The Middle Way with Dr. Matthew Goodman

What does it mean to do "good" as a human being? Is there such a thing as something that is fundamentally "good" or is that purely subjective? Should we follow our feelings and desires, or adhere to a set of rules or laws – like religion – that have been around for millennia? Today's episode features a conversation with Caleb Crutchfield, founder of Collaborate Good, an organization that hosts workplace conversations with people from all different backgrounds and beliefs on questions related to society, culture, and individual flourishing.  In this episode, we discuss: -Caleb's background and what led him to doing this work. -Whether there is an objective truth, whether everything is subjective, and how these questions relate to moral action in society. -The question of “what humans are made for” and how this informs our values, beliefs, and social and political norms and rules. -Whether we need religion to guide our behavior or whether we can make moral decisions without it. -Whether technology and social media are “good.” -The merits (and pitfalls) of casual sex, polygamy versus monogamy, and other moral conundrums in our modern world.-And much more! Learn more about Collaborate Good: https://collaborategood.org/Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: ⁠⁠matthewgoodmanphd.com ⁠⁠Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@matthewgoodmanphd⁠Let's connect:Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!

Is there inherent meaning to the universe, or is it meaningless? Are ethics simply a matter of "matter"—the result of a bunch of firing neurons and the relativistic musings of the mind? Is our current paradigm of what is "true" beginning to be updated? In this episode, we are joined by philosopher and author Zak Stein, who elucidates what it means to acknowledge the “first principles” of the universe—and how failing to do so has led us towards the “meta-crisis” we now face as humanity. Dr. Zachary Stein is a Co-Founder of the Civilization Research Institute and the Center for World Philosophy and Religion. He was trained at the interface of philosophy, psychology, and education and now works in fields related to the mitigation of global catastrophic risk. He is a widely sought-after and award-winning speaker and a leading authority on the future of education and contemporary issues in human development. He is the author of dozens of published papers and books, including Education in a Time Between Worlds. With his colleagues at the Center for World Philosophy and Religion, he helped author their new book, First Principle and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on CosmoErotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come. In this episode, we discuss: -How Zak came to religion and philosophy through music. -The “Meta-crisis” we are currently facing including human-created, existential threats. -Moral relativism versus a worldview that holds first principles/values. -How value is encoded into the universe. -Free will versus determinism. -The myth of the march of progress and the growth of technology as “good.” -How global stress is heightening relativism, separateness, technofeudalism, and moving us closer to a tipping point. -Iain McGilchrist's work on Left and Right hemispheres and how these show up in the collective. -The question of whether society is experiencing a sort of mental illness. -How attention/awareness acts as an organizing force and helps to create more health, interrelation, intimacy, and evolution. -The effects of technology on attention and the manipulation of our attention spans. -The body as a portal to understanding first principles. -Technofeudalism, coercion, manipulation, and social media in our modern world. -The conundrum of whether it is moral to control people for “good” reasons. -Chaos, order, and re-order in the evolution of our society. Check Out/Learn More About Zak's Work: Center for World Philosophy and Religion The Civilization Research Institute Zak's Website Grab a copy of the Book: First Principle and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on CosmoErotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come.⁠ Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: ⁠matthewgoodmanphd.com ⁠ Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@matthewgoodmanphd Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!

"The Work" of Byron Katie is a method of inquiry that helps us get in touch with reality instead getting caught up in the stories in our mind. It is a powerful practice for improving our relationship to ourselves, others, and the world. Sarah Climenhaga is a dedicated facilitator of The Work. She began her career as an environmental advocate in the nonprofit sector before later running for mayor of Toronto with a vision of a free, inclusive, and beautiful city. After the turmoil of the pandemic, she experienced firsthand how much pain came with fighting reality, and how acceptance of even the biggest challenges profoundly affected happiness and peace both for her and for those around her. That led to her decision to embark on a professional career to help others find freedom from suffering. She now guides clients through the practice of The Work in one-on-one sessions and workshops, both online and in person. In this episode, we discuss: -Living in reality versus believing the thoughts and stories that dominate our experience of the world. -The similarities and differences between The Work and psychotherapeutic interventions such as CBT. -Dealing with despair over the planet. -How the world is a mirror of our thoughts. -How The Work impacts our relationships. -Why The Work is not a denial of what is happening in the world but helps us be more effective agents by "cleaning up" our own thoughts first. -Sarah's question/practice around "what is getting in the way of being happy right now?" -The inner conflict of whether we can be happy when the world is suffering. -Sarah guides me through the practice of The Work (~45:00 in the episode). Sarah Climenhaga's website: https://sarahclimenhaga.ca/ The Work of Byron Katie: https://thework.com/ Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: matthewgoodmanphd.com Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!

Wishing you a peaceful, joyful, meaningful New Year : )

Luis Mojica is a somatic therapist, trauma nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, where he teaches thousands of people around the world how to recover from stress and trauma. He uses whole foods, self-inquiry, and Somatic Experiencing as tools to find safety within yourself. Through Holistic Life Navigation, Luis offers online courses and webinars, in-person workshops and retreats, trauma-informed support groups, a monthly membership and newsletter, a weekly podcast, and a popular YouTube channel filled with insights and interviews. In this incredibly insightful episode, Luis and I discuss: -What "Somatic Experiencing" is and how it relates to trauma. -How trauma lives and manifests in the body. -Luis guides us through a "feeling the now" somatic practice. -The neurobiology and somatics of anxiety and “addiction” to not feeling happy.   -Understanding your interpersonal triggers through a somatic lens and how to regulate them. -The radical and controversial act of being 100% responsible for our actions while being 0% responsible for how someone else feels, and why this is both liberating and truly compassionate.  -Why “safe spaces” are not actually safe and how to find safety in disagreement.   -How we are becoming more divided based on our narrowing bandwidth to tolerate disagreement and discomfort. -Co-dependence, aka “I need you to feel a certain way for me to feel safe.” -The act of being oppressive in pursuit of trying to end oppression and “shaming people into accountability” – how to step out of the trauma cycle instead.  -Relational dynamics in the context of the Israel/Palestine conflict. -How our behavior is affected by taking in negative news. -The role of nutrition in healing trauma. -And much more! Connect with Luis here: Luis' website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/ Holistic Life Navigation Podcast: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/podcast Luis on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@holisticlifenavigation/featured Luis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holistic.life.navigation/?hl=en Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He is the author of "The Making of a Generalist," "Think For Yourself," and "Boombustology." He has been a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the global business environment. Vikram's ideas and writings have also appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times and a long list of other publications. Linkedin twice listed him as their #1 Top Voice for Money, Finance and Global Economics and Worth has profiled him as one of the 100 most powerful people in global finance. Millions of readers have enjoyed his unique multi-lens approach to connecting seemingly irrelevant dots. In this episode, Vikram shares how a “generalist mindset” can help us navigate a world full of complexity and uncertainty; and why, from his perspective, this opens up more creative, innovative, and effective solutions to our global problems. Highlights/quotes from this episode: " Every single perspective is limited, biased, and incomplete. And if that's the case, then why not use more than one perspective to really integrate a view of what's happening in the world?” Specifically, we discuss: -The "migrant mindset" and how his family's immigrant background helped shape him today. -What a "generalist mindset" is and how it helps us connect the dots. -How being a generalist is a "call for empathy" and the integration of multiple perspectives. -Vikram's view of some of the forces contributing to polarization. -How diversifying our media diets and other sources of information can help us think more comprehensively. -How renewable fuel in the U.S. may be tied to the Arab Spring and other examples of global interconnection. -Vikram's "global developments to watch" over the next 5 years. -And much more! Vikram's website: https://mansharamani.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikrammansharamani/ Substack: https://substack.com/@mansharamani Book: "The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World" Article: "24 Global Trends to Watch Over the Next 5 Years" Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Did you hear?! LOVE is "in." And hate... so 2000-and-late. That's my prediction, anyway, for the next 10-20 years. Or maybe it's simply a necessity. We are approaching the two year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. It seems like conflict in the world continues to ratchet up, the possibility of a global conflict becoming ever more realistic and sadly palatable. Is there another way? What new possibilities and paradigms are attempting to emerge in the world? In this episode, I share my thoughts on: -The tragedy of the Russia-Ukraine war and why I believe a pragmatic approach leads us closer to peace, not more conflict. -The paranoia of the current world paradigm and why offensive defense is not a strategy for peace but a trigger for conflict and escalation. -The flawed idea and "projection" of the West about other countries' own imperialistic ambitions and how this relates to spiritual maturity ("if you spot it, you got it"). -Leading by example - creating peace through peace, not through force. -Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin - what was weird and what was right. -The natural rise and fall of empires and the indications of decline. -The new paradigm of multipolarism: not power over, but power together (competition as a form of cooperation) and how this brings us closer to our evolutionary destiny. Thoughts on this episode? What points do you agree or disagree with? I'd love to hear from you. Send a message to: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

