SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

I love it when I meet someone who positively changes my view of the world. One of those people is the guest on this episode, Blake Leeper. Blake was born without legs. And he would go on to play sports of all kinds—baseball, basketball, and he would ultimately become one of the world’s fastest runners. How fast? So fast that several of Blake’s 400-meter runs have been among the fastest ever recorded! Blake has experienced adversity of all types including those far beyond the physical. And he consistently responds to adversity with wisdom, determination, clarity, and positivity. Blake shines brilliantly as a role model of how a person can respond to life’s challenges. So, listen in, as Blake explains what he means when he says, “My Adversity is My Advantage.”

For many of us, a peculiar aspect of being human is the erroneous belief that we are exempt from certain rules of life. One of those rules is aging.  So here’s my confession about how I thought I was exempt: it took me forever to accept the fact that I needed reading glasses.  Somehow, I believed my eyes were meant to remain the eyes of a teenager and every time I’d ask to borrow some readers, my wife would lovingly remind me to embrace reality and carry glasses. My guest, Dr. Jerrold Shapiro (https://jerroldleeshapiro.com/), is a psychologist, author, and professor of psychology at Santa Clara University. He has written extensively about existential psychology, fatherhood, group therapy, and couples therapy. He has been interviewed on multiple media outlets including the Oprah Winfrey Show.  And without a question, Jerry is one of the most beloved professors I have ever known and with good reason: he is supremely knowledgeable and relates his knowledge with massive doses of levity, relatability, and kindness as you will hear in this interview. His latest book, Finding Meaning, Facing Fears, explores how to feel empowered around aging and has been described as “a must-read for everyone beyond the age of 45.” So, listen in as Jerry and I talk about finding meaning as we age.

I’m guessing that, like me, you have a Netflix account. And, like me, you may have wondered, how does it know what I will like? With more than 200 million households and over half a billion viewers in 190 countries, Netflix has become an international phenomenon. Part of the company's success has been its ability to advise us on what we will like by suggesting titles. And in this interview, you’ll hear that the company scraps traditional marketing and demographic information when making its predictions of what we will like. Instead, the company uses sophisticated, objective measures to determine what it will suggest and it doesn’t factor our age, gender or other typically-used data when rendering its recommendations. And someone who knows how Netflix does what it does is the company’s Vice President of Product, Todd Yellin. Todd has played a significant role in Netflix’s success for the past 15 years and was part of the team that created the original algorithms to predict how we will rate a title we haven’t ever seen. Todd is one of the most compelling people I have known. In addition to being an executive, Todd is a great storyteller and filmmaker.  As a cinephile and TV geek who is fascinated by how people make decisions, I found talking with Todd and getting to know how Netflix operates to be a total delight. So, listen in as Todd and I talk about how Netflix helps us decide.

The month of May was the one-year mark for SuperPsyched! I thought I would honor this anniversary with a short, behind-the-scenes look at SuperPsyched so far. In this 9-minute episode, I talk about how the podcast started, what goes into creating an episode, and other questions I am frequently asked. Thank you so much for listening, I am positively SuperPsyched to continue making episodes for you.

What is real magic? My guest’s story starts with Jim, a boy who loved magic tricks. Jim was from a small town and poor. His family life was challenging. One day, he went to a local magic shop in search of new tricks. Upon entering, Jim was greeted by the mother of the owner who offered to teach him real magic in addition to the tricks that were being sold there. This real magic came in the form of various exercises in meditation, self-compassion, and visualizations about a future that he began to imagine. My guest, Dr. James Doty, has done a lot with his life since he left his small town! He is a highly-regarded neurosurgeon. He is also the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University School of Medicine. In addition, he’s the author of a beloved book called, Into the Magic Shop, that describes an extraordinary story featuring his humble past, his relationship with his mentor, Ruth, and the exercises she taught him that played a huge part in catapulting him huge to success. I loved Jim’s book and I’m not alone. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama said, “This book tells the remarkable story of a neurosurgeon's quest to unravel the mystery of the link between our brains and our hearts.” So, listen in as Jim and I talk about the real magic of compassion, near death experiences, visualizing, and unraveling the mystery between our brains and hearts. Book link: https://amzn.to/3N8RVqg This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

