**Summary:**
In Episode #185 Ari interviews Shivani Nazareth, the Director of Women’s Health at [Counsyl](https://www.counsyl.com/), a health technology and DNA-screening company that works to provide people insight into their predisposed genetic diseases using saliva and blood-based tests.
Listen as Ari and Shivani talk about the importance of testing, why knowledge is empowering rather than limiting, and why fear isn’t a good reason to stay away from testing.
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**Time Stamped Show Notes:**
– 11:31 – Introduction of Shivani Nazareth
– 12:28 – Counsyl places an emphasis on pre-conception and pregnancy testing
– 14:20 – Ari talks about his family’s experience with 23 and Me
– 15:15 – When it comes to carrier screening, having the information BEFORE pregnancy is so, so important
– 15:50 – Unlike other over the counter testing solutions, Counsyl uses next-generation sequencing technology to pick up all mutations within a targeted gene
– 16:16 – Breaking it down in layman’s terms
– 17:28 – 40% of people don’t know the TRUE ethnic background of all four grandparents
– 18:18 – IVF is an option a lot of couples will pursue to avoid the risks of negative genetic mutations
– 20:30 – Rare is actually pretty common with genetic diseases, collectively speaking
– 21:03 – Did Counsyl _always_ intend to focus on pre-conception testing?
– 22:30 – DNA does NOT change when it comes to the types of mutations that Counsyl tests for
– 23:30 – Genetic counselling helps people understand and process the data of their results
– 24:05 – Often women end up being tested for disease before men
– 25:25 – The differences between submitting tests based on saliva and blood
– 26:00 – Shivani’s background
– 27:28 – [www.Counsyl.com](http://www.Counsyl.com)
**3 Key Points:**
1. 40% of people don’t actually know the ethnic background of their 4 grandparents
2. Rare is actually common (collectively speaking) when it comes to genetic disease
3. If considering genetic testing, make sure to enlist the help of genetic counsellor to help you understand your results.
**Resources Mentioned:**
– [Robots Making Music](http://www.hexahedria.com/2015/08/03/composing-music-with-recurrent-neural-networks/)
– And not just any music, real, original, classical compositions – [Pulling an All-Nighter](http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/12/05/how-to-pull-an-all-nighter-tips-from-the-special-forces/)
– Tips to strategically approach an all-nighter, courtesy of the Special Forces – [Breakout Room](https://breakoutroom.co/)
– An extremely quick, easy, and STABLE means of screen sharing, live-broadcasting, etc. – [Universal Language](http://arstechnica.co.uk/science/2015/08/mit-claims-to-have-found-a-language-universal-that-ties-all-languages-together/)
– MIT claims to have found what is – apparently – a universal language – [Mobile Passport US](http://mobilepassport.us/) – – [June Oven](https://juneoven.com/?utm_content=buffer703cf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer)
– An intelligent oven (with an app) that can identify the food that is to be cooked, and how it should be cooked – [Marcus Aurelius and Mediation](http://www.brainpickings.org/2015/08/13/marcus-aurelius-meditations-begin-each-day/)
– From Maria Popova, a discussion on mediation and stoicism – Text DOLESS – Text DOLESS to 33733
**Credits:**
– Audio Engineering provided by [Chris Mottram](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-mottram/96/b12/708)
– Original Music provided by [Felix Bird](http://2014.felixbird.com/)
– Show Notes provided by [Mike Rossi](http://www.MallardCreatives.com) ——- [Get the FREE Optimize, Automate, Outsource Blueprin — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message
