The Mind Behind It

This week Sahil and Huda say their goodbyes and thank yous in their final episode. But before they do, they punch out a few more episodes that weren't released. Their guests for these are:Tasha Jackson, MFT who has been practicing psychotherapy for over 16 years and has her own clinic in San Francisco, California. She has a diverse clientele ranging from drag queens to CEOs. Tasha Jackson MA has been widely published in magazines and academic journals. She has done a TED talk ‘Can We Not Let Our Breakups Break Us' and released a book ‘Master Dater' and is internationally recognised as the first to advocate for the LGBTQ community and was one of the first US-based therapists to openly champion gay parenting. In our interview with Tasha, we discuss all things relationships – she integrates different techniques to meet her client's individual needs and truly understands intuitively the differences between people so not to try and fit them into a theoretical box. She has been trained under both traditional and more modern progressive theories and typically leans on Control-Mastery, Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Structural Family Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Head to her page to find out more: https://www.tashajackson.com/Professor Hal Herzog of Western Carolina University; he has been investigating the complex psychology of our interactions with other species for three decades. His research interests include the impact of pets on human health and well-being, attitudes towards the use of animals, and the evolution of pet-keeping. He has published more than 100 research articles for news outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, Wired, New Scientist, and Time Magazine. He is the author of the book ‘Some, We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard To Think Straight About Animals' which is the one we primarily discuss in this interview. Check him out at: http://halherzog.com/Professor Constantine Sandis of University of Hertfordshire is a professor of Philosophy and co-founder of Lex Academic. Constantine has published multiple articles and written plenty of books, one that we mention in this particular interview is a book titled ‘The Things We Do And Why We Do Them'. His philosophical curiosities primarily focus on the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and interpersonal understanding. His studies and theories in the psychology of philosophy is advanced by Philosophers Hume, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. Current projects that Professor Constantine is working on is a collaboration on AI Intelligibility with Abigail Sellen at Microsoft Research which we touch on in this interview, and a book on gender with his colleague Danièle Moyal-Sharrock. To know more and read about his amazing work head to: https://www.constantinesandis.com/Sahil and Huda take the time to individually thank their team members, who without them none of this would have been made possible:Pedro Arbelaez (@pedro_arbelaez) their amazing graphic designer from Colombia that invented the branding for Humane Productions and has worked closely, but autonomously to create dynamic and interesting covers for the episodes.Chris Foreman (@swampshackstudios) the co-founder of SwampShack Studios in New Zealand, is the audio engineer who makes the episodes sound engaging and interesting by adding music in the background and gets creative with each episode.David Boland (@thedavidboland) from Ireland is the editor of the podcasts, he ensures that all the interviews have had the fat trimmed and all the very innapropriate jokes Sahil makes are removed, so that the episodes are streamlined...

Sahil and Huda speak with Dr. George Church, a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His pioneering work has contributed to the development of DNA sequencing and genome engineering technologies. He has also had an important role in the launch of CRISPR technology, including a landmark paper in 2013 that marked one of the first demonstrations of CRISPR genome editing in human cells.George speaks about his early interest in genetics through his physician uncle, his battle with narcolepsy as a child and his first interaction with CRISPR technology. He also goes into an in-depth layman's explanation of the process involved with gene editing, IVF babies and his lab's work at the Wyss Institute in developing vegan meats for a sustainable feature.Finally, he gives us an insight into the ethics involved with CRISPR/designer babies, what it means for future research and interestingly how pigs could be used ethically for organ transplants in humans in the future.

Sahil and Huda speak with Dr. Beth who is the author of the Best Selling book, The Female Fat Solution, the creator of the 12 Week Female Fat Solution Challenge, the Eat for Your Cycle™ Method, and the host of The Female Health Solution Podcast.We chat about how a woman's body goes through four different stages during her period, how different hormones affect your food cravings and energy levels and what nutrients the body needs during each of those periods. She also talks about how the female body can efficiently consume calories throughout the month that would result in the best weight/fat loss results. Finally, Beth briefly summarizes PMDD and it's impact on women's health and some of her go-to remedies.Join us on a jam-packed discussion, and to know more head over to Dr Westie's page: https://drbethwestie.com/ to join the waitlist of her next 12 week female fat solution challenge

Sahil and Huda interview Rachel Gur-Arie, a Hecht-Levi Postdoctoral Fellow in Ethics & Infectious Disease at the Berman Institute at John Hopkins University and at the Wellcome Center for Ethics and Humanities at the University of Oxford. She also completed her PhD in Health Systems Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Beer Sheva, Israel. In this episode, Rachel Gur-Arie educates us on the ethical issues related to a vaccine mandate, why Israel was one of the first fully vaccinated countries and what makes Israel's vaccine rollout so streamlined as compared to other first world countries. Rachel also expands on the need for transparency when it comes to a vaccine rollout and how a country's government should be communicating with it's citizen when it comes to public health agenda and policies.Finally, we touch on the risks involved with mandating vaccines for children and the ethical issues related to it on a global level.

