In this episode of Minds & Mics, Nick chats with author Oliver Burkeman about the imperfectionist mindset and how this counterintuitive idea can help with everything from perfectionism and indecisiveness to procrastination and imposter syndrome. 💌 JOIN NICK'S FREE NEWSLETTER The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/newsletter/ 📙 OLIVER'S BOOK Meditations for Mortals: https://www.oliverburkeman.com EPISODE TOPICS The Problem with Self-Improvement Function Follows Form What Is Impe...
Oct 18, 2024•51 min•Ep. 47
Jonny Miller shares his favorite exercise and techniques to lower chronic anxiety by regulating your nervous system. 💌 JOIN NICK'S FREE NEWSLETTER The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/ 😇 NICK'S ANXIETY COURSE Creating Calm: https://nickwignall.com/creating-calm 🫁 JONNY'S COURSE Nervous System Mastery: https://www.nsmastery.com
Oct 06, 2024•45 min•Ep. 46
Psychologist Nick Wignall and therapist Emma McAdam share their favorite tips for overcoming social anxiety. 💌 JOIN NICK'S FREE NEWSLETTER The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/newsletter-yt/ ⚒️ LINKS & RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE → Painfully Shy by Barbara and Gregory Markway https://www.amazon.com/Painfully-Shy-Overcome-Anxiety-Reclaim/dp/0312316232 → The Assertiveness Workbook by Randy Paterson https://www.amazon.com/Assertiveness-Workbook-Express-Yourself-Relationships/dp/16...
Jun 07, 2024•48 min•Ep. 45
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I chat with trauma and resilience researcher Dr. George Bonanno. Show Notes: How to think clearly about trauma and PTSD Common misconceptions about trauma The resilience paradox The problem with the PTSD diagnosis Trauma concept creep How to develop resilience (The flexibility sequence) The end of trauma? Lisa Feldman Barret Mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of exercise on mood and emotional health Learn more about Dr. Bonanno and his work here: Georg...
Mar 18, 2024•57 min•Ep. 44
In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with Dr. Daniel Erichsen about better sleep for high-achievers.
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 43
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I chat with Liz Fosslien about her new book, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay . We cover topics like perfectionism vs healthy striving, the difference between envy and jealousy, burnout and the Amazon Zen Booth, revenge bedtime procrastination, and the role of personal responsibility in mental health. Show Notes The dark side of “coping” with difficult feelings No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work Jealousy vs ...
May 07, 2022•52 min•Ep. 42
In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with Dr. Steve Hayes, the founder of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). We talk about everything from the importance of psychological flexibility and emotional tolerance to the future of psychotherapy and what to look for in a great therapist. Show Notes Psychological flexibility Psychological rigidity Social anxiety and panic attacks Where does self-judgment and negative self-talk come from? The psychological function of religion and wisdom tr...
May 07, 2022•59 min•Ep. 41
In the latest episode of Minds & Mics, I chatted with Michael Bungay Stanier about his new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters and a range of topics, including the obligation we all have to be "doubly ambitious," why SMART goals aren't usually very smart, the case for working in 6-week cycles, and the genius of cartoonist Gary Larson. Show Notes What makes a book useful? The Coaching Habit Being “doubly ambitious” How to think about overwhelm: realistic, consistent, grace W...
Feb 25, 2022•57 min•Ep. 40
Kai Koch is the co-founder of ahead, which is a software company and app for building emotional intelligence. We talk about the opportunities and challenges for technology in emotional health, self-awareness, emotional intelligence in organizations, and what the future of technology-assisted emotional health might look like. Show Notes The unique benefits of mobile technology for emotional health Making self-awareness social Making personal growth social Emotional granularity Emotional intellige...
Dec 11, 2021•41 min•Ep. 39
Sleep psychologist Dr. Jade Wu returns to the show to talk specifically about sleep issues for new moms, including what’s normal and what should be addressed professionally, how sleep and postpartum depression interact, intrusive thoughts and anxiety, and some practical tips for new moms to get their sleep back on track. Show Notes How sleep changes in pregnancy and postpartum Sleep deprivation vs circadian disruptions Types of sleep disturbances that predict postpartum depression Tips for minim...
Nov 21, 2021•56 min•Ep. 38
Jade and I chat about uncommon sleep misconceptions, how to deal with nightmares, intergenerational sleep trauma, the problem with sleep hygiene, and the message about sleep Jade wants carved on her gravestone. Show Notes Uncommon sleep myths and misconceptions My other chat about sleep myths with Dr. Daniel Erichsen Better Sleep with insomnia coach Martin Reed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) Conditioned arousal Bed time vs rise time How much deep sleep do you actually need? Wh...
Nov 05, 2021•48 min•Ep. 37
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I talk with author Nir Eyal about the relationship between technology use and wellbeing among children, parenting in the age of social media, and the virtues of getting out of your kids’ way. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Common misconceptions about kids and technology use Why screen time is a pointless metric What’s really behind increased rates of suicide and depression among kids? The mental health benefits of technolog...
Oct 01, 2021•47 min•Ep. 36
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I talk with psychologist and author Pia Callesen about overthinking and the metacognitive approach to emotional struggles like anxiety and depression. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: What is overthinking, exactly? Types of overthinking The 2 reasons why we overthink The difference between anxious and depressive overthinking Overthinking as a universal mechanism for emotional suffering Scheduled overthinking Metacognitive The...
Aug 28, 2021•55 min•Ep. 35
In this episode of Minds & Mics, I talk with my friend Rosie Sherry about how she made the news for being a "reckless" parent, her distinctive approach to unschooling her kids, authenticity and vulnerability on social media, and what it means to practice self-care as a full-time community builder and mother of five. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Unschooling The struggle to treat each child as they need How Rosie thinks about self-care Dealing with self-car...
Aug 28, 2021•50 min•Ep. 34
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I talk with Jay Clouse, the creator and host of one of my favorite podcasts, Creative Elements. Jay and I get into the details of creative overwhelm and burnout and how Jay manages it. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: What does overwhelm actually look like for Jay? Hard works as a response to feeling overwhelmed Respect for deadlines as a core part of Jay’s identity Jay’s approach to “de-scoping” his schedule and task list to...
Aug 08, 2021•40 min•Ep. 33
Oliver Burkeman joins me to talk about the problem with the narrow concept of time management and how we mere mortals ought to think about managing our time instead. Show Notes Time management for 4-year-olds The narrow vs broad meaning of time management The importance trap and the temptation to “clear the decks” Anti-skills, negative capability , and the superpower that is emotional tolerance The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic The...
Aug 01, 2021•58 min•Ep. 32
Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist as well as the host of the popular YouTube channel, Therapy in a Nutshell. In today's episode, Emma and I talk about emotional processing and the most important ideas and skills we can learn to manage painful feelings in a healthy and productive way. Show Notes What is emotional processing? Why is emotional processing important? Wilderness therapy Why is it so hard to talk about our feelings? Primary vs secondary emotions Basic emotional pr...
Jun 13, 2021•43 min•Ep. 31
Dr. Christian Jarrett joins me on the show to discuss the science of personality change and to what extent we can deliberately modify our own personality. Show Notes What is personality, exactly? The Big 5 Theory of Personality What makes a personality theory valid? How writing a book changed how Christian sees personality What are the mechanisms of significant personality shifts? Personality adaptability Neuroticism Are certain personality traits good or bad? Healthy or pathological? The most u...
May 20, 2021•47 min•Ep. 30
In this episode of Minds & Mics , I talk with Martin Reed, a health coach who specializes in helping clients with insomnia and sleep issues. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Martin’s own struggles with insomnia and how they led him to become an insomnia educator and coach Coaching vs therapy for insomnia and sleep issues The dangers of insomnia “communities” Similarities in what causes insomnia What makes a case of insomnia “extreme”? Sleep trauma The one thi...
May 16, 2021•50 min•Ep. 29
In this episode of Minds and Mics, I talk with Melody Wilding, a leadership and executive coach who specializes in helping sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way, including struggling with imposter syndrome. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Sensitive strivers The big 5 personality traits Dr. Elaine Aron and the highly sensitive person Is “fake it ‘till you make it” good advice? Imposter syndrome How can parents help their kids avoid de...
