SuperPsyched with Dr. Adam Dorsay

Cancer. The “C” word. The disease that is so feared, people often whisper it in sentences. Yet, according to recent statistics, nearly 40% of us will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in our lifetimes. With numbers this high, it behooves us to know more about this feared disease. I was recently captivated by an article written by a colleague, describing her own experience with cancer and I asked her to talk about it on this podcast. Dr. Anna Lock (https://cbtcarolina.com/cbt-therapist-north-carolina/) is a fellow psychologist in private practice and she serves as the Clinical Director at Psychotherapy Networker. I’m grateful to her for all she shared on this episode.  Anna was diagnosed with cancer while she was a mom of a young child. She describes her experiences and identifies many of the services that are sorely lacking by the systems that treat people with cancer. She also offers insights and advice for people who are currently dealing with cancer or who are in remission from it. Her insight is similarly valuable for those of us who love someone at any stage with the disease. So, listen in as Anna and I talk about a psychologist’s experience with cancer.  Source: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/statistics

Imagine two students in college: one is a gay male, and the other is a straight super jock. The gay male is quiet and introverted, and the straight guy is extraverted to the point of being loud and into the old joke of throwing something at a person and shouting, “think fast!” Can you imagine these two guys being friends? How about dear friends for 40 years? Let's make it a little more interesting still: the straight guy would become a high achieving Navy SEAL. And he would also be the one to help his gay friend express his emotions more fully. Will Schwalbe wrote a beautiful memoir chronicling his friendship with Chris Maxey and very intimate details of how each man supported the other. The book is called We Should NOT Be Friends and it has received acclaim from seemingly every major news outlet and was even named a New Yorker Best Book of the Year. Those of you who know me know that I care a great deal about friendship. And this book hit a grand slam. So, I can't wait for you to hear my conversation with Will Schwalbe as we talk about friendship.

Back in the 90’s when email was still new, one of the first viral emails I received was a commencement address to a group of high school students. The person who delivered that address was Guy Kawasaki. Guy is very well known and, for those of you who don't know him, you are about to hear from a man who has done a lot with his life so far. He worked closely with Steve Jobs as one of the Apple employees originally in charge of marketing the Macintosh. He would go on to writing 16 books, work as a venture capitalist, sit on the Wikimedia Foundation board of trustees, and become the chief evangelist for Canva. He is also a husband, father, and later in life became a hockey player and a surfer. He started surfing at 60. If you look at his Wikipedia page, you will see that it reads like the story of a renaissance man living in Silicon Valley. Guy has been a hero of mine for some time and I finally got to meet him when I was emceeing the Palo Alto TEDx event where he was one of the speakers. Guy crushed it on stage but, as you’ll learn, he had no real way of knowing because he is deaf. Guy is the host of the Remarkable People podcast and his newest book is called Think Remarkable. The book is outstanding with a foreword by Jane Goodall and it has received praise from many greats including Carol Dweck and Robert Cialdini. You’ll hear all kinds of wisdom from this wise man (coincidentally, the title of his autobiography is Wise Guy and it’s one of my all-time favorite memoirs). And a key takeaway is something I believe we all want to learn: how to be remarkable.

Anyone who is a parent knows that parenting can be really hard. But, fear not, help is here! This episode unpacks a great parenting style that encourages children to be autonomous, able to relate to people well, and instills confidence by allowing the child to feel a strong, realistic sense of competence. This type of parenting is brilliant. When I read the guest’s book, I had that nagging thought of, “I wish this book had been around before I had kids so I could have read it and we all could have benefitted!” Turns out, it’s not too late. I still can and so can you! As many of you know, there have been many trends in parenting over the years, some that are still seen as having positive attributes, some that we wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pool these days. And others, which had once been popular, have been shown through research to be ill-advised. However, the advice from this guest has over 30 years of research backing it, and my guest is none other than Dr. Emily Edlynn (https://www.emilyedlynnphd.com/). Emily has written a book called Autonomy-Supportive Parenting: Reduce Parental Burnout and Raise Competent, Confident Children. I love this book and I am not alone.  SuperPsyched guest and brilliant author Melinda Wenner Moyer said of Emily’s book, “It’s not just useful—it’s a must-read.” Agreed 100%, Melinda! So, listen in as Emily shares the importance of autonomy-supported parenting, and why it’s not too late to incorporate it into your parenting.

