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The LIVING Room Podcast | Inside The WNDR Lab

The LIVING Room Podcast | Inside The WNDR Lab

By: Chris Wharton
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What if longevity wasn’t owned by a single voice—but shaped by many?


Our host, Chris Wharton, brings together the world’s leading scientists, doctors, performers, and cultural icons—each offering a distinct perspective on the art of living better, longer.


From cutting-edge, data-backed research to lived experience, we explore the habits, mindsets, and breakthroughs that truly move the needle when it comes to elevating both the quality and length of your life.


Built on collective expertise, not individual opinion, The Living Room is where science, experience, and insight come together—bringing the most trusted thinking in longevity to your living room, whether that’s your couch or your commute…


This is not about shortcuts. It’s not about hype. It’s about understanding the full picture—
and giving you the clarity to act on it.


Because a long life, well lived, is never one-dimensional—and neither is the path to getting there.


Step into The LIVING Room, where the future of LIVING comes alive.



© 2026 The LIVING Room Podcast | Inside The WNDR Lab Hygiene & Healthy Living
Episodes
  • Stop Restricting Food: A Performance Sports Dietitian's 30-Year Case Against Diet Culture

    Stop Restricting Food: A Performance Sports Dietitian's 30-Year Case Against Diet Culture
    Aug 26 2026

    She oversees nutrition for Olympic swimmers, pro footballers, and some of the all-time greats in both Cycling and Tennis. Her biggest lesson? Rigid diet rules cause more harm than good.

    Dr. Louise Burke spent three decades as Head of Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport, overseeing the diets of Olympic gold medalists across swimming, track and field, and professional football. Her work has shaped how elite athletes fuel for performance — yet her most urgent message has nothing to do with macros.

    On this episode of The LIVING Room Podcast, host Chris Wharton sits down with Dr. Burke to dismantle the diet myths dominating social media, explore why rigid nutrition rules backfire for both athletes and everyday people, and uncover why the Australian Institute of Sport reversed its strict no-supplements policy. She also breaks down the placebo effect's real power in performance, the danger of prioritizing physique over function, and why your relationship with food matters more than your meal plan.

    Louise Burke, PhD, is a sports dietitian with 40 years of experience counseling Australia's elite athletes, including support for the Australian Olympic Team across six Summer Games. Chair in Sports Nutrition at the Mary MacKillop Institute of Health Research at Australian Catholic University, she has published over 400 papers and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.

    If nutrition tips have left you more confused than when you started, Louise offers something rare: clarity from someone who spent a career separating food science from food fads.

    Want more? Each month, we send a newsletter curated by our scientific council on what's actually advancing the science of human longevity — and what isn't. Subscribe at https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-list

    The WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com

    Connect with Dr. Burke:
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/louiseburke4/
    Facebook - https://web.facebook.com/louise.m.burke1
    LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-burke-61923411/
    Louise Burke ACU - https://www.acu.edu.au/research-and-enterprise/our-research-institutes/mary-mackillop-institute-for-health-research/our-people/louise-burke
    See Dr Burke’s six books
    https://www.thewndrlab.com/scientist/louise-burke

    Connect with our host Chris Wharton on Instagram: instagram.com/chriswharton1

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Retinoids, Peptides and Injectables: A Dermatologist on What Works and What’s Overhyped

