Think Act Be Podcast

My guest this week is poet and professor Dr. Ross Gay. I loved Ross’s recent book, The Book of Delights, which we talked a lot about in this episode. I think you’ll be able to hear how much I enjoyed talking with Ross and hearing his insights into joy, sorrow, loss, love—toward the end I was really moved by his description of self-love, and why it’s often so difficult. Hopefully this conversation will inspire you to look for everyday delights in your own life. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Aaron Walker, author of View From the Top. Aaron is a lifelong businessman, having started fourteen companies, as well as a life coach. In this episode we talk about what it means to be successful and to live a life of significance, the ultimate emptiness of money without an overarching purpose, how to move through fear, challenges, and setbacks—including some dramatic examples from Aaron’s own life—and the crucial importance of the people we surround ourselves with.  Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guests this week are author Margo Rabb and horticulturist Chris Fehlhaber. It’s the first time I've had two guests on the podcast, and my first face-to-face interview. I learned of Margo’s work through a beautifully moving piece she wrote for the New York Times called “Garden of Solace.” The garden she refers to is Chanticleer, which is about 15 minutes from where I live and one of our favorite destinations. Margo suggested we include Chris in the interview, as he plays a key role at Chanticleer and has deep insights into the nature of gardens and our relationship with them. The three of us explored topics like the healing power of gardens, sadness and grief as experiences that don’t need to be “fixed," links between my guests' respective passions of writing and gardening, and the love we find in relationships in which we can be ourselves. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Dr. Jill Carnahan, a physician who specializes in functional medicine. This approach focuses on identifying the root cause of illnesses, rather than just using medication to treat symptoms. Dr. Jill has not only a tremendous amount of knowledge about how our bodies and minds heal, but firsthand experience from her own serious health challenges. Much of our conversation focused on the non-medical factors that support healing, including faith, family, and mindset. We also touched on our shared experiences of mold toxicity.  Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is poet Ada Limón. We discussed several of the recurrent themes in Ada's two most recent collections of poetry: Bright Dead Things and The Carrying—grief, loss, love, joy, and the inextricable link in this life between beauty and sadness. We also explored the inherent enjoyment in being present, and effective ways of managing life's stress and uncertainty.  Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Todd Pressman, whom I had the pleasure of getting to know after reviewing and enthusiastically endorsing his excellent book, Deconstructing Anxiety. Todd has a profound understanding of fear and its many manifestations. He offers a systematic approach for recognizing your core fear—the root that underlies all the ways fear shows up in your life. And just as important, he outlines a plan for overcoming your fear.  Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is professor and author Dr. Jonathan Haidt. We focused on Jon’s recent book, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, co-written with Greg Lukianoff. It aims to track down the cause of two parallel trends among Generation Z:  the rise in anxiety, depression, and suicide, and the increasing sensitivity among students on college campuses to ideas they find upsetting. We discussed "the three Great Untruths," where they come from, why they're so damaging, and how universities might address the epidemic of mental health problems in students. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is psychiatrist Dr. James Gordon, author of a book called The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma. I can almost guarantee that Dr. Gordon will change how you think about trauma and how we recover from it. It changed my understanding of how we approach trauma treatment, even though I’ve specialized in this area for over a decade. Dr. Gordon shared his hope that all of us can recover from trauma, and offered a wide range of practices to support our healing. I think you’ll get a lot out of our discussion. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Dr. John Eric Baugher, author of Contemplative Caregiving. We often think of caregiving as an act of self-sacrifice, but John makes it clear that caring for others is a privilege. In this episode we talk about how he started working in hospice care on the front lines of the AIDS crisis in the early nineties. This is more than a conversation about how we die—it’s really about who we want to be and how we can connect with others as we live each moment of our lives. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe

My guest this week is Rajshree Patel, author of The Power of Vital Force. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this discussion, though I’m sure you’ll get a sense of it as you listen. We discussed the many ways we limit ourselves and disconnect from the deeper truth of who we are—from the vital force that Raj describes in her book. One of my favorite parts of the approach she shared is how simple it can be, and how in just a few moments we can completely change our experience. I think you’ll find this conversation to be both useful and inspiring. Get full access to Think Act Be with Seth Gillihan at thinkactbe.substack.com/subscribe