"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." — Aristotle

In this episode of Hold That Thought, hosts Becca and Taylor kick off their fourth mini-series ‘Archetypes of a Village’, where they will be exploring and celebrating the different character motifs that make up our proverbial village. The first episode focuses on the archetype of the Sage, exploring teachings, perspectives and philosophies on wisdom, how we acquire it, and the people who portray it best. They also discuss wise teachers they’ve experienced in their own lives and reflect on ways to bring knowledge of self, and by extension wisdom, into our village each day. 

Topics: Wisdom, sage, archetypes, philosophy, spirituality, motifs, characters, learning

Resources:
The Sage Archetype (and why our world needs it)
5 Techniques To Develop Wisdom Over Time

What is an Archetype?

Richard Rohr: Center for Action and Contemplation

Tara Brach: Accessing Innate Wisdom

“I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention”. -Mary Oliver

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca explore the power of paying attention. They admire artists and authors who bring the practice of noticing alive through their work and capture micro-moments themselves by sharing three mental snapshots from their own lives. They share the stories and follow the ideas sparked by the act of noticing. 

Topics: Mindfulness, Journaling, Art, Noticing, Stillness, Friendship, Meditation, Sonder, Photography, Ross Gay, Poetry

Resources:
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows
It’s the 1970s Again. Democrats Should Study Up on Reagan.
Why Is Everyone Talking About Brown?
How Ross Gay Finds Joy In The Smallest of 'Delights'

How to Strengthen Your Happiness Muscle
How Can We Break the Cycle of Focusing on Negative Experiences?
STILL: The Art of Noticing with Mary Jo Hoffman
After the Fire: Rebuilding After Loss and Making Life a Total Work of Art with Steve & Mary Jo Hoffman
Pursuit of Happiness: Martin Seligman

At the intersection between outcome and agency is a hidden world of untold factors: Dating app algorithms. Sport betting odds. Consumer finance incentives. They impact our lived experience, but we often don’t know they exist at all. 

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca explore everyday situations where hidden mechanics and misaligned incentives are rigging the odds and changing outcomes, right under our noses without us even knowing. From the matches we see on Hinge, to stock prices traded on the NYSE, the devil is in the factors behind the scenes. 

Topics: Algorithms, Odds, Stacked Odds, Sports Betting, Dating Apps, Ticketmaster, Stock Exchange, CFBP, Consumer Finance 

Resources:
The Algorithms of Dating Apps, Explained
Legal Issues to Know Before Offering a Sale or Coupon
Hinge’s CEO insists the app doesn’t have an ‘attractiveness score’ after users’ frustration. Here’s how he says the algorithm works—and why the free version is ‘sacred’
FTC Sues Live Nation and Ticketmaster for Engaging in Illegal Ticket Resale Tactics and Deceiving Artists and Consumers about Price and Ticket Limits
Justice Department and Live Nation reach settlement over Ticketmaster illegal monopoly case
Who Benefits from Trump’s Move to Shut Down Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?
Trump administration attempts to close the CFPB, block agency’s work
Against the Rules: The Seven Minute Rule
Against the Rules: The Magic Shoebox
“Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service” by Michael Lewis

The new Postmaster General said that the USPS is a beautiful ballet that nobody understands. It’s a machine that chugs behind the scenes to connect us from coast to coast, but the mechanics are a mystery. 

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca peek behind the curtain to understand how USPS works. They discuss the nostalgia of letter writing and the symbolism of USPS’ service mandate. They explore the postal service’s history, from the first post office in the 13 colonies to the pivotal role mail played in the American Revolution and building the political ethos of the US. They unpack how the voting power of millions relies on USPS, and the sobering fact that that right is in jeopardy today. 

Topics: USPS, Postal Service, United States History, Mail, In Plain Sight, Universal Service Mandate, Democracy, Politics

Resources:
Quadruple increase in rejected California mail-in ballots signals problems with Trump meddling in future elections
How we generated a response rate of 63% by ignoring the brand guidelines

MIT Election Lab
Why the Short-Lived Pony Express Still Fascinates Us
Voting by Mail: Center for Election Confidence

On mail, meaning and the artwork that appears on US postage

The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
How the US Post Office Has Delivered the Mail Through the Decades

BBC: Denmark postal service to stop delivering letters

USPS: Postal Facts
The US Postal Service's Fiscal Crisis

We accept as reality (and even forget to recognize) the everyday ways our modern world has been built for men. But as soon as you peek under the hood,  the perniciousness of the male default emerges in plain sight. 

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca discuss the role of the gender data gap in creating this inequity. From healthcare practices and medication, to automobile development and snow clearing practices, they unpack how a dearth of data on women impacts our policies, innovations and daily life. 

