#44 The Ripped Guy at the Gym Has a Secret — Steve Smith on Peptides and Beating the Odds

#44 The Ripped Guy at the Gym Has a Secret — Steve Smith on Peptides and Beating the Odds

What does it look like to spend your entire life fighting a body that attacks itself — and win? Steve was diagnosed with dermatomyositis at 11 years old. It's a rare autoimmune disease where the immune system turns on its own muscle fibers, stealing strength, movement, and for a kid who lived for sports, identity. He couldn't lift a half-gallon of milk.  At a young age, he was put on a cocktail of medications that caused him to balloon in weight, and then a routine school vaccination triggered a relapse that derailed his entire junior year of high school. By the time he was a teenager, he had already survived a ruptured appendix, a near-fatal surgery, and years of being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and judged for a body that was doing things nobody could help resolve. Now at 46, he's the guy people accuse of being on steroids. Steve didn't get there with a magic protocol or a shortcut. He got there by making health-conscious decisions starting at age 11, never touching soda once in 35 years, studying the science of movement rather than chasing ego lifts — and four years ago, discovering peptides. In this episode, Steve sits down with Jess and Dr. Kylie to talk about what peptides actually did for someone who had every reason to give up on his body, and why he believes they're the great equalizer for anyone who's been told their best days are behind them. What we cover in this episode: * What dermatomyositis actually is — and why it took four doctors and a Yale-trained specialist to finally diagnose it * How an MMR vaccine triggered a relapse that changed the course of his teenage years * The BPC-157 + TB-500 combo: how he went from a hamstring tear to running on a treadmill in two and a half weeks * Why he lifts for science, not ego — and what that philosophy has saved him from * His honest take on Retatrutide: why it works for some people and why it's not for him * MOTS-C: the peptide he's researching next to compensate for his one non-negotiable bad habit — sleeping only four and a half hours a night * Melanotan II: the air fryer story (you'll understand when you hear it) * Why he believes peptides are the opposition to an industry that profits from people staying sick Steve's current stack: * BPC-157/TB-500 — maintenance dose, every 72 hours (non-negotiable) * GHK-Cu (copper peptide) — adding back in now that sourcing costs have come down * Tesamorelin + Sermorelin — for GH support and muscle composition * Melanotan II — situational * MOTS-C — next on deck What's next for you?  Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides [https://b2bwithjess.com/peptides]or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth [https://www.instagram.com/jessb.talkshealth/]. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com].  Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com] Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com/home] Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary. You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step. This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

#43 Running on Empty for 25 Years — Heidi Swapp on Injuries, Grief, and Refusing to Age Like Her Mother

What do you do when you've spent 25 years running on four hours of sleep, Diet Coke, and sheer willpower — and your body finally hands you the bill? Heidi Swapp built a household name in the creative industry running a very successful scrapbooking business. A mom of five, primary breadwinner, and pioneering figure in the scrapbooking world for over two decades, Heidi was the woman who wore exhaustion like a badge of honor.  No sleep? Superpower. Skipped meals? Basically a flex. Sound familiar? But life had other plans:  * Watching her mother decline from primary progressive aphasia — a devastating brain disease that stole her words before it stole everything else — lit a fire under Heidi that no deadline ever could.  * Add a hormone-free hysterectomy that quietly packed on 40 pounds in nine months, a string of serious injuries (torn hamstring, rotator cuff surgery.  * A daughter's traumatic facial injury two nights before graduation. * A son's blown ACL threatening his entire senior sports season. The end result is like many of us: you've got a woman who had no choice but to figure this out. In this conversation, Heidi sits down with Jess and Dr. Kylie to talk about what it actually looks like to rebuild your health from the ground up in your 50s — not with a perfect plan, but with one decision at a time. What we cover in this episode: * Why Heidi operated on four hours of sleep and no food for decades — and what it cost her * The moment her mother's diagnosis made her realize Alzheimer's might not be inevitable * What nobody told her about going hormone-free after a full hysterectomy * How lifting weights at 52 changed her body, her confidence, and her entire outlook * Unlearning a lifetime of fat-phobic diet culture (and why breakfast was the hardest hurdle) * The Wolverine stack: how BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu supported her son's ACL recovery — and her own healing (Get all three of these in the KLOW stack) * Microdosing GLP-1: what she noticed, what surprised her, and why she keeps coming back to it * NAD, MOTS-C, and how her current peptide protocol supports brain health and longevity * Why protein, sleep, and nervous system regulation have to come before peptides can do their best work * The gut-brain connection she wishes she'd understood when she lost her son to suicide 11 years ago * How a mom's health sets the tone — not just for her kids, but for her grandkids too This is one of our favorite episodes. I know it will be yours too. Connect with Heidi on her Instagram @heidiswapp Please share this episode. I guarantee someone you share it with will learn from it and be inspired to create change in their life and family.  Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides [https://b2bwithjess.com/peptides]or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth [https://www.instagram.com/jessb.talkshealth/]. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com].  Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com] Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com/home] Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary. You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step. This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

