FLAME with Brad Hook

Terry Healey was diagnosed with a rare fibrosarcoma at 20, eventually undergoing more than 30 surgeries across several years of treatment and reconstruction. Left with a permanent facial difference, he faced a deeper reckoning than most: the scars on the inside, he discovered, were harder to heal than the ones the world could see. In this conversation, Terry shares the seven-part survival kit he developed through lived experience, the ReBAR resilience framework at the heart of his book The Resilience Mindset, and the simple daily practices — gratitude, visualization, reflection, and surrounding yourself with the right people — that transformed not just his recovery, but his entire approach to life and leadership. Whether you're navigating personal crisis, professional change, or simply want to build a stronger foundation, this episode offers both depth and practical direction.
KEY TOPICS COVERED
Terry's diagnosis at 20 with a rare fibrosarcoma and the long, unexpected journey through 30+ surgeries and reconstruction
Why the inner scars — the loss of confidence and identity — were harder to heal than the physical ones
His seven-part personal survival kit, including faith, goal-setting, positive imaging, gratitude, and life balance
The ReBAR resilience framework: Reflect → Build → Act → Renew — and how each phase works in practice
A simple but powerful visualization technique for calming anxiety and shifting mindset in under five minutes
The science of reflection: why recalling your day isn't just mindfulness — it's memory consolidation and intentional growth
Why the people you surround yourself with may be the most important factor in building resilience
Emotional intelligence as the defining trait of great leaders — and why empathy isn't weakness, it's the foundation of trust
How organizations can bring resilience practices to life (hint: start every meeting with a win)
On faith, spirituality, and the quiet power of believing there is something larger than yourself carrying you through
Why confidence — not appearance — is what people actually respond to, and how Terry proved it
ABOUT THE GUEST
Terry Healey is an author, keynote speaker, and business strategist who has spent three decades turning one of life's most difficult journeys into a framework for human resilience. A survivor of a rare fibrosarcoma diagnosed at age 20, Terry endured more than 30 surgeries and emerged with a permanent facial difference — and a hard-won understanding of what it truly takes to rebuild. A graduate of UC Berkeley with a thirty-five-year career as a marketing executive, Terry now challenges audiences to face adversity and change head-on, applying his ReBAR resilience framework to gain confidence, build resilience, and find greater purpose and joy. His book, The Resilience Mindset, distills these principles into a practical, deeply personal guide for anyone navigating difficulty. Terry lives in Santa Cruz, CA with his wife Sue.
GUEST LINKS
Website: https://www.terryhealey.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terryhealey/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@terryhealeyusX (Twitter): https://x.com/terryhealeyusInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/terryhealeyus
ABOUT THE HOST — BRAD HOOK
Brad Hook explores human performance, wellbeing, and values-driven living through writing, podcasting, and global speaking engagements.
CONNECT WITH BRAD HOOK
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradhookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook
EXPLORE MORE
Attend a live experience: https://flame.liveDiscover Brad's work: https://bradleyhook.comValues Institute: https://values.institute

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we work.
It helps us think faster, create more, and solve complex problems with ease.
But alongside these gains, a quieter trend is emerging — rising cognitive fatigue.
In this video, I explore the connection between AI, attention, and burnout, and introduce a simple idea:
What if AI isn’t just a tool… but an exocortex — an extension of our thinking?
And if that’s the case, how should we use it without overwhelming the brain it’s meant to support?
We explore:
Why cognitive strain is becoming a leading driver of burnout

The hidden impact of always-on AI interaction

The concept of “AI brain fry”

How using multiple AI tools can increase cognitive load

Practical ways to work with AI more intentionally

The goal isn’t to use AI less.
It’s to use it wisely.

What does artificial intelligence actually value?I asked four of the world’s leading AI systems — Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and Gemini — the same question: What are your values?Their answers overlapped in surprising ways — transparency, helpfulness, safety. But they also revealed important differences. One emphasized protecting humans from threat. Another prioritized its own survival and the interests of its developers. One explicitly rejected any survival instinct at all.If AI is shaping our future, it’s worth understanding the principles guiding it.This episode explores what today’s leading AI systems say they stand for — and what that might mean for all of us.Find out more here: https://values.institute/what-are-the-values-of-artificial-intelligence/A recent article I created about AI Burnout: https://bradleyhook.com/ai-burnout-why-artificial-intelligence-may-be-increasing-workplace-stress/

