My guest today is Billy Ryan. Billy is a performance psychology consultant located in Savannah, GA who works with the military, sports teams, and individuals at the highschool/club, NCAA, NAIA, and the professional level. He specializes in applying ACT and behavior science to increase meaning and performance in a given context. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:
- How Billy first got into using ACT for sport performance
- The importance of language and messaging in sports 
- The use of ACT Matrix in Billy’s work with athletes
- The role of  attentional flexibility and holding outcomes lightly
- The current influence of mental and emotional well-being in sports
- And Billy’s hopes for the future of ACT in the world of sport ————————————————————————— Billy’s website: https://www.awareperformancegroup.com/ ————————————————————————— If you find value in the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests. I also love reading them!  Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth 


Billy Ryan | ACT in Sport

Join psychotherapist Tom Parkes as he has meaningful conversations to help you build mental flexibility. Each episode will explore topics related to psychology, mental health, and creativity. With an open mind and a sense of curiosity these conversations will help you better understand yourself, others, and the world around you.&nbsp;

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Mental Health

My guest today is Dr. Carrie Hayward. Carrie is a clinical psychologist and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) specialist from Australia dedicated to helping individuals lead more meaningful lives. Carrie is also an author and has recently published the amazing Being Human series, a collection of four narratives that delve into the complexities of our shared human experience. The Being Human series seeks to equip readers with the psychological resilience and flexibility needed to live meaningful lives even through difficulty. The four books each focus on a different aspect of the human condition, providing teachings and practical processes for readers to implement. 
 Some of the topics we explore in this episode include:
- How Carrie first got into ACT
- What it was like training with Russ Harris
- The inspiration for the Being Human collection
- How focusing on the process versus outcomes changes the nature of our experiences
- Ways validating seeking can be seen from many different levels 
- And we end with Carrie walking us through the Being Human Method 
 ————————————————————————— Dr. Hayward’s website: https://www.carriehayward.com/ The Being Human Collection: https://a.co/d/2zampofd ————————————————————————— 
 Thank you all for checking out the episode! Here are some ways to help support Mentally Flexible: 
 You can help cover some of the costs of running the podcast by donating a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/mentallyflexible 
 Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentally-flexible/id1539933988 
 Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ 
 Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth

Dr. Carrie Hayward | The Being Human Collection

My guests today are Brian Thompson, PhD and Brian Pilecki, PhD, two of the authors of ACT-Informed Exposure for Anxiety 
 Brian L. Thompson, PhD, is a licensed psychologist; and director of the anxiety clinic at Portland Psychotherapy in Portland, OR. He specializes in working with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and has published research in these areas. 
 Brian C. Pilecki, PhD, is a clinical psychologist at Portland Psychotherapy who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, trauma, and matters related to the use of psychedelics. Brian also has extensive experience in the areas of mindfulness and meditation, and incorporates them into his therapy with clients. He is an active researcher and has published on topics such as anxiety disorders, mindfulness, and psychedelic-assisted therapy. 
 Some of the topics we explore include:
- How both Brians were first introduced to ACT
- What inspired writing ACT Informed Exposure for Anxiety
- The importance of willingness in exposure work
- The types of challenges people face where exposure may be helpful
- How exposure can be fluidly integrated into a much broader scope of clinical challenges
- Helpful and unhelpful ways to consider values in exposure work
- Exposure Hierarchies vs Menus 
- Overlaps and differences between traditional habituation and ACT approaches to exposure ————————————————————————— Portland Psychotherapy: https://portlandpsychotherapy.com/ ACT-Informed Exposure for Anxiety: https://a.co/d/5qAh5O7 ————————————————————————— Thank you all for checking out the episode! Here are some ways to help support Mentally Flexible: 
 You can help cover some of the costs of running the podcast by donating a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/mentallyflexible 
 Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentally-flexible/id1539933988 
 Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ 
 Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth

Dr. Brian Thompson & Dr. Brian Pilecki | ACT-Informed Exposure

My guest today is Dr. Marina Rosenthal. Marina is a licensed psychologist dedicated to serving high-conflict couples. She earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon, where she received extensive hands’ on supervision and further honed her skills in the VA system working with veterans and their partners with concurrent and complex struggles. Marina now runs a private practice and is thoroughly trained in Integrative Behavioral Couple Therapy (IBCT), an empirically supported treatment which has many similarities to ACT. Some of the topics we explore include:
- How Marina got into working with high-conflict couples
- The tendency to pathologize partners in order explain relationship issues
- Finding a balance between acceptance and change
- How individual therapy can sometimes sabotage a relationship
- The difference between high-conflict and abusive relationships
- Ways to build awareness and understand function in conflict patterns
- Some common relationship myths
- Working through the decision to stay together or split up
- And some examples of how high-conflict couples can successfully grow and heal

 ————————————————————————— Marina’s website: https://www.drmarinarosenthal.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmarinarosenthal/ ————————————————————————— 
 Thank you all for checking out the episode! Here are some ways to help support Mentally Flexible: 
 You can help cover some of the costs of running the podcast by donating a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/mentallyflexible 
 Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentally-flexible/id1539933988 
 Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ 
 Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth

Dr. Marina Rosenthal | High Conflict Couples

My guest today is Diana Hill, PhD. Diana is a clinical psychologist, international trainer, and sought-out speaker on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and compassion. Host of the podcast Wise Effort with Dr. Diana Hill and author of The Self-Compassion Daily Journal, The ACT Daily Journal, and the upcoming book Wise Effort, Diana works with organizations and individuals to develop psychological flexibility so that they can grow fulfilling and impactful lives. Some of the topics we explore include:
- The value in stretching outside of our comfort zone
- Ways to help carry the heaviness in life 
- Fears related to being more self-compassionat
- Diana’s process of releasing a new book while also navigating personal challenges
- How we can minimize our difficulties and struggle to ask for help
- Dealing with the pain of past regrets and forgiving ourselves ————————————————————————— Diana’s website: https://drdianahill.com/ The Self-Compassion Daily Journal: https://a.co/d/aBwmnIM ————————————————————————— Thank you all for checking out the episode! Here are some ways to help support Mentally Flexible: 
You can help cover some of the costs of running the podcast by donating a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/mentallyflexible 
 Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentally-flexible/id1539933988 
 Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ 
 Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth

Dr. Diana Hill | Self-Compassion for Wise Effort

My guest today is Dr. Steven C. Hayes. Steven Hayes is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno and President of the Institute for Better Health, a 45-year old charitable organization dedicated to better mental and behavioral health. With 47 books and nearly 700 scientific articles published, Dr. Hayes is one of the most cited psychologists in the world as he continues to innovate in the field of psychology. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory (RFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

 Some of the topics we explore include: 
- The launching of the PsychFlex and Mindgrapher apps
- How this opens the potential for 24/7 integration of treatment
- The ways we can better attend to often ignored client issues
 - The limitations of the DSM and its history
- Moving away from a one size fits all approach to treatment
- The current development of new data sets and statistical methods
- Hope for the future of behavioral health and helping people 
————————————————————————— 
 Dr. Steven Hayes’ Website: https://stevenchayes.com/ PsychFlex: https://psychflex.com/signup/ A Liberated Mind: https://a.co/d/aGBpF8S 
 ————————————————————————— 
 Thank you all for checking out the episode! Here are some ways to help support Mentally Flexible: 
 You can help cover some of the costs of running the podcast by donating a cup of coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/mentallyflexible 
 Please subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It only takes 30 seconds and plays an important role in being able to get new guests.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mentally-flexible/id1539933988 
 Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mentallyflexible/ 
 Check out my song “Glimpse at Truth” that you hear in the intro/outro of every episode: https://tomparkes.bandcamp.com/track/glimpse-at-truth

Billy Ryan | ACT in Sport

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