Mentally Flexible

My guest today is Jennifer Bohle, LPC. Jennifer is a trauma-informed therapist, content creator, and high-achieving creative based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She works with perfectionistic women to build self-trust, confidence, and worthiness while learning to relate to perfectionism as a strength. Through content creation, Jennifer blends humor, education, and real life --  using creativity as a way to make therapy more human and accessible, and to stay connected to the playful, curious part of herself that still feels like a kid at heart.

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:

My guest today is Erin Jones, LCMHC. Erin is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor providing evidence-based treatment for individuals with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and related diagnoses. She works at Bull City Anxiety and OCD Treatment Center, where she sees individual clients, manages an intensive Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) program, and runs  groups. She is the treasurer for OCD North Carolina, local affiliate of the International OCD Foundation. Erin is passionate about perinatal care and int his episode we explore all things perinatal OCD, touching a range of contexts it shows up like infertility, pregnancy, birth, and p...

Diana Hill, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist, international trainer, and sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion. Diana is the host of the podcast Wise Effort and author of The Self-Compassion Daily Journal, The ACT Daily Journal, I Know I Should Exercise But…, and her newest book Wise Effort. Diana works with organizations and individuals to develop psychological flexibility so that they can grow fulfilling and impactful lives. 

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:

Dr. Marisa T. Mazza is a clinical psychologist and founder of choicetherapy psychological services, inc.  Dr. Mazza is passionate about providing evidence-based therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindful Self-Compassion, to teens and adults struggling with OCD or Anxiety. She enjoys supporting individuals in learning new ways of interacting with thoughts and feelings. Her approach allows individuals to face their fears in a gradual and gentle way so they can get unstuck from thoughts and feelings and live meaningful lives. Dr. Mazza was formerly a board member of OCD SF B...

My guest today is Laura Knouse, PhD. Laura is a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Richmond. Her research and clinical expertise focus on the nature, assessment, and treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults.. Her recent research aims to better understand the self-regulation and motivation difficulties of college students with ADHD in order to develop effective interventions. Recent collaborative work with faculty in other disciplines focuses on how leaders can most effectively cope with personal crisis and how growth mindsets are related to mental health and coping. She is a coauthor of the new book...

Today’s episode features Ralph De La Rosa. Ralph was the author of three books, including Outshining Trauma: A New Vision of Radical Compassion (foreword by Richard Schwartz). He was a psychotherapist in private practice and a longtime meditation teacher known for his radically honest and humorous approach. His work was featured in GQ, CNN, NY Post, Tricycle, Mindful Magazine, and beyond.

Perhaps most crucial is that Ralph walked the path of outshining trauma alongside the people he worked with. He was a survivor of PTSD, heroin addiction, Borderline Personality Disorder, ADHD, and liver fa...

My guest today is Rikke Kjelgaard. Rikke is a licensed psychologist, peer-reviewed ACT trainer, and author. Rikke is on a mission to help therapists thrive and to be brave and authentic helpers. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she has a 15 year background in the science of human behavior and the practice of behavior change. Rikke is a popular speaker internationally, and she is known to bring both passion and vulnerability to her talks. She transforms the lives of her audience by bringing evidence based strategies to her listeners in ways that are accessible and impactful.

My guest today is Dr. Jessica Borushok, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice specializing in anxiety disorders and health-related concerns, including insomnia, chronic pain, and coping with chronic medical conditions. In addition to clinical work, Dr. Borushok provides acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) training and consultation to other mental health professionals. Dr. Borushok is the co-author of numerous books, including her most recent, The Complete Guide to Acceptance & Commitment Therapy: An Interactive Skills Manual for Clinicians to Learn and Practice ACT. In an effort to bring evidence-based resources to the public, Jessica also runs a Youtube...

My guest today is Dr. Robyn Walser. Robyn is a clinical psychologist, educator, and author of several influential books on ACT for professionals and general readers. She is Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of Research at Bay Area Trauma Recovery Clinical Services. She is also on the staff of the National Center for PTSD at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Internationally known for her compassionate, client-centered approach, Dr. Walser has been working in the field of trauma and conducting the ACT training internationally since the 1990s.

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My guest today is Noelle McWard Aquino. Noelle is a Chicago-based therapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. She is the author of Anxiety Unpacked: Discover Your Type and Recover Your Peace, a bestselling book that helps readers identify and work with the specific patterns driving their anxiety. Her work has been featured in publications including Psychology Today and Psychotherapy Networker. Noelle speaks regularly to both clinical and general audiences, training therapists in her framework for understanding anxiety and helping individuals develop more effective, compassionate responses to it.  

