Bounce! Conversations with Larry Weeks

Dr. David Burns, MD is the author of the best-selling, "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy," which has sold more than five million copies worldwide. Feeling Good is the book most frequently “prescribed” for depressed patients by psychiatrists and psychologists in the United States and Canada. Surveys indicate that American mental health professionals rate Feeling Good as the #1 book on depression, out of a list of 1,000 self-help books. People are not disturbed by things, but by the views, they take of them - Epictetus This is the basic premise of CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) Dr. Burns popularized in Feeling Good. The way we think about things create all of our emotions, positive or negative. A simple idea some 2,500 years old tracing even before the Stoics to the time of Buddha. Yet, it’s so obvious that very few people grasp it or understand how to use it and many frankly just do not believe it. The concept that horrible things do not cause negative feelings seems untethered from real experience. “A” happens, and I feel “C.” They miss the  “B,” a belief or interpretation of “A” that then leads to “C.” On our podcast, Dr. Burns tells the story of a woman diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she became extremely depressed but she didn't want to spend the last two years of her life feeling worthless so enter Dr. Burns. Dr. Burns ascertained that she had two chained thoughts, “I'm letting my family down, they won't survive without me” and “it's my fault that I got cancer and It was those specific thoughts rather than the diagnosis that was causing her extreme emotional distress. Yes, sadness is normal in this case “but you can you make it worse when piling on irrational negative thoughts.” Most of us do this to ourselves that we're not are not aware of it. Dr. Burns says that depression is the world's oldest con and that when you are upset most of the time the thoughts that upset you will be distorted. They're a fraud. Depression is the world's oldest con. “We can put up with almost anything if we think it's it's going to end. There's something weird about depression that it cons you into thinking it will be like this forever, you're no good, and you'll always be no good and your problems will never be solved, and it just seems overwhelmingly valid.” Listen is as we discuss CBT and how you can apply it to help you manage your thoughts. This is life-changing stuff, you need to hear it. Show Notes [00:14:15] His discovery of CBT when doing brain research on chemical imbalances [00:16:30] How difficult it was to publish Feeling Good [00:19:34] How much significance should one put on one's either past or childhood [00:23:40] The cause of negative feelings [00:24:02] The physiology of depression vs pathology of depression.  [00:25:41] Genetics of depression and happiness. [00:26:17] Why Dr. Burns loves to treat anxiety disorders [00:27:12] As a Doctor how Dr. Burns cured himself of blood phobia. [00:32:45] The four models of anxiety. [00:39:26] His view on medication / psychopharmacology [00:42:33] The key cognitive distortions warping your thinking [00:47:37] What really leads to suicidal urges  [00:50:24] The issues with “self-esteem”

When you open Scott’s book you get this: “WARNING! No one should attempt any of these methods or practices without appropriate experience, training, fitness level, doctor approval and supervision…” You quickly learn why. The book contains examples of people practicing techniques in extreme conditions that push physical limits and Scott, an investigative journalist, is out to prove that the man (Wim Hoff) teaching this stuff is a charlatan and his techniques destined to kill people. Instead, Scott winds up climbing a freezing Mount Kilimanjaro practically naked (where between 5 and 10 people a year die trekking up WITH clothes) among other things and helps put Wim Hoff on the US map as the guru he is today. On this podcast Scott talks about his experiences meeting Wim and what he discovered about his own physiology. Scott Carney has worked in some of the most dangerous and unlikely corners of the world. His work has been the subject of a variety of radio and television programs, including NPR and National Geographic TV. In 2010, he won the Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism for his story “Meet the Parents,” which tracked an international kidnapping-to-adoption ring. Carney has spent extensive time in South Asia and speaks Hindi. His new book, and the topic of our conversation, “What Doesn’t Kill Us” is a New York Times bestseller. Here are just a few things I learned from talking with Scott: 1. It’s more than cold exposure, it’s about exploring what you’re capable of. Although he set out as a skeptical journalist,  he wound up not only proving the methods work but also that he could do more than he thought he could. Limits are, for the most part, self-imposed and should be doubted within reason 2. Mind over matter works and rehearsing is the key. One of the more interesting phenomena that we talk about is what Scott calls “the wedge.” “So let’s say the cold, this could also be heat, this could also be altitude, this could be a number of different factors, and knowing in advance what sort of reaction that your body is going to have to that response, and then what you do…you resist having that response….you’re putting this sort of wedge between the environment and your autonomic functions by using your conscious thoughts” 3. We can get to our minds through our bodies.   The mind-body connection runs both ways. Because you’re not used to doing things that push you out of your comfort zone your mind resists and starts ringing alarm bells very very early. We can use the environment on our bodies to send signals to train our brains that we can handle stressors, we can take it. As soon as you start voluntarily doing difficult things, everything else in life can get easier. It’s a fascinating book and Scott’s an interesting guy, give it a listen.   You’ll really enjoy this one. Show Notes [00:05:01] His background in hardcore investigative journalism. what led to the book [00:06:34] He talks about Wim Hoff’s superhuman feats [00:08:57] The first thing he saw that blew his mind. [00:11:15] Meeting Wim Hoff, what he’s really like [00:13:01] Hiking up a mountain, in his bathing suit, in 2 degrees Fahrenheit   [00:15:52] How modernity is lowering our physical resilience [00:16:49] Key aspects of the Wim Hoff training method [00:17:11] How to “hack” your body for greater breath control [00:26:26] The story of Wim consciously fighting off the effects of an endotoxin [00:31:04] Fighting off rheumatoid arthritis [00:45:01] The third pillar of human health [00:54:11] Scott talks about The Wedge, the heart of the method    

