Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 171, we welcome James Hibbard to discuss the philosophy of cycling and using it for self-creation; the business of cycling and why the sport no longer produces individual riders; whether American capitalism can be escaped by specific individuals; Nietzsche and the existential, human ideal; America's obsession with winning and winners, and whether anyone is really happy; James' cycling career and his realization that being an athlete was no longer sustainable; coping with existential depression, and how Styron's Darkness Visible perfectly described his experience; the perils of idealism and how it precludes us from forming genuine relationships; mindfulness and how to focus on the present; the moral of The Great Gatsby; and the inherent limitations of philosophical inquiry. James Hibbard's writing has appeared in journals including Ploughshares, Aporia, Otherwise, Noetic, and Aethlon. He studied philosophy at the University of California at Santa Cruz and Depaul University, and has received grants and been selected for residencies by PEN America and Tin House. A former UCI professional road cyclist and member of the U.S Cycling Team, James has written extensively on the sport of cycling. His new book, available on May 2, 2023, is called The Art of Cycling: Philosophy, Meaning, and a Life on Two Wheels. | James Hibbard | ► Website | https://www.jameshamiltonhibbard.com ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jameshamiltonhibbard ► Twitter l https://twitter.com/jameshhibbard ► The Art of Cycling Book | https://amzn.to/3LmrE6W Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 170, we welcome Edith Shiro to discuss the five step model of post traumatic growth, what trauma is and the social and psychological contributions to PTSD, how culture silences victims, Alen and Leon's struggles with emotional expression, the importance of turning to the right people for healing, why we need others to help us overcome our traumas, transforming from trauma as opposed to returning to baseline functioning, using podcasting to spread information we wish we had, how the body expresses and indicates a traumatic history, and Lady Gaga's story as a prime example of post traumatic growth. Dr. Edith Shiro is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Miami, Florida. She specializes in trauma and posttraumatic growth, holding space and guiding her patients to achieve greater potential and higher consciousness. Dr. Shiro is co-founder of the Trauma and Resilience Center, board member of the World Happiness Foundation, and an active member of Cadena International, providing humanitarian aid and disaster prevention worldwide. She has worked at the Clinic for Survivors of Torture at Bellevue Hospital, the Cambodian refugee clinic at Montefiore Medical Center, and the Human Rights Clinical Support Network at REFUGE, among others. Using her five-stage model, she offers a blueprint for all her patients to develop coping skills and resilience, and to achieve posttraumatic growth. Her newest book, available now, is called The Unexpected Gift of Trauma: The Path to Posttraumatic Growth. | Edith Shiro | ► Website | https://dredithshiro.com ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dr.edithshiro ► Facebook l https://facebook.com/dr.edithshiro ► The Unexpected Gift of Trauma Book | https://a.co/d/h39e4Jw Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666 .

On episode 169, we welcome Dean Rickles to discuss existential, death anxiety and its utility in helping us lead more meaningful lives; narcissism and the bulletproof vest; how our egos preclude us from taking important risks; Michael Shermer's conception of Alvy's Error; the importance of cultivating self-esteem according to mice experiments; the downside of being a child prodigy; creating a meaningful life though community engagement; whether narcissism is on the rise and how it's perpetuated by social media; narcissism as a fear of vulnerability and obsession with being limitless; why Stoicism should take death anxiety more seriously; and the mystical unity of reality. Dean Rickles is professor of history and philosophy of modern physics at the University of Sydney, Australia, where he is also a director of the Sydney Centre for Time. His many books include Covered with Deep Mist: The Development of Quantum Gravity and A Brief History of String Theory. His newest book, available now, is called Life Is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making It More Meaningful. | Dean Rickles | ► Website | https://bit.ly/3Kylu3m ► Life Is Short Book | https://amzn.to/43AuZaY Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 168, we welcome Chuck Wisner to discuss the importance of conscious conversations in building deeper connections and understanding between people, the role of active listening in conscious conversations, how it can transform our relationships and interactions, strategies for cultivating empathy and compassion during conversations, why these qualities are essential for effective communication, how ego and internal storytelling disrupt relationships, how practicing mindfulness can improve our ability to communicate with others, the ways in which conscious conversations can be used to address difficult topics, examples of conscious conversations in action, creativity from collaboration and why it shouldn't matter who gets credit, practical tips and