Ep. 263 – Anxiety Series: Richie Davidson

12 snips

May 13, 2025

In a fascinating dialogue, Richie Davidson, a renowned psychologist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds, shares his journey into the study of emotion and the brain. He discusses the importance of a growth mindset and innate goodness in mental health. Delving into systemic oppression's impact on well-being, he introduces his four pillars of well-being and the concept of personal mental hygiene. The discussion also touches on resilience, compassion, and integrating mindfulness into daily life for a transformative approach to anxiety.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Richie's Meditation Beginning

Richie Davidson's meditation journey started in graduate school with influential figures like Dan Goleman and Ram Dass.
He attended his first Goenka retreat in India in 1974, marking his deep commitment to the path.

ANECDOTE

Sharon’s First Retreat

Sharon Salzberg was introduced to her first meditation retreat by Danny Goleman in 1971.
That retreat sparked a movement of dozens to follow him to Bodh Gaya, growing the meditation community substantially.

INSIGHT

Innate Goodness Explained

Innate goodness means humans are born with a preference for kindness and compassion over aggression.
Meditation strengthens these natural qualities instead of creating them from scratch.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

For episode 263 of the Metta Hour, we are continuing our Anxiety Series with a re-release of a conversation with Dr. Richie J. Davidson, PhD, that originally aired in 2023.

In this series, Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers, and different researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. This is the fourth episode in the series. Richie Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds. He is best known for his groundbreaking work studying emotion and the brain. A friend and confidante of the Dalai Lama, he is a highly sought-after expert and speaker, leading conversations on well-being on international stages such as the World Economic Forum, where he serves on the Global Council on Mental Health.

Join Richie’s upcoming course The Science of Flourishing: Well-Being Skills for Daily Life. Save 20% off the course using the coupon code METTA20.

In this episode, Sharon and Richie discuss:

• How Richie came to this path

• Meeting Daniel Goleman and Ram Dass

• How Danny Goleman brought Sharon to her first retreat

• The term “Mental Health”

• Innate Goodness

• Believing in Growth Mindset

• A vision of possibility for ourselves

• The role of systemic oppression in mental well-being

• Intergenerational Resilience

• Richie’s four pillars of well-being

• Personal mental hygiene

• “The road to Lhasa goes up and down” - Mingyur Rinpoche

• The value of community and teachers in mental health

• Richie driving Mingyur Rinpoche

• Contemplative Neuroscience

• The Science of Flourishing Course

• Richie’s new book project

• The conversation closes with a guided meditation led by Richie.

To learn more about Riche’s work or his different books, you can visit his website and check out the Center for Healthy Minds.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.