The psychologist Carl Rogers famously wrote, "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.” The same is often true on a collective level. The more we use shame, blame, and "othering" as tactics to inspire behavior change, the more resistant and defensive people tend to be. This has hardly been more on display than in the highly charged area of climate change. Our guest on this episode, Dr. Renée Lertzman, explains why the status quo approach of "yelling, telling, and selling" on climate action has underperformed its aims based on insights from clinical psychology and behavioral neuroscience. Dr. Renée Lertzman is a researcher, educator and engagement strategist who translates relational psychological insights to change our approach to our planetary crisis. She works with founders, innovators, companies and organizations across public and private sectors, looking to strengthen climate and sustainability initiatives, develop more effective campaigns, and harness the creativity and innovation needed to address our most complex and intractable problems with speed, creativity and imagination. A popular international keynote speaker, trainer and facilitator, she works with organizations, leaders and teams across sectors and regions, including clients such as Google, VMWare, IKEA, California Academy of Sciences, WWF, and the City of London. Learn more about Dr. Renée Lertzman: ⁠https://reneelertzman.com/ Learn more about Project Inside Out: ⁠https://projectinsideout.net/ Topics covered in this episode: -How Renée's confrontation with our planetary crises shaped her career path as a psychologist. -Understanding social and ecological issues through the lens of trauma. -How polarization on climate has insidiously developed over the last few decades. -The role of safety, threat, and identity in the interpersonal dynamics of climate conversations. -Why shame, blame, and "othering" may be well intended, but are not effective strategies for change. -How to guide people through their ambivalence around action through "Motivational Interviewing" skills. -Renée's work with leaders on the "inner" skills for outer change: self-awareness, self-regulation, and listening and empathy. -Renée's work with consulting, research, and strategic messaging during the 2016 election. -The three A's affecting climate behavior change: Anxiety, Ambivalence, and Aspiration. -"Call out" culture and the alternative opportunity to "call in" or "call off" conversations. -And much more! Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Improv Classes: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

There's one certainty in life: life is uncertain. Especially in our rapidly changing world, individuals and organizations are forced to adapt to constant challenges and change. The ability to improvise - the respond to each moment with openness, flexibility, and grace - is pivotal to thriving in a complex and constantly changing world. In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur Mary Lemmer about how improv can help us better navigate business and life. Mary Lemmer is a creative impact-driven entrepreneur and consultant helping leaders and companies innovate, navigate change and thrive in an unpredictable world. She is the founder of Improve, a company that improves lives, teams, companies, and impact, in ways that work and just so happen to be fun and engaging. She designs and delivers engaging keynotes, offsites, and conference sessions, bringing two decades of experience as an entrepreneur, author, humorist, and recovering venture capitalist and startup unicorn director. She gave the TED Talk “How improv can improve your leadership and life” and has spoken at The Social Innovation Summit, TED Women, TechCon, The Positive Business Conference, multiple years at the Agile Alliance conference, among speaking and leading interactive and empowering sessions for hundreds of companies around the world. In this episode, we discuss: -Mary's trip to Africa to help aspiring entrepreneurs. -Starting a business at 14 years old. -Dealing with stress, uncertainty, and lack of control in business (and life). -The blocks of "overthinking." -How improv can improve our ability to listen, communicate, and have difficult conversations. -Noticing and debunking our internal stories about other people and the world. -Improv as a mindfulness tool and what it offers that meditation doesn't. -How to use improv to improve companies and leadership. -Mary's research on improv and sleep, physiological health, and happiness. -And much more! Connect with Mary at www.marylemmer.com and learn more about Improve at www.chooseimprove.com. Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ /⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Hello beautiful souls! In this episode, I flip the script and share an interview I did on my friend Rachael Bonetti's podcast, "What It Means To Be Well." In it, Rachael and I discuss the art of "conscious communication," including the power of deep listening, building trust, showing up authentically, and taking "radical responsibility" in relationships and as a leader. We discuss tips for having safe and productive conversations at work, home, and everyday life. Rachael is the founder of The Elite EA Academy, a corporate trainer and consultant who supports organizations to create the conditions that allow everyone to thrive. She was our guest on Episode #49 of The Middle Way, "Talking Burnout and Taking Care" (Apple, Spotify). Thank you for tuning in! Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): ⁠⁠⁠⁠zen-improv.com Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ /⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Kristen Ulmer is a thought leader, master facilitator and fear/anxiety expert. Her education comes from practical, real- world experience, starting with being a mogul specialist on the US Ski Team. Kristen then became more notoriously recognized as the best female big mountain extreme skier in the world, a status she kept for 12 years. Known for big cliff jumps and you-fall-you die descents, she became sponsored by the likes of Red Bull, Ralph Lauren, and Nikon, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame September of 2019. Her mastery of other danger sports such as paragliding, ice and rock climbing, and adventure mountain biking also gained her the outdoor industry vote as most extreme “fearless” woman athlete in North America. After retiring in 2003, she spent the next 15 years studying Zen Buddhism. Her current work as a facilitator and teacher is the culmination of her decades-long experiences becoming intimate with fear. In this episode, Kristen and I explore: -Kristen's view that fear underlies other emotions such as anxiety, anger, sadness, and excitement. -Kristen's own unhealthy relationship to fear, and when extreme behaviors turn into unhealthy addictions. -How to be "intimate" with fear versus trying to conquer it or understand it intellectually. -Seeing fear as "person" who needs to be accepted and validated (versus controlled). -Re-imagining anxiety, PTSD, and mental health through Kristen's paradigm of understanding fear. -How fear gets conditioned in childhood. -How meditation and spirituality can inadvertently interfere with feeling fear. -Non-resistance and "being in love" with our emotions. -How our culture reinforces resistance and distraction from our emotions. -How Kristen's model compares and contrasts with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). -Noticing your resistance patterns as the first step to being "intimate" with fear. -The four levels of working with fear. -Getting into "flow" with fear. Audio Clip (at beginning of episode) - Kristen's induction in USSSHOF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujrrubEivBU Kristen's Book, "The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What To Do Instead" Kristen's Website: https://kristenulmer.com/ What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): ⁠⁠⁠https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ /⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Sarah Marshank has lived many lives: college student, lover, Orthodox Jew, escort, celibate monk, truth-seeker, recluse. As we all do in some fashion, Sarah embarked on a hero's journey to answer her deepest call: to be a teacher. Through these diverse and rich experiences, Sarah now shares what she's found to be the most helpful principles and practices for being a "self" in the world. What exactly does this look like? This episode explores the "self" in all its complexity and beauty. Sarah Marshank is the founder of Selfistry, a unique learning system for mastering the art of being human. She's the author of Being Self-ish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother and Selfistry: A Guide to Embodying Timeless Spiritual Wisdom. Based in California, Sarah teaches and speaks internationally, offers online programs, consults with corporate clients, and works one-on one with individuals. Her training as an educator makes her an effective and impactful facilitator, but Sarah's embodied presence is what touches people the most — the fruit of spending ten years in personal retreat. Her superpower is how she weaves Eastern philosophy and Western psychology into a process that yields profound authenticity. Sarah loves to guide people towards this deep and sustainable encounter with themselves. In this episode, Sarah and I dive into: -Sarah's background: from her childhood in Detroit, to being an educator and orthodox Jew, to going on retreat for 10 years, to finally arriving at the work she does now with Selfistry. -The relationship between "Source," "Self," and "Witness" as Sarah understands it. -Working with the "messy" parts of ourselves: our flaws, habits, addictions, wounds, and all the things we want to change within ourselves - how we can both work on these things AND hold "loving awareness" (i.e., The Witness) for all of the beautiful messiness in its entirety. -Why attempts to transcend the "self" may not be so helpful. -Why "The Witness" helps us mediate between what the universe wants for us, and what we're actually doing. -How suffering works as a "feedback mechanism" that keeps us on track with what the universe wants (i.e., Source). -Meditation as a "self-improvement" project and how to even hold loving-awareness for this! Learn more about Selfistry: https://selfistry.com/ Check out Sarah's books: https://selfistry.com/books/ What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): ⁠⁠https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ /⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Welcome to Season 3! Thank you for being a listener over the last two years

