Podcasts about mental wellbeing

Dr. Deb Butler explores how emotional eating and lack of connection with our body's hunger signals contributes to weight gain. She discusses practical strategies for managing food urges and breaking free from food industry manipulation.  Dr. Deb transitioned from chiropractic practice to weight loss and life coaching, particularly focusing on helping women navigate menopause. She enjoys helping women understand how menopause creates a unique opportunity for brain retraining due to hormonal changes. Key topics: Hunger and Fullness Signal Awareness Natural Eating Signals Menopause Weight Management Approach Advertising and Emotional Influences Menopause and Decision-Making Challenges Movement as Stress Relief Strategy Dr. Deb Butler, a Certified Master Weight Loss and Life Coach who taught at The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo. Before that, she spent over 30 years as a Board-Certified Chiropractor, Nutritionist, and Acupuncturist. She now hosts the inspiring podcast ThINNER Peace in Menopause and Beyond and has been featured as a guest on several top wellness shows. Find more information including a free Jumpstart Guide available at PeaceWithDeb and drdebutler.com Visit ConfidenceThroughHealth.com to find discounts to some of our favorite products.Follow me via All In Health and Wellness on Facebook or Instagram.Find my books on Amazon: No More Sugar Coating: Finding Your Happiness in a Crowded World and Confidence Through Health: Live the Healthy Lifestyle God DesignedProduction credit: Social Media Cowboys

Everyone experiences bad days, ranging from mildly unpleasant to truly difficult. Actively focusing on daily positives supports better mental well-being, attitude, and overall life outlook. The goal is not to ignore negativity but to prevent it from consuming more attention than necessary. Key Takeaways Even on the worst days, positive moments exist and can be found if actively sought. Roger Federer won almost 90% of his matches by winning around 52% of his points — a metaphor for how focusing on the majority of positive moments leads to overall success in mental well-being. Focusing on the negative 48% of daily experiences drives a negative mindset and harmful consequences, while focusing on the positive 52% builds optimism and mental resilience. Negative experiences are statistically inevitable (e.g., a health crisis roughly every decade), but they should not dominate one's perspective. The "vehicle on the road" analogy illustrates that what we focus on becomes more visible — negative or positive things have always been present; our attention determines their impact. Visit ConfidenceThroughHealth.com to find discounts to some of our favorite products.Follow me via All In Health and Wellness on Facebook or Instagram.Find my books on Amazon: No More Sugar Coating: Finding Your Happiness in a Crowded World and Confidence Through Health: Live the Healthy Lifestyle God DesignedProduction credit: Social Media Cowboys

YouTube Description (SEO Optimised)Sacha Hughes joins Gill Tiney on the Collaboration Global Podcast to share her powerful journey through grief, addiction, divorce, self-discovery, and ultimately self-love.After losing her mother to cancer at the age of 24, Sacha spent years searching for happiness in all the wrong places — navigating London's party culture, struggling with grief, and looking for external validation to fill an internal void. Following a difficult divorce and years of personal healing, she discovered the transformative power of self-love, mindfulness, forgiveness, and personal growth.Sacha also discusses her debut novel, Love, Grief and More Sex Than Pinot, a witty and deeply relatable story inspired by her own experiences. Through the character of Soho Summers, she explores love, loss, healing, friendship, and the journey of finding yourself when life doesn't go according to plan.Together, Gill Tiney and Sacha Hughes explore grief, motherhood, emotional resilience, self-worth, spirituality, healing after heartbreak, and why the most important relationship you'll ever have is the one with yourself.This conversation is filled with honesty, humour, wisdom, and hope for anyone navigating loss, personal transformation, or a search for deeper meaning in life.

Each individual has a purpose in life.   I ask what legacy I want to leave behind?    How can I empower others?  Joel White asks.   An answer to this is debunking the myths surrounding men's mental health.   Men are fix, fix, fix.  Women tend to be better at listening, being intuitive, connecting, transforming situations says Joel.   Women in crisis usually find themselves in an ambulance.  Men tend to find themselves at the back of a police car with handcuffs on. In reality we need to sort ourselves out first before we sort it out for others.  "We are not in control of anything.  We have the ability to be discerning, take control of our own behaviours, embrace responsibility and accountability for our choices, actions and reactions.  It is a daily practice and it is down to each of us as to how we navigate these", Joel advises.

She was discovered hitchhiking on a busy interstate. Barefoot. Tasmanian devil boxer shorts. Ripped t-shirt. Her dog — off leash — right beside her as cars raced past them. That's the story Michele Capots told her 16-year-old nephew over dinner. The nephew who had just ghosted her after finding out she'd been hospitalized for severe depression. This episode is about what happens when you finally stop protecting people from your truth — and what it costs you when you don't. Michele is a mental health advocate, speaker, writer and coach who has lived experience with bipolar disorder, multiple hospitalizations, and the thing she calls self-stigma: the moment we take society's cruelest beliefs about mental illness and turn them on ourselves. It is soul-crushing and most of us have no idea we're doing it. That story is the entry point into a much bigger conversation about what self-stigma actually is, why it's far more dangerous than the stigma we receive from others, and how it quietly (and not so quietly) steals our sense of worth, shrinks our expectations of ourselves, and keeps us in the same place long after the crisis has passed. We also get into: -What to actually say to someone who tells you they've been in a psych ward or are managing a mental illness. Spoiler: you don't have to have the perfect words. You just have to stay. -Why mental health and mental wellness are not the same thing, and why collapsing that distinction actually does harm. -The difference between the "I" in illness and the "we" in wellness — one of the most memorable lines you will hear this year. -Why self-compassion isn't soft or optional — it is the thing that dissolves self-stigma, full stop. Michele is the kind of person who makes you feel less alone just by being honest about her own life. This episode is a gift for anyone who has struggled, love someone who struggles, or ever stood there not knowing what the hell to say which is basically all of us. Find Michele on Instagram and read her Substack, The Magic of Mental Wellbeing.  Guest Bio: Michele Capots is a transformational coach, speaker, storyteller, and relentless mental wellness and resilience advocate. Her essays on mental health have appeared in Newsweek, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, among others. Drawing from her own journey through mental health crises, she has been dedicated for close to a decade to inspiring others through theirs. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, she vulnerably shares her insights and lessons around shame, self-worth, resilience, and mental wellness, which involves so much more than just good mental health. She has served as an Executive Committee Member of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, a non-profit of 38 countries worldwide focused on mental health advocacy, and is a board member for Twogere, a nonprofit focused on youth mental health recovery in Uganda. She lives in Arlington, VA. Website: https://www.michelecapost.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelecapotsdotcom LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-capots-9149323/ TOP QUOTES — MICHELE CAPOTS "Self-stigma is when we take society's beliefs about mental health and turn them inward on ourselves." "Stigma doesn't just label people. It disconnects them from themselves." "There's an I in illness and a we in wellness." "We don't get better by ourselves. We need other people. We can't get well on our own." "I don't know what you're going through and I don't know how to help you — but I want you to know I'm here for you if you need me." (on the most powerful thing you can say) "Self-compassion is the hardest thing you'll ever do, but it brings the biggest relief." About Jen Oliver:Jen Oliver is a speaker, podcaster, and communications coach - equipping people to speak with greater impact and presence. Whether you are speaking on stage, promoting your brand, or voicing your needs in a relationship - communicating with your truest voice and cultivating human connection with your audience is the key to influence. Jen coaches individuals privately and within her Signature group programs - in addition to delivering workshops as a guest expert in a variety of settings. Jen serves as a 4-season Executive Producer, Director of Curation, and Speaker Coach for TEDxFolsom. She is a committed force behind WomanSpeak™ - an internationally recognized body of work teaching the art and soul of public speaking. Jen is on a mission to support 1 million women as they speak with uncommon levels of freedom and confidence. Tap into more at REALjenoliver.comemail: jen@REALjenoliver.compodcast website: ListenForREAL.com90-day TEDx Talk ACCELERATORWomanSpeak™website: REALJenOliver.comLinkedIn:@thejenoliverInstagram: @realjenoliverFacebook: @jen.oliver.806001If you believe conversations like these belong in the world, please subscribe, rate & review this podcast - and even better, share it with someone else as a REAL conversation starter. Subscribe to all things Jen at REALJenOliver.

Send us Fan Mail"Jonny Whitmore MBE — known to many as Shed — was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire and joined the Royal Corps of Signals, completing P Company early in his career. He deployed to Afghanistan with 22 Signal Regiment and 2 Signal Regiment, before returning to the UK to serve as aSection Commander at ATC Pirbright, training and leading recruits.He later completed the Special Communications Course and joined 299 Signal Squadron (Special Communications), providing global support to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Over a 21‑year career, he finished his service as Squadron Sergeant Major of the Queen's last squadron — the final group of service personnel to swear allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.Jonny was appointed a Member of the British Empire for services to British foreign policy while seconded as a diplomat to the FCDO, working at the intersection of defence, intelligence, and diplomacy.Medically discharged with CPTSD, he moved into trauma‑informed veteran advocacy. Jonny now serves as Veterans Ambassador for Emerald Clinic, championing safe, stigma‑free access to prescribed medicinal cannabis and pushing for more humane, evidence‑based support for veterans.He is also the founder of The Campfire Collective, a veteran‑led woodland initiative built around community, honesty, and reconnection after service. Jonny speaks openly about trauma, identity, and rebuilding a life with purpose — with a focus on truth, service, and helping veterans find their way home."Jonny's links:The UK's Best Value Medical Cannabis Clinic | Emerald MedicinalsFacebook (Campfire Collective)InstagramGuest links are shared as a courtesy to help listeners find the people, businesses, products, or services discussed in each episode. The podcast and host are not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by these third parties unless explicitly stated.If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please email us at info@vsompodcast.com, or follow us on social media: @veteranstateofmindSupport the show

Get In Touch & Support the ShowBecome a Beta Tester (Android): Email Martin at hello@calminganxiety.org. Please ensure you use a Gmail address. Support the GoFundMe Campaign: Celebrate Martin & Support the App Development (Donors receive lifetime premium access to the app!) This isn't a meditation session today, but a deeply personal milestone update and a massive, heartfelt thank you to this incredible community. After six years of the Calming Anxiety podcast, all of your thoughts, tips, and requests have culminated in a project Martin is proudest of: the brand-new Anchored app.Born out of a challenging few months where Martin has been dealing with severe vision loss—meaning no driving or motorbike riding—coding this app has been a labor of love, complete with large yellow text on a black background just so he could see the screen. There is bright light at the end of the tunnel, with NHS surgery booked for next month to restore his sight one eye at a time.The Android version of Anchored is officially ready for closed testing on Google Play, and we need your help to test it out for at least two weeks! It is completely free, with zero catch . iOS development officially begins today, with testing for Apple users opening up in about three to four weeks. The incredible GoFundMe campaign started by this community has already ensured a new Mac is on the way to power this next phase of coding. If you haven't had a chance to donate yet, the link is still live, and all donors will get lifetime access to the premium version of the app as a thank you. Thank you for your immense generosity, your kindness, and for being a part of this journey. Wherever you are listening from in the world today, stay positive, smile often, and remember...Be Kind.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/calming-anxiety-guided-meditation-sleep-hypnosis-panic-attack-relief--4110266/support.Ready for More Calm?Thank you for listening to the Calming Anxiety Podcast, featuring guided meditation, mindfulness, and sleep hypnosis sessions with Martin Hewlett. Our mission is to provide you with proven tools for anxiety relief, stress reduction, and a path toward deep relaxation. Use this episode anytime you need to calm your mind and feel more at ease.

This week on the podcast, we're diving into a concept you've probably seen everywhere lately: glimmers. Recently identified by trend forecasters as one of the defining wellbeing trends for 2026, glimmers - the opposite of triggers - are tiny moments that spark feelings of safety, joy, calm, or connection. At a time when wellness can often feel overwhelming, expensive, or performative, glimmers offer something beautifully simple: the ability to find nourishment in what's already around us. To explore this idea, we're joined by two women who have quite literally written the book on it — sisters Nadia Narain and Katia Narain Phillips, authors of Glimmers: Tiny Moments to Transform Your Life.Nadia and Katia have spent decades exploring healing, self-care, nervous system regulation, and emotional wellbeing.Together they are also the bestselling authors of Self-Care for the Real World and Rituals for Every Day.In this conversation, we discuss:What glimmers actually are and why they matterHow noticing small positive moments can support nervous system regulationThe science behind glimmers and brain rewiringWhy this practice resonates so deeply right nowThe connection between glimmers, trauma healing, and mental healthSimple ways to begin noticing glimmers in everyday lifePersonal glimmers Nadia and Katia have experienced recentlyAnd the self-care practices they turn to themselvesThis is a warm, grounding and hopeful conversation about finding beauty, safety and connection in the smallest moments and why those moments may be more powerful than we realise.Come see us hosting in the Menopause tent at the Everywoman Festival on June 13th https://www.everywomanfest.com/tickets-londonBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/self-care-club--6942824/support.Get in touch & come follow us on:Instagram Tiktok thttps://www.tiktok.com/@40ish.podcastJoin our private Facebook groupOrder our book hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/40ish-navigating-midlife-and-perimenopause--6942825/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rssStudio production by @launchpodstudiosMusic by purpleplanet.

