
Flourish FM
What does it take to flourish? We started Flourish FM to share cutting edge research from world experts on how to thrive, so you can take away big ideas and practical steps to enhance your life, the lives of others, and, ultimately, make the world a better place.
Flourish FM is hosted by Dr. Jon Beale and Dr. Nick Holton, and in collaboration with the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, and The Shipley School.
Latest episodes

Apr 22, 2025 • 43min
Episode #67: How to overcome a victim mindset and realize your potential Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a psychologist, coach, professor, keynote speaker, and bestselling author who is passionate about helping people with all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. His early educational experiences made him realize the deep reservoir of untapped potential of students, including bright and creative children who have been diagnosed with a learning disability. He is among the top 1% most cited scientists in the world for his research on intelligence and creativity.
Scott is a professor of psychology at Columbia University and director of the Center for Human Potential. He has also been a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and NYU. He hosts The Psychology Podcast which has received over 30 million downloads and is widely considered among the top psychology podcasts in the world.
Scott’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review, and he is the author and editor of 10 books, the most recent of which is Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself, and Realize Your Full Potential, published in April 2025.
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The Psychology Podcast
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Timestamps:
[00:01:34] What is a victim mindset?
[00:03:52] Vulnerable narcissism in culture.
[00:10:30] Honest love vs. victim mindset.
[00:12:54] Victim mindset and self-actualization.
[00:17:44] Victim mindset and empowerment.
[00:20:43] Victim to self-esteem issues.
[00:27:20] Collective victimhood and empowerment.
[00:30:24] Malevolent intent in ambiguity.
[00:34:07] Victim mindset in everyday life.
[00:39:28] Virtuous victim mindset.
[00:41:29] Final thoughts on human potential and growth.

4 snips
Feb 11, 2025 • 56min
Episode #66: Nine tenets to building mental fitness, with Drew Ramsey, MD
Drew Ramsey, MD, is a leading board-certified integrative psychiatrist, best-selling author and leading proponent of nutritional psychiatry and mental fitness. He served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeon for twenty years. He also founded the Brain Food Clinic in New York City, a digital mental health practice, and Spruce Mental Health in Jackson, Wyoming. Using the latest research along with decades of clinical experience, he hopes to help people improve their mental health and build resilient mental fitness.
Drew is a sought-after speaker, conducts workshops nationally, and his work has been featured throughout the media. He co-hosts the Men’s Health Magazine series Friday Sessions and has delivered three TEDx talks, a video series with Big Think, and the BBC documentary Food on the Brain. His work and writing have been featured by The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Lancet Psychiatry, TIME and NPR.
Drew’s books have helped establish nutritional psychiatry and explore the connection between food and mental health: the international best-seller Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety (HarperWave 2021), now translated into 9 languages; the award-winning cookbook Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients that Fuel Brain Power, Boost Weight Loss and Transform Your Health (HarperWave 2016); the bestseller 50 Shades of Kale (HarperWave 2013), and The Happiness Diet: A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood and Lean, Energized Body (Rodale 2011). His latest book is Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets to Build Mental Fitness and Revitalize Your Mind (March 2025).
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Forthcoming book: Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets to Build Mental Fitness and Revitalize Your Mind (March 2025)
Podcast
Timestamps:
[00:03:36] Mental fitness and health.
[00:09:53] Mental fitness and modern challenges.
[00:10:24] Modern mental health strategies.
[00:19:04] Lifestyle medicine and self-awareness.
[00:24:05] Connection and mental fitness.
[00:31:18] Nature's impact on mental health.
[00:38:13] Hedonism vs. Eudaimonia.
[00:45:07] Dopamine and pleasure balance.
[00:55:03] Goals for mental health.