Dr. Karin Tamerius is a political psychiatrist and the founder of Smart Politics, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching progressives how to communicate more persuasively with people who hold different views. Since the 2016 election, she has worked to introduce psychotherapy skills to the political realm, pioneering the development of new tools to help individuals have constructive conversations online and off. Most notably, she's written three highly successful “Angry Uncle” chat bots for The New York Times that have reached millions of readers, and she has created an original model to “tame” trolls on social media. Prior to that she earned a B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley and an M.D. from UC San Francisco, and pursued graduate study in political science at the University of Michigan. ​In addition to running regular workshops teaching Democrats how to advocate for their beliefs without sacrificing their relationships with Republican friends and family, Dr. Tamerius has trained thousands of volunteers for progressive organizations like MoveOn.org, Indivisible, Women's March, and Netroots Nation to campaign more effectively. Her work on political dialogue has garnered international attention and been featured in many media outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Time, NPR, FiveThirtyEight, Forbes, and Business Insider. In this episode, we discuss: -How to use the skills of therapy to have effective one-on-one political conversations, including: building trust, respecting autonomy, and sharing information. -The Smart Politics and how it differs from other bridge-building organizations in its progressive political advocacy orientation. -Skills for listening deeply and nonjudgmentally. -When it is helpful, and not helpful, to offer information/facts/data. -How to find agreement and common ground by focusing on values, goals, and emotions. -How to be more persuasive when sharing your perspective and circumvent the brain's internal defense system. -How chatbots and AI can help us practice having depolarizing conversations. -The Change Conversation Cycle: Inviting, Listening, Reflecting, Agreeing, Sharing. -The Change Conversation Pyramid: Comfort, Connection, Comprehension, Compassion, Cognition. Resources from this episode: Smart Politics: https://www.joinsmart.org/ Change Conversation Cycle & Pyramid Handout: https://www.joinsmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Smart-Politics-Handout.pdf Dr. Tamerius' website: https://www.karintamerius.com/ What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw⁠ Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠⁠ Zen-prov! Class - STARTS JULY 10th! - https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠⁠ Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ /⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠⁠ Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING or REVIEW if you found this content useful. Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him “among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling.” Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. His foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire. He has authored several books including, "Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq" and "All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror," amongst others. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. In this episode, Stephen and I explore the dominant narratives surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war and other U.S. foreign policy. Stephen offers a refreshing, desperately needed, and imminently important (in my view) counter-view to the nearly unanimous narrative offered by U.S. government and media. In particular, we explore: -The simplistic narrative being portrayed in the U.S. and why the story of "good" versus "evil" is not sufficient to explain this complex conflict. -The surprising unanimity amongst congress, particularly Democrats, in supporting the war. -The incentives for congress to support the war (e.g., defense contractor lobbying, money going to districts). -How the press has abdicated its role to hold people in power accountable, ask deep questions, and provide a balanced take. -Why the idea that Putin will continue to expand westward if we don't act now deserves to be questioned and challenged. -The historic relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine and Russia. -The possibility that the U.S. does not want to diffuse tensions, and instead capitalize on this this as an opportunity to weaken it's enemy. -How the backdrop of China and Taiwan affects current U.S. policy, and whether "proving a point" to Russia is logical. -The radical idea of focusing on our own prosperity and development, instead of trying to block other countries from doing so. -Living in a multipolar world and how cutting defense costs could fund important social justice initiatives. -The possibility for a new paradigm of leadership based in peace. Referred to in this episode: "Congress has appropriated more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine" Episode 10 of The Middle Way: "Russia and Ukraine: Compassionate Heart, Pragmatic Action" Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Stephen Kinzer's webite: http://stephenkinzer.com/ Check out Stephen's Books What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw Let's connect: Website: ⁠⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠⁠ Consulting: ⁠⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠⁠ Your ⁠⁠support⁠⁠ for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Technology has propelled society forward in so many ways. We have cured diseases, reduced famine, and increased access to education for billions. Yet, despite the growing list of scientific and technological achievements and the material benefits these have afforded, there is one question that is seemingly ignored in our march towards progress: Are human beings happier today? As technology reaches greater heights, will human beings experience less, or more, suffering? This episode turns the assumptions of our current scientific and technological paradigm inside-out: that technology will create more free time and convenience; that it will reduce worry and anxiety about the future; that it will reduce or eliminate disease; that it will decrease human suffering... these assumptions are examined against the evidence of the paradox of progress throughout history. The technological paradigm is likened to the process of addiction whereby we succumb to the belief that "just a little bit more" will finally deliver a utopia. Read this on Medium: https://medium.com/@matthewgoodmanphd/the-paradox-of-progress-technological-addiction-and-the-illusion-of-a-better-tomorrow-fb0f695d3945 What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e9DQuWAWghQ Let's connect: Website: ⁠https://matthewgoodmanphd.com⁠ Instagram: ⁠@matthewgoodmanphd⁠ Consulting: ⁠https://ccg-group.eu/⁠ / ⁠https://the-middle-way.com⁠ Your ⁠support⁠ for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support

