Funktionella svampar med Henri Liiv

Biohack Podden is a market with biohack balance. NWeb shop is a platform for leafstills optimering. On the podcast, you can find out more about biohack balance by clicking on the subscribe button. If you want to know more, you can go to my website, henry .live, where you can find out more about our new functional products and new topics.

To Henry, you can find us on our website, or you can find us on our website, plasticsstudio .com. Thank you for being here. So first, a little background check. Who is Henry and what is Mighty Fungi?

I’m a musician. It’s a very wide range of things that I’m doing. And I guess today I’d say that I’m really a person that I go full on towards anything that interests me. That will summarize it the best.

And Mighty Fungi has been my biggest project for the past year. past five years which has been basically a mushroom and nootropic supplement brand. We started out with Lion’s Mane because this was a time when I was leaving from music.

There were like several things I was not happy with at that time being in the music scene. And I was looking for a new, let’s say, a new challenge. And at the same time, I’ve always been a huge fan of super quality focus and this kind of focus that is quiet, calm, alone in your own space.

And you can really learn, study, explore, really play with your own mind and discover new things. And after trying so many supplements, Lion’s Mane seemed to really help me there. So I decided, why not start a brand that sells Lion’s Mane?

Because there was nobody in Estonia doing it at this time. And then later we branched to other products like Level Up is really the best thing we have done, which is like… a comprehensive nootropic supplement with over 20 active ingredients and really like something that you know really has its effects strong and fast and then we have another one for sleep and we have many many more coming and I really love doing research for creating these also.

Could you tell us, for the ones who doesn’t know about Lion’s Mane, how does it actually integrate with your body and with your mental state? So it has, I have never checked the pronunciation but the key ingredients are hernaceans and hericenomes and these are really able to influence your nervous system in a really positive way like make it grow make learning faster and make it grow I mean like there’s literal research proving that if you have any damage in your nervous system then it can actually help the nervous system rebuild which was previously thought to be completely impossible and I was discussing this with a neurobiologist also when I was just about to start and then she also was like oh screw that you’re just this is some bullshit and it’s not happening and it’s impossible and then I was like but well here’s the research back then I didn’t even know what’s proper research or not but then she was like well okay it’s from the like the top publicists of research on the planet so she was like okay that’s really amazing and now the way it integrates into your life like how does it feel and how does it help you just going away from the complex science and like what really matters for you is that in my life it definitely decreased my resistance to any tasks it was just natural to keep going with the next one again it’s like the anti – coffee I would say because coffee is like I really hate to do this, but if I just bring my energy levels up, I can push through it.

Landsmane does not help with that in my experience. Instead, it just decreases the initial resistance, meaning that it’s just natural to take on the next task. Maybe you take a break, and you will get the interest to continue sooner than you would without Landsmane.

So it really, I would say, it works by calming down the background system that you have by not being overly anxious about tasks and just not overthinking it. And this will make it easier to focus and learn, and of course, memorize, because to memorize, you also have to be relaxed.

So your brand, Mighty Fungi, has achieved significant sales and customer reach. What would you say have been some of your key strategies? that helps your brand stand out in quite a, like nowadays it’s a crowded market.

You see lines may open up like a little bit of everywhere. So what has been like your strategy to make the best of the best product? Well, a couple of things, uh, first of course, I have been always, I’m super intrigued to do the research myself, uh, to find the right suppliers, mix the right components.

Like there has been like huge mix and matching as well, or just trial, you know, cause the flavor of level up, this is now the fourth version of the flavor. Let’s say, but the first version, I took six months of testing and just AB testing blind testing to get it right.

And to create the flavor, there’s only three components, but it still matters. You know, and, uh, so I really like going deep into these things. This of course has enhanced our product quality a lot.

And I never look at what others have done before, or maybe I just go over to make sure I’d rather look at it from a standpoint that we don’t mix anything that wouldn’t shouldn’t really be mixed or shouldn’t be matched, but we don’t copy any ingredient lists or, uh, we really do our own research and take a lot of time for it.