Jan 28, 2025 • 52min
Episode #65: How to improve your well-being and recover from mental illness, with Dr. Lindsay Oades
Dr. Lindsay G. Oades is an internationally acclaimed, multi award-winning well-being scientist, researcher, public policy strategist, educator and author. He is Deputy Dean and Professor of Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne. He has recently worked with UNESCO on the International Science and Evidence Based Education Assessment. He is former Director of Action for Happiness Australia and non-executive Director of the Positive Education Schools Association. He was awarded the Australian Government citation in 2013 for an outstanding contribution to student learning.
Lindsay’s major research contribution has been in well-being and mental health recovery. He developed a mental health recovery model – the Collaborative Recovery Model – which is a positive psychology coaching model, used to assist people with mental illness.
Lindsay is the author of six books, and over 150 journal articles and book chapters related to well-being, recovery and coaching. As a sought after speaker known to provoke thought, Lindsay has given keynote or invited presentations in 14 nations.
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Forthcoming book: The Health and Well-Being Coaches’ Handbook (co-edited with Jonathan Passmore & Badri Bajaj) (Routledge, 2025)
Book mentioned in episode: Psychological Recovery: Beyond Mental Illness (co-authored with Retta Andresen and Peter Caputi) (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011)
Timestamps:
[02:12] Recovery model stages explained.
[04:25] Importance of relationships for well-being.
[09:25] Language's impact on wellbeing.
[12:18] Well-being literacy framework.
[18:31] Organisational language and wellbeing.
[21:24] Mental illness vs. well-being.
[28:48] Autonomy and agency in recovery.
[37:46] Stages of collaborative recovery.
[39:57] Collaborative recovery model in practice.
[45:17] Human flourishing in education.
[50:30] Central purpose of education.
[54:29] Wellbeing literacy community.

Jan 14, 2025 • 58min
Episode #64: Gretchen Rubin on Happiness and Human Nature
Gretchen Rubin is one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness and human nature. She’s known for her ability to convey complex ideas – from science to literature to stories from her own life – with levity and clarity.
Gretchen is the author of many books, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages, and include five New York Times bestsellers: The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, The Four Tendencies, Happier at Home and Outer Order, Inner Calm. Her most recent book is Life in Five Senses.
Gretchen is host of the popular podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, which has more than 220 million downloads, and is founder of the award-winning Happier app, which helps people track their happiness-boosting habits.
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Course: The Happiness Project
App: Happier
Podcast: Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen’s happiness quizzes
Latest book: Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World (2023)
New York Times bestseller: The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (2009)
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Gretchen Rubin
02:09 - Defining Happiness
06:04 - Practical Approaches to Happiness
08:18 - Key Elements for Building Happiness
12:37 - Feeling Good, Feeling Bad, Feeling Right, and Growth
18:13 - The Usefulness of Terms like Flourishing
23:25 - Happiness Doesn't Always Mean Feeling Happy
31:47 - Identifying Key Habits for Happiness
35:56 - Unorthodox Strategies for Happiness
40:06 - The Value of Repetition and Familiarity in Happiness

Jan 1, 2025 • 51min
Episode #63: How to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life, with Oliver Burkeman
Oliver Burkeman is a British journalist, author, and speaker whose work focuses on productivity, time management, and finding meaning in our fast-paced world. He graduated from the University of Cambridge, where he studied Social and Political Sciences, informing his critical examination of societal expectations around productivity and success.
Burkeman’s focus often centers on rethinking productivity and well-being, as he explores the limitations of traditional time management strategies in his popular book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, which has sparked broad interest for its unique perspective on finding balance in a finite life. His most recent book is Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts (2024), which offers a map for a liberating journey towards a more meaningful life, beginning with where we actually find ourselves, not with a fantasy of where we’d like to be.
His unique approach has resonated with readers worldwide, and his regular newsletter, The Imperfectionist, delves into themes of productivity, mortality, and intentional living. Previously, Burkeman was a longtime columnist for The Guardian, where he explored the intersection of psychology and self-help.
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Most recent book: Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts (2024)
Previous books: Four Thousand Weeks, The Antidote and Help!
Newsletter: The Imperfectionist
Blog
Timestamps:
[01:57] Finite nature of our lives.
[06:40] Imperfectionism as a solution.
[09:34] Acceptance of human finitude.
[12:51] The limits of optimization.
[22:09] Being vs. doing in life.
[29:30] Toxic productivity vs. healthy productivity.
[30:33] Human discomfort with mortality.
[35:27] Burnout and productivity relationship.
[39:58] Dysfunctional attempts at spirituality.
[43:25] Meaningful life and flourishing.
[45:26] Confronting life’s finitude and discomfort.
[50:54] The role of discomfort in growth.
[53:08] Living a fulfilling and meaningful life.

Dec 10, 2024 • 49min
Episode #62: Is Our Modern Civilization Helping or Hindering Flourishing? Insights and Answers with Dr. Christopher Ryan
Dr. Christopher Ryan, a renowned author and researcher known for his bestsellers 'Sex at Dawn' and 'Civilized to Death,' joins the discussion to challenge our understanding of modern civilization. He highlights the detrimental effects of social isolation and the impact of technology on mental health. Chris contrasts modern lifestyles with the communal values of hunter-gatherer societies, advocating for the importance of community and simplicity. He also encourages listeners to redefine 'enough' in a consumer-driven world, emphasizing personal autonomy and well-being.

