The Wise Effort Show

Many of us think about grief as what happens when someone we love dies, but we grieve so much more than that. We have little losses every day–our bodies age, our relationships change, and our planet suffers. This week on the podcast, Francis Weller shares the five gates of grief that all humans walk through and offers us insights into how ritual, community, and compassion can be resources in our a...

More time doesn’t always equal more happiness. It’s how you use your time that matters when it comes to life satisfaction and fulfillment. In this episode, Diana talks with Dr. Cassie Holmes about how you can expand your time and focus on what matters most with the time that you have. We explore three practices that will help you take perspective on time, and use it more wisely. Related Resources...

Being an advocate, ally or accomplice for social justice is an ongoing process that at times is uncomfortable. This week, on the podcast, Dr. Karen Suyemoto, Dr. Roxanne Donovan, and Dr. Grace Kim encourage us to unravel some of our assumptions about race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, class, and ability. You will take perspective on your intersecting identities, learn about the messines of taking...

How can you face holiday stressors without falling back into old habits? How can you make your holidays meaningful and connected? In this episode, psychologist Dr. Diana Hill teaches you science-backed, practical tools from Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) and compassion to survive and thrive this holiday season. Related Resources Get enhanced show notes for this episode Become a Wise Effo...

Are you physically exhausted, checked out at work, or feeling like your performance is declining? You may be burned out. In this episode, Diana Hill talks with the world’s leading expert on occupational burnout, Dr. Christina Maslach, about 6 key mismatches that contribute to workplace burnout. Listen in to learn why you are burned out, and what you and your organization can do to help. Related Re...

We are facing an epidemic of burnout. Healthcare providers, teachers, caregivers, and service providers are exhausted, feeling detached, and seeing their performance decline. Short-term solutions to treating burnout don’t work. In this episode, Dr. Jud and Diana Hill explore the link between anxiety and burnout and 5 common habit loops that keep you stuck in burnout cycles. Burnout is both an indi...

Having strong relationships with your kids is the best thing you can do for their mental health. One way to build that relationship is through having conversations with your kids. Talking with children, not at them, builds their empathy, problem-solving, confidence, joy, creativity, and social skills. This week Diana Hill and Rebecca Rolland explore 8 types of conversations parents and caregivers...

Whether we like it or not, we are always changing. To evolve for the better we need to learn how to accept and harness change. In this episode, Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy researcher and co-author of the book What Makes You Stronger shares with us common reasons why we avoid change and Process-based strategies to shift our minds, sense of self, and behavior. Dr. Ciarroc...

When I started the From Striving to Thriving Summit last year, it was because I was looking for a different way of living. On the edge of burnout, I turned to thought leaders, scientists, and spiritual teachers for a fresh perspective. This week, I will launch the From Striving to Thriving 2.0 Summit , a virtual series of discussions with top experts in the fields of compassion, neuroscience, long...

Do you refuse to go along with the status quo when it comes to your health? You just might be a healthy deviant! A healthy deviant is someone who defies societal norms in order to achieve a higher-than-average level of vitality and health. In this episode, you’ll learn why it's beneficial and essential to be a healthy deviant and some small things you can do right away to prioritize your health. R...

Please enjoy this breathing in, breathing out meditation by Brother Pháp Hữu to help you connect to the present moment. This bonus meditation accompanies the full discussion with Diana in Episode 37 "The Way Out Is In" . Related Resources Get enhanced show notes for this episode Become a Wise Effort Community member Sign up for my newsletter Order my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Ene...

How can we find a way out of our suffering by going in? What are some simple practices to address our grief, loneliness, insomnia, and anxiety? Diana Hill is honored to sit down with Zen monk Brother Pháp Hữu to explore how to find peace in your body and mind, even in the face of suffering. Brother Pháp Hữu also shares intimate stories from his 10 years with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Take a seat...