My guest today is Dr. Nick Fadoir. Aside from being a talented psychotherapist and all around wonderful human, Nick has been one of my best friends since we were 5 years old! I am joined by Nick on this special episode to discuss therapy, mindfulness, friendship, parenthood, and more. Dr. Nick Fadoir is a clinical psychologist at the Lee County VA Healthcare Center. He works with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance-use issues. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical-Counseling Psychology from the University of South Alabama and completed his clinical internship at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. His work seeks to integrate ideas and practices of the wisdom traditions with the best of psychological science. In this episode we discuss: -Pursuing careers based on how we wish to be perceived by others, versus what we truly care about. -The opportunity to practice presence offered through being a psychologist. -The paradox between self-acceptance and change. -Why Nick began meditating and how it has impacted his life. -Being the best version of ourselves. -How Nick and I each define “spiritual” practice. -The difficulties of forming new friendships in adulthood. -Parenthood and how it changes (and doesn't change) one's life. -And much more! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-UfKuaHZs44 What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Let's connect: Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Mindfulness has grown increasingly popular over the past two decades. Yet there are legitimate questions about how, and whether, this practice is appropriate for the modern Western mind. Can mindfulness be extracted from its original Buddhist cultural/philosophical context? How can this practice best be adapted to modern, Western, capitalist life... especially when so many of us are prone to trauma, anxiety, and the brain-scrambling effects of Tik Tok and other technology? Can we "shortcut" spiritual practice? These are among the questions that I discuss with my very delightful guest, Christin Chong, in this deep dive into the mind. Christin Chong is a neuroscience PhD, Buddhist chaplaincy trainee, and creative entrepreneur. She is the author of "Debug Your Meditation" and offers speaking, consulting, and online courses at the intersection of Buddhism, science, and creativity. ⁠Her online writing community, Kind Camp, offers a space to deepen personal discovery through reflection and support based in Buddhist and neuroscience principles. In particular, we discuss: -Christin's early childhood and how witnessing life's ephemeral nature inspired her career path. -The continuous human experience of "never having enough." -The "inner" and "outer" story arc of our lives. -The tension between spiritually oriented work and pursuing financial success. -How the illusion of "doing spiritual work" can actually obscure our deeper path and potential. -The question of whether mindfulness can be extracted from its original Buddhist context. -Mindfulness as a self-improvement tool. -"Shortcutting" the spiritual path through psychedelics versus the slow and boring path. -Why its hard to "step on the brakes" and meditate when our brains are being overstimulated by Tik Tok and technology. -Misconceptions about "ego" and why low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety are also rooted in high ego. -Bringing mindfulness and Buddhism into the business world. -Alternative mindfulness practices for anxiety, panic, and trauma. -And much more! Christin's website: https://christinchong.com/ Grab a copy of Christin's book, Debug Your Meditation: https://christinchong.gumroad.com/l/debug/COMMONPLACE Referenced in this episode: "On the Path" (Documentary Film on adverse meditation experiences): https://vimeo.com/482172141 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DEkuFg9HcUU What are you thoughts on this topic/episode?! We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com Let's connect: Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

What does a politics of "being" look like? My guest on this episode, Thomas Legrand, spent the last 10 years researching and writing on this vision of humanity's future —a future that seems almost inevitable given the unsustainability of our faltering social, economic, and ecological systems. A shift from serving the "gods" of endless economic growth, ecological exploitation, and social disconnection seems pressing. What if, instead, we focused on cultivating human potential and well-being? How would that change our happiness? How would creating inner change affect our outer systems? Is this at all practical? This episode dives into these very deep and important issues in a down-to-earth and accessible way. Thomas Legrand is a sustainability consultant for UN agencies, private companies, and NGOs in the areas of forest conservation, climate change, sustainable finance, and organizational transformation. He holds a Ph.D. in (Ecological) Economics with a background in international development, political science, and management. Thomas' book, The Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a New Development Paradigm, is a significant contribution to a vision of a new political future and has been praised by a diverse range of leaders across the globe. Thomas is a longtime wisdom seeker and currently lives with his family near Plum Village, monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the South West of France. In this episode, we cover: -The "Story of Separation" versus "The Story of Inter-Being." -Our society's allegiance to never-ending economic growth and why this is not sustainable. -Policies and behaviors that support values directly tied to happiness. -The shift from focusing on "Being" to "Having" and whether one must "have" to "be." -Building in compassion, mindfulness, love, interconnectivity, and other values of "being" into political policy. -How science works in tandem with spirituality to foster a new paradigm. -The importance of relationships in human flourishing (individually and collectively). -The role of awareness and shared (i.e., collective) awareness in shifting systems. -How Thomas is bringing "being" into organizations like the U.N. -Why we can't change people's minds through top-down control, but rather through trust and deep listening. -Concrete and practical policy recommendations that support a politics of being. -And much more! Grab a copy of Thomas' book, "The Politics of Being": https://politicsofbeing.com/get-the-book/ More on Thomas' work: https://politicsofbeing.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fDLulScqJ_8 Let's connect: Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

There has been an epidemic of burnout unfolding over the last few years. Rates of burnout and job dissatisfaction have skyrocketed; employees report exhaustion, lower motivation, and feeling a lack of purpose in their work. This has pervaded more than just the workplace: people broadly report feeling more fatigued, anxious, depressed, and lonely than perhaps ever before. The need to tend to ourselves in a deep, restorative way is absolutely crucial. Yet this is difficult to do. Our guest today knows this from the inside out. Rachael Bonetti is a corporate trainer, international speaker, podcast host, writer, wellbeing practitioner, and former executive assistant. For 27 years she worked in the corporate trenches partnering with some of the best minds in business: change makers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, billionaires and high profile business leaders - the 1%. In 2021, after wrestling with her own journey through burnout, she stepped away from her corporate career to focus on teaching others how to integrate wellness into their lives. She offers practical and accessible strategies for individuals and organizations to sustain high performance while still prioritizing well-being. In this episode we cover: -Rachael's unique experience of 200+ days of lockdown in the Victoria (Australia) area; the emotional and social effects this created in her community; and how companies are attempting (or should consider attempting) to make adaptations. -Rachael's personal experience with burnout and how she cultivated a daily wellness practice. -The experience of feeling unheard or ignored by doctors and Rachael's untraditional approach to healing. -Practical steps for carving out protected time for self-care. -Wayapa Wuurrk meditation - what is it, how it connects us to nature, how it honors and incorporates indigenous wisdom, and how it can be used in the workplace. -Negotiating wellness, autonomy, and empowerment in our workplaces. Connect with Rachael: https://www.rachaelbonetti.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVRgewvwFVU Follow Dr. Goodman: Interested in bringing wellness to your workplace? Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Goodman and The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Cold exposure helps to reset our autonomic nervous system. It can enhance our physiological resilience and ability to deal with stress. These practices have been popularized by Wim Hoff and have become somewhat of a global sensation. I was skeptical initially... but now cold exposure is an almost daily ritual for me. Ways to practice: -Take a cold shower. Start slow: maybe introduce 5 seconds of cold at the end of your shower. As you develop greater tolerance of the cold, work your way up for 30 seconds - 2 minutes. -Dip your hands in a bucket of ice. Again, start slow and work your way up. Check out Hoff's app for more on cold exposure and breathing exercises. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