Isaac Lidsky’s TED talk was viewed more than a million times in its first 20 days. It has a mid preso reveal I’ll spoil for you here - he is blind, and when revealed, it’s a surprise, if you didn't know Isaac. He looks and presents like he’s seeing you, but make no mistake, he is not. Isaac was diagnosed with a blinding eye disease when he was 12 years old and he slowly lost his sight over the next 12 years. In spite of that, Isaac graduated from Harvard College at 19 with a degree in mathematics and computer science, he founded an Internet startup that later sold for $230 million. He returned to Harvard, graduated Harvard Law with high honors, litigated appeals on behalf of the United States as a Department of Justice lawyer and he became the only blind person to clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court when he worked for Justices, Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “Going blind really was at the end of the day one of the best things that ever happened to me. WE are the creators of the realities, WE experience the circumstances. WE confront the things that are beyond our control.” Isaac is the New York Times bestselling author of Eyes Wide Open. Overcoming obstacles and recognizing opportunities in a world that can't see clearly. On the podcast, we talk about his story told in his new book “Eyes Wide Open. Overcoming obstacles and recognizing opportunities in a world that can't see clearly.” We talk about when he was first diagnosed and the resulting panic and depression he felt, the gripping fear that he had to deal with. We talk about what blindness taught him. Isaac talks about how true reality isn't something you perceive, it's something you create in your mind.  "We have a very useful and very rich and immersive experience of sight that has nothing to do with the world around us and yet and here's the fundamental contradiction. We experience what is truth. So we literally create our own truth and believe it."  There is the McGurk effect, The Ponso illusion, sight even affects how you taste food. Add to it all your cognitive biases and you create your own subjective reality. Sight starts becoming a disadvantage. Isaac helps me "see" that, I think he can help you too. Show Notes [00:07:22] Why his Ted talk reveal was such a surprise [00:09:59] Why he says going blind was one of the best things that ever happened  [00:15:50] His story, the diagnosis and learning to live with blindness   [00:16:04] His description of the disease's progression [00:17:26] Hi emotional reactions and future predictions when first diagnosed [00:29:02] The bounce, the moment he knew he could thrive  

In times of extreme upheaval, why do some people, communities, companies and systems thrive, while others fall apart? Andrew Stolli answers that question and more.  Andrew is the author of the best-selling book “Resilience, Why Things Bounce Back” published by Simon and Schuster in the U.S., and in many other languages and territories around the world. The books is his research on the dynamics of resilience in many contexts, people, systems, communities, and companies. Resilience forces us to take the possibility even necessity of failure seriously - Andrew Zolli On this podcast we talk about Why he wrote a book about resilience How organizations and people bounce back Social media and resilience, does it help or hurt Society and whether social safety nets make us more fragile The impact of faith on resilience - it’s not what you think What he learned about organizational resilience in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and much more  I would love to follow Andrew around for a few days and as he is involved in a lot of very interesting projects. For 11 years, he was the creative force behind PopTech, a renowned innovation and social change network. He served on the board of the Garrison Institute and Blurb. He also serves as an advisor to PlanetLabs (a revolutionary Earth-imaging company), DataKind, which is bringing data science to the social sector, and The Workshop School, an experiment in what a public high school can be. He served as a Fellow of the National Geographic Society. He advises governmental organization, startups, cultural and civil society groups including leadership teams at companies like GE, Nike and Facebook. Show Notes and Resources  [00:07:57] Where we discuss the forces that likely put Trump in office [00:13:53] Resilience and the inverted ∩ [00:22:05] Resilience as a skill [00:23:33] An example of organizational resilience in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina [00:32:59] What makes organizations resilient [00:32:59] Middle management and organizational resilience  [00:34:20] Social programs and resilience [00:43:40] The 10 factors that encourage personal resilience [00:44:35] I ask if Facebook making us stronger or weaker [00:50:52] Intentionality and emotional control  

