If you're interested in the topics of health, technology, or culture (the cornerstones of AlphaNerd), then the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference is like an adult playground where all of these areas intersect.  This is the third year Bulletproof has organized this conference in Pasadena, California and is "the community's foremost live event celebrating groundbreaking work in the optimization of human mental and physical performance."  In other words, it's like Disneyland for biohackers and AlphaNerds alike.  In fact, I attended last year's Bulletproof Conference and it was a big part of the inspiration and motivation behind the launch of this site.  I'm very excited to be going to the Conference again this year to see how Dave Asprey and his team have made it "bigger, better, and upgraded."

Last year's Bulletproof Biohacking Conference will not be easy to top.  I had the chance to listen to and meet some incredible leaders in the fields of nutrition, meditation, breathing, sleep, relationships, endurance, and more.  Some of the amazing speakers I heard give presentations included Steven Kotler (co-founder of Flow Genome, author of The Rise of Superman and co-author of Abundance and Bold), Daniel Vitalis (Re-Wild Yourself), Abel James (Fat Burning Man), JJ Virgin, Ari Meisel, Ben Greenfield, Maneesh Sethi, Pedram Shojai, Dr. Sara Gotfried, Joe De Sena, Kelly Starrett, and many more.  It's actually almost overwhelming thinking about the wealth of knowledge and experience I was surrounded by during that entire weekend.  There was also unlimited access to Bulletproof Coffee, so that may have had my head buzzing as well!

In the exhibit hall, there was a plethora of cutting-edge biohacking technology to try first hand, an oxygen bar, smoothies and other healthy food vendors, live demos, injectable vitamin shots, and did I mention all the Bulletproof coffee you can drink?!  My favorite of the hands-on booths was the Flow Genome playground where you could put your body through a variety of physical challenges to induce a mental flow state, much like extreme sport athletes do on a regular basis.  Think: going completely vertical in a giant swing.  My other favorite area was the NeurOptimal booth where I took a 20 minute nap with electrodes hooked up to my head giving my brain bio-feedback.  Long story short, I felt like a million bucks after that nap and had some crazy dreams that night.  I also really liked trying the ARX equipment which basically uses software to determine the perfect amount of resistance to give you throughout the exercise you are performing.

My favorite talk last year was given by Daniel Vitalis (I recommended his ReWild Yourself podcast here) and I am excited that he is returning for this year's Conference.  He will be joined by Brendon Burchard (founder of the High Performance Academy), John Gray (author of Men are from Mars, Women Are from Venus), Emily Fletcher (founder of Ziva Meditation) Robert Cooper, Ph.D, and many more.  Of course, Dave Asprey (founder of Bulletproof, author of The Bulletproof Diet) will be speaking and hosting as well.  The list of other speakers is very impressive - many I have heard of before and some who are new to me - and I am looking forward to hearing them speak.  According to the Conference webpage, it looks like there will again be "interactive biohacking technology [that] will include the latest in neurofeedback, exercise hacking, stress inoculation, biofeedback, supplements, oxygen, whole body vibration, and much more."  Based on what Dave has been mentioning in his podcast, this Conference is supposed to have double the amount of attendees from last year - so over 1,000 like-minded biohackers will be there, equally excited to be a part of this fun and enlightening weekend!

I can't say enough good things about last year's conference or how excited I am to be going to this year's.  I was like a sponge all weekend, absorbing every drop of information I could in my hyper-caffeinated state.  I met so many gracious, friendly people who were enthusiastic to learn and/or share their knowledge.  I'm sure there will be plenty of new technology to get my hands on and lots of new friends to make at this year's conference as well.  If you're interested in going, click the link here to get more information and purchase a pass.  It is definitely not cheap, but it's an investment in yourself - your mind, body, social network, and more - that is more than worth it.  If you can't make it, I'll report back with highlights from the weekend; otherwise, I'll see you at the coffee bar!