Welcome to Steve's Monthly Pulse
Your “no-hidden agenda” source for health, music, and entrepreneurial insight. Each month, I'll share tips to optimize your well-being and updates on exciting projects.
Deep Dive Summary
Like most children, my daughter Lili often rolls her eyes at many of my comments and suggestions, or as I call them, “ideas du jour.” Recently, though, she suggested I start a podcast. Apparently, she has passed along some of her Dad’s “ideas” - i.e. often lengthy monologues, which of course she distills down - to her friends. I should mention, Lili is my 26.5-year-old daughter, the older of my two daughters. Hannah, who is 24.1, is my other daughter. Hannah also frequently rolls her eyes, as does her mother and my wife, Kirsten, who is a bit older than me - clocking in at 57.9 years old. My birthday is in November, so I am barely 57.5 - but we’ll talk about wall clock vs. biological (i.e., epigenetic, metabolic, etc.) age later.
Surprisingly a few of Lili’s friends find some of my ideas and routines interesting - hence her suggestion to do a podcast. Fancy that. Since both children have or are working on advanced degrees and are hence a lot more interesting :), I guess it’s time for me to start listening to their suggestions. Fancy that. Lili just finished her Master of Public Health from Berkeley, so we share an alma mater. I did my PhD at Berzerkeley in Chemistry - but more on that later. Hannah is working on her MD at Semmelweis in Budapest, Hungary. An extra couple of years of medical training required there vs. the States, but apparently the last two are clinically focused, kind of a mini residency. Semmelweis is the school founded in the name of the initially discounted physician - Ignac Semmelweis - later hailed as the “Father of Hand Hygiene,” the “Father of Infection Control,” and “Savior of Mothers.” Semmelweis’ contribution was recognized 20 years after his death as the medical world became more receptive and wiser after the germ theory of disease by Pasteur. Unfortunately, that’s how the medical community rolls. More on that one later. Anyway, between the two daughters, a father couldn’t be more proud.
Since a podcast is a lot of work and I have a day job, I initially rolled my eyes back at Lili. But on a recent healthy vacation (or as the movie character Jessup would say - “is there any other kind?”), I reflected a bit on Lili’s suggestion. At minimum, I could use it to capture many of the concepts I often speak of - so I thought, why not? If even one person benefits somewhere, it’s worth the effort. Also, I’ll leverage my AI experience to learn from all the content generated at a later date. Oh yeah, guess I forgot to mention, I have been in the AI game for almost 40 years now. In fact, my whole PhD was dedicated to neural networks in the late 80s. Fancy that…
Anyway, we’re still thinking through the first podcast - which of course will involve Lili - but in the meantime, I thought I would start with a monthly newsletter. Below is a draft of the first one, I let ChatGPT do the heavy lifting and prompted it with “I’m considering a monthly newsletter. Given what you know about me and our recent discussions, please generate a first draft.” By the way, a “please” is often important. It’s amazing how LLM(s) draw from a slightly different training space(s) when you’re polite. After a few re-prompts and minor edits, here you go:
Steve's Monthly Pulse
Welcome to Steve's Monthly Pulse,
Your source for health, music, and entrepreneurial insights. Each month, I'll share tips to optimize your well-being, highlights from my music studio, and updates on exciting projects.
Health Tip: Boost Your Sleep Efficiency
I have noticed a boost in REM and deep sleep after my music mixes. Here’s how you can too:
Pre-Bedtime Routine: Use blue blockers, avoid exercising too close to bed, and take a nice walk after dinner to wind down.
Music Therapy: Listen to soothing tunes before bed.
Optimize Your Environment: Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
When I'm not mixing, drumming on my electronic set nightly also increases my REM sleep.
Studio Sessions Highlight
Last month’s mix-n-match sessions were electric! These mixes are weekly highlights for me. I always invite different combinations of musicians and we have no specific setlist or plan. It’s like Gump’s box of chocolates - “You never know what you're gonna get,” but sometimes it’s lightning in a bottle, other times a train-wreck, but that’s life. Here’s a clip from the last one. I can’t believe this crew went after ‘My Guitar Gently Weeps.’ Shout out to RickL's Strange Brew group with Bassman Dan and Johnny Conga.
Keep an eye out for future sample video clips I’ll upload after the next mixes. Remember, these music mixes are generally weekly, so there's always new content coming.
Idea Club Podcast Launch
Inspired by our dynamic music sessions, the Idea Club podcast mixes entrepreneurial brainstorming with audience participation. The pilot episode covers sleep optimization and Apple Health. Stay tuned!
Miraval Wellness Insights
My recent visit to Miraval in Tucson was rejuvenating. One of the highlights was their morning ice deliveries for a cold plunge in the bathtub. This invigorating routine is perfect for starting the day refreshed and energized. Allegedly, there were new owl babies at Miraval as storied by staff last week. Apparently the owls stole a Hawk’s nest for them. My guess is the Hawk forced to nest elsewhere had a few revenge meals. We’ll see if the Owls retaliate next season….Last year at this time, I had a great ocular conversation with a baby owl
At home, I highly recommend combining infrared therapy with full body vibration for an excellent muscle recovery session.
Call to Action
Have a health tip, musical idea, or entrepreneurial concept? Share it with me! Your insights could feature in the next newsletter or spark a topic for the Idea Club podcast.
Thanks for tuning in. Let’s make the most of this journey together.
Steve
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