I'm going to take a guess: you are probably like me and love coffee. This wasn't a huge stretch on my part because you are listening to this episode! Coffee has been a major industry for hundreds of years. And it has contributed to cultural, philosophical, and technological changes as you will hear in this episode. I am so delighted to have Dr. Shawn Steiman as a guest. Shawn holds a PhD in horticulture from the University of Hawaii and virtually all of his classes pertained to the cultivation of coffee. So, as verified by Shawn, he basically has a doctorate in coffee. He is also the sole author on three books about coffee and the co-author of a comprehensive book on coffee that is called, Coffee: A Comprehensive Guide to the Bean, the Beverage, and the Industry. I learned a lot and you will too, about a favorite hot beverage and how it changed the world. Listen in as Shawn and I geek out on coffee and look at it from every fascinating direction imaginable. Book link: https://amzn.to/3P9LsOw This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, at least two out of three Americans either are not engaged or are actively disengaged from their work.  This is a big deal—especially because, for many of us, work comprises approximately a third of our waking hours. Imagine feeling disconnected and unfulfilled by something you spend one-third of your waking hours on! In fact, I’m sure it's a reality for a large portion of my listeners, so I believe this episode may be helpful. This topic is also a very personal issue to me. Many of you know I am a latecomer to my dream job as a psychologist. I spent nearly two decades in jobs that were not my life’s work before engaging in a risky move to change careers. I am so happy I did. It is my hope that this episode will encourage you either to find more meaning in your current work or to consider looking for work you love. My guest on this episode has spent more than 10,000 hours coaching people; a very large portion of which has been assisting people with their careers.  Mary Beth Shewan, MS, MCC (https://wholelifecoaching.com/) is an internationally renowned coach and the creator of a program called Invent Your Own Career.  We discuss the common themes and struggles around careers as well as how to increase the likelihood of feeling fulfilled in this important area of life. So, listen in as Mary Beth and I have a lively and information-packed conversation on Fulfilment at Work.

Failure. I think it's safe to say that virtually all of us hate it. And yet, it appears to be the price of admission to doing just about anything great. The road from having an idea all the way to having a fantastic result is rarely a smooth one. Ask any super successful person about their failures and struggles along the way and, if they’re forthcoming, I am confident they will have stories for you! The great author who was rejected by dozens of publishers before finding someone to take her on. The singer who’s told he has no talent only to become a music star later in life. I imagine you’ve heard stories like these, but do you let them into your heart to inspire you to tolerate your own frustration and failure? I'm delighted that Dr. Luke Reynolds (https://lukewreynolds.com/) is joining us for this episode. Luke is a professor of Education at Endicott College. He is also the author of several books including Fantastic Failures: True Stories of People Who Changed the World Falling Down First. Luke is no stranger to frustration and failure, and he describes many of his own as well as some of the failures of the biggest stars on the planet. So, put on your seat belt and listen in to this lively and inspiring conversation about befriending frustration and failure! Book link: https://amzn.to/3NCV0k9 This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

What does it take for a company to thrive? I know this is a broad question but, up until recently, if you had said increasing safety, compassion, and mindfulness in the workplace, you might have been laughed out of the room. Fortunately, there has been growing evidence that these are characteristics of great companies that achieve growth, reduced attrition, and increased engagement from their employees. The guest on this episode knows a lot about how to improve a company’s success through these measures. Scott Shute is an engineer by training who has worked at the executive level at top companies including LinkedIn where he has been employed as both the VP of Global Operations as well as his current role as the Head of Mindfulness and Compassion Programs. Scott has also written a superb new book that will soon hit the market both in print and in audio called The Full Body Yes.  I enjoyed it thoroughly! Scott brilliantly combines the science of happiness and achievement with real stories from his work life and his personal life. The wisdom found on the pages of this book can easily improve one’s life at work and at home and I'm grateful to Scott for having written it. So, listen in as Scott and I have an engaging and user-friendly conversation about LinkedIn, mindfulness and compassion programs, and his great book The Full Body Yes. Book link: https://amzn.to/3NsIyDe This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).

As parents we are tasked with many responsibilities: from the basics of making sure our child is fed all the way up to thinking about their distant future. But the linchpin that connects much of our child's future success is the topic of today's interview: being well-organized. As it turns out, a child's ability to be organized may predict all kinds of good things including future success, self-regulation, confidence, and even generosity.  Thankfully, my guest reveals that getting our children more organized is easier than we might believe. Dr. Damon Korb (www.devminds.com) is a practicing developmental and behavioral pediatrician and founder of the Center for Developing Minds in Los Gatos, CA. Dr. Korb is president of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics and an adjunct clinical instructor at Stanford University Medical Center. He has written an outstanding, user-friendly book called Raising an Organized Child (https://amzn.to/393VQkZ).  I loved the book and I am not alone. Publisher’s Weekly notes that it is a “supportive guide that parents and children alike can profit from as they grow together." If you have children this episode is a must! Please, listen in as Damon and I talk about raising an organized child. Book link: https://amzn.to/3CqvpEj This is an affiliate link. It will provide me with a small commission on purchases made through it and help the podcast (but it won’t affect the price you pay).