P.S. We Expire with Morgan Motsinger

This month, someone who helped build AI said out loud what a lot of people had been quietly afraid of: this could be lights out for humanity. When I sat down with Niki Weiss, a digital thanatologist, I asked her to take me down the rabbit hole. Niki calls AI a tsunami, not a tool. She sees it as infrastructure, as world-altering as electricity, except electricity can't train itself, make purchases...

In this episode, I sit down with Hilary "HARTT" Thompson, CTSS — mom to a pediatric heart transplant recipient, founder of a support community of nearly 3,000 heart transplant families, and creator of the Thrive Framework — for a conversation that gutted me open in the best way. Hilary's daughter Shiloh has survived four open-heart surgeries, a transplant at age two, seven bouts of necrotizing ent...

I hit 100 episodes (even though it took longer than I expected!). I started this podcast with the goal of making it to seven, then fifty, so I'm calling it a win. This one's just me, catching you up on what's taken place since episode one in January of 2023, plus a handful of questions from a Q&A I ran on social media. What's changed: I finished my BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience...

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross never wanted us to call them stages of grief, but the five stages got loose in the world anyway, and fifty years later we're still measuring our grief against a model that was never meant to be linear — and was not even built from data about grief. This week I'm talking with Dr. Korie Leigh — thanatologist, clinician, author, and director of one of only two graduate programs...

If you've ever been called a nag — or swallowed what you really needed because you were afraid of being called one — this episode is for you. Laura Danger is the educator and domestic equity expert behind @thatdarnchat, the account that brought terms like "weaponized incompetence" and "the nag paradox" into everyday conversation. She's also the author of No More Mediocre and co-host of the Time to...

There's a difference between a hard life and an unsupported one. This episode is about that difference. Madeline Cheney is the founder of The Rare Life — a nonprofit podcast and online community for parents of medically complex kids — and she is exactly the kind of person you want in your corner when the weight of it all starts to feel like a personal failing. Spoiler: it's not. It's a systems pro...

I've been thinking a lot about religion lately — not in the way I was taught to as a kid, where there was one truth and you either had it or you didn't. More like... what if religion is actually one of the most human things we do? What if it's been a resource hiding in plain sight, and we've been too burned, too skeptical, or too cool to look at it clearly? That's exactly what I got to dig into wi...

In this episode, Morgan converses with Dr. Brendan K. Hartman about the complex layers of masculinity, emotional regulation, and the societal messages shaping boys and men today. This discussion offers practical insights into emotional awareness, gender norms, and community involvement to foster healthier identities and relationships. Key Topics: The importance of talking openly with children abou...

It's getting real up in here. Allison Evans is BACK, and this time, she's teaching us one of my favorite tools: "The Work" of Byron Katie. Allison is a life coach (and one of Martha Beck's Wayfinder coaches, nbd) who works primarily with women looking to reclaim their lives and be the heroines of their own journeys. She teaches us how The Work works, and I get to be the fortunate example in this l...

This conversation with Jen Zorb was one of those episodes where I kept thinking "YES, THIS" over and over again. Jen is a therapist with 15+ years of experience, and she created The Pearl Project (I cannot wait to tell you about it).  But first, we dove into something that I think so many of us struggle with: Are we actually living our lives on purpose, or are we just responding to everything that...

Check out my free resource vault at https://www.morganmotsinger.com/vault   Life can get pretty hairy, pretty quickly. When Rachel's mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and she was thrust into a caregiving role, something major shifted. She started to think about her own health, and not just from an aesthetic perspective, but from a neuroprotective standpoint. She dug deep into the research abou...

What are the gaps in grief care in our culture? What types of supports need to be in place that we have outsourced to healthcare that need to be reestablished in community? This beautiful conversation with Elizabeth explores paths of grief, companionship in the face of death, the social nature of dying, and the importance of everyday acts in caregiving.  I hope this conversation impacts your persp...

