SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Vaping. It seems to be everywhere these days. Sure, adults engage in vaping but, sadly, so do adolescents and even children at very high numbers. There have been all kinds of myths as they relate to vaping and, as always, it is crucial to listen to the experts who know the science. One such person is Dr. Adam Leventhal (https://keck.usc.edu/faculty-search/adam-matthew-leventhal/). Adam is a professor at Keck School of Medicine at USC where he serves as Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences as well as the Director of the Institute for Addiction Science.As his title suggests, he’s the guy from whom I would want to learn and I am so grateful he shared his knowledge.So, listen in as Adam and Adam talk about vaping, the myths and realities.

If you have ever been in a relationship, there's about a 100% chance that you and your partner had certain differences. One of those differences just may have been how you handled money. Within that difference, it is likely that one of you was bit spendy and the other was, shall we say, thriftier. This would be all fine and dandy, except often it’s not. Money can be one of the biggest sources of arguments for couples. And money is funny… it can be a more charged topic and even more taboo than sex. What to do? Fear not, help is on the way! Dr. Scott Rick (https://scottrick.com/) is an associate professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is the author of the well-researched and hilariously titled Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships. I loved this book and I’m hardly alone—Booklist said “…It's a must-read for anyone looking to unravel the mysteries of money and love."I couldn’t agree more. So, listen in as Scott and I talk about how to navigate money in our relationships.

One of the most common topics discussed in my office is social anxiety. Really great people say that there’s nothing more painful than going to a party where they know few people or, worse still, no one.How about giving a toast at a wedding? Or, trying to engage in small talk that might lead to bigger talk? Or, how to handle awkward social interactions?If there’s one person on the planet who knows how to handle all of these, it would have to be my new friend, the mingling maven, Susan RoAne (https://www.susanroane.com/)! Susan is the author of the now-classic book, How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—In Person and Online. I loved the book as have major thought leaders like Dan Pink and many others.So, as it says on Susan’s website, "If you have ever walked into a room full of strangers and felt uncomfortable..." listen in. Susan is here to help!

I’m a big fan of the English language and, although I make a lot of errors with grammar, I’m always trying to learn the rules. Yet, as you’ll hear on this episode, a word or phrase might be grammatically incorrect but linguistically correct. And, I cringe as I write this, that includes my most dreaded of non-word words: irregardless. Ouch. At least my spellcheck caught that so-called word with a red underline! I was utterly thrilled to talk about language with Dr. Valerie Fridland (https://www.valeriefridland.com/), a professor of linguistics at University of Nevada Reno and the author of a hilarious and highly educational book called, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English. So, listen in as Valerie gives a mini-master class on the language we use!

There are paradoxes around aging. On the one hand, we are living longer than ever. On the other hand, we live in a youth-worshiping culture. So, while we’re living longer, aging gets a bad rap. Expressions like “I’m dating myself” are commonplace. Sadly, they are also self-shaming and toxic. What if I told you that with aging can come spectacular and countless benefits? These can include various forms of increased intelligence, deeper experiences of joy, and more profound connections in our relationships. I’m delighted to share the wisdom of Chip Conley (https://chipconley.com/). Chip is an extremely successful hotelier, a former exec at Airbnb, and the founder and CEO of Modern Elder Academy, the world's first "midlife wisdom school" dedicated to career and life transitions. He’s also the author of multiple books including his latest, Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age. I loved this book as did multiple thought leaders including Esther Perel who said, “Read this book to reimagine every stage of midlife.” So, listen in as Chip gives the lowdown on how and why life gets better with age.