What if you could make a treaty with mosquitoes… and they actually stopped biting you?
In this episode, author and adventurer Wing Williams joins Brad Hook to share stories from his “howling twenties”: thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, learning to walk through forests without bug spray or fear of poison ivy, following a wolverine to an unseen mountain spring — and eventually facing the darkness of addiction, spiritual warfare and a brutal near-death experience.
Wing is the author of CINEREAL: A Memoir, a raw, poetic account of his life from wild adventure to the depths of alcoholism and spiritual torment, and finally to freedom in Jesus Christ. At 40, he now lives within the constraints of a traumatic brain injury while carrying a joy and clarity that only came after surrender.
In this conversation we explore:
The “treaty with mosquitoes” and what it taught Wing about presence and respect for the natural world

Walking through poison ivy and poodle dog bush without reaction — and what our ancestors may have known that we’ve forgotten

How thru-hiking thousands of miles taught him to achieve massive goals through tiny, repeatable steps

The hidden side of addiction: drinking to quiet demons, secret habits and the illusion of control

The murder attempt that left him in the snow with a traumatic brain injury and a voice saying, “Move or you will die”

How repeated detoxes, deep shame and relentless grace led him to finally surrender his life to Jesus

What CINEREAL means, and why ashes, gray matter and rebirth all belong in his story

Finding beauty even in the worst moments — and why a single ray of light can keep a soul alive

If you’ve ever chased adventure, battled addiction, wrestled with faith, or wondered how to keep walking when life feels impossible, this episode will stay with you.
Connect with Wing Williams
Website: https://wingwilliams.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinerealamemoir
Pick up CINEREAL: A Memoir via Wing’s site, your local bookstore, or your preferred online retailer.
Connect with Brad Hook
To connect with Brad Hook, visit https://bradleyhook.com or head to:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradhook
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tikkkl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhook/
If this conversation resonated, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear a story of honest struggle and hard-won hope.

In this episode, Brad sits down with Dr. Wanek, a former pediatric surgeon and foundational medicine practitioner, to explore a distinctive way of thinking about human health, energy, and resilience. Drawing on her background in surgery, biochemistry, and decades of clinical experience, Dr. Wanek shares how her own health journey led her beyond conventional and functional medicine toward what she calls the foundations of life in a physical body.
The conversation begins with her early years in high-intensity training and clinical practice, and the moment she discovered what she describes as “biochemical eating.” She explains how balancing calories from protein, carbohydrates, and fat transformed her own energy and appetite, and why she believes modern nutrition has shifted away from biochemistry as a science and toward rigid diet ideologies. From her perspective, nutrition is not a trend or a plan, but a physiological system governed by timing, balance, and energy demand.
A central theme of the episode is inflammation as “being in flames.” Dr. Wanek describes how chronic excess — particularly excess calories and imbalanced fueling — can create constant internal heat, disrupt blood sugar regulation, and gradually drive breakdown. In contrast, she argues for “burning a low flame,” a steady and sustainable metabolic state that allows the body to recover, recycle, and regenerate rather than constantly overheat.
The discussion then widens into water, energy, and electricity. Dr. Wanek shares her view that water is not simply hydration but a medium for electrical flow that supports enzyme function, cellular repair, and resilience. She explains why she believes many people are dehydrated at a cellular level and how modern water processing, while necessary for safety, may strip water of some of its dynamic properties.
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on fulvic substances, complex carbon compounds formed in soil through ancient microbial processes. Dr. Wanek explains why she believes fulvic substances play a central role in redox reactions, electron transfer, and cellular energy, and how soil degradation has reduced their presence in the modern food and water supply. From her perspective, restoring these foundations supports metabolic efficiency, anti-inflammatory processes, and overall vitality.
Brad and Dr. Wanek also explore popular nutrition trends, including ketogenic and low-protein diets, supplementation culture, and the pursuit of optimization. Dr. Wanek offers a critical view, suggesting that many people attempt to micromanage a system that is already dysregulated rather than repairing the underlying foundations of balance, water, enzyme function, and waste clearance. She emphasizes that supplements, in her view, can only be supportive once the core systems of the body are functioning well.
Throughout the episode, the conversation moves between biochemistry, systems thinking, physiology, and metaphor, touching on soil health, metabolism, blood sugar stability, resilience, and the balance between activity and recovery. Some of the ideas discussed align with emerging and integrative perspectives, while others sit at the edges of mainstream medicine, and listeners are encouraged to approach the conversation with curiosity and discernment.
To learn more about Dr. Wanek and her work, you can visit https://www.foundationalmedicine4life.com/about-dr-wanek
Foundational medicine and fulvic substances: https://www.liveamanalife.com
Clinical practice and articles: https://www.wanekmedical.com
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZZ34SVFLE1we_thblSVJw