    Retinoids, Peptides and Injectables: A Dermatologist on What Works and What’s Overhyped
    Aug 19 2026
    Which anti-aging skincare products actually work according to science, and which are just hype? Board-certified dermatologist and Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at George Washington University, Dr. Noëlle Sherber cuts through the noise with an evidence-based breakdown of sunscreen, retinoids, peptides, injectables, and more.Anti-aging skincare has become so crowded with products, procedures, and conflicting advice that building an effective routine feels nearly impossible. Dr. Noëlle S. Sherber, a dermatologist specializing in collagen and connective tissue disorders, brings a clinical lens to skin longevity and explains why just six essentials — cleansing, antioxidants, hydration, moisturizer, sunscreen, and nighttime repair — form the only foundation you need.Dr. Sherber examines what tretinoin, over-the-counter retinoids, peptides, topical estrogen, red light therapy, and injectables can and cannot do, while unpacking skin barrier health, "digital dermatosis" (the algorithm-driven cycle that pushes you to buy more products), and "perception drift" (why you stop seeing your own results over time).This conversation with Chris Wharton on The LIVING Room Podcast is for anyone who wants healthier, younger-looking skin without a complicated 10-step routine or unsupported claims. You'll walk away knowing which fundamentals deserve your consistency, where advanced treatments actually fit, and how to make smarter decisions about your skin.Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-listThe WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com/Connect with Dr. Noëlle Sherber: https://www.instagram.com/drnoellesherberConnect with our host Chris Wharton on Instagram: instagram.com/chriswharton1 Episode References:"Jam Study" and the paradox of choice:Iyengar SS, Lepper MR. When choice is demotivating: can one desire too much of a good thing? J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000 Dec; 79(6): 995-1006.full textPhotoaging benefits from a year of daily sunscreen:Randhawa M, Wang S, Leyden JJ, Cula GO, Pagnoni A, Southall MD. Daily use of a facial broad spectrum sunscreen over one-year significantly improves clinical evaluation of photoaging. Dermatol Surg. 2016 Dec; 42(12): 1354-1361.New sunscreen ingredient, BEMT / Tinosorb S, en route to FDA approval:https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-expanding-sunscreen-active-ingredient-listEffects of sunscreen use on vitamin D levels:Neale RE, Khan SR, Lucas RM, Waterhouse M, Whiteman DC, Olsen CM. The effect of sunscreen on vitamin D: a review. Br J Dermatol. 2019 Nov; 181(5): 907-915.A very recent peer-reviewed editorial regarding sunscreen safety and misinformation:Pissavini M, Kriekoukis O, Matts PJ, Nash JF, Sinclair C, Young AR, Diffey BL. A manifesto for informed sun protection advice in relation to sunscreens. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2026 Apr 3.full textSkin science on tretinoin:Baldwin HE, Nighland M, Kendall C, Mays DA, Grossman R, Newburger J. 40 years of topical tretinoin use in review. J Drugs Dermatol. 2013 Jun; 12(6): 638-42.full textTopical estrogens:Troxel J, Ferrer L, Iwamoto A, Van Voorhis B, Powers J. Topical estrogen therapy for aging skin: Current evidence and clinical considerations. JAAD Reviews, 2026 Mar; 7: 73-80.full textFarkas E, Goldblatt A, Nehorayan I, Lefkowitz RB, Fleshner L, Tepper K, Marmon S. Topical estrogen for skin aging: A systematic review of safety and efficacy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2026 Jan; 94(1): 212-215. full textAirborne pollution's impact on skin health:Han HS, Seok J, Park KY. Air pollution and skin diseases. Ann Dermatol. 2025 Apr; 37(2): 53-67.full textSkin quality and age perception:Fink B, Matts PJ, Klingenberg H, Kuntze S, Weege B, Grammer K. Visual attention to variation in female facial skin color distribution. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2008 Jun; 7(2): 155-61.Fink B, Matts PJ. The effects of skin colour distribution and topography cues on the perception of female facial age and health. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2008 Apr; 22(4): 493-8.Carbon CC, Leder H. The Mona Lisa effect: is 'our' Lisa fame or fake? Perception. 2006; 35(3): 411-4.Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention:Breglio KF, Knox KM, Hwang J, Weiss R, Maas K, Zhang S, Yao L, Madden C, Xu Y, Hartman RI, Wheless L. Nicotinamide for Skin Cancer Chemoprevention. JAMA Dermatol. 2025 Nov; 161(11): 1140-1147. Erratum in: JAMA Dermatol. 2025 Nov 1; 161(11): 1195. full textNonablative fractionated laser treatment and keratinocyte cancer prevention:Benson TA, Hibler BP, Kotliar D, Avram M. Nonablative fractional laser treatment is associated with a decreased risk of subsequent facial keratinocyte carcinoma development. Dermatol Surg. 2023 Feb; 49(2): 149-154.Skinvive (called Volite overseas) and AQP-3 expression:Safa M, Natalizio A, Hee CK. A Prospective, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Impact of VYC-12L Injection on Skin Quality Attributes in Healthy Volunteers. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2022 Mar; 15: 411-426.full text
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Neuroscientist Matthew Walker Destroys the Biggest Sleep Myths — From 5-Hour Nights to Melatonin Use

