Dr. Diana Hill welcomes author and Idea Architects founder Doug Abrams live from Blue Spirit Costa Rica to explore how to stay grounded, joyful, and hopeful in uncertain times. Abrams shares lessons from working with leaders like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Jane Goodall, including Tutu’s guidance to “never surrender your joy,” taking the wider perspective, and resisting without “othering” opponents. He describes his in-progress book inspired by his daughter’s question, “Are we gonna be oka...
Apr 20, 2026•1 hr 11 min•Season 9Ep. 198
Do little annoyances keep piling up until you feel overwhelmed and reactive? In this episode, Diana Hill explores why annoyance isn’t just about what’s happening—it’s shaped by your capacity (stress, heat, hunger, sleep) and the story you tell about the incident. Diana shares how noticing her own story with an airline agent, Wade, helped her soften, connect, and respond differently—ultimately increasing her ability to be with what is. Listen and learn: How stressors like heat, hunger, and poor s...
Apr 06, 2026•9 min•Season 9Ep. 197
Diana guides a meditation practice focused on increasing capacity to be with silence and open awareness. The practice emphasizes noticing the mind’s urge to comment or problem-solve, then letting go, leaning back, and relaxing into the silence and space around noise—like a “permanent layover” with nowhere to go and nothing to do—while adding warmth and kindness. Suggested Next Episode: You can also enjoy Diana's related talk-- Episode 197 Secret Sangha: Annoyance. Related Resources Get enhanced ...
Apr 06, 2026•22 min•Season 9Ep. 196
Enjoy this Secret Sangha talk where Dr. Diana Hill describes recovery as a non-linear, stop-and-start process. She emphasizes psychological flexibility as a key predictor of doing well after major life events: knowing what matters most in the moment, using your skills, and taking feedback about what isn’t working. She highlights additional supports like social connection, positive emotion amid difficulty, and meaning-making. Diana shares her own recovery story and offers core practices. Listen a...
Mar 30, 2026•14 min•Season 9Ep. 195
Diana guides walking meditation as a core recovery practice, comparing each step to a trusting fall and a snail’s glide. The practice invites letting go of self-focused stories, embodying chosen values through how one walks, and widening awareness to include others. Then you return to seated meditation to practice compassion by holding one difficult person, self-issue, or global concern with wishes for relief. Diana closes with a poem about recovery as lacing up worn running shoes and trusting t...
Mar 30, 2026•24 min•Season 9Ep. 194
Are you growing? Growth is becoming more comfortable in your own skin and prioritizing what is most essential. Growth is also letting go of needing to be the center of attention things. In this week's, Secret Sangha we explore growth and a personal level to a transpersonal one. Join me. It's a good one. Listen and learn: When to follow structure versus improvise, and recognizing when not to be the “star.” How growth moves you towards self-transformation and deeper interconnection That real growt...
Mar 23, 2026•16 min•Season 9Ep. 193
Dr. Diana Hill guides a non-dual, open-awareness meditation beginning with listening to a bell, landing in the body through sound, contact with the ground, and breath (“Breathing in, I’m alive; breathing out, I’m here”). Participants visualize their life as a timeline stretching left into the past—through birth, ancestors, and even a star’s “cracking open”—and right into the future through their continuing influence. They are invited to meet a younger self from a moment of growth, bring that sel...
Mar 23, 2026•27 min•Season 9Ep. 192
Do you keep trying to make big changes, only to burn out or get stuck at the choice point? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed and author of How a Little Becomes a Lot, about why lasting transformation happens through small, consistent actions—shaped by clear values, a “middle way” mindset, supportive structure, and compassionate self-talk. Drawing from Eric’s recovery from heroin addiction, Diana’s pushup challenge, and everyd...
Mar 16, 2026•46 min•Season 9Ep. 191
Do you shut down, look away, or push yourself harder when you’re faced with suffering—your own or someone else’s? In this Secret Sangha episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill continues the month-long series on the “four immeasurables” by exploring compassion as both sensitivity to suffering and a commitment to alleviate it. Using examples from neuroscience, the Milgram experiments, and personal stories, she unpacks common blocks to compassionate action—like overwhelm, avoidance of diffi...
Mar 14, 2026•16 min•Season 9Ep. 190
Dr. Diana Hill guides a Compassion Practice beginning with soothing rhythm breathing, slowing the breath to match one’s nervous system while breathing in clarity and breathing out tension. She then leads a grounding visualization, rooting the body into the earth and calling to mind compassionate teachers, people, or animals, distilling their wise, loving essence into light that illuminates the body and evokes a warm face, strong back, and open heart. From this “Bodhisattva” compassionate self, t...
Mar 14, 2026•24 min•Season 9Ep. 189
Do you feel thrown off balance by praise, blame, fear, or stressful news when life hits hard? In this Secret Sangha episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill continues the four-week “four immeasurables” series by focusing on equanimity—steady love—as the prior condition of balance from which pleasant and unpleasant experiences arise. She explores how the “eight worldly winds” can destabilize us, how the near enemies of equanimity show up as indifference, control, adding on stories, or acti...
Mar 02, 2026•12 min•Season 9Ep. 188
This breathwork and guided meditation session, led by Dr. Diana Hill, is part of the Diana's weekly Sangha community. This meditation guides a mindfulness practice beginning with “butterfly breath" and then invites listeners to rest attention on calming sounds arising from silence, adopt a stable and open posture of equanimity, and notice the natural steadiness of breathing. Listeners are asked to inquire inwardly what part of themselves needs tending to, meet sensations or emotions with steady ...
Mar 02, 2026•20 min•Season 9Ep. 187
Are you doing “all the right things” and still feeling like happiness keeps slipping through your fingers? In this episode, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Yale psychology professor and The Happiness Lab host Dr. Laurie Santos about the biggest mind traps that block joy—and the small, research-backed shifts that help you feel better in real life. Together, Diana and Laurie unpack why mind-wandering, hedonic adaptation (getting used to the good), and comparison quietly drain wellbeing—and how practices...
Feb 23, 2026•52 min•Season 9Ep. 186
Do you keep getting stuck in the same fights or feeling rejected in your relationship? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill shares an evidence-based talk on the science of “wise and fierce” relationships, then follows with a conversation with athlete and entrepreneur Gabby Reece about what helps partnerships last. Diana draws on relationship research and her clinical experience to explain why conflict isn’t the main problem—repair is—and on what predicts relationship satisfact...
Feb 14, 2026•47 min•Season 9Ep. 185
Are you seeking more empathy, less fear, and stronger connections in a divided world? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill discusses the power of the four immeasurables—loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. Dr. Hill explains how these qualities can positively affect your brain, body, and relationships, and offers practical exercises and insights to cultivate them. Join us to learn inspiring techniques to bring more kindness into your life and to those around you. L...
Feb 09, 2026•17 min•Season 9Ep. 184
This breathwork and guided meditation session, led by Dr. Diana Hill, is part of the Diana's weekly Sangha community. This meditation walks you through breathwork techniques and mindful presence to foster kindness within yourself and extend it to others. Diana shares techniques to anchor yourself in the present moment and invites you to connect with your 'invisible helpers' for support and kindness. Join this guided meditation to replenish your mind, body, and spirit. Suggested Next Episode: You...
Feb 09, 2026•21 min•Season 9Ep. 183
This breathwork and guided meditation session, led by Dr. Diana Hill, is part of the Diana's weekly Sangha community. This meditation walks you through breathwork techniques and a deep meditation to cultivate a spacious, free mind, heart, and self while understanding the many contexts that impact our lives. Listen as Diana guides you on this journey towards total and complete freedom. Share this episode with someone who could benefit from a moment of peace and freedom. Suggested Next Episode: Yo...
Feb 02, 2026•25 min•Season 9Ep. 182
Are you aware of how your environment and context influence your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? In this Secret Sangha episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill delves into the role of context and how it affects our inner experiences, which is a major concept of contextual behavioral science. Dr. Hill explains how our biology, social-cultural context, and environment shape our daily lives, and she encourages us to adopt a contemplative approach centered on love to transform these influe...
Feb 02, 2026•18 min•Season 9Ep. 181
How can we use our imagination to transform individually and our collective consciousness? Clinical psychologist Dr. Diana Hill explores this question with Dr. Cassandra Vieten on The Wise Effort Show. Dr. Vieten, a clinical professor and director of research at multiple institutions, shares her extensive research on the subject, emphasizing the profound impact transformative spiritual experiences can have on changing our worldview and behaviors. Listeners will learn about the conditions that su...
Jan 26, 2026•54 min•Season 9Ep. 180
This guided meditation session, led by Dr. Diana Hill, is part of the Diana's weekly Sangha community. This meditation uses the bell to bring your' attention to the present moment, encouraging flexibility in focusing on various aspects of your external and internal worlds. It emphasizes your ability to shift attention to sensory experiences, feelings, thoughts, perspectives, purpose, and actions. The meditation advocates for self-acceptance and openness, referencing Pema Chödrön's teachings on b...
