The Courageous Life

Dr. Jud Brewer, a leading expert in stress and anxiety, discusses the landscape of anxiety in society and the effectiveness of common approaches to tackling anxiety. He shares insights from his work in neuroscience and offers practical ways to break the habit of anxiety. The podcast also explores the relationship between anxiety and success, the importance of cultivating positive qualities, and provides tips on how to start approaching anxiety differently.

Years ago I sat down for a conversation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal, who is arguably one of the world’s leading experts on behavior change. During our time together I asked her to name a few of her greatest insights about what contributes to being able to successfully change behavior (which can be incredibly difficult). Learning skills that increase the capacity to tolerate distress was right at the top of her list. Today you’ll have a chance to hear a snippet from Kelly, and you’ll learn one of the simplest and most effective practices I’ve come across for tolerating the distress that arises from craving - a very common experience on the path to change, growth, and realizing our potential. It’s called RAINAnd it stands for:RecognizeAllowInvestigateand Not identify withRAIN is a powerful tool for learning to “surf the urge” and for riding out cravings using mindfulness and curiosity. Ultimately this practice can make some of the hard parts of change more workable, and in the process can support the ability to live in greater alignment with what you care about most. Ready to begin?Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:Lessons in Hope, Courage, and Human Transformation | Dr. Kelly McGonigalIs Curiosity a Superpower? | Dr. Jud BrewerHarnessing Neuroscience to Change Habits and Find Happiness | Dr. Jud BrewerSupport the show

At the end of each day we do a mental scan, reviewing our experiences from that day.When people do this, they often find:The moments where they moved outside of their comfort zoneThe moments where they pushed themselvesAnd the moments where they were courageousAre often the moments that they end up being most proud of. Additionally, leading courage researcher, Dr. Jim Detert asserts that when looking back on life its acts of courage that are often associated with greater fulfillment, meaning, and positive legacy. Today I am going to offer a practice that will invite you to explore a simple process for intentionally increasing the capacity to be with discomfort, and how practicing this in low stakes moments can help strengthen your mind, body, and skillset to help unlock courage in moments that matter. Ready to get started?Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:Courage is Developed Through Practice | Dr. Jim DetertLessons in Hope, Courage, and Human Transformation | Dr. Kelly McGonigalFinding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness | Emily Esfahani SmithTill next time,-JoshuaSupport the show

Speaking in public is one of people's greatest fears. Today's practice focuses on a brief process for overcoming this fear. Its a mindset shift from performance to curiosity that begins with 4 simple words.If you have a moment where you will be speaking, interviewing, facilitating, coaching, hosting, or just generally interacting…and you find yourself getting nervousGive this a try, and see if it helps.Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:Leadership From the Inside Out | Kevin CashmanIs Curiosity a Superpower? | Dr. Jud BrewerUnlocking the Mindset of a Champion | Shane O'SullivanTill next time,-JoshuaSupport the show

Are you familiar with the story of the lone hero? It’s a long celebrated cultural narrative (in the U.S.) of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, doing it all on your own, and being gritty, resilient, and fiercely independent. In essence - it’s about being courageous.While there may be some upsides to this story, one of the things I find so interesting is how it places a lot of pressure on an individual to be courageous. Pressure that perhaps isn’t always necessary. So today I will flip the script.Through a blend of research and storytelling I will invite you to engage in a practice that looks at how we might lessen undue pressure on an individual, and simultaneously create conditions that help to unlock: More courage.Meaningful positive connections with others.And people’s potential to become their best self.Ready to begin?Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:The Courage to Become Your Best Self | Steph LabbéCreating Fearless Cultures at Work | Dr. Amy EdmondsonGiving Everyone Permission to Feel | Dr. Marc BrackettTill next time,-JoshuaSupport the show

This is the finale in our 4-part series on the power of compassion, which has featured leading researchers and practitioners in illuminating conversations about how to live with a more kind, and open hearted stance toward the world. Today's conversation could not be a more fitting end as Roshi Joan Halifax and Rhonda V. Magee, two extraordinary pioneers working at the intersection of mindfulness, social change, law, and end-of-life care will engage in a deep and inspiring discussion about accessing compassion in the face of our most pressing challenges. Some of the topics they'll explore include:How we might engage with ourselves, our communities, our perceived adversaries, and the broader world with an open heart.Training qualities of compassion, kindness, and love when fighting for causes one cares aboutTheir experiences, including challenges they've faced, in cultivating compassion The GRACE model for training compassionOvercoming fearPractices for responding (vs. reacting) in the heat of the moment or when one is triggeredWorking more effectively with failure and disappointmentAs you'll hear this conversation will infuse the metaphor of an open hearted warrior as Joan and Rhonda discuss the possibility of meeting life's challenges with a blend of both backbone and heart. Enjoying the show? Please rate it on iTunes!More Power of Compassion Series episodes:#3: The Future of Work - Love, Safety, and Belonging | Leah Weiss & Jerry Colonna#2: Moving From Fear to Love | James Doty & Jacinta Jiménez#1: The Key to Resilience, Growth, and Possibility | Barbara Fredrickson & Sharon SalzbergAbout Rhonda Magee:Rhonda V. Magee is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and a leading mindfulness teacher with a focus on applying mindfulness to the hardest challenges of our times. She is an internationally-recognized teacher, guide and mentor, focused on integrating mindfulness into higher education, law and social change work. For more than 20+ years, Professor Magee has studied mindfulness, its underlying origins in Buddhism, and its potential benefits and applications in the world. A prolific author, she draws on law and legal history to weave storytelling, poetry, analysis and practices into inspiration for changing how we think, act and live better together in the face of the multiple interlocking challenges of our times. For more please visit rhondavmagee.comAbout Roshi Joan HalifaxRoshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D. is Founder and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a social activist, author, and in her early years was an anthropologist at Columbia University and University of Miami School of Medicine . She is a pioneer in the field of end-of-life care and has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academic institutions and medical centers around the world. She has also received numerous awards and honors from institutions for her work as a social and environmental activist and in the end-of-life care field. She has served as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress where she developed a heuristic map of compassion and created  the GRACE model for training compassion. She is Director of the Project on Being with Dying, and Founder of the Upaya Prison Project that develops programs on meditation for prisoners. For more please visit: Support the show

