Send us a text No one has been spared from the strong impulse to put things off for later. You might find yourself cleaning out the refrigerator when you should really be working on your taxes. Dilly-dallying and lallygagging are a few ways one’s aversion for impending tasks manifests itself. In the Netflix series, The Kominsky Method , Alan Arkin’s character loses his wife of nearly 50 years to cancer and at the funeral, his daughter who never visits her ailing mother during her illness shows u...
Nov 26, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Send us a text When talking about his sad mess of a childhood, author Augustine Boroughs’ fantasy of normalcy resembled to that of "fabric-softener, tuna-salad-on-white, PTA-meeting normal". In his autobiography, Running with Scissors, Boroughs writes about his guardian conjuring a mental health excuse by giving him the directive to pop pills, drink liquor and fake his own suicide so that he could get out of going school. As a reader you can’t help but think in what ways these childhood experien...
Nov 08, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Send us a text Roberto Benigni’s critically acclaimed role in the movie Life is Beautiful, which earned him an Oscar, poignantly illustrates what a caring, charismatic adult does to shield a young boy from the horrors of captivity in a concentration camp as they were thrown into the atrocities of war. With his resilient ways, Guido Orefice, the father in this movie, interacts reassuringly with his son and helps him gain a sense of control over his life in the midst of chaos. The question then ar...
Nov 01, 2018•56 min•Season 1Ep. 55
Send us a text As a youngster growing up in 70s, if I had struggled to retain facts, or to learn a second (more like third) language or did not grasp advance math or failed to finish the exam on time, I would have been lectured or yelled at. In that era, I would been reprehended for not trying hard enough or for not caring enough about my learning. Thankfully, the development in neuroscience and the deeper understanding of psychology of learning has opened our eyes to the possibilities that stud...
Oct 15, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Send us a text No one is free form worrying about their children and their success. From sippy cups, nap times, and play dates, parents move on to worrying about lost papers, missing homework, too much cell-phone use, or not getting a part in a school play. Normal mishaps aside, a struggling child can cause even greater worry. Email exchanges like this one are not uncommon. “Johnny seems to work tremendously hard in school, but he is struggling to get his work done efficiently. I am concerned th...
Sep 25, 2018•53 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Send us a text Sutter Keely is a smart, goofy, sensitive, troubled, unserious, and lost teenager who doesn't have the best Executive Function skills. Sutter is the main character in the movie ‘The Spectacular Now’ whose life choices are not that off the mark for a teenager but do certainly stand out from his sweet, focused, ambitious, and future-centered ex-girlfriend or the studious, hard-working, curious, engaged, and caring new girlfriend. This movie beautifully captures the angst of a young ...
Sep 18, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Send us a text A child opens a fun little children’s book and comes across two words ‘trogglehumper’ and ‘frothbuggling’. He’s immediately drawn in. You can hear him wonder, “what’s that?” What a way to capture a kid's interest and tickle their imagination! Celebrated children’s author, Roald Dahl, had knack of doing that. He once said, “If you want to remember what it’s like to live in a child’s world, you’ve got to get down on your hands and knees and live like that for a week.” Roald Dahl rec...
Sep 11, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Send us a text A recent headline read, “Demonic child on flight” that described a passenger who filmed his horrific experience while traveling with a screaming 3-year-old on a long flight from Germany to the USA. The video stirred up a Facebook controversy where many empathized with the mother while the rest blamed her for failing to control the child. Misbehavior implies the intention to misbehave. Dealing with a screaming 3-year-old on an 8-hour international flight or handling a student with ...
Aug 13, 2018•47 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Send us a text Recently, during a baptism ceremony, an 89-year old French priest lost his cool and slapped a 2-year old toddler in the face, who wouldn't stop crying. The whole incident was caught on camera and went viral as one can imagine. The priest later said. “It was something between a caress and a little slap. I was trying to calm him down, I didn’t really know what to do.” Somewhere, the switch in the priest’s brain flipped where he felt compelled to react with anger towards a baby, whic...
Aug 02, 2018•53 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Send us a text For a west Philadelphia high school dropout, Troy Carter has had an incredibly impressive career where as a talent scout, manager, and producer he has launched artists like Lady Gaga to fame. However, his creative entrepreneurship transcended industry silos as he has become first of his kind to be an angel investor in more that 100 Silicon Valley startups including Spotify. But as a child, Troy was so tiny that he would always be in the front and center in all school pictures whil...