exercises for developing the skills and habits needed for conscious conversations, how readers can apply these strategies in their daily lives, and what Chuck learned from meeting the Dalai Lama. Chuck Wisner is president of Wisner Consulting. His client list includes companies such as Google, Rivian, Apple, Tesla, Harvard Business School, Ford, and Chrysler. Wisner was a senior affiliated mediator with the Harvard Mediation Program and was among the first to be certified through the Mastering the Art of Professional Coaching program at the Newfield Institute. He was also a specialist in organizational learning and leadership as an affiliate with MIT's Center for Organizational Learning. His new book, available now, is called The Art of Conscious Conversations: Transforming How We Talk, Listen, and Interact. | Chuck Wisner | ► Website | https://www.chuckwisner.com ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/chuck_wisner ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/chuck_wisner ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/chuckwisnerconsulting ► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/company/chuckwisner ► The Art of Conscious Conversations Book | https://amzn.to/3Mq1r9S Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 167, we welcome Chuck Thompson to discuss the evolution of status and popularity, our tendency to believe it indicates inherent value, true art as opposed to popular art, status and its intrinsic association with self-esteem, whether status-seeking is bad, if human hierarchies are natural and our tendency to compare ourselves to others, the neuroscientic findings underpinning status-seeking behaviors, the problems stemming from excessive pride, if corporations will always co-opt trends, the importance of helping to increase the status of marginalized groups, men buying sports cars to compensate for small penises, art as a form of intimacy when related to deep experiences, and the downside of denying our innate need for status. Chuck Thompson is the author of the widely reviewed political screed Better Off Without 'Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. His writing has appeared in Outside, Politico, Esquire, Men's Journal, The New Republic, and many other publications. He's the writer and an executive producer of the Paramount+ three-part music documentary Sometimes When We Touch: The Reign, Ruin and Resurrection of Soft Rock. His newest book, available now, is called The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow. | Chuck Thompson | ► Website | https://chuckthompson.com ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066516456795 ► The Status Revolution Book | https://bit.ly/3KrDHRn Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 166, we welcome Adam Sandel to discuss the consequences of obsessive striving, how the philosophy of the enlightenment helped create a culture obsessed with social progress, why a good life shouldn't only entail endeavors to make the world or our lives better, enjoying activities for their own sake, the transitory nature of success and Adam's gaining and losing the Guinness world pull-ups record, why happiness is unpredictable and we're often happier with imagined success, criticisms of stoic philosophy and the importance of friendship as more than a preferred indifferent, what Socrates can teach us about self-possession and its contribution to well-being, and the significance of learning universal truths from nature. Adam Sandel is a philosopher, Guinness World Record holder for Most Pull-Ups in One Minute, and an award-winning teacher. Author of the critically acclaimed book The Place of Prejudice: A Case for Reasoning within the World, Sandel has taught at Harvard University and is currently an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn. His newest book, available now, is called Happiness in Action: A Philosopher's Guide to the Good Life. | Adam Sandel | ► Website | http://www.adamsandel.com ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/professor.pullups ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/professor.pullups ► Youtube | https://bit.ly/42GWCP6 ► Happiness in Action Book | https://amzn.to/3KaaiuH Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 165, we welcome Eric Wilson to discuss how to embrace the weird parts of ourselves and why it's important to do so, various exercises to help us along the way, why being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder caused Eric to feel like an incompetent father, how psychotherapy helped him embrace the parts of himself that could make him feel like a good dad, our fear of the strange and attraction to it, the importance of creating new habits to cultivate new parts of yourself, why there's no such thing as a "true self," learning to create new and more complex interpretations of ourselves and the world, how Eric helped his students become more passionate about literature, and the importance of living for oneself and embracing the purposeless life. Eric G. Wilson is the Thomas H. Pritchard Professor of English at Wake Forest University. He is the author of books Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy, an LA Times bestseller; Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can't Look Away; and Keep it Fake: Inventing an Authentic Life, as well as many other books exploring connections among literature, film, and psychology. His newest book, available now, is