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My dad passed away from cancer when I was 11 years old. That one experience impacted me in all the ways you'd expect: grief, uncertainty, struggle. But, it was an unexpected lesson I learned decades after his death that was the true impact.I learned the importance of living life by design and not by default. Of living life in a way that is aligned to who I truly am, rather than living to fulfill other people's desires and expectations. I learned how precious this 1 shot at life is, and that I need to be responsible for crafting the road ahead.Today we're diving into the Life Design process and focusing on the first couple steps in the process. The Stanford Life Design Lab calls this process crafting your Odyssey.In today's episode, I'll talk about my personal journey to discovering the importance and power of life design. I'll give you a high-level overview of the whole process, then we'll dive deep into the first couple of stages.As a bonus, I've created a free activity for yo

Being a parent is tough. There's no doubting that. Helping children grow and develop into resilient, resourceful, independent adults is no easy task.But, have you ever stopped to think about the role that brain development plays in the way in which you parent your children?As it turns out, much of the challenging behavior we encounter when parenting especially young kids can be tied back to their brain development at that stage. Depending upon what stage their in and what "brain" their in, the way we react to challenging behavior and the way our children respond to us will differ greatly.Today we're speaking with Allana Robinson. She s Parenting Coach and CEO of Uncommon Sense Parenting, as well as a Registered Early Childhood Educator, Mom of two, and military wife. Allana supports parents of toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners in understanding WHY their children are misbehaving and how to fix it without yelling, shaming, or time-outs.During this episode, Allana gives us a simple yet

The self-help and personal development space has EXPLODED over the past handful of years, and that explosion in content and complexity has left us asking one, simple question:How DO we live the best, most aligned life possible?Today we're digging into this big, complex question with some cutting edge research on process-based psychology. Recently Dr. Steven Hayes and other researchers on his team examined over 55,000 research studies to uncover the 30 or so core processes that we can focus on in order to improve our mental wellbeing and the way we experience life. That's what we're digging into on today's episode.Today's guest is Dr. Diana Hill. She is a clinical psychologist and co-author of ACT Daily Journal: Get unstuck and live fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Through her online teachings, executive coaching, clinical supervision, and private therapy practice, Diana encourages clients to build psychological flexibility so that they can live more meaningful and fulfilling l

Many of us believe that we are self-aware, but when we actually assess people, only about 10-15% of people actually are. Shocking huh?!Self-awareness is a skill that sits at the center of so many psychological strength concepts, and that is what we're digging into today.Be forewarned! Today's episode is an episode that you DO, not an episode that you passively listen to. It's meant to deepen your awareness of yourself by asking you questions meant to uncover nuance, insight, and connection. This one is for you if you're ready to go DEEP.Grab a journal, grab a pen, go for a walk, and liberally use the pause button on this one. Carve out some time, and dedicate it to getting to know yourself on a deeper level.Additional Resources:Listen to my interview with Dr. Steven Hayes, founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: https://www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog/0143Want to cultivate a better relationship with yourself? Here's how: https://www.peakmindpsychology.com/blog/0315Want to go even fur

Because of the way our minds operate, human beings struggle with change. No matter whether the change is a net positive or net negative change, whether it's big or small. All change causes some degree of friction and difficulty. And we've all weathered a LOT of it in the past few years.On today's episode, we're diving into the topic of change. First and foremost, we'll talk about why change is difficult for us. Turns out, you're not weak! You don't lack resilience! You're simply a human being with a mind, and our human mind's HATE change. Tune in, and you'll learn why.Then we'll dive into one of the models of change that I really like as a way of understanding how we as human beings move through change. We'll talk about the difference between a "change" and a "transition." We'll talk about the fundamental principles of the mind that are impacted when we experience a change and how we ultimately move on to get to the other side of a change.Fin

"Follow your passion!" How many times have you heard that? How many people have you spoken to lately who are either quitting their jobs or thinking about quitting because they lack passion? Many would argue that this is one of the biggest drivers behind "The Great Resignation" that we're all hearing so much about these days.But, what if there's a problem with following your passion?This week's guest, Erin Cech is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan. Her research investigates how seemingly benign and taken-for-granted cultural beliefs reproduce workforce inequalities.In her recent book "The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality," Erin teases apart some of the hidden issues with searching for passion and fulfillment solely from your job. She talks about how:Searching for passion can perpetuate societal cycles that promote inequalityOur sense of identity can become wrapped up in our job and can suffer when

Have you ever been talking to someone, and you felt like they just weren't understanding what you were saying?Or maybe you're are in a relationship with someone, whether it's a romantic relationship, friendship, or professional relationship and you can't believe the other person NEVER asks your thoughts. Or the flip side. You feel like you have to PRY thoughts out of them.One more. Have you ever been in an important conversation with someone and ended up talking over each other? Almost as thought you're in a dance where BOTH OF YOU is trying to lead?Turns out that understanding your communication style and the style of other important people in your life can help you communicate more effectively and effortlessly. That's what we're talking about today.Today we're diving into a model that is over 3 decades old, but I still find it so useful. It's the Social Styles of Communication model. In this model, there are 2 different continuums that divide people into 4 different commu