We have, and continue, to make strides towards racial equality in the U.S. and beyond. Yet a debate has been growing in recent years - especially since 2020 in the wake of protests sparked by George Floyd's death - about how to best achieve the equality, justice, and equanimity we long for. Are our current approaches working... or have we created more polarization and division? Alongside changes in cultural norms, narratives, and policies, have we fundamentally altered people's minds, and, more importantly, their hearts? Is inner change keeping up with outer change? How can we reconcile competing ideologies about healing racial pain and polarization? In this episode, I argue for a "middle way" approach to race that is neither solely "anti-racist" nor "color blind" (but indeed contains elements from both competing philosophies). I draw on both behavioral science and Buddhism to spell out how (in my view) our current approaches are leading to increased political polarization, increased identification with race (i.e., seeing more of it), and potentially counterproductive cognitive strategies for eradicating racism. I suggest that we are already kind, compassionate, and wise human beings that should be focused on bringing out these inherent qualities in one another. I advocate for an approach rooted in pragmatism rather than ideological identification. Topics covered: How the mind is built to work in opposites, how this manifests in the collective psyche, and the implications for polarization. Why social movements (especially those built on ineffective behavior change strategies) breed competing social movements. The danger of suppressing thoughts and beliefs and where they end up going instead (in both the individual and collective). How our current strategies may reinforce identification with race and identity. How the collective ego is strengthened through identification with different "sides" and paradoxical mantras like "defeating hate." Whether the "middle way" is considered a neutral or "passive" approach. *There is an error in the Apple Podcasts title of this episode. It should read "The Middle Way to Racial Equality: The Psychology of Polarization and a More Compassionate Path Forward." All other players seem to have it correct. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aVj8b26ND6o Read the Blog Post: "The Middle Way to Racial Equality: The Psychology of Polarization and a More Compassionate Path Forward": https://www.the-middle-way.com/blog/the-middle-way-to-racial-equality-the-psychology-of-polarization-and-a-more-compassionate-path-forward Follow Dr. Goodman: Interested in wellness workshops or consulting for your organization? Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Goodman and The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-goodman-ph-d-18599330/ Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

This is a super simple but powerful practice to ground us in the present moment! Helpful for dealing with intense emotions such as anger. 1. Feel your feet on the floor. Notice sensations of being connected to the ground. 2. Let you attention hang out there for a few seconds! Use this in moments of stress alone or in the context of others. Enjoying the podcast?? Leave a rating or review! This helps the show grow and allows it to be discovered by more people

Kwame Christian is the founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute, where he conducts training that helps make difficult conversations easier. He's the host of the world's most popular negotiation podcast, Negotiate Anything. The show has over 5 million downloads and listeners in +180 countries. His book, Finding Confidence in Conflict, has helped countless individuals navigate difficult conversations and was inspired by Kwame's popular TEDx Talk with the same name. Kwame was the recipient of the John Glenn College of Public Affairs Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2020, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award in 2021, and the 2022 Columbus 40 Under 40 Award. He also serves as a business lawyer at Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP; contributor at Forbes; professor of negotiation for The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, the top-ranked dispute resolution program in the country; and professor of communication and negotiation at the MBA program at Otterbein University. In this episode we discuss: -The biggest barriers to having conversations about race in the workplace and beyond. -Why it is important (even though counterintuitive) to listen and show empathy for people we don't agree with, even those who we might fundamentally disagree with or even consider "racist." -Why persuasion is ineffective without empathy, understanding, and trust. -How Kwame mediates differences in perception about race (e.g., between individuals and police officers). -What to do when there is a disagreement about whether race "played a role" in a certain situation. -Moving beyond identity-based thinking to discover shared goals in a conversation (from the micro to macro). -Why debating the "facts" of a situation is ineffective unless there is a validation of people's experiences. -The compassionate curiosity framework: 1) acknowledge and validate emotions 2) get curious with compassion 3) joint problem solving Watch Kwame's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Zg65eK9XU The American Negotiation Institute: https://www.americannegotiationinstitute.com/ Download the "How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race" Negotiation Guide: Follow Kwame on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwamechristian/ Negotiate Anything Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/negotiate-anything/id1101679010 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/I3_mDF7gzhs Follow Dr. Goodman: Interested in bringing wellness to your workplace? Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Goodman and The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

This is a great practice to support parasympathetic activity; balance left/right hemisphere activity in the brain; and is my go-to practice for supporting sleep! 1. Take your left thumb and cover your left nostril. Breathe in deeply through your right nostril. Briefly hold your breath at the top of your inhale. 2. Now close your right nostril with one of your fingers, and release your left thumb from your left nostril (alternating nostrils). Breathe out through the left nostril. Exhale all of the air out. 3. Now breathe in through that same left nostril. Hold at the top. 4. Switch again - cover your left nostril and open your right nostril. Breath out through your right nostril. Exhale all of the air out. 5. Repeat this sequence for a total of 5-10 rounds. Note: You will complete one exhale and one inhale before switching nostrils. Enjoying the podcast?? Leave a rating or review! This helps the show grow and allows it to be discovered by more people

"Your symptoms make sense." This is what Dr. Omid Naim tells his patients, many of whom have struggled with chronic mental or physical health issues for years. He also tells them that he thinks they can "get fully better." Dr. Naim's approach to psychiatry turns the medical model inside out by viewing illness through the lens of ecology and empowerment. He takes into consideration the contextual factors that contribute to illness such as childhood trauma, disconnection from community, and lack of meaning, while empowering and inspiring patients to achieve greater health by allowing their nervous systems to do what it is designed for: healing. In this episode, Dr. Naim and I discuss how he works with patients to reorganize their internal stories in order to initiate a journey of holistic healing. Dr. Omid Naim is an integrative psychiatrist and Founder of HOPE Psychiatry. He is also co-founder of La Maida Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rewriting the story of what it means to be healthy through an understanding of trauma and stress via an ecological lens, and to rediscovering our human nature and our innate capacity to heal. Dr. Naim completed medical school at the USC Keck School of Medicine and went on to complete residency at UCSF and a fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. In this episode we cover: Why Dr. Naim's goal is not just managing symptoms, but for patients to "get completely better." The underlying role of early childhood trauma in illness. The role of social factors (i.e., "social determinants of health) in disease and the importance of community. The sickness model versus the empowerment model. Why the "chemical imbalance" theory of mental illness lacks support. The role of food, lifestyle, and natural remedies in supporting the body's natural healing capacity. Why mental health symptoms go down in times of collective crisis. The ecological approach to mental health and why context matters, from family, to community, to society. Why health and resilience are founded on struggle and crisis. The factors of "salutogenesis" (health promotion) versus pathogenesis. Working with our internal stories about illness. Working with trauma and patterns of avoiding emotion and unresolved feelings. The role of meaning and purpose on both an individual and collective level. The hero's journey of making meaning about of our health journey. HOPE Integrative Psychiatry: https://hopepsychiatry.com/ Learn more about La Maida Project: https://lamaidaproject.org/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j83tclHSGwY Follow Dr. Goodman: Interested in bringing wellness to your workplace? Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Goodman and The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