Do you ever get caught up in what I will casually call “the race”? The experience of moving from one thing to the nextSwept up in the to-do listFeeling an internal push to keep accomplishing, achieving, and making things happenConstantly in a mode of “doing.” Is this relatable?While neither good or bad I would invite you to consider the following:At what points is this beneficial (in your experience)? When might it become detrimental?Today’s practice will invite you to consider these questions, to step out of the race, and to let go of “doing” as you are guided through a simple process for finding a few moments of rest in the midst of a busy day.Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges:◦ The Practicing Courage Challenge◦ The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. ◦Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:How Mindfulness Rewires Your Brain For Calm, Clarity and Joy - Dr. Shauna ShapiroLetting Go of Perfectionism and Finding Happiness - Tal Ben-ShaharLearning Self-Acceptance and Finding Real Happiness - Alison CanavanTil next time,-JoshuaSupport the show

What happens when you begin to shift your attention outwardly to the ways in which we are connected and support one another? This in itself can be a question to explore and experiment with over time. Today’s practice will invite you to use your imagination to foster a mindset of connection and interdependence.For many, a shift to focusing on connection can bring with it numerous benefits.  Here’s a couple of points that highlight this:When we over-focus on ourselves it narrows our possibilities, our perspective, and can often lead to isolation, pain, and sufferingWhen we feel connected it expands possibilities, our perspective, and we often experience wellbeing. And this sense of connection, and interconnection is something that we can access through practice.Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:Sharon Salzberg and Barbara Fredrickson - The Key to Resilience, Growth, and PossibilityDr. Jeffrey Hull - The Art & Science of Leadership in a Changing WorldRick Hanson - Solving Conflicts, Building Connections, and Fostering LoveTill next time,-JoshuaSupport the show

Today’s guest is Dr. Mylien Duong, Senior Director of Research at The Constructive Dialogue Institute, where they define Constructive dialogue as a form of conversation in which people who have different values, beliefs, and perspectives seek to build new ways to understand and interact with each other, even as they sustain commitments to their own principles and perspectives. The format is ideal for discussing important, complicated issues that can divide people.Mylien helps to build out evidence-based content for having constructive dialogues, and oversees measuring the efficacy and effectiveness of the programming and learning content that the Institute puts out.  So far programming offered by the Institute: Has impacted over 50K learners Is being leveraged by 900+ Institutions Shows that 86% of learners improved communication across differenceAnd, 95% of educators recommend their programmingTheir work has been featured in Time Magazine, Forbes, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Oprah Magazine, Psychology Today and moreIn today's conversation we are going to dive deep into the topic of how to have constructive dialogues including: Part of Mylien’s story about how she came to this workThe 5 principles of Constructive Dialogue that the Institute has establishedThe role of curiosityThe power of storytelling, and witnessing people’s storiesThe importance of humility, self-worth, and feeling that you matterWhat role emotion intelligence and nervous system regulation playsAnd more!More about Mylien: Dr. Mylien Duong has deep expertise in developing scalable behavioral interventions. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she was previously a senior research scientist at the Committee for Children, where she led the research to develop a social-emotional learning program for teachers in K-12 schools. Prior to that, she was faculty at the University of Washington, where conducted federally funded research studies to develop and test behavioral interventions for children and youth in school and juvenile justice settings. A researcher through and through, she has received over $17 million in grant funding and published over 40 scientific articles and book chapters. For more on the Constructive Dialogue Institute please check out https://constructivedialogue.org/Did you find this episode inspiring? Here are more conversations we think you'll love:Dr. Marc Brackett - Permission to Feel: The Power of Emotional IntelligenceDr. Daryl Van Tongeren - The Transformative Power of HumilityDr. Kelly McGonigal - Finding the Hope, Connection, and Courage to TransformEnjoying the show? Please rate it on Apple Podcasts!Thanks for listening!Support the show

Are there habitual ways of thinking or behaving that if you were to let go of, would bring more ease, wellbeing, and fulfillment? Today's practice will introduce you to the work of Dr. Jud Brewer and explore how we can leverage knowledge of how our brains work, the latest science of habit change, as well as a powerful blend of curiosity and kindness, to ultimately let go of ways of thinking and behaving that no are no longer helpful or beneficial in the pursuit of what we care about most.Thanks for practicing with us!Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share. All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-libraryInterested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:Existing on-demand meditation challenges: The Practicing Courage ChallengeThe 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times. Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-passCurious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:Dr. Jud Brewer - Is Curiosity a Superpower?Dr. Jud Brewer - Harnessing Neuroscience to Change Habits and Find HappinessDr. Leah Weiss and Jerry Colonna - The Future of Work: Love, Safety, and BelongingTil next Tuesday,-JoshuaSupport the show