Immersion

If you imagine 12 people lined up and ask each of them what it means to be successful, you may be surprised to realize that almost everyone is using a different scoreboard. Even two people who are both trying to become more intelligent could have completely different ideas of what intelligence (and success within it) actually looks like. We are all running different races or playing different game...

Life can feel like a lot of moving parts. Work, relationships, health, money, creativity, family, fun - when everything is swirling around at once, it can be hard to step back and see the whole picture. For more than a decade, I’ve used a simple practice to help with this: breaking my life into categories. The categories have changed as my life has changed, but I keep coming back to the framework...

Today we welcome Rebecca Stone to the podcast to talk about somatic therapy - the intersection of mind, body, and emotions. I had been wanting to speak to someone with this expertise because sometimes I feel like emotions are almost “trapped” in my body, and thinking my way out feels impossible. We hear a lot about the nervous system these days, but I wanted to speak to someone who works practical...

I sat down with clinical psychologist Anita, who specializes in trauma work to talk about what working through trauma actually looks like, how trauma-focused therapy works, and what healing can look like in practice. Timestamps:  00:00  Meet Anita & What we cover in this episode  01:42 When Are You Ready to Work on Trauma? 03:08  What Is Trauma-Focused Therapy? 04:08  Avoidance: How Do We Avoi...

How do we make our lives feel fuller, more alive, and packed with meaningful memories? Often we stick to the same routine - watching the same shows or scrolling the same apps - even if we would rather be at a book reading by a local author, jumping in to dance at a free salsa class, or taking part in a board game meetup group. It can be hard to know about the vast array of events happening in our...

Contempt is one of the most damaging emotions in human connection - but what exactly is it, and why can it be so difficult to let go of? In this episode of Immersion, we explore the walls that are often built between ourselves and others, sometimes unspoken and sometimes maintained for decades. These walls can form between people in romantic relationships, workplaces, the political arena, group dy...

Are the love languages actually still a useful tool in 2026? The original 5 Love Languages book was published by Dr. Gary Chapman in 1992, but the framework is still talked about today - from long-term relationships to first dates and everything in between. In this episode, we take a nuanced look at the love languages and ask: What are the 5 Love Languages? What are the strengths and limitations o...

How do we balance our past experiences and tendencies with the freedom of who we can become? In this episode, part 3 of a mini-series on identity and self-concept, we explore how psychology and philosophy can help us use identity as a tool, without becoming trapped by the story we tell ourselves about who we are. In this episode, we discuss: The Zen concept of “selfing” Why we should not mistake t...

What is the self? Are we as fixed as we think we are? In this episode, we explore identity, freedom, and self-concept through the lenses of philosophy and spirituality. Last week, we explored how our self-concept forms through psychology. This week, we're taking the next step. In this episode, we explore: - Bad faith with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. - Is there a permanent self? P...

In order to love ourselves, we first have to know ourselves. But getting to know ourselves isn't always easy. Over time, we can become attached to a particular identity or story about who we are. While that story may be true, it may only be one part of us, leaving other authentic parts hidden beneath the surface. In this episode of Immersion, we explore how our self-concept develops, why we b...

Ever feel like the second dating gets stressful, anxious, or overwhelming, your only option is to hit pause and retreat? While taking space is completely valid, true relational growth actually happens in connection with others - not just sitting alone in a room meditating. In this episode, we explore how to actively work on yourself while staying in the dating game. By leaning into attachment theo...

Part 1 was about the clinical definitions and the "why" behind limerence - this episode is about what it actually feels like to live through it.  Limerence is a unique experience with some of the highest highs and lowest lows we can go through.  In this episode, we are diving into the lived reality of the limerent mind. We look at how we use art and music to seek solace or feed the obses...

Have you ever found yourself completely consumed by thoughts of someone, to the point where it feels less like a crush and more like an overwhelming, permanent presence in your mind? In this episode, we are doing a deep, nuanced dive into the concept of limerence - a state of profound romantic infatuation, obsessive thoughts, and an intense desire for emotional reciprocation. If you have ever felt...