In this insightful episode of the Collaboration Global Podcast, host sits down with to discuss resilience, mindset, mental wellbeing, and how business owners can navigate uncertainty without losing themselves in the process. Andrew shares powerful insights on business enjoyment, coaching, listening, emotional resilience, and why success should be measured by more than just money. Together, Jill and Andrew explore topics including entrepreneurship during difficult economic times, mental wellbeing for business owners, handling business setbacks, leadership, purpose-driven business, and the changing definition of success in today's world. This conversation is packed with wisdom for entrepreneurs, coaches, founders, business leaders, and anyone struggling with stress, burnout, or uncertainty in business.Topics Covered: Business enjoyment and purpose-driven entrepreneurship Mental wellbeing for entrepreneurs Leadership and resilience during difficult times Coaching, listening, and asking better questions How to stay positive when business feels uncertain Business mindset and personal growth Entrepreneurship after failure The future of business and human connection Why success is about more than money If you enjoy conversations around business growth, mindset, leadership, purpose, and collaboration, make sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes from the Collaboration Global Podcast. Join our guest meeting - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/collaboration-global-guest-session-online-tickets-192260726007 'Gill's Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gilltineycollaborationglobal/Andrew Miller's Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrmiller/

Gugs Mhlungu speaks with resident clinical psychologist Dr Khosi Jiyane, about the importance of greeting, and how something as simple as saying hello can foster a sense of community, respect, and recognition of others. The conversation also explores how, in some cultures, greetings are extended and meaningful exchanges in themselves, and encourages people to practice more intentional and frequent greetings in everyday life. Gugs Mhlungu gets you ready for the weekend each Saturday and Sunday morning on 702. She is your weekend wake-up companion, with all you need to know for your weekend. The topics Gugs covers range from lifestyle, family, health, and fitness to books, motoring, cooking, culture, and what is happening on the weekend in 702land. Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Weekend Breakfast with Gugs Mhlungu. Listen live on Primedia+ on Saturdays and Sundays from 06:00 and 10:00 (SA Time) to Weekend Breakfast with Gugs Mhlungu broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/u3Sf7Zy or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/BIXS7AL Subscribe to the 702 daily and weekly newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this final episode of the Mindful in May series, Heidi Hadley brings everything together.Over the past few weeks, you have explored how to: Release tension held within the body  Regulate your nervous system through breath and awareness  Create calm even when life feels uncertain Now, this week is about integration.Because real change does not come from doing more.It comes from embedding what you have learned into your daily life.

Sometimes the mind becomes crowded without us even realising it. Thoughts, plans, responsibilities, and expectations can begin to sit very close together until everything starts to feel a little tight. Today's Daily 2 Minutes is a gentle reminder that you do not need to push anything away. Simply allowing a little more space around your thoughts can sometimes be enough. Before we begin, I've opened a quiet space on Patreon with ad-free listening, Calm Sessions, sleep meditations, and a growing calm library for anxiety, overthinking, and rest. The podcast will always remain freely available.Mindease – Anxiety Pattern Reset ProgrammeIf anxiety, overthinking, racing thoughts, or sleep disruption have started taking over daily life, I also offer my structured MindEase Anxiety Pattern Reset Programme through Faversham Hypnotherapy. A 3-session approach designed to help interrupt the patterns that keep anxiety going, with calming recordings, practical tools, and support between sessions. Available in person in Faversham and online.www.favershamhypnotherapy.co.uk

Chance Litchfield sits in for Clive this week for a health-focused episode of Clive's Little Bit Extra!

ometimes we place pressure on ourselves to have everything figured out — to make decisions, find answers, or complete every unfinished thought in our minds. Today's Daily 2 Minutes is a gentle reminder that not everything needs resolving right now. Allow a little space around uncertainty, soften the pressure to have all the answers, and simply be where you are. Before we begin, I've opened a quiet space on Patreon with ad-free listening, Calm Sessions, sleep meditations, and a growing calm library for anxiety, overthinking, and rest. The podcast will always remain freely available.

Guest: Liezel Van Der Westhuizen | Presenter at Talk Radio 702 / 567 Cape Talk and KFM Could walking be the most achievable and underrated way to improve your fitness, mental wellbeing, and confidence? If the gym feels overwhelming, running feels intimidating, or you simply do not know where to begin, this practical beginner guide to walking for fitness offers a realistic and sustainable starting point.Fitness presenter, wellness correspondent, and burnout & mental fitness coach Liezel van der Westhuizen joins us to explain how to train for a walk when starting from zero, using simple strategies that actually work in everyday life. Discover the 4 week beginner walking formula, why you do not need to run, suffer through punishing workouts, or invest in expensive fitness gear, and how small, consistent steps can build long-term health and confidence. Plus, with the 702 Jozi My Jozi Walk the Talk taking place on Sunday, 26 July 2026, there has never been a better time to start. Featuring 5km, 8km, and 15km walking routes through Johannesburg’s iconic inner city, this inspiring event welcomes everyone, from complete beginners to experienced walkers, offering the perfect motivation to start moving and experience the city in a whole new way. Early Breakfast with Africa Melane is 702’s and CapeTalk’s early morning talk show. Experienced broadcaster Africa Melane brings you the early morning news, sports, business, and interviews politicians and analysts to help make sense of the world. He also enjoys chatting to guests in the lifestyle sphere and the Arts. All the interviews are podcasted for you to catch-up and listen.Thank you for listening to this podcast from Early Breakfast with Africa Melane For more about the show click https://buff.ly/XHry7eQ and find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/XJ10LBUListen live on weekdays between 04:00 and 06:00 (SA Time) to the Early Breakfast with Africa Melane broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj and CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3NSubscribe to the 702 and CapeTalk daily and weekly newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetcFollow us on social media:702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalkCapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalkCapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalkCapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we move through the day feeling as though we need to hold everything together — responsibilities, thoughts, emotions, and expectations. Over time that can become exhausting. Today's Daily 2 Minutes is a gentle reminder that you do not need to carry everything at once. Take a short pause, soften around what you've been holding, and allow a little more space to return. Before we begin, I've opened a quiet space on Patreon with ad-free listening, Calm Sessions, sleep meditations, and a growing calm library for anxiety, overthinking, and rest. The podcast will always remain freely available.If anxiety, overthinking or poor sleep has become a regular pattern for you, I also offer one-to-one hypnotherapy through Faversham Hypnotherapy. My MindEase Anxiety Pattern Reset Programme is a calm, structured 3-session approach designed to help you settle the system, interrupt anxious loops and feel more steady again. Sessions are available in Faversham and online. Free consultation:www.favershamhypnotherapy.co.uk

In this episode of Everything Is Personal, Host Len May speaks with Kayse Gehret about healing, personal growth, emotional wellbeing, and the growing interest in mind-body wellness practices. The conversation explores grief, intuition, emotional awareness, and how people are searching for more personalised approaches to wellbeing and self-discovery. They also discuss mindfulness, creativity, nervous system regulation, personal transformation, and the importance of community, support, and intentional healing practices. EndoDNA: Where Genetic Science Meets Actionable Patient Care EndoDNA bridges the gap between complex genomics and patient wellness. Our patented DNA analysis platforms and AI technology provide genetic insights that support and enhance your clinical expertise. Click here to check out to take control over your Personal Health & Wellness   Connect with EndoDNA on SOCIAL: IG | X | YOUTUBE | FB Connect with host, Len May, on IG     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode of Unlocking Vulnerability, Helen is joined by Patrick Foley, Managing Director of Sonar Financial Services, to explore the hidden vulnerabilities faced by professional footballers and other high-earning clients.Patrick shares how sudden wealth, public pressure, limited life experience and intense performance expectations can create unique challenges for young players navigating financial decisions and life in the spotlight.    The conversation explores the importance of holistic, human-centred financial support — from helping clients build healthy financial habits and understand complex information, to recognising signs of emotional distress and providing support during injuries, career transitions and personal challenges.Patrick also reflects on the role of trust, empathy and long-term planning in helping clients create security beyond their sporting careers, highlighting why vulnerability is about far more than financial hardship alone.Why not join our free monthly Q&As and keep the conversation going - https://www.helenpettifer.com/category/events/live-q-and-a/ Follow me for more episodes, resources and vulnerability insights - Email: helen@helenpettifer.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-pettifer-unlocking-vulnerability/  Website: https://www.helenpettifer.com/  

Professor Andrew Bailey emphasises that leisure is not simply time off or entertainment, it is an important contributor to mental, emotional and social health. In this edition we'll hear that: Meaningful leisure activities help people recover from stress and improve overall wellbeing Leisure is most beneficial when it involves connection, purpose, creativity, physical activity, or time in nature Modern life often treats leisure as unproductive, but healthy recreation is essential for resilience and quality of life Outdoor experiences and shared activities can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and strengthen community connection Professor Bailey is from the Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Everything Is Personal, Len May sits down with Morgan DeNicola for a powerful conversation about empathy, communication, emotional intelligence, and the growing need for authentic human connection in a rapidly changing world. Drawing from her global experiences and humanitarian work, Morgan shares how meaningful conversations can bridge cultural divides, strengthen communities, and create lasting personal and social impact. The discussion explores leadership, emotional resilience, mental wellbeing, philanthropy, and why truly listening to others may be one of the most important skills we can develop today. Len and Morgan also dive into the challenges of modern communication, the importance of perspective, and how small moments of connection can influence both personal growth and collective change. This episode is a reminder that behind every belief, struggle, and success story is a human being who wants to feel heard, understood, and valued. They also talk about humanitarian work, community impact, personal growth, emotional resilience, and why human connection remains essential in both local and global communities. EndoDNA: Where Genetic Science Meets Actionable Patient Care EndoDNA bridges the gap between complex genomics and patient wellness. Our patented DNA analysis platforms and AI technology provide genetic insights that support and enhance your clinical expertise. Click here to check out to take control over your Personal Health & Wellness   Connect with EndoDNA on SOCIAL: IG | X | YOUTUBE | FB Connect with host, Len May, on IG     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this third episode of the Mindful in May series, Heidi Hadley explores one of the most important skills you can develop in today's world:The ability to create calm, even when life feels chaotic.So often, we wait for life to settle before we allow ourselves to feel calm.But the truth is: Life may not always feel predictable  External uncertainty may continue  Challenges will come and go Yet,Your internal state is something you can influence.Your nervous system can be supported.Your body can learn how to return to a place of steadiness.In this episode, Heidi guides you through a simple yet powerful shift:Calm is not something you wait for. It is something you practise.

In this second episode of the Mindful in May series, Heidi Hadley takes you deeper into one of the most essential yet often overlooked aspects of wellbeing:Nervous system regulation.When life feels overwhelming, when your thoughts are racing, or when your body feels unsettled, you are not simply dealing with stress.You are experiencing a dysregulated nervous system.And the solution is not to think your way out of it.The solution is to regulate your way through it.In this episode, Heidi introduces a simple yet highly effective approach using: Breath awareness  Gentle eye movements  Slow, controlled pacing These tools work directly with your nervous system to help shift you out of a heightened stress response and into a state of: Calm  Clarity  Emotional balance  Physiological regulation 

Right then… what is it that makes tradespeople always step up when someone needs help?

In today's episode, Gina covers an important topic: the help and relief that can be provided through deliberately avoiding anticipating problems, difficulties and catastrophes with out thoughts. The nature of how fixating on worst-case scenarios fails to enhance our safety and intensifies our anxiety and discomfort is discussed. Techniques to help you stop focusing on the inevitability of negative outcomes is included. Add these strategies to your anxiety-relief toolkit today!Stillpoint Fridays is my once-a-week Friday note — a slower, more personal reflection that's different from what I share on the podcast. If you'd like a quiet place to land as the week winds down, you can join here: http://eepurl.com/bR2F9P or on our website anxietycoachespodcast.com and sign up for the newsletter. Please visit our Sponsor Page to find all the links and codes for our awesome sponsors! https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com/sponsors/ Website https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.comJoin our community Group Coaching Join our Group Coaching Full or Mini Membership Program1:1 Coaching Learn more about our One-on-One CoachingIf you prefer to listen AD-FREE, try our Supercast premium access membership: Learn more about anxiety What is anxiety? Free Guided Meditation for Calming Your Anxious Mind 10-Minute Body-Scan Meditation for AnxietyQuote:I've had a great many troubles in my life, most of which never happened.-Mark TwainSummaryIn this episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, we delve into the pervasive habit of mental rehearsal that many anxious individuals engage in, often unconsciously. I share insights on how we tend to fixate on potential troubles—running through endless scenarios in our minds of what could go wrong. A significant focus of our discussion centers around the pitfalls of this "rehearsing trouble" practice, which can include anticipating rejection, imagining illnesses, and preparing for losses that may never occur. This mental activity not only stirs up unnecessary distress but also physically manifests in our bodies, leading to symptoms of anxiety and panic, all triggered by thoughts of events that haven't taken place.I emphasize the need to recognize that this script of catastrophic thinking doesn't serve our well-being. Instead, it often exacerbates feelings of unease and panic over situations that remain purely theoretical in our minds. The brain, in its protective nature, believes that rehearsing these painful scenarios will keep us safe, but I challenge this notion, questioning whether this form of preparation genuinely benefits us or simply weighs us down with borrowed suffering.Throughout our conversation, I share the metaphor of "mental rehearsal of catastrophe," shedding light on how this habit can lead to what I call "nervous system fatigue." The toll it takes on our energy and peace of mind is a significant concern. I reflect on how often we miss out on the present moment in our attempts to prepare for every possible outcome—a loss that may be even more painful than any future hardship itself. While anxiety can make us feel hyper-vigilant, I encourage listeners to find a way to detach from that excessive vigilance that proves exhausting and intrusive.#AnxietyRecovery, #MentalHealth, #Mindfulness, #GinaRyan, #AnxietyCoachesPodcast, #BorrowedSuffering, #Presence, #Resilience, #SelfCare, #MentalWellbeing, #Catastrophizing, #InnerPeace, #OvercomingAnxiety, #NervousSystemHealing, #Grounding, #StressManagement, #EmotionalWellness, #LivingInTheNow, #PositivePsychology, #SelfTrust, #WorryPostponement, #MentalRehearsal, #AnticipatoryAnxiety, #EmotionalRegulation, #MindBodyConnection, #Vagus nerve, #CalmConscious, #StopWorrying, #PanicAttackRecovery, #InnerCalm, #AnxiousMind, #SelfCompassion, #HolisticHealing, #NervousSystemRegulation, #PeaceOfMind, #MentalClarity, #CopingSkills, #PersonalGrowth, #WellnessJourney, #HealingJourney, #MindfulLiving, #OvercomingFear, #PsychologyTips, #CognitiveReframing, #MentalStrength, #InnerStrength, #Tranquility, #HealthAnxiety, #SocialAnxiety, #SelfSoothing #ACPSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

