Elissa Epel, Ph.D., is an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal aging and a best-selling author of The Telomere Effect, and The Stress Prescription. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is Vice Chair of Psychology and directs the Aging Metabolism Emotions Center.
Related Episodes:
On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here!
Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!
Episode cheatsheet
The big takeaway
Dr. Elissa Epel, a leading researcher on stress and aging, dives into how chronic stress can literally age you on a cellular level—but also shows how simple, sustainable daily habits can reverse the damage. The big idea: Our cells are “listening” to our lives, and by tweaking our routines, mindset, and recovery practices, we have far more control over our healthspan and longevity than we might think.
Hit the brakes on aging: Stress, telomeres & cellular health
Stress isn’t just a mental burden—it wears down our telomeres (those protective caps on your chromosomes), leading to premature aging and inflammation.
You can reverse and slow this damage with small, do-able lifestyle tweaks. Little choices add up big over decades.
Deep rest and restoration (not just sleep!) are critical for cellular repair—think daily breaks, mindful breathwork, and periodic "resets" like retreats if you can swing one.
Meditation, even just five minutes a day, and simple breathing practices can dramatically reset your nervous system and build resilience.
6 simple ways to protect your DNA and feel better, daily:
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Dan Harris to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