And this, the results speak for themselves. And I think the second part has really been that we have always stood by the brand as humans. So our ads, they might look ugly, but they’re personal and it’s just this like little things, uh, always trying to make sure that, uh, that the people we’re connecting with, uh, actually understand that there’s not like, you know, a big table of CEOs that’s doing Excel strategies like behind thing, the desk, but there are real people who are actually recommending stuff that really are good.

And this, uh, this has really made us step away from so many traditional marketing strategies and so on, but not doing the traditional thing means that you’re bound to do. something unique, something different.

So we have our very own, like every system and everything, like on the back end of the business as well, it’s all super custom actually by now. Because I never even had the idea that you could like copy from other people or it’s just never, was it, I always live in like a very, in my own space.

Like I don’t really see what’s happening around me. So I’m like, I just want the supplement. That’s the perfect, the tropic. And I start Googling, but then of course it would be, you know, the other way to create the supplement would be just to contact any wholesaler and say, create these five products for me and never check just put the labels on and ship them away.

You know, so yeah, I didn’t know that. Luckily. And talking about the products, I actually have level up here as well. We take it every day. and I love it. I love the taste. It doesn’t because usually when you hear about lion’s mane and supplements like these functional mushrooms, you say that they taste kind of like earthy or shaga as well has a very distinctive taste if you just take it alone.

But level up tastes like, I would say like berry juice. Could you say that? It really tastes like fruity, like a lemonade. So and also that I think the package and with the whole brand of mighty fungi, it looks trendy, it looks cool.

It’s like it really stands out in the crowd because usually when you talk about supplements or when you’re in the wellness or fitness industry or holistic health industry, they usually look all the same.

They’re either white or beige or they look very natural and and your products, they really stand out. I don’t say that only because I’m talking to you. I think they’re really, really cool. And here I can only thank the designer because once we agree to be doing the designs, I basically sent him what I wanted.

And like you describe things like visual things in a beautiful way. Well, I can say that I’m absolutely blind about, like I can see, but I have zero opinion on like the visual side of things in life.

I sent him the most basic white package and I was like, well, this is what I want. Because I don’t know, it seemed like a good first choice. He was silent for two months, like didn’t answer my reply to me anything.

It was silence. And then one day he was like, well, here is everything we have done. We think your idea is super crap. We are giving you this instead and then send me all of this. And I was like, well, that’s like I love this attitude.

So this is how the designs still go. Like he did a great job. If someone wants to start off doing functional mushrooms, where are they to start off? Should they? start off with lion’s mane, Reishi, and you also have something called the form mushroom complex where you can get all four of them.

Where do you recommend like a new beginner to start? It’s actually a fun fact that in our own homepage, we even say on the form mushroom complex product page, we say buy this only if you don’t know what else to buy.

And it’s like, it’s still the most popular product. And then the second one is Cordyceps. We have never created an ad for Cordyceps like ever. And this is the second most popular. Now I think still the mushroom world is all about lion’s mane.

It seems like it’s the one being researched the most. And I think this is sort of the quest of the modern person is like, how can I focus better? How can I do more? So, yeah, long circle, but I would recommend if you want to optimize for productivity, then Lion’s Mane is definitely the step to go.

And this is like Lion’s Mane, if you want to get more done, do more, be more, let’s say, all of these cheesy phrases, but that’s the point. But if you really want to calm your system down and instead take care of your sleep, then Reishi is like the other opposite, you know.

This is, I think, for people who have more like legitimate health concerns instead of like just wanting to boost their daily productivity. Would you talk about just like health and focus and mental clarity and also the help that you can get from supplements and nootropics, for example, functional mushrooms.

Do you think that you can, in today’s society, I mean, do you think that you can get that from only eating healthy, exercising and like having an overall healthy lifestyle? Do you think that it is necessary today to have some sort of supplement?

I’m thinking mainly because of the lack of nutrition that our food today actually has due to us like overworking the soil and grounds and everything. Do you think it’s necessary for like a modern man to actually have a supplement?

