SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

I’m a happiness geek and by that, I mean I’m obsessed with research and lifehacks that help increase happiness. Even the name of my podcast, SuperPsyched, is an outshoot of that obsession. And that's where today's guest comes in! I am delighted to introduce transformational teacher and happiness expert, Marci Shimoff (https://happyfornoreason.com/about-marci/). Marci is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of multiple books. In fact, at one point, she had three books in the top-5 of the New York Times Bestsellers list. Marci’s books have sold over 13 million copies including a wonderful book called Happy for No Reason. Marianne Williamson describes Marci as “one of the most compelling people I've ever known,” and I agree. I could have talked with her for hours. Marci is the real deal, and she does the work. Marci has personally tested and implemented habits that have increased her happiness and I believe you can do the same. She shares several of those habits including a new favorite of mine called “The Appreciation Game.” So, listen in as Marci and I engage in a lively discussion about happiness habits. Book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416547738/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_7SMYD6F84TGGMSHV7CWD?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 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).

Many years ago, I served on a jury. I was transfixed by how smoothly the court operated. Every person involved appeared to be at the top of their game. However, most impressive to me was the judge. As a student of how people think, I couldn't believe how quickly and precisely the judge was able to render complex decisions. I was also awestruck by the incredible presence and attention the job requires for long periods of time. To this day, I consider the cognitive skills required for a judge to be a superpower. So, dear listener, I felt compelled to interview a judge to learn more about how they think. And you are about to listen to a true great! The Honorable Judge Julia Alloggiamento has served on the Bench for nearly a decade after she was elected in 2010 and was sworn in to Santa Clara County Superior Court in 2011. She has presided over misdemeanors, drug treatment court, and felony criminal trials. In addition to being an extremely learned and thoughtful person, Julia strikes me as an exemplar of humility, kindness, and integrity. So, listen in as Julia and I explore what it takes to be a judge and how a judge thinks.

Have you ever met a true Renaissance person? I mean someone who engages in so many diverse and creative projects that it boggles your mind? For me, Hershey Felder (https://www.hersheyfelder.net/) is such a person. He is an internationally-acclaimed, pianist, playwright, actor, singer, and director. A 2014 American Theatre profile said Hershey was "in a category all his own." Hershey specializes in one-person performances where he plays the piano, sings, and transforms himself into the greats of music, including Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Claude Debussy, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and many other timeless masters! What’s the secret to his over-the-top excellence? He tells me it’s deep thought about the project. He also cites a profound sense of responsibility to all stakeholders of his productions: the audience, the theater company, and absolutely everyone involved. Hershey has made his plays available online for purchase online during COVID and, simply put, they are mesmerizing. I’ve never seen anything like his shows—I feel smarter and a sense of deep satisfaction after watching them and I recommend that you check them out. In addition to being a genius of creativity and performance, Hershey attributes much of his learning to his highly-accomplished wife who was the first female Prime Minister of Canada, Kim Campbell. So, listen in as Hershey and I talk about his secret ingredient for excellence: responsibility.

Sex and teens. The topic can be super uncomfortable, overwhelming, and even scary to both parents and adolescents. If you’re a parent or a guardian of a teen, this episode is a must. So much has changed on the sexual landscape. There’s porn, hookup culture, social media, and so many other influencing factors. How do you talk to your adolescent to keep them safe and making good decisions? What do they need to know? What do you need to know? Fortunately, here to answer these questions and so many more, is one of the top experts in the world, and a woman who has my utmost respect. Shafia Zaloom (www.shafiazaloom.com) is the author of Sex, Teens, & Everything in Between. I loved this book as did my wonderful psychologist wife, and we are not alone. The creators of the hit Netflix series, Big Mouth, Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, do their best to make the show hilarious, but they also consult with Shafia to make the show accurate and instructive. They’ve said that her book, “perfectly encapsulates her mission at the cutting edge of sex education: teaching adolescents how to become people of integrity with regard to sex and relationships.” So. listen in as Shafia and I have a candid and highly informative discussion about teens and sex. Book Link: https://amzn.to/42CvGil 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).

It takes a lot to be a leader. It takes more to be a great leader. And it takes an incredible commitment to be an outstanding leader. What is that thing that can make the difference? While there are many qualities that contribute to being a great leader, possibly the most salient is being incredibly aware or conscious. And that's where this episode’s guest comes in. Carter Phipps wrote a book called Conscious Leadership with two other authors, one of whom was Steve McIntosh, and the other was John Mackey, the CEO and founder of Whole Foods. I loved the book and I’m not alone. Forbes said it is based on the leadership John Mackey “used to reach the top of the business world—and do plenty of good in the process.” Conscious Leadership serves as user-friendly text that is easy to implement to improve leadership from the top all the way down. It appears that the intention of this book is not merely to boost those who are at the top but to positively impact all stakeholders within an organization. Carter has written another book called Evolutionaries and hosts a podcast called “Thinking Ahead.” He has a deep understanding of conscious leadership and Following the ideas he shares may positively influence attrition, morale, external perception, and a host of other important factors of well-being of any organization. Book Link: https://amzn.to/3P9xYSO 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 love stories that blow my mind and this interview contains a few: imagine going to Stanford, playing football there for four years and after graduation, getting recruited to the San Francisco 49ers and, on the same year, entering medical school at Stanford! Wait, what? Starting with the 49ers and entering medical school at the same time? How is that possible? My guest, Dr. Milt McColl, played football in the NFL primarily for the 49ers winning two Super Bowl Rings alongside Joe Montana. After practice and during the offseason, he attended classes at Stanford Medical School, earning his MD over the course of several years. After graduating, he opted to work in the corporate sector and he was very successful. However, when he was 55 years old, he realized had some unfinished business: he had never completed a residency and specialized.  Milt took a huge pay cut, began his residency program that year with residents, the majority of whom were young enough to be his children. He completed his residency when he was nearly 60 and now specializes in family medicine and he continues work in medical technology as well. So, join Milt and me as we discuss the focus and hard work that leads to excellence in three distinctly different worlds. Dr. Milt McColl, who has asked me to call him Milt, welcome to SuperPsyched!