This body scan is wonderful for a short break during your day or getting your body and mind ready for sleep. This guided head to toe exercise is a great way to notice areas where you hold tension.    Enjoy!

https://www.morganmotsinger.com/shop/idea-action-30-day-challenge   This episode will lead you through how I think about turning ideas into action. This isn't just about goal setting (yes, I'm familiar with the SMART framework). It's really about becoming a person who doesn't sit on the sidelines of her own life.  There is a framework I use that I'll walk you through in this episode. Whether or no...

On a scale from 1-5, how often do you feel like this? I feel I have to sacrifice meaningful conversation because of others' device use. I've given up expecting full attention from people during social interactions. I miss the deeper conversations I used to have before smartphones. I feel sad when I see someone I care about more engaged with their device than with me. I worry that real human connec...

Talking about death isn't really everyone's favorite.  One of the big problems with actively avoiding or maybe just never considering how things are going to go at the end is we miss out on some really important conversations that have a big impact.  This conversation not only explores some of the practical medical implications of certain types of life saving interventions, it also boldly investig...

I remember cobbling notes together on my phone, writing things on paper scattered here or there, until I finally gathered all the notes about Anni's care into one document.  This simple act made it possible to relax a bit. I recorded her medications, daily and weekly schedule, seizure protocols, and more. It was immensely helpful not to have that information rolling around in my head loosey goosey...

In this relatively short, solo episode, I'm sharing one of the metaphors for the inner life that has really impacted me over the past several years, The Inner House.  Let me know if this resonates with you by sending me an email at hello@morganmotsinger.com, or sending me a DM on Instagram @morgan_motsinger If you find this podcast helpful, please make a moment to leave a rating and review.  

In this conversation, Dr. Gina Anderson and I discuss the intricacies of memory, learning, and the mind-body connection. She explains the differences between working, short-term, and long-term memory, emphasizing the importance of reinforcement and visualization in the learning process. We also touch on the role of belief in learning and how to unlearn habits by creating new neural maps. Practical...

If you're asked to think of someone emotional, whether in your friend group or family, someone immediately comes to mind. I would bet that your thoughts about being "emotional" conjure negative feelings.  Why is that?  In 1990, the term "emotional intelligence" was developed to bridge the gap between what is considered uncontrolled and irrational about emotions into the realm of thoughtful and mea...

In this conversation, Janet Ettele shares her journey of self-discovery, influenced by her love for music and the teachings of Buddhism. She discusses the importance of silence, mindfulness, and the role of storytelling in conveying spiritual teachings. Janet emphasizes the concept of joyous effort in personal growth and the significance of finding a teacher in life. The conversation explores them...

So here's the thing about "time poverty" — it's just a fancy term for what most of us are doing: running around like our hair is on fire while responding to emails at stoplights and calling it "multitasking." Being busy is not a personality trait. It's not an achievement. It's not even productive half the time. We've all bought into this hustle culture garbage where we think answering Slack messag...

I've been feeling very down but lately, I've felt a renewed sense of determination to pursue happiness. But...how? I'm sharing super practical ways I've been bringing happiness into my life. I also share why the pursuit of happiness is not selfish but an important part of well-being an longevity.   Find Morgan on her website https://www.morganmotsinger.com/ Download the free E-Book "Know Thyself"...

Dr. Lisa Peña is a doctor of pharmacology, author, mental health advocate, and mother to beautiful children, one of whom has a rare disease. In this heartfelt conversation, Lisa shares her journey as a mother of a child with disabilities, detailing the challenges and triumphs she has faced over the years. From navigating the complexities of autism and a rare gene disorder to advocating for mental...

Jessica and I delve into the profound themes of grief, loss, and hope. We share their personal experiences with the deaths of their children and explore how these experiences have shaped their perspectives on life, relationships, and resilience. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community, self-care, and finding joy amidst sorrow, while also addressing the complexities of navigating grie...