Our guest this week is Matteo Franceschetti.
An athlete his entire life, Matteo has always been obsessed with performance. First, it was athletics. Then business. Now, sleep. The first two pursuits - athletics and business - lead to many sleepless nights, rationalized by the pursuit of record performance. It was Matteo’s quest for more restorative sleep, in fact, that led him to quit his previous life and launch Eight Sleep, a company dedicated to fueling human potential through optimal sleep, and to turning the bed into a seamless health platform for improved health, performance, and longevity.
Our Partner on today's episode is FNX Fitness - save 15% on every purchase with the code ESSENTIAL at checkout!
Remember - If you are enjoying this podcast, be sure you’re subscribed, and that you’re sharing these episodes with your friends and family who would appreciate what we’re talking about on a weekly basis!
Today’s Conversation with Matteo centers around how to how to express our power, the roll of sleep in peak performance and how Eight Sleep is using modern technology to recreate a more optimal human sleep experience.
Connect with Matteo: Matteo Franceschetti on LinkedIn
Connect with David: @dr.davidskolnik.dpt
Connect with the Show: @essential.strength.podcast
Learn More About Eight Sleep : www.eightsleep.com
Action Plan
This week it’s all about SLEEP - something I’ve been learning so much about ever since I recorded this conversation with Matteo. Sleep impacts everything from focus and memory retention, to risk of all sorts of mental health disorders, body composition, cancer risk, life expectancy - you name it, sleep effects it. I've been reading the book Why We Sleep , and in the book the author, Matthew Walker, even goes to far as to posit the question - “While most people ask - why did living organisms begin sleeping? - I think the more pertinent question may be why did we ever wake up”. Life is traumatic. Sleep is restorative. You action plan this week is incredibly simple - Get 7.5 hours or more of sleep every night this week if at all possible. This means giving yourself a sleep opportunity of closer to 8.5 hours of sleep - meaning about 8.5 hours of time in bed to achieve the 7.5 hours of sleep. And just take note of ALL the wonderful things you feel at the end of the week. While you’re getting all this wonderfully restorative rest - go check out EightSleep.com and, if you’re feeling like you really want to put all your newfound energy and focus to work - Check out “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. Do these things and You’ll never look at your bed the same way again!
Whats Next - That’s it for this week. Make sure you’re subscribed to this podcast so that you don’t miss next week’s episode with Cory Camp, founder of Forever Athlete, and a conversation about human connection, training for a marathon, getting uncomfortable, the struggles that athletes face when their careers come to an end.
That’s it for this week. Until next time - we wish you Strength and Good Health.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.