There is often so much happening for us in our lives that things get pushed into the background of our awareness. These experiences live in the cells of our body. "Focusing" is a technique that helps us get in touch with "what is going on" for us on a somatic level. Accessing this bodily intelligence contains so much wisdom about our "problems" and is the first step to dealing with them skillfully. 1. Close your eyes. Take a couple deep breaths. 2. Ask yourself, "what is going on for me right now in my life?" Notice what arises. It might be an image, body sensation, word, or phrase. 3. Stack all of your problems in front of you (like a pile of books). Don't go inside it, but put it in front of you. 4. Choose one problem to focus on. Where do you feel this in your body? What sensations do you notice? 5. Can you come up with a word or phrase to describe this problem? 6. Now you have a conscious "handle" on this issue, and can return to it skillfully as you go about your day. Adapted from Gendlin, E. (2007). Focusing. Bantam. Enjoying the podcast?? Leave a rating or review! This helps the show grow and allows it to be discovered by more people

This episode is a bit different. Here, I explore the nature of being "addicted to ego" from my own personal experience. When working on the "Addiction to Separation" episode about addiction to separateness in the world, I started thinking more about how this manifests in the individual ego. Through this exploration, I open up about my experience of having OCD. I use this is a prism for examining some of the ways ego manifests itself - for example, the need to control, to "know," and to be perfect. I think that addiction to ego manifests itself in many different ways - as many ways as there are human beings on the planet. This looks different in everyone. But we can funnel these things down to some fundamental processes that we all share (e.g., self-judgment, the need for control, the desire to avoid pain). At the heart of it all is the sense of separation from all of life; that is what we're addicted to... and also perhaps our task here on earth, manifesting in billions of different pathways of coming home. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Metta (Loving-Kindness) 1. Think about someone close to you (who you have a positive relationship with). Bring the image of that person to mind as clearly as possible. 2. Extend wishes of loving-kindness and goodwill towards that person. For example (use your own authentic words/phrases): "May you be happy" "May you be healthy" "May you live with ease and joy" "May you be free of suffering" 3. Bring a neutral person to mind (someone who you sort of know, or even a stranger). Extend those same wishes of goodwill towards them. 4. If you'd like, bring a difficult person to mind (someone who challenges you - this may be someone you know, or don't know). Extend those same wishes of goodwill towards them. 5. Finally, and most importantly, turn your loving-kindness around towards yourself. Repeat the same words/phrases and include your self in your circle of compassion. Enjoying the podcast?? Leave a rating or review! This helps the show grow and allows it to be discovered by more people

B. Lorraine Smith is a writer, speaker, consultant, and coach whose vision is an economy that works in service of life. Through her decades of experience as a corporate sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) consultant across multiple industries worldwide, Lorraine began realizing that superficial changes would not fundamentally repair our ailing world; despite working with Fortune 500 companies, NGOs, and other leaders to improve sustainability (e.g., "lowering carbon emissions"), Lorraine witnessed the stagnate and, in many cases, backwards "progress" of companies and the world itself. A paradigm shift is needed—one that serves the health and well-being of people and ecosystems, not the exploitation of them. That is what Lorraine's work is now focused on. And that is what this episode is about! We discuss: Why and how Lorraine works with leaders to shift their focus onto improving biodiversity, strengthening communities, and making people healthier. What is underneath the promise of "sustainability" from companies, ranging from the oil industry to sporting goods companies. Systems-level thinking and intervening at the highest levels to create holistic changes (i.e., paradigmatic shifts). The problem of "carbon tunnel vision," or focusing too narrowly on carbon emissions as a "solution" for climate change. The process of co-discovering a new world together; the importance of humility and "not knowing," both individually and collectively. Current political polarization and why we must listen to one another; the dangers of reflexively dividing people into categories (e.g., "climate deniers"); and why the "other side" contains wisdom that is crucial to solving complex problems, including climate change. "Matereality" assessments (see below). How to stay motivated and optimistic when the world is crumbling. Lorraine's website: https://www.blorrainesmith.com/ Read Lorraine's work on Medium: https://blorrainesmith.medium.com/ Check out Matereality assessments on Google and TD Bank: https://www.blorrainesmith.com/matereality Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9S7kxi7VC-Q Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

1. Squeeze all the muscles in your face (really tight!). Hold for 2-4 seconds. Release. 2. Notice what it feels like to have relaxed muscles in the face. 3. Repeat for every part of the body: neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, back, stomach, groin, upper legs, lower legs, feet. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Improv for Anxiety Class: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-improv-mindfulness-2 Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Jessica Baum, LMHC is a Psychotherapist, Author, Thought Leader, Relationship Coach, and Founder of the Self-full® Method. Her book, Anxiously Attached: Becoming More Secure in Life and Love is a practical guide to understanding core patterns in relationships, namely anxious and avoidant attachment styles. In this episode, Jessica decodes how these deeply rooted patterns manifest in our relationship to self and others. We use the framework of attachment to examine our larger societal relationship: how are Left and Right both fighting to get their needs met, and how can we begin to enter a form of healing with one another? In this episode, you can expect to learn: What "attachment" is and how it relates to early life experiences. Styles of attachment (secure, anxious, avoidant) and how these play out in relationships. What is happening in our nervous system as these patterns are activated. Why insecure attachment seems to be increasing in society. Insights into healing attachment patterns, whether with yourself or in the container of relationship. How these patterns actually help us heal by making the unconscious conscious. How insecure attachment is manifesting on the collective level, including the role of dynamics such as chaos/order, rupture/repair, and the anger/anger escalatory loop. Learn more about Jessica's work: https://www.beselffull.com/ Grab a copy of Jessica's book (which has been translated into 10+ languages): https://www.beselffull.com/anxiouslyattached Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XY5fWAOAWTM Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Warming Up Awareness. By bringing a hand or two to the heart, we can "warm up" awareness before or during meditation (or in everyday life). This helps us bring a gentle and compassionate element that can sometimes be missing. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Improv for Anxiety Class: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-improv-mindfulness-2 Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