Today we're using life design to work on a very common problem these days: working from home. You've likely experienced what I have - working from home has its benefits, but it also brings with it unique challenges. And, life design is the exact approach to take in order to work through challenging situations.Let's design your WFH life!Today, we're going to go through 4 different challenges when you're working from home. Inside each one, I'll prompt you to come up with ways to experiment in order to steer your workday in alignment with what's truly important to you.During the episode I mentioned a bunch of links. Here they are:If you want to know which pens I talk about, they're right here.Here is a link to the Self JournalHere is how to hide your own face on Zoom meetingsFinally, here is a link to last week's episode, and here is a link to get the free guide that accompanies it.Finally, if you're one of the first 3 people to submit a review for the podcast after this e

I say it all the time - I actually practice the things I preach on this podcast. In fact, the improvement in my life experience that I've seen since beginning this podcast is one of the best, most unexpected side effects of the podcast!The last 2 years have been exceptionally challenging for all of us, but I truly believe that it has been a handful of life-changing practices that have sustained me and helped me thrive through it. These practices have transformed the way I experience my own life, and in this episode, I want to share them with you.Today's episode is the very first episode in season 6 of the podcast. It's also coming out a mere 2 days before my 42nd birthday! So, as a gift to you, we're diving into 5 life-changing psych strength practices and 5 different ways to implement each practice. That's TWENTY-FIVE different actions you can take to build psych strength.And, because this episode is so dense with information, I've created a free guide to accompany the episode. You ca

Have you ever been in the position of being the only man / woman / non-binary / person of color / non-native speaker / etc in the room? How did that feel? How comfortable did you feel? How free did you feel to be your true, authentic self? How psychologically safe did you feel?Today, we're speaking with Stephanie Roldan about the topics of psychological safety and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).Stephanie Roldan is the Director of Lean Culture at Rosendin Electric. She leads Rosendin's Respect for People and Continuous Improvement culture, simplified as "Lean Culture." This responsibility includes developing, setting, and leading the strategy on creating an inclusive environment and sense of belonging for employees. She serves as the Chairperson for Rosendin's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for the AZ Foundation for Women.As a woman in the construction industry, Stephanie knows first-hand what it feels like to be "the only"

You all know how much I love life design. This time of the year, it's especially relevant. So many of us take stock of our lives and think about changes we might want to make, and life design provides a set of tools and techniques to help us do that more effectively.Today, We're speaking with Ben Oosterveld. Ben is a real estate entrepreneur who built a real estate investment company that held 61 properties with investors in 4 different cities. After getting his real estate license, he built a multi million-dollar real estate business with an award winning top national team in 3 years. Today, Ben helps business owners get clear about who they really are and what they really want. He helps them make the right changes in their business and life with the new goal of building a life they love. His focus is on coaching, speaking and running personal growth retreats.During this episode we dive deep into the importance of defining your "compass" or the type of life you actually want to live. We talk

Over the last 5 seasons, we've covered so many practices that we can build into our lives in order to help us thrive. But, there's one topic that we haven't really covered in any depth: creativity. Turns out, creative endeavors like painting, sculpting, poetry, dance, and other mediums tie so well into many schools of thought about how to help us thrive. That's precisely what we're diving into today!Today we're speaking with Morgan Beard. Morgan has dedicated her life to using creativity to heal and empower. She received her BA in Visual and Media Studies from Duke University in 2012 and her MPS in Art Therapy from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 2017. As an art therapist in New York, she worked in a public elementary school, an adult inpatient psychiatric unit, and a 183-bed nursing home. She currently lives in LA and works as a life coach using art and creativity to help people thrive.Additional Resources:Episode 183: The Self Care PyramidSelf-Care [by design] mini-cour

Have you ever stopped to consider just how often fear influences how you think, feel, and react? Sometimes, this impact can be slight, and we're able to quickly move past it. However, other times, these feelings of fear can be so intense that they stop us in our tracks. They lead us to feel trapped.Today, we're talking about the notion of 'fear traps' with Dr. Nancy Stella. Dr. Stella has been a leading clinical psychologist in the Cincinnati area for over twenty five years, co-owning and growing one of Ohio's largest private, multi-specialty mental health practices. She developed the Courageous Brain Process (CBP)—an innovative, science-based method of therapy. Rooted in the most up-to-date neuroscience, it bypasses the shortcomings of traditional talk therapy to change the way our brains process fear. Her first book, Fear Traps: Escaping the Triggers that Keep You Stuck, gives readers proven practices for building courage and resilience.Additional Resources:Learn more about Dr. Stella by