Do we really have a lizard brain? Is serotonin the “happiness” neurotransmitter? Dr. Judson Brewer, our frequent contributor and neuroscientist at Brown University, will clarify some common misconceptions about your brain. Listen in to learn why dopamine isn’t your “pleasure” neurotransmitter and how knowing your brain better can help you be a better person. Related Resources Get enhanced show not...

Do you know how your nervous system works? Polyvagal theory explains how our nervous system evolved and offers insight into why we become activated or shut down during stress. In this episode, Deb Dana helps us understand polyvagal theory and offers strategies to help you shift your nervous system toward connection and safety. Related Resources Get enhanced show notes for this episode Become a Wis...

Happy and meaningful lives are great, but they can be a bit boring at times. Erin Westgate studies another construct of a well-lived life called Psychological Richness. When you are psychologically rich you have a life that is full of exciting and perspective-changing experiences. Listen in to hear Dr. Westgate share her cutting-edge research in this area and strategies to grow your psychologicall...

Kelly Wilson is the reason why I am an ACT therapist. In this episode, co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Kelly Wilson offers his wisdom on how to be with uncertainty, the messiness of recovery, the secrets of marriage, and how to forgive the unforgivable. This episode is raw, vulnerable, and inspiring. Give yourself time and space to listen. Related Resources Get enhanced show notes...

Instead of a cross-country road trip, this summer we took our kids to Plum Village, a Buddhist monastery in southwest France founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Master. Faced with pandemic stress , we were on screens too much, taxed by relentless to-dos, and felt increasingly dissatisfied. Teetering on parental burn-out , we were craving peace, time away from devices, and strategies to handle increa...

We all give and receive feedback on a daily basis in all areas of our lives. How can you receive feedback to learn and to enhance your life? Can you keep fear from getting in the way of allowing feedback in to make you more successful? In today’s episode of Your Life in Process, Abby Diehl and Diana Hill reflect on our personal experiences with feedback, the psychological principles involved in fe...

Long-term relationships and healthy marriages take work. Being right, trying to change your partner, attacking, or withdrawing can unravel your relationship over time. In this episode, expert couples therapist and author Terrance Real teaches us how to step out of toxic patriarchy and rugged individualism so that we can step into more loving, intimate, and connected long-term relationships. Terry...

There’s been growing recognition in mainstream Western culture that psychedelics have a role as potential tools in personal healing and mental health. Research studies investigating the use of psychedelics in mental health treatment have rapidly increased, and many of us have questions. What does the protocol for psychedelic-assisted therapy look like? What is the difference between psilocybin, MD...

Looking back on your life, what do you wish you had done differently? Where do you wish you were bold? Which relationships do you wish you tended to more? Regrets are difficult to avoid. We all have them. When you approach regrets with perspective and self-compassion you can learn from them. This week Diana Hill and Daniel Pink explore his research on the psychology of regret and discuss how to fa...

Please enjoy this body meditation by Diana Hill to help you develop body image flexibility. Related Resources Get enhanced show notes for this episode Become a Wise Effort Community member Sign up for my newsletter Order my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most , and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's Events See Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With Diana S...

If you don’t feel positive about your body image, it’s not your fault. You have a brain designed to seek out flaws, a learning history that may have punished or praised certain body features, and a culture built around unrealistic body expectations. In this episode of Your Life in Process, Diana discusses the concept of body image flexibility, a newer psychological term, that describes your abilit...

Becoming a parent changes who you are as a person including your brain, behavior, and sense of self. How do you stay engaged with your children and your values as a parent? How do you open to and navigate the emotions of parenthood? In today’s episode of Your Life in Process, Diana and award-winning science journalist Melissa Hogenboom discuss navigating the dynamic processes of parenthood with th...

Yoga is increasingly popular as a way to manage stress and anxiety and improve overall well-being. Why is yoga so effective, and what makes it different from exercise? What can research tell us about the key components that make yoga work? If you are new to yoga, or a seasoned practitioner, you will love this discussion between Dr. Julie Kangas and Dr. Diana Hill on the science and wisdom of yoga....