Any regular listener of this show probably knows I care deeply about mentorship. So when SuperPsyched guest and success expert Dr. Ruth Gotian told me she was co-authoring a book on mentorship with Andy Lopata (https://lopata.co.uk/), I jumped at the chance to interview him. The two of them have written The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring: A Complete Guide to Effective Mentoring. As you’ll hear, Andy is wise, fun, and will provide actionable tips on both providing and receiving mentorship. And you’ll also hear why I love it so much and it will refer back to a solo episode of mine extolling the virtues of mentorship. My mentors Allen Greenberger and Martin Doerner have informed nearly everything I’ve done in my academic, professional, and personal lives. So, listen in as Andy and I geek out to the importance and the how-to’s of mentorship.

The US Constitution became effective 235 years ago. It is a document that was way ahead of its time. Yet, while the document is the same as it was, much of our world has changed since then. We can talk about what it says and debate aspects about it. But what would it be like to live daily life according to what the document says? AJ Jacobs (https://ajjacobs.com/) is a New York Times bestselling author. He is also one of the funniest, smartest, and most curious people I have ever known. Each of his books have involved stretching his knowledge through experience and I call him a stuntman driven by his desire to learn. Instead of putting his body in danger, however, his stunts are doing things like bringing the constitution to life by walking through the streets of Manhattan with a tricorn hat and a musket. He does these and other feats while following various aspects of the Constitution to the letter. His latest book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning was a total delight to read. The book has received copious praise and the words that resonated most with me came from Andy Borowitz who said, “I didn’t know how I learned so much while laughing so hard.” This is AJ's fifth interview on the SuperPsyched podcast, and I am so delighted to have him back. His commitment for personal growth, to live life according to his values, and to waving his freak flag fully is utterly inspiring to me. So, listen in as AJ talks about his year of living constitutionally.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the most popular thought leaders in modern psychology. That person is none other than Dr. Frank Anderson (https://frankandersonmd.com/). Frank is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who has turned his attention to treatment of trauma, particularly with a powerful method called Internal Family Systems (IFS). Frank has worked alongside the creator of IFS, Dr. Richard Schwartz, also a SuperPsyched guest, and Frank has become internationally known and revered. On this episode, however, he’s getting very personal, and he is sharing his story in a memoir called To Be Loved. I loved this book as did thought leaders like various SuperPsyched guests Lori Gottlieb and David Kessler. Frank shares deeply about his own trauma and he shows how his maxim of “Trauma blocks love. Love heals trauma.” relates to his own life. So, listen in as Frank and I talk about his story and how he became the man he is today.

Between the early 1950s and the early 2000s, over 150,000 Korean children were adopted to the United States. In fact, the guest on my episode cites a figure of approximately 10% of all Korean Americans were adopted. As it turns out, there are many misconceptions about adoption in general and, certainly about Korean adoption (also known as transracial adoption). What are the myths? What are the realities? What might an adoptee need to know and what might the adoptive parents need to know? I am so glad I had the opportunity to speak with an expert on this topic. Dr. Joshua Heitzmann is a psychologist in private practice in San Jose. He is also the president-elect of the California Psychological Association and current president of the Bay Area Psychological Association. And he’s not just an expert on Korean adoption, but as you will hear, he was adopted from Korea himself.  Trigger warning: Josh shares some very painful memories about his childhood that may stir up feelings for sensitive listeners. Please listen in and, if you do so, I recommend you listen all the way to the end because so much depth and wisdom is present throughout this episode as Josh shares about Korean adoption. Source: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.tobiashubinette.se/korean_adoptions.pdf

For this episode, I’m delighted to welcome back—a friend of the podcast, Dr. Emma Seppala (https://www.emmaseppala.com/). Emma is a professor at Yale School of Management and we’re talking about her new book, Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.  Indeed, we are sovereign individuals and, quite often, we need to be reminded of that fact. It's a word I’ve used many times with the people who see me, and I was thrilled to see that Emma dedicated an entire book to explore this crucial idea. She carves out a powerful path through scientifically-validated strategies to feel more in charge of ourselves and our own lives. I loved the book as did Dr. Dan Siegal and previous SuperPsyched guest, Dr. James Doty.  So, listen in as Emma and I talk about claiming your birthright as a sovereign person!