Darin Olien | Biography 2021

author and podcast host

• By Chetana
• Update : November 28, 2021

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Co-host of the Netflix documentary series Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Darin Olien is a self-proclaimed wellness expert who also has a podcast named The Darin Olien Show where he discusses healthy living and holistic wellness.

Who is Darin Olien?

Darin Olien is a healthy living guru, an explorer of superfoods, and a supplement formulator. He has co-presented the Netflix original documentary Down to Earth with Zac Efron, where Olien, along with Efron, travels around the world seeking healthy and sustainable lifestyle options.

He is a certified herbal psychologist and a physiology/nutrition major who hosts the podcast The Darin Olien Show, where he emanates knowledge in fitness and inspiration on healthy living.

Olien is an avid advocate of sustainable living and opts to eliminate his carbon footprint as much as possible. A published writer, his book SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome is a lifestyle guide to battling sickness and retaining excellent health through natural means.

Early Life and Education

Olien was born on November 4, 1970, in Minnesota, USA. After completing his schooling, he did his BA in Corporate Fitness, Physiology and Nutrition from the University of Saint Thomas in 1994. Then he went on to get a Rehabilitation, Herbs, and Message Therapy certificate from the MTIC, Denver, Colorado, in 1995. After that, he completed a Master’s in Psychology from the University of Santa Monica, graduating in 2002.

In a podcast, he revealed that, along with a number of illnesses he faced when he was young, a football injury he sustained during his college years diverted him towards non-western medicine to heal his body.

Businesses

Olien started his first company, Darin’s Naturals, LLC., in 2005 in California. The company focused on health, wellness, and fitness and worked towards finding superfoods around the globe and then importing and formulating possible products. It worked directly with indigenous people in discovering rare supplements and herbs.

Barukas

In 2017, he co-founded Barukas Inc. at Carlsbad, California. He discovered Barukas when he was traveling in Brazil and found that the super-food was going unproduced due to disputes in the region. Reminiscing his discovery, he said, “This indigenous group was trying to make the Barukas expand. They were given money, a lot of money by an NGO, and without having a lot of structure, they ended up kind of having indigenous wars as a result of so much money so fast and not understanding how to manage it. So, it kind of exploded in their face and became almost impossible for them to get this nut out…Something that we're extremely proud of [is] that we say to those people in Brazil, 'You gather the Barukas, in these areas, we'll give you these fair wages, which we'll announce on the radio so that no one can undercut you and we'll buy it for the next 20 years.' So it will create security, longevity, and integrity.”

Green Path

In April 2020, he co-founded GREEN PATH, a company dedicated to discovering and providing cutting-edge technologies and advanced solutions to modern-day everyday problems. The company offers Greenpath Vortex Jug that transforms unstructured water into textured healthy drinking water.

Mobile App

In April 2020, he also partnered with the 121 Tribe and launched the 121 App with them. The app was based on whole food plant-based eating, easy to follow education, habit tracking, and exercises through videos, articles, and podcasts.

Shakeology

His other projects include his work with Beachbody, a fitness company, in formulating one of the top superfoods shakes in the USA, which was a whole-food supplement, “Shakeology”; also the plant-based detoxification program, “Ultimate Reset 21-day”.

Book

Olien published his first book, SuperLife: The 5 Simple Fixes That Will Make You Healthy, Fit, and Eternally Awesome, in 2015. In the book, he covered the mechanism of ‘life forces’; the composition of quality nutrition, detoxification, oxygenation, and alkalization, and how they should be weaponized to create a lifestyle that could determine a person’s health and their ability to fight sickness. The book also featured recipes, his guide for his lifestyle, and effective ways to take certain supplements.

Other Works

In 2010, he was on the advisory board of RainCatcher, an organization that provided clean water to the people who do not have access to it.

From 2016 to 2020, he was the Director of Nutrition in Totimed Group International (TGI). TGI focused on using innovation to provide the next generation of all-natural, stem-cell regenerative treatments, products, and technologies, enabling healthier living and enhanced quality of life.

Olien is the director of Human and Health Innovation for Kindhumans, an organization dedicated to creating planet-friendly products. He is also the Global Health Ambassador for APPICS, a reward-based social media application based on blockchain technology, that allows its users to turn likes into currency. 

Additionally, he is on the advisory board of several green tech companies such as PatroCor LLC., FootPrintUS.com, and Forza, and non-profit organization Habits of Waste.

Podcast

Olien also operates his own podcast—The Darin Olien Show—where he inspires people to take a closer look at their health choices, affecting themselves and the plant. His show features conversations with different inspiring people, including environmental activists, doctors, and actors to explore their knowledge and unique perspectives. 

Each week on his podcast, he also releases an episode called ‘Fatal Conveniences’ that explores modern-day daily activities that are harming health and the environment. He also provides actionable advice to tweak the habits and adapt to healthier and cleaner lifestyles, while also protecting the planet.

Olien had launched the podcast in May 2020. As of November 2021, he has aired more than 130 episodes.

'Down to Earth with Zac Efron'

Olien, alongside Zac Efron, starred in the Netflix documentary Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020). They met after Efron reached out to him following an encounter on Rich Roll’s podcast. Olien primarily pitched for the series and was the executive producer of the documentary.

The documentary follows their journeys around the world in search of healthy, sustainable ways to live. They meet sustainability experts who have worked on renewable energies, clean water, further visit an eco-village and the Italian town known for its population of centenarians.

In the eight-episode first season of Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Efron and Olien traveled to places such as Iceland, France, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, London, and Iquitos. Season 1 was released on 10 July 2020 on Netflix.

‘Down To Earth With Zac Efron’ Season 2

In March 2021, Netflix renewed Down to Earth with Zac Efron for the second season. Subsequently, the production kicked off in Australia. In Season 2, Efron and Olien travel around Australia to discover educational and enlightening sustainable practices while embracing local food, culture, and customs. The second season is due to premiere in 2022. Olien will again serve as the executive producer of Season 2 of the documentary series.

Marriage and Divorce

Olien was married to actress Eliza Coupe from 2014-2018. They got married on 24 December 2014 in New Zealand, soon after her first divorce was finalized. 

She was previously married to professional puppeteer and acting coach Randall Whittinghill. They married on 31 December 2007, but Whittinghill filed for divorce on 24 June 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. When their relationship ended, she had to pay $306,000 as a one-time settlement and $7,000 per month for two years in spousal support.

Olien and Coupe’s marriage also lasted just for a few years. Reportedly, Olien filed for divorce on 2 April 2018. 

Did You Know?

• In November 2018, he lost his house in the Malibu fire. The incident happened when he was filming the eighth and final episode of the Down to Earth with Zac Efron series. He had received a text that California’s Woolsey Fire was out of control and heading towards Malibu. But he was going to Iquitos at the time. Later, he got the news that his house had burned down. His ex-wife also sent him a voicemail expressing her sorrow for his loss.
• As per his Twitter bio, Olien still lives in Malibu, California. He did not rebuild his burned houses but assembled one of the Pacific Yurts.
• He eliminated animal products from this diet as an experiment to see his bodily requirement of animal protein for a higher level of fitness.
• A dog person, Olien has a German Shepard named Chaga.