Some of the topics w...

My guest today is Alissa Jerud, PhD. Alissa is a licensed clinical psychologist working in private practice and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. In her private practice, Dr. Jerud specializes in exposure-based treatment of anxiety-related disorders and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills training. She particularly enjoys helping other parents learn to accept, regulate, and tolerate their emotions, as well as their children's. Alissa is the author of a new book, Emotion-Savvy Parenting: A Shame-Free Guide to Navigating Emotional Storms and Deepening Connection.

Some of the topics we explore in this...

My guest today is Holly Yates, LCMHC. Holly has been in private practice in North Carolina since 2004. Her specialty areas are working with adults both individually and in groups as well as couples addressing depression, anxiety, mood disorders and life stressors through clinical intervention and skills training. Holly's practice centers on third wave therapies most specifically Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is a founding facilitator of the online ACT Peer Intervision Network sponsored through ACBS and a Certified FAP Trainer through University of Washington. Holly presents FAP and ACT workshops locally and around...

My guest today is Dr. Joe Oliver. Joe is a consultant clinical psychologist, author, and the founder of Contextual Consulting, a leading international training provider that has trained over 60,000 practitioners in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). He also serves as an associate professor and the programme director for the University College London’s postgraduate programme in CBT for Severe Mental Health Problems. Joe is an active member of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and a peer-reviewed ACT trainer 

He is also the author of six ACT books, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy & Mindfulness for Psychosis and...

My guest today is Pepper Stetler. Pepper is the author of A Measure of Intelligence: One Mother’s Reckoning with the IQ Test, which we discuss in this episode. She is also a professor of art history at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has written extensively on issues facing people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers, in publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Slate. She lives in Oxford, Ohio.

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:

My guest today is Dr. Emily Edlynn. Emily is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric health psychology who works in private practice with children, teens, and adults. Emily spent almost ten years working in children’s hospitals before pivoting to private practice, which allowed her to start a writing career. Emily’s writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Parents, Scary Mommy, Good Housekeeping, Motherly, Psychology Today, and more. Her first book, Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent Confident Children earned an Indies Foreword award for a best book in 2023. She also writes about modern parenting in h...

My guest today is Trevor Jones. Trevor is a Mental Performance Coach with the Aware Performance Group and has spent the last nine years studying and training in ACT and its underlying theories. A former professional golfer, he won a national championship and competed on the European Tour.

Now, he works with high-performance clients across various domains, including golf, water polo, baseball, and stock market investing. He is currently co-authoring a book with sports psychiatrist Jorge Aguilar, MD, on one of sports’ biggest performance barriers—the yips—set for publication later this year.

Trevor lives in the...

My guest today is Lou Lasprugato, MFT. Lou is an internationally recognized trainer and behavioral health provider. He’s a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with private practices in both California and Virginia (United States), and Peer-Reviewed Trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, for which he also serves as chair of the Training Committee. Lou has taught mindfulness meditation to health care practitioners and facilitated dozens of training events on ACT and Relational Frame Theory (RFT), as well as co-created courses on nutritional psychology and integrative mental health. 

My guest today is Dr. Russ Harris. Russ is a world-renowned trainer of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) and author of the international best-selling self-help book The Happiness Trap. 

Since 2005, Russ has run over 700 two-day workshops and provided ACT training for almost 50,000 health professionals. He has authored four ACT textbooks (ACT Made Simple, Trauma Focused ACT, Getting Unstuck in ACT, ACT Questions & Answers), and four ACT-based self-help books (The Happiness Trap, The Reality Slap, The Confidence Gap and ACT with Love). His best-known book, The Happiness Trap, has sold over one million copies worldwide, with translations into more t...

My guest today is Dr. Ronald Asiimwe. Dr. Ron is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in the College of Education and Human Development. He has research and clinical experience in both the U.S. and in his home country of Uganda. His research integrates multicultural perspectives to understand and explore the mental and relational health needs of African families and communities. Driven by his passion for cross-cultural exchange knowledge of evidence-based interventions, Dr. Ron pioneered trainings in emotionally focused therapy (EFT) in Uganda and Kenya. He is currently conducting research to explore the cultural acceptability and...