The story of separation—between human beings, and between humans and the planet—is growing stale. Is there another story waiting for us? Perhaps one of connection and unity? If we are indeed being called into a new story, the invitation is coming through the symptoms of the world. The sense of separation and division is being amplified and mirrored back to us. Why? This episode looks at symptoms of the world, namely the escalation between Russia and Ukraine (i.e., East and West), as an unconscious attempt to wake ourselves up. Like the process of addiction, a deeper intelligence knows that "rock bottom" may be the only way we change. Just as we do as individuals, the collective may be manifesting the conditions for deep transformation to occur. Let us do this with the least amount of suffering and as quickly as possible. ❤️ Read the Essay version of this episode: the-middle-way.com/blog/addiction-to-separation-the-state-of-the-world-and-the-story-of-the-future Questions? Comments? Have a guest or topic you want to see on the show? Reach out! hello@the-middle-way.com Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: How to Open Your Heart (a poem by Jeff Foster). Jeff Foster, "The Way of Rest: Finding the Courage to Hold Everything in Love." Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Improv for Anxiety Class: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-improv-mindfulness-2 Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Dr. Corey Wilks is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Executive Coach, writer, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of psychological experience. After seeing so many people—patients, friends, and family—struggle to build their life around doing meaningful, purpose-driven work that fulfilled them, he started writing online to help people get more out of life through understanding and applying practical concepts from psychology. He now coaches entrepreneurs, content creators, and other driven individuals, and creates content to help people be more intentional with how they live, work, and create. In this episode, Corey and I discuss: Why and how he transitioned from clinical psychology coaching (and the difference between the two). The "Four Horseman of Fear"—fear of failure, ridicule, the unknown, and success—and how these get in the way achievement and pursuing meaningful work. Other self-limiting behaviors like perfectionism and self-sabotaging. Fear inoculation (building up "immunity" to what we're afraid of). "Side hustles" and the strategy of exploring one side hustle per month. Creating a "category of one"—the place where our interests, skills, and needs overlap. Being authentic and risking being oneself. Corey's near-death experience and how this changed him. "Momento Mori" and why this is so meaningful to Corey, and how this can help you live a more inspired and meaningful life. Corey's website: https://coreywilkspsyd.com/ Corey's Intentional Life Design Course: https://coreywilkspsyd.podia.com/intentional-life-design Questions? Comments? Have a guest or topic you want to see on the show? Reach out! hello@the-middle-way.com Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Take a FREE Improv + Mindfulness Workshop or Sign-Up for a Class: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-improv-mindfulness Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Change comes in cycles. Preceding any sort of change is typically crisis. When we put ourself back together, we can re-integrate with the nuggets of wisdom we discovered while we were dis-integrated. This cycle is true both individually and collectively.

The world is exhausted. This fatigue has manifested in different ways, individually and collectively: burnout at work, anxiety, hopelessness, and the ailments of our political, economic, and ecological systems. COVID brought on many of these changes; our collective fatigue is a symptom of the pandemic. But what if the world was already exhausted prior to the pandemic? What if, instead, the pandemic is a symptom of our collective fatigue? In this episode I discuss the need to integrate rest into our world - physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Fundamentally, this is about balancing the divine masculine and feminine energies of the world. Thanks for listening! : ) Read the article, "The Revolution of Rest: Balancing Divine Masculine & Feminine in the World" Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/mindfulness-improv Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

"Recording and Listening is, hands down, the most powerful tool for ending suffering I've found." - Cheri Huber, Zen Teacher Recording and Listening practice:* 1. Grab a recorder (usually, your phone will have a recording app). 2. Think about something that is bothering you. Hold your recorder in one hand. Record your problem. Take your time and explain it however you'd like. 3. Now, using the other hand, play your problem back to yourself. Try to listen as if you were listening to a friend or loved one. 4. Now, keeping the recorder in that same hand, record a response to the problem. Tap into your "inner mentor." What kind words would you say to someone else? How would you comfort and encourage them? 5. Now, listen back to the "inner mentor" recording to receive your inner wisdom. *Adapted from Cheri Huber and Living Compassion. http://www.recordingandlistening.org/ Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Take a Improv + Mindfulness Course or FREE Workshop!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/mindfulness-improv Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Once a self-described hard-nosed neuroscientist, Dr. Mona Sobhani aggressively defended the dogma of scientific beliefs--until a series of life-altering events caused her to reconsider spirituality and psi concepts and launched her into a two-year investigation into the ineffable mysteries of our world. This eventually led to her recently published book, "Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe." In this episode, I speak with Dr. Sobhani about her journey from "knowing" how the world works (or at least thinking so), to being thrust into a state of "not knowing" (a Dark Night of the Soul) and the process of re-discovery, finding new ways of understanding both herself and the world. We touch on the role of "identity" and "belief" in science, at both the individual and societal level; the surprisingly robust research on phenomena like psi, telepathy, collective consciousness, and other often-dismissed experiences; the dark night of the soul; the tension between "knowing" and "not knowing"; and much more. Mona Sobhani, Ph.D. is a cognitive neuroscientist, researcher, and author. A former research scientist a the University of Southern California, she holds a doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Southern California and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University with the MacArthur Foundation Law and Neuroscience Project. She was also a scholar with the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics and her work has been featured in the New York Times, VOX, and other media outlets. Dr. Sobhani's Website: https://monasobhaniphd.com/ Dr. Sobhani's Book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09L8QKNCM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0 Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ASWCCVTKJHE Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show for as little as $1 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Five Finger Mindfulness. 1. Open one of your hands wide. 2. Take the pointer finger of your other hand and trace the outside of your open hand (like you were outlining a Thanksgiving turkey). 3. Notice the sensations. 4. Inhale as you trace up, exhale as you trace down. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Judy Wilkins-Smith is a highly regarded, international organizational, individual and family patterns expert. A systemic executive coach, trainer, facilitator, thought partner, and leadership conference and motivational speaker, Judy has 18 years of expertise in assisting high-performance individuals, Fortune 500 executives, and legacy families to end limiting cycles and reframe challenges into lasting breakthroughs and peak performance. She is the author of Decoding Your Emotional Blueprint: A Powerful Guide to Transformation Through Disentangling Multigenerational Patterns. In this episode, I talk with Judy about the "emotional DNA" we inherit from our family system - the thoughts, feelings, and behavioral patterns passed down in the family (sometimes dating back multiple generations). Judy helps people recognize these systemic patterns through "constellations" work: an interactive, three-dimensional, and incredibly powerful method of discovering where the system is stuck and how to change it. Judy's work fundamentally focuses on helping systems, big and small, evolve and grow so they can reach their full potential. She is a deeply empowering and inspiring individual, and so honored to have her on the podcast! Judy and I discuss: -What "systems," "constellations," and "emotional DNA" are. -How our issues stem from multiple generations, and why it's not our fault but our responsibility to change them (and why this is a gift to both ourselves and the family!). -Reprogramming our emotional DNA and re-wiring our brain. -The story of how Judy came to this work accidentally. -The three-dimensional process of exploring family constellations. -Patterns around money, including guilt and fear of "abandoning" the family system by becoming wealthy. -Why the biggest and best version of ourselves is also the most humbling. -"Wanting to want" to change versus actually wanting to change. -Why symptoms are gifts, or opportunities to transform -Why it's crucial to shift from a victim mindset to an empowered one to create transformation. -The importance of your gut and heart believing what your brain is telling you. -Judy's take on our the story of our collective humanity and where we're stuck. -And much more! Highlights: "Our deepest wounds turn out to be our greatest strengths." "A problem is an invitation to something new." "We need to stop saying 'the world is in trouble' - it's not. It's at the beginning of a brand new chapter that we get to shape." Judy's website (including constellation meditations): https://judywilkins-smith.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ev1rtmAiOEo Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show for as little as $1 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