Sahil and Huda interview Grant Giles, a clinical hypnotherapist and strategic psychotherapist having trained through the institute of Applied Psychology, and is registered with the Australian Hypnotherapy Association. Grant is also an elite high performance coach within sport, giving him a wealth of experience working with people of varying ages and backgrounds.This episode Grant teaches us how to visualise effectively to reach your most desired goals, how to make friends with negative thoughts and what makes babies and young children such masters of intuition and instinct. He also discusses his approach to help elite athletes succed, his own journey with anxiety and depression and how parents can set their children on the path of success during their formative years.To learn more about Grant head to https://www.inconvenientminds.com.au/

Sahil and Huda sit down virtually with Rébecca Kleinberger, who received her PhD from the MIT Media Lab where she is currently doing postdoctoral research and is a Keynote speaker (search up her TED talk ' Why don't you like the sound of your own voice?'). Rébecca creatively mixes science, engineering, design and art to explore ways to craft experiences for vocal connection. As part of this work, she designs unique experiences to help people connect with themselves and with others.In this episode, Rebecca differentiates between inner voice and inward voice, breaks down the mechanics that create voice and how the brain perceives external and internal voices. She discusses the importance of making a connection over understanding someone, how to empathise and actively listen and why Marilyn Monroe had that famous whispery voice. Finally, she highlights the importance of understanding intent when it comes to AI and future voice technology and how that could aid efficient communication.To learn more about Rébecca and her work head over to her website: https://rebeccakleinberger.com/Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

Sahil and Huda speak with Associate Professor in the Social and Decision Sciences Department at Carnegie Mellon University about how personal bias affects decision making. We discuss how other people's perceptions could influence the way someone may make decisions about their future, especially when it comes to the stereo-types that are made based on people's skin color and race, and how dangerous these ingrained stereo-types can actually be for someone.To see more of Kevin's work head over to his website: https://kevinjarbo.com or follow him on Twitter: @kevinjarbo

Sahil and Huda speak with Associate Professor in marketing at the University of Wyoming, Dr Elizabeth Minton and discuss how marketing plays an important role in consumer decision making. They talk to Elizabeth about how simple cues can prime consumers to engage in societally/environmentally-beneficial behaviors or alter product evaluations, spreading activation, compound cue theory, belief congruence theory, inoculation theory, self-determination theory, values-attitudes-behavior hierarchy, and the persuasion knowledge model. We also discuss how marketing has been used in the recent COVID-19 vaccines roll-out to encourage consumers to take the vaccine. Join us on a jam-packed discussion, and to know more head over to Elizabeth's page www.elizabethminton.weebly.com to delve into her research.

Sahil and Huda sit down virtually with Dr Thomas Hansen, a Research Professor of psychology, Ageing research, Norwegian Social Research (NOVA), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. In this episode, we discuss happiness levels of couples with or without children, societal pressure on women to have a child, distinction between loneliness and being alone, isolation among older populations and the importance of differentiating between happiness and purposefulness when making the decision to have a child. Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

Sahil and Huda sit down virtually with Novalee Wilder, Los Angeles based Numerologist and writer of the book 'A little bit of numerology'. In this episode, we discuss the basics of numerology, your date of birth and it's significance, how a name change has the potential to change your life and the differences between Pythagorean and Chaldean Numerology. Novalee also gives some helpful advice on how to navigate your mental health using numerology and does a quick reading for our two hosts.To learn more about Novalee and her work head over to her website: https://www.novaleewilder.com/Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

In the second of this two part episode, Sahil and Huda continue their conversation with Dr Michelle Drouin, an American Scientific Researcher, Forensic Consultant, Expert Witness, Author and Keynote Speaker (search up her TEDx talk 'Online love & infidelity. We're in the game, what are the rules?').Her work primarily focuses on psychological issues dealing with social media, relationships, sexuality, sexual victimisation and assault, polyvictimization, and digital safety and responsibility.In this segment, they discuss benefits and drawbacks of sexting, importance of intimacy, what comprises as cheating according to scientific research, how to date effectively, cat-fishing and why ghosting might be more harmful than you think. To learn more about Dr. Drouin and her work head over to her website: https://drmichelledrouin.com/Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