Apr 25, 2021•55 min•Ep. 28
Science journalist Jesse Singal joins me on the show to talk about the dangers of fad psychology, including myths and misconceptions about positive psychology, the self-esteem movement, deceptive media coverage of popular behavioral science research, the replication crisis in academic psychology, and more. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Jonathan Haidt and moral foundations theory Misleading statistics and external validity The problems with self-esteem and the ...
Apr 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 27
Designer and author Fred Dust joins me on the show to discuss how we can use principles from design to have better, more impactful conversations. Show Notes The distinctiveness of podcast conversations Mission-driven vs exploration-driven conversations The 3 ways conversations get derailed The usefulness of constraints in conversation Adjusting the speed of conversations The benefits of rehearsing hard conversations Overcoming self-consciousness in conversation Wearing jeans in the White House E...
Mar 21, 2021•40 min•Ep. 26
Nick chats with Herbert Lui about practical ways to exercise your creativity. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Misconceptions about creativity The creative process Nature vs nurture in creativity Quality vs quantity in creativity How to get started being more creative? Creative blocks Fear of being judged Creativity and community Constructive vs destructive comparisons Why constraints are helpful for creativity Is quitting important for creativity? You can learn ...
Mar 10, 2021•50 min•Ep. 25
Caitlin Faas returns to the show to talk about life coaching—what it is, how it works, how it helps, and common misconceptions. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: How Caitlin went from tenured professor to life coach Objections to life coaching: Life coaching isn’t legit… If you think you need a life coach, what you really need is a therapist There’s nothing you can get from a life coach that you can’t get from a good friend Life coaches are just snake-oil salesman...
Feb 14, 2021•53 min•Ep. 24
Lodro Rinzler returns to the show to talk about how a Buddhist perspective on anxiety can help us through difficult times. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: Focusing on stories vs anxiety itself The parable of the second arrow Anxiety vs worry vs stress The Three Vajras : Body, Speech, and Mind Is the popularity of mindfulness a good thing? Should we try to get rid of negative thinking? Expressing anxiety vs complaining about it How to handle other people’s anxiet...
Jan 31, 2021•45 min•Ep. 23
Dr. Sarah Sarkis joins me on the show to talk about the adaptive unconscious, self-sabotaging behavior, attachment patterns, and therapy vs performance coaching. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from our conversation: The adaptive unconscious Defense mechanisms Self-sabotage Improving self-awareness Developing an observing ego Attachment patterns Compensation and replication of attachment dynamics Emotional masking Using emotional pain as motivation Is it the crime or the cover-up? Psy...
Jan 17, 2021•55 min•Ep. 22
Dr. Margaret Rutherford joins me on the show to talk about perfectly hidden depression, perfectionism, and the challenges of emotional vulnerability. Show Notes Here are some of the highlights from the conversations: Constructive vs destructive perfectionism Appetitive vs aversive motivation Trauma, childhood strategies, and the origins of perfectionism "Smiling depression" Emotional vulnerability Brene Brown — The Gifts of Imperfection Terrence Real — I Don’t Want to Talk About It Perfectly hid...
Jan 03, 2021•59 min•Ep. 21
Nick talks to professional mediator Dr. Adar Cohen about how we can have difficult conversations more effectively. Here are some of the highlights from the conversations: The Farsi concept of Taroff The psychology behind conflict avoidance The 3 main outcomes of difficult conversations: 1) Solution, 2) Plan, 3) Understanding Achieving deep understanding in conversations The elements of effective listening Open-ended questions vs. litigious questions The importance of uncovering “gem statements" ...
Dec 19, 2020•56 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, I talk with author, professor, and writing coach Uddipana Goswami about her practice of Life Writing and how it helped her to process emotional struggles in her life. You can learn more about Uddipana and her work on her personal website . Get the latest Minds & Mics episodes as soon as they're released If you enjoyed this episode of Minds&Mics and want to get notified whenever new episodes are released, you can join Nick's free weekly newsletter here →...
Dec 19, 2020•41 min•Ep. 19
Tim Stoddart joins me on the show to talk about his journey out of addiction and into entrepreneurship—and how blogging played a pivotal role. You can learn more about Tim and his work on his personal site TimStodz.com Links and items of note from this episode: Seth Godin Sober Nation Copyblogger Stodzy Internet Marketing Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here , including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released....
Nov 22, 2020•46 min•Ep. 18