    Neuroscientist Matthew Walker Destroys the Biggest Sleep Myths — From 5-Hour Nights to Melatonin Use
    Aug 12 2026
    What if everything you're doing for your health — the diet, the exercise, the supplements — depends on something you may be overlooking every night?Matthew Walker, PhD, neuroscientist, sleep expert, and professor of neuroscience and biomedical engineering at UT Dallas, founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science, and author of the New York Times bestseller Why We Sleep joins The LIVING Room Podcast to reveal why sleep is not the third pillar of health — it's the foundation on which everything else rests.For decades, we've treated sleep as the thing we'll fix after we get our diet, exercise, and productivity in order. But what if that order is exactly backwards?In this conversation, Dr. Walker explains why one night of 4 hours of sleep causes a 70% drop in cancer-fighting natural killer cells, how losing a single hour to daylight saving time spikes heart attack risk by 24%, and why dieting without enough sleep means up to 60% of the weight you lose comes from lean tissue — not fat. He unpacks the evolutionary paradox of why sleep exists at all, how dreaming acts as overnight emotional therapy by stripping stress chemistry from the brain, and why the single most powerful predictor of all-cause mortality isn't how long you sleep — it's how regular your wake time is.In this episode you'll learn:• Why one night of bad sleep causes a 70% drop in your immune system's cancer-fighting cells — and how quickly the damage begins• The daylight saving effect: why losing just one hour of sleep raises heart attack risk by 24% and what that reveals about chronic sleep loss• How insufficient sleep hijacks your metabolism so that 60% of weight lost during a diet comes from muscle, not fat• Why sleep exists in every species despite being evolutionarily absurd and what that universality tells us about its non-negotiable importance• How dreaming functions as overnight therapy, processing difficult emotional experiences in a brain state completely stripped of stress chemistry• Why sleep regularity — consistent wake times — predicts mortality more strongly than total sleep duration, and how to make it your single most powerful sleep lever• The truth about genetic short-sleepers: why they're rarer than being struck by lightning, and why you almost certainly aren't oneDr. Walker's research has been published in over 100 scientific studies, and he has been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, National Geographic, BBC, and NPR. He is one of the most cited and recognized sleep scientists in the world.If you've ever wondered whether 5 or 6 hours is enough, or felt like you're doing everything right for your health but not seeing the results — this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about the one-third of your life you spend asleep.Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.thewndrlab.com/mailing-listThe WNDR Lab: https://www.thewndrlab.com/Timestamps: 00:00 – How Matthew became a sleep scientist06:18 – Why sleep is the foundation of health (the 60% muscle loss study)12:59 – One bad night: 70% drop in cancer-fighting killer cells15:45 – Daylight saving: losing one hour spikes heart attack risk 24%19:24 – Is the perception of sleep finally changing?29:30 – The gold standard day for sleep: Matthew's full protocol30:07 – Why wake-time regularity predicts mortality more than duration36:42 – Daylight within 60 minutes of waking40:04 – Strategic caffeine use: the half-life rule46:47 – Exercise timing and your chronotype49:08 – How to find your chronotype (the MEQ test)52:49 – The evolutionary reason night owls exist59:08 – What to do when you can't sleep01:04:32 – The wind-down: sleep is like landing a plane01:07:24 – Melatonin: what it actually does01:12:46 – White noise and brown noise01:16:50 – Sleep, cognition, and the aging brain01:19:07 – Sleep's three roles in learning and memory01:22:52 – How dream sleep builds creativity01:24:49 – Athletic performance and motor skill improvement01:36:22 – Poor sleep and emotional regulation (amygdala vs. prefrontal cortex)01:38:24 – Quick-fire: controversial beliefs, underrated tools, advice to younger self01:43:24 – Genetic short-sleepers: rarer than being struck by lightning01:45:43 – Advice for aging parents: it's never too late01:47:19 – Final message: "Sleep is your life support system"Episode ReferencesDr. Walker's bookWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and DreamsTED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DMMEQ Chronotype Quiz https://reference.medscape.com/calculator/829/morningness-eveningness-questionnaire-meqDecibel Meterhttps://decibelpro.io/5 Techniques to fall asleep: Meditation, Box Breathing, Body Scan, Mental Walk & Sleep StoriesConnect with Dr. Walker: https://www.instagram.com/drmattwalkerConnect with our host Chris Wharton: https://www.instagram.com/chriswharton1
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    1 hr and 51 mins
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