In the first of this two part episode, Sahil and Huda sit down virtually with Dr Michelle Drouin, an American Scientific Researcher, Forensic Consultant, Expert Witness, Author and Keynote Speaker (search up her TEDx talk 'Online love & infidelity. We're in the game, what are the rules?').Her work primarily focuses on psychological issues dealing with social media, relationships, sexuality, sexual victimization and assault, polyvictimization, and digital safety and responsibility.In this episode, they discuss ways of turning your phone into an asset rather than a distraction, the parental responsibilities when it comes to social media and protecting kids from online predators. Join them for an extremely engaging and rich conversation about navigating the Internet; which can be the devil's playground.To learn more about Dr. Drouin and her work head over to her website: https://drmichelledrouin.com/Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

Sahil and Huda dive deep into the latest topic of equality with Tasneem Chopra, a leading Australian Cross-cultural Consultant. Tasneem is an expert in addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion across organisational leadership, including intersectionality within government, corporate, arts and community sectors. In this episode they discuss issues POC face relating to discrimination; not just in society, but also in the workplace. They discuss their ever-changing love for Bollywood movies, the 'Hands Off Hijab' movement in France, what it truly means to be a feminist, diversity representation in the media industry and popculture (such as Priyanka Chopra). We tie it all up nicely with Tasneem's vision for what an equitable, and inclusive future should look like, and what she's working towards achieving. Join them for an entree of colourful conversations about social issues with a large side of humour.Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

Sahil and Huda dive deep into space exploration with Prof. Chris Impey, a British astronomer, educator, and author. His body of research and work is primarily focussed on observational cosmology—using telescopes and other instruments to study the large-scale structure and evolution of the universe. In this episode, they discuss the Pentagon reports on UFO sightings by the US armed forces, origin theories around pop-culture space phenomena, possibility of life on other planets and inter-dimensional travel. Join them for an intriguing and fascinating conversation about space with tonnes of chill vibes.Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

Starting the new season on the right foot, Sahil and Huda have one of the most important discussions with Dr. Hugh Mackay, Australian psychologist, social researcher and journalist/writer, about the key to living a truly satisfied life. They discuss human nature, and how we can channel more kindness into our lives, they discuss happiness and what that truly is, and of course Hugh's new book The Kindness Revolution. Join them for a heart warming, and wholesome conversation on all the important stuff. Script for the hearing impaired is allocated to this for all listeners/readers to enjoy.

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Huda and Sahil discuss how they will be taking a break from the podcast deadlines - but this doesnt mean that they wont be contactable, they are still working on some new and exciting things for all you cool kids. In the meantime, please get in touch with them, they want to get to know their listeners from around the world (all 49 Countries out there who have at least 1 listener from).Otherwise; listen in while they play a game to help you get to know them a bit better - and play along if you can, write in with your answers!Follow on Instagram for updates: @humane.productionsWrite in via e-mail: humane.productions@gmail.com

This week Argus Kaine, also known as Moonpriest on TikTok; sits with us to discuss all things astrology. Explaining the difference between the Sun, Moon and Rising signs and how astrology should actually be used. He speaks about how the planets work when it comes to our traits or personalities. While he does that he gives Huda and Sahil a brief reading, and explains how you can find yours. If you want to know more, contact Argus on www.arguskaine.com for a reading, or follow him on Instagram (@arguskaine) and TikTok (@moonpriest)where he regularly provides spiritual updates.

This week Huda and Sahil speak to Australian-American writer, linguist, and co-host of the popular podcast MonsterTalk, Dr. Karen Stollznow, about USA gun laws and how badly they have impacted the people in America, and delve into how language can draw different aspects of our true discriminations out, how it is used in today's society - especially in relation to how Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex was impacted by news tabloids and the general public's opinions based on the Royal family and their reactions. They discuss the unconscious ways we accidentally discriminate others based on our underlying belief systems, and if being politically correct is useful in society, and how we can become better at it.