Nov 26, 2024 • 50min
Episode #61: “Toxic Productivity” and Our Ability to Flourish, with Israa Nasir
Israa Nasir, MHC-LP, is a psychotherapist, writer, and the founder of WellGuide, a digital community for mental health awareness. She recently published Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World that Always Demands More (November 2024), a book that demonstrates how to challenge the various masks of toxic productivity and societal pressures around managing time by focusing on emotional regulation.
A Pakistani-Canadian child of immigrants, Israa has a specific focus on mental health, identity formation and healing for the AAPI first- and second-generation immigrant community. Israa has been featured in major publications including NBC, Vox, Huffpost and Teen Vogue, and has been invited to speak at corporations and institutions such as Google, Meta, and Yale University.
Israa sits on the Mental Health Advisory Board for both PopSugar (Vox Media) and the menstrual health product and advocacy brand, August. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto, a Master’s in Counseling from Adelphi University, and certifications in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy.
With over a decade of experience as a licensed therapist in Ontario and New York, Israa specializes in empowering individuals through therapy, workshops, and engaging content that addresses emotional well-being.
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Newsletter
Recently published book: Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World that Always Demands More
Timestamps:
[04:08] Emotional intelligence domains explained.
[11:06] Emotional intelligence in society today.
[19:02] Emotional intelligence and optimal performance.
[23:15] Importance of emotional intelligence in leadership.
[29:29] Emotional intelligence and health.
[34:39] Emotional intelligence and flourishing.
[36:55] Emotional intelligence in education.
[41:40] Learning new habits through mindfulness.
[47:29] Cognitive control and flourishing.
[49:16] Cognitive control's long-term effects.
[58:49] Group-level emotional intelligence.

4 snips
Nov 12, 2024 • 58min
Episode #60: Emotional Intelligence and Resilience with “EI” Pioneer, Dr. Daniel Goleman
In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Daniel Goleman, a pioneer in emotional intelligence and bestselling author, shares insights that have reshaped personal and organizational dynamics. He explores the vital four domains of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, and relationship management. Goleman emphasizes the importance of EI in enhancing resilience and managing stress, essential in today’s fast-paced world. He also discusses practical strategies for fostering healthy relationships and integrating emotional intelligence into educational and professional environments.

8 snips
Oct 29, 2024 • 56min
Episode #59: How to Harness Meaning, Mattering and Purpose for a Flourishing Work Life, with Dr. Zach Mercurio
Dr. Zach Mercurio, a renowned researcher and author, dives into the crucial role of purpose and mattering in the workplace. He discusses how meaningful connections and small gestures can create supportive environments, enhancing engagement and well-being. Zach emphasizes the essential human need to feel significant and the detrimental effects of anti-mattering, such as burnout and 'quiet quitting.' He also explores the psychological impact of being irreplaceable, advocating for leaders to recognize individual contributions to foster a flourishing work culture.

Oct 15, 2024 • 59min
Episode #58: How to Clean Up Your Mental Mess & Flourish, with Dr. Caroline Leaf
Dr. Caroline Leaf is a clinical and research neuroscientist, communication pathologist, and author, recognized for her groundbreaking work on brain science and mental health. With a Ph.D. in Communication Pathology, Caroline focuses on the mind-brain connection and the transformative power of thought management for enhancing mental well-being. Her mission is “to make mental healthcare, knowledge about the power of our minds, and tools for improving learning and memory affordable, accessible, and applicable to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or religion.”
Caroline is the author of several bestselling books, including Switch On Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health, which explores the impact of neuroplasticity and thought management on personal growth. Her most recent book, Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: Five Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking (2021) offers practical strategies for overcoming mental clutter and enhancing emotional well-being. Through her work, Caroline integrates scientific research with actionable insights, helping individuals harness the power of their thoughts to create meaningful and positive changes in their lives. As a sought-after speaker and global advocate, she continues to inspire and educate on the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and holistic mental health.
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Most recent book: Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: Five Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking (Baker Books, 2021)
Neurocycle app
Cleaning Up the Mental Mess podcast
Timestamps:
[01:58] Neurocycling.
[06:58] Non-conscious mind functions explained.
[10:20] Neuroplasticity and conscious mind interaction.
[18:11] Habit formation and trauma processing.
[00:25:37] Neuroplasticity and brain change.
[00:31:21] Neuroplasticity and mental mess cleanup.
[34:41] Neurocycle for managing trauma.
[41:08] Biomedical model of mental health.
[49:19] Mindstorm writing process.
[54:15] Daily mental health practices.
[57:23] Overcoming learned helplessness.
[01:00:04] App for mental health support.
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