Untangle

Latest Episodes:

Is it Possible to Age-Proof your Brain and Slow Cognitive Decline? With Dr. Majid Fotuhi Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Encore: Today I sit down with neurologist and neuroscientist Dr. Majid Fotuhi to unpack the science of neuroplasticity — the brain’s remarkable ability to change, rewire, and grow at any age. He’s adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins and author of the book The Invincible Brain: The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life. We discuss many things related to his book, from building new connections to strengthening memory-related regions of the brain, to the five pillars of brain health…fitness, sleep, nutrition, mindset and brain training. , Dr. Fotuhi explains why “age-related cognitive decline” and even Alzheimers isn’t as inevitable as we’ve been led to believe. I was particularly intrigued with his concept of "the soup of abnormalities." There’s lot’s of great stuff here.

NEW: You can pre-order the book The Questions That Make A Life, featuring the best of our Untangle guests, by Patricia Karpas.

Now on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Questions-That-Make-Life-Required/dp/B0HHMFBGBM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2F9Y0J4VRF3U8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.2qyZZW4cR-h-puqXomsUaTW5uA5Zm9ujmTixdiGDQuUewL7FvO1YV046kntTG8CgUkaF43gkXOvS4-krFOirLok0pi5a3z5P0V-X_uY2OnkLyt6bk_NGiQVR5qUoXApJOTU9tmkfbuIJyxnjCibfA5TH7ALhs-oglpLW4ImtIFQp8OGDDRDFW1jgzuaHFbs7nWtY-i3qUihonew6L-3Kw6SqwpJpRN9XNxB7jUKsoFk.V7f6pO_BsTLEu8mBvm482Oak1nryHBXbj8ZYXBQe_Y4&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+questions+that+make+a+life&qid=1790960931&sprefix=the+questions+that+make+a+lif%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1

Resource:

https://neurogrow.com/

https://drfotuhi.com/

A special shout out to our sponsors: Wellco, Fabletics, Quince, Rula, Strawberry.me

Use code Untangle15 for a discount on your Muse Brain Sensing Headband at choosemuse.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meditation Monday. Moments of Joy. With Chrissy Carter. 7 minutes. Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to a special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationships stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 75 of the world’s top meditation experts.And best of all…get 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

Resource: Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What Does it Mean to Live a Good, Meaningful Life? Despite the (really) Hard Stuff. With Kieran Setiya. Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

A wonderful encore episode. I loved talking to today’s guest, Kieran Setiya, an Author and Professor of philosophy at MIT. I’ve always loved philosophy, but I was especially taken with the way Kieran applies it to our most challenging events, as well as to our day to day lives. In his book Life Is Hard, How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way — he offers us a roadmap for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to loneliness to grief to failure and the myth of the ideal life to injustice and even the absurdity of the world. It’s hard to summarize this discussion because there’s so much here, but his wisdom is rich with guidance on how we can face suffering and life’s inevitable hardships. He’s so eloquent in how he shares his insights on life >> from his rich archive of philosophy to his own personal journey. Life is a collection of small successes and small failures. And A good life, he says, is a way of living every day, DESPITE the hard stuff. He inspired me to reflect on quite a bit here. How do I live well, what makes a life meaningful, how do I face regret, aging, uncertainty…even what should I hope for given where I am in my own life.

He was originally inspired to philosophy by his own sense of wonder and undertow of worry at 7 yrs old. I love that…a blend of worry and wonder, anxiety and awe. How perfectly true!!

Kieran isalso the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times,the Boston Review,the London Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The Yale Review.

As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential. Check out choosemuse.com and use code untangle15 for your discount.

Resource: ksetiya.net

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Connect To What Matters Most Meditation. With Melli O'brien Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Today's meditation is by Melli O'Brien and was created to inspire you to connect with what matters most. It can also be found on the Muse and Meditation Studio apps.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Freedom to Be Exactly Who You Are: The New Science of Self Esteem and Secure Attachment. With Marisa G. Franco PhD Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Today, we’re exploring this question…What does it mean to feel truly worthy? Our guest is Psychologist, relationship expert and best selling author Dr. Marisa G. Franco. You may know her from her previous book, Platonic, which completely transformed how we think about friendship. In this discussion, We explore her groundbreaking new book, Worth, The New Science of Self Esteem and Secure Attachment. She begins by sharing her own vulnerable personal story of how her relationship's collapse revealed what she calls a "secure facade"—a protective play-acting of security that masked deep unworthiness and self-abandonment.