An undefeated mind isn’t one that never feels discouraged or despairing; it’s one that continues on in spite of it - Alex Lickerman Over the last twenty years Dr. Alex Lickerman has watched thousands of patients struggle with sickness and issues from colds to cancers. He has extensive experience treating the sickest of the sick at a renowned academic medical center located in the heart of one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago. Caring for and observing his patients he says taught him the most important lesson he’s ever learned: That our capacity to suffer may be immense, but so is our ability to endure it—if we've taken effective steps to develop our strength. Alex Lickerman is a former assistant professor of medicine, director of primary care, and assistant vice president for Student Health and Counseling Services at the University of Chicago. He currently leads a direct primary care private practice called ImagineMD in Chicago. Alex’s first book, The Undefeated Mind: On the Science of Constructing an Indestructible Self. Alex has been quoted in Crain’s Chicago Business, Playboy, The Chicago Tribune, Men’s Health, The New York Times, and TIME, and has had articles appear in Psychology Today, Crain’s Chicago Business, USA Today, Slate, The Huffington Post, Counselor Magazine, and Medicine on the Midway. He’s also been a guest on NPR’s On Point. I loved talking with Alex. He reminded me of Sam Harris. Smart and articulate. His message is a simple one and a reality check for all of us.   Stop hoping for easy lives and instead to focus on cultivating the inner strength we need to enjoy the difficult lives we all have. We talk about this is in detail on the podcast. How does he cultivate inner strength? How do we cultivate it? Alex thinks your purpose is not an endowed one but rather an evolved function. He says eventually you find all reasons lead to the same place, to the one core reason for living, the reason against which we measure the value of everything we do:  To - Be - Happy Want to find out more? Give the show a listen, you’ll be glad you did. Show Notes [00:05:38] On concierge medicine [00:10:30] How he came to write the book “The Undefeated Mind” [00:13:35] On Nichiren Buddhism [00:16:54] A discussion about chanting, it’s benefits, differences from meditation. [00:23:49] Summarizing what chanting does for him personally. [00:35:29] Turning poison into medicine [00:39:34] Dealing with loss and grief [00:45:07] On the ultimate goal of human development [00:46:00] Why happiness supersedes the goals of survival and reproduction [00:50:55] On the benefits of adversity [00:55:52] On dealing with discouragement and the writing exercise  

How difficult would your day-to-day tasks become if you were missing just one of your arms? How about both? What if you were missing all four limbs? Now, after you surmount your everyday challenges regarding getting dressed, feeding yourself, typing etc (without prosthetics mind you), go compete in football, excel at wrestling, then go climb (check that, bear crawl) up a mountain, wait, make it Mt. Kilimanjaro. Yeah, this is just SOME of what Kyle Maynard has accomplished. Listen as I interview quadruple congenital amputee Kyle Maynard, who has conquered more physical-related challenges and obstacles than most people able bodied people, Kyle is an entrepreneur, speaker, best-selling author of the book No Excuse, he was the focus of a moving ESPN documentary called “A Fighting Chance.” has appeared on Oprah, HBO Sports, ABC's 20/20, He was on the University of Georgia wrestling team, he is an ESPY award winner, the first quadruple amputee to climb to the top of the highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet, and the summit of Argentina’s Mount Aconcagua at 22,838 feet. Find out how the environment Kyle grew up in affected his positive mindset despite his physical setbacks. Kyle talks about how his parents “Jedi-mind tricked” him into believing that he was capable of doing the same things his able-bodied peers could do. Their confidence in him was a key ingredient to the success and independence he steadily built.   In the interview, Kyle describes some of the darker periods of his life when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue on. He says, “I’m fortunate and lucky at the fact that I didn’t make a more permanent decision to end my life at that point.” Every day we’re faced with a choice– do we want to live within the confines we’ve set for ourselves or do we want to try to surpass them? “If we’re fixed to what we know, we can’t grow,” Kyle says.  “I used to say anything is possible, but I don’t really believe that,” he continues. “I believe a better way to state that is to know your limits but never stop trying to break them. But that only happens by, ironically, not knowing your limits.”  Kyle’s story serves as a reminder that we so often define our lives by what we don’t have. Perhaps instead we should start focusing on what we do.      Show Notes 0:05:28 How he types 50 words per minute ...without hands 0:06:43 Kyles 1st experience with resilience as a kid 0:06:48 Hie parents jedi mind trick to get him tough 07:39 Learning how to wrestle, an education in failure 09:57 His first goal in wrestling 11:39 For BJJ grappling nerds only. 0:13:48: The power of belief 18:25 Why no arms and legs is his greatest strength 23:47 His parents “bounce” moment 26:23 Great story where he talks about the first time dressed himself 34:09. The “bounce”. When the worst periods in life turn into the best periods