Kind Mind

You can support the podcast on Patreon and access bonus content: https://patreon.com/kindmind True leadership goes beyond mere titles and positions. It involves a convergence of inner and outer realms. At its core, leadership is an outpouring of the inner work. Through introspection, one can illuminate their own positionality and the pathways to decentralize power within themselves and elsewhere....

You can support this show and join us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind One of the predecessors of the word "create" is creare in Latin. This verb meant "to form out of nothing" as in the phrase creatio ex nihilo from the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Accordingly, God manifested heaven and earth from the void. Thus, artists sometimes refer to their spark of inspiration as being in the liken...

Please consider supporting this work on Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind The paradox of curiosity is a contest between our innate desire for knowledge and our aversion to uncertainty.  A delicate balance can be negotiated when the curious awareness is anchored to its Latin word origin.  "Cura" meant cure, care, concern or even choosiness.  Put simply, curate the curiosity.&nbsp...

You can support this work and access bonus content at https://patreon.com/kindmind Today, we often associate adventure with planned activities or deliberate pursuits as is the case with travel itineraries or business ventures of calculated risk with defined goals.  However, the prefix ad in the word "adventure" means "towards" and therefore indicates that in the true spirit of adventure, the...

Mary Oliver wrote that "empathy is a kind of seeing, and it involves imagination as well as vision." The word "empathy" has origins in Greek "Empatheia" and the root "pathos," which means "feeling."  It was first introduced to the English language in the early 20th century as a translation of the German word "Einfühlung," which means "feeling into." The term was initially used in the context...

Historically, morality was in the domain of religion. Although most existing faiths claim their teachings go back to the dawn of time, we can understand that these belief systems have emerged and disintegrated like empires.   However, scholars trace living spiritual traditions of the Indian subcontinent to the 15th century BCE suggesting seniority at least among scriptures.  The cornerst...

In 1976, German social psychologist Erich Fromm published a book which presented the titular question, "To Have or To Be?"   This philosophical inquiry would resurface throughout his work as two distinct modes of existence.  He further claimed that modern society in its materialism prefers having . On this podcast, we often consider the dialectic of being vs doing.  Well, Portuguese...

You can support this work and access bonus content at https://patreon.com/kindmind Unlike other virtues that may be situational or context-dependent, integrity is seen as a constant, underlying quality that inspires and threads all of our actions and decisions into a spiritual tapestry. It is not simply a commitment to certain core principles but a psychosocial, structural and creative coherence i...

You can support this show on Patreon https://patreon.com/kindmind and access bonus content. This episode considers the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on society and the human condition, and explores the ethical and existential concerns surrounding it. We also contemplate the limitations of AI in terms of consciousness, creativity, and complex emotional and social contexts, and warn of the...

If you would like to support this podcast, check out the options and benefitis here: https://patreon.com/kindmind The word pray comes from the root sound “prek” as in precarious. It means to entreat or ask. This corresponds to the often instinctive urge to seek something greater than ourselves or a higher power when in need or at a loss of options. Check out the psychology and demographics of pray...

You can support this show and access bonus and companion content to this episode including the Q+A session and a guided meditation on validation here: https://patreon.com/kindmind Validation means to confirm or authenticate and allows people to feel heard and respected. This episode explores how validation of others and self-validation are both key skills for emotional well-being and effective int...

Happy New Year! You can support this podcast at https://patreon.com/kindmind The theme is HOPE.  It stands out among other virtues because it requires negative circumstances and straddles over the present and towards the future. Charles Snyder was a psychologist and dedicated researcher of hope, who emphasized its relevance in the context of doing vs being .  Accordingly, hope is a motiv...

Nadine Strossen is Professor of Constitutional Law at New York Law School and the first woman national President of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she served from 1991 through 2008. A frequent speaker on constitutional and civil liberties issues, her media appearances include  60 Minutes,   CBS Sunday Morning, Today, Good Morning America, The Daily Show , and other news p...

Mutuality is the way of nature, and we can observe it in the ecosystems. Look at the circle of shelter and food chains as well as relocation and procreation among the stationary plants and mobile animals. Interdependence is a spiritual word because it makes room for the paradox of human life. It presupposes a relationship among parts but also implies oneness or unity. Can you ever be truly alone o...

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you love and light this holiday season. If you would like to pitch in a $5 pledge to help support this podcast and access bonus content, you can at https://patreon.com/kindmind send mail to: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com or @michaeltoddfink Registration for “I Am Not My Anxeity” virtual course is here . Since nothing is permanent, what is it that we really see? In the Venn...

Use the link below to test your cognitive flexibility at the 8:00 mark of this episode: “Interactive Stroop Effect Experiment” https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/java/ready.html One of the definitions of flexibility is spiritually pliant, indicating an attitude of openness and intellectual humility in order to learn or refine our vision. It also implies a readiness to meet the unexpected and w...

What is a ghost?? The concept is based on the ancient belief that there is a spirit or essence that continues to exist without the body after death and can in some cases interact or haunt the "living." This actually led to the development of funerals and rituals to help protect against this and encourage the soul's onward journey. This episode explores how despite the different spiritual beliefs t...

Dr. Mark Hatala is a cognitive scientist and professor at Truman State University since 1994.  He is a member of the Midwestern Psychological Association, the Artificial Intelligence Foundation, and the American Association of University Professors.    He received a bachelor's in psychology and history from Miami University of Ohio, and earned both his master’s and doctorate in expe...

You can support this podcast at https://patreon.com/kindmind to connect with Todd and access bonus content. Intuition is defined as the ability to know something immediately or to know something without proof. In the digital age, intuition may have taken a backseat to satellite GPS and Google searches. However, its philosophical significance for our personal life and psychological growth has not b...

Sarah Durham Wilson is a women’s rites of passage leader and writer. She has taught courses and led retreats for thousands of women over the past decade. She previously worked as an arts and music writer in New York City, for Rolling Stone, VH1, GQ, Vanity Fair and Interview Magazine . Sarah is also the author of ‘Maiden to Mother’ - her first book, published by Sounds True in 2022. https://themot...

Please consider supporting this podcast via Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind Thank you! When you stop trying to get it, you got it. It may sound counterintuitive given the popularity of law of attraction. But doesn't the affirming and manifesting work also reinforce the sense of lack in the first place? Studies show that we are not accurate at predicting what would make us happy... because it...

You can support this podcast and connect with me online and in-person for as little $5 via Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind There are many famous failures that led to unexpected opportunities and wild success. In our own lives, how can we failure forward or understand the implications of defeat? This episode was a special collaboration with many reflections from the Kind Mind community during...

You can support this podcast on Patreon and access bonus content: https://patreon.com/kindmind There is a baseline of magic in life. But it can get covered up by routines and the illusion of control. Moments of uncertainty open up the space for it to manifest and new ways of being are possible. If we rush to resolve ourselves too soon, we may miss the opportunity for genuine psychological growth....

Jay L. Garfield chairs the Philosophy department and directs the Tibetan Studies in India program at Smith College. He is also visiting professor of Buddhist philosophy at Harvard Divinity School. Academicinfluence.com has identified him as one of the 50 most influential philosophers in the world over the past decade. https://jaygarfield.org " Live Free or Dialogue " is a video conversation series...

You can support this show and connect with me on Zoom via Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind Our relationship to food is often complex, especially with the rapid-changing nature of its production against the background of millions of years of evolution. Today there is much science around the benefits of different kinds of fasting - from water fasts and juice fasts for detoxing to intermittent f...