520 | Uncommon Cold
The Minimalists
Joshua Fields Millburn
4.7 • 11.5K Ratings
🗓️ 29 December 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Minimalists speak with Professor Thomas Seager about using ice baths to help minimize pain and chronic illness, uncomfortable activities that get easier over time, a slew of questions JFM has about cold plunge therapy, and much more.
Discussed in this episode:
How does a struggling person live a relatively productive life with chronic illness? (3:34)
What's a previously uncomfortable activity that you now regularly do with ease? (32:56)
Right Here, Right Now: Joshua's Top 10 Albums of 2025, Friday Afternoon Minimalist Zooms, and How to Write Better (51:35)
Listener Tip: Does Kapil Gupta need a hug? (53:54)
Have a question for the show? Call 406-219-7839 or email a voice memo to podcast@themins.com.
Listen to the full Maximal episode on Patreon: patreon.com/theminimalists
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Recorded at Earthing Studios.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Every little thing that you think that you think that you need |
| 0:24.2 | Every little thing you think that you need |
| 0:28.6 | Every little thing that's just feeding your greed |
| 0:33.5 | Oh I bet that you you be fine without it. |
| 0:45.4 | Yes, welcome to the minimalist podcast where we discuss what it means to live a meaningful life with less. |
| 0:53.4 | My name is Joshua Fields Milburn and joining me here at Earthing Studios in beautiful West Hollywood, California, is my good friend T.K. Coleman. |
| 0:55.6 | I've got a book in my hand. I'm a happy man. |
| 1:02.2 | That's always the truth with him. Well, join us here in the studio today. We have a very special guest. He is a professor at the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University. |
| 1:08.3 | He is also the founder of Marascoe Forge and is an expert in the use of cold |
| 1:14.2 | thermogenesis for building metabolic and physiological resilience. His latest book is titled |
| 1:21.2 | Uncommon Cold. I'll hold it up here. Please welcome to the show, our new friend, Dr. Thomas Seeger. |
| 1:32.3 | Come on the podcast, I'll give you an applause, right? |
| 1:35.3 | I've got a studio audience of like two here. |
| 1:37.5 | You think my engineering students ever applaud? |
| 1:39.7 | I'm like, that was great lecture. |
| 1:42.5 | You just told them their grade depends on it, right? I'm going to try that next semester. Yeah, it's like, A's all around. Please clap. We should try that our live events, TK, where it's like, you'll be great at the end of this based on the sound of your applause. No, no, that's a type of prison, isn't it? Like needing applause. Oh, man. But getting applause feels good, but as soon as I need it, it's like, oh, yuck. Well, anyway, we got a lot to talk about today. Coming up in this episode, we're talking about living a productive life with chronic illness, especially when you're struggling, all the struggles we deal with. If we are a loved one is dealing with some sort of chronic illness or pain, we're going to talk a bit about that. |
| 2:20.0 | Also, we're going to talk about some uncomfortable activities that get easier over time and why ice baths have become a new trend. |
| 2:28.8 | And much, much more. |
| 2:30.4 | Plus, on page two, I personally have 15 important questions I'd like to ask about cold |
| 2:35.8 | plunge therapy for Dr. Seeger. So quick health disclaimer. None of this should be perceived |
| 2:42.2 | as medical advice. I'm certainly not a medical doctor. So please consult your physician or |
| 2:48.2 | yoga instructor or local mechanic or Uber driver before making any health |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Joshua Fields Millburn, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Joshua Fields Millburn and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.