Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life (Bulletproof, 4)

I admire Dave Asprey’s journey as a writer—starting with The Bulletproof Diet, then Head Strong, and now shifting gears towards a more holistic piece, Game Changers. I've just finished reading it and, in fact, was my favorite one. That’s why I am happy to share some thoughts before you commit to the book itself. It's written in a more conversational tone—taking a closer look at life purpose, happiness, and spirituality. He by no means forgets to include worthwhile advices on physical and mental performances. Simply put, the book is a compilation of powerful recommendations he distilled from over 450 conversations/interviews with accomplished guests. This is quite an intimate book, representing essential values Asprey has assimilated throughout his experiences. Although I haven’t listened to more than 100 of his interviews, I could feel that the present book was carefully written—he took the time and energy to document something precious. Asprey divides the book into 3 main parts—smarter, faster, happier—where each part is broken down into chapters filled with a total of 46 “laws”. One of the highlights is that at the end of each “law” we find a honest/feasible action plan to implement the advice, as well as recommended readings and podcast episodes for further research. Before sharing thoughts about the content itself, I just wanted to mention I could draw a direct comparison between Tim Ferris’s Tools of Titans and Game Changers. They both compiled hundreds of interviews into a book, and even though Tim Ferris and Dave Asprey have similar interests such as high-performance, health, business, spiritualism, science, happiness, and self-improvement, there are differences on how the information is laid out throughout the chapters. Ferris summarizes key takeaways from each interviewee, one-by-one. Asprey, however, distills the information in a broader and more interconnected perspective after running his “statistical analysis”. That said, Tools of Titans and Game Changers complement each other positively. Now let me share with you some pieces of advice I took note to further reflect and explore as I get the chance to read the book again—but on a slower pace next. The “laws” are in order of appearance. [Law 1] To focus on what matters most by saying “no” more often. Knowing what matters the most brings clarity, making it easy to take decisions and focus our attention and energy exclusively. As a regression, I could connect this “law” with another valuable book called “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown. [Law 3] Words are powerful. We should be mindful by choosing truthful words to build trust and break free from our own limitations. Asprey explains how certain words can be detrimental to us. He suggests us to pay attention to often used words that make us weak—sharing also techniques to avoid them. [Law 8] Asprey encourages us to access altered states by taking advantage of valuable tools we have these days, ranging from silent meditation retreats all the way to trusted ayahuasca experiences in the Amazon. [Law 10] We must learn to confront our irrational fear of criticism and failure. Negative emotions are rooted in fear, while positive ones are rooted in trust. When we manage to spend more time in the positive states, a sense of comfort surrounds us. Asprey shares tips on how to dissolve expectations and attachments that may be holding us back. [Law 12] Passion and purpose are key to happiness. Finding the things we care about and devote time and energy will certainly pay off in the long run. As Asprey puts: “Every idea that doesn’t work is simply a stepping-stone to a bigger success. Success comes when you are still curious and still learning.” [Law 20] Striving for quality sleep is better than more sleep. Fascinating studies are presented to help us sleep thoroughly. I enjoyed reading about wild animals patterns, that they prefer sleeping on the hard ground with their heads slightly uphill. It seems that maintaining our heads slightly above our hearts while sleeping may be a good idea to avoid the increase of pressure in the brain due to the blood flow circulation under the effects of gravity. Reading about sleep made me think about an important and personally favorite book called “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. [Law 22] Learning to move our bodies the right way is a must for long-term health. I sincerely appreciate this point because we often forget to prioritize this aspect due to high demands we face at work. Going back to the basics and getting the right posture and movement patterns will certainly improve the quality of our lives. Asprey shares good recommendations and I’ve used some of them—after listening to his podcasts—in tandem with my favorite ones. GMB is formed by a small but knowledgeable group of experts in physical therapy, gymnastics, martial arts, and human movement that have been developing courses and tutorials to help us move with more autonomy. Both of GMB’s training programs, the Elements and the Vitamin, have helped me immensely with rock climbing performance. In terms of books, my favorite book calls “The Practice of Natural Movement” by Erwan Le Corre. It’s a gem! [Law 25] This is a profound topic on meaningful food consumption. I was touched by Cynthia Garcia’s story on how she overcame her struggles through a combination of dietary changes with psychological and spiritual work. The message here is that emotional eating is sadly entrenched in our culture that we aren’t aware of the effects. We learn tips that signal excess of emotional eating. [Law 26] Here we find the solution to the previous “law”—which is about eating real food, about paying attention to what our relatives at generations ago used to eat, about eating genuinely according to our true nature and needs. This topic stands alone as a concise diet guide. [Law 33] Striving for happier habits improves our creativity, productivity, relationships, and even the odds to earn more money. But besides that, one of his interviewees, Vishen Lakhiani, got my attention. He says we should focus on “end goals” described as: [1] the things we want to experience in life, [2] ways in which we want to grow a as human being, and [3] ways in which we want to contribute to the world. [Law 35] Seeking out social interaction through a supportive community brings positive impacts in many aspects. Dr. Zak explains the role of oxytocin, a hormone released during social bounding. It’s intriguing to know how this hormone works—on a feedback loop—amplifying empathy throughout human connections. [Law 39] Here we learn about the importance of proper breathing. Wim Hof is a pioneer of extremely cold temperature exposure through breathing techniques. Even though I've taken cold showers 2 times a week since 2016 and learned to prefer lukewarm showers over hot ones on the other days, I've been delaying to test Hof's exercises since I first heard about his breathing techniques. [Law 41] One of my favorite excerpts of the book is as follows: “Spend more time outdoors. See trees. Smell plants. Taste real food. Sweat in the sun. Shiver when it’s cold. Give your nervous system a taste of the environment it evolved in so you can reap the returns as your biology changes to increase your performance.” [Law 45] The power of forgiveness can’t be beat. Asprey encourages us to forgive with the same intensity we bring our mission in life in order to access new levels of energy and happiness. This “law” was probably my favorite one—insights that I hope to carry for life. I hope this review helps you. Even if you have listened to most of Asprey's interviews, this book is a convenient piece to revisit the information in a well-documented version. Game Changers has the potential to impact our lives positively in many forms. After all, it’s about taking the time to discover our own priorities, then finding the right action plan at the end of each “law” to create better habits or boost our performances over time. Take good care, Haical

