The Next Ideal

Hopefully we're able to avoid tumbling down the stairs, but everyone has "fallen" at some point in life, and undoubtedly will again. How can we bounce back from those falls more effectively? Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This wee...

Journey Before Destination fundamentally means we need to focus on the process. But golly sometimes that's really hard. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 58! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, o...

Sometimes it's easier to blame ourselves for everything than it is to take a step back and see what we really have control over. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 57, with special guest @AuthorJacksonDickert...

We managed to get through the whole episode without Hoid calling either of us a cancerous anal discharge, so I think that's a win. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 55 & 56, featuring @AuthorJacksonDick...

We can't know what will happen, so we should prepare for what might happen. But we also can't shut ourselves off from the possibility of outcomes going our way. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 53 &amp...

There's more than one option - a full spectrum between good and bad - that sometimes we have to be vulnerable and seek help from others to see. Seeking that help is not cowardice. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings C...

Where are you locked in? Do you want to be? What would it take to erase some of those measurements? Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter #! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! For m...

Seemingly opposing actions can both be noble, depending on the values informing the decider. So what value are you walking toward? Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 51! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or where...

Admittedly this isn't the first lesson we're teaching you, but it's still a pretty darn important one. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter #! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! Fo...

Whether you're a bridgeman or a scholar, we need to rely on eachother to get through the highstorms of life. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 47 & 48! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get...

Even with the people we disagree with the most, there's always something where we can find common ground. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 46! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts...

Like so many other things in life, finding the balance between conflict avoidance and instigation frequently depends on context, both internal and external. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 45! The Next Ideal Podcast is avai...

May we all have a Tien in our lives, to pick us up when we feel hopeless. And may be we all have a Kaladin, to support us when we're afraid. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 43 & 44! The Next Ideal Podcast is available...

Somewhere out there, in the infinite universe, that's right - YOU ARE BATMAN. A fact that would make Ben very happy. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 42! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get yo...

We have the power to choose what to focus on in our lives, and where we want to try and make a difference. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 40 & 41! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get yo...

Acknowledging the possibility of things going wrong is the only way we can prepare for those possibilities. But when in darkness, looking to the light helps us get out. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 38 & 39! The Next...

Light can illuminate difficult and complicated truths, but wisdom is learning that the seemingly conflicting perspectives can both be true. Thank you to  @audonalsium  for joining us on these episodes! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 37! The Next I...

Now matter how much we may wish otherwise, there are no simple answers, morality is made up of shades of grey, and the people with whom we most strongly disagree usually have some good points. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapte...

Looking on the *not* bright side can help us prepare for bad things, as long is it doesn't close us off from the possibility of good things happening. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 34 & 35! The Next Ideal Podcast is...

We all have tendencies, ways we usually approach life. But that doesn't always dictate how we behave in every situation. And also jam is delicious. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 33! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on...

New ideas can be lifesaving, but can also be chaotic in the larger context. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapters 30, 31, & 32! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts! For more info...

Being confident in our positions while still allowing the for possibility of being wrong is an ideal I think we ALL can strive for. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 29! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wher...

Rysn, Axies, and Szeth teach us to change our viewpoints on the future, present, and past. And also maybe about nudity. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Interludes 4, 5, & 6! The Next Ideal Podcast is available on YouTube, or wh...

The act of physical exertion fundamentally can help our minds work through hard stuff too. If you're struggling emotionally, do some jumping jacks, go for a run, or even just close your eyes, balance, and breathe. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, Th...

The degree to which we can influence our minds by connecting with our bodies is incredible. Everything is interrelated. Real lessons from a fantasy world! Steven Pond ( @TheCosmerenaut ) and Dr. Ben Jeppsen explore what Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings" can teach us about mental health. This week, The Way of Kings Chapter 27! Featuring Dr. Jerome Lubbe, author of The Brain-Based Enneagram: ht...