"Men experience a lot of things women do. We just hide it better because of the influence of conditioning when we're younger.  That's a gift and a curse.   To shape a better world, the quest is  about men and women respecting each of our differences and working together.  When you've got two people who respect each other, you bring the best out of each other- men and women together.  Rewired for Men  helps men rewire limited beliefs and unlock their true potential. With deep expertise and a touch of humour, Joel White creates spaces where men can reclaim control.   They can rediscover purpose and best of all they can thrive.  "If anything, it's a very clear passion of mine to make a difference to people's lives - empowering men  to do that so they can then do the same for others. That's very much at the forefront of rewire for men and why I do what I do" says Joel White.  

Calming Anxiety: Setting Down the Past   In this episode, Martin explores the concept of time as a river, teaching us how to observe our past without being swept away by it. Whether you are carrying old memories, missed conversations, or difficult decisions, today we learn to view our history not as a weight, but as the wisdom that shaped our journey. Episode Time Chapters00:00 – The courage to leave things behind 01:03 – Coming home to the body: Breathing exercise 02:45 – The River Visualization: Observing the past 05:03 – Letters of Light: Affirmations for freedom 07:58 – The 3 Daily Caring Tips09:24 – Closing thoughts and kindnessAffirmations for ReleasingBreathe these in and allow them to land softly in your body:I release the grip of the past and I choose the freedom of this moment. Every year I have lived has given me something I could not have learned any other way. I am not behind; I am exactly where my journey has brought me and I am ready. I forgive myself for the things that I did not know that I understand now.I carry my history with me, not as a weight, but as a wisdom.The 3 Daily Caring TipsThe Small Ceremony: Write down one thing you are choosing to release today. Draw a line through it to stop it from running in the background of your mind.Gift of Knowledge: Spend five minutes reflecting on yourself from ten years ago. What would you tell them? That wisdom is a hard-won gift.Active Becoming: Remember that at any age, you are still becoming. One small act of courage is all it takes to keep moving with the river.Support & ConnectIf this session helped you find your calm, please subscribe and explore the back catalog of over 2,000 free guided meditations.Share the Calm: If you know a friend, family member, or colleague who needs to hear this today, please share this episode on your social feed.Watch on YouTube: For a POV discussion of today's theme, head over to my other channel: @exhalewithmartin.Always remember, in all you do, be kind.

These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at Overalls What if your employees had one central hub to handle real life? Meet Overalls. A smarter way to support your team, combining expert human LifeConcierges™ with AI to solve everyday challenges across healthcare, caregiving, benefits, insurance, finances, life admin, and more. From start to finish, Overalls handles the details — using existing benefits where they fit, and filling in the gaps where they don't. So employees save time, reduce stress, and stay focused at work, while employers boost engagement and get more value from their benefits. Overalls is redefining how work supports life, helping employee teams from Reddit, Patreon, BeatBox, and more cross pesky to-dos off their lists every day. Learn more at https://getoveralls.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=pozcast Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com About:  Kyle Forrest is the Future of HR Leader for Deloitte Consulting LLP. The Future of HR team advises, implements, and helps business and HR leaders drive business and workforce outcomes through Deloitte's knowledge and practical understanding of HR operating models, processes, AI and automation capabilities, HR technology and vendor partner strategies, and evolving HR skills and capabilities. Forrest also serves as the dean of Deloitte's Next Generation CHRO Academy, bringing together senior HR leaders aspiring for the CHRO role to advance their careers. Takeaways:  1. The AI Conversation Has Moved On — and That's a Good Thing A year ago, every conference session was about AI features. In 2026, the more important question has taken center stage: what should humans be doing? Organizations that are answering that question well are investing in the uniquely human capabilities — creativity, presence, novel thinking, relationship-building — that AI cannot replicate. 2. No Generation Is Primarily Motivated by Pay Alone Deloitte's research across all four workforce generations is consistent: salary is table stakes, not a differentiator. Purpose, mental wellbeing, financial wellness, and a sense that the company cares about the whole person are what actually move the needle on attraction and retention. 3. Mental Wellbeing Benefits Are Now a Business Outcome, Not a Perk The link between employee stress and productivity is well-documented. Organizations that invest in mental health benefits aren't just being compassionate — they're protecting output, engagement, and retention. Gen Z's comfort with this dialogue has accelerated adoption across the board. 4. The Sandwich Generation Is the Next Big Benefits Frontier A growing number of employees are simultaneously raising children and caring for aging parents. This dual caregiving burden creates stress, distraction, and leave risk that compounds over time. Benefits that help employees navigate elder care — not just time off, but actual guidance and support — are going to become a significant differentiator in the next few years. 5. Women's Health Benefits Have an Underserved Second Chapter The fertility benefits conversation has expanded — but Kyle points to a significant gap: supporting mothers through recovery, healing, and the early transition to parenthood after birth. There is growing investment in this space, and the companies that get ahead of it will have a meaningful advantage. 6. How a Company Handles Pregnancy Loss Is Now Part of Its Employer Brand Word travels fast — especially on social media. How an organization supports an employee through the loss of a pregnancy or a failed IVF cycle is the kind of story that gets shared widely. It's become a visible signal of company culture and values that candidates and current employees pay attention to. 7. Benefits ROI Lives in Attrition and Time-to-Hire Data Kyle's framework for building the business case: calculate the cost of slow hiring and high attrition, then show how the right benefits mix moves those numbers. Unfilled roles have a direct revenue impact — and retaining the right people means not missing out on sales, delivery, or growth. 8. Performance Psychology Coaching Is the Most Interesting New Benefits Category Drawing on decades of research in elite sports, performance psychology coaching helps employees handle high-pressure moments, navigate stress, and show up at their best — consistently. It's distinct from traditional mental health services and addresses a different, underserved need in the workforce. 9. Asynchronous Interviewing Is Democratizing the Candidate Pipeline Tools that let candidates complete interviews and skills assessments on their own time — at 5:30 AM before work or after putting the kids to bed — are surfacing qualified candidates who would have otherwise been filtered out by scheduling friction. Companies using these tools are finding people they would have missed. 10. Modern HR's Job Is Strategy, Not Inquiry The more benefits navigation and routine HR questions can be handled through technology and concierge services, the more HR professionals can focus on what actually moves the business: partnering with leaders to personalize benefits for their specific workforce mix, build better teams, and make smarter people decisions. CHAPTERS:  00:00 – Welcome Back, Kyle Adam welcomes Kyle Forrest back for his third appearance and sets up what's different about Transform 2026 compared to previous years. 02:00 – The Shift: From AI Features to Human Value Kyle's big observation from the conference circuit: last year was about AI products; this year is about what work should remain human — and why that's the more important conversation. 04:30 – What AI Still Can't Do The uniquely human capabilities that no model can replace: being present in the room, generating novel ideas, building real relationships, and innovating in ways that go beyond the existing body of human knowledge. 07:00 – Four Generations, One Workforce, Zero Agreement on Pay Deloitte's generational research shows that across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers, salary alone is not the primary motivator — and what that means for how companies structure total comp. 09:30 – Mental Wellbeing as a Business Outcome How Gen Z's comfort with mental health dialogue has pushed organizations to take wellness benefits more seriously — and the research linking stress reduction directly to productivity and engagement. 12:00 – The Sandwich Generation Problem A growing segment of the workforce is simultaneously caring for kids and aging parents. Kyle makes the case for why navigation benefits for elder care aren't just nice to have — they're becoming critical. 15:00 – Benefits That Remove Burden from HR How smart benefits design reduces the volume of questions HR has to field — freeing people professionals to spend time with business leaders on strategic workforce decisions instead. 17:30 – The Modern Role of HR Kyle's take on how the HR profession has evolved over nearly 100 years — and where it needs to go next: less inquiry-answering, more personalized workforce strategy in partnership with business leaders. 20:00 – Fertility Benefits and the Overlooked Healing Journey The growing investment in women's health benefits — and the often-missed opportunity to support mothers not just through the fertility journey, but through recovery, healing, and the transition to parenthood. 23:00 – Supporting Loss in the Workplace A candid moment: how companies show up for employees who experience pregnancy loss or failed IVF is becoming a visible differentiator — and word spreads fast, in both directions. 25:30 – The ROI Case for Benefits Investment Kyle's framework for justifying benefits spend: tie it to time-to-hire, attrition rates, and the measurable revenue impact of unfilled roles and disengaged employees. 28:00 – Performance Psychology Coaching One of the most interesting emerging benefits: coaching that applies lessons from elite sports psychology to help employees navigate stress, pressure, and high-stakes moments at work. 30:30 – TA Tech Innovation: Interviewing on Your Time The candidate experience innovation Kyle is most excited about: asynchronous interview and skills assessment tools that let candidates go through the process at 5:30 AM or after bedtime — and the pipeline results companies are seeing. 33:00 – Where to Find Kyle & Deloitte's Research Kyle points listeners to Deloitte's Insights to Action platform and his LinkedIn for the latest research and workforce intelligence.

This is us with the fireworks, the big scissors cutting the ribbon and even a dramatic spray of champagne. This is us kicking off a big new series on mental wellbeing.We have listened, we've been busy and here we are with the topic that we know you want from us. Let's look to God together as we learn how he does mental wellbeing from the Psalms. This generation of children are waiting for us to bring God's care to their distress and fears. We went to get you ready for that journey.Ed walks us through the tears at bed time while Amy goes off-road, showing us how to do godly mental wellbeing on her mountain bike. Let's release the

In this episode: meeting yourself where you are, mindful check-in, breath awareness, letting go, non-judgmental observationEpisode SummaryIn this guided meditation from the Mindful Fire Legends community meeting, Adam Coelho leads a practice of radical self-acceptance - checking in with body and mind exactly as they are, without trying to change anything. Listeners are guided through breath awareness and gentle redirection of a wandering mind.About the HostAdam Coelho is the host of the Mindful FIRE Podcast and founder of the Mindful Fire Legends - a weekly community gathering for people on the path to financial independence. He leads guided meditations and conversations to support mindful, intentional living.Resources & Books Mentionedmindfulfire.org/join - Join the Mindful Fire Legends community (meets every Wednesday)Key TakeawaysMeeting yourself where you are means observing your body and mind with curiosity - acknowledging "right now, it's like this" without trying to fix or change anything.The breath is a reliable anchor: each in-breath is a new beginning, each out-breath a chance to let go.When the mind wanders, the practice is simply to notice and return — no criticism, just gentle redirection back to the present moment.A brief check-in at the start and end of practice builds self-awareness and helps you notice subtle shifts in body and mind.Join the Mindful FIRE Legends community at MindfulFIRE.org/join.PS: Introducing the…

What if AI could think more like a human - and what would that mean for education, teams, and leadership?In this episode, Ben and Steve sit down with Kathryn Jablokow, Dean of Engineering at Manhattan University, to explore one of the most fascinating ideas in AI right now: cognitive diversity. With 34 years in engineering education and groundbreaking research into how AI agents can mimic different thinking styles, Kathryn brings a perspective you won't hear anywhere else.We cover:- Why AI struggles to find what you actually want- Adaption-Innovation Theory and what it means for AI development- Using AI as a genuine team member not just a productivity tool- What engineering education needs to look like post-ChatGPT- Why understanding how your team thinks is the real unlock for AI- The problem with how schools teach teamwork (and why exams are part of the problem)Whether you're a school leader, educator, or just someone trying to make sense of where AI is heading - this one's for you.Chapters00:00 Introductions01:21 Kathryn Jablokow's Journey in Engineering Education06:38 Transforming Engineering Education at Manhattan University13:04 AI's Role in Education and Engineering20:06 Integrating AI as a Team Member24:09 The Future of AI in Education30:42 Navigating Disagreement in AI Development32:15 The Human Element in AI Interaction34:11 Cultural Perspectives on AI and Robotics36:33 Data Privacy and Environmental Concerns38:32 Job Displacement and Creation in the Age of AI43:28 Preparing Future Generations for an Evolving Job Market47:26 Mental Well-Being and Critical Thinking in EducationCheck out all about Edufuturists

What if the best way to handle a mental health crisis is something you start practicing long before the crisis ever arrives?In this series, I select my favourite and most insightful moments from previous episodes of the podcast.Today, my guest Dr Cristina Leira talks about how to build personal spiritual practices that support your mental health before a crisis hits.Press play to learn how to create an emotional resilience toolkit that helps you navigate stress, anxiety, and dark moments with greater calm.˚VALUABLE RESOURCES:Listen to the full conversation with Cristina Leira in episode #350:https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/350˚Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor˚

Mental health neglect emerges as the most impactful career mistake, affecting happiness, security, and stability in both personal and professional realms. Many people recognise mental health issues too late, silently carrying burdens that significantly impact their relationships and performance.Authentic Alex shares her story.• Tendency to ignore mental health concerns until they become impossible to dismiss• Personal anecdote about a friend struggling silently despite having a busy career• Started writing about therapy experiences seven years ago, and grief on LinkedIn five years ago• Corporate conversations about mental health have transformed dramatically in recent years• Current global circumstances continue to place extraordinary pressure on people's mental health• Many remain unaware of the burdens they're carrying and that they have the option to set them down• COVID-19 intensified universal experiences of grief and mental health challengesIs your strategy still right in 2026? Book a free 15-min no obligation discovery call with our host:

As Hancock County Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) undergoes a transition of leadership, the organization is realigning its entire structure at the same time... A closer look at what that restructuring will look like and why it's important (at 14:09) --- Last month, the FCC imposed a ban on the sale of foreign-made internet routers in the US... Something that Representative Bob Latta has been trying to do legislatively for years (at 24:34) --- Around Town: Cancer Patient Services is celebrating its 80th anniversary of offering compassion and support to those in the community who are in the fight (at 46:09)

In this deeply moving solo "Podsnack" episode of Authentic Talks 2.0, Shanta invites you into a powerful and honest conversation about what it truly means to reconnect with your authentic self—especially in a world that feels heavy, uncertain, and overwhelming.This episode, The Powerful Self, is not about hustle, pushing through, or pretending everything is okay. Instead, it's a gentle yet grounding reminder that who you are goes far beyond your pain, your past, or the circumstances surrounding you. Shanta explores the idea that while life's challenges shape your story, they do not define your identity. Through raw reflection and heartfelt encouragement, you'll be guided to look beneath the noise, the fear, and the labels, and reconnect with the unbroken version of yourself that has always been there.This episode dives into resilience, purpose, human connection, and the quiet strength of simply continuing to show up—even when you're barely holding on. Shanta also shares practical tools and intentional practices to help you stay grounded, including journaling, self-care rituals, and mindful creativity. You'll walk away with a simple yet powerful exercise designed to help you rediscover who you are at your core. If you've been feeling lost, overwhelmed, or questioning your place in the world, this episode is your reminder: you matter, your presence is powerful, and your story is still unfolding.✨ You are not alone.✨ You are still here for a reason.✨ You are the powerful self. Tune in, take a breath, and begin the journey back to you.Zen In The Forest: https://a.co/d/04qKxt8eHealing My Inner Child Journal: https://a.co/d/0gZnQhM8Host:Instagram: @AuthenticTalks2.0 Email: AuthenticShanta@gmail.com Website: www.AuthenticTalks2.com Facebook: AuthenticTalks2Youtube: @authentictalkswithshanta7489 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/authentic-talks-2-0-with-shanta--4116672/support.

I had the pleasure of talking with Sally Gunnell about her journey from being an elite athlete to navigating life after retirement. Sally is still the only woman to hold the World, Olympic, European, and Commonwealth Gold Medals at the same time, a phenomenal acheievement.We discussed the importance of mindset, body image, motherhood, and the challenges women face in maintaining health and fitness. Sally shares her insights on how to inspire women to embrace their bodies, the significance of mental wellbeing, and lots of practical advice for staying active. What I love about Sally's approach is how simple it is, just starting with small daily changes can make a huge difference to how you feel."Starting simple is key to maintaining fitness" If you'd like to find how you could Improve your health and fitness with Sally visit www.lifehurdle.comChapters02:15 Mindset and Transition from Athletics06:50 Body Image and Motherhood10:14 Inspiring Women and Health14:22 Practical Fitness Advice19:34 Mental Wellbeing and Exercise21:25 Sleep and Its Importance23:34 Holistic Approach to Health24:58 Redefining Success28:10 Future Goals and Community Building@sallygunnellbody confidence ,athletics, mindset, body image, motherhood, women's health, fitness advice, mental wellbeing, sleep, holistic health, community supportDon't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share with a friend. Your support means these conversations will reach even more women who need to hear them.Keep being fabulousRachel  

Check out host Bidemi Ologunde's new show: The Work Ethic Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.Email: bidemiologunde@gmail.comIn this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde sits down with Chris Rhyss Edwards, a writer, doctoral researcher, former Australian Army combat engineer, and the founder of FOLQ.ai to explore why so many people are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support before they ever speak to another human. Drawing from lived experience with PTSD and his research into conversational AI and mental wellbeing, Chris examines a difficult but timely question: what does it say about our world when people feel safer talking to machines than to each other? Together, they unpack silence, stigma, loneliness, trust, and the rise of AI as a "first listener." Is this a breakthrough in access and support, or a warning sign about the systems and relationships failing us? And how can AI help without replacing the human connection people still need most?Sponsors and partners:Promeed: 100% mulberry silk pillowcases and bedding that feel incredibly soft, stay breathable, and are naturally gentle on hair and skin.SurviveX: professional-grade FSA/HSA eligible first aid and preparedness kits designed in Virginia, USA and produced in an FDA-registered facility.Alison US CA: Alison is the world's largest free online learning and skills-training platform, helping more than 50 million learners in 193+ countries build career-ready skills with 6,000+ free courses, certificates, and diplomas.eSign (iOS only): eSign is a clean, privacy-first document-signing app that works entirely on your device, letting you sign PDFs, DOCX files, images, and scans, edit and assemble pages, and export crisp 300 DPI PDFs in seconds, without accounts, cloud uploads, or compromising sensitive documents.Support the show

Learn dementia prevention tips including diet, sleep, glucose control, healthy fats, and the value of mindful eating, meditation, and social connection. #DementiaPrevention #BrainHealth #MindfulEating #HealthTalks

What does your sleep quality say for you? Text me at 972-426-2640 so we can stay connected! Support me on Patreon! Twitter:  @elliottspeaks Instagram: @elliottspeaks Text me at 972-426-2640 so we can stay connected!Support me on Patreon!Twitter: @elliottspeaksInstagram: @elliottspeaks