Jan 19, 2026•25 min•Season 9Ep. 180
Are you feeling stuck in a problem—believing every scary thought, trying to “fix” your feelings, or spiraling into overthinking instead of moving forward? In this Secret Sangha episode (a new series from Diana’s live community that she hosts weekly in Santa Barbara), Diana shows you how to build psychological flexibility so you can stay open, aware, and engaged—even when things are hard—and take small actions toward what matters most. Listen and learn: The 6 core skills of psychological flexibil...
Jan 19, 2026•14 min•Season 9Ep. 179
How can we practice the power of the pause? In this week's episode of the Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill sits down with meditation and yoga teacher Jillian Pransky to explore this profound concept. They dive into the bardo, a transitional state perfect for reflection, and share practical steps from Jillian's LAR LAR method (Land, Arrive, Relax, Listen, Attend, Respond, Repeat) designed to help you cultivate a calmer and more intentional life. Jillian also highlights ways to infuse these practi...
Dec 29, 2025•44 min•Season 9Ep. 178
How can you live a compassion-focused life while navigating high-performance environments? In this episode of the Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill hosts Dr. Dennis Tirch, founder of the Center for Compassion Focused Therapy. They discuss integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for actionable wisdom and flourishing. Dr. Tirch shares insights from his experience working with high-level clients in finance and leadership roles, accentuating the import...
Dec 03, 2025•55 min•Season 9Ep. 177
This episode will help you find inner peace through the practice of generosity. Dr. Diana Hill explores the concept of generosity, from personal stories to Buddhist teachings to modern science, revealing how giving freely can transform your mental and physical health. Diana highlights methods to cultivate generosity, empathy, gratitude, and awe, which can enhance your relationships and overall well-being. Tune in to learn practical tips on how to integrate these practices into your daily life an...
Nov 17, 2025•17 min•Season 9Ep. 176
Gabby Reece is a force—in sport, in leadership, and in how we love and parent. In this episode of The Wise Effort Show , she shares the formulas she’s dialed in over the years, the non-negotiable that keep her steady, and the radical flexibility that lets her ask, “Is it true?” and adjust with grace. Listen and learn: Formulas to keep a long-term relationship alive (including “shining eyes”) What it means to be “ruthlessly selfish” Gabby’s definition of excellence and strength How Gabby parents ...
Nov 03, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 9Ep. 175
Are you struggling to find inspiration and express your creative self? In this special episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill shares a vulnerable and insightful conversation from the bonus episode of the Emerging Form podcast. Delving into the nuances of creativity and recovery, Diana discusses her journey with poetry, metaphor, and wise effort. She reveals how personal imperfection and vulnerability can become powerful tools for growth and connection. Learn how to harness your creative...
Oct 27, 2025•20 min•Season 9Ep. 174
Are your thoughts holding you back from doing wise effort? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill shares how our thoughts can both facilitate and hinder our efforts. Drawing from ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), contemplative science, and her insights from going on a surf trip with her 16-year-old son and three of his buddies, Dr. Hill provides practical strategies for working with your mind so you can run your life, not let your thoughts control it. Learn about the thre...
Oct 20, 2025•21 min•Season 9Ep. 173
Do you find yourself trapped in the cycle of chasing things that ultimately make you unhappy? Dr. Diana Hill, a clinical psychologist, explores how non-attachment can help you redirect your energy towards more fulfilling pursuits rather than harmful ones. Through personal anecdotes and insights from Buddhism and clinical psychology, Dr. Hill discusses the nature of experiential attachment and offers practical steps to break free from this cycle. Learn how to become disenchanted with harmful crav...
Oct 13, 2025•19 min•Season 9Ep. 172
How can we cultivate more openness in our lives? In this episode, Dr. Diana Hill explores this question with cognitive psychologist Dr. Jonathan Schooler on The Wise Effort Show. They delve into the essential role of openness, mind wandering, and curiosity in enhancing creativity, well-being, and empathy. Dr. Schooler shares his insights on the distinctions between openness and mindfulness, the science behind mind wandering, and his theory of consciousness. Learn practical strategies for fosteri...
Sep 29, 2025•50 min•Season 8Ep. 171
What is Wise Effort? In this episode, Dr. Diana Hill is interviewed by Dr. Carl Erik Fisher about her new book Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most . They explore how wise effort can help navigate life’s demands. Discover the balance between striving and letting go, and learn actionable methods to apply wise effort in your daily life across various domains, including health, relationships, and work. In This Episode, We Explore: Diana’s personal journey with addiction...
Sep 22, 2025•58 min•Season 8Ep. 170
