Kevin Hart is a world famous comedian whose stand-up comedy tours sell out stages around the world. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author of several books. His latest book, an Audible Original called Monsters and How to Tame Them, discusses strategies for managing your inner critic. Some of the things he talks about today are why everyone struggles with the same inner monsters, how to use your inner crit...
Nov 21, 2022•39 min•Ep. 217
Sometimes, practicing gratitude can feel a little bit like a chore. Writing thank you notes or telling your family what you’re thankful for over the dinner table might not conjure up true gratitude after a while. But, there are gratitude practices that can help you feel thankful every day. And that can have huge benefits for your health, your relationships, and your happiness level. One of the best ways to practice gratitude involves being thankful for the people in your life, rather than the th...
Nov 18, 2022•9 min•Ep. 216
Andy Grammer is a singer, songwriter and record producer. He’s best known for his song, “Honey, I’m Good,” which peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. His music is uplifting but he felt depressed during the pandemic. Now, he’s talking about how he went to therapy, what he learned, and why anyone can develop depression. Some of the things you'll hear on the show are how Andy recognized he was depressed, what he's learning in therapy, and how he's practicing self-acceptance. Learn more abou...
Nov 14, 2022•37 min•Ep. 215
There’s a lot of information out there about setting healthy boundaries. But sometimes it’s difficult to get to the first step–saying no. If you’re a people-pleaser or you have a fear of missing out, saying no is difficult. Whether your friends invite you to do something or your boss offers you a new opportunity, it can be hard to find the right words to turn something down. It’s especially uncomfortable to say no to help. But if a colleague offers to help you with something and you’re afraid th...
Nov 11, 2022•10 min•Ep. 214
John Oates is a member of the best-selling duo of all time Hall & Oates. He’s also an accomplished solo artist who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The American Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2017, his autobiography, Change of Seasons, became a bestseller. In it, he shares his journey with managing his mental health as a famous musician and the steps he took to stay grounded. Now, he's growing back his famous mustache for Movember to spread awareness for mental health. Som...
Nov 07, 2022•33 min•Ep. 213
Sometimes, we inadvertently increase the chances that our biggest fears might come true. That’s not to say it’s your fault if something bad happened to you. Bad things happen to us through no fault of our own much of the time. But there are times when our fear of something causes us to react in a way that actually increases the chances that our fear might come true. From dating the exact type of person you said you wanted to avoid to getting into the financial mess that you swore you’d never get...
Nov 04, 2022•11 min•Ep. 212
Taye Diggs is an actor who has appeared on Broadway, in several TV shows, and in many movies. He’s best known for his roles in Rent, the TV series Private Practice, and the movies How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Brown Sugar, and Malibu’s Most Wanted. Currently, he stars in All American, and he's going to host a new reality dating show called Back in the Groove. Taye struggled with insomnia for 13 years. He tried to ignore it and told himself that what he was experiencing was normal. But a certai...
Oct 31, 2022•28 min•Ep. 211
If you set an aggressive but realistic goal that you want to achieve and a tight deadline, there’s no time to procrastinate. And you might realize how much every single day counts as you have limited time to reach your goal. I have found 30-day challenges to be really helpful in my life. Sometimes, they motivate me to create change. At other times, they provide me with information. I treat them as a behavioral experiment that I test for 30 days. When they’re over, I can decide if I want to conti...
Oct 28, 2022•11 min•Ep. 210
Dr. Yeager is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Much of his work focuses on facilitating the advancement of meaningful dialogue surrounding the subject of race and racism. He also serves as the therapist for the Detroit Pistons professional NBA basketball team. He’s the author of a new book called How Am I Doing: 40 Conversations to Have With Yourself. In it, he describes questions we can all ask ourselves to increase self-awareness. Some of the things he discusses in today's episode are...
Oct 24, 2022•37 min•Ep. 201
There’s more than one way to tackle the same problem — especially when it comes to mental health problems. Some therapists focus on problems and all the things that contribute to emotional pain and suffering. Their goal is to help people gain insight into their problems so they can create positive changes. Solution-focused therapists focus on solutions only. These therapists don’t explore old childhood wounds, and they don’t talk about past mistakes. They keep the conversation about the 'here an...
Oct 21, 2022•9 min•Ep. 208
Ryan Holiday is a #1 New York Times Best-Selling author and media strategist. He’s written more than a dozen books, including Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, The Obstacle Is the Way, and Stillness Is the Key. He’s also the host of a popular podcast called The Daily Stoic. His newest book, Discipline Is Destiny, is part of a series he’s written on The Stoic Virtues. Some of the things he talks about today are why a lack of discipline leads to unhappiness, the areas of your life where you can s...
Oct 17, 2022•50 min•Ep. 207
We all make poor decisions sometimes. But we often blame those bad decisions on not having enough information. And while that may be a factor, there’s another factor that often comes into play–we aren’t balancing our emotions with logic. Emotions should play a role in our decisions. But, if they play too big of a role, we’ll make poor choices. Logic should also play a role in decision making. But if we base our choices on logic alone, we’ll also make mistakes. We make our best decisions when we ...
Oct 14, 2022•12 min
Kelsey Crowe, Ph.D. heads Empathy Bootcamp, a company that trains people to be more empathetic. She's also the author of There Is No Good Card for This. She's an expert in helping people find the best words to say to someone going through a tough time. Some of the things she talks about today are why it's so difficult for us to know what to say to someone who is in pain, the one phrase you can use in almost any situation, and the things you can do for someone who is going through a hard time. Wh...
Oct 10, 2022•42 min•Ep. 205
We all imagine catastrophic things happening sometimes. Maybe whenever a loved one doesn’t reply to a text message, right you automatically think something terrible has happened to them. Or perhaps every time your boss asks you to meet, you assume that you’re about to get fired. Not only do catastrophic thoughts overestimate how bad things are going to be, they also underestimate our ability to cope if something bad does happen. You might tell yourself that you’d be completely destroyed if you g...
Oct 07, 2022•11 min•Ep. 204
Nick Viall is best known for his role on The Bachelor TV series. He starred in The Bachelorette for two seasons before starring as "The Bachelor." He also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise. He has since started a podcast called The Viall Files where he talks about relationships, and he wrote a book called Don’t Text Your Ex Happy Birthday: and Other Advice on Love, Sex, and Dating. Some of the things he talks about today are the difference between expectations and boundaries, how your ego can int...
Oct 03, 2022•38 min•Ep. 203
We all act tough sometimes. There are times when acting tough can serve a purpose. There will be times when you need to set your feelings aside and push through something difficult. It’s OK to acknowledge that you feel uncomfortable, to ask for help, and to be vulnerable with other people. In fact, it often takes more strength to acknowledge your feelings or to admit to your mistakes. It can be helpful to stop and ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now an example of being strong, or am I jus...
Sep 30, 2022•14 min•Ep. 202
Dr. Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, best-selling author, and executive coach. He spent many years of his career working with patients who were experiencing thoughts of suicide. He learned that one of the best things he could do for people who were in pain was to sit and listen to them. Some of the things he talks about today are the truth about why people experience suicidal thoughts (it's not always depression), how to talk to a loved one if you're concerned about them, and what you can do if ...
Sep 26, 2022•43 min•Ep. 201
We're celebrating our 200th episode by sharing the top mental strength lessons we've learned so far on the podcast. I discuss some of my favorite lessons I've learned from guests like Matthew McConaughey, Nikki Sixx, and Chrissy Metz. I also share the mental strength exercises that our listeners talk about the most from the Friday Fix episodes! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Sep 23, 2022•19 min•Ep. 200
Ethan Suplee is an actor who is known for his roles on TV shows like Boy Meets World and My Name Is Earl as well as movies like American History X, Blow, The Wolf of Wallstreet, John Q, and Remember the Titans. In many of his acting roles, Ethan was morbidly obese. But food wasn’t his only addiction. He struggled with addiction to drugs and alcohol as well. After being told that he was going to die due to the severity of his health issues stemming from his weight and addiction, Ethan decided to ...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 199
There are many ways to treat depression — medication, individual therapy, group therapy, and transcranial magnetic stimulation to name a few. But there are also lifestyle changes that can sometimes provide effective relief from symptoms. Something as simple as growing a garden can sometimes be an effective way to improve mood and reduce stress. In fact, horticulture therapy has become an entire field of treatment for individuals who want to improve their well-being. From working in community gar...