If you want to know how to think on your feet, you need to understand something most advice on this topic gets wrong: Thinking on your feet is not a talent. It's a trained response. And the training required goes far deeper than memorizing a few “power phrases” or practicing small talk at networking events. Real mental agility, by which I mean the kind that serves you in a boardroom, on a stage, in a heated conversation, and even in physical danger, is something you earn. And to earn it requires systematic preparation across multiple domains. I know this because I've spent decades training for exactly these moments. As a university professor, I've lectured in multiple languages to rooms of students who didn't always want to be there. And to get my PhD, I had to sit for a dissertation defense in a room where some of the examiners delighted in throwing hardball questions. As a performing musician, I've improvised solos on stages where the set list changed mid-show. While performing card magic, I've recovered from botched tricks in front of audiences who were actively trying to catch me out. And as a martial arts practitioner, I've used my training to escape three real-world physical confrontations without throwing a single punch. Then there was my TEDx Talk where I had to make real time adjustments when the audience failed to even smile at my scripted laugh lines, but chuckled substantially during parts I had not planned to be funny. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqtDy68-gkY How to Think on Your Feet: The Complete Training System for Mental Agility Under Pressure What I've learned across all of these experiences is that every domain of “thinking on your feet” shares one foundational requirement. It's not intelligence. It's not quick wit. It's often not even confidence. Rather, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that thinking quickly and responding in the best possible way comes down to the systematic reduction of ego. That might sound philosophical, but it's intensely practical. And it will become the thread that connects everything in this guide. From how to recall information instantly in a conversation to how to physically escape a threatening situation without freezing. Here's what we'll cover today: Part 1: Why “Thinking on Your Feet” Is a Trained Skill, Not a Personality Trait Part 2: The Ego Problem (Why Your Self-Image Is Your Biggest Obstacle) Part 3: Mental Recall Under Pressure (How to Access What You Know When It Matters) Part 4: Verbal Agility (How to Sound Smart, Pivot, and Recover in Conversation) Part 5: Performance Under Pressure (Lessons from Music, Magic, and the Stage) Part 6: Physical Composure (How to React When Your Safety Is at Stake) Part 7: Daily Training Exercises for Mental Agility Part 8: Loading Your Mind (Why What You Memorize Determines How Well You Think) Part 9: The Paradox of Mental Silence Let’s dive in with why most people struggle with the skill of spontaneously responding in optimal ways in the first place. Why “Thinking On Your Feet” Is a Trained Skill, Not a Personality Trait As Freud pointed out, civilization is not our natural state. In Das Unbehagen in der Kultur, which is usually translated as Civilization and Its Discontents, he argues that much of our inner tension comes from how our social training represses our instincts. “Discontents” is not really a great translation for the title of this book. “Unbehagen” means something more like “unease” or “discomfort.” And since languages and skills are something we learn, we literally have to undergo a process of discomfort to learn most things. That's not a political statement. It's a neurological one. Your brain's implicit memory system, the part that handles automatic behaviors, gut reactions, and how you repeat social patterns on autopilot, was shaped by millennia of environments that looked nothing like a conference room or a dinner party. It was shaped by physical survival, tribal dynamics, and the need to read danger before it arrives. This means that when you're put on the spot in a modern context, your brain defaults to patterns it learned through observation, not through deliberate training. And those patterns were modelled on the people around you growing up. Especially in contexts like: Being asked a question you weren't expecting Getting challenged during a meeting Having someone force you to improvise a presentation at school or work In such situations, you might find yourself freezing under pressure and not realizing that you’re actually repeating how you saw a parent go cold when you were young. Or you might find yourself getting defensive in arguments the way a sibling did, or going blank during presentations based on someone else’s blip you observed. When you repeat this behavior yourself, it’s not a character flaw. That's implicit memory doing exactly what it was designed to do: replicate observed behavior. And if you’re reading this and don’t have problems thinking on your feet, chances are that you were a lucky observer of someone who could when you were young. Combatting Implicit Memory’s Hold with Reconsolidation The problem is that your default patterns are not optimized for the situations modern life throws at you. They're survival patterns, not performance patterns. Since you’ve learned to react like those you’ve observed instead of how you’d prefer to act as a fully realized being in this world, what can you do? Fortunately, quite a bit. Neuroscientists call the mechanism behind how you can shift the hold of implicit memory on your behavior memory reconsolidation. Here’s how memory reconsolidation works in brief: Every time you recall a memory, it temporarily destabilizes. Researchers call this destabilization a “labile state.” And while the memory is transitioning, the memory can be modified before your brain stores it again. This includes modifying behavioral patterns, not just facts. So when you clam up after being put on the spot and then reflect on what happened, that freezing response is briefly open to revision. This process was first demonstrated in landmark research by Karim Nader and Joseph LeDoux at NYU, which you can read about in Memory Reconsolidation. As part of their investigation, Nader and LeDoux demonstrated that even deeply encoded fear memories could be altered during reconsolidation. Unlocking Transformation Bruce Ecker and colleagues later applied this principle therapeutically. I recommend their discussion in Unlocking the Emotional Brain: Memory Reconsolidation and the Psychotherapy of Transformational Change. As you’ll read, they discovered how long-held emotional patterns can be rewritten. Not through willpower, but through a specific process of activating the old pattern, introducing a contradictory experience, and allowing the brain to re-encode. Monica Khosla explores a parallel idea in The First and Last Belief. This fascinating book is written by someone who experiences non-dual states similar to those I shared in The Victorious Mind: How to Master Memory, Meditation and Mental Well-Being. Khosla discusses how our earliest family-formed beliefs become the templates for how we respond under pressure as adults. Her work in family therapy suggests that these templates aren’t permanent fixtures. Rather, they’re “reconsolidatable,” provided you understand how they were formed and deliberately create new experiences that contradict them. This is precisely what the training in the guide you’re reading now is designed to do. Every exercise, every practice, every discipline I’ll share works by activating your default pattern (the freeze, the defensive reaction, the blank stare) and replacing it with a trained alternative in the moment it’s most labile. The Catch But there’s a catch. There’s always a catch, isn’t there? The pattern that most resists reconsolidation is your self-image. It’s also your self-image that most aggressively defends itself against change. People literally argue for hours with therapists that they cannot change. I know because I made this argument myself for years in front of my own therapists. This is precisely why thinking on your feet requires training. You cannot simply decide to be quicker, calmer, or more articulate under pressure. You have to deliberately replace your default patterns with trained responses. And use deliberate practice to ensure those responses become the new default. The training looks different depending on the context: In conversation and debate, it means learning frameworks for organizing thoughts rapidly and practicing with real people. In professional settings, it means memorizing key information so thoroughly that recall becomes effortless, freeing your mind to think rather than search. On stage or in front of an audience, it means thousands of hours of performance practice that builds a reservoir of recoveries and pivots you can draw on automatically. In physical danger, it means martial arts or self-defense training that bypasses conscious thought entirely and produces trained physical reactions. Each of these contexts has its own training methods. But they all share the same underlying principle: the trained response must be so deeply encoded that it fires before your conscious mind has time to interfere. The single biggest source of that interference? Your ego. But never fear. As big of a problem as the ego can be, you’re going to learn how to solve and resolve it. Part 2: The Ego Problem (Why Your Self-Image Is Your Biggest Obstacle) Here's the uncomfortable truth that almost no “how to think on your feet” article will tell you: The reason most people freeze, fumble, or fail under pressure is not that they lack information or intelligence. It's that they're managing their self-image at the same time as they're trying to perform. They experience serious cognitive drain as a result. Why? Well, when you're in a meeting and someone asks you a question you don't know the answer to, your mind doesn't just process the question. If your ego is not well-managed, your mind simultaneously processes: “What will they think of me if I don't know? Will I look incompetent? How do I maintain my status?” That parallel processing consumes the very cognitive resources you need for actual thinking. The Additional Cognitive Drain of Fantasizing Your Own Wit The psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan made an observation that I've found profoundly useful in this context. He once pointed out that our fantasies are almost always better than the reality. For example, when we fantasize about being the quick-witted person everyone admires, we're constructing an idealized self-image that the real moment can never live up to. At least not all the time. You’ve probably heard the phrase “the gods have clay feet.” Well, spend enough time with accomplished performers, and you’ll start to see why. No one always has: the perfect response the devastating comeback the elegant pivot But we fantasize that some people do. And then when we don't perform like our fantasy, we experience not just the failure of the moment, but also a painful collapse of our self-image. That's why a stumble in a presentation can feel catastrophic even when the audience barely notices. The ego is experiencing a much larger injury than the situation warrants. How to Reduce Ego Before It Costs You There’s no quick fix for the ego. And ego reduction exercises so you can respond with greater self-satisfaction in the moment require: Practice in advance Consistent application in a variety of situations And in a variety of ways until responding off the top of your head from a clear mind becomes your default orientation. Then you maintain the practices that get you the spontaneous mastery you want over time. Here is a powerful place to start. Practice Stoic Premeditation The Stoics called it premeditatio malorum or negative visualization. Basically, you deliberately imagine everything that could go wrong related to the situations that regularly require your response. If you regularly visualize yourself going blank in a meeting, stumbling through a presentation, or being publicly corrected, the actual event loses its power to destabilize you. You've already experienced the worst in your imagination. The real version is almost always milder. It’s the flipside of the point from Lacan we discussed above. You’ve now made the reality much better than the fantasy. Modify the Classic Stoic Exercise You can modify premeditatio malorum in two key ways. I suggest you experiment with both techniques I’m about to describe. One: Transform Old Memories of a Disastrous Performance First, you can excavate through your memory to find situations you recall where things have already been bad for you. Then, you can “cleanse” those memories by placing them in a “Happy Memory Palace.” The scientific basis for this process comes from research showing promise in therapy for trauma, such as this study of memory reconsolidation specific to declarative memory. And there is the now classic Tim Dalgleish-headed research on using Memory Palaces or the method of loci for successfully reducing depression. For more on this kind of research, the following livestream replay gives you an exact exercise and more about the memory science behind the positive outcomes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9UHz4pVuM In terms of how I’ve used this approach personally, I sometimes wince at one particular memory from when I sang a song during show-and-tell one morning when I was in grade two. I don’t know why I used to feel embarrassed when the memory would arise as an adult, but I could feel the sting in my cheeks. And later when I first started sharing the Sanskrit phrases I’ve memorized, that little flush of shame would arise again. So to forgive that kid whatever my memory was holding against him for his squeaky little voice, I turned the classroom into a Memory Palace and used it to memorize a delightful poem. From the point that I finished learning the poem (you can learn the process from this poetry memorization guide), I can think of that episode without that old embarrassment reviving any of its sting. And I’ve used this approach to transform other lingering memories I don’t like as well, something I’ll share more in-depth in a forthcoming book. Releasing old negative memories that involve shame makes me feel more spontaneous. And I’m confident you’ll enjoy a similar benefit too. Two: Memorize Stoic Quotes Memorizing poetry is one thing, but it takes time. You can commit quotes to memory a lot faster. I share one of my favorite quotes from Seneca in this YouTube short, one that took only a few minutes to memorize, even though it’s in Latin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISvX0-CfRkk I found this quote in Kevin Vost’s Memorize the Stoics! Although it’s not on my list of best Memory Palace Books, it provides a great look at memory training through a Stoic lens. And Vost is right: The value of having ancient wisdom on tap cannot be exaggerated. Not just for correcting your ego. You’ll also find that you have more things to say when pressed to speak on the spot. Things that have stood the test of time. Meditate Specifically for Ego Reduction Eckhart Tolle, author of The Power of Now, often says in his talks that if you are empty of thought, you don’t have to worry about what to say next during a conversation. You’ll spontaneously produce the best possible reply. I often wondered how it was possible to empty my mind of thoughts until I encountered Gary Weber’s Happiness Beyond Thought and Evolving Beyond Thought amongst other works. Although Weber’s full program requires a fair amount of time, it’s worth it for the mental space and spontaneity you’ll enjoy. Two Other Tactics for Detaching From Your Ego for Greater Spontaneity While you’re experimenting with Stoicism, here are two other tactics to explore. They’re both counterintuitive, but powerful. Embrace ignorance as a position of strength Saying “I don't know, but I'll find out” is not a failure. It's a demonstration of intellectual honesty that most people find more impressive than an imaginary answer. If your ego tells you that not knowing something is a form of weakness, push back. Admitting when you don’t know something and then doing some research and following up, builds trust at the same time as it builds your knowledge base. Detach from Needing Any Particular Outcome Your job in any high-pressure moment is not to be brilliant. It's to be present and responsive. Almost as if there is no “you” longing to be perceived in any particular way. Or desiring things to play out for or against you. When you stop trying to produce the perfect response and instead focus on actually hearing the question, understanding the situation, and responding honestly, the quality of your thinking improves dramatically. And it happens largely because you've freed up the cognitive resources consumed by your egotistical needs. You’ll also enjoy your perception of the present moment much more. Part 3: Mental Recall Under Pressure (How to Access What You Know When It Matters) One of the most common experiences of “not thinking on your feet” is this: You know the information, but you can't access it in the moment. You know your mind possesses the answer. But the pressure of the situation has locked the door. There's a neurological explanation for this. Researcher Amy Arnsten has documented how stress signalling pathways in the prefrontal cortex effectively shut down under acute stress. As we know from studies in anxiety-induced memory loss, during stress, the amygdala takes prominence over the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for working memory, reasoning, and flexible thinking. As a result, your brain redirects resources toward fight-or-flight responses that are useful for physical survival but terrible for articulate speech. This is a major reason why you can know something perfectly in a calm environment and go completely blank when asked about it in front of an audience or in a heated discussion. The information hasn't disappeared. Your brain has simply redirected resources away from the systems that retrieve it. The Alphabet Retrieval Technique When I suddenly can't recall something (a name, a fact, a point I wanted to make), I have a technique that works more often than I'd expect: I mentally run through the alphabet from A to Z. It doesn’t always bring back the information. But the technique works often enough to make it a reliable first move, hitting the correct first letter while scanning through the alphabet triggers the retrieval. When it works, it’s because the first letter acts as a cue that unlocks the rest of the word or thought. It’s also the basis of how associative memory operates. As Dr. Gary Small has explained, your brain stores information in networks that somewhat resemble neighborhoods. And the first letter of a word is often enough of a “key” to unlock the door on a full node of information. It's the same principle behind why a song's opening notes can bring back the entire melody. Or how just a word or two of a lyric can bring back an entire verse. The “Let It Go” Retrieval Technique If scanning the alphabet doesn't work, the next best strategy is counterintuitive: Stop trying. In other words, deliberately release any attempt to search your mind for the content. Instead, move on to the next point, the next topic, the next question. Often, within 5–10 minutes, the information you were grasping for will come racing back to mind. This form of recall happens because your subconscious continues processing the retrieval request even after your conscious mind has moved on. Releasing the conscious effort actually accelerates the process, because you've removed the stress that was blocking retrieval in the first place. The Anti-Digital Amnesia Discipline You Need In order to ensure your memory gets stronger over time, you need to break the habit of immediately reaching for your phone or a search engine when you fail to recall something. Every time you outsource mental retrieval to a computer, you weaken the neural pathways that perform recall. You're training your brain that it doesn't need to do the work — and over time, it stops trying. This is the phenomenon I've written about as digital amnesia, and it's one of the most insidious threats to mental agility in the modern world. Preloading: The Real Solution to In-the-Moment Recall Both alphabetical retrieval and simply letting go are recovery strategies. They're useful when recall fails. But the real solution to thinking on your feet is to ensure that recall rarely fails in the first place. This is where a variety of memory training techniques enter the picture. Not as gimmicks, but as the foundational infrastructure for mental agility. The Memory Palace Technique Using Memory Palaces provides a core means of preloading information into your mind. Because this technique allows you to encode very large amounts of information, retrieval under pressure becomes qualitatively different from trying to recall something you passively read or heard. You literally own that information, forwards and backwards. It works because the spatial structure of the Memory Palace gives your brain a retrieval path that works even when the prefrontal cortex is under stress, because spatial memory is processed partly by the hippocampus. This is a different system than the one stress shuts down. In practical terms: If you've memorized the key points of a presentation using a Memory Palace, you don't need to “remember” them under pressure. You just mentally walk to the next room. The information is there, waiting. But it’s not merely attached to a place you know as well as your own home. It has also entered long-term memory. To learn this approach, check out The Memory Palace Technique: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide. Memory Wheels and the Art of Combination Retrieving facts, quotes, even entire passages under pressure is one thing. But what about those moments when you need to synthesize information on the spot? Such as when someone poses a complex question and the right answer isn’t a single piece of information but a combination of ideas you need to assemble in real time? This is where most people’s recall fails them entirely. They might remember one relevant point, but they can’t pull together the three or four ideas needed to construct a substantive response on the spot. I use a technique for this that dates back to the 13th-century philosopher Ramon Llull, later refined by the Renaissance memory master Giordano Bruno. It’s called ars combinatoria or the art of combination. It works by pre-organizing your knowledge onto mental structures called memory wheels so that you can rotate through ideas rapidly and recombine them in novel ways during live situations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opmb-mU-KPI Here’s the simplest version of how it works in practice: Imagine a circle in your mind with the letters A through Z arranged around it. For each letter, you’ve pre-assigned a thinker, a framework, or a principle you know well. A might be Aristotle. B might be a breathing technique. C might be a core value you hold. M might be Marcus Aurelius. S might be the Stoic concept of premeditatio malorum. When a difficult question hits you in conversation, instead of grasping for one perfect answer, you mentally spin the wheel. Instead of searching randomly for something to say, you approach the task of coming up with something to say by scanning an organized inventory of your best thinking. Because you’ve pre-loaded and spatially arranged all of it, your mind can traverse what you’ve already learned quickly. Memory Wheel Example One of my favorite Memory Wheels is populated with philosophers (one for each letter of the alphabet). When I’m confronted with a complex topic, I rotate through and consider what Aristotle would say and then move on through as many philosophers as I like, all the way to Zizek for Z. I know this technique sounds elaborate and it requires having read the best philosophy books, but once you have a Memory Wheel built and practiced, the rotation takes seconds. Here’s a rapid fire discussion with a few more examples from one of my YouTube shorts from the road in Brisbane: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/29nOib2ZS_4 Please don’t overlook this technique. It produces responses that are genuinely multi-perspectival, not just whatever my default opinion happens to be. The deeper history of this technique and detailed instructions for building your own memory wheels are covered in my full guide to Ramon Llull’s memory wheel method. But the principle you can apply immediately upon developing your own memory wheels is this: If you pre-organize your knowledge into a spatial structure rather than leaving it scattered across your memory, you gain the ability to not just recall individual facts under pressure but to combine and recombine ideas on the fly. That is the difference between someone who can answer a question and someone who can think through a problem in real time. It’s not speed without purpose. It’s architecture with a sense of direction based on the shoulders of giants. Part 4: Verbal Agility (How to Sound Smart, Pivot, and Recover in Conversation) Verbal agility isn't about having a quick tongue. It's about having a calm mind with a deep well of material to draw from. The people who seem effortlessly articulate in conversation are rarely making it up on the spot. They're drawing on vast reserves of pre-loaded knowledge, practiced frameworks, and rehearsed transitions. What looks like spontaneous brilliance is actually the visible tip of an enormous iceberg of preparation. Frameworks for Organizing Your Thoughts Rapidly When someone throws a topic at you and you need to respond coherently, having a mental framework prevents the rambling that makes people sound unprepared. Here are several that work, provided you practice using them before they’re required in real-life situations: The PREP Framework PREP stands for: Point Reason Example Point It’s a very powerful formula to practice during debates as well as in conversation. When using PREP, you state your position, give one reason, illustrate with one example, then restate your position. This takes 30–60 seconds and helps keep your replies structured without sounding rehearsed. The WRAP Technique I learned this one from Chip and Dan Heath's Decisive. WRAP stands for: Widen your options Reality-test your assumptions Attain distance before deciding Prepare to fail I placed WRAP on a memory wheel and demonstrate how to run through it mentally in this ars combinatoria video tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cYDmaBXvJg What to Do When You're Stumped Even with the frameworks we just discussed or tactics like running through the alphabet, you will experience situations where you simply don't have a response. Here are more strategies you can try. Pause Peacefully Although falling silent can feel painful when you first start practicing it, rest assured that it barely registers to the person listening. And in many cases, a two or three-second pause before responding signals thoughtfulness, not ignorance. Most people rush to fill silence because their ego can't tolerate appearing slow. But a measured pause followed by a substantive response is always more impressive than a rushed response followed by backtracking. Seek Clarification There’s nothing wrong with asking people: “Can you say more about what you mean by that?” or “Are you asking about X or Y specifically?” Such questions will not stall the conversation. It's genuine intellectual engagement, and it often reveals avenues for further conversation that would not be revealed any other way. Use the Truth You might not know this, but many people find it refreshing when someone admits that something is outside of their area. Nir Eyal did that on my podcast a few years ago and I’ve never forgotten his willingness to “stay in his lane,” as he put it. The best part? Nobody penalizes honest uncertainty and a request to move on if you really don’t have a settled opinion on some matter or any expertise. Practice Physical Awareness Sometimes when we’re stumped, our body tenses up. Shoulders rise, the jaw clenches and breathing shallows. This physical tension feeds back into your mental state and makes mental freezing worse. But deliberately dropping your shoulders and taking one slow breath can help break the cycle. More on this kind of physical solution is coming up in Part 6. Practice Steelmanning One of the most powerful exercises for verbal agility is practicing steelmanning. Related to the principle of charity in rhetoric, steelmanning is the practice of arguing for positions with which you disagree. But not half-heartedly. No, you make the argument in the strongest possible terms. One simple way to practice steelmanning involves getting a friend to throw topics at you randomly. Your job is not to argue your own position, but to construct the best possible argument for the opposite side. This practice accomplishes three things simultaneously: It forces you to think through ideas from perspectives you wouldn't naturally adopt, which builds cognitive flexibility. It trains you to separate your ego from your position, because you're explicitly not defending your own views. It prepares you for actual debates, because you've already rehearsed the strongest version of your opponent's argument. For more tips that will help you in this department, check out my guide to preparing for debates. The Improv Principle If you take one thing from this section and act on it, let it be this: Take an improvisation class. Why? Improv comedy training provides you with the single most transferable skill for verbal agility in any context. The core principle of improv is quite easy. You simply answer everything with either “yes, and…” or “no, but…” This simple structure teaches you to accept whatever is thrown at you and build on it rather than blocking or deflecting. This is the exact skill you need in meetings, conversations, presentations, and debates. Improv also provides the one thing you can't get from reading articles: Real-time practice under social pressure while receiving immediate feedback. No amount of theory replaces the experience of standing in front of a group with nothing planned and having to produce something. It’s been a long time since I took an improv class, or any class. But you really only need one round to create a permanent transformation. Part 5: Performance Under Pressure (Lessons from Music, Magic, and the Stage) If you've never performed music, theatre, magic, public speaking, or any other form of real-time presentation, you may not realize how much of “thinking on your feet” is simply having enough trained material that you can recover from anything. The principle applies far beyond the stage. But the stage is where the principle is most visible, so let me share what I've learned from three performance disciplines. Music: Improvisation Is Built on Structure & Self-Awareness When I studied music, I learned something that most non-musicians find surprising: improvisational soloing requires more preparation than playing a written piece. A written piece has every note specified. You practice it, you perform it, you're done. An improvised solo, on the other hand, requires you to internalize the underlying structure so thoroughly that you can navigate it in real time without conscious planning. You need to know the modes, the chord changes, the rhythmic patterns, the phrasing conventions. And you need to know them so well that they're available to your fingers before your conscious mind has time to think about which note comes next. I know this from decades of musical experience. But my life in music almost never happened at all. In grade five, I failed a recorder test. It was given as a prerequisite for joining band class in grade six. The reason, though I didn’t have the language for it at the time, was a condition then called image-deficit disorder, now known as aphantasia. I couldn’t visualize what my teachers were asking me to see on the recorder or the sheet music. And the boring mnemonic sentences they gave us for remembering the notes made no sense to me. The school’s verdict in the face of my supposed failure? No band class. My dad changed that. He rolled up to the school on his Harley Davidson and had a conversation with the administration that I wasn’t privy to. Whatever he said, it worked. I was in. So long as I played the trombone instead of my dream bass guitar. They thought trombone would be easiest for me with its one simple slide. The Art of Coping By Copying But getting into band class didn’t mean I could play. In fact, for the entire first year, I sat beside another trombonist who picked up every note like it was nothing. I survived by watching his slide positions and copying them. I wasn’t reading music. I was reading him. The next year, in grade seven, the teacher gave us separate parts, and my copying lifeline was over. I remember sitting alone in a room with that trombone, sweat rolling down my face, sheet music on the stand turning my brain into wet sawdust. It felt like staring at an explosive I didn’t know how to defuse. But something shifted as my juvenile brain worked to solve the problem. Once I was forced to actually engage with the notation instead of mimicking someone else, I started seeing patterns. The theory behind the notes began to click. My teacher noticed the transformation quickly, both in performance and on my written tests. Later that year, she encouraged me to enter a sight-reading competition. Even though I didn’t win, I remember the thrill of performing music I’d never seen before. And because my teacher saw how deeply I’d started engaging with music, she helped me secure a spot at the local summer school of music before high school. That summer changed my trajectory. I studied with a celebrated trombonist from Canadian Brass. My skills went up substantially, and after a solo I played during the final concert, I was asked to audition for the Kamloops Rube Band. I turned that invitation down and finally retired the trombone for a bass and joined a heavy metal band instead. Over the years that followed, I played in multiple bands, learned increasingly complex music, and eventually realized a lifelong dream: going on tour with an established band. Memory expert Anthony Metivier performing at a concert in Germany. The Lesson That Changed How I Perform And it was during that tour, playing with a sophisticated band called The Outside, that I received perhaps the most important lesson about thinking on your feet that music ever gave me. After a show, our drummer Tito told me I’d missed a few notes. I braced for a critical lecture, but he said something I’ve never forgotten. It was an important tip that has everything to do with the practice of thinking on your feet: “The real problem isn’t missing the notes. It’s looking like you made a mistake. If you look like you made a mistake, it is a mistake.” From that moment on, I trained myself to improvise how I looked just as much as how I sounded. A missed note played with confidence reads as a creative choice. A perfect note played with visible anxiety reads as a near-miss. The audience often doesn’t hear your mistakes, but they do see your reaction to them. This principle extends far beyond music. It shows up in meetings, presentations and conversations. Your stumbles themselves are almost never what people remember. They remember whether or not you flinched. And to tie this all back to the beginning, flinching is an ego response. It’s the visible evidence of caring more about how you appear than about what you’re communicating. Tito didn’t know he was teaching me about ego reduction back during that tour in 2013. But that’s exactly what his lesson was. Card Magic: Multiple Outs and Recovery In card magic, which is especially useful in memorized deck magic, there's a concept called “multiple outs.” I think about it constantly in non-magic contexts. A multiple out is a tactic you might never use, but always have something prepared so that no matter what the spectator does, you conclude the trick successfully. In other words, no matter which card they choose, which pile they point to, which decision they make, you have a prepared path to a successful conclusion. The spectator thinks they're making free choices. In reality, every choice leads to the same place, or to one of several equally impressive endings. This is exactly how preparation works for thinking on your feet. If you've prepared thoroughly for a meeting, you don't just have one argument. You have multiple arguments, multiple examples, multiple pivot points. If someone challenges your position, you have an “out.” If someone asks an unexpected question, you have another “out.” The more preparation you've done, the more outs you have. Magician in Trouble There's also a sub-genre in magic called “magician in trouble” where the performer intentionally appears to make a mistake, building tension before a surprising recovery. What the audience doesn't realize is that the “mistake” was planned and the recovery was rehearsed. But it only works because the performer has done thousands of hours of practice behind the scenes. If you’re having trouble acting spontaneously, learning a few magic tricks is one of the best things you can do. The more tricks you know, the more you can make mistakes and recover. If one trick goes wrong, you transition to another. If a spectator does something unexpected, you have a different trick that accommodates their choice. The depth of your repertoire is directly proportional to your ability to handle anything. Translate this to your professional life: The more tools, frameworks, examples, and stories you have memorized, the more “tricks” you can draw from when a conversation or presentation goes sideways. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvtYjdriSpM Two Levels of TEDx Improvisation Where Preparation Met Reality Minutes before I was due on stage for my TEDx Talk, a long-time fan showed up without a ticket. From what I gathered, he’d traveled to attend the event in Melbourne. And I could tell he was genuinely excited. But he didn’t have a ticket. And when the venue staff told him he couldn’t come in, due to fire capacity rules, we were both frustrated. Anyone with two eyes could see that the room wasn’t actually full. But there was no time to argue the bureaucracy. I was about to deliver the most important presentation of my career, after all. This is exactly the kind of moment that derails people. Not the talk itself, but the things that happen right before you hit the stage. I’m talking about the unexpected disruptions that flood your system with cortisol at the worst possible time. My ego wanted to fight for this person’s entry. It wanted to make a scene about the absurdity of empty seats and fire codes. It wanted to be the hero who fixes things. Instead, thinking on my feet, I suggested we meet for dinner after the talk. He understood. We shook hands. And then I had approximately four minutes to completely reset my mental state before walking on stage. Here’s what I did, standing backstage where nobody could see: I placed my hands behind my back and began Kirtan Kriya. This is a four-syllable meditation (Sa, Ta, Na, Ma) combined with a sequential mudra where your fingers tap. Gary Weber teaches it in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehvokeZnXMM By using the technique with both hands behind my back so no one would see, I simultaneously slowed my breathing and brought myself back to center. Between breath cycles, I also ran a quick body scan from my feet to my scalp, deliberately releasing tension wherever I found it. Jaw, shoulders, hands, the major muscle groups. By the time they called my name, I was calm. Not confident in the way people usually mean. I wasn’t puffed up or “psyched” to give my speech. Just calm in the way that comes from having emptied the bowl. The fan situation was gone from my mind. The ego’s need to intervene was gone. What remained was a mind with nothing in it except a memorized talk and the willingness to deliver it to whoever was in that room. What To Do When the Room Doesn’t Follow Your Script Shortly after my talk began, the room did something I hadn’t planned for. A scripted joke that had worked perfectly to create laughter during the dress rehearsal the day before landed in silence. Not awkward silence. Just… nothing. The audience looked at me with interest but no laughter. A few minutes later, during a section I hadn’t intended to be funny at all, they laughed. Genuinely. A speaker working from notes would have been buried in their script at that moment, unable to read the room because their eyes were on the page. But my entire talk was encoded in Memory Palaces using the technique I teach in my guide, How to Memorize a Speech. I didn’t need to look at any notes. I could look at everyone and connect with them directly. So I did and leaned into their laughter. I let it breathe. I adjusted my pacing to ride the energy they were giving me rather than forcing the energy I’d planned. Going with the flow, I made an unscripted joke and it landed. And when the moment passed, I stepped to the next station in my Memory Palace and continued on with the talk. What the Audience Saw vs. What Actually Happened The audience experienced this as spontaneity. They saw a speaker who was loose, present, reading the room. What actually happened was decades of training expressing itself through a four-second decision. The musical performance training that taught me to keep playing through mistakes without flinching. The card magic training that taught me to have multiple outs when a planned effect doesn’t land. The teaching experience that taught me to read a room full of people who may not be responding the way I expected. And underneath all of it, my ego-reduction efforts shone through, including the willingness to let go of the talk I’d planned and deliver the talk the audience needed. After the event, several people told me how natural and relaxed I seemed. One person said it felt like I was just talking to them, not giving a speech. That’s the highest compliment a speaker can receive. And it was entirely the product of preparation. But nothing about that talk was spontaneous other than the joke I made up on the fly. Otherwise, every word of that talk was memorized verbatim. The audience saw someone thinking on their feet. What they were actually seeing was someone falling back on their training. That, and they witnessed someone with enough training to fall back on. That is the difference. And it’s available to anyone willing to put in the work before the moment arrives. Part 6: Physical Composure (How to React When Your Safety Is at Stake) There are situations where “thinking on your feet” has nothing to do with being articulate or quick-witted. Quite the opposite. There are many moments in life when thinking itself is the problem, especially during situations where what you need is a trained physical response that fires before your conscious mind has time to interfere. I've been in three of these situations. Each time, it was my years-long Systema training that kept me safe. In case you don’t know it, Systema is a martial art focused on breathing, relaxation, and fluid movement under stress. To be clear, it didn’t help me fight. It helped me because it stopped fights from erupting in the first place. Let me explain. Incident One: The Attempted Mugging While writing my dissertation, I was living in Washington Heights, a district north of Harlem in New York City. I was walking south, down to the 170s from the corner of 187th and Cabrini, where I’d stopped to use a bank machine. On my way out, a man stood in front of me with something resembling a gun in his pocket. Exactly as it happens in the movies, he gestured in quick spurts of energy so that my eyes dropped and looked at his pocket. “Give me your wallet and all your money,” he demanded. My Systema training kicked in. Instead of having my shoulders shoot up with anxious tension — the default I’d seen in almost every new student Emmanuel Manolakakis worked with, including me during my first lessons — my mind automatically followed the training I’d received. Without willing it, my shoulders dropped and my mind and body synced with my breath. In a way that still completely bewilders me, a smile came across my face. I don’t know what I looked like, but my expression unnerved the mugger. It created the stress in him that should have been in my body. After what seemed like an eternity, the mugger said, “Wipe that smile off your face or I’ll shoot you.” At this point, my smile grew wider and I started to laugh. An instant later, it felt right to move. I took one step forward into his space and angled to the left with the second and third steps. I didn’t break his gaze and watched as his eyes and entire head tracked me as I moved past him. Then, still operating completely on autopilot, I started to run and found myself in a cleaning supplies store filled with mops and buckets. No confrontation. No escalation. No ego. Just a trained body responding faster than a thinking mind would have. My Systema training, from breath coordination to deep muscle relaxation and long hours of practice with dropping into calm during situations of simulated threat, delivered exactly what it was designed for: bypassing the conscious mind that would have frozen me and let the body handle the situation. Incident Two: The Dark Path in Toronto Some time later, walking in Toronto, I approached a path at the end of a high school field. It was too late to be taking this popular shortcut, but there I was during a night that was far darker than I would have liked. There was just one street lamp hanging over that path, and its bulb was barely working. Before I stepped onto the path, I put a dime on my thumb. I didn’t think about why. There was no conscious strategy at work. My body simply did what training had taught it to do: prepare for the possibility of contact without committing to a plan. Sure enough, someone stepped into my path. I flicked the dime. The coin caught his gaze and seized his attention, producing a few seconds of involuntary visual tracking. This is the same reflex that makes every human eye follow sudden movement. Thanks to the distraction created by the spinning dime, I moved past him easily and paced off into the distance before his focus returned. The entire encounter lasted maybe three seconds. There was no conversation, no confrontation, no mental calculation. Just a trained response that created a tiny window of distraction and an immediate exit through it. I still think about the fact that I put the dime on my thumb before anything happened. It wasn’t a decision so much as it was a product of procedural memory — the same memory system that helps a musician’s fingers find the right fret before their conscious mind has named the note. Systema trains you to read environments the way musicians read chord changes. Not by analyzing, but by responding to patterns your body has trained to respond to inside the dojo. Incident Three: Outside the Post Office The third incident was the strangest. Outside a post office, someone with a grievance I didn’t fully understand began yelling at me aggressively. His body language was escalating and the situation felt like it could turn physical. My response was immediate: I raised my hands into a prayer gesture. With my palms together and fingers standing straight up, I found myself saying “thank you” over and over. I wasn’t being clever. I wasn’t trying to defuse the situation with wit. The gesture came from training, and it served two purposes simultaneously that I was only partially aware of in the moment. First, it put my hands in a position to quickly block any incoming strike. The prayer position is a natural guard because your hands are high, elbows close and forearms ready to redirect. I mean, it’s not going to make you bulletproof, but it’s just as disarming as the smile I delivered back during the mugging I survived in New York. Second, my response psychologically short-circuited the man’s aggression. Being thanked while you’re on the offensive is so dissonant that the brain doesn’t know how to process it. This person’s rhythm broke. His volume dropped. The escalation stalled because the script he was running had been interrupted by a response that didn’t fit. He didn’t thank me back. But at least he stopped. And I walked away unscathed. The Common Thread: No Ego, No Thinking, Just the Fruits of Training In all three incidents, the pattern is identical: Because the ego was out of the way, I wasn't trying to prove anything or “win” the encounters. There was also no conscious thinking. The responses were physical, automatic, and executed faster than mental deliberation would have allowed. Plus, there was relaxation under threat. The counterintuitive act of relaxing when threatened, which Systema specifically trains, prevented the freeze response that ego and fear typically produce. Finally, the strategy in each case was oriented toward getting away, not engaging. For anyone who wants to develop this dimension of thinking on their feet, I strongly recommend studying a martial art that emphasizes relaxation, awareness, and movement rather than aggression and force. Finding Your Own Physical Practice If personal experiences make you want to sign up for Systema, I’d encourage it. But I’d also encourage any martial art that emphasizes awareness, breathing, and relaxation over aggression and force. The point is not to become a fighter. The point is to develop a body that responds to threat with trained composure rather than untrained panic. Beyond martial arts, I practice Qigong daily and have for years. It’s not a combat discipline, but it trains the same foundational skills experienced in a gentler format: Breath coordination Bodily awareness Relaxation under tension For someone who has no interest in martial training, Qigong offers many of the same benefits for composure and physical presence without ever throwing or receiving a strike. Whatever physical practice you choose, I’d offer one caution: Don’t romanticize these practices or turn them into a glamorous fantasy. Remember the lesson from Lacan and the Stoic lessons that make sure reality is better than fantasy if and when real situations of trouble land. The three incidents I described above weren’t action sequences. They were awkward, brief, and slightly absurd. I didn’t defeat anyone. I smiled, flicked a coin, and said thank you. The training didn’t make me dangerous. It made me calm enough to exit each situation without a scratch. And that brings me to what I consider the most important physical skill of all, one that doesn’t require any formal training: situational awareness. Train for Situational Awareness In each of the three incidents, there was a moment before contact where my body registered something my conscious mind hadn’t articulated yet. In Washington Heights, I noticed the man’s posture before he spoke. In Toronto, something made me put a dime on my thumb before I entered the dark path. Outside the post office, I registered the escalation in body language before any words were exchanged. To train for greater situational awareness, walk with your phone in your pocket instead of your hand. Move around the world with your ears empty instead of listening to music or podcasts. When you enter a room, notice the exits. When you’re in an unfamiliar environment, pay attention to who is around you and how they’re moving. These aren’t paranoid habits. They’re the same environmental reading skills your ancestors used every day. Modern life has simply given us the luxury of ignoring them. There is almost no better way to think on your feet than the thinking that steers you clear of sticky situations in the first place. When it comes to physical confrontation, the best-trained response is the one you never have to use. Part 7: Daily Training Exercises for Mental Agility Everything discussed so far requires ongoing practice. Here are the specific daily exercises I use and recommend, organized from quick (2 minutes) to involved (30+ minutes). Breathing Techniques (2–5 minutes) Before any high-pressure situation, be it a presentation, a meeting or a difficult conversation, controlled breathing is the fastest way to shift your nervous system from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to parasympathetic (calm and focused). The simplest technique: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, breathe out for 6 counts. The extended exhale activates the vagus nerve and physically slows your heart rate. Do this for 2 minutes and you'll enter any situation calmer and more mentally available. For more advanced breathing techniques, check out this video tutorial I made for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeO06_uZZcg   Progressive Muscle Relaxation (5–10 minutes) Systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups, from your feet to your face, trains your body to release the physical tension that accumulates under stress. Over time, you develop the ability to detect and release tension in real time — during a conversation, during a presentation, during a confrontation. This is the body scan component that I used before my TEDx Talk, and it's a core element of Systema training as well. The ability to scan your body for tension and deliberately release it is a physical skill that directly supports mental agility. Steelmanning Practice (15–20 minutes) Get a partner. Have them throw random topics at you. Your job: argue the strongest possible case for the position you naturally oppose. Switch roles. Do this twice a week and within a month you'll notice a dramatic improvement in your ability to think through problems from multiple angles under time pressure. Now, you might think about going to Chat-GPT or some other LLM. You can certainly give this a try. However, beware of context-dependent memory and state-dependence issues. If you only train in digital environments with a bot, you will likely find that you perform fine when sparring with a computer, but flounder with a human. As this study found, training in certain environments creates less cognitive fatigue than others. So if you come to develop certain beliefs about the difficulty of discussing things based on experiences with chatbots, you will probably not like the energy-drain you encounter when dealing with humans. Remember: we tend to fight the way we train, so practice all rhetorical argumentation in a variety of environments, never just one. Random Topic Riffing (10–15 minutes) Have someone give you a topic and speak about it for 2 minutes without stopping. What you say doesn't need to be brilliant, but work at speaking continuously. The exercise trains your brain to keep producing output even when it doesn't feel ready, which is exactly the skill you need when put on the spot. Increase difficulty by having the topic-giver interrupt you with new topics mid-stream. This trains your ability to pivot and shift directions without losing composure. Memory Palace Practice (15–30 minutes) Every time you encode information using a Memory Palace, you're doing more than memorizing. You're building the retrieval infrastructure that makes recall under pressure possible. Regular Memory Palace practice is the single most important investment you can make in your ability to access information when you need it. The more you memorize, the more you should seek to incorporate memorized material into your steelmanning and random riffing practice routines. Alphabet Drills and Multiple Mentality (5–15 minutes) One of the most unusual training systems I’ve encountered comes from Harry Kahne, a performer from the 1920s who could write with both hands simultaneously while reciting poetry from memory. He called his approach “Multiple Mentality” because it’s the deliberate practice of running several mental operations at once. His exercises sound deceptively simple. The foundational one: write out the alphabet backwards from memory. Not from Z-A printed on a card. From memory, cold. Most people find reciting the alphabet backwards surprisingly difficult the first time. But once you can do it? That’s when the real training begins. Kahne then asks you to pair the alphabet’s extreme ends mentally: A-Z, B-Y, C-X, working inward. Then start from the center and pair outward in reverse. These are pure concentration drills because they force your brain to hold a structure in working memory while performing various forms of recall. I go deeper into the full Multiple Mentality system and all of Kahne’s exercises in my detailed review of his course, including the parts I think are brilliant and the parts where I respectfully disagree with him. Part 8: Prepping Your Mind (Why What You Memorize Determines How Well You Think) Most of us know that the quality of your thinking is directly proportional to the quality of what you've committed to memory. A mind loaded with poetry, philosophy, scientific principles, historical examples, memorable quotes, and well-understood frameworks will produce richer, more nuanced, more creative responses under pressure than a mind that relies on whatever it happens to recall from last week's reading. This is not about showing off. It's about having raw material that makes you mentally dexterous. And gives you information you can use in an instant. What to Memorize for Maximum Mental Agility As you’ve seen, I strongly recommend memorizing quotes and poems. Because memorized poetry gives you access to compressed wisdom, beautiful language, and emotional resonance that you can draw on in conversation, writing, and thinking. Likewise, you can learn how to remember a story. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM4TxD6ez1Y When you've memorized a poem or story, you own the content in a way that reading on its own never provides. The lines and structures become part of your mental vocabulary. I've memorized dozens of poems and passages of verse, and they surface constantly in conversation, in my writing, in my thinking about problems that have nothing to do with literature. Memorize Speeches for Mental Dexterity Likewise, you can seek out speeches from people like Churchill, Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and Marcus Aurelius. The words of leaders who were themselves masters of thinking on their feet make for excellent training material. When you've memorized their words, you internalize their patterns of thought. You don't just quote them. You begin to think in the structures they used. Learn to Tell Jokes Like improv, humor provides you with one of the ultimate forms of thinking on your feet. And telling jokes is far more learnable than people assume. To get started, commit a few jokes to memory and study their structure. You’ll soon notice that a good joke is a tiny argument: The setup establishes expectations The twist violates the expectations The punchline resolves the violation in a surprising or ironic way This simple structure is not so different from the PREP framework we discussed above. Practice Parroting and Accent Imitation Imitating a famous actor might sound like a party trick, but it's actually a profound exercise in sharing another person’s perspective and behavioral patterns. To imitate someone convincingly, you have to at least try and understand how they think, how they move and how they use language. As a result, the understanding you develop translates directly to the ability to read and respond to different people in different contexts. I’m not particularly good with foreign accents or imitating people. But merely by putting time into practicing a few people, I’ve learned a lot and become more spontaneous on my feet. Reflective Thinking Practice Memorization alone isn't enough. The material you memorize needs to be processed through reflective thinking. This is the practice of deliberately considering what you've learned, connecting it to other things you know, and forming your own positions. I do a lot of my reflective thinking through journaling, through conversation with carefully chosen friends, and through a practice I've maintained for years: regularly re-reading books I've already read, looking for things I missed the first time. All of these practices transform static knowledge into dynamic intellectual resources you’ll draw upon with great ease when you find yourself put on the spot. Part 9: The Paradox of Mental Silence We've covered a great deal of ground today: ego reduction, memory techniques, verbal frameworks, performance training, martial arts, daily exercises, and the art of loading your mind with quality material. And now I want to end with something that sounds like a contradiction but is, in fact, the deepest truth about thinking on your feet: The goal is not to think faster. Rather, it’s to create the conditions where you don't need to think at all. I know this sounds paradoxical. How can “thinking on your feet” require not thinking? It’s because the highest level of performance in any domain doesn’t just look like effortlessness. It actually is, if only in the present moment. I’m talking about the musician who plays a transcendent solo. That performer isn't thinking about which notes to play. Nor does the martial artist who evades a strike sit there thinking about which direction to move. And the speaker who delivers a perfect response to an unexpected question isn't thinking about what to say. They’re drawing upon deep preparation. In each case, the performer has trained so deeply that the right response emerges from a place beneath conscious thought. The preparation started long ago. Practice has quieted your fantasies, both positive and negative. And what remains is a mind so well-prepared that it can be still during the demands and in that stillness, the right response simply appears. This outcome is common in the world of mindfulness and meditation, where practitioners describe the experience of being “full by being empty.” In order to receive the moment as it actually is (not as your ego wants it to be, nor as your anxiety fears things might go wrong), you just have to empty your mind of the noise that normally fills it. Your Next Step If this article has shown you anything, I hope it's this: thinking on your feet is not a gift. It's the product of deliberate, ongoing training across multiple domains — mental, verbal, physical, and philosophical. The foundation of all of it is memory. Not “good memory” as a vague trait, but trained memory — the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information on demand, under pressure, in any context. If you want to start building that foundation, I've created a free course that teaches you the core Memory Palace technique in four video lessons. It's the same starting point my Masterclass students use, and it will give you your first experience of what trained recall feels like. For even deeper training that includes the Memory Wheel technique, ars combinatoria, advanced Memory Palace strategies, and the Recall Rehearsal patterns that make long-term retention predictable, my Magnetic Memory Method Masterclass takes you through the complete learning system. And if you want to explore the meditation, breathing, and muscle relaxation routines I've combined with memory training for maximum mental composure, I go into all of that in The Victorious Mind. So what do you say? Are you ready to stop worrying about what you’ll say next and start training so deeply that the right response arrives on its own? Remember: the secret every performer, martial artist, and memory expert discovers is ultimately the same. You don’t rise to the level of the mome

