Military Tech Goes Public: Think 30% Faster with This Brain Hack | Geoffrey Woo

Dave Asprey

May 16, 2025

Episode description

Your brain runs slow when it’s running on the wrong fuel.

In this episode of The Human Upgrade, Dave Asprey sits down with Geoffrey Woo, Stanford-trained computer scientist and founder of Ketone-IQ, to reveal the high-performance brain fuel once reserved for Special Forces and elite athletes.

Discover how ketones helped operators in combat zones sharpen focus, recover faster, and boost reaction speed by up to 30%. Learn why glucose falls short, how to hack your mitochondria for better cognition, and what it takes to unlock rapid-fire thinking on demand.

This is brain energy for people who want to win, at life, work, and everything in between. Whether you’re fasting, flying, or facing real pressure, ketones flip the switch.

You’ll Learn:

• Why ketones beat glucose for focus, speed, and mental clarity

• How Special Forces use ketones to recover brain function under stress

• The truth about esters, salts, and the new wave of ketone diols

• How ketones support faster thinking, emotional control, and clean energy

• What makes Ketone-IQ different, and how Dave stacks it for peak performance

• The best ways to combine ketones with fasting, workouts, and meditation

• Why your metabolism controls your mood, reaction time, and resilience

Resources:

• Dave Asprey’s New Book - Heavily Meditated: https://daveasprey.com/heavily-meditated/

• Ketone-IQ Website – https://ketone.com/pages/dave-asprey?utm_source=partners&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=DAVE

• Geoffrey's Website: https://www.geoffreywoo.com/

• 2025 Biohacking Conference: https://biohackingconference.com/2025

• Danger Coffee: https://dangercoffee.com

• Dave Asprey’s Website: https://daveasprey.com

• Dave Asprey’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/daveasprey

• Upgrade Collective – Join The Human Upgrade Podcast Live: https://www.ourupgradecollective.com

• Own an Upgrade Labs:

Mindsip insights from this episode:

Approach business threats with a calm, intellectual mindset

Business problems are intellectual threats, not physical ones, and are best handled with a calm, collected mindset rather than a fight-or-flight response.

#resilience

Utilize ketones to combat hypoxia at high altitudes

At high altitudes, you need ketones to counteract hypoxia, which can otherwise increase your reaction time by as much as 30%.

#hypoxia

#metabolism

Choose ketone diols for optimal exogenous ketone benefits

Ketone diols, like those in Ketone IQ, are presented as the ideal exogenous ketone, avoiding the digestive issues of MCT oil and the high mineral load of ketone salts.

#metabolism

#nutrition

Investigate GLP-1 drugs' unknown effects on brain behavior

While popular for weight loss, GLP-1 drugs have poorly understood second-order effects on the brain, such as suppressing spontaneous behaviors like gambling or drinking.

#brain

#GLP1

Prioritize five essential blood tests for biohacking success

The most important blood tests for a core biohacking panel are Hemoglobin A1C, C-reactive protein, homocysteine, sex hormones, and thyroid function.

#biohacking

#blood-test

Embrace boredom to foster deep thinking

In an era of constant stimulus, it's crucial to allow for boredom because if you don't have boredom, you don't have time to think and process.

#cognition

#mindfulness

Build resilience to become unprogrammable through biohacking

A core ethos of biohacking is to build physiological and mental resilience to become unprogrammable by external forces like advertising or propaganda.