Jul 15, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Send us a text Each day, more than 7 million children in the United States are left to their own devices for at least some period of time after the school day ends. And research shows that children who are deprived of a supervised environment by a supportive adult are likely to develop a gamut of academic and behavioral problems. Sometimes the only nurturing adult in a child’s life is a teacher who encourages them to take academic and social initiatives, crafts opportunities for inner growth, an...
Jul 09, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Send us a text When Office Depot® sells a pencil on their website the description says, “Brand Basic Wood Pencils, #2 Medium Soft Lead, Pack Of 36”. Now take a look at Nick Offerman’s website and see how he sells a pencil. He’s the actor who famously brought the character of Ron Swanson, a colorful crank, to life in the sitcom Parks and Recreation. First of all, Offerman Wood Shop (OWS) calls it a Mistake Stick and the description says, “Keep an OWS pencil in your beard/bun at all times because ...
Jun 22, 2018•41 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Send us a text On April 11, 1734, a tiny notice appeared in the small corner of the Pennsylvania Gazette owned by Benjamin Franklin that read, “Ready money for old rags”. People poured in just as expected. Franklin, the entrepreneur extraordinaire, who also held a license to print paper currency, began to send these rags to the mill he owned to convert it into paper money; thus popularizing the notion, rags to riches. Since then, the American psyche has been steeped into the belief that everyone...
Jun 15, 2018•51 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Send us a text Every day we go to bed knowing we have left many things unfinished, allowed intrusive thoughts about unfinished business interrupt the work flow, and wasted a lot of time. Even though, the productivity guru Stephen Covey has famously said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing” many of us can’t decide fast enough or well enough what that main thing is. The researchers agree that having to make decisions, small or big, every step of the way depletes the mental re...
May 21, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Send us a text A secret ingredient in the life of an easy-going, popular kid with lots of friends and good grades is self-control. Eventually, this kid grows up into a focused, accomplished, and well-adjusted adult who lives a physically well-disciplined and financially secure life without ever brushing against the law or criminal justice. On the other hand, those who fail to deploy self-restraint bear the brunt of an onslaught of bad decisions and a life of discontent. On this episode, the worl...
May 14, 2018•55 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Send us a text Wired magazine once challenged 39 sci-fi writers and creative types to put their artistry to test by writing a 6-word story. Author of beloved Wicked series, Gregory Maguire came back with a clever riposte, “From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.” These simple string of words sets the brain’s into motion. It wonders, what are the men are thinking, what are they feeling, what was the author thinking, and what do the other readers make of this. While a good writer tickles the rea...
May 04, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Send us a text In the world of limitless possibilities, there is a limit as to how much one can know about the minds of others. Take an example: Have you ever been in your head so much that your insecurities catch up with you and you fail to gauge what others are thinking and feeling? It all simply begins when a friend doesn't return your call; or at least not right away. You begin to guess what her reasons are to not call and from there on, it escalates into this drama inside where you end up w...
Apr 27, 2018•45 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Send us a text Frank Darabont’s most prudent decision came when he spent just a $1 for one of Stephen King’s 1982 short stories Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption only to write a mind-blowing screenplay based on the story. Eventually, he directed it into the critically acclaimed and commercially successful film, Shawshank Redemption, which depicts how a wrongfully accused and imprisoned for life Andy Dufresne gets a new lease on life after breaking free from the indestructible shackles. No o...
Apr 13, 2018•46 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Send us a text What war can you win with a deck of cards, a bible, a dictionary, and a bottle of sherry? A war against the drudgery of daily mundane. To bring a semblance of normalcy, to push against her personal limits and to invoke her creative genius, for many years, Maya Angelou rented a hotel room where she placed these four simple objects and did her best work. Known for her prolific writing career, Maya Angelou could not have accomplished her success if it weren’t for a complete surrender...
Apr 09, 2018•34 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Send us a text Have you ever wondered if you’re doing it right, particularly when it comes to parenting? Have your good intentions to push your kids failed you? Have you reacted in an unflattering way when dealing with your kids’ distractibility, stubbornness, or argumentativeness or have your children pointed out that your reactions of frustration and anger are very unbecoming of you? It turns out that just because you're a talented, successful, and good person doesn’t mean that you will automa...