Send a textThe Kim B. Davis Show featuring Dr. Angela Celeste May, clinically, forensically, and organizationally trained psychologist, and Co-Founder and President of A. M. May & Associates, Inc., Founder and President of Celeste Productions, Inc., Created a column for Michigan Women's Forum magazine called, "Phenomenal Michigan Women" highlighting accomplished Black women in our state., An author of several articles and editor of books in different genres, Past President of Michigan Psychological Association Foundation Board, Co-Founder and Past President of the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists, and the First Black Chair Elect of the Michigan Health Council in it's 83-year history. She received several awards including the 2023 President's Distinction Award for contributions to the field from MPAF. We discuss the Epstein files and how children, and young girls were abused although they were vulnerable. As a society, we have failed these children especially young girls who traditionally were married off while young and by western standards, a child. We talk about what this says about us as a society. We chat about. how these systems exist and how to expose them. Join the conversation...The Kim B. Davis Show is a conversational platform that engages issues around mental health, well-being, and political engagement. You can also email me at Kimberly@kimberlybatchelordavis.comSupport the showThank you for tuning in to the Kim B. Davis Show. You can visit KimBDavis.com to learn more about me as an author and you can find me on FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. You can see this show on YouTube.com/KimberlyBatchelorDavis. Thank you again for your support and always remember, Be Magnificent.

