Minds and Mics

Latest Episodes:

The Metacognitive Way Through Overthinking with Pia Callesen Aug 28, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I talk with psychologist and author Pia Callesen about overthinking and the metacognitive approach to emotional struggles like anxiety and depression.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

What is overthinking, exactly?
Types of overthinking
The 2 reasons why we overthink
The difference between anxious and depressive overthinking
Overthinking as a universal mechanism for emotional suffering
Scheduled overthinking
Metacognitive Therapy vs traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Metacognitive Therapy vs Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The busy train station metaphor
The windowpane experiment
The problem with coping skills
How will psychotherapy be different in 50 years?

You can learn more about Pia and her work here:

Pia’s website
Pia’s book: Live More Think Less: Overcoming Depression and Sadness with Metacognitive Therapy
Pia’s article on overthinking in Psyche: How to Stop Overthinking

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released

Reckless Parenting and Authentic Self-Care with Rosie Sherry Aug 28, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I talk with my friend Rosie Sherry about how she made the news for being a "reckless" parent, her distinctive approach to unschooling her kids, authenticity and vulnerability on social media, and what it means to practice self-care as a full-time community builder and mother of five.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

Unschooling
The struggle to treat each child as they need
How Rosie thinks about self-care
Dealing with self-care guilt, especially as a mom
Barriers to women and mom breaking into the world of IndieHacking
How to encourage communities to be more vulnerable
Surprising things Rosie as a creator struggles with
Encouraging authenticity over cleverness on social media
Rosie’s advice to follow visions and missions, not people

You can learn more about Rosie and her work here:

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released

Managing Creative Overwhelm with Jay Clouse Aug 08, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I talk with Jay Clouse, the creator and host of one of my favorite podcasts, Creative Elements. Jay and I get into the details of creative overwhelm and burnout and how Jay manages it.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

What does overwhelm actually look like for Jay?
Hard works as a response to feeling overwhelmed
Respect for deadlines as a core part of Jay’s identity
Jay’s approach to “de-scoping” his schedule and task list to combat overwhelm
Underestimating the maintenance cost of evergreen products
The investment banker and the fisherman
How does Jay think about work-life balance and what enough looks like?
Why it’s so hard to say no and let go?
Cultural pressure to keep doing more and never let go
How Jay thinks about self-care and what it looks like when the “red light” is flashing.
What it looks like to really show up emotionally for important people in his life.
Has being a podcaster and community builder made Jay a better listener in his personal life?
Jays biggest insecurity as a creator

You can learn more about Jay and his work here:

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released

Existential Time Management with Oliver Burkeman Aug 01, 2021

Show notes

Oliver Burkeman joins me to talk about the problem with the narrow concept of time management and how we mere mortals ought to think about managing our time instead.

Show Notes

Time management for 4-year-olds
The narrow vs broad meaning of time management
The importance trap and the temptation to “clear the decks”
Anti-skills, negative capability, and the superpower that is emotional tolerance
The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking
Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic
The relationship between expectations and control
David Kane’s Raptitude
Weirdly modern conceptions of time
Meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein
Are all expectations unhealthy?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
The case for wasting time and atelic activities
Oliver’s to-do list recommendations
Cal Newport’s Deep Work
James Hollis’ Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life
Susan Jeffers' Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway and Embracing Uncertainty
What’s wrong with the self-help genre?
The wounded healer
Jesse Singal and cranky self-help
David Brook’s The Second Mountain
Marilynne Robinson
“Will this choice enlarge me or diminish me?”
Douglas Harding’s On Having No Head
Seneca’s On the Shortness of Life
Mary Oliver: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Learn more about Oliver and his work here:

Oliver’s book: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Oliver’s website and (excellent) weekly newsletter: OliverBurkeman.com

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

Emotional Processing with Emma McAdam Jun 13, 2021

Show notes

Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as the host of the popular YouTube channel, Therapy in a Nutshell. In today's episode, Emma and I talk about emotional processing and the most important ideas and skills we can learn to manage painful feelings in a healthy and productive way.

Show Notes

What is emotional processing?
Why is emotional processing important?
Wilderness therapy
Why is it so hard to talk about our feelings?
Primary vs secondary emotions
Basic emotional processing skills
Feeling emotions in our bodies
Emotional check-ins
Intellectualizing emotions
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The importance of willingness
Big Magic and the Fear Monster by Liz Gilbert
Values-based decision-making
The meaning of emotions
Emotional confusion

Learn more about Emma and her work here:

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

The Science of Personality Change with Dr. Christian Jarrett May 20, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Christian Jarrett joins me on the show to discuss the science of personality change and to what extent we can deliberately modify our own personality.

Show Notes

What is personality, exactly?
The Big 5 Theory of Personality
What makes a personality theory valid?
How writing a book changed how Christian sees personality
What are the mechanisms of significant personality shifts?
Personality adaptability
Neuroticism
Are certain personality traits good or bad? Healthy or pathological?
The most underrated principle for effective personality change
Are we really the average of the five people we spend the most time around?
The Michelangelo Effect
Order effects in personality change: Inside out or outside in?

Learn more about Christian and his work here:

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

Better Sleep with Insomnia Coach Martin Reed May 16, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I talk with Martin Reed, a health coach who specializes in helping clients with insomnia and sleep issues.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

Martin’s own struggles with insomnia and how they led him to become an insomnia educator and coach
Coaching vs therapy for insomnia and sleep issues
The dangers of insomnia “communities”
Similarities in what causes insomnia
What makes a case of insomnia “extreme”?
Sleep trauma
The one thing Martin wishes people would do for better sleep health
Misguided cultural messages around sleep
The future of sleep health
Something Martin’s changed his mind about recently about sleep and insomnia
How Martin deals with occasional bouts of poor sleep

You can learn more about Martin and his work here:

Get New Episodes First
Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

Sensitive Strivers and Imposter Syndrome with Melody Wilding Apr 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Minds and Mics, I talk with Melody Wilding, a leadership and executive coach who specializes in helping sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way, including struggling with imposter syndrome.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation:

Sensitive strivers
The big 5 personality traits
Dr. Elaine Aron and the highly sensitive person
Is “fake it ‘till you make it” good advice?
Imposter syndrome
- How can parents help their kids avoid developing imposter syndrome?
- How can you get better and genuinely accepting praise and compliments?
- How do I know if imposter syndrome is something I can work through on my own or if it’s something I should get professional help for?
- How does company culture influence imposter syndrome?
- How can we build resilience against imposter syndrome?
Is it a good idea to follow your intuition and your trust your gut?
Is it better to focus on changing your beliefs or your actions?
Should we simply accept negative thoughts and painful feelings or try to examine them?

You can learn more about Melody and her work here:

Get New Episodes First
Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

The Dangers of Fad Psychology with Jesse Singal Apr 04, 2021

Show notes

Science journalist Jesse Singal joins me on the show to talk about the dangers of fad psychology, including myths and misconceptions about positive psychology, the self-esteem movement, deceptive media coverage of popular behavioral science research, the replication crisis in academic psychology, and more.

Show Notes

Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: