UCLA LiveWell

How is pain different from suffering? Why is community a spiritual practice? In this episode, you’ll not only learn the answers to these questions, but uncover the story of Dr. Bill Resnick’s journey as a clinical psychiatrist, and mindfulness teacher. AND we’re gifted a ten-minute mindfulness meditation, a poem read aloud, and a sprinkling of Buddhist parables.  Dr. Bill Resnick is a clinical psy...

See last episode for Dr. Bill Resnick's full-length interview!    How is pain different from suffering? Why is community a spiritual practice? In this episode, you’ll not only learn the answers to these questions, but uncover the story of Dr. Bill Resnick’s journey as a clinical psychiatrist, and mindfulness teacher. AND we’re gifted a ten-minute mindfulness meditation, a poem read aloud, and...

Today, we’re learning why yogurt is more than just protein and probiotics, but is the final result of an intricate and ancient yogurt-making practice that creates ease and cultiavtes belonging. Homa Dashtaki founded The White Moustache, a yogurt company that honors traditional Persian techniques and her Iranian descent. After a law career, Homa has published Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Irania...

Join us (again) for a conversation with the former NBA World Champion and one of the premier NBA defenders of his era, Metta Sandiford-Artest, previously known as Metta World Peace. Metta has been a leader in de-stigmatizing mental health in the world of professional sports and beyond by embracing vulnerability and sharing his life story. Episode Resources: This re-release comes at a perefct time...

3 guests. 2 hosts. And one big question: why study food? Join Dr. Amy Rowat, Chef Julia Rhoton,  Laila Adarkar, and guest host, Kayleigh Ruller, on this  exploration.  Food--accessing it, cooking it, gathering around it--is a powerful tool for inciting change on both an individual and community level. It’s a lens for understanding environmental, social, and political issues, near and far. How do w...

This conversation with Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW'S Good Food, is a breath of fresh air, covering the practices and perspectives that sustain Evan’s regenerative, equitable, and of course, delicious approach to preparing a meal. The perspectives offered honor the transformative role that food can play in a complex social landscape, honoring each and every part of the food system.  Resources: ...

Superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy tell a much more complex story than what meets the eye. Dr. Drea Letamendi, clinical psychologist, media consultant, TEDx Speaker, and former Interim Director of UCLA’s RISE center, talks with us today about the power of storytelling in the fictional media landscape-- how storytelling accelerates empathy and helps audiences navigate their own personal expe...

Turns out, we need more wonder in our lives, beauty is a survival tool, and mushrooms are the greatest carbon-sequester solution for climate change. Learn about this and more through the words and wisdom of our guest today, Louie Schwartzberg. Louie Schwartzberg is an environmental activist, UCLA graduate, and award-winning artist, director, cinematographer. In this episode, Louie says that the me...

Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides us through getting o...

Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, Dr. Carol Mangione, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides...

What are the little things we can do to create ritual, reflection, and reduce stress as we navigate new transitions? As we enter into this upcoming school year and a new season, this re-released episode with Dr. Brenda Bursch will walk us through resilience tools -- from setting boundaries to putting plants in your office -- to navigate change with a bit more calm. Dr. Bursch, an expert in mental...

Join us today for a deep dive into how social determinants of health, the non-medical influences that contribute to someone’s health outcomes, can be addressed with a preventive, population-based approach, like Geisinger’s Fresh Food Farmacy. Dr. Andrea Feinberg guides us through this topic, outlining her work as a critical care ICU doctor, a population health leader, and as the lead doctor addres...

Join us today for a lesson in environmental storytelling with Tamar Christensen. Everything about Tamar’s story is fascinating-- she is a writing instructor at UCLA, a Veteran, a composter, a chicken mom, and a zero-waste lifestyle icon. We hear about how she sold her car after a transformative trip to Europe, how she gave food nonprofit Nourish LA a home at UCLA, and how she structures her creati...

In this special “Behind the Mic” episode, podcast producer Kayleigh Ruller interviews Dr. Wendy Slusser to learn more about her career, her inspirations, her mentors, and how the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center came to be. Dr. Wendy Slusser has been leading the Semel HCI center for nearly a decade to advance health research, host summits, gather leaders, and embed health equity across campu...

Today, Wendy chats with Matt St. Clair to learn about his advocacy work, starting with the ground-breaking UC Go Solar Campaign in 2003 to his current position as the UC’s Chief Sustainability officer. We learn about cross-department collaboration, effective communication for change, and staying grounded in mission. Enjoy! Visit our website to explore other episodes , suggest guests, provide feedb...

Hi listeners! We want to extend to you an invitation to our annual Semel HCI Celebration: Cultivating Community. Please RSVP (free) here . There will be food, music, performances, speeches, teaching demonstrations, and more. We will be honoring Louie Schwartzberg  with the Eudaimonia Lifetime Achievement Award.   Come join us for an evening of gathering and celebration!   Today’s podcast was broug...

You don’t want to miss today’s episode--mainly because Wendy and Elizabeth reveal their reigning favorite salt! How’d we get there? Because Elizabeth shares how she guides her students through a mindful salt tasting--an exercise that embodies her research at the intersection of food and performance. A PhD candidate at UCLA in Theater and Performance Studies with a graduate certificate in Food Stud...

If you have ever visited UCLA, you have likely seen and heard piano melodies around campus. We have today’s guest, Jeremy Barrett, to thank for that. In this conversation, we hear how Jeremy’s Piano Project was sparked by a desire for community engagement. We learn how he pitched the concept to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, and how eventually, he landed a job with music legend Quincy Jones. All of h...

Bob Thurman, longtime Professor of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, believes education is one of the most important aspects of being human, but not education in the way academics typically refer to. A Tibetan Buddhist writer, student, and teacher, Bob believes in the education of the soul---cultivating character, not simply mind, and revolutionizing culture toward equanimity, harmony, and...

Former UCLA gymnast, Anna Glenn, shares with us how she translated athleticism into advocacy during her time at UCLA and beyond. We found out how Anna is a masterful transitioner, so to speak--moving to LA from North Carolina, facing career-pausing injuries, being adopted, graduating in the pandemic, and embracing her Asian American identity. Check out Anna’s Bruin Brave campaign here.  Visit our...

Coffee, community, and connection are the ways that Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace advocate for their South Central LA community. As founders of the South LA Cafe and the South LA community nonprofit, this dynamic duo is paving the path toward food justice and community health. Learn how Celia, with her coaching and consulting background, and Joe, with his firefighting background, came together to cre...

How is controversy a good thing? What does it mean to have five eyes? Why is there no such thing as spectatorship?  This is what we set out to uncover in Part 2 of our Special Series with Peter Sellars, world-renowned theater and opera director. Join us as we discuss imagining new and revolutionary solutions to issues and injustices by centering art and community care.  Visit our website to explor...

Why were snakes at the original Olympics? How are the arts and sports intimately connected? How did the Greek tragedy come to be? We cover all of these questions in Part 1 of our Special 2 Part Interview  with Peter Sellars.  Peter, with his gift of storytelling, takes us on a journey to the Olympics in ancient Greece, where health, theater, and the arts were of equal importance in this celebratio...

Superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy tell a much more complex story than what meets the eye. Dr. Drea Letamendi, clinical psychologist, media consultant, TEDx Speaker, and former Interim Director of UCLA’s RISE center, talks with us today about the power of storytelling in the fictional media landscape-- how storytelling accelerates empathy and helps audiences navigate their own personal expe...

There is no better person to tell us how to acquire and enjoy traditional Japanese shiso leaves or the modern honeynut squash than Dr. James Bassett--a Master Gardener, beloved UCLA lecturer, and sustainability non-profit founder. An advocate for urban agriculture, James shares with us resources and tools regarding the practice of seed-saving. We learn how seed saving is a path to improving crop d...