Wellness Podcast

In this episode, I talk about how Jeff, from the Calm App,taught me about finding “pockets of peace” during your day. I talk about what this means, about how it is similar to Dr. Laurie Santos’s “time confetti,” and give some examples of how I find pockets of time during my day. I give an example of how one instance of finding a pocket of time in my day turned around the whole rest of my day/eveni...

In this episode, I talk about how I was feeling very frazzled yesterday after a long, hard week of far too many things going on, and how I am de-frazzling myself today. I define what “frazzled” means (from children’s author Sandra Boyton), I talk about the book Rest: Why you get more done when you work less, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, and about advice from Gretchen Rubin, one of my favorite authors...

In this episode, I talk about the 4 characteristics/featuresof “deep play” and why deep play is so important to those of us who would like to have long and happy career paths. The definitions come from the book Rest: Why you get more done when you work less, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang and theexamples are from the book and from my own life. Action item: pay attention to whether what you are already d...

In this episode, I talk about how life is hard and that is OK- if we can learn to be more resilient, we can truly change our lives and the world. I talk about the Stockdale Paradox, which involves resilience and hope, I define hope and resilience using Brené Brown’s work (and her book the Gifts of Imperfection), and give us some solid action items for cultivating more hope and resilience in our li...

In this week’s episode, I talk about abundance as an antidote to scarcity, why cultivating an attitude of abundance is so important to our mental health, and how we can try in our lives even just for a few minutes a day to cultivate an attitude of abundance. Action item: this week, when you think you are too busy, act like someone who has the time, money, etc., to slow down and enjoy something for...

In this week’s episode, I talk about the joy (for both giverand receiver) in thanks/appreciation. I talk about some examples where I have received thanks, and given thanks, in my life, and about how it made me feel and how I still remember it (from both sides). I talk about the Happiness Labwith Dr. Laurie Santos and how the psychology research shows that thanking people (particularly in writing)...

In this episode, I define collective effervescence, givesome examples of finding joy but also just connection through experiences that promote collective effervescence, and give an action item: go out and experience just a little bit of collective effervescence yourself this week! Some examplesinclude: concerts/music festivals, sporting events, religious rituals like singing or praying, weddings a...

In this episode, I talk about how in this scary and uncertain world we need to make a choice, to control those things that we can control, and to let go of the things that will just have us spinning our wheels, wasting our time, our energy, our “one wild and precious life” (Mary Oliver) on things that we don’t in the end have any control over. I talk about similar topics in a different way in Week...

In this episode, I talk about what it means to “yuck” someone else’s “yum” and how stopping doing this can make our lives just a little bit happier and better. This episode relates to episode 93 about the advantages of “nerding out” aboutthings as well so check out that episode if you’d like to hear more about this! I define what “yuck” someone else’s “yum” means and give a recent example from my...

In this episode, I talk about literal and metaphorical splinters(metaphorically, emotional overreactions) and how they both have a lot in common. I talk about “Chandeliering” from Brene Brown, which is a difficult situation that is objectively a 2 or 3 on a scale of 1-10, but we react to it as if it is a 10. Similarly to a literal splinter, we feel like we need to react immediately, but the best c...

In this episode, I talk about how I feel right now, from the middle of the middle (middle age, middle parenting- that is, parenting kids who are about "halfway" to being adults). But I also talk about how even though we don't realize it, we are always in the middle of something, and sometimes we don't have any idea that something is the "last" time. So this episode is r...

In this episode (the last until late August), I talk about how to transition from a big project, the end of the school year, end of a holiday season, just any end of a thing, through a "cool down." By this I mean the opposite of a "warm-up" like you would do before exercising. For my own cool down, my favorite things to do are watch a movie, meditate, write in my journal, read...

In this week's episode, I talk about my introvert (manager) burnout, give examples of what I mean and how I am feeling right now, and give 6 tips to help manage this burnout. While I am a department chair/middle manager, this advice works for all introverts who are feeling exhausted/burned out right now from too many meetings, events, etc., at work, at home, wherever. Advice includes taking br...

In this episode, I talk about six strategies that work for anyone, whether it's the end of the school year for you, for your kids (Maycember anyone?), or just a hectic time for any reason. 1) Build in time for breaks, even super short ones. Maybe re-think what a "break" is (folding laundry and listening to podcasts?). 2) Make a schedule plan that you can actually follow. Maybe unders...

This week, I thought about what I wanted my college students to hear at this time of the semester (about a month left until summer) and it is this: move your body! I talk about 3 tips to get you started moving your body and to remove barriers to exercising every day. 1) Lower the bar to starting as much as possible- just aim for 5 or 15 or even 2 minutes a day if that is all you have, and remember...

In this week's episode, I talk about the best way I've ever learned to start a difficult project (writing an academic paper for example), pick up a habit I've been wanting to start (like weightlifting), or just get an annoying daily task done (think laundry or checking the mail). It's to "lower the bar." Also called "just open the document" by Dr. Cathy Mazak, t...

In this week's episode, for the first time since week 8, I touch on mindfulness again and being in the moment. I talk about focusing on being in the moment for good things, bringing calm and giving time to our kids (or pets, or friends, or to watching the trees and the flowers and the rain or whatever is going on in the physical world around you). I talk about trying to find just a few moments...

In this follow-up episode to my episode #50 from 5 years ago, I discuss the necessity of slowing down from time to time. This week, I was forced to slow down, because as I've said many times on this podcast, since I didn't slow myself down, my body did for me- by getting me sick! I give examples from media, including Parks and Rec (a TV show from the early 2000's) and Kiki's Delive...

In this week's episode, I talk about 2 ways that we deal with our emotions (from Brene Brown's work): 1) processing and 2) perseverating. Basically, processing is when we acknowledge and address our emotions constructively, either by working to resolve an issue or accepting something that has happened to us. Perseverating is when we find ourselves in what I like to call a "feelings lo...

In this week's episode, I talk about my adventures in weightlifting in 2026! I explain why I decided to start weightlifting (to alleviate some neck and shoulder pain and stop taking so much Advil each week- it worked!) and how (lots of YouTube videos and Googling and starting out SLOWLY which for me was just 1 rep of 10 with 5 pound weights). I also mention Peter Attia's book, Outlive: The...

In this week's episode, I talk a bit about my own history with anger, as a half-Italian whose family of origin is somewhat quick to anger. I talk about how during the pandemic I started meditating to yell at my kids less but then found myself not getting "good and angry" when things happened that actually required me to be angry. I talk about being angry at the appropriate level-that...

In this week's episode, I talk about the difference between being happy in your life (experiencing positive emotions on a daily basis) and being happy with your life (a more general sense of life satisfaction, fulfillment and purpose). I give examples of each and talk about how it is best to try to balance the two. Action item: my action item depended on if you are working on happiness in your...

In this week's episode, I talk about what a "touch tree" is, a concept that I learned from the author Glennon Doyle, and I give some examples of touch trees for me in my life. Action item: find something that is a touch tree for you and find a way to remind yourself to go back to this thing each day or as often as you need (post-it note on your laptop that says "Breathe" ma...

In this week's episode, I talk about a book I'm almost finished reading by Susan Cain (author of Quiet) called "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make us Whole." For me, the thesis of this book is that sadness and "negative" emotions are not bad/to be avoided and can actually make our lives more meaningful and better. I talk about some ways our "negative" em...

This week's episode is short and sweet, inspired by one of my children when he was 2 years old saying "it's OK to be different, and, I promise, it's OK to be different" when "reading" a book to me one day. I talk about how important it is to just love what you love and don't let anyone tell you that it's not OK. Action item: just keep going out in the world...