Stop the digital spiral and signal safety to your body in just 10 minutes.Are you carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders? In an era of constant information overload, the "noise" isn't just outside—it's often trapped in your nervous system. Join clinical hypnotherapist Martin Hewlett for a specialized 2026 Nervous System Reset designed to switch your brain from "threat mode" to a sanctuary of calm.This episode uses somatic breathwork and clinical grounding techniques to help you reclaim your mental clarity. Whether you are battling morning anxiety or looking for a way to quiet your mind before bed, this 10-minute session provides a "manual override" for your stress response.What You'll Experience:[0:00] The Manual Override: Why we choose to signal safety directly to the body.[1:00] Somatic Breathwork: A 4-2-6 breathing rhythm to activate the vagus nerve.[2:00] The Summer Sunshine Body Scan: Releasing tension from the jaw, shoulders, and lower back.[4:00] The Glass Sphere Visualization: Creating a mental sanctuary where external chaos cannot reach you.[5:30] 2026 Core Affirmations: Deeply embedding safety, grounding, and personal worth.[9:00] 3 Daily Tips for a Calmer Life: Practical tools including the "Two-Minute Tech Fast" and the "Peripheral Gaze" technique.Featured Affirmations:"I am the calm center of my own life.""The noise of the world cannot penetrate my peace.""I am safe, I am grounded, I am here."About Your Host:Martin Hewlett is a renowned clinical hypnotherapist and the creator of Calming Anxiety, a global podcast with over 2,000 sessions dedicated to panic attack relief, sleep hypnosis, and confidence building.Connect with Martin:Subscribe: Never miss your daily moment of calm.Share: Send this to one person who needs a "reset" today.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1971: Dr. Jenny Brockis reveals how happiness at work is far from a fluffy concept, it's a critical pillar of mental wellbeing, resilience, and productivity. By nurturing relationships, prioritizing self-care, and giving back, we can unlock greater fulfillment and buffer ourselves against burnout and mental health decline. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.drjennybrockis.com/2019/9/13/boost-mental-wellbeing-with-happiness/ Quotes to ponder: "Happiness at work means different things to different people, it's a feeling that all is well, you feel in control and you're enjoying being with, interacting with and working alongside others." "Permission for your self-care is hereby granted, for life because this isn't something you can do on a part-time basis." "Helping out, simply because we can and want to will elevate your mood and make the recipient feel darn good as well." Episode references: Rammy Men (Ramsbottom Men's Group): https://www.rammymen.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 1971: Dr. Jenny Brockis reveals how happiness at work is far from a fluffy concept, it's a critical pillar of mental wellbeing, resilience, and productivity. By nurturing relationships, prioritizing self-care, and giving back, we can unlock greater fulfillment and buffer ourselves against burnout and mental health decline. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.drjennybrockis.com/2019/9/13/boost-mental-wellbeing-with-happiness/ Quotes to ponder: "Happiness at work means different things to different people, it's a feeling that all is well, you feel in control and you're enjoying being with, interacting with and working alongside others." "Permission for your self-care is hereby granted, for life because this isn't something you can do on a part-time basis." "Helping out, simply because we can and want to will elevate your mood and make the recipient feel darn good as well." Episode references: Rammy Men (Ramsbottom Men's Group): https://www.rammymen.org  