This weeks episode we delve into the world of the supernatural with a sceptics perspective - Huda, Sahil and Deborah share ghost stories, and dissect them. They dissect religion and the existence of God, supernatural experiences, where the belief from vampires rose from, exorcism and why it still exists in today's society. To read more on Deborah Hyde's work, head over to her website https://deborahhyde.com/

In this weeks episode Huda and Sahil speak to Psychosexual & Relationship psychotherapist, Silva Neves from the UK, and ask the questions that we all want to low-key (or high-key) know about. They discuss porn, whether it negatively effects the brain, if there is enough sex education out there, whether masterbating too much is bad for you (looking at you NoFap -per's out there!), sexuality in homosexual relationships as well as heterosexual relationships, masculinity and the problems with misogynistic men and their relationships with porn. To know more, and read more of Silva's work head over to his website: https://www.silvaneves.co.uk/or connect with Silva on twitter: https://twitter.com/SilvaNeves3 or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silvanevespsychotherapy/

This week's episode is with Dr Prash P, a Melbourne based psychiatrist who speaks to Huda and Sahil about psychedelic therapy. They discuss the impacts of this experience, how it can address traumas and depression, the history of this particular substance, and it's stigmas in society.They objectively discuss depression, the human ego and trauma, and the main reason why humans remain so unhappy.

In part 2 of Kevin Volkan's episode we cover types of hoarding, what types of people become hoarders in life and why, and the history of hoarding. We speak about animal hoarding (who is the crazy cat lady?), Joe Exotic from Tiger King and his alleged hoarding of exotic animals, children hoarding (looking at you Angelina Jolie), technological hoarding and whether that's a new thing, and we also touch on whether we hoard because we have a fear of missing out (FOMO).Please check out Kevin Volkan on YouTube - We still aren't done with him so get well acquainted with him.

Huda and Sahil discuss some of the recent humanitarian crises occurring throughout the world and how one can help. They analyse the deathly second wave of COVID-19 in India, Uighur situation in China and list out NGO's and charities that one can contribute to from anywhere in the world.

In part one of this episode, Huda and Sahil speak to Kevin Volkan, Professor of Psychology at the California State University. They start off with a general discussion on the types of discrimination in society today, cancel-culture, and political correctness - whether it is effective. They then delve into the importance of childhood development, especially between the ages of 0-3 years of age, the effects of it as children grow-up, intergenerational trauma for different ethnicities that stems from colonialsm. Half way through they get into the history of male genital castration, why it happens, and how it is very different from Transgender people going through a gender transition. This then leads into discussions around female genital mutilation, the cultural stigmas, and finally, they close-off with discussions on re-incarnation.

This week Huda and Sahil speak to two wonderfully entertaining blokes from the UK who study why people believe in conspiracy theories. Together we dissect the different theories that made a huge trend, such as lizard people, QAnon, Epstien, Trump and COVID-19 and the vaccine. We speak about attachment styles and narcissism and how those have a role to play in the types of personalities that latch onto these beliefs and why we as humans have the tendencies to believe them even to an extent.

In this weeks episode Sahil and Huda speak to the creator of Lucid Mind Centre, Judith Schjorring. We discuss her journey at the Monroe Institute which specialises in the Gateway Experience and Hemi-Sync teachings to expand human conciousness. She talks about near-death experiences, lucid-dreaming and the recent buzz around FBI's secret remote viewing experiences at Monroe institute.You can find free courses and meditations on her website: https://www.lucidmindcenter.com/

We speak to Iye Bako who is a social influencer for social justice about her quest to abolish othering. We discuss racism in not just the black community, but overall, what it's like to be a person of color in a predominantly white community, another way of looking at veganism, what othering is and how important it is that we actively work towards a better understanding of collective equality. Iye Bako instgram: @Iyeloveslife

This week Huda and Sahil talk about their favorite documentaries, and from that they draw on parenting. They speak about different types of parenting and how children are affected by those different styles. They draw on thoughts about death, and how different beliefs and religions impact the way people view death. From that, discussions about why it is that humans often yearn for a sense of closure from a relationship lost, and whether it is ever effective for our healing. Finally winding down with a story that Huda shares, which leads into kindness to others, why it's important for not only them, but even to our own wellbeing.

In this weeks episode Sahil and Huda speak to American stand up Paul Gilmartin. He is a comedian, television personality best known as the longtime host of popular network TV show 'Dinner and a Movie' and now a podcast host of 'The Mental Illness Happy Hour'We discuss ways that Paul dealt with crippling depression in the late 90s on the back of his successful show Dinner and a Movie. He states the importance of realising that depression can affect anyone and the measures that we can take to address our mental health even if we don't have the necessary resources to get a professional.In his podcast 'The Mental Illness Happy Hour' Paul sits down with artists from different fields of entertainment and discusses their mental health struggles. His hope that the show and this website will give people a place to connect, smile and feel the return of hope. Head to mentalpod.com to listen in.https://www.instagram.com/mentalpod/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/mentalpod/https://twitter.com/mentalpod?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorP.S. None of the opinions in this episode are given by a medical professional. Please consult your nearest physician for advice.Call Lifeline @13 11 14 if based in Australia if you seek mental health support.