December is here, which means New Years is right around the corner, bringing with it goals for creating better habits and changing our lives for the better. Except, habits are stinking hard to change!!Our minds are hard-wired to make habitual behaviors very difficult to change, but it's not impossible. In today's episode, we're diving into the habit change literature to help set you up for success to change the habits you want to change in the coming year.Today, we'll talk about what habits are. There are 3 parts to them, and most people focus on the least important part. Then, we'll talk about some tips for making two kinds of habit changes. The first is what I'm calling 'subtractive habits.' These are behaviors we want to eliminate or do less of. Then, we'll talk about 'additive habits,' or behaviors we want to add or do more of. In both cases, I'll offer you some science-backed tips to set yourself up to be more successful, whatever type of behavior change yo

Being a parent is hard. It's a fact. If there's one relationship that requires us to be psychologically strong, it's the relationship we cultivate with our kids.This week, we're diving deep into the Mother-Daughter relationship. Specifically, we're talking about how we can cultivate the type of relationship with our daughters that we want to have, all while keeping ourselves sane at the same time. So, how can we raise empowered daughters while thriving ourselves? That's exactly what we're digging into with Dr. Michelle Deering.Before running her consulting business, Dr. Michelle Deering served as a licensed psychologist and board -certified sport psychologist at a BIG 10 University, Fortune 500 corporate trainer, and higher education professional. Nowadays you’ll find her speaking at conferences, training for her next Reebok Spartan Sprint Race, and practicing rudiments on her drum kit — all while coaching, serving clients, and recording her hit podcast, Mother Daughter Connections

So, you've taken the time to define what your personal values are. Amazing! Knowing your personal values is an important step in helping you align your life and your decision-making in the direction that is right for you.But, let me ask you this: when you look at your actual behavior, the decisions you're making, the way you're spending your time, does it reflect those values? Are your values important to you in CONCEPT or in ACTION?Today, we're talking about the topic of personal values from a different lens. From the lens of ACTION. It's one thing to say a value is important to you in a conceptual way. However, if your behavior, actions, and decision-making don't follow, you'll still experience the same level of cognitive dissonance and incongruence. In today's episode, I urge you to take action on your values. To define what they truly mean to you and to begin setting boundaries, making decisions, and saying no when things don't align. To behave in congruence.It's ha

There are a few things I hear from clients more often than anything else. "How do I move forward when I'm afraid?" or "How do I stop my inner critic?" or "I feel stuck in my old ways and am having a hard time changing." These complaints may sound like big, difficult problems, and they definitely feel that way when you're the one experiencing them. But, the antidote to each and every one of them is one foundational concept: psychological flexibility.Psychological flexibility is a concept that has risen in the field of psychology over the past decade or so, spearheaded by the work of Dr. Steven Hayes, the founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Today, we're speaking with another practitioner of ACT and psychological flexibility, Dr. Diana Hill. In this conversation, we talk about what psychological flexibility is, and how it applies to so many different situations in our lives.We have a particularly deep conversation about how it applies in situations where we're st

When you think about effectively managing conflict, what comes to mind? Many people go straight to things like communication skills or the ability to clearly articulate a point. But, what about the role of emotion? What if we truly aren't rational beings? What if we accept the fact that we are emotional beings and approach conflict from a place of emotional intelligence?Today I'm speaking with Doug Noll about the role of emotions in conflict and communication. This conversation is a literal masterclass about how to recognize, label, and validate our own emotions and the emotions of others. Doug offers up his 3 step process to deescalate any situation whether it's with your significant other, a co-worker, or with your kids. His emotion-centric approach is backed by some of the most cutting-edge neuroscience and has shown to be effective in nearly any setting.Additional Resources:Learn more about Doug by visiting https://dougnoll.co/psychologicalstrengthWant help sifting through your own complex emo

Today is a very special episode for those of you who are high-achievers, those who tend toward perfectionism, and those who have a lot on your plate right now. Many times, in our quest to be more productive, we find ourselves using tactics that simply aren't effective. The crazy thing is that we feel like we're doing the right thing or increasing our efficiency, but from a brain science perspective, we're doing more harm than good.Today, we're speaking with Dr. Nicole Byers, a neuropsychologist, about ways we can truly become more productive. She talks about why some of the typical advice of grinding it out or multi-tasking simply doesn't work. She talks about practical ways to set up our workday to be more effective. She also gives great tips about how to transition from a hectic workday into your evening with your family to have some capacity and mental space left to be present with those you love.This episode is full of practical tips you can put to work in your life today in order to b

Today, we're myth-busting the topics of resilience, thriving through adversity, and post-traumatic growth. We've all heard about these topics, but unfortunately, the belief that we walk away with is that true "resilience" means we can skip through the truly challenging times that life throws at us.It's simply not true.Resilience does NOT mean you somehow don't experience the stress, anxiety, or negative emotions that are perfectly natural consequences of a difficult or challenging time. In fact, during truly challenging times, we worry more if you aren't experiencing those effects.Rather, resilience, thriving through adversity, and post-traumatic growth have more to do with what happens as a result of a challenging situation. That's the focus of today's episode. Today we talk about how to support yourself through challenging times, but mostly, we talk about what to do afterward. What we make the situation mean. How we grow from it. What we learn. Who we BECOME.This is a pow