I do not think it’s necessary, but it is still a nice to have. Like I’m not anti -supplements, especially if you’re coming from a place where things are way out of balance or you have way too much on your hands, like too many projects or too much work or whatever, work and kids or if you’re in a position where it’s really hard to just do this and everything will be fine, then they are great helpers and let’s say level up, I use it like whenever I know I need to work more and I do get tired like that around even like two or something, like a little bit after lunch I pretty much don’t feel like doing like super intense focus anymore and if I need to then level up helps me a lot and all of these supplements.

So like for setting like a better initial balance or if you know you’re in a position where it’s just really hard to get this balance from food and blah blah blah then of course or whenever I sleep less then of course level up comes to my menu straight away.

Now with nutrition of course we have a very even I’ve had a very limited understanding or actually a way too expanded understanding of what food is because like you know junk food, processed food, it’s really not considered or should not be considered as food for your body like ever.

You can eat it but you’re not basically eating food right and the same goes to like all kinds of like creamy sauces or oily like mayo or whatever these barbecue burger sauces whatever and this. a million things on the menu that are not fresh, that are super tasty, I still enjoy them too.

But as long as we think that by eating these, we should be all right just by eating and running around a bit and then sleeping, then you’re not going to be. So the nutrition like has to be really made into something really basic where you eat like truly fresh and healthy things and then you will sleep better, you will naturally want to move more.

And over time, this becomes a balance that will like definitely feed all your needs and give you all the energy and it will just be great. So you’ll manage your things and your mind will be clear. Talking about diets, I know that when we spoke over email before that you wrote that you have tried many, many different diets.

Could you tell us a little bit about them and which one that actually you felt worked best for you? Well, coming from Australia, which was almost like eight years ago, I was full on, well, I was vegetarian, I guess I had cheese, but then I definitely didn’t have any meat.

It just came to a time in my life where I moved to a small town, just bought an apartment there super randomly, was like moved out of the capital next week into this quiet place. And it was just a time where I felt I wanted to really change something super basic in my life. Like if you think of the Maslow pyramid, then something that’s like on the lowest of the lowest, like just turn something, flip around something over there. And then I decided to try the keto diet, which basically meant having not had any meat for two years.

I went to the store and I bought like eight packs of minced meat, like beef, and I was just looking at it and I was like, dude, this is wrong. What am I doing? But I promised myself I’ll try it for 30 days.

It just got the menu that they recommended, like bought all the items and just started testing cooking with these. I didn’t even know how to cook these. things by then. And when you go on the keto diet, then the first days are you’re going to feel like extremely bad.

Of course, like, uh, it even went to like, just thinking I had like visuals on the walls and stuff. And I was so dehydrated and so bad. And then you will go to the store and first you see like candy and you’re like, Oh, I want carbs.

Let’s have this candy. But then a week later you’re like, even looking at potatoes, you’re like, God damn, I should get these from the store. Like, so like your buddy knows where to get it, get it carbs.

But once that was done, then definitely like one of the best times in my life began. Like if you want a diet, that’s truly like a bio hack in the sense that it will set you up for like unlimited productivity and like just good vibes all over than doing the keto diet.

Well, it’s, it’s just, it’s crazy. It’s just so intensive. Like it’s just. calms you down in so many ways, like calm down, but at the same time, I had no dips in my energy any day, any moment whatsoever.

And this is when I started Mighty Funky. This is where I got the energy to actually build the homepage and create the products and everything was done while I was on the keto diet. So that was like your turning point or like your significant moment when you had, did you have like a realization or was it just more that you had the clarity and the focus to concentrate?

I’m not sure if there was like this one divine realization, you know, but just, well, I just felt better than I ever had. And of course it comes like the keto diet comes with the type of euphoria that’s, it’s not always natural.

Like you can do your 50, have you done keto? Yes, I have. I have. So if you have your 50 grams of carbs, which is like the highest highest limit, like then it’s, it’s pretty normal, but if you go down to like six grams or whatever, or zero, if you want to do this, then it’s really like, it’s even like, you feel like uplifted in like an unnatural way, of course, which is cool.

Not super sustainable by any means, but just, you know, spending an entire, like the beginning of spring and summer on these vibes and just focused on your work, being alone in the countryside, like, of course amazing things are going to happen.