The legendary surfer has grieved the deaths of her adoptive mother, stepmother and birth mother. Only later in life did she realise her drive to win came from a place of loss, and Layne needed to look inward to find her place off the podium.Layne is a legendary surfer who is the first person ever to win six consecutive world titles.Since her childhood spent on Sydney's Northern Beaches, Layne has loved being in the water but it wasn't until later in life that she realised her relentless drive to win came from a confusion about who she belonged with on land.Part of her drive to prove her worth and her place came from her experiences of loss.When Layne was 6 years old, her adopted mother Valerie died. Then, her step-mother Christina died after a long battle with breast cancer.Twenty years after Layne reconnected with her birth mother, Maggie, she flew to America to be by Maggie's side as she took her last breaths.Losing three mothers in one lifetime caused Layne to equate motherhood with loss and abandonment. But after retiring and learning to slow down, Layne turned inward and finally found herself along the way.Content warning: this episode of Conversations contains discussion of adoption and grief.Layne's memoir Beneath the Waves was written with Michael Gordon and published in 2009 by Penguin.Her latest book, Awake Academy, was written with Tess Brouwer and is published by Penguin.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.It explores grief, cancer, death, dying, surfing, pro surfers, Manly, Freshwater, Hawaii, Ken Bradshaw, Kelly Slater, Molly Picklum, Stephanie Gilmore, Kirk Pengilly, love, marriage, stepmother, motherhood, menopause, slowing down, fitness later in life, introspection, awake academy, meditation, beach, ovarian cancer, brain haemorrhage, fatherhood, Tess Brouwer, elite athletes, professional athletes.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

Philosopher and writer Eamon Evans on humanity's relentless and impossible pursuit of happiness through materialism, social media and self help, and why the kindest and best people have been 'crushed by life' a couple of times.Eamon started to think more deeply about happiness and contentment in his 20s, after a bout of serious depression.He realised that trying to be happy all the time was paradoxically making him miserable, and says that's true for most of us in this modern world.Eamon began to trace the history of human's infatuation with being happy.What he found was that the story of humanity was tied up with other pursuits like survival, honour, virtue and discipline until very recently.Only in the 20th century did people start wanting to stop to smell the roses all the time, but Eamon says a permanent state of happiness impossible and emotionally counterproductive.In fact, our obsession with being happy is actually making us sad, and on top of that, it's making us sad about the fact that we're sad—a concept called 'meta-unhappiness'.Eamon acknowledges misery can sometimes be pathological, and it's important that lifesaving progress has been made on creating spaces here people can speak out and seek help.But in terms of daily, natural feelings of struggle, he says it's better to accept these as a normal part of human life, and look upon seasons of misery as miracles that build character, make us kinder, and more interesting.The Importance of Being Miserable is published by Simon and Schuster.This episode of Conversations was produced by Meggie Morris, Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.It explores advertising, marketing, smart phones, addiction, dopamine, serotonin, Gen Z, glimmers of hope, gratitude, being grateful, how to be grateful, gratitude journal, Buddhism, enlightenment, Mad Men, advertising, capitalism, mental health, mental wellbeing, self help books, religion, industrial revolution, greed, property, wants versus needs.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

In this episode, we are joined by Holistic Neurologist, Best-Selling Author of The Busy Brain Cure, and Global Keynote Speaker on Workplace Culture and Leadership Dr. Romie Mushtaq to explore the neurological foundations of stress and her pioneering brainSHIFT program. Drawing from over two decades of expertise in neurology and integrative medicine, Dr. Romie provides a holistic roadmap for moving from high-stakes stress to intentional wellness.Tune in to learn:How to identify Busy Brain syndrome—a state of chronic stress and mental exhaustion that prevents high-achievers from leading with clarity and purpose.The science behind neurological well-being and how your brain chemistry impacts your leadership and decision-making.Practical strategies to implement the brainSHIFT protocol to improve your mental well-being and build a sustainable culture of personal wellness.How to identify your specific symptoms of a Busy Brain and commit to one restorative protocol to begin healing from the inside out.If you are ready to heal your brain and reclaim your mental energy, Dr. Romie provides the essential cure for the modern high-achiever. Free Gift: Busy Brain TestTake the first step toward reclaiming your focus by identifying exactly how stress is impacting your mind. Take the Busy Brain Test and receive your personalized score along with Dr. Romie's expert recommendations to start your neurological healing journey today!Connect with Dr. Romie: Website | Instagram---Enter the Book Launch Celebration Giveaway!

UPDATE: Apologies for the technical errors in the previous upload. Thank you for your patience, and we remain grateful for your ROYAL support. We have sent Producer Dan to the Tower. Russell Myers and Jennifer Newton discuss the Princess of Wales' recent visit to the Peak District, where she joined a charity called Mind Over Mountains to promote the benefits of connecting with nature for mental health. They delve into Kate's longstanding interest in using the outdoors and natural environments as a tool for healing and self-reflection. Russell and Jen also chat about the new Amazon Prime documentary "Finding Harmony: A King's Vision", which offers a rare, intimate look at King Charles III's lifelong passion for environmental conservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Myers and Jennifer Newton discuss the Princess of Wales' recent visit to the Peak District, where she joined a charity called Mind Over Mountains to promote the benefits of connecting with nature for mental health. They delve into Kate's longstanding interest in using the outdoors and natural environments as a tool for healing and self-reflection. Russell and Jen also chat about the new Amazon Prime documentary "Finding Harmony: A King's Vision", which offers a rare, intimate look at King Charles III's lifelong passion for environmental conservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What if the biggest source of stress in your life is not your job, inbox, or finances – but the simple fact that you have too much stuff? This week, my guest is Joshua Fields Millburn, co‑founder of The Minimalists, whose documentaries, books and podcast have inspired millions of people around the world to reconsider their own relationship with possessions and success. Joshua grew up with very little money, in a home marked by addiction, violence and instability and, as a young man, became convinced that the solution was to be found in acquiring ‘more':  more income, more status and more material comfort. By the age of 30, he had everything he thought he wanted – the big job title, the nice car, the large house, all the visible signs of having “made it”. And yet, inside, he was anxious, overwhelmed and deeply unhappy. Then, in the space of a single month, his mother died and his marriage ended. Those two events forced him to pause and ask some uncomfortable but essential questions: What am I actually doing with my life? Whose values am I living by? Is this endless consumption really what life is all about? That period of questioning led Joshua towards minimalism – not as a trend or an aesthetic, but as a practical framework for living with greater clarity and intention.  in our conversation, we discuss: How external clutter is often an outward reflection of internal clutter Why products so often promise fulfilment but ultimately deliver dissatisfaction The difference between healthy consumption and harmful consumerism Practical rules that make decluttering simpler, including the 30-day minimalism game, the 90/90 approach to clothes and why a “sale price” can often become a “fool's price” How identity clutter keeps us stuck - when we cling to things, roles or labels, not because we need them, but because we're afraid of who we'll be without them How minimalism can improve our health and relationships by creating more time, attention and presence. Joshua is a wonderful human being, a brilliant communicator and someone who thinks deeply about the human experience.  He believes that minimalism is the art of “addition through subtraction” - it's not about having less for the sake of it, but about making space for what matters most. Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/feelbetterlivemore. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Thanks to our sponsors: https://vivobarefoot.com/livemore https://thewayapp.com/livemore Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/614 DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.