My guest today is Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Donna is an award-winning science journalist and author of eight books exploring the connections between emotions, trauma, and health, offering you new pathways to healing. Her book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media, was named a best book of 2022 by The Washington Post. Her newest book, The Adverse Childhood Experiences Guided Journal (foreword by Nedra Glover Tawwab), offers targeted writing techniques to help readers recognize the effects of childhood adversity and reset their brain's internal stories for neurobiological resilience. Her...

My guest today is Jennifer Kemp MPsych. Jennifer Kemp is a clinical psychologist based in Adelaide, Australia. Her neurodiversity-affirming approach is founded on her own experience of being late-diagnosed as Autistic and an ADHDer with the experiences of her clients and the latest research. In her therapeutic practice and when training other therapists, Jennifer recognises and accepts the unique differences and strengths of people with different neurotypes. Building on the social and human rights models of disability, Jennifer weaves together acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with compassion-focused approaches to help her clients improve their mental health and develop greater...

My guest today is Professor Ross White. Ross is award-winning clinical psychologist who specializes in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of adults working in high-performance environments. He is also an expert in global mental health and has conducted research in collaborations with the World Health Organization and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. He is currently Professor of Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, and is a director of Strive2Thrive, a training and consultancy organization.

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:
- How Ross got in...

My guest today is Dr. Charles Schaeffer aka Dr Chuck. Dr. Chuck is a clinical psychologist and author of the new book, When Panic Happens: Short Circuit Anxiety & Fear in the Moment.
 
Dr. Chuck completed his training at New York University and is in private practice in New York City.  He has over 15 years of experience providing strength-focused, evidence-based  therapy to help individuals overcome sleep, mood, and anxiety disorders to thrive at work and at home. He has been an adjunct clinical faculty member at NYU for over a decade supervising  hundreds of counselors and therapists. His rese...

My guest today is Cory Richards. Cory is an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author of new memoir, The Color of Everything. He is the first and only American to climb one of the world’s 8000m peaks in winter. His documentation of the climb and aftermath of the experience was made into the award-winning documentary COLD and appeared on the cover of the 125th anniversary issue of National Geographic. Richards is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Photographer Fellow, and a two-time recipient of an Explorers Grant. He has an active speaking career, in which he speaks ab...

My guest today is Michaeleen Doucleff, PhD. Michaeleen is a global health correspondent for NPR’s Science Desk and the author of the New York Times bestseller Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans. Michaeleen has a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Berkeley, California, and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Caltech. For the past decade, Doucleff has reported on disease outbreaks and children’s health for NPR. Before that, Doucleff was an editor at the journal Cell, where she wrote about the science behind...

My guest today is Willem Kuyken, PhD. Willem is Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Research Centre. He is an author, scientist and teacher.  His work is focused on preventing depression and promoting human flourishing. He has published more than 150 peer reviewed scientific articles and was named by Web of Science as in the top 1% of the most cited scientists in the world in between 2019 and 2023. He is the author of the new book, Mindfulness for Life, which we discuss in this conversation.

S...

My guest today is Matthieu Villatte, PhD. Matthieu is a psychology trainer and consultant who obtained his doctoral degree in psychology in France, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Nevada under the mentorship of Steven Hayes, PhD.  Matthieu Villatte is the author of numerous books and chapters on mindfulness, acceptance, experiential therapies, and contextual behavioral science, such as the first manual published in French on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mastering the Clinical Conversation: Language as Intervention. He is also a peer-reviewed trainer in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy recognized by the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (A...

My guest today is Dr. William Miller - Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Miller is a codeveloper of Motivational Interviewing (MI) which has been implemented and researched in an array of settings over the past 4 decades. Dr. Miller’s research has focused particularly on the treatment and prevention of addictions and more broadly on the psychology of change. He is a recipient of two career achievement awards from the American Psychological Association and has published 65 books and over 400 articles and chapters. Dr. Miller’s new book is called 8 Ways to Hope...

My guest today is Alec Pollard, PhD. Alec is founding director of the Center for OCD & Anxiety-Related Disorders at Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, and professor emeritus of family and community medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He is a licensed psychologist with a special interest in the study and treatment of individuals with anxiety and emotional disorders who refuse or otherwise fail to benefit from evidence-based treatment. Alec has authored or coauthored more than one hundred publications and leads the Family Consultation Team at Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute.

Some of...

My guest today is Stephanie Catella, PsyD. Steph is a clinical psychologist with expertise in transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy for trauma, anxiety, and building emotional intelligence. After completing fellowships at the San Francisco VA and University of California San Francisco, she codirected the Berkeley Cognitive Behavioral Therapy clinic. In addition to her private practice, she is the author of an FDA approved prescription digital therapeutic for Fibromyalgia, and is a consultant and content creator for innovative mental health and tech companies. Dr. Catella is a coauthor of The Emotional Intelligence Skills Workbook which we explore in this episode.
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Adam Alter is a Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business with an affiliated appointment in the NYU’s Psychology Department. Adam is the New York Times bestselling author of two books: Irresistible (March, 2017), which considers why so many people today are addicted to so many behaviors, from incessant smart phone and internet use to video game playing and online shopping, and Drunk Tank Pink (2013), which investigates how hidden forces in the world around us shape our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. His latest book, Anatomy of Breakthrough, explores how people get stuck in life and...

My guest today is Dr. Frank Anderson, MD. Frank is a Harvard Medical School school trained psychiatrist, therapist, speaker, author, and trauma specialist. He has spent the past three decades studying neuroscience and trauma treatment, serving as a leader within the Internal Family Systems therapy model. His latest book is an incredible memoir called, To Be Loved: A Story of Truth, Trauma, and Transformation.

Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:

- How truth and authenticity guided the writing of Frank’s memoir 
- How shame can be an indicator of our...

My guest today is Dr. Mark G. Shrime, MD. Dr. Mark is the International Chief Medical Officer at Mercy Ships and a Lecturer in Global Health and Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. He is the author of Solving for Why: A Surgeon's Journey to Discover the Transformative Power of Purpose (Hachette 2022).

He has spoken at the United Nations, WHO, Harvard, Princeton, and around the world addressing issues of healthcare inequity, moral injury in the healthcare workforce, and the non-health outcomes of health policies. In 2018, he was awarded the Arnold P. Gold Humanism...

My guest today is Dr. Carrie Hayward. Carrie is a clinical psychologist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) specialist from Australia dedicated to helping individuals lead more meaningful lives. Carrie is also an author and has recently published the amazing Being Human series, a collection of four narratives that delve into the complexities of our shared human experience. The Being Human series seeks to equip readers with the psychological resilience and flexibility needed to live meaningful lives even through difficulty. The four books each focus on a different aspect of the human condition, providing teachings and practical processes for...

My guests today are Brian Thompson, PhD and Brian Pilecki, PhD, two of the authors of ACT-Informed Exposure for Anxiety

Brian L. Thompson, PhD, is a licensed psychologist; and director of the anxiety clinic at Portland Psychotherapy in Portland, OR. He specializes in working with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and has published research in these areas.

Brian C. Pilecki, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Portland Psychotherapy who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, trauma, and matters related to the use of psychedelics. Brian also has...

My guest today is Dr. Marina Rosenthal. Marina is a licensed psychologist dedicated to serving high-conflict couples. She earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon, where she received extensive hands’ on supervision and further honed her skills in the VA system working with veterans and their partners with concurrent and complex struggles. Marina now runs a private practice and is thoroughly trained in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported treatment which has many similarities to ACT.

Some of the topics we explore include:
- How Marina got into working with hi...

My guest today is Diana Hill, PhD. Diana is a clinical psychologist, international trainer, and sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion. Host of the podcast Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill and author of The Self-Compassion Daily Journal, The ACT Daily Journal, and the upcoming book Wise Effort, Diana works with organizations and individuals to develop psychological flexibility so that they can grow fulfilling and impactful lives.

Some of the topics we explore include:
- The value in stretching outside of our comfort zone
- Ways to help carry the heaviness...

My guest today is Dr. Steven C. Hayes. Steven Hayes is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and President of the Institute for Better Health, a 45-year old charitable organization dedicated to better mental and behavioral health. With 47 books and nearly 700 scientific articles published, Dr. Hayes is one of the most cited psychologists in the world as he continues to innovate in the field of psychology. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Some of the topics we explore include: 
- T...

My guest today is Anna Lembke, MD. Dr. Lembke is a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she has published more than a hundred peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and commentaries. She sits on the board of several state and national addiction-focused organizations, has testified before various committees in the United States House of Representatives and Senate, keeps an active speaking calendar, and maintains a thriving clinical practice.

Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence was an...

My guest today is Dr. Jud Brewer. Dr. Jud is a New York Times best-selling author, neuroscientist, addiction psychiatrist, and thought leader in the field of habit change. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, where he also serves as an associate professor. He is the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare Inc. and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety. His new book is called The Hunger Habit: Why We Eat Wh...