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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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What do you do when the “bad days” become your default and medicine only names the symptoms? We sit down with former U.S. bobsledder William Pearson to trace his path from elite performance to a slow, frightening cognitive slide—and the oxygen-fueled pivot that brought his brain back online. William explains how hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) changed his day-one reality: sharper focus, richer colors, steady energy, even a return of senses and drive he thought were gone. We break down the basics—pressure, oxygen delivery via mask, session frequency—and why these protocol details matter for real results.
The conversation pulls no punches on the bigger picture. We talk about suicides in sport, the limits of current diagnostics for CTE, and why inflammation and oxygen supply sit at the center of brain energy. William shares the practical roadblocks people hit—sticker shock for sessions and chambers, lack of insurance coverage, and clinics that skip oxygen masks or under-optimize pressure. He also opens up about the pushback he’s faced, the court dynamics around “evaluation without care,” and the personal cost of speaking out when powerful interests would rather keep things quiet.
Most importantly, we focus on action. William is building a nonprofit CTE wellness center in St. Louis to deliver affordable HBOT to athletes and veterans who need it. We discuss how lower overhead can increase access, how sport culture must shift toward safer design, and what anyone can do now: revisit diet and stimulants, prioritize sleep and breath, and, where possible, explore HBOT with informed protocols. This is a story about agency, science you can feel, and creating access where the system falls short.
If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review with your questions—we’ll bring William back for updates and keep the dialogue moving.
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Chapters
1. From Bobsled Glory to Hyperbaric Hope: William Pearson on TBI, CTE, and Building Access to Healing part 2 (00:00:00)
2. Welcome Back & Fast Recap Ask (00:00:22)
3. Bobsled Career to Crashing Symptoms (00:01:48)
4. Suicide Losses & Urgency to Act (00:03:48)
5. Discovering Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (00:06:28)
6. Inside the Chamber: What It Feels Like (00:09:29)
7. Brain Energy, Inflammation, and Oxygen (00:13:07)
8. First Session Breakthroughs and Sensory Return (00:16:24)
9. Misdiagnosis, CTE Limits, and Medical Pushback (00:19:13)
10. Access, Cost Barriers, and Equipment (00:22:27)
11. Protocol Tweaks: Masks, Pressure, Frequency (00:25:25)
12. Physiology 101: Oxygen, ATP, Recovery (00:27:37)
13. Hitting Rock Bottom to Proof of Change (00:31:15)
14. Diet, Stimulants, and Energy Traps (00:34:35)
15. Clean Eating Habits and Sport Travel (00:37:27)
16. From Personal Healing to Public Mission (00:40:25)
17. Culture of Risk and Safer Sport Design (00:44:17)
254 episodes
