Stay ConnectedThe Think Act Be podcast features conversations about finding happiness, peace, and connection. Clinical psychologist Seth Gillihan talks with his guests about ways to nourish your mind, body, and spirit.
For one-on-one sessions with Seth Gillihan: sethgillihan.com/1-1-sessions
For individual psychotherapy (in CA or DC) with Joel Minden: cbtchico.com
My guest this week is Shane Claiborne, a sought-after speaker, beloved activist, and best-selling author. I had such a meaningful time talking with Shane and hearing his passion for connecting with other people and seeing through the false divisions that alienate us from each other, and really caring deeply for the most vulnerable among us. This conversation is for you if you’re a Christian, or you used to be, or you love someone who’s a Christian, or you hate Christianity, and especially if you’ve ever wondered if there’s more to being a Christian than just saying you believe certain things. I found myself crying during parts of our conversation, because I just find Shane’s words and actions so refreshing and life-affirming.
My guest this week is Janine Kwoh, who has a new book called Welcome to the Grief Club. As you’ll hear, Janine has her own experience with heartbreaking grief that became the basis for this book. This conversation is for you if you’re dealing with your own loss of someone you loved, or if you want to learn more effective ways to help someone you love who’s hurting. I know there’s so much fear around saying the wrong thing, which can get in the way of really showing up for someone. Janine and I talk about how the most important thing you can do might be to let go of the idea that it’s up to you to make it better. When we release that unrealistic expectation, we can be much more present for the other person. I know you’ll get a lot out of this discussion.
My guest this week (for the second time) is Caroline Wright. Caroline has written a phenomenal book called Soup Club (affiliate link), and we talk in this episode about how food is so much more than calories and nutrients. It also feeds our spirits, and that may be especially true for soup. You’ll hear in our discussion how Caroline came up with the idea of an actual soup club, and why the recipes in her book are so successful, which I can vouch for personally. I think you’ll really enjoy our conversation.
My guest this week is psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Reid. We focused on how to fix insomnia, which Jenna and I both treat in our clinical practices. I’ve also been through years of poor sleep due to my health struggles, so I know firsthand what a drag it is when you just want to sleep but aren’t able to. Jenna and I discussed the best ways to get good sleep, and the downsides of many of the common sleep medications. The great news is that most people get a lot of benefit pretty quickly from a sleep treatment called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), which we discuss at length. I hope you get a lot out of this discussion, and that it helps you to start sleeping better if you’re dealing with insomnia.
My guest this week is Dr. Stephen Schueller, who’s been working in the field of digital interventions for the past fifteen years. I’ve been really interested in this area because of my own work with a mental health app called Bloom, so I was excited to talk with Stephen about his experience and perspective. One of the coolest things from our conversation was thinking about how to really get the most out of digital interventions—not just trying to recreate the standard therapy experience through a phone, but taking advantage of the unique possibilities that come with the digital world, like being able to find help no matter where we are, exactly when we need it.
My guest this week is empath and author Signe Myers Hovem, who recently wrote The Space in Between: An Empath’s Field Guide (affiliate link). I was familiar with what it meant to be an empath before this conversation, but Signe does a lot to explain what the experience is actually like. Interestingly there are many people who don’t realize that they have empathic sensitivities, as well as people who think they’re empaths but really haven’t developed those abilities. We also discussed how to distinguish empathic intuition from other things like projection, anxiety, or bias. Toward the end of our conversation I was blown away by Signe’s response when I asked her if she thought Jesus was an empath.
My guest this week is Gary Pilarchik, author of the excellent new book The Modern Homestead Garden (affiliate link). Gary hosts The Rusted Garden channel on YouTube which guides viewers through all the steps in growing your own food. I love Gary’s no-nonsense, low-stress approach to gardening, and wasn’t surprised to learn that he had a background as a mental health therapist. His understanding of human psychology really comes across in his gardening videos, and in our discussion. I know you’ll get a lot out of it.
My guest this week is Dr. Ilia Delio. We had a great conversation based around her fascinating new book, The Hours of the Universe: Reflections on God, Science, and the Human Journey (affiliate link). Ilia has such an interesting background as both a scientist and a theologian, and she’s integrating these disciplines in ways that can breathe new life into issues of both science and faith. As you’ll hear, this is much deeper than trying to “reconcile” science and religion. I loved this discussion and I know you’ll get a lot out of it.
My guest this week is Dr. Alice Boyes, author of the forthcoming book Stress-Free Productivity (affiliate link; available March 2022). Alice was a guest on the podcast all the way back in episode 11, and as always she shares some great ways to improve your life. Alice has a powerful way of bringing together things that we might think of as opposites—especially self-care and productivity. She shares a lot of the practices that she finds most helpful herself, and she also explains why self-compassion is so important for motivation and self-improvement.
My guest this week is Jennifer Shannon, author of the new book, The Monkey Mind Workout for Perfectionism (affiliate link). Jennifer and I explored what perfectionism is, which may be different from what you think. It includes all the ways we rigidly hold ourselves to unrealistic standards. Jennifer offers many simple and effective ways to let go of perfectionism, which you’ll hear about in this episode. When we’re able to let go of our perfectionistic impulses, we can experience less stress and anxiety, which is the natural result of treating ourselves more kindly.
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