First I would like to state that I have read all of Daves books, including The Better Baby Book most recently. I have been trying to find a way to get my wife more into keto and “real” health conscious dieting before we have a baby. I really like Daves writing style and his way of analyzing specific topics. His computer hacking background gives him a unique way of looking at things and I really like that he is very into Chemistry/Biology as well as statistical data analysis. Like many other people, I was extremely skeptical about the keto diet; specifically bulletproof coffee. Until, one of my friends got me to try it and it changed coffee forever for me. This led me to later giving Dave Asprey’s second book a try, The Bulletproof Diet. After reading the book I thought I’d give the diet a try, leading me further down the rabbit hole and completely altering my life forever. I have been mostly sticking to The Bulletproof diet for over two years now and feel great. After reading Dave’s third book, Head Strong, I really got into it; getting good quality meat and cooking easy bulletproof meals daily to keep more variety in my diet. Dave Asprey writes fantastic book’s that are loaded with great information, using statistical data to back all of his statements. Many double-blind studies are used to back up much of his research; yet some theories have not advanced yet (requiring lots of funding for the studies), but much evidence is still there. Since I started my Bulletproof journey; I have been a firm believer in trying it for myself and forming my own opinion. Based on price and my physical/mental return on the product, I form my own opinion. It is nice to have a reliable guide on this journey, such as Dave, to point me in the right direction. I can then try things out for myself and see what works for me personally. I recently finished Daves latest book Game Changers and I must say this is the most informational dense books I have ever read. I will refer back to this book annually for the rest of my life, just because the information in it is so beneficial and vast. Yet again, we see Dave’s statistical analysis at work; taking his information gathered from 500 Podcast interviews and analyzing it statistically to organize the given information from most beneficial to least. Also, incorporating the Return on ones investment (ROI), which is very important when getting into more advanced and expensive biohacking tactics. It is hard to find someone that is reliable in the nutrition/health realm, but I have come to really rely on The Bulletproof articles to get my information. Dave and The Bulletproof team have put out so much free and useful information online. This also shows that the company has their customers best interest in mind, not just trying to rob them as much as possible before they realize the products are useless, like many other health producing companies. My most recent purchase, which I just started reading yesterday is The Longevity Paradox: How to Die Young at a Ripe Old Age; by Steven R. Gundry, MD. It is a little wild and out there, having a completely different understanding of how we humans came to be, but I have a feeling I am going to get a lot out of this book as well. Like many of these theories; the extreme funding may not be there for double-blind human studies, but the evidence is there with little advertisement. With all that being said, I am really looking forward to gaining more super powers from Dave’s next book coming out later this year; Super Human. Thank you

It's a treat to read vignettes of many of the best BPR podcast episodes highlighted as Game Changer laws. "Game Changers" is filled from cover to cover with distilled wisdom from 500+ interviews that Dave Asprey has conducted with top health and leadership professionals. There's an incredible amount of on-point information that makes you think and reconsider your premises, and get excited to try new approaches. A note about BPR: of all the podcast shows I've listened to, I keep coming back to Dave Asprey's Bulletproof Radio. He consistently has interesting guests, and just as important, his interview style keeps the topics flowing and gets the most out of the hour with these very busy people. Dave has exceptional interview skills, and his voice is musical (or, thanks to his interview of Dr. Stephen Porges - possibly the best episode IMHO - we could say Dave has excellent vocal prosody). His vocal tone and inflection are easy on the ears, far more so than many otherwise-excellent podcast hosts. This may sound minor but it's much more important than many of us realize: monotonic, 'bottomed out' vocal presentations put us in fight or flight mode, definitely not a receptive learning state. (I've found that they spike my adrenaline so I actively avoid them.) Thank you Dave for all the work you have done on your voice and interview style and the content, it truly shows. I've listened to around 3/4 of all the BPR episodes, and the information I've gleaned has made a huge difference in many areas of my life. Thank you, and thank you again. Following the book's release, Dave has changed his end-of-podcast focus to longevity. I'm loving the new questions and how they're getting folks to think forward. It's fun to imagine the ways the answers will be shaping the next book.

While the book addresses game changers in several areas of life, a substantial portion is devoted to physical health and nutrition. And though some of Dave Asprey’s health and nutrition hacks might be considered a bit unconventional or extreme, it is indisputable that Americans spend more on medical care than ever before yet are sicker than ever. And in view of that, much of what he and the many cutting-edge health and nutrition experts he quotes in this book suggest might be worth taking a shot at. There is also a lot of conventional wisdom in the book (eat your veggies; beyond a certain threshold money won’t make you happier; face to face contact, gratitude, and forgiveness are all health boosters, etc.) Overall, the book offers sound advice for those dissatisfied with the status quo and who are feeling like their lives could use a hack or two.

Dave Asprey is amazing. The proof is in the pudding (hopefully a Bulletproof version) that what he is doing is working. Much like Tim Ferriss, Dave studies high performers and gleans the best strategies and advice. He used the information from guests on his podcast Bulletproof radio to compile the 46 laws categorized under the broad domains of Smarter, Faster, and Happier. This book provides profiles of high performers, great stories, and of course lots of references to scientific research. For each law, Dave provides action items that make it easy to take the knowledge you just learned and put it into practice. For me, this is the most valuable component of Game Changers. What good is having all the knowledge if you don't actually use it to improve your life? I have already implemented several of Dave's suggestions including a daily meditation and gratitude practice, steps to improve sleep, and many others are on my list for 2019. While reading several other books, I finished Game Changers in about two weeks. It's that good. If you are looking to improve work life, personal life, overall performance, regardless of what challenges you want to overcome, this book will have some answers for you. Change isn't easy. The good news is that Dave has done a big chunk of the work for you. He's summarized the techniques and skills that high performers use to achieve great things. The question now turns back to you. Are you willing to take the small step to get this book, read it, and take action? I hope you do.

Here's my daily gratitude (Law 44). I've read this book as well as Headstrong which I'd recommend for anyone looking to fix their health, lifestyle, or performance in any aspect of life. I first became aware of DA when I went through some health problems this past summer with mold, tick, and mercury toxicity. My brain and body was falling apart at 45 years old. Not to mention, I was failing with my performance at work and relationships with my wife and kids. I started following the podcast, changed my diet, and read the books, especially Gamechangers. Honestly, I can report that every rule listed in this book can make, and has made a difference in my life. Over the past 9 months, I've made marked improvements to the way I feel as well as my work performance and relationships. Dave has put in some painstakenly, long hours into compiling a tremendous amount of statistical data to give you 46 laws that are consistent with all of the high performers that come on the show. It is well worth your time to read. In fact, I still, and will continue to refer back to parts of the book that I want to work on. As a health care practitioner, I have a new outlook and words of advice for my patients: "If you fix and feel good yourself, you will perform better and treat others better as well."