If you’re a listener of this podcast, you probably have figured out that I am a huge fan of improv. In fact, this is my third improv-related episode! Each has been unique and has brought its own gifts—and, as you’ll soon hear, this one delivers big. Author and Stanford Emerita in Theater and Performance Studies, Patricia Ryan Madson wrote a book I loved book so much I listened to it twice! It’s called Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up. SuperPsyched guest and world-famous Stanford Psychology Professor Emeritus, Dr. Philip Zimbardo said, “Her students often describe her as a ‘goddess,’ but that may be an understatement. I rejoice that her wisdom is now available to new audiences.”  Indeed, Patricia offers improv tips that relate to real life whether you practice improv or not. The skills she shares and endorses can dramatically improve your at-work and at-home lives if you put them into play. So, listen in as Patricia shares improv wisdom!

Many of us have behaviors we'd LOVE to change. But many of those stubborn behaviors are hard to alter. And if we want our behavior to change, we probably won't do it just because someone else tells us to. When that's the case, the person whose voice matters most is our own. That is why I'm so happy I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Michelle Drapkin (https://cbtcenterofcentralnj.com/dr michelle-drapkin/ about her latest book that involves one of my favorite advances in psychology. You've heard me geek out to it and it's called Motivational Interviewing. Her book is called The Motivational Interviewing Path to Personal Change: The Essential Workbook for Creating the Life You Want. I loved the book and I'm hardly alone. Accolades have come far and wide from the co-originator of Motivational Interviewing, Dr. Bill Miller, as well as the originator of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dr. Stephen Hayes. One of my favorite raves came from SuperPsyched guest, Dr. Jill Stoddard who said, "Drapkin has come to the rescue... Her guidance is clear, enthusiastic, and most of all... motivating! I highly recommend this book for anyone who is thinking about making a change and could use a wise guide to help show the way. So, listen in as Michelle and I talk about the power of Motivational Interviewing.

Imagine you are an athlete at the Olympics. You have trained for years and years. You have dreamed of this moment. Your entire country is watching you, cheering for you, even praying that you will win. There is a lot of pressure and so much riding on your performance. But you have trained for thousands of hours and everything rests on this moment. There is noise and energy coming from the audience. And because you are a fighter, your opponent wants to destroy you. How do you find your focus? It is one thing to talk about mindfulness and the power of therapy in everyday life. But putting these to the test in this scenario is an entirely different ball game.  Most of us will never experience what I just described, but my guest on this episode did just that. And as you’ll hear, mindfulness, therapy and, of course, spectacular amounts of practice and preparation made a big difference. Ori Sasson is a two-time bronze medalist at the Olympics where he competed on behalf of Israel. I would describe Ori as a gentle giant. And Ori has explored his sensitivity and anxiety through therapy and found ways to channel these qualities to find greater strength inside and outside of Judo competition. As you’ll hear Ori is generous in sharing his recipe for success. And sadly, as of this recording, rockets are flying over Israel. Ori and I were meant to meet four weeks ago, but he needed to cancel due to these rockets and he nearly needed to cancel our interview today for the second time due to their persistent presence. In spite of these challenges and his WiFi being down, he found a way to make it to the interview. Today, Ori uses the knowledge he gained from Judo competition to assist company employees to find success. So, listen in as Ori shares his secrets for success inside and outside the ring.