#42 Here’s Why KLOW Works Only When Formulated Right

People hear “KLOW stack” and think it’s just a trendy peptide combo. We see something more important: a chemistry and safety problem that decides whether you get real healing benefits or you waste money injecting unstable compounds.  Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke break down: * what KLOW is,  * why it’s showing up everywhere,  * and why doing it “DIY style” can backfire when you don’t understand formulation, pH, and receptor competition. There are four peptides inside the KLOW compound. Let us teach you about each one and why this powerful combination is powerful - unless you're trying to play biochemist. Along the way, we share practical context on routes of use, real injury examples, and why people often feel drawn to stacking in the first place. Beware: these peptides don’t automatically “belong together” unless the biochemistry is handled correctly. What exactly does this look like? It's all about the pH. You CANNOT do this in the kitchen safely and effectively. If you are, you're wasting your money.  If you care about faster recovery, lower inflammation, better mobility, or healthier skin from peptides, listen closely, share this with a friend who’s tempted by the gray market, and subscribe for more clear, science-forward breakdowns. Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides [https://b2bwithjess.com/peptides]or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth [https://www.instagram.com/jessb.talkshealth/]. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com].  Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com] Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com/home] Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary. You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step. This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

#41 If Peptides Were a Color What Color Would They Be - With Laurie

Color can calm you down, sharpen your focus, or make you feel safe, and it’s happening whether you notice it or not. We bring that hidden lever into the open with color expert and author Laurie Moore.  Ready for something fun? We ask what color specific peptides would be if they had a “frequency” you could feel. And you'll love the conversation: What color is your favorite peptide? Tune in to find out.  But first, we start with the real science behind color psychology, including how objects reflect light frequencies and why your environment changes your nervous system response. From white spaces that spark creativity to black’s absorbing quality, we talk about how color shapes mood in your home, office, or clinic room, and why small choices in design can support wellness habits and consistency.  Then we connect the dots to peptide therapy and real-life goals:  * Thymosin alpha-1 (TA1) becomes the color ____ for calm, safety, trust, and immune modulation.  * Selank becomes ____ for cognitive function, emotional balance, and the kind of clear focus that helps you close all those open mental tabs.  * BPC-157 and TB-500 land in ____ for renewal, gut lining support, inflammation recovery, and soft tissue healing.  * We wrap with KLOW (BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, GHK-Cu) and why ____ fits repair, collagen, warmth, and that “restored” look people love to talk about.  If you like peptides, functional medicine, longevity, and tools you can use today, this one gives you a fresh way to think about healing that goes beyond supplements and protocols. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the color you think fits your favorite peptide. Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides [https://b2bwithjess.com/peptides]or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth [https://www.instagram.com/jessb.talkshealth/]. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com].  Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com] Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com/home] Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary. You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step. This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.

#40 Kate's Weight Loss Goal: Be A Grape Not A Raisin (When to Increase Your Dosage)

Fast weight loss is seductive, but it can come with a cost you don’t see until later: side effects, burnout, and results that don’t last. Today we sit down with Kate for her first-ever podcast interview to tell a different kind of GLP-1 story, one built on patience, safety, and the decision to treat peptides like a tool rather than a rescue plan.  If you’ve felt discouraged because the scale didn’t move in the first week or two, this conversation is the reality check and encouragement you’ve been looking for.  Kate shares her long road through thyroid disease, hormone chaos, sleep apnea, lymphedema, pregnancy complications, and the stress of rebuilding life after a toxic marriage. Additionally, we talk about: *  why stress makes the body hold on to weight,  * why “instant gratification” dosing backfires,  * and how a functional medicine approach can support real metabolic health.  You’ll hear how she started with nutrition basics like macros and prioritizing protein. We even dive into her dosing journey and how it stayed steady for months at a time - so don't just up your dosage because your weight loss paused. Experiencing weight loss plateau's are part of the journey and are a healthy part.  If you’re searching for safe GLP-1 weight loss, tirzepatide microdosing, peptide education, or sustainable fat loss strategies, you’ll leave with a clearer plan and a calmer head after listening to this conversation.  Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s tempted to rush the process, and leave a review. We hope this episode helped answer a few questions about GLP-1s or peptides, especially if you've embarked on our own weight loss journey. Want to connect more with the hosts? We'd love it! Connect with Jess at B2BwithJess.com/peptides [https://b2bwithjess.com/peptides]or on Instagram @jessb.talkshealth [https://www.instagram.com/jessb.talkshealth/]. Grab your Blood Work & Peptides Mini Guide for free at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com].  Ready to explore peptide therapy for yourself? Visit the company we recommend for pharmaceutical peptides and receive all the one-on-one support that comes included at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com] Want to offer peptide therapy in your business? Whether you're adding it to your existing practice or building something new, learn how to get started—and how we'll mentor you along the way—at drkylieburton.com [https://drkylieburton.com/home] Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider before starting any new health protocol. Dr. Kylie Burton and Jessica Briecke are affiliates and may receive compensation for referrals. Individual results may vary. You have the science. You have the tools. Now it's time to take the next step. This is PepTalk: Peptides Unpacked—science made simple, results made real.