Like everything will get better. And I was even traveling with my own cooking. Like when I would agree that I was driving from one town to another. So I knew that I had to cook at one. So I would agree with a friend that I was, that was in that town.

I would tell them that I will just come, cook for both of us. And then I had to keep driving. So I always had my groceries in the car and every single meal I just cooked myself on the way, even if it was like two weeks of driving around or something.

So I was really into that. But then of course, everything else happens because you have this super strong base structure. would you give to someone who is on their path or just starting their journey into health optimization, lifestyle optimization, or biohacking, as you call it nowadays, on an individual level?

What is your best advice for a person who wants to be the best he or she can be? I would say really experiment. The things that are working for me today and that I’m promoting really come from making all the mistakes and finding all the good things, or you know level up also came from me ordering like really contracting like a wholesaler and saying I will buy like three big boxes of all kinds of supplements you will send me.

And back then I never knew I’m about to start the company or it was like way before, but I wanted to do this fun experiment and it turned out you know creating really good knowledge in me. And with diets as well, like, you know, there have been points, usually when I’m traveling, I eat really crap, like really, really crap, because I’m like, well, I’m on the road anyway,

how good can it be?

And there are times when you really feel how this sucks if you do like two months of like just burgers and coke, you know, just like three times a day or whatever. And you feel it. And then you start appreciating how you felt before and having your good kitchen and everything, you know, so really going through the spectrum, like, you shouldn’t just be like, okay, I’m pretty normal anyway, I’ve never made a mistake in my life, let’s just Google for perfection and do it, you know, the play around.

And I think especially if you’re still in your 20s, then like, there’s no need to be perfect at anything yet, like anything you learn experience, it will amount to a lot of knowledge later. But at that time, it’s just, you know, whatever interests you, if you want to optimize, if you want to do the supplements, do the supplements.

If you want to do the diets, then do like five different diets and see how you feel. If you want to do sports, then do that, you know. Because everyone’s unique, and everyone has their own way. Yes, of course.

And, and later it becomes a picture that actually fits your life. Like, nobody can, I couldn’t post my yearly structure and like, actually expect it to help somebody who has a different life, you know, it’s your own answers in the end, and getting to them takes time, which is cool and fine.

Are there any new trends or technologies that you’re excited about, like in the field of the cognitive health and utropics? Are there anything new upcoming that you see on, I don’t want to call it on the market, but maybe more like behind the scenes?

Are there any things that you think that this will come in 2024 or 2025? Or you’re just in your own bubble? I really am. And I really, it’s still coming, it’s still coming. stress the fact that like for my entire life like the key to and I mean I mean like productivity which is beyond normal you know I’ve had my how do I say fiancé just cry next to me and say if you don’t stop now you’re gonna die because I just can’t stop doing things and so it’s a pretty dramatic event when I go into work for months and just disappear from people around me but the ability to do that really has been coming from the ability to just make sure that my basic nutrition is super good I work out like the devil like I just go every single day to the gym for the past 15 years this is not something I even notice anymore this is just something like it’s like a holiday for me after work or whatever And just sleep.

After you’ve had one month of good sleep, I don’t know how anybody could have a problem with not memorizing everything everywhere. And if you can do that, if you feel confident, if you can memorize all of the information, you never have to write things down.

You don’t have to check things later. You end up saving so much time. Where you could go with this alone. It’s just intense and crazy good anyway. And during these times, of course, these things have for me been super dialed in.

And later, in the phases when, of course, this is a tiring way to work. I could just disappear for three or four months and just be in my own bubble and not speak to anyone. Just create this new project.

And then later, I bring the results. But in the end, I’m going to be tired. And then, of course, I do add the supplements. And then at one point, I do relax the diet. And then I have a good party or whatever and just celebrate life a bit and sort of get back into the normal person routine where I’m just maintaining everything.

And this will be so for the next four months. And then I’m like, okay, I want to do this again. And sort of this switching back and forth from this being this super, let’s say, slave to my own routine and really going in on that.