How do we cultivate a sense of resilience and grit in the midst of challenges? What if we are going through a "dark night," where we can't quite see the light on the other side of the challenging situation? Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting a conversation between Mark Beckwith and Paul Norris on the topic of gun policy. Mark Beckwith is a graduate of Amherst College and Yale Divinity School. He is the retired Bishop of Newark (of the Episcopal Church) and currently does coaching, spiritual direction and works part time in the diocese of Western Mass. Mark is a co-founder of Bishops United Against Gun Violence and serves on the community partners team at Braver Angels. He is the author of the book, “Seeing the Unseen: Beyond Prejudices, Paradigms and Party Lines” and regularly blogs as markbeckwith.net. Paul Norris graduated from UC Berkeley. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a masters' in counseling. A gun owner from age 12, he is an NRA Benefactor member and an advocate for gun safety. Paul is currently retired but still works part time in counseling. He is active in Braver Angels, serving as a moderator, state coordinator, and an Associate Director and Chair in the debate program. Debate topics covered: What values do you have in common and where do you find agreement on gun policy? Do you believe that "people" or "guns" are fundamentally the problem? Should we utilize red flags laws? To what degree? If we can trust people to act responsibly and sanely with guns, do we need government regulation? If we can trust the government to respect gun rights in the deepest sense, can we allow a little bit of regulation? What is the spiritual/mental state of our country and how is this contributing to violence and mass shootings? Finally, Paul, Mark, and I end by contemplating the image of the mandorla, symbolizing two halves (or two different ideologies) coming together within the broader context of the "one." Listen to Paul and Mark's prior conversations: Derate the Hate 08/10/22 - "What Role Does Fear and Trust Play in the Gun Safety Debate?" Derate the Hate 12/21/21 - "Squaring Enhanced Gun Safety Measures with Personal Gun Ownership and the 2nd Amendment" Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gvmnGJIw-IM Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show for as little as $1 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Breath Counting. This is a great way to anchor our attention in the present moment when the mind is especially busy. -Find a comfortable posture. Close the eyes if it feels safe. -Notice your breathing. Maybe find a spot where you can feel the breath most vividly (e.g., tips of nostrils, belly). -On each exhale, count "1," then "2," and so on. Count to 10 exhales, then start over. -If your mind wanders and you forget what number you're on, no problem! Just start over again at 1. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Conspiracy theories have been on the rise over the past several years. This has been particularly true in the context of COVID. Why is this happening? What function do they serve? What happens when we ignore or suppress them? What role do they play in initiating us into a new worldview and reality? In this episode, I explore the nature of conspiracies as projections of the collective psyche; why disregarding their underlying emotion and "story" - regardless of objective merit - is dangerous and forces even wilder conspiracies to take form; why we must have the courage to trust and listen to one another; the function of conspiracies as "bulldozers" to the current worldview, and therefore opportunities not to replace the current worldview, but to rebuild a new mythological framework TOGETHER; why one worldview cannot win over another if it turns "facts" into a faith; why the symptom of growing division and polarization is a call to realize our common humanity and evolve into something more beautiful; and more! This episode is a challenging one. Thanks for bringing an open mind, and more importantly an open heart : ) Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show for as little as $1 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! ~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Body Scan Practice. Body scans help strengthen the mind-body connection and enhance our capacity to "just sit with" emotions and sensations (positive, negative, or neutral). We can practice bringing nonjudgmental, kind awareness to whatever we notice. 1. Get comfortable. 2. Bring awareness into your feet. What do you notice... Warmth or coolness? Tingling? Pressure? The texture of your sock? Just observe. When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to noticing sensation. 3. Continue bringing awareness in this way as you move up the legs, hips, abdomen, back, chest, arms, neck, and head. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Nature has produced some magnificent designs... including the beautiful and brilliant YOU! Are there lessons we can learn from nature when designing higher performing and more sustainable products, companies, communities, and other systems? In this episode I speak with Lex Amore of the Biomimicry Institute about nature-inspired design. Lex is Communication Director at the Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering nature-inspired design. She has advocated for sustainability with thought leaders for over a decade, bringing expertise in writing and strategic communications to each project. Lex achieved her Master of Science degree in Biomimicry from Arizona State University in 2018 and bachelor's degree in journalism from Georgia State University. She has also received extensive training from the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), and in sustainable design by working with a multitude of industry leaders across the globe. We discuss: Lex's journey from feeling hopeless about nature and the world to finding hope and purpose. Why we should look to nature to help solve modern problems. How to define biomimicry. What a complex system is and why it matters for human design. Examples of biomimetic products (e.g., medical bandage inspired by the immune system, antimicrobial material inspired by shark skin). The benefit of having multiple disciplines "at the table" in design and decision making processes. The role of ethics (e.g., ecological friendliness) in biomimicry. The future of biomimicry and why companies like Microsoft have teams dedicated to this. Healing trauma and chronic pain through biomimicry and connection with nature. Plus... Lex's experience free-diving with sharks and other aquatic life! Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3MmZmGi7Lis Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show for as little as $1 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: Square Breathing. Instructions: 1) Breathe in for a count of 4 (through the nose, if possible) 2) Hold for a count of 4 3) Breathe out for a count of 4 (through the nose or mouth) 4) Hold for a count of 4 Go through a few rounds : ) Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Louis Weinstock is a psychotherapist who works with children and the child inside us all. He helps people find a light in the darkness – in the things that are unseen, unheard and unspoken. For over 20 years, Louis has guided children and grown-ups through some of the toughest challenges life can throw at us – loss, trauma, divorce, burnout and breakdowns. He is also co-founder of Apart of Me, a multi-award-winning charity that helps young people transform their grief into compassion. His work has been featured on the BBC, ITV, and in the Guardian newspaper. Louis' book, "How the World is Making Our Children Mad and What to Do About It," offers a bold and refreshing take on the epidemic of childhood mental health. Louis' framework for understanding "symptoms" extends beyond the individual - he acknowledges the role of larger systems, including the world itself, and how it is driving our kids bonkers. In this episode Louis and I discuss symptoms as "sacred messages" that reveal the state of the world; how children are the "canaries in the coal mine" expressing the world's symptoms; the concept of the "digital nervous system;" how children take on and express their parents unhealed trauma; ACEs and epigenetics; the myth of the serotonin theory of depression; the dark night of the soul and the tendency to want to "fix" what's wrong; looking at crises as opportunities for growth; Louis' (beautiful) intention to show up to each moment with love; climate; psychedelic-assisted therapy; Louis' background as a therapist and his charity, Apart of Me; the practice of improv and how it relates to well-being; and much more. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6ermOCpKZ9g Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support

Monday Mini: This is the first Monday Mini! Woo!! The practice: Meditation can be overwhelming. Especially for folks with anxiety or trauma. Try this: instead of closing your eyes at the beginning of practice, start with a mental scan of your environment. Open your eyes and ears. Try to notice detail (e.g., color, texture). Touch something soothing. Feel your bum on the chair/cushion/ground. This practice grounds us and tells our brain that we are safe. Then we might go "internal" if it feels safe. Have a great day!! Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes: the-middle-way.com Upcoming Improv + Mindfulness for Anxiety Course!: https://www.the-middle-way.com/class-mindfulness-improv Simple Stress-Reduction Book: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Stress-Reduction-Effective-Practices-ebook/dp/B09R1D6HN2 You can support the show with a donation of $1, $5, or $10 per month. Other ways to support include leaving a rating/review or sharing it with someone who would enjoy it! Thanks for listening! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/matthewgoodmanphd/support