SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

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).

Dr. Edith Eger is one of the most impressive people I have ever met.  Edie was born in 1927 in Hungary. In her teens, she was an Olympic-level gymnast but, because she was Jewish, was not allowed to participate on the Olympic team. Shortly after, she and her family were sent by cattle train to the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. In addition to losing her mother and her father there, she endured a version of hell that few of us could ever know. Nearly 15,000 Jews from her town were killed in the Holocaust; Edie was one of just 70 to survive.  Afterward, she made it her mission to live life with an open heart. She moved to the United States with her husband, raised three children, and worked first as a factory worker and later as a teacher.  And then, with the encouragement of Dr. Viktor Fankl, a fellow Auschwitz survivor and author of Man’s Search for Meaning, she earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at 50 years of age and became a licensed psychologist. She is the author of two bestselling books, The Choice and The Gift, and both chronicle her experiences at Auschwitz, her life afterward, and her work as a psychologist.  I consider them two of the finest books I have read, and I am hardly alone.  The New York Times Book Review writes, “I can’t imagine a more important message for modern times. Eger’s book is a triumph, and should be read by all who care about both their inner freedom and the future of humanity.” Sadly, the people who survived the Holocaust are dying and their voices become scarcer by the day. This makes this episode all the more precious. It is my sincerest hope that you will be as positively affected by Edie as I have been. And do you remember how I mentioned that Edie was an Olympic-level gymnast?  Neither Auschwitz nor age has been able to take that away from her and, to this day at an age north of 90 years old, she concludes all of her presentations and public talks with a kick. Book link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/150113079X/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_GBBCVV49QF0SWY3JBDFG?linkCode=ml2&tag=superpsyche0b-20 and https://amzn.to/3X7W3vx 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).

Each of us is unique; there has never been anyone exactly like us and there never will be again. One of the greatest risks we face in life is living day-to-day without any reflection on who we are, what we've done, where we've been, and what really matters to us. Enter Guided Autobiography, a brilliant system of capturing who you are. Guided Autobiography was developed by USC Professor James Birren and is described as a system that captures our lives through writing, sharing, and preserving life stories and experiences. Today’s guest, Dr. Bonnie Bernell, is a psychologist, author, professor, and she is 2019’s Recipient of the Distinguished Contribution to Psychology Award from the California Psychological Association. Bonnie is also a seasoned Guided Autobiography facilitator. Through this approach, she has midwived stories and unexpected and unclaimed parts of people’s lives that might have gone undiscovered without this powerful tool. Bonnie’s forthcoming book, co-written with Dr. Cheryl Svensson, is called Treasures that Matter, and it uses the Guided Autobiography protocol and is addressed to the psychologically curious person around aging. On a personal note, and as you will learn in this interview, Bonnie has been a dear friend and one of my most important mentors. You will be learning from someone I consider a true master. So, listen in as Bonnie and I have a lively and user-friendly conversation about Guided Autobiography, and I expect it will enrich your lives. Book link: https://amzn.to/3PbyoIt 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).

We like to think of ourselves as good people. When we see or hear about injustices, most of us think we would do the right thing whether it would be defying authority in order to help people or by demonstrating courage under challenging circumstances. And yet, studies and history reveal that we often do nothing, conform with brutality, or comply with authority. It appears that the line between doing good versus doing evil may be thinner than any of us would prefer to imagine. My guest, Dr. Philip Zimbardo has taught psychology at Stanford University for over 50 years and was the author and lead researcher of the internationally famous Stanford Prison Experiment. The results of the study, which is now a landmark in social psychology, suggest that otherwise psychologically healthy people can behave badly under the right circumstances. Dr. Zimbardo has done deep research into the evil humans can perform and, more recently, he has done a 180 and become an important voice in studying its opposite: heroism. His Heroic Imagination Project (www.heroicimagination.org) uses scientific research to teach us to harness our abilities to act heroically and override any innate biases that might cause us to conform or to be bystanders rather than upstanders. The program has garnered tremendous praise and has been implemented into training programs at police departments, public schools, and other organizations. So, listen in, as Dr. Zimbardo and I discuss the good and evil that humans are capable of doing and how to call upon our better selves under stress. Book link: https://amzn.to/45YYO69 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).