What’s Your Formula? For Dan, It’s All About Lowering Cortisol

*Disclaimer: The following information is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice. This information should not be read to recommend or endorse any specific products. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

“I think [stress is] one of my biggest issues,” says Dan Freed, co-founder and CEO of Thesis and founder and CEO of Stasis. “The lower my cortisol, the better. A lot of the things that I do are designed to reduce my cortisol levels and reduce stress.”

This week on What's Your Formula?, a series dedicated to carefully crafted routines and rituals that elevate mind and body, we’re spotlighting Dan, learning about the habits and supplements that help him balance the stress hormone cortisol and fuel his everyday (i.e., his “formula” for success).

Dan considers himself a test case, always experimenting with what the latest research reveals and what his body and mind need at any given moment. Once, that looked like Vipassana meditation retreats. Now, it looks like weightlifting three times a week paired with a targeted peptide routine. After all, experimentation was what led Dan to nootropics over a decade ago—which have been key to helping him overcome the focus and attention issues that arise with his ADHD.

“Anyone would tell you that the foundations of brain health are going to be sleep, exercise, and a healthy diet,” said Dan. “The things that I promote that go beyond that are dogs, psychedelics, and nootropics.”

We sat down with Dan to learn more about how he nurtures his brain health. 

“I take nootropics every day. I have for more than 10 years now. I usually take [Thesis] Clarity and Confidence. Those are the two that I go to the most.

Nootropics have opened up what I'm capable of. In a way, I wouldn't be able to have this job [as co-founder and CEO], to sit at a desk for 10-12 hours a day, without some type of help.”

“I love being out in nature. I try to make it up to the Catskills about once a quarter. It's always just for a weekend, but to be out in nature and also to take Frankie, my dog. She's the number one thing for mental health. Having a dog just improves the overall quality of everything in life and I try to spend a lot of time with her.”

“Right now, I'm doing two days a week where I [eat] 500 calories or less. I fast for about four days every three to six months, a complete fast. And then I usually do ketosis about once a year, where I’ll go in ketosis for, depending on how I feel, a couple of months.” 

“I think that I now better understand ways that I can and can't work, whereas previously I would beat myself up over not being able to do something.”

“I look at long-term cognitive health like this: Am I doing things to preserve my overall brain function or am I doing things that make it worse? An example is I don't drink. I don't think that alcohol would add anything to my life and I do think that It's just not good for long-term cognitive health.

So I kind of categorize things like that. Whenever I'm thinking, Do I want to do this? I ask, What's the cost-benefit?”

“I think psychedelics are highly underrated for cognitive health. Psychedelics are great tools for promoting self-awareness and personal growth, and they have been deeply transformative for me and my mental health. I make guided treatments with recognized experts a core part of my wellness routine. It’s exciting to see the category become less stigmatized and for new research to come out. 

I [also] take peptides regularly, like BPC-157 and Sermorelin. Peptides are chains of amino acids that can behave like hormones. Essentially they plug into different receptors throughout your body. The ones that I’m talking about enhances growth hormones, so your body recovers faster after a workout. They also help with sleep, which is one of the things that I struggle with. And, as you age, your growth hormone levels go down. [Peptides] make you feel younger."