Mentally Flexible

My guest today is Leidy Klotz. Leidy is a Professor at the University of Virginia, with appointments in Engineering, Architecture, and Business. He studies the science of design: how we transform things from how they are to how we want them to be. He has secured over $10 million in competitive funding to support this new area of research. To share research insights with those who can use them, he...

My guest today is Yael Schonbrun, PhD. Yael is a clinical psychologist, assistant professor at Brown University,  and co-host of Psychologists Off the Clock .  Yael’s academic research explores the interaction between relationship problems and mental health conditions. She has authored chapters in several books and has written dozens of scientific articles. In her private practice, writing, and po...

My guests today are David Juncos and Elvire de Paiva e Pona. David Juncos is a clinical psychologist based in Philadelphia, PA. He works with individuals on clinical issues ranging from anxiety to mood and substance use disorders He is also on faculty with the Voice Study Centre in the UK, where he lectures on topics such as peak performance and statistics/research design, and trains music teacher...

My guest today is Tamar Black, Ph. D. Tamar is an educational and developmental psychologist in Melbourne, Australia. She has over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents and parents. Tamar has extensive experience providing clinical supervision to early career and highly experienced psychologists. She also provides training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to clinicians and...

My guest today is Dr. Steven C. Hayes. Steven Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 47 books and nearly 670 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theor...

My guest today is Dr. Ron Siegel. Ron is an author and Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught for over 35 years. He is a long time student of mindfulness meditation and serves on the Board of Directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. He teaches internationally about the application of mindfulness practice in psychotherapy and...

My guest today is Jennifer Kemp, MPsych. Jennifer is a clinical psychologist who works with adults and adolescents on issues such as perfectionism, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (ODC), eating disorders, and chronic illness. Jennifer uses acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to help people notice their experiences, make conscious choices “in the moment,” and move toward a fulfilling lif...

My guest today is Diana Hill, Ph. D. Diana is a clinical psychologist and co-author of ACT Daily Journal: Get unstuck and live fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy . She is also the host of the podcast Your Life in Process, and she offers regular teachings in compassion and ACT through Insight LA and Mindful Heart Programs and Instagram. Through her online teachings, executive coaching, cl...

My guest today is Billy Ryan. Billy is a performance psychology consultant located in Savannah, GA who works with the military, sports teams, and individuals at the highschool/club, NCAA, NAIA, and the professional level. He specializes in applying ACT and behavior science to increase meaning and performance in a given context. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: - How Billy fir...

My guest today is Dr. Russ Harris, author of the international best-selling self-help book ‘The Happiness Trap’, and a world-renowned trainer of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Russ’s background is in medicine and now works in two different, yet complementary roles – as a therapist and as a coach. We discuss this life shift more in the episode. Since 2005, Russ has run over 700 two-day...

My guest today is Louise Hayes PhD. Louise is a clinical psychologist, author, speaker and active humanitarian. She is the Past President of ACBS, and a peer-reviewed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy(ACT) trainer, and codeveloped of the evidence-based DNA-v model. She is the co-author of the best-selling books: Get Out of Your Mind and into your Life for Teenagers , The Thriving Adolescent , and...

My guest today is Brenton. Brenton is a Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Nurse who served 9 years in the US Army as a Combat Medic. He is now an advocate for the needs of the transgender community.  Brenton is a personal friend going back to Elementary school and was graciously willing to share his story of understanding his identity and navigating the transitioning process.  In this episode we expl...

My guest today is Jessica Lahey. Jessica is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed and The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence . Over twenty years, Jess has taught every grade from sixth to twelfth in both public and private schools, and spent five years teaching i...

My guest today is Dr. Jud Brewer. Dr. Jud is a New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as an associate professor. He is the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare Inc. and a research a...

My guest today is Debbie Sorensen, PhD. Debbie is a psychologist in private practice in Denver, Colorado , and a part-time Clinical Research Psychologist at the Rocky Mountain VA MIRECC for Suicide Prevention . She co-created and co-hosts the popular psychology podcast Psychologists Off the Clock . Further, she is a co-author of the book ACT Daily Journal: Get Unstuck and Live Fully with Acceptanc...

My guest today is Robyn D. Walser, Ph. D. is the Director of TL Consultation Services, Associate Director at the National Center for PTSD and is Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-aut...

My guest today is Nathalia Freitas. Nathalia is the creator of Loving My Dots, a space she created to promote connection among diversity. Nathalia was born with Congenital Melanocytic Nevus, which is a non-genetic birthmark that can form on a person’s body. This left a birthmark covering 40% of her face plus moles all over her body. Her case is an example of a giant nevus, which occurs only once i...

My guest today is Dr. Miles Neale, PsyD. Miles is a Buddhist psychotherapist in private practice and founder of the two-year online Contemplative Studies Program . Author of Gradual Awakening , and co-editor of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy, Miles is a faculty member of Tibet House (US) and Weill Cornell Medical College. With more than twenty years integrating the mind science and medita...

My guest today is Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, aka Dr. Z. Dr. Z is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California. She has significant experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with OCD, trauma, anxiety, and emotional regulation problems. Dr. Z is the founder of the East Bay Behavior Therapy Center, a boutique therapy practice, where she runs an intensive outpatient program integrating...

My guest today is Dr. Rheeda Walker.  Dr. Walker is a tenured professor  in the department of psychology at the University of Houston. She has published more than fifty scientific papers on African American adult mental health, suicide risk, and resilience. Dr. Walker and her work has been in places like Good Morning America, The Washington Post, and CNN Health. In 2020 she released a new book cal...

Welcome back to Mentally Flexible! My guests today are Matthew Boone LCSW, Jennifer Gregg PhD, and Lisa Coyne PhD, authors of the book, Stop Avoiding Stuff: 25 Microskills to Face Your Fears and Do It Anyway . This book draws on the model of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, delivering accessible skills to help people face their fears and build a more meaningful life. In this episode we explore:...

Welcome back to Mentally Flexible! My guest today is Matthias J Barker LMHCA, a psychotherapist from Spokane, WA. He holds a private counseling practice and utilizes evidence-based approaches in his clinical work with adults, children, and couples from all walks of life. Matthias also makes mental health content online and has amassed over a million followers on platforms like TikTok, Instagram an...

Welcome back to Mentally Flexible! My guest today is Diana Hill, Ph. D. Diana is a clinical psychologist and co-author of ACT Daily Journal: Get unstuck and live fully with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She is also a co-host of the popular podcast, Psychologists Off the Clock where she has interviewed leaders in the field of psychology, mindfulness, and wellness.  Through her online teachings...

Welcome back to Mentally Flexible! My guest today is Dr. Mariel Buquè. Dr. Buquè is a Columbia University-trained licensed psychologist, holistic mental health expert, and sound bath meditation healer. Her work centers on helping people heal their whole selves through holistic mental wellness practices and on healing wounds of intergenerational trauma. In this episode we explore a range of topics...

My guest today is Cory Allen. Cory is an author, podcast host, meditation teacher and audio engineer from Austin, Texas. His podcast, The Astral Hustle , where he discusses mindfulness, neuroscience, and philosophy has been featured by the New York Times. He has written a book called Now is the Way which explores an unconventional approach to modern mindfulness.  Cory has also created an amazing m...