Having the basic super dialed in and later just taking months off to relax like this has brought all the results. So I wouldn’t see in my case why I would need to enhance it with any sort of technologies or, let’s say, newest possibilities of anything.

Rather, I would see a use in the case where a person actually has a really stable life, but it’s always a bit too stressed or whatever. If just there are too many things on the table, then I might look at these much more deeply and try to make sure I optimize these little things.

time spaces every day or whatever. So your advice would be for the ones listening to rather look inwards than looking atwards towards what is happening out there because you actually have like the answers yourself.

Well there definitely are these answers of course because like we’re alive, we’re happy, we’re smiling, we’ve been around things, done stuff. We have information like it’s never a lack of like this is a big mistake I used to do in the past was think that somebody else has a secret key that I don’t know yet and then I need to study way more and then maybe one day I will do great things but I never noticed I was already doing these great things.

I was just low confidence let’s say. So we have information, it’s not a question of information, it’s about really taking the time to notice that you already know stuff and that you’re already pretty smart as it is.

What are some of the biggest lessons that you’ve learned over the past years while scaling up mighty fungi that could be applicable to other, I would say, entrepreneurs sounds kind of cheesy, but someone who might want to do the same thing within the health and wellness sphere?

A few things come to mind. First is we have done, let’s say, starting from the ground up when actually starting a business like that. I’m not sure it’s a smart idea to start a mushroom business anymore because it is like the market.

There are companies popping up every day for this. Find a really cool product, experiment how you talk about it. Really try out different things, be brave, maybe say things you shouldn’t, and then somebody says you shouldn’t say that, you pull that back.

But to really get the company started, you should really be experimenting. To be noticed, you’ve got to do something different. For this, you’ve got to take a couple of risks like in the beginning. Then in the second stage, we did really good with digital marketing, actually.

Again, on Facebook, I was never looking at competitors. I was never saving someone else’s ads or something. I was really sitting down thinking, what do I want to say? Then I did my most crappiest design ever back then because I didn’t have anybody else.

I got the message across and people started buying from the first moment that I published the ad. I guess it was crazy luck. From then on, let’s say first stage is starting with getting your first sales, then it’s scaling to the point where maybe you could actually pay yourself your first salary.

This is the one where digital marketing really can do miracles. Now, the third stage where it’s really a company that is able to run itself and progress super fast, I would say, always talk to others, then like this is like it’s always better to get a consultation and ask your questions instead of paying the price of making all the mistakes.

And then also if you get an idea then this is the place where you can also start asking yourself like who could do this for me, not like you having to jump at every single task. And this has been a tough lesson like it’s just couldn’t do it whenever we get an idea we’re like okay you will do this, you will do this, you will do this part, we all quit what we’re doing right now.

And then we jump on to the task and now it’s like well we can hire this guy instead and he would do it way better than us. So we’re sort of getting the grip of that. So then it’s all about like learning to let’s say have external help and knowledge.

Are there any upcoming products or projects at my site that you can tell us about or are they still like a bit behind the curtains still? No, there definitely are. We are doing the plus versions of the lion’s main ratio and cordyceps, which is like there are supplements that like the mushroom is still very much at the center.

Like it’s still all about lion’s main ratio or cordyceps. But we’ve added just the right vitamins, minerals, just little bits of components to make the mushrooms more potent and really make sure that with the mushrooms, it can take for some people, like very sensitive people, write back to us after like three days and be like, oh, this is a great product.

But some people, it can take six weeks, two months. It can take time for the effects. So also the things that we add there, make sure that you get the effects faster. And they’re just more potent for you and more sort of clear in the foreground.

So these are going to be a lion’s main plus ratio plus and then cordyceps plus. After that, we actually have a huge list, but then we’re going to take the next pick and just pretty much we’re going to be like creating new products every couple of months from now on.

Great. Thank you so much for your time, Henry. It’s been lovely. And as usual, all necessary links are found in our description of the podcast for the listeners who want to go visit Mighty Funky and to take a look at your products.

And to all of you listening and to you, Henry, have a good one. All the best. Thank you so much. Thank you.