When you think of great leadership, what qualities come to mind? Three qualities are consistently at the top of my list: integrity, the ability to think flexibly, and the desire to serve others to the best of one’s ability. My guest on this episode is the embodiment of all three. Santa Clara County District Attorney, Jeff Rosen, is the elected Chief Law Enforcement Officer for the sixth-largest county in California with a population of 1.8 million people. He was elected to the position in 2010 and his philosophy of leadership and justice is informed by truly diverse sources that he will unpack during this interview. Jeff also shares his life hacks and habits that allow him to cultivate his mind and to care for his body so that he can give the people the best he has to offer. And, for those of us who don’t serve as high-profile elected officials, we can still apply his best practices to our own lives. So, listen in as Jeff and I have a lively and informative discussion about leading with an open mind.

Swimming can be meditative and yet, it can also be quite a lonely sport. As my guest says, when we are underwater, we are in a state of sensory deprivation. We cannot hear much, smell much, feel much, taste much, or see much. Instead, we are left to our thoughts, emotions, and sometimes, our pain. It is a sport in which we are up close and deeply personal with our psyches.  And, whether we swim or not, we can all learn a lot about life from this episode’s guest. On this episode, we look at long distance swimming and what it can teach us. And there is hardly anyone more suited to describing the sport than PH Mullen. PH estimates that in his life he has swum over 75,000 miles—that is three times the circumference of the planet! He swam the legendary English Channel and did so in a very fast time. He also swam the world's longest swimming race at about 89 kilometers. PH is also a best-selling author. He wrote Gold in the Water, which was praised by the New York Times and named one of the Best Sports Books of 2001 by the London Times. The book explores the experiences of two male breaststroke swimmers who trained side-by-side and who ultimately competed against each other in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. The book describes virtually every aspect of the sport as well as how much physical and mental preparation it all takes.  Again, even if you’re not a swimmer, the life lessons apply to us all. If that wasn't enough, PH has also survived lung cancer and he had a significant portion of his right lung removed. He had only a 19% chance of survival and, 16 years after his diagnosis, he is thankfully doing very well. These days PH does Ironman triathlons at 7,400 feet to prove to himself that he’s still got it. So, join PH and me as we learn how he thinks and the life hacks that have made a difference in going the distance. Book Link: https://amzn.to/3NuqwAK 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).

If you’ve ever gone on a long car trip, you may have seen some cool things. But what’s it like if you do that trip at three miles an hour by foot? My guest on this episode has actually walked from his home in Northern California all the way to Chicago—a full 2,100 miles and, for the step counters, that’s 4.2 million steps!  He has also walked from his home to Mexico and several other extreme distances. And, no joke, his name is Mr. Walker—or, less formally, Mark Walker (http://walkerwalk.com/). In addition to being a very nice man, Mark is a retired executive who worked in high tech in Silicon Valley.  After a successful career and seven patents to his name, he got into walking and fell in love with it. In this interview, he will describe some of the moments along the road that include surprises, delights, fears, and beauty as well as the psychological benefits he has derived from his relationship with this sport that he calls a hobby. Mark is definitely on to something good and on this episode and the one following it, we’ll look at going the distance with physical activity. Studies show that moving our bodies through cardio, being in the sun, and surrounding ourselves with nature—formally known as biophilia—can reduce anxiety, depression, and increase our well-being on multiple levels.  Of course, you don’t need to go to the lengths that Mark has but his story serves as a good reminder that better physical and mental health is just outside our doors. So, join Mark and me as we have a fun and informative talk about the benefits of going the distance! SuperWalker, Mark Walker, welcome to SuperPsyched!

Imagine you are on your way to a special occasion at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try. It’s a fancy place that required booking months in advance, so you won’t be returning soon. When you arrive and see the menu, there are many items that love to order. Then, the waiter arrives and shares the daily specials. All of them sound incredible! After careful consideration of the spectacular options, you decide on your order. But, this was not an easy decision and many attractive options had to fall by the wayside. But you enjoy your meal. That is, until you see two of the items you didn't order going to another table and, lo and behold, they look even better than what you ordered! Afterward, you’re disappointed to realize you remember more about what you didn't eat than what you did. My guest on this episode is Dr. Barry Schwartz, a New York Times bestselling author of several books including The Paradox of Choice. Barry was a psychology professor at Swarthmore College for decades and he now teaches at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. I have been a big fan of Barry’s work for years and what he describes in The Paradox of Choice are several well-researched but counter-intuitive psychological realities including the fact that when we have too many options, we tend to hate the process of decision making, may make poor decisions, or make no decision at all. I recently learned that my Grandpa Ben, who owned a dress shop for over 50 years, understood this truth. Although he did not have much conventional education, he was very smart. When a customer entered his shop, he offered only three dresses that he thought would best match the customer. Somehow, my grandpa knew that more options would overwhelm them and would reduce the chances of a sale. In this episode, Barry will describe a host of fascinating findings that will improve your understanding of the invisible forces that guide our judgment and our decision-making processes. In addition to his books, Barry has had several excellent and well watched TED talks that have garnered millions of views and I recommend those as well. But for now, join Barry and me as we have a lively, fun, and fascinating discussion about the paradox of choice. https://www.ted.com/speakers/barry_schwartz https://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/barry-schwartz Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060005696/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_T9AKY9CW03Z5D3TEA6TT?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 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).