Think Act Be Podcast

My guest this week is Dr. Steve O’Brien, author of the excellent new book,  The Essential Guide to Treating Child and Adolescent Anxiety   (affiliate link). Topics we discussed included: The ongoing epidemic of anxiety among young people Greater anxiety responses to smaller triggers Falling levels of resilience Overstimulation of kids’ bodies and minds The overload of information through social me...

My guest this week is Rob Bell. I was so happy that I got to speak with Rob. I’ve been a fan of his work for quite a while now—I listen to his podcast all the time and have read a few of his books, and I’ve just found his work so helpful. I  actually had an opportunity to spend a couple of days at the Rodale Institute where Rob was hosting one of his events where about 30 people come and bring an...

My guest this week is Yemado. He’s the director of the Boston School of Boabom, and he’s been teaching Boabom for over 20 years. As you’ll hear, Boabom is a Tibetan system of meditation, relaxation, and self-defense, and this was such an interesting discussion. The topics Yemado and I explored were really familiar ones, and they were also in a whole new context. One of the most valuable parts of t...

My guest this week is Brent Franson, an entrepreneur and founder and CEO of a company called Most Days. I met Brent a while back when he had me on his podcast. I really wanted to talk with him after I listened to an episode of his podcast where he described the things that led him to the work he does now, which is focused on helping people make positive changes in their lives. Brent talked about h...

My guest this week is Dr. Mitch Abblett. Mitch and I talked about how we can move through anxiety and stress by what he calls “owning the moment.” We explored what that means, how to do it, and maybe most important of all, how to remember to do it. The process itself is really simple—we just bring our attention to the present and let things be as they are. But as I’m sure you know, that’s much eas...

My guests this week are Drs. Kelly Yanek and Michel Kinderman. I was truly excited to learn more about their dual therapist model where they see each client together—two therapists with a single client. They described how this approach keeps them interested and engaged at work, and makes them look forward to Monday mornings. I think you’ll find this conversation as fascinating as I did. Topics we...

My guest this week is psychologist and author Dr. Jill Stoddard, who recently wrote a book called  Imposter No More: Overcome Self-Doubt and Imposterism to Cultivate a Successful Career . Jill and I had a great discussion about feeling like an imposter—why it happens, who’s likely to have the experience, and most important, how to deal with those thoughts and feelings. The solution probably won’t...

I’m all alone for this episode. This week I wanted to talk with you about finding the courage you need to take a bold step forward in your life. It could be anything, from continuing your education to changing jobs or starting to date. Anxiety and uncertainty often hold us back when we know we need to make an important change. But they don’t have to. There are effective ways to move through our he...

This week I'm continuing my series with Dr. Joel Minden, and we discussed a fun and interesting topic: psychotherapists in popular media, including film, TV, and comic strips. We explored what these depictions get right, the challenges of presenting therapy accurately, and why therapists so often are portrayed as buffoons. Specific topics we touched on included: Common therapist tropes in movies a...

This week I'm continuing my series with Dr. Joel Minden, and there's no one I'd rather talk with about how to handle worry. Joel is a true expert on this topic. He offers a compassionate, realistic, and effective set of tools for worrying less so you can redirect your energy toward living well. Specific topics we touched on included: Anxiety vs. worry The implicit goal of anxiety The similarities...

This week I’m continuing my series with Dr. Joel Minden. This time we discussed how much can be accomplished in a single psychotherapy session. Joel and I explored single-session interventions, one-session treatments for phobias, and sudden gains. Topics we touched on included: Goals for the first therapy session The hope that often follows a first session One as the modal number of therapy sessio...

My guest once again this week is Dr. Joel Minden. This time we discussed psychotherapy, drawing on the years that each of us has been a therapist. Good therapy has the power to improve thinking patterns, relationships, habits, and even personality, so we explored the unique aspects of the therapy relationship that facilitate these changes. This conversation is the second in a series of several epi...

My guest this week is Dr. Joel Minden, a regular on the  Think Act Be  podcast. This time we switched roles and Joel interviewed me, mostly about my approach to therapy that I describe in my latest book,  Mindful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy  (affiliate link). This conversation is the first in a series of several episodes with Joel, so stay tuned for more to come. Topics we touched on included: Th...

My guest this week is Matt Zemon, editor of the excellent new book  Psychedelics for Everyone: A Beginner’s Guide to These Powerful Medicines for Anxiety, Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Expanding Consciousness  (affiliate link). Matt also contributed several chapters to this book. This conversation is a great introduction to the world of psychedelics, and Matt is an excellent guide. He’s knowled...

My guest this week is Thomas Moore, a psychotherapist and author of a new book entitled  The Eloquence of Silence: Surprising Wisdom in Tales of Emptiness   (affiliate link). I was so pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Thomas, since I’ve appreciated his work for about 25 years, going back to  Care of the Soul . Topics we discussed included: The role of emptiness in religion and spiritua...

My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Noam Shpancer, author of the novel  The Good Psychologist  (affiliate link). We explored the ongoing crisis in mental health among young people, and discussed possible ways to address it. I really enjoyed talking with Noam and hearing his insights and nuanced perspective on these issues. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substac...

My guest this week is Dr. Steve Hayes, one of the most influential psychologists of our time. The first time I had Steve on the podcast back in 2020 we discussed the fundamentals of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This time you’ll see what those ideas look like in action. The second half of our discussion is Steve leading me through a series of invitations and explorations. It was a prett...

My guest this week is Dr. Mark Karris, author of the new book,  The Diabolical Trinity: Healing Religious Trauma From a Wrathful God, Tormenting Hell, and a Sinful Self . Mark shared about the damaging effects this trio of doctrines can have on people, himself included, and how to heal. Topics we discussed included: How certain religious beliefs themselves can be traumatic, apart from abusive, aut...

My guest this week is Thomas Sterner, whose latest book is  It’s Just a Thought  (affiliate link). As you know, your thoughts aren’t always helpful or true. In this conversation Tom and I talked about how to change your relationship with thoughts, which I think about a lot as CBT therapist. Just knowing that we’re thinking is a huge part of what’s helpful, but awareness alone is usually not enough...

  My guest this week is Dr. John Astin, author of the excellent book,  This Extraordinary Moment  (affiliate link). John has a really mind-blowing way of seeing all of reality, as you’ll hear in this great conversation. We talked about familiar concepts from meditation and mindfulness—for example, awareness of reality and finding equanimity—but John expands the frame in a way that’s truly liberati...

My guest this week is Colin Campbell. He wrote an amazing book called Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose (affiliate link), about his experience of incredible grief and loss. I really enjoyed talking with Colin—as you'll hear, he's frank, down-to-earth, compassionate. I know you'll get a lot out of this conversation. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gill...

My guest this week is Dr. Mitch Greene. Mitch is a sport psychologist and this is his third time on the podcast. This time we talked about his great new book, which I enjoyed reading, called  Courage Over Confidence: Managing Mind Chatter and Winning the Mental Game  (affiliate link). This is a great conversation for any competitive athlete, at any level—from doing weekend 5Ks to Olympic competiti...

My guest this week is Dr. Brie Turns-Coe, an associate professor of marriage and family therapy and author of the excellent new book,  Parent the Child You Have, Not the Child You Were  (affiliate link). Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Dr. Jonah Paquette, author of Happily Even After   (affiliate link), who is back for the fourth time on the podcast. Jonah is the happiness guru I turn to for exploring the science of well-being and flourishing. This time we focused on how to cultivate happiness more consistently in our lives—and why we tend to wait till we're seriously unhappy before using the practices that...

My guest this week is Dr. Willa Blythe Baker, author of an excellent book called  The Wakeful Body  (affiliate link) .  Willa and I had a great conversation about how the body draws us into connection with ourselves and with this moment. She had recently arrived in Hawaii, and you can hear the sounds of birds singing in the background! Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkact...