The Elements of Being Podcast

Today, I’d like to share the 3rd part of a series on the psychology behind the 2020 US presidential election and the political issues that pervade the campaign airwaves. A few episodes ago, my interview with Dr. Madva dissected the role of implicit biases as an undercurrent of many social injustices, including incidents related to racism and classism. And then, my conversation with Dr. Baron was a...

Welcome to “ The Elements of Being ” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotiona...

Today, I'd like to introduce you to Dave Evans , the Codirector of the Stanford Life Design Lab and a co-founder of Electronic Arts , one of the world's largest interactive entertainment companies. He also led the design of Apple's first mouse and laser printer and has a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford. * Recently, Dave and his colleague, Bill Burnett , coauthored the #1 New York...

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Itai Ivtzan , a positive psychologist, a Professor at Naropa University , and the School of Positive Transformation Director. Over the past 20 years, he has run seminars, lectures, workshops, and retreats in the USA, UK, and worldwide at various educational institutions and private events. In addition, Dr. Itzvan is a regular keynote speaker at conferences a...

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Brenna Simmons-St. Onge , the Executive Director of The Alliance Center . She is a pragmatic visionary with over 15 years of leadership experience, including a decade in corporate social responsibility . During the pandemic, Brenna launched the Regenerative Recovery Coalition -a coalition with over 335 members working together to build Colorado towards a regener...

Today, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Damien Thompson , the co-founder of the organization, Frontline Farming , and director of the Center for Food Justice and Healthy Communities . * In addition to his training in anthropology, Dr. Thompson holds a certification in Permaculture Design and a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Teaching Certification . His interests center on the building of community food sy...

In today's episode, I examine emotional regulation and self-injury in adolescence with research scientist, Dr. Janis Whitlock . She has worked in the area of adolescent and young adult mental health, resilience, and wellbeing for over 30 years. She is dedicated to bridging science, practice, and lived experience wisdom in ways that inform, enhance and support the human capacity to thrive. She has...

Today, I’d like to introduce the very talented, Dr. Sera Lavelle , owner of NY Health Hypnosis & Integrative Therapy and co-founder of the soon-to-be-launched mindful eating app, Bea Better Eating . It’s practically a sin that we didn’t discuss her current project in great detail (especially with my interest in our relationship to food and the psychology of our eating behaviors). Instead, we t...

Today, we examine the role of mindfulness in the transformation of your physical health with Asha Gala , a lifestyle coach and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MSBR) Teacher from the farm at Ethos Primary Care . No doubt, a relevant topic for those listeners interested in improving their health and reversing illness. We discussed the early cultural influences of Mumbai on her diet and the chall...

Today, we explore our connection to racism with Dr. Michelle Maidenberg . We examine how cultural perspectives and experiences shape much of the racist rhetoric and perspectives in our lives, and how we might perceive and manage the guilt and shame we feel. We also dive into how we might approach situations in which friends, family, or colleagues consciously or unconsciously share racist rhetoric....

Wellll….In 2020, our will was challenged as well as the habits and routines that defined our lives up to that point. The pandemic, social unrest, and election friction certainly shook the best of our physical, emotional, and mental selves in different ways. Similar to past years, I take January to reflect on the prior 12 months, to adopt new mental software (which are habits, perspectives, and pat...

In today’s episode, I dove into the “mind” with author Ryan A. Bush and discussed his new book Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture . His book was a complete indulgence to discuss and certainly appropriate for a deep exploration of ourselves at the start of a new year as we recover from the ongoing pandemic, an economic downturn, the rise of social protests, and an enflamed US elect...

In today’s episode, I examine our emotional connection to film narrative with Dr. Alexa Weik von Mossner ….in particular, we focus on documentaries about veganism. She is a writer and ecocritical cultural studies scholar who works on American literature, film, and digital media. Dr. Weik von Mossner’s scholarly research explores contemporary environmental culture from a cognitive perspective with...

In today’s episode, I examine the effect of the at-home environment and space on our mental and emotional well-being with the business psychologist , Dr. Camille Preston . A fitting topic as we move into a winter of escalating COVID cases, social restrictions, possible lockdowns, and rampant remote learning and working. Dr. Preston is the founder and CEO of AIM Leadership —an executive leadership...

In the spirit of the 2020 US presidential election, Dr. Jonathan Baron and I discuss moral judgment and individual decision-making in today’s episode. Dr. Baron is the founding editor of the open-access journal Judgment and Decision Making and has been on several other journals' editorial boards. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Psyc...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that steer the social stream of consciousness….Truly a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Each episode is a glimpse into the trends and patterns o...

Welcome to “ The Elements of Being ” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Specifically, I examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that...

Welcome to “ The Elements of Being ” podcast, where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Specifically, I examine the mental and emotional narratives and processes that...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotional...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotional...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotional...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. So, what is this podcast specifically about? I examine the mental and emotional...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. I'd like to introduce today's guest, Donald Altman . He is a psychotherapist ,...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. In this episode, I dissect the idea of a "return to normalcy" as we develop our...

Welcome to “The Elements of Being” podcast , where I dissect and explore the minds and habits of psychologists, filmmakers, writers, and industry icons. Essentially, we learn what makes them flip the switch to achieve great feats, goals, and milestones…and a chance to geek out over the psychology behind human behavior. Today is meant for my fellow film geeks. If you have ever watched an incredible...