I healed my body of chronic Lyme disease last year. I read a lot about health. This book is one of the top 3 books about health I’ve ever read. So many great insights and tips on so many aspects of life. And wonderful recommendations for other books and podcasts for more in-depth information. Dave Asprey is a visionary. I believe his impact on the world will be greater than Steve Jobs. Just an incredible guy and so generous to share all of his knowledge. I value his opinion so much I even joined his life coach training course and hope to be certified in a few months. I can’t say enough good things about his company his books his podcasts and his website. Thank you for all you do for those of us who really need your help

I cannot say enough about this book! My 13 year old son has been going through leukemia treatment for 3 1/2 years. In the past year, he's relapsed three times. I am a single, widowed mom of six sons. I am also a fitness trainer. Over the past year, I have been completely overwhelmed in every way possible. I literally felt like I might be dying when I started reading this book. The stress had taken a tremendous toll on my mind and body, and I'm normally a super positive person. This book has inspired me in so many ways, and has helped me to wake up and continue fighting. Life is an amazing journey, and we cannot allow our circumstances to weigh us down. My son is now on a heavy proteolytic enzyme, probiotic, cannabis oil protocol. He is a different child! Listen to Dave and the people he interviews. Everything will not apply to everyone, but there is SO much amazing information. I have recommended this book to everyone who will listen! Thank you Dave!!!

Dave is great at distilling pertinent information. Game Changers takes dramatic turns in topics and keeps you riveted regardless. I've listened to his podcast for almost a year. Ive heard every single podcast yet Game Changers reminded me which podcasts deserve another listen. if you are interested in the most innovative health prospectives for ourselves as well as our planet just buy his books and listen to his podcasts. the information contained with are priceless! I love you Dave!!! PS: I've come up with a perfectly healthy weed killer. Are yo still interested?

Dopo Bulletproof Diet e Super Human, ho deciso di approfondire leggendo Game Changers, mi piace l'approccio di Dave Asprey, ed anche i contenuti, è un libro molto valido che suggerisco a chiunque voglia migliorarsi.

Es un libro muy interesante y recomendable. Dave Asprey recolecta las mejores prácticas que compartieron cientos de expertos con él a lo largo de entrevistas/podcasts que tuvo con cada uno de ellos. El libro está dividido en 3 secciones principales: 1- Smarter (más inteligentes) 2- Faster (más rápidos) 3- Happier (más felices) Cada sección contiene Laws (leyes) y son 46 en total. Cada una de estas leyes, habla de una práctica en particular para mejorar el rendimiento, el bienestar, etc. Tiene aplicaciones prácticas instantáneas, con consejos de cómo llevarlo a la práctica y muchas citas/fuentes donde uno puede investigar más si le interesa profundizar en cada tema. Personalmente lo estoy disfrutando mucho, pero es un libro que lleva tiempo leerlo y procesarlo si uno quiere realmente aplicar alguna de las recomendaciones o cambios para mejorar su vida. Está escrito en inglés y no es muy técnico (cualquiera puede entenderlo). Lo recomiendo ampliamente!

I was really looking forward to devouring this book and that's exactly what I did as soon as I received it in France ! Easy to read even for a French girl like me. Its division into big parts and little laws allows us to discover a bit of it each time you want to afford a small reward in your day. The subjects are really varied, very well documented to go futher ... a real treasure to biohack your life in so many ways. Dave Asprey offers us a wonderful gift: the compilation of his meetings and sharing with these passionate and exciting game changers, like him. Whether for our physical, mental health, or our ability to appreciate life ... these are valuable tips that you will discover and want to share with all your beloved. One of my favorite books, for sure ! Nelly GENISSON

Dave Aspreys Buch "Game Changers" hat mich schon auf den ersten Seiten aufhorchen lassen. Für sein Werk hat der Autor über 400 erfolgreiche Menschen interviewt und die Gemeinsamkeiten / Gepflogenheiten in drei verschiedenen Teilen in einzelnen Kapiteln aufgezeichnet. Der erste Teil beschäftigt sich mit Dingen, die man tun kann, um sein Gehirn auf Höchstleistung zu bringen. Im zweite Teil zeigt Asprey, wie man seine eigenen Blockaden überwinden kann, um das Notwendige zügiger zu erledigen. Im letzten Teil erfährt der Leser, sein Glück zu begreifen, zu mehren und zu genießen. Ich war nicht in allen Punkten mit dem Autor einer Meinung, manches ist mir auch zu abgehoben, aber einige Punkte sind auf jeden Fall dabei, die ich mir zu eigen gemacht habe. Ich gebe auf jeden Fall eine klare Leseempfehlung.