Last month, my 14-year-old son came home from school with a book in hand and excitedly said, “Dad, you’ve got to read this book!My son has never said anything like this to me before, and I was immediately intrigued. I picked up the book, a graphic novel, and it took me in immediately. It was engrossing and profound. It was at times hilarious and at other times utterly heartbreaking. Overall, it was a superbly relatable human story that describes a period in the life of an American-born Chinese boy that was true to his experience and that, simultaneously, opens a door to a Chinese mythical world. The author is Gene Luen Yang (https://geneyang.com/), and I was thrilled to learn that his New York Times bestselling, award winning, and critically acclaimed book, American Born Chinese, has been made into an eight-part miniseries on Disney. The miniseries has an all-star lineup the likes of which blows my mind! The cast includes Academy Award Winners Michelle Yeoh and and Ke Huy Quan (also known as Jonathan Ke Quan) and two of my favorite comedians, Ronnie Chieng and Jimmy O Yang! And throughout this interview, you’ll get to learn from Gene who is a cool, kind, and deep-thinking person. I am confident you will appreciate him as much as I have.So, I am releasing this episode to coincide with Chinese New Year. A hearty Gung Hay Fat Choy to all who celebrate! And what a great way to celebrate the Year of the Dragon by listening to Gene share his story and the story behind the story of American Born Chinese. Book link: https://www.amazon.com/American-Born-Chinese-Gene-Luen/dp/1250811899/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Y122ZCVH6U36&keywords=american+born+chinese+book&qid=1702500339&sprefix=american+born%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1

There's an old riddle- you've probably heard it- that goes "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer? "Practice." Yet I've never heard anybody ask "How you get to Stockholm to receive a Nobel Prize? So, I ask: how do you get to Stockholm for that most coveted of awards? I'm going to say that part of the answer is to spend time and learn from people like Duke University professor of chemistry, and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Robert Lefkowitz. Bob, as he prefers to be called, is a Columbia Medical School-trained physician who loved his clinical work and who stumbled upon the world of scientific research practically by accident. Although he loved being a cardiologist, it turned out he loved being a researcher even more. This outcome in Bob's life has likely impacted your life. I can say this with some certainty because, of the drugs on the market today, his research was relevant in the development of 1/3 to 1/2 of those drugs. It's likely that at least one of those medications has helped you at some point. Furthermore, his research is among the most cited in the world. And when imagine of a Nobel Laureate scientist, you may think of a researcher quietly, alone working in a lab all day talking to no one. That's NOT Bob! He loves people, he mentors his team, and engages them regularly with spectacular interest and vitality. Bob wrote a riveting and highly readable book in 2021 describing his personal and professional life called A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm. I love the book and so many credible sources have reviewed the book with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Publisher's Weekly said, "Rarely has science been treated with such a winning blend of humor and humanity." I couldn't agree more. You will learn in this episode how Bob thinks, and how, regardless of your aspirations, that thinking may improve your life and future success So, listen in to this kind, enthusiastic, gregarious, and wise researcher and learn from a man who ended up in Stockholm with the most coveted of science awards.

At the time of the release of this episode, it is busy season for mortuaries. According to the CDC, the time of year Americans die most frequently is December through February.And while the only sure things in life are death and taxes, in American society, we are fascinated and simultaneously repelled by death. Our mortuaries are tucked away and so much about death is hidden from daily life.Yet, I believe that when we talk about and get to know a thing, we can become less troubled by it. And that’s why I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to talk with someone who knows death well. In fact, this man deals with it every day.Todd Harra (www.toddharra.com) is the author of four books, on being an undertaker and how societies have dealt with death throughout history. Todd has worked as an undertaker for the last 10 years and he is now vice president at McCrerry and Harra Funeral Homes and Crematory in Wilmington, Delaware. In fact, and as you will hear, Todd comes from a lineage of undertakers that starts before the American Civil War.Todd unpacks so much about the work of an undertaker about grief, and about death itself. Seriously, you don’t want to miss this episode. This is a mind-blowing conversation!So, listen in as Todd shares the inside world of an undertaker. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6826a5.htm