Know Body Podcast

About Know Body Podcast

Welcome to a transformative journey that dives deep into the thing that influences every moment of your life- your body. We aim to provide clarity on how your body works using simple language and easily understood concepts. Understanding how your body works helps you see the way your daily choices are adding or detracting from your fitness, health, and longevity, making those choices easier to make.

Publisher

with Dennis Fenrich

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Sept 2024

Latest episode

6 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

53 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Oct 2025

   Episode 52 | A Year in Review: Wins, Lessons, and What's Next

   Episode 52 is a wide-ranging year-in-review where your host celebrates hitting the one-episode-per-week goal, shares production hiccups, and reflects on the biggest takeaways from 52 episodes. Expect honest behind-the-scenes moments (camera focus and audio snafus), subscriber metrics, and a candid update about taking a month off to rethink the podcast schedule and creative direction. This episode recaps core themes from the year: nutrition (quality vs. quantity and the idea of an optimal "replacement rate"), the dual sides of metabolism (energy production and cellular replication), and a clear breakdown of exercise as a signal (strength, cardiorespiratory conditioning, and mobility). You’ll hear concise summaries of episodes covering training mechanics, overuse injuries, the stress–rest continuum, breathwork and the vagus nerve, sleep, and practical systems for getting things done. It also highlights deeper psychological and physiological insights featured across the season: the psychophysical mind–body link, how thoughts and physiology interact, fascial system discoveries (how connective tissue transmits force), the role of emotions in driving behavior (fear/anger vs. love), and historical ideas like creative illness and the development of the unconscious mind. The episode spotlights guest interviews and real-life stories, including Taylor Whitman (type 1 diabetic), Jeremy Filo, Ryan Mars, Mahi Alston (celiac experience), Omar (kidney transplant and dialysis challenges), and Ray Garza (from smoking to coaching). These conversations bring practical coaching takeaways and inspiring personal journeys to the series. Looking ahead, the host explains a planned pause to reclaim time for the gym (North Industry), coach development, and to experiment with fewer episodes or short 5–7 minute YouTube videos. He invites listeners to keep sending questions to Dennis@DennisFenridge.com, to share favorite episodes, and to follow on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify. The episode closes with gratitude for listeners, encouragement to revisit earlier shows for foundational content, and a promise to return after the break with a refreshed plan.

2. 

   29 Sept 2025

   Ep 51 | Why We Sleep: How REM Dreams Heal Trauma and Recalibrate Emotion

   In this episode, the host dives into chapters 9 and 10 of Matthew Walker, PhD’s Why We Sleep to unpack what happens in REM sleep, how dreaming differs from non‑REM mental activity, and why dreams may be more than mere byproducts. The episode traces the technological shift from scalp electrodes to MRI brain imaging and explains the surprising, region‑specific activity that characterizes REM: heightened visual, motor, hippocampal (memory), and emotional (amygdala/cingulate) centers alongside deactivation of parts of the prefrontal cortex. Key researchers discussed include Matthew Walker (author and sleep scientist), Daniela Stickgold and Rosalind Cartwright (research on dream content and emotional processing), and Dr. Murray Raskind (VA physician whose work with prazosin revealed clinical benefits for PTSD). The host summarizes landmark findings showing that dreams are not simple replays of the day but often replay emotional themes, with 35–55% of daytime emotional concerns resurfacing in dream content. The episode presents the central theory of REM as “overnight therapy”: REM sleep provides a neurochemically unique environment (notably low noradrenaline) that allows the brain to integrate salient memories while dialing down their emotional charge. Practical and clinical implications are explored, including Cartwright’s work linking dream‑content‑specific processing to recovery from depression after trauma and Raskind’s serendipitous discovery that the blood‑pressure drug prazosin can lower brain noradrenaline, restore healthier REM dreaming, and reduce PTSD nightmares in some patients. Beyond trauma, the episode highlights a second REM function—recalibrating the brain’s emotional tuning so we can accurately decode facial expressions and social signals. Sleep deprivation (especially loss of REM) produces a fear bias and impairs social‑emotional judgments, with important consequences for professions that routinely miss sleep. The host also touches on lifespan changes (REM retuning increases around adolescence) and how REM helps us remember details but forget painful emotional intensity. Final segments include brief personal updates, listener notes, and actionable takeaways: small, manageable steps to improve sleep (extra minutes of rest, better sleep environment, less screen time) and a preview of the next AI‑focused episode. Expect an engaging blend of book readings, study summaries, clinical anecdotes, and practical advice about why sleep—and dreaming—matter for mental and physical health.

3. 

   29 Sept 2025

   Ep 50 | Stress Signals: What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You

   In Episode 51, I walk you through the biology and practical management of stress. Using a ChatGPT-generated outline as a guide, I cover the science behind the sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) systems, why stress matters, and how chronic stress affects inflammation, recovery, and overall health. I mix in research-backed explanations with personal anecdotes — from jaw clenching, headaches, and digestive upset to racing thoughts, sleep problems, and cravings — to highlight common physical, emotional, and behavioral stress signals. The episode offers actionable tools to decode and reset stress: journaling and awareness prompts, quick, immediate resets like box breathing and gentle movement, environmental shifts such as getting outside, and long-term strategies including sleep routines, balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and micro-recovery breaks. I also discuss reframing stress as a messenger rather than a failure and encourage listeners to track one stress signal for a week while experimenting with one reset technique. Along the way, I share candid updates (including football and YouTube growth), real-life stories about noticing stress patterns, and entertaining riffs on modern life and habits. The episode closes with a clear call to action to pay attention to the body’s whispers before they become shouts.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 38 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

63

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Know Body Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.