The Mindform Podcast

What if the voice yelling at you inside your own head isn't actually you? What if your rage, your anxiety, your worst habits are all trying to protect you? In this episode, Frank sits down with Nell Pennington — a certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist with almost 30 years in health, first as a nurse and now as a counsellor whose own adult ADHD diagnosis shaped her deeply compassionate,...

What if the biggest threat to your relationship isn't your partner — it's your nervous system? What if "good communication skills" are useless the moment your body thinks it's being chased by a lion? In this episode of the Mindformed Podcast, Frank Lawton sits down with Elizabeth Earnshaw — licensed marriage and family therapist, certified Gottman Method therapist, and founder of A Better Life The...

What if the self-doubt you've been trying to fix is actually proof you care? And what if the harder you work to outrun it, the worse it gets? In this episode, Frank sits down with Dr. Jill Stoddard — clinical psychologist, TEDx speaker, ACT trainer, and author of Be Mighty and Brace No More — to unpack why imposter syndrome is misnamed, misunderstood, and why the conventional advice to "just build...

What if the relentless drive to know everything, control everything, and fix everything is actually making you less human? And what if the path to wisdom, meaning, and flourishing begins not with more answers — but with a deeper relationship with the unknown? Frank sits down with philosopher John Cottingham — Professor Emeritus at the University of Reading and Honorary Fellow of St. John's College...

What if everything you've been told about managing anxiety is making it worse? What if the kindest thing you can do for your kids — or yourself — is to stop trying to fix the feeling? Dr. Alissa Jerud is a psychologist, Penn faculty member, and author of Emotion Savvy Parenting. She specialises in anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, and emotional regulation, using her ART framework — Accept, Regulate, T...

What if the goal system you've been taught is only half the story? What if the reason you keep falling short has nothing to do with discipline, and everything to do with your tools? Kjerstin Klein is a serial entrepreneur, certified athletic trainer, third-degree black belt, and health and business consultant who built a goal management system out of pure necessity as a neurodivergent person who j...

What if our obsession with rules is making everything worse? What if philosophy isn’t exclusive to university hallways? Barry Lam — philosopher, documentarian, and host of the Hi-Phi Nation podcast — joins the show to explore the collision between abstract ethics and the messiest corners of real life. His book Fewer Rules, Better People makes a provocative case: rule systems kill excellence. From...

Frank sits down with Arie Kruglanski, one of the world's leading experts in human motivation psychology, to explore a framework decades in the making. After being invited to study the psychology of terrorism post-9/11, Arie discovered that terrorists, world leaders, and everyday people share the same core drive: the need to matter. He calls it the quest for significance. His model centers on two f...

In this episode Frank sits down with Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable, to explore his latest book Beyond Belief, a science-backed manifesto on how our beliefs shape everything from our motivation to our suffering. Nir opens with a framework that reframes how we think about beliefs entirely. Most of us confuse facts, beliefs and faith, and that confusion, he argues, is the...

In this episode of The Mindform Podcast, host Frank Lawton speaks with coach, author, and podcast host Nick Day about his powerful framework for understanding and working with fear, which he calls The Fear Equation. Nick opens up about a life-altering traumatic event that catalyzed a deep inquiry into the role of fear in his life — and how it had disguised itself as wisdom, prudence, and even resp...

In this deep and vulnerable conversation, neurodivergent therapist Michael MaeRhys joins Frank Lawton to explore the sacred journey of personal transformation. Drawing from his lived experience, therapeutic work, and spiritual influences like Jungian psychology and The Alchemist, Michael shares how many people live on subconscious autopilot—shaped by trauma, cultural expectations, and inherited pa...

In this engaging and thought-provoking episode, Dr. Dean Burnett — a neuroscientist, a lecturer, a podcaster, a science communicator, a comedian, and an author — joins Frank Lawton for a wide-ranging discussion on the nature of emotions, the limits of logic, and the quirks of the human brain. Dean shares his deeply personal journey from a working-class Welsh village to becoming a prominent voice i...

