
Anxiety Book Club
Learn about mental health and anxiety through interviews with authors, academics, philosophers, mindfulness teachers, tech executives, therapists and more! Get in touch at joshuamalina@gmail.com — also check out my substack at https://anxietybookclub.substack.com/.
Latest episodes

Jul 28, 2023 • 56min
Episode 46 - Real Life with Sharon Salzberg
In this episode, I chat with Sharon Salzberg about her latest book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom.
We discuss how useful self compassion is, the difference between remorse and guilt, urge surfing, the limits of mindfulness, the practice of looking directly at difficult feelings, why we might not label hardships as gifts, and the difference between equanimity and resignation, among other topics. Enjoy!

Jun 1, 2023 • 46min
Episode 45 - Teaching Mindfulness in Public Schools
In this episode, I chat with Amy Edelstein, author and creator of the Inner Strength System -- a program for teaching mindfulness to high school aged students. We discuss her book, The Conscious Classroom, and about the impact of her program (over 20,000 students in Philadelphia), the intricacies of its implementation and the special challenges facing teenagers today.
https://amyedelstein.com/
https://innerstrengtheducation.org/
The Conscious Classroom

May 1, 2023 • 1h 24min
Episode 44 - This Extraordinary Moment with John Astin
In this episode, me and John Astin discover what everything is made of; or we give it a real college try! John works in the field of effortless mindfulness, an approach to present moment awareness that is truly amazing. Enjoy!
John's Website: https://www.johnastin.com/
The book: https://a.co/d/i0jJ7U4
My email: joshuamalina@gmail.com
Podcast website: https://anxietybookclub.com/

Apr 1, 2023 • 51min
Episode 43 - Anticipatory Anxiety with Sally Winston
Dr. Sally Winston, author of 'Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety', discusses the concept of anticipatory anxiety and its impact on decision-making. They provide strategies for managing anticipatory anxiety and explore the difficulties of implementing CBT-based approaches. The podcast also explores the concept of fretting and wishing, breaking the cycle of anxiety, and the time it takes for individuals to make an attitudinal shift towards their anxiety.

Mar 1, 2023 • 55min
Episode 42 - Psychedelics and Grief with Stuart Preston
In this episode, I interview stand up comedian, dad, and psychonaut Stuart Preston about his one man show -- The Stoned Ape Show -- and his booklet, The Grief Trip, about the death of his son and how psychedelics have helped him to heal with loss. We have a frank discussion covering psychedelics -- including mushrooms, peyote and ayahuasca -- as well as suicide, how to talk about it (spoiler: we should), shame, privacy and other mental health concerns.
Find Stuart here: https://stonedapecomedy.com/

Feb 1, 2023 • 45min
Episode 41 - Woebot
In this episode, I speak with Chief Clinical Officer Athena Robinson at Woebot Health. Woebot is a therapist in your pocket; a conversational agent; someone to tell your woes to! I've been using Woebot for the last few months, and it honestly has helped me -- to reframe unrealistic thoughts, get grounded, and feel supported. Give it a whirl -- it's free. And I hope you enjoy the episode.
https://woebothealth.com

Jan 1, 2023 • 57min
Episode 40 - Talk Therapy is Not Enough
In Episode 40 of the podcast, I speak with author and therapist Natasha Senra-Pereira about her riveting memoir, Talk Therapy is Not Enough. We chat about her journey of healing, including her work with alternative therapy approaches, including somatic healing, Internal Family Systems, (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) EMDR, psychedelics and more. It’s a fun book and conversation, and I hope you’ll enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed chatting with Natasha.
https://privatetherapytoronto.ca/
https://www.amazon.com/Talk-Therapy-Isnt-Enough-Psychotherapists/dp/1951692217
https://www.talktherapyisntenough.com/

Dec 1, 2022 • 50min
Episode 39 - Mental Health Comics with Sacha Mardou
In this episode, me and the amazing Sacha Mardou (known as Mardou in her comic books), discuss her contribution to art and mental health via her ifscomics.com, her previous books (here and here), and her forthcoming memoir. We discuss her personal path to healing (which also comes by way of anxiety), and how the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and her description of her sessions via art has led to some serious healing. I really enjoyed this chat, and I hope you do to!
Also mentioned:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/585991565326793
Mardou on Patreon
Mardou on instagram

Nov 1, 2022 • 59min
Episode 38 - Life is Hard with Kieran Setiya
In this episode, I talk with philosopher Kieran Setiya about his very new book, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way. We discuss hope, pain, illness, moral philosophy, stoicism, grief, FOMO, and much more. Enjoy!
Kieran’s Podcast:
https://anchor.fm/kieran-setiya
Kieran’s Website
http://www.ksetiya.net/
Kieran’s Twitter
https://twitter.com/KieranSetiya?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Oct 1, 2022 • 54min
Episode 37 - Community Mental Health with San Mar
In a bit of a departure for the podcast, this episode goes local, and explores how community mental health operates at a single organization, San Mar Family and Community Services in Boonsboro, Maryland. San Mar provides a diverse collection of services, including foster care support and outpatient mental health. My guests are CEO Keith Fanjoy and Director Jerica Washington, who explain the ins and outs of this special organization, including the philosophy of "Wraparound" services that inform much of its approach to community well being. Enjoy!
- https://sanmarhope.org/
- https://besterhope.org/
- https://jebcenter.com/
- Program Overview