called How to Be Weird: An Off-Kilter Guide to Living a One-of-a-Kind Life. | Eric G. Wilson | ► Website | http://www.ericgwilson.net ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/keepitfake ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/ericgwilson777 ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/ericgwilson ► Youtube | https://bit.ly/3FBhGwr ► How to Be Weird Book | https://amzn.to/3TqPS3E Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 164, we welcome Natalia Petrzela to discuss America's obsession with fitness; fitness as a symbol of status and its expression on social media; masculinity's historical aversion to fitness; Alen's fitness weight-loss journey; issues around race, gender, and class it relates to exercise; the covid-19 pandemic's effect on our relationship to fitness; the various forms of exercise; how fitness become synonymous with self-actualization; whether fitness is anti-feminist; how access to resources affects whom you're attracted to; the forms of mental illness related to fitness-obsession; potentially effective social policy changes that focus on improving general physical health; and the positive and negative effects of modern day fitness. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is a historian of contemporary American politics and culture and associate professor of history at the New School. A certified fitness instructor, she has worked out at home and in gyms for nearly three decades. She is the author of Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture, and her work has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and CNN. She is coproducer and host of the acclaimed podcast Welcome to Your Fantasy and cohost of the Past Present podcast. Her newest book, available now, is called Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession. | Natalia Petrzela | ► Website | https://nataliapetrzela.com ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/nataliapetrzela ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/nataliapetrzela ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/nataliapetrzela ► Fit Nation Book | https://amzn.to/3yyyXTc Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 163, we welcome Elizabeth Cobbs to discuss the history and necessity of feminist thought, the contrasting lives of Abigail Adams and Abigail Bailey, the nefarious reason feminism became a dirty word, the historical and modern examples of sexist laws, the widespread adoption of feminism as a means of signaling safety for women wanting to report abuse, the beginnings of Me Too, the divisiveness and self-defeatism of labeling people bad feminists, Beyoncé's adoption and adaptation of feminism to include traditional femininity, female competition and the envy of "mean girls," the mindsets of women struggling with eating disorders and body dysmorphia and why they deserve our sympathy, Gretchen Carlson's decision to challenge the misogynistic culture of Fox News, and how feminist activism can continue to foster progress. Elizabeth Cobbs holds the Melbern Glasscock Chair in American History at Texas A&M University. A prizewinning historian, novelist, and documentary filmmaker, she is the author of The Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers, American Umpire, The Hamilton Affair (a New York Times bestseller), and The Tubman Command.Her newest book, available now, is called Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé. | Elizabeth Cobbs | ► Website | http://elizabethcobbs.com ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethCobbsAuthor ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/Elizabeth_Cobbs ► Fearless Women | https://amzn.to/3JfoFxr Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666

On episode 162, we welcome Joseph Graves to discuss biological determinism and the purported links between race and IQ, the hypothesis that IQ increased in individuals living in colder weather climates, challenging the assumptions of the popular book 'The Bell Curve', environmental factors contributing to educational attainment, the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study for understanding the economic outcomes of different populations, how racism contributed to Joseph developing imposter syndrome, the genetic differences between white and black people, the diversity and fluidity of sexual orientation and gender found in nature, the evolution of male and female organisms, and the importance of addressing structural racism and sexism for cultivating a better society. Joseph L. Graves Jr. is a professor of biological sciences in the department of biology at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the first African American to receive a PhD in evolutionary biology. Professor Graves was elected a Fellow of the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1994. He is an associate director of the Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine and has been recently added to the board of the National Center for Science Education. His new book, out now, is called A Voice in the Wilderness: A Pioneering Biologist Explains How Evolution Can Help Us Solve Our Biggest Problems. | Joseph L. Graves Jr. | ► Website | https://www.ncat.edu/employee-bio.php?directoryID=113858234 ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/gravesjl55 ► A Voice in the Wilderness | https://amzn.to/3Y8LsiC Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/user?u=32208666