Do you ever feel like your value as a person depends entirely on your last achievement, your productivity, or what someone else thinks of you? You’re not alone. This is part 4 in our 10 part series on improving our relationship with ourselves. (See the whole self-worth series here:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJBR0a3Yz6vsH5TkuPFtd2b7YgbL11OG ) And in this episode we’re diving deep int...

The topic of self-worth cuts deeper than self-esteem. That is because self-worth is an internal sense that you are enough, and that you are fundamentally deserving of love and respect. In Part 3 of our "Relationship to Self" series, we are diving deep into the foundations of self-worth. In this episode, we look at: Where are we actually getting validation from? How does toxic shame quiet...

While self-esteem may seem like an elusive, vague concept, there are practical, everyday actions we can take to build it. In this episode, we explore the actionable frameworks outlined in the classic book, The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden. Together, we will dive into all six pillars: living consciously, self-acceptance, self-responsibility, self-assertiveness, living purposefull...

You likely know how you feel about your relationships with other people - but how do you feel about your relationship with yourself? Whether we realize it or not, our relationship with ourselves influences nearly everything: our relationships, choices, ambitions, and even how we interpret everyday experiences. In this new series, we'll explore that relationship from many angles, including sel...

There’s an often-overlooked personality trait that shapes how you process almost everything you encounter day-to-day. While traits like introversion and extraversion get all the spotlight, this core piece of our psychology is just as crucial to understand. Originally introduced by Carl Jung, the balance between Intuition and Sensing dictates whether you prefer to live in the tangible world of fact...

If you’ve ever felt deeply grateful and incredibly sad at the exact same time, you know emotions don't always fit into neat boxes. We often view emotions as a simple spectrum, with happiness on one end and sadness on the other. But our feelings are far more nuanced than that. Instead of living on opposite sides of a continuum, our emotions operate more like individual "knobs" that t...

We’ve all heard the basic advice: turn off notifications, put your phone in grayscale, or just "try harder." But if you’re like me, those tips didn't stick. After years of experimentation and diving into the psychology of habit formation, I’ve finally found a system that is working for me. In this episode (Part 2 of our series on technology), we are moving past the philosophy and ge...

Happiness is a universal human aim, but what we believe makes us happy, and how we define a life well-lived, varies. In Part 10 of our Positive Psychology deep dive, we explore how cultural norms, language, and social safety nets dictate our personal views on flourishing. In this episode, we explore: How cultural norms and language shape the way we express happiness. Why a national safety net chan...

Do you ever wish you knew what your purpose was? Does your life ever feel void of meaning? In this episode we explore the idea of meaning through the lens of positive psychology, logotherapy, and existentialist philosophy. We learn from Dr. Viktor Frankl and Jean-Paul Sartre as well as from the Oxford Handbook on Positive Psychology.  Also in this episode:  -- How to recenter when we get off track...

How do we build relationships that actually flourish? In Part 8 of our Positive Psychology series, we’re looking at the science of staying connected through Minding and Active Construction. Whether it’s with friends, family, or partners, we’re moving beyond the honeymoon phase and looking at the intentional work of relating to one another. A large part of this episode is dedicated to the concept o...

We are 7 episodes into this series and I have a confession: I expected to feel "happier" by now, but the reality of positive psychology is a lot more nuanced. While I’ve definitely picked up some great habits around Grit and finding Flow in my work, I was surprised to find that the best parts of my day weren't the big achievements—they were the simple things, like a cup of tea and a...

Is the 10,000-hour rule a myth? We’ve all heard that it takes 10,000 hours to master a craft, but the truth is that not all hours are created equal. In this episode, we dive into the science of peak performance and the current "Gold Standard" of learning: Deliberate Practice. Based on the research of Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, we break down why simply "putting in more time" isn&ap...