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 Robyn Spizman, author of a recent book called Loving Out Loud: The Power of a Kind Word. We focused on ways to share more love and connection with the people in our lives. For the most it’s just a matter of paying attention for opportunities. As Robyn describes, she had some real challenges going on in her life, but she seems determined to find love and joy right in the middle of these difficulties. I often assume it’s easy for others to be joyful because they don’t have the challenges I have, but that’s probably never true. I think all of us can benefit from Robyn’s message and her positivity.
My guest this week is Kristi Hugstad, author of Beneath the Surface: A Teen’s Guide to Reaching Out When You or Your Friend Is in Crisis. Kristi was moved to write this book as part of her efforts to address the stigma of mental illness, especially among young people, after her husband died by suicide. In this episode we talked about the rising rates of depression among teens and some of the possible causes, including the role of technology and social media, and how to recognize the signs of a depression crisis in a loved one.
My guest this week is Captain Tom Bunn, a former airline pilot who is now a psychotherapist. Tom specializes in treating panic, which he got into through helping people with a fear of flying. Now he’s written a book, Panic Free: The 10-Day Program to End Panic, Anxiety, and Claustrophobia (affiliate link), which describes a way to use human connection to stop the panic response. This was a really interesting book and a fascinating conversation. You’ll discover in this episode how oxytocin can stop panic from developing, and how to engage the parasympathetic nervous system to put the brakes on a runaway fear reaction.
My guest this week is poet and professor Dr. Ross Gay. I loved Ross’s recent book, The Book of Delights, which we talked a lot about in this episode. I think you’ll be able to hear how much I enjoyed talking with Ross and hearing his insights into joy, sorrow, loss, love—toward the end I was really moved by his description of self-love, and why it’s often so difficult. Hopefully this conversation will inspire you to look for everyday delights in your own life.
My guest this week is Aaron Walker, author of View From the Top. Aaron is a lifelong businessman, having started fourteen companies, as well as a life coach. In this episode we talk about what it means to be successful and to live a life of significance, the ultimate emptiness of money without an overarching purpose, how to move through fear, challenges, and setbacks—including some dramatic examples from Aaron’s own life—and the crucial importance of the people we surround ourselves with.
My guests this week are author Margo Rabb and horticulturist Chris Fehlhaber. It’s the first time I've had two guests on the podcast, and my first face-to-face interview. I learned of Margo’s work through a beautifully moving piece she wrote for the New York Times called “Garden of Solace.” The garden she refers to is Chanticleer, which is about 15 minutes from where I live and one of our favorite destinations. Margo suggested we include Chris in the interview, as he plays a key role at Chanticleer and has deep insights into the nature of gardens and our relationship with them. The three of us explored topics like the healing power of gardens, sadness and grief as experiences that don’t need to be “fixed," links between my guests' respective passions of writing and gardening, and the love we find in relationships in which we can be ourselves.
My guest this week is Dr. Jill Carnahan, a physician who specializes in functional medicine. This approach focuses on identifying the root cause of illnesses, rather than just using medication to treat symptoms. Dr. Jill has not only a tremendous amount of knowledge about how our bodies and minds heal, but firsthand experience from her own serious health challenges. Much of our conversation focused on the non-medical factors that support healing, including faith, family, and mindset. We also touched on our shared experiences of mold toxicity.
My guest this week is poet Ada Limón. We discussed several of the recurrent themes in Ada's two most recent collections of poetry: Bright Dead Things and The Carrying—grief, loss, love, joy, and the inextricable link in this life between beauty and sadness. We also explored the inherent enjoyment in being present, and effective ways of managing life's stress and uncertainty.
My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Todd Pressman, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know after reviewing and enthusiastically endorsing his excellent book, Deconstructing Anxiety. Todd has a profound understanding of fear and its many manifestations. He offers a systematic approach for recognizing your core fear—the root that underlies all the ways fear shows up in your life. And just as important, he outlines a plan for overcoming your fear.
My guest this week is professor and author Dr. Jonathan Haidt. We focused on Jon’s recent book, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, co-written with Greg Lukianoff. It aims to track down the cause of two parallel trends among Generation Z: the rise in anxiety, depression, and suicide, and the increasing sensitivity among students on college campuses to ideas they find upsetting. We discussed "the three Great Untruths," where they come from, why they're so damaging, and how universities might address the epidemic of mental health problems in students.
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