden trauma can shape a person’s life and career, why addiction becomes an escape from shame and pain, how abuse can destroy confidence and self-worth, how the 12 steps and faith create a path toward healing, why service is essential to lasting recovery, how sobriety can rebuild a family and revive a career and much more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Carlson, CFA, is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management and the creator of the widely read financial blog A Wealth of Common Sense. He is the co-host of the Animal Spirits podcast and the author of several books on investing, including A Wealth of Common Sense and his latest release, Risk and Reward: How to Handle Market Volatility and Build Long-Term Wealth. Ben is known for making complex financial concepts practical, accessible, and easier for everyday investors to understand.

Today on the show, we discuss why financial anxiety persists even when you are doing everything right, how to build a simple plan around your goals and risk tolerance, why automated investing can help you ignore market noise, how much cash you really need for emergencies and short-term goals, why more money does not automatically create security or happiness, and how to save, invest, and spend without guilt or constantly moving the goalposts and much more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Adi Jaffe is a UCLA-trained psychologist, nationally recognized addiction expert, and bestselling author of The Abstinence Myth and Unhooked. Drawing from both his clinical expertise and his personal experience overcoming addiction and incarceration, he challenges traditional, shame-based recovery models and helps people address the emotional patterns driving destructive behaviors.

Today on the show we discuss why addiction is often a solution to deeper emotional pain rather than the problem itself, how trauma and social anxiety can drive compulsive substance use, why removing the substance without addressing the underlying pattern can lead to relapse or replacement behaviors, how changing your internal narrative can reduce the need to escape, the daily practices that rebuild confidence and emotional stability over time, and why setbacks can become lessons that accelerate lasting change and much more.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Azadi is a podcaster, YouTuber and founder of Keto Kamp.

Why losing body fat becomes more difficult with age, how preserving muscle supports insulin sensitivity and long-term metabolic health, the meal timing and fasting strategies Ben uses to help people become more metabolically flexible, why chronic calorie restriction and excessive exercise can eventually stall progress, how walking for 10 minutes after meals may improve glucose control, and why sleep, recovery, stress management, real food, and relationships matter more than supplements and trendy biohacks and much more.

Try Momentous Signature Spec Creatine:
https://www.livemomentous.com
use code ADVERSITY for up to 35% off your entire first order
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices