Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 236, we welcome Nicole Karlis to discuss the benefits of altruism, the link between depression and feeling unimportant, the disaster effect and bounded solidarity, the myth of self-love, burnout as an indicator of poor social structures, why some people won't accept help, how helping others aids our own mental health, altruism's effects on the brain, co-regulation as the rule rather tha...

On episode 235, we welcome Jaz Brisack to discuss unionizing efforts for Starbucks workers and Project Germinal, how unions form and why workers may fear them, the popular ideas of unions and how they're misrepresented by corporate media, Jaz's experiences in the Starbucks union and "salting," whether corporate managers act in good faith, anti-union tactics and why they should be considered psycho...

On episode 234, we welcome Vanessa Daniel to discuss the personal and professional challenges women of color face, how trauma influenced Vanessa's understanding of the world, how to understand intersectionality, what it means to leave no marginalized groups behind as democrats fight for power, the importance of solidarity in addressing individual trauma, 360 degree vision, the lack of courage amon...

On episode 233, we welcome Constantine Sandis to discuss the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, his lifelong preoccupation with the question of understanding others, the social and clinical consequences of misunderstanding others, Wittgenstein's personal struggles with misunderstanding, criticisms of empathy and how it may lead to further conflict as opposed to resolving it, the problem of mind-re...

On episode 232, we welcome Adam Chandler to discuss the American myth of the self-made man, how it's evolved over time, a potentially better argument for social benefits than the one normally provided by the left, the flaws of the "bootstrap" mentality, the self-made myth of Elon Musk, how billionaires benefit from us believing in the American Dream, the inconsistencies of the libertarian philosop...

On episode 232, we welcome Elaine Weiss to discuss the grassroots foundation of the civil rights movement, the origins and aspirations of the Highlander Folk School, how and why Black people educated themselves when schooling was illegal for them, Septima Clark and the activism of ordinary people, Esau Jenkins teaching Black citizens on his bus rides, literacy tests and other ways voting for Black...

On episode 230, we welcome Michelle Sherman to discuss mental illness within families, the missteps people make in attempting to address it, our tendency to personalize others' struggles, what happens when others aren't aware of why they're struggling and can't explain it, the 4Cs model of navigating mental illness in others, the effects and trauma and neglect, asking for support and overcoming th...

On episode 229, we welcome Steven Heine to discuss his research in existential psychology, humans as meaning-making creatures, existential crises as crises of meaning, the importance of story-telling in cultivating a deeper sense of purpose, cultural differences in meaning and our innate desire to contribute to our cultures, terror-management theory, Nietzsche's nobleman and action vs reaction, tr...

On episode 228, we welcome Lorraine Besser to discuss the philosophy of the interesting, why the obsessive pursuit of success tends to backfire, Aristotelianism and Epicureanism, psychological richness as an alternative to happiness, the arrival fallacy, the importance of experiences, cultivating a mindset of open-mindedness, Lorraine's own story of being unfulfilled by professional success, why w...

On episode 227, we welcome Dr. Robert Smith to discuss the state of mental health care in the US, the historical split between mind and body and its modern ramifications, Robert's struggles as a young doctor addressing mental illness in his patients, the hyper-focus on brain chemistry in psychiatry, the consequences of primary care doctors providing the most amount of care for mental illness, inte...

On episode 226, we welcome William Haldeman to discuss five great US presidents, George Washington's prudence and humility in stepping down, FDR's ability to communicate with the American public, his sense of confidence in navigating the Great Depression and World War 2, Ronald Reagan's optimism in the face of Soviet communism, the necessity of it for electoral victories, podcasting as a medium fo...

On episode 225, we welcome Casey Michel to discuss the roles foreign lobbyists play in shaping US foreign policy, the good and bad aspects of the lobbying industry, Paul Manafort's and Ivy Lee's efforts to aid propaganda for dictators, the differences between government lobbying and diplomacy, US congressional ties to authoritarian regimes and how congressmen are bought, the reasons the democrats...

On episode 224, we welcome Rob Jackson to discuss the effects of climate change, the human contributions to it, weighing the costs of revenue loss against environmental harm, the historical contributions of the Republican party to environmental protections and their road to climate denial, worries about another Trump presidency, the effects of climate change on poor communities, the promise of ele...

On episode 223, we welcome Claudia Strauss to discuss the four types of work ethic, the glamorization of hustle culture and what type of work most people value, how productivity became associated with one's moral standing, whether and how much meaning should be expected from a job, how automation might impact our work lives, studies about the effects of a four day work-week, and the myth of people...

On episode 222, we welcome Jon Michaels and David Noll to discuss the alliance between vigilante groups and governments in the US, the four types of vigilantism and how they affect our lives, how vigilante groups utilize state laws to limit freedom of movement, the roots of vigilantism in the slavery era, the argument of individual liberty as a veil for tyranny, and the societal effects of the mer...

On episode 221, we welcome Randy Fertel to discuss the rich history of improv, hot cognition and cold cognition, the importance of a liberal arts education for creativity, Trump's charisma and use of off the cuff comments to charm his audience, the neuroscience of creativity, Saturday Night Live and how those comedians embodied the dark side of improv, improv as a symbol of authenticity and why th...

On episode 220, we welcome Jason Stanley to discuss the rising tide of fascism among Republicans, the pivotal role education plays in cultivating it, the divided US and how winning came to override all other values, the authoritarian war on intellectualism, fascist historical revisionism and why the history written by fascists is based on fear and pride, the fascist tendency to target minority gro...

On episode 219, we welcome Alice Driver to discuss the widespread labor violations of the meatpacking industry, Tyson's treatment of its workforce, how the company is able to employ undocumented immigrants, the Arkansas law that allows child labor, how prison labor is used to keep company costs low, the political power of the industry and how government subsidies help sustain it, and the various p...

On episode 218, we welcome Constantine Sandis to discuss the manifestations of transphobia, why feeling you're in the wrong body isn't delusional, the errors of segregation, ways of addressing the placements of trans people in sports, how biology and culture may interact to form trans identities, the rates and common causes of detransitioning, the sensationalism behind transphobic reactions, epist...

On episode 217, we welcome Bill Sullivan to discuss the burgeoning field of epigenetics, why genes are better thought of as dimmers rather than light switches, the antipsychiatry argument against mental illness and why all mental illnesses are organic, what we discovered about the microbiome, the Libet experiments and whether they cast doubt on free will, how genes and parasites affect personality...

On episode 216, we welcome Mark White to discuss the philosophy of Captain America, how his moral perfectionism informed his decisions and affected him afterward, the clash of morals in his rivalry with Iron Man, why being hard on himself benefited his community, the similarities and differences of deontology and utilitarianism, if we can consider his stubbornness as a moral failing, the qualities...

On episode 215, we welcome Roberto Olivardia to discuss Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, its comorbidity with other mental health struggles and learning disorders, ways Roberto learned to manage his own ADHD, how it affects relationships and how to address it in them, why teachers in the past were unable to cope with it in their students, the stigma and shame that may accompany it, why Le...

On episode 214, we welcome Tom Chivers to discuss Bayesian statistics, how their counterintuitive nature tends to turn people off, the philosophical disagreements between the Bayesians and the frequentists, why "priors" aren't purely subjective and why all theories should be considered as priors, the difficulty of quantifying emotional states in psychological research, how priors are used and misu...

On episode 213, we welcome Edward Simon to discuss the mythological history of the tale of Faust and Mephistopheles, god and the devil in theology, whether both figures can represent internal struggles between right and wrong, why so many identify with Faust's decisions, whether the story implies that willful ignorance is just as evil as maliciousness, how Faust was redeemed in Goethe's telling, w...

On episode 212, we welcome Mark L. Ruffalo to discuss the misunderstanding of the so-called "medical model" of psychiatry, why there's a gap between mainstream medicine and trauma-informed care, the ways in which biology and environment interact to produce mental illness, the difference between responsibility and blame, Judith Herman and the historical misuse of personality labels to mistreat wome...