She unpacks why our culture’s obsession with secure attachment has turned it into an exhausting status symbol. Marisa explains why the path to genuine healing isn't pretending we are perfectly secure, but embracing a "secure-ish" life where we acknowledge our anxieties and avoidances instead of shaming them. From the neuroscience of repressed emotions to practical exercises like memory reconsolidation, tapping, and present-moment reparenting, this conversation offers a powerful, science-backed roadmap to restoring your attachment to yourself. This is an episode about, letting go of the need to prove ourselves, and finding the freedom to to be exactly who you need to be.

Resources: drmarisagfranco.com

Thanks to our Great Sponsors: Quince, Jones Road Beauty (try the miracle balm), Berkeley Life, Vinted.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meditation Monday. Effortless Sleep. With Lisa Wimberger. Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

And best of all…Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Excellent Endings: A Field Guide to Grief, Curiosity, and What Comes Next. With Anese Cavanaugh. Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Today we have the absolute joy of welcoming back a very dear friend and brilliant author, Anese Cavanaugh.

We all experience endings—relationships, jobs, friendships, identities, and chapters of life we never expected to leave behind. But what if the way we navigate an ending can truly shape the quality of what comes next? Can help us become more of who we were always meant to be.

Today we discuss her newest book, Excellent Endings. Anese shares how her own divorce—an experience she describes as the “completion” of a chapter—inspired a guide to moving through life’s hardest transitions with greater intention, self-compassion, and care.

We talk about her Intentional Energetic Presence methodology which you may recall from her previous interview, why confidence is an inside job, and how to stay aligned with yourself when emotions are running high. Anese also explains why gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is fine, how to recognize when you’re holding on too tightly, and why moving from grief to curiosity can open the door to learning and renewal.

This is a compassionate, honest conversation about giving yourself permission to pause, honor what hurts, and become more fully yourself through every ending and new beginning.

Resource: Anesecavanaugh.com

Many thanks to our amazing sponsors: Quince, Jones Road Beauty, Berkeley Life, Vinted.

Check out the Muse brain sensing headband at choosemuse.com and use code Untangle15 for your discount.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Magic Carpet Sleep Meditation. With Chodo Campbell Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

A Soothing meditation to guide you to a peaceful sleep.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learning to Cultivate Joy (and Resilience) inside of Grief. An Inspiring, Personal Story. With Marisa Renee Lee. Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Everyone once in a while…life changes. Unexpectedly. One day you’re going about your business as if things will always be as they are, and the next, it feels like the furniture of your future has been completely rearranged.

In this deeply moving conversation, bestselling author and Obama White House alum, Marisa Renee Lee shares how a devastating battle with long COVID, layered on top of profound family loss and caregiving, transformed her understanding of grief, identity, resilience, and hope. Marisa is known for her groundbreaking books, Waiting For Dawn, Living with Uncertainty and Grief Is Love, She shares some of the unexpected lessons from living with chronic illness and why joy isn't something we find after suffering—it's something we can intentionally cultivate alongside it.

She also shares her coping strategies to help us stay connected to joy.

Together, we explore self-compassion, the courage to accept help, resilience, and the small moments that can sustain us through life's darkest seasons.

And…one of her biggest joys at the moment is her 4 month old Portuguese water dog Luna…and you will hear her little squeals in the background. She clearly wanted to play while we were chatting. it made me smile.

Resource: marisareneelee.com

Check out the Muse Brain Sensing Headband at choosemuse.com and use code Untangle15 for your discount.

A giant thank you to our amazing sponsors: Quince, Berkeley Life, Jones Road and Vinted.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Meditation Monday. Being Grateful. With Ashley Turner. Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to a weekly special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationship stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 70 of the world’s top meditation experts.

And best of all, you can now unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected