My guest this week is Dr. Joel Minden, who’s been on the podcast twice before (check out episode 21 and epidose 87 ). I always enjoy talking with Joel, who has such a wealth of knowledge about treating anxiety and depression. We thought together again about the most effective way to approach these conditions, especially the question of how much we try to change our emotions versus making peace with them, and focusing on doing what’s important to us. As always, Joel does a really nice job at stri...
Jan 13, 2021•47 min
My guest this week is Dr. Jason Ong, who specializes in the treatment of sleep disorders. I’ve wanted to have Jason on the podcast for a while now because he’s done some really pioneering work in applying mindfulness to the treatment of insomnia. If you struggle with getting sound sleep sometimes, which so many of us do, Jason has a lot to say about the most effective ways to get better sleep. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe...
Jan 06, 2021•52 min
My guest this week is my friend and fellow psychologist Dr. Mitch Greene, who was on the podcast way back on episode 28. I love talking with Mitch, and this conversation was no exception. We focused on the mental health challenges we’re facing related to COVID and the shutdowns, including for the many athletes that Mitch works with in his sport psychology practice. I’m guessing you’ll find a lot you can relate to in this discussion. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactb...
Dec 23, 2020•50 min
My guest this week is Mark Gregory Karris. We discussed his recent book, Religious Refugees , which describes the process so many of us will go through of losing our faith, and needing to reconstruct it in a new way. Mark is intimately familiar with this process having gone through it himself, and he guides other religious refugees as they wrestle with issues of faith. Mark and I had a lot of overlap in our backgrounds, having left fundamentalist Christian denominations, and also a shared histor...
Dec 16, 2020•54 min
I have a different kind of discussion for you this week. My guests are my brother, Timothy Gillihan, and my mom, Carolyn Gillihan. I invited them on to talk about their political differences, which came up recently in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. I want to do what I can to promote civil dialogue, and this conversation is one step in that direction. For full disclosure in where I stand, I’m registered as an Independent and I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, though I’m a ...
Dec 09, 2020•1 hr 18 min
My guest this week is Blake D. Bauer, author of the bestselling book, You Were Not Born to Suffer . I was really struck as I read this book by how similar many of Blake’s ideas are to the way that I see human nature. His main focus is on loving ourselves deeply, and what that means in practical terms. We also explored how denying our needs can lead to physical and emotional distress, and why we need to give ourselves permission to be well and happy. I hope you take a lot from our discussion. Get...
Dec 02, 2020•59 min
My guest this week is Jared Byas, author of the new book, Love Matters More: How Fighting to Be Right Keeps Us From Loving Like Jesus . This was a great conversation, as Jared and I found a many points of connection. The book focuses on matters of faith, but the principles apply to anything we can have strong beliefs and opinions about, including of course, politics. We talked specifically about how we might emphasize love in our discussions with those who hold different political beliefs, and a...
Nov 18, 2020•56 min
My guest this week is Dr. Scott Kellogg, a therapist in private practice in New York. He’s the author of a book called Transformational Chairwork , and we focused on what chairwork is and why it can be so powerful. It was a great discussion about how we’re all made of different parts, and we can give voice to all of these facets of ourselves in a way that promotes integration and growth. One thing I hadn’t expected in this discussion was the demonstration I did with Scott, where he led me throug...
Nov 11, 2020•49 min
Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe
Nov 04, 2020•53 min
My guest this week is Anita Friday, creator of an organization called Open Hearts: A Path for Racial Healing. Anita and I talked about her experiences as a Black woman and mother, and the things that those of us who are White can take for granted. We also explored the distinction between racism and related concepts, how to make a difference right where we live, and the love and faith that motivate Anita’s work. I also wanted to let you know that you’ll hear the N-word in this episode. It’s a sob...
Oct 28, 2020•46 min
I’ve got a very special guest for you this week. Professor Peter Enns, author of books that include The Sin of Certainty and How the Bible Actually Works (affiliate links), joins me for a discussion about the Bible, Christianity, love, trust, and the evolving nature of faith. I grew up with a very fundamentalist understanding of the Bible, and can relate to so many of the things that Pete writes and talks about, including the fear of getting our facts wrong and offending God. As Pete points out,...