Sep 16, 2022•10 min•Ep. 198
Cobie Smulders is an actress who is known for her role as Robin Scherbatsky in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. She’s also starred in many movies, including her role as agent Maria Hill in Marvel movies. She also knows a thing or two about resilience. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25. She underwent multiple surgeries while starring in How I Met Your Mother and did not make her diagnosis public until several years later. Now, she's teamed up with Colgate because she wants kids to ...
Sep 12, 2022•20 min•Ep. 197
Maybe you’re having dinner with a friend and all you can think about is your to-do list. Or perhaps it takes 30 minutes to send an email because you keep questioning how to word each sentence. There are several reasons why our brains feel cluttered sometimes. Depression can cause us to ruminate on the past. Anxiety can cause you to worry about the future. Traumatic experiences can cause you to always be on the lookout for danger. But a diagnosable mental health condition isn’t always the culprit...
Sep 09, 2022•12 min•Ep. 196
Lauren Swanson is a board-certified physician assistant who prescribes Ketamine through a telehealth company. She says she has seen it make huge differences in the lives of people who are battling anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance use disorders. Some of the things she talks about today are the science behind how Ketamine works, the benefits Ketamine can offer, and what someone can expect when they begin Ketamine treatment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...
Sep 05, 2022•44 min•Ep. 195
One person’s hallmark of mental strength might involve taking a little more time off to relax. Another person’s evidence of bigger mental muscles might involve pushing themselves to do more even though they don’t feel like it. Our behavior doesn’t always reveal the battle we’re fighting inside our own minds. So it’s important to remember that your actions are only part of the process. Mental strength also involves the way you think and the way you feel. Fortunately, there is a strategy that can ...
Sep 02, 2022•9 min•Ep. 194
Ricky Byrd is a rock and roll guitar player, singer, songwriter, and music producer. For more than a decade, he was a member of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, where he contributed background vocals and music to many albums, including two platinum albums and one gold album. His most famous song might be “I Love Rock 'n Roll,” which was released in 1981. For many years, Ricky lived what might be the “typical” musician lifestyle. He drank, used drugs, and partied hard as he toured around the world al...
Aug 29, 2022•41 min•Ep. 193
You may find yourself thinking you need more mental strength so you can go to the gym. But what if the opposite were true? You need to go to the gym to build mental strength. Most people focus on the physical muscle they build from exercise. But physical activity is also a great way to build mental muscle. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily need a gym membership to bolster your mental strength. There are plenty of physical activities you can do from home or outside to build mental strength. You ...
Aug 26, 2022•11 min•Ep. 192
Ronald Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School where he’s taught since the early 1980s. He’s a longtime student of mindfulness meditation, and he has taught internationally about the importance of mindfulness and mind-body treatment. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lincoln, MA. Some of the things he talks about in this episode are why we equate happiness with achievement (even though success doesn't make us happy), the exercise that ...
Aug 22, 2022•40 min•Ep. 191
While you can’t control how other people behave, you can control how you respond to them. If you’ve allowed someone to treat you poorly and you didn’t address their behavior, it’s important to consider why. It may have to do with the other person–like you fear what would happen if you spoke up. Or, it may have more to do with you–like you fear what would happen to you if the other person stopped being in your life. Once you understand why you allow mistreatment to happen, you can take helpful ac...
Aug 19, 2022•11 min•Ep. 190
Boundaries involve setting rules that make it clear how you want to be treated. Sometimes, this means saying something like, “No, I won’t loan you my car.” Other boundaries involve telling someone what you expect like, “I expect you to call before showing up at my house.” It’s important to announce your boundaries to other people. You might say, “Please don’t ask about my health issues in front of other people.” At times, however, it’s best to show what your boundaries are with your behavior. If...
Aug 05, 2022•11 min•Ep. 189
Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and a New York Times Best Selling author. Her books, including Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, have been translated into 20 languages. She’s also a contributor to The Atlantic where she writes a regular column called “Dear Therapist.” She co-hosts a podcast with Guy Winch, called Dear Therapists, where they respond to listeners’ problems and walk them through therapy sessions with actionable advice. In her book, Lori talked about a mysterious illness she has....
Aug 01, 2022•31 min•Ep. 188
