The Harsh Reality Of Trying To Improve - Mike Thurston - #730

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
What's happening, people? welcome back to the show. My guest today is Mike Thurston. He's a podcaster, YouTuber, and a fitness model. Me and Mike went to university 15 years ago, and yet in 2024, many of the problems that we encountered back then have gotten even worse. Why is there a lack of confidence, overly comparative mindsets, and body dysmorphia so persistent, and how do we go about fixing it? Expect to learn why male body dysmorphia is on track to overtake female body dysmorphia, what Mike's relationship with social media looks like right now, where you actually gain confidence from, whether being super highly followed on the internet makes you more or less self-assured, how your priorities should change as you get older, Mike's thoughts on Sam Sulek, and much more. I am not kidding when I say that the rest of this month is insane for guests. I've got some returning monsters, some first time, highly, highly requested guests, and it's all going down next week in Vegas and LA. So make sure that you have hit the subscribe button because it's the only way that you can ensure you will not miss episodes when they go live, and it helps to support the show, and it makes me very happy indeed. So navigate to Apple podcasts or Spotify and press the follow button. I thank you. This episode is brought to you by Nomatic. No, it's literally brought to you by Nomatic. I am on tour using their backpack to carry my laptop and my clothing across Austin and the rest of the world. I use their Carry On Pro to transport my recording gear everywhere. The team at Nomatic creates the most functional, durable and innovative backpacks, bags, luggage and accessories on the market. They're beautifully designed, not over-engineered and will literally last you a lifetime with their lifetime guarantee. And best of all, if you don't love your purchase, you can return or exchange it up to 30 days after you've received it for any reason. Nomatic is offering an exclusive 20% discount on your first purchase when you go to nomatic.com/modernwisdom and use the code modern wisdom at checkout. That's nomatic.com/modernwisdom and modern wisdom at checkout. This episode is brought to you by Whoop. Whoop is a 24 seven health and fitness coach that tracks your sleep, strain, recovery, stress, and more to provide personalized insights that help you to reach your goals. Whether you're obsessed with putting in a little more effort in the gym or getting those extra hours of sleep, Whoop helps you improve your everyday health and wellness. Each morning, Whoop gives you a recovery score that acts as your daily guide for how much you should exert yourself. The end of the day, you'll get a recommendation for your ideal bedtime and wake time. You can also track over 140 different habits and behaviors to see how they impact your overall health. You can stop guessing about what's happening inside of your body by wearing a small thing on your wrist that tracks absolutely everything. Also, you can join for free, pay nothing for the brand new Whoop 4 strap, plus you get your first month for free and there's a 30 day money back guarantee. So you can buy it for free, try it for free and if you do not like it after 29 days, they will give you your money back. Head to join.whoop.com/modernwisdom. That's join.whoop.com/modernwisdom. But now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mike Thurston.
Male body dysmorphia is on track to overtake female body dysmorphia within the next few decades. Does that surprise you?

**Mike Thurston** (3:40)
No, I think there's always been a thing, but especially now with how big social media is and how jacked so many people are, I think of course it's a big problem. But do you notice a guy who's really good at calling people out for editing their photos? Have you seen that guy? There's, I don't know his name, but he's got quite a big social media following. Basically anybody who has Photoshopped their photo or videos, he gets them.

**Chris Williamson** (4:06)
Oh wow.

**Mike Thurston** (4:07)
So he's doing a good job. He's making sure that people are being truthful with the things that they're posting. But that makes you think how many people are editing, even people who are literally jacked and shredded, they are still editing their photos further to bring in their waste, bring out the lats and just, it's crazy. So especially with women as well, imagine how bad that is for the average person who is comparing themselves to all these people. And a lot of those people are actually still editing their photos to look even more unattainable.