Oct 21, 2020•1 hr
My guest this week is Alison McKleroy, a psychotherapist who just wrote a book called Essential Strategies for Social Anxiety: Practical Techniques to Face Your Fears, Overcome Self-Doubt, and Thrive (affiliate link). This is episode 109 and I believe my first focusing specifically on social anxiety, so this is long overdue. Alison had a lot to share about the essentials of evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy for social anxiety, including many of the big ideas from her book. Toward the e...
Oct 14, 2020•55 min
My guest this week is none other than the creator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (or ACT), Dr. Steve Hayes. I was excited for the opportunity to talk with Steve, and he certainly did not disappoint. We got into some really fascinating territory together, starting with the crucial importance of psychological flexibility. From there we ranged into comparisons of ACT and traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, and some of the potential pitfalls of a cognitive approach. Many of the ideas we ...
Oct 07, 2020•1 hr 18 min
My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Benjamin Hardy. Ben recently wrote an excellent book called Personality Isn’t Permanent: Break Free From Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story . This conversation is all about overcoming self-imposed limitations so your past doesn’t have to define your future. I find Ben’s message very uplifting, with his focus on the choice that each of us has in determining our path and our identity, and the freedom we can find as we decide who our future self will...
Sep 29, 2020•54 min
My guest this week is fellow clinical psychologist and CBT therapist Dr. Paul Greene. We talked about our experiences with mindfulness, both in our own lives and in our clinical practice. We also explored the effectiveness of CBT for treating trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and our thoughts on combining these treatment programs with some of the body-focused treatments (like those I discussed in a recent episode with Ilene Smith). Paul and I also got into some of the personal ben...
Sep 23, 2020•54 min
My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Jonah Paquette. We focused on his new book, Awestruck: How Embracing Wonder Can Make You Happier, Healthier, and More Connected . Jonah and I explored what awe is and what causes it, and how we can cultivate more experiences of awe in our everyday lives, even in situations that seem anything but awe-inspiring. These experiences have everything to do with attention, and with waking up to what it means to have what we call an “ordinary life.” Get full access ...
Sep 16, 2020•50 min
My guest this week is Dr. Joseph Luciani, author of a book called Unlearning Anxiety & Depression: The 4-Step Self-Coaching Program to Reclaim Your Life . Joe and I explored some of his background in more depth-oriented psychology, especially a Jungian approach where we explore symbols and dreams and archetypes, and his transition to a more action-oriented style. We got into some pretty interesting territory, especially about the spiritual implications of psychotherapy. As Joe said, if we tr...
Sep 09, 2020•49 min
My guest this week is clinical health psychologist Dr. Mark Weisberg. We talked about his specialty in clinical hypnosis, and how it can make treatment more effective. I’m sure you’ve heard of hypnosis, but the way Mark uses it might be different from the images that come to mind when we hear the word. We talked about using it to help treat stress, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, and other conditions. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe...
Sep 02, 2020•49 min
My guests this week are Devon Hase and Craig Hase, authors of the new book, How Not to Be a Hot Mess . These two have a way of making the principles of mindfulness and Buddhism relevant and easy to understand. As you’ll hear, we discussed many points of intersection in how they and I think about mindfulness, and the need for additional practices besides simply being present and open. We talked a lot about “waking up from the dream” to more fully inhabit our lives, what Buddhism has to say about ...
Aug 19, 2020•1 hr 5 min
My guest this week is Ilene Smith, author of the recent book, Moving Beyond Trauma: The Roadmap to Healing from Your Past and Living with Ease and Vitality (affiliate link). If you’ve been through a trauma—and most of us have—then this is a conversation for you. Ilene shared her expertise on how we can use the body to help us heal from traumatic events. If you’ve read anything by Peter Levine or maybe Bessel van der Kolk’s book The Body Keeps the Score (affiliate link), you’ll recognize a lot of...
Aug 12, 2020•56 min
My guest this week is Bridgit Dengel Gaspard, therapist and author of the forthcoming book, The Final Eighth (affiliate link). We discussed something that I’m guessing all of us can relate to at some point in our lives: Why is it that we often make a lot of progress toward our goals , and then we stall out in the home stretch? Maybe it's buying a house, starting a business, starting a family, writing that book—whatever it is, we might even get seven-eighths of the way there. And then we hit a wa...
Aug 05, 2020•45 min
My guest this week is Dr. Michael Lovell, president of Marquette University. Michael is deeply committed to trauma-informed care in the city of Milwaukee (where Marquette is located), and to addressing the persistent racial disparities in our society. He’s been outspoken about his own history of childhood trauma, and is using the pain of his past in his efforts to serve others. That’s something I see so often in my clinical work—that our own struggles can be transformed into a way to help those ...
Jul 22, 2020•43 min
My guest this week is Sarah McCafferty. As you’ll hear, Sarah is passionate about issues of justice and equality. We focused on issues of race, in light of the developments in our society in recent weeks. I don’t know about you but I was really reluctant to talk about race, because I was afraid I would say the wrong things, as I mentioned on a recent episode. Sarah has some really helpful things to say about moving through that fear, and why joining the conversation is so important—and no less s...
Jul 15, 2020•1 hr 8 min
My guest this week is Worthy Stokes, author of The Daily Meditation Book of Healing: 365 Reflections for Positivity, Peace, and Prosperity . I got so much out of this discussion with Worthy. She had a near-death experience a few years ago that opened her eyes to the full reality of who she is. A lot of what I love about her perspective is that she fully values all parts of our experience—our bodies, our minds, our spirits, our souls—the full range of what it means to be a human. We talked about ...
Jul 08, 2020•1 hr 15 min
My guest this week is Ashley James. We had planned to focus on anxiety in this episode, which we did spend a good bit of time talking about. But we also talked a lot about general health and nutrition, and the important role of diet in our physical and mental health. This is a topic that’s gotten a lot more attention in recent years. For some reason it was quite controversial for a long time to suggest that what we put in our mouths could affect our minds and spirits, and could contribute to con...
Jul 01, 2020•55 min
My guest this week is Robert Dilenschneider, author of the recent book Decisions: Practical Advice from 23 Men and Women Who Changed the World (affiliate link). Bob had some really important things to say about this moment we find ourselves in, with the many problems we’re facing. A global pandemic, economic turmoil, and now the pain and upheaval following the deaths of George Floyd and other Black men and women in the US at the hands of the police. These events have compelled all of us to take ...
Jun 24, 2020•30 min
My guest this week is business and career coach Nick Davies. As you’ll hear, Nick is from England, though he’s currently living in the States. I really enjoyed talking with Nick, not only because he’s easy to listen to, but because he speaks very clearly about principles that we find in cognitive behavioral therapy. He and I talked about things like how to develop better habits, learning to recognize the stories we tell ourselves, and the importance of a compelling Why for our goals. I’m sure yo...
Jun 17, 2020•51 min
My guest this week is psychiatrist Dr. Adam Meadows, author of the recent book, A Prescription for Living with Purpose: Maintaining Hope, Healing, & Connection as You Create the Life You Were Destined to Live (affiliate link) . It was great to catch up with Adam and hear his passion for changing lives, including his own. I’ve known Adam for about 10 years, and I've enjoyed seeing the direction he’s pursued since leaving Penn, where we met. In this episode we talked about faith, trust, the im...
Jun 10, 2020•40 min
My guest this week is Kevin Hancock, author of the recent book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership (affiliate link). I loved this conversation with Kevin. There were so many profound points that emerged as we explored what it means to find our voice, and to be heard. This topic is close to my heart for several reasons, including my own history of vocal difficulties and throat surgery. As you’ll hear, Kevin has dealt with a rare neurological condition that...
Jun 03, 2020•53 min
My guest this week is author and content creator Lorraine Ladish. We talked about the value of mind-body work, Lorraine’s favorite self-care activities, the importance of daily practices in caring for our minds and bodies, and spirituality as letting go of the illusion of control, among other topics. Lorraine has been through a lot in her lifetime, and she describes where she has found strength and grace along the way. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com...
May 27, 2020•46 min