Apr 02, 2018•49 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Send us a text The game of Chutes and Ladders, originally invented in India and known for the snakes instead of chutes, is a great allegory for life. With the luck of the draw, you get a leg up when you land on the ladder only to be taken down a several notches often to an irretraceable set back. It takes a lot of mental maneuvering and an executive control to handle the frustration of sliding down from 87 to 24 and to patiently wait to rise up again or watch others win. And it’s true wisdom to ...
Mar 25, 2018•40 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Send us a text World-class athletes, politicians, artists, and even entrepreneurs have fallen from grace because of their personal salacious digressions or public tantrums. The talent that makes them rich and famous is not the same talent that helps them ward off the chaos in their vulnerable mind. The emotional brain is inherently wired to duck from social perils or to protect itself from the painful misery of negative experiences. If mindlessness is at the heart of impulsive, silly, or even du...
Mar 15, 2018•39 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Send us a text Would you be willing to head-butt a ram for an icy cold bottle of Mountain Dew? That’s the kind of lighthearted foolery that got a lot of laughs during a Super Bowl commercial one year. At the end, we see the young man sipping from the winning drink, but you’re not quite sure if he is okay because you can hear a stutter in his speech as he staggers away in a disoriented haze. Even though our precious brain comes in a special protective casing, not everyone is lucky enough to keep ...
Feb 27, 2018•43 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Send us a text In NBC’s award winning series, This is Us, Mandy Moore’s character Becca, a new mother of three, leaves the house for the first time after the childbirth to buy groceries so that she can make something special for her husband, Jack. Ordinarily, Becca plays by the book and goes with the flow but an encounter where another shopper grabs the last bag of yellow onions that Becca wanted for herself leads to a massive meltdown. One can clearly see what happens when the demands on a capa...
Feb 20, 2018•42 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Send us a text What’s the difference between blowing bubbles in the yard, watching a drunk shovel snow in a shopping cart, and listening to Rodney Dangerfield deliver a monologue? The first one is fun, the second one is funny, but only Rodney Dangerfield’s one-liners makes you laugh every time. It takes Executive Function skills such as adapting off-stage comedic talent to the stand-up comedy environment, restructuring the jokes, and adjusting your timing to succeed in the business of entertainm...
Feb 12, 2018•38 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Send us a text Taking care of children by feeding them, protecting them, and loving them is not the same as preparing them for their future. American education has been through an evolutionary process; which is just a few centuries old and the quest is yet to be fulfilled. We forget, a century ago, attending school past age 12 was not mandatory, the classrooms were often filled with 50-60 kids of varying ages and demanding kids to recite and regurgitate facts was a standard practice. Forecasting...
Feb 05, 2018•31 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Send us a text If you’re trying to bum a cigarette from someone outside a bar after midnight be prepared for them to say no. Talented actor, Shia Lebeouf, wasn’t prepared. Ironically, he who has painstakingly portrayed Tennis’ tempestuous bad-boy, John McEnroe, in “Borg vs McEnroe,” himself has been arrested one time too many for emotional volatility, impulsivity, and disorderly conduct. Not everyone has strong executive function to circumvent life’s obstacles with grace. Today, my guest, Dr. Sa...
Feb 02, 2018•37 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Send us a text The creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, once described Homer Simpson as “a loving father but he’s ruled by his impulses”. Homer often comes across more of a juvenile adult than a parent; never quite equipped to handle Bart’s bratty behaviors or Lisa’s intellectual curiosity. In spite of being endowed, the virtuous, talented, and sensitive middle child Lisa is often ignored in the Simpsons household. As it is, parenting is hard but it’s even harder to tailor it to an individual...
Jan 18, 2018•32 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Send us a text When, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” hit the bookstores in 1984, authors Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel had no idea that their book would become a bible for expectant parents and it would top the Best Seller’s list for years to come. Even though the parents’ search to figure out the mysteries of parenting does not dwindle once the baby is born; it surely gets complicated and there is no single book that guides parent to raise self-disciplined children. Today, my guest Dr. ...
Jan 11, 2018•35 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Send us a text The end of the year inventory often reveals a track record of failed diets, disorganization, and an ever-so thinning bank balance which is why a recent poll suggested that "lose weight," "get organized," and "spend less money" are the top 3 New Year’s resolutions. To change your ways upon self-reflection you need strong Executive Function skills. It’s the self-aware people who create attainable and reasonable New Year’s resolutions, but better yet, it is the self-regulated people ...
Jan 03, 2018•44 min•Season 1Ep. 28
