SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

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).

At some point in our lives—perhaps in science class—most of us have run an experiment. But how many of us have used ourselves as experimental subjects in our own studies? My guest on this episode, New York Times Bestselling author, AJ Jacobs (www.ajjacobs.com), has conducted experiments with himself as the subject numerous times and he writes about them in hilarious and often profound ways. For example, here are some of the experiments he describes in his outstanding books: · In a quest for superior knowledge, he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Yes, all 32,000-plus pages! · In a quest for superior health, he spent a year delving into a large number of health fads to find out if they were helpful. · In a quest to better understand religion, he spent a full year trying to live by the strict rules of the Bible and to the letter. · In a quest to better understand gratitude, he ventured out to thank the more than 1,000 people who were responsible for providing his morning cup of coffee. That meant tracking down and thanking the growers of the coffee beans in South America, the makers of the coffee cup, the people who kept rodents out of the coffee itself, and so many otherwise-invisible people who contributed to his morning cup. · And in a quest to find the interconnectedness of humanity all over the globe, AJ attempted to create the largest family reunion gathering ever by contacting thousands of people distantly related to him through DNA tests. In this interview, AJ unpacks the many benefits of having an experimental life mindset. It can increase curiosity causing you to think differently and more flexibly. It can keep you physically healthier. And it can certainly give you great ideas to improve your life in unexpected ways. On a personal note, I have read all of AJ's work and I am a huge fan. As it happens, I am not alone. His work has garnered scores of overwhelmingly positive reviews, and one that really resonates with me comes from People Magazine that stated AJ’s work is, “Both laugh-out-loud funny and enlightening.” I am thrilled to have AJ as a guest and I'm sure you will find this to be a highly informative and entertaining exchange about the benefits of life as an experiment. www.viacharacter.org Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743291484/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_WG0XM0H1QGKSE6YRRJH7?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).

Cults…they’re scary, predatory, and life-sucking. Perhaps you know someone who was in a cult. These days, with loneliness at an all-time high, our basic human desire to feel connected and belong can make us vulnerable.  Pair that with the nefarious and novel ways cults can reach out through the Internet, we are more threatened than ever by their presence. Truly, anyone can be a victim of a charismatic, malignantly narcissistic, and delusional leader. HBO’s documentary series, The Vow, is one of many shows that go into great depth showing us that smart, well-intentioned people can be manipulated badly. Knowledge is power and my expert guest on this episode, Daniel Shaw (www.danielshawlcsw.com), is the perfect person to teach us about cults. For many years, he was a member of a cult and, fortunately, he found his way out. Today, Dan is a highly-regarded author, psychoanalyst, clinical supervisor, and teacher. His brilliant book, Traumatic Narcissism, has been described by a colleague at Harvard Medical School as a “must-read for any of us who have worked with victims of traumatizing narcissists or been their victims ourselves.” So, listen in as Dan and I have a lively and informative discussion about cults and what you need to know. https://www.icsahome.com Book Link: https://amzn.to/465fCII 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).

Have you ever noticed that even though childhood was a long time ago, on some level, it feels like it was yesterday? In some cases, we recall positive experiences. In others, we remember our hurts and, even worse, our traumas. On this episode, we will be talking about trauma and some ways you can help reduce its harmful effects. Dr. Mark Forman is a psychologist and the author of a book called “The Monster’s Journey” that details both clinical aspects of trauma as well as Mark's own personal experience with it. Mark’s idea to use themes of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and, instead, transpose a monster, is profound and he will explain what that means and how it can be helpful to anyone who has experienced trauma. On a personal note, I have collaborated with Mark on various projects over the years. I have been impressed with Mark’s clinical skills as well as his ability to articulate useful ideas that people can put into their own lives to improve their healing processes. So, join Mark and me as we delve into healing trauma through his lens, also known as the Monster’s Journey. You can find the Monster’s Journey here: https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Journey-Trauma-Connection-ebook/dp/B08DHPDRGR/ref=pd_sim_351_1/141-9914724-7762615?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B08DHPDRGR&pd_rd_r=581f392b-b979-445c-9d4d-379d47b45e4c&pd_rd_w=iufuq&pd_rd_wg=M9NQk&pf_rd_p=37f7dfa1-8c4e-4106-9502-a190ed3a2f4f&pf_rd_r=7MKNEA35SJ9DN7EYPDD4&psc=1&refRID=7MKNEA35SJ9DN7EYPDD4 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Quiz: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean Book Link: https://amzn.to/43ETuTS 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).