The Five Pillars of Purposeful Living | Dawn Mussallem

Dr. Dawn Mussallem, an integrative oncologist at Mayo Clinic, joins David to share her extraordinary journey—surviving Stage IV lymphoma, enduring a near-death flat line, and later undergoing a heart transplant—guided by her joy, faith, and steadfast commitment to a lifestyle-centered healing approach. Traveling to Dharamsala to meet the Dalai Lama reinforced Dawn’s belief in love, compassion, and unity as essential complements to medical science. She unpacks metrics for heart and cancer prevention (like Apo-B, lipoproteins, calcium scoring, early detection tests), debunks extremes, and champions five daily pillars—connection, movement, nutritious eating, sleep, and reducing toxins—as foundational to vibrant, purposeful living. At the end of the episode, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon joins David to highlight the most actionable biomarkers and tools for heart and cancer prevention. Gabrielle underscores a shift toward individualized care and warns against outdated generalizations—like past assumptions linking testosterone to prostate cancer—underscoring the evolving nature of medical understanding. This episode blends profound personal experience, spiritual enlightenment, and evidence-based lifestyle guidance. Whether you're fighting illness or striving for vitality, Dawn's infectious joy and practical wisdom illuminate a path that uplifts body, mind, and spirit. CHAPTERS: 00:00 Meeting the Dalai Lama: love, compassion & time standing still 03:48 Cancer diagnosis: facing Stage IV lymphoma in medical school 06:55 Cardiac aftermath: near-death flat-line & living with 8% ejection fraction 10:33 Integrative medicine at Mayo: holistic care & lifestyle optimization 15:08 Heart health metrics: Apo‑B, lipoproteins & imaging insights 19:20 Cancer prevention through lifestyle: nutrition, movement & sleep 24:59 Environmental factors: navigating risks without fear 27:12 Five daily habits: connection, movement, food, sleep & toxin awareness Follow David Nurse on Social Media! Who is David Nurse: https://www.davidnurse.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidnursenba/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidNurseNBA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dhnurse/ Get David's New Breakout book of the year: https://www.amazon.com/Do-Life-Changing-Power-Taking-Action/dp/1119853702 David Nurse is an NBA/elite performance optimization coach, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Do It: The Life-Changing Power of Taking Action, and an internationally-acclaimed motivational keynote speaker. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices