The Mindform Podcast

In this rich and layered conversation, Professor Peggy Kern joins Frank Lawton to explore what wellbeing really means — beyond fleeting happiness or individualistic self-help ideals. Drawing from her deep background in positive psychology, health psychology, and systems science, Kern presents a nuanced, contextual model of human thriving. She explains the Dual Continuum Model, where ill-being and wellbeing are not opposites, but dimensions that can coexist. A person can struggle with mental illness and still live a meaningful, values-aligned life. This insight reframes how we understand resilience, recovery, and human potential. Kern critiques traditional positive psychology’s focus on individual flourishing, arguing for a more collective and systems-informed approach. She highlights how contextual factors like school culture, leadership involvement, and community belonging fundamentally shape wellbeing outcomes. Change, she insists, must often start with those in power — especially school leaders — to meaningfully support the whole community. Themes of dialectics (acceptance and change), belonging, strengths-based language, and the pitfalls of commodified self-care run throughout the conversation. Peggy also shares her own lived experience with mental illness and how that journey informs her understanding of what it means to truly live well — with contentment, not just happiness. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this episode, Frank sits down with resilience researcher Kyle Shepard, the creator of Resilient Mental State. Their conversation dives into the true meaning of resilience, showing that it is less about avoiding stress and more about adapting, recovering, and growing stronger through it. Drawing from his military background, Kyle explains how discipline and exposure to adversity can build mental toughness. He also opens up about fatherhood, describing how raising children tests patience, deepens responsibility, and creates opportunities for emotional growth. To learn more about Kyle’s work and explore his writing and podcast, visit Resilient Mental State: https://www.resilientmentalstate.com/ --- Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this conversation, therapist and researcher Kasra Mirzaie explores the intersection of Internal Family Systems (IFS), adolescent development, and the search for meaning in an often fragmented world. Kasra shares how IFS offers a powerful framework for understanding and healing the inner lives of young people by relating to parts with compassion rather than control. He highlights the importance of listening deeply, creating rituals of meaning, and using gentleness instead of force when working with clients, especially adolescents. The episode moves through themes of spirituality, interoception, agency, and the role of systems thinking in therapeutic work. Kasra brings a rare combination of academic insight and heartfelt presence, offering listeners a model of therapeutic work grounded in curiosity, humility, and deep care.   Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.   Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast  

Dr. Roger McFillin joins Frank Lawton to challenge the dominant mental health narrative — one that medicalizes emotional pain and fosters dependency on psychiatric drugs. He argues that conditions like depression are not diseases but natural human responses to life’s challenges, and that overreliance on diagnoses and medication often leads people away from true healing. Instead, McFillin advocates for a pro-human, pro-health approach rooted in personal resilience, community, nature, and spiritual connection. He emphasizes that suffering is not a problem to be fixed with pills, but a signal guiding us toward growth, change, and deeper meaning. Together, they explore the cultural, economic, and psychological systems that promote disempowerment and distraction. What emerges is a powerful call to reclaim our autonomy — and to face emotional struggles not with fear, but with presence, courage, and connection. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast --- More of Dr. Roger McFillin here: https://www.drmcfillin.com/

Frank Lawton speaks with Sabrina Ahmed, a resilience coach, neuroscientist, and artist, about the deep interplay between burnout, trauma, grief, and resilience. Sabrina shares her personal journey through mental health struggles, hospitalization, and the profound loss of her father—experiences that shaped her holistic approach to healing. They explore how burnout extends beyond stress, involving emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and a sense of ineffectiveness—and how it often stems from unprocessed loss, misaligned values, or over-adaptive coping patterns like overthinking and perfectionism. Sabrina introduces the idea of burnout archetypes (e.g., the Busy Bee, People Pleaser) and explains how loss—especially bereavement—can trigger these patterns. Together, they unpack how resilience is a trainable skill, developed through micro-habits, body awareness, community, and behavioral experiments. Through frameworks like the Drama Triangle and Empowerment Dynamic, Sabrina offers tools to shift from reaction to agency, and from burnout to growth. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this raw and inspiring episode, Frank Lawton speaks with writer, boxer, and thinker Ed Latimore about the hard-won lessons that shaped his philosophy of life. From growing up in the projects to fighting professionally, from battling addiction to embracing fatherhood, Ed distills a lifetime of struggle and reflection into practical wisdom. He shares why he gave up alcohol, how he learned to stop wasting time on the wrong people, and why relationships are “emergent properties” that can’t be reduced to their parts. Together, Frank and Ed explore the difference between being liked and being respected, why failure is essential training for success, and how boxing taught Ed to face fear, pain, and public judgment without flinching. This conversation cuts through excuses, revealing a path grounded in responsibility, preparation, and resilience. Whether it’s building meaningful connections, confronting weakness, or cultivating order, Ed shows how to turn life’s hardest blows into the training ground for true strength. Check out Ed's work ​here​: https://edlatimore.com/ And his new book, ​Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business​ here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593716361 Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this wide-ranging and deeply reflective episode, Frank Lawton speaks with naturopathic doctor and integrative healer Erica Matluck about how healing unfolds beyond conventional ideas of safety, diagnosis, and even root causes. Erica shares her journey from energy work and anthropology to Western medical training and integrative practice — shaped not by rigid ideology, but by lived experience and practical discernment. She challenges the dominant frameworks of both conventional and alternative medicine, especially the oversimplification of healing into singular “root causes.” Instead, she invites a systems-level approach that honors complexity, pattern recognition, and the interplay of physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. Frank and Erica explore the limits of titles, the over-reliance on modalities, and the importance of discernment in the healing process. They discuss how imbalance itself is a guidepost toward equilibrium, and how transformation often requires us to trust the unknown. From discerning unconscious patterns to reframing symptoms as messages rather than malfunctions, this conversation invites listeners to look deeper and wider than any one model can offer. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

What if you could turn anxiety, numbness, and avoidance into strength, resilience, and joy? In this episode, coach and facilitator Elliot Freeman shares a powerful system for mastering self-regulation — using simple tools like breathwork, movement, and self-compassion to transform your inner world. We explore: Nervous system mastery with polyvagal theory The difference between numbness and fight-or-flight states How to upgrade your capacity to handle emotional intensity Practical tools to reset and regain presence in minutes Why facing discomfort unlocks authentic living Whether you want to break old patterns, build emotional resilience, or live with more connection and freedom, this conversation offers a clear plan to get there.   Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects.Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this reflective episode, Frank speaks with longtime Mindform member Arwill Recto, a partner, father, and systems thinker deeply engaged in self-awareness and communication. Arwill shares his journey from faith-based volunteer work to corporate leadership, and how burnout and pandemic depression sparked a deeper dive into psychology, stoicism, and purpose. They explore how self-awareness shapes communication both at work and at home, and how Arwill's growth shifted from being inward and achievement-focused to more relational and altruistic—particularly after becoming a parent. He talks about the challenge of reconciling a return to spirituality with years of secular personal development, and how journaling, reparenting, and the willingness to name his emotions have helped build better relationships. Arwill explains why understanding both the message and the mindset of the listener is key to real connection. It’s a thoughtful exchange on how inner clarity and openness lead to stronger relationships, more conscious leadership, and ultimately, deeper contentment. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast

In this rich and introspective episode of The Mindform Podcast, host Frank Lawton is joined by Kendall McCullough, a spiritual life coach and the founder of Rooted Awakening Coaching. Kendall shares his deeply personal journey from a challenging early adulthood marked by mental health struggles and a Kundalini awakening, to the development of a grounded and spiritually integrated coaching practice. Drawing heavily on Jungian psychology, Kendall outlines his four-part model of change—Awakening, Individuation, Grounding, and Transformation—which reflects both his personal evolution and the framework he now offers his clients. Together, Frank and Kendall explore themes of inner child work, embodiment, the integration of ego and spirit, and the importance of grounding profound spiritual experiences in everyday life. They discuss the limitations of conventional therapy, the symbolic power of belief, and the role of direct experience in reshaping one’s map of reality. With candor and warmth, Kendall reflects on the risks of ungrounded awakening, the healing potential of compassion, and his ongoing pursuit of becoming who he truly is—both in his coaching work and personal life. Mindform is an exclusive membership platform that gives you access to an ever-expanding toolkit for mental mastery and a community of passionate psychitects. Apply to join Mindform or get the free Psychitect’s Toolkit at https://mindform.io/podcast