In this episode of The Mindform Podcast, host Frank Lawton speaks with Alexandra Mateus — an integral health coach, writer, and the mind behind The Modern Day Explorer Substack. Alexandra supports purpose-driven individuals in building sustainable growth through creative leadership, slow experimentation, and inner alignment. The conversation traverses Alexandra’s journey from fashion and textile d...

In this episode of The Mindform Podcast, host Frank Lawton sits down with Ryan Bush, founder of Mindform and author of Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture, for a rich exploration of what it truly means to grow. They examine two philosophies of self-development: one grounded in emotional awareness and self-connection, and the other in intentional design and habit formation. Their co...

In this episode of the Mindform Podcast, psychologist and psychohistorian Robin Grille joins Frank Lawton for a transformative conversation about how parenting practices echo through generations to shape the very fabric of society. Drawing from decades of research and experience, Robin introduces the field of psychohistory — the study of how childhood experiences impact cultural and political outc...

In this episode, philosopher and writer Amod Sandhya Lele joins Frank Lawton for a rich conversation on ethics, identity, Buddhism, and the pursuit of the good life. Amod shares a formative experience in his early twenties — a moment of personal crisis and reflection that led him to a life-changing encounter with Buddhist philosophy, particularly the insight that suffering arises from craving. Thi...

In this episode, Frank Lawton speaks with Edward Zaydelman — community builder, retreat center consultant, and core member of the nonprofit Leap Forward. Edward shares his personal journey from New York nightlife and Burning Man to building intentional communities in Costa Rica. He recounts the rise and fall of his first eco-retreat center and the profound lessons learned about sustainability — no...

In this episode, Frank Lawton speaks with Amanda Saint — author, publisher, and founder of The Mindful Writer — about writing not as a performance, but as a practice of presence, healing, and self-discovery. Amanda shares how mindfulness transformed her creative process, turning writing into a channeling experience where characters reveal their own stories and wisdom. She explains how fiction, whe...

In this episode of The Mindform Podcast, Frank Lawton speaks with Robert Glazer—entrepreneur, author of The Compass Within, and host of The Elevate Podcast—about the profound power of discovering your core values. Robert shares his personal journey from being “unemployable” to founding a globally recognized marketing firm and eventually stepping into work that reflects his deepest beliefs. Togethe...

In this rich and layered conversation, Professor Peggy Kern joins Frank Lawton to explore what wellbeing really means — beyond fleeting happiness or individualistic self-help ideals. Drawing from her deep background in positive psychology, health psychology, and systems science, Kern presents a nuanced, contextual model of human thriving. She explains the Dual Continuum Model, where ill-being and...

In this episode, Frank sits down with resilience researcher Kyle Shepard, the creator of Resilient Mental State. Their conversation dives into the true meaning of resilience, showing that it is less about avoiding stress and more about adapting, recovering, and growing stronger through it. Drawing from his military background, Kyle explains how discipline and exposure to adversity can build mental...

In this conversation, therapist and researcher Kasra Mirzaie explores the intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS), adolescent development, and the search for meaning in an often fragmented world. Kasra shares how IFS offers a powerful framework for understanding and healing the inner lives of young people by relating to parts with compassion rather than control. He highlights the importance...

Dr. Roger McFillin joins Frank Lawton to challenge the dominant mental health narrative — one that medicalizes emotional pain and fosters dependency on psychiatric drugs. He argues that conditions like depression are not diseases but natural human responses to life’s challenges, and that overreliance on diagnoses and medication often leads people away from true healing. Instead, McFillin advocates...

Frank Lawton speaks with Sabrina Ahmed, a resilience coach, neuroscientist, and artist, about the deep interplay between burnout, trauma, grief, and resilience. Sabrina shares her personal journey through mental health struggles, hospitalization, and the profound loss of her father—experiences that shaped her holistic approach to healing. They explore how burnout extends beyond stress, involving e...

In this raw and inspiring episode, Frank Lawton speaks with writer, boxer, and thinker Ed Latimore about the hard-won lessons that shaped his philosophy of life. From growing up in the projects to fighting professionally, from battling addiction to embracing fatherhood, Ed distills a lifetime of struggle and reflection into practical wisdom. He shares why he gave up alcohol, how he learned to stop...