In this weeks episode Sahil and Huda speak to author of multiple award-winning books, writer of Forbes articles, and psychotherapist, Bryan E. Robinson, about his experiences, and his upcoming book #Chill. We discuss better ways we can all navigate through life's stresses, how important it is to do the internal work and shift perspectives, how to change your emotional state in a matter of minutes by using his world-famous micro-chillers in a quest to find your c-spot. Learn methods of meditating and what it truly means to meditate, techniques to manage your internal board-room, self-care plans for shift and emergency service workers, how to experience work satisfaction and most importantly, how to balance work and life, whether you're a full-time parent, full-time employee or retiree. To know more and do the online chill test, head over to: bryanrobinsonbooks.com and don't forget to sign up for the Resiliency 2021 webinar that will be hosted on the 9th of September by heading over to: resiliencyandhappiness.com

This weeks episode we speak to Anthropologist Barbara J King, who has spoken on a TED Talk called 'Grief and love in the animal kingdom'. Barbara has studied animal behaviours and written multiple books on animal love and grief. In light of her upcoming book release 'Animals' Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals in Captivity and in the Wild', we speak to her about her journey into anthropology, her studies on monkey's, baboons and chimpanzees in Africa, her views on zoos, sanctuaries, hunting and how we can all do better for animals in our daily lives by changing our diets, and making better choices.Please head over to her website www.barbarajking.com for more information and to order her upcoming book that speaks of her personal journey.This episode has a transcript for the hearing impaired.

Huda and Sahil discuss whether attractiveness effects the types of opportunities that one has in life. They also touch on the consequences colonialism has had on the past and present generations of India and Pakistan. Plus they delve into a topic about friendships, our fears when it comes to giving, our anxieties in life, and how to combat those.

David Howe, a scientist in ethnocynology has studied and talks to us about the relationship between humans and dogs, some theories on how it began, the evolution of the different breeds of dogs we see today. We touch on climate change from an archeoligists perspective, and some consipiracy theories.Please head over to www.davidianhowe.com to check out his work, the projects he's involved in and furthermore, if you like this, listen in to his podcast 'A life in ruins' to hear all things archeology and anthropology.

In this weeks episode we talk to Brock Bastian who wrote the book 'The other side of happiness', together we focus on the psychology of suicide bombers, why people self-harm, end their life or feel worthless. We discuss why pain is important and why we need adverse situations in our lives. We also touch on why people are entitled and empathy and whether it's important in today's society. For more information and to read Brock's endless amount of research, head over to his page: www.brockbastian.com.Credits to Mashd N Kutcher for letting us use their brand new track 'Get on the beers'

We speak to Tessa Carroll about her ethical and sustainable online fasion boutique that uses pineapple and cactus leather to make luxury wallets and handbags. We discuss how she started out, where the inspiration came from and how she envisions the future of fashion.

Here we discuss the protests by Indian farmers and celebrity responses to it. We address the Japanese vaccine fiasco and shine light on cognitive dissonance when it comes to artists we love and admire. Also, listen in for some updates.Head over to our subreddit to have your say on 'whether the Internet has made us stalkers' https://www.reddit.com/r/themindbehindit/

Prof. Michael Drane, a psychotherapist and host of the UPC (Unpopular Culture) podcast talks to us about what drives a serial killer to do what they do, his take on cults and a brief insight into the Luka Magnotta case featured on the Netflix documentary 'Don't f*** with Cats'.

In this episode, Sahil talks about his experience as a reddit investor in GME and provides a quick summary of the hedge fund debacle. Additionally, Huda and Sahil share some personal stories that lead to into a discussion about mental health. The show ends with a new kick arse-segment that will leave you in stitches!

"Pete Paxton" from the Companion Animal Protection (CAPS) talks to us about the dangers of his investigative work, his book 'Rescue Dogs' and why he got into this field. Join us for some great stories, important information and a whole lot of banter.

This episode will give you a light introduction to the hosts, with random discussions on taxidermy, star signs, personality tests, praying and a fun game of 'would you rather'. Introducing their first segment of 'please explain' on puppy mills, get to know these two and have a laugh.