Topics: Gender data gap, data bias, inequity, bias, clinical trials, modern day, inequity, circadian rhythms, infradian rhythms, human biology

Resources:

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado-Perez

“If men didn’t exist, who would protect you?”

AT,TP x The Dish: Cycle Syncing

Infradian Rhythms: What They Are and Why They Matter

How Period Tracking Birthed the Calendar

Buckle Up Women; Cars Still Aren’t Built For You

Why we know so little about women’s health

Barriers to Accessing Effective Treatment and Support for Menopausal Symptoms: A Qualitative Study Capturing the Behaviours, Beliefs and Experiences of Key Stakeholders

Dr. Paula Johnson Is Breaking Down the Barriers to Better Health

Dr. Paula Johnson: When Does Medicine Leave Women Behind
Are Cars More Dangerous for Women? Understanding the Risks and How to Protect Yourself

Podcast 186: The Gender Gap in Research – And How It's Affecting Women’s Health
Life-Saving Intel: Amanda's Breast Cancer Surgeon Dr. Lucy De La Cruz

How Sex and Gender Bias Skews Medical Research with Dr. Kate Womersley

Airplanes, airports, airtravel: it’s all anyone can talk about these days. 

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca chat through the rules, regulations and human idiosyncrasies that dictate flying. They discuss the history of the first air travel and consider how airplanes and travel expose fundamental elements of human behavior and social interaction. They dive into the roots of one of our most common fears and how news today has us questioning timeless protocol.

Topics: Plane etiquette, Social norms, The social contract, Boeing Whistleblower, Behavioral psychology, Travel culture 

Resources:

This Is Your Captain Speaking

Boeing 737 Max Factory Was Plagued With Problems, Whistle-Blower Says
How To Avoid The Dreaded Post-Flight Breakout

Air Travel: CDC
Portable Electronic Devices Presser
Air Rage: What Factors Influence Airline Passenger Anger?

Stuff You Should Know: A Brief History of Air Travel 

It's been 20 years since smoking was completely banned on all US flights. Here's how smoking on planes went from normal to banned.
Why do we put seatbacks up for landing? An aviation expert explains.
WKYC Channel 3 TikTok
Delta is replacing engines on Airbus aircraft to address toxic fumes issue

Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago

What is codependency? Who experiences it? Where does it come from? And how do you make it better? 

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Taylor and Becca explore these questions and more, unpacking the origins, critiques, nuances and power of the psychological model of codependency. In the end, they discuss how doing your homework on codependency can help you not only understand your relationship to others, but also help you understand yourself. 

Topics: Codependency, relationships, family systems, addiction, psychology, relationships

Resources:

The Lived Experience of Codependency: an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis
Living with Addicted Men and Codependency: The Moderating Effect of Personality Traits
An Overview of the Historical and Empirical Antecedents in the Development of the Codependency Concept
Diagnostic Criteria for Codependency
What Is Codependency? And What Does This Buzzword Really Mean?
Mental Health America: Codependency
TikTok: Relational Alchemy
We Can Do Hard Things: Breaking Codependency and Letting LIfe Happen with Melody Beattie
The dopaminergic reward system underpins gender differences in social preferences
16 Codependent Traits That Go Beyond Being a People Pleaser
Codependency A Helpful Concept Turned Toxic: A Lesson from Our Own History

Vulnerability is the key to connection. But social media confuses the line between true connection and oversharing.

In this episode of Hold That Thought, hosts Becca and Taylor unpack the power of vulnerability through the work of researcher Brené Brown. They consider how social media has changed our perception of vulnerability and created a tension between finding connection and seeking validation. They explore the ubiquity of social media outrage and policing, and talk through their own experiences of vulnerability online.

Topics: Vulnerability, connection, social media, Brené Brown, sharing, community, psychology, courage, moral outrage, validation 

Resources:

‘Likes’ and ‘shares’ teach people to express more outrage online
How to Nurse an Oversharing Hangover
Doing Good or Feeling Good? Justice Concerns Predict Online Shaming Via Deservingness and Schadenfreude

The Power of Vulnerability

Oprah Super Soul Sunday: The Power of Vulnerability
Understanding Social Media Addiction: A Deep Dive

Vulnerability: Validation, Appreciation, and Reciprocation in Business, Personal, and Health Context

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

“Jealous is a green-eyed monster.”

We’re so often told, subliminally and overtly, that jealousy and envy are emotions that we should avoid. But if we get close to jealousy and envy (and yes they’re slightly different), these emotions just might be teaching us something valuable. 

In this episode of Hold That Thought, hosts Becca and Taylor explore the origins of Jealousy and Envy and unpack how these emotions that we’re often taught to fear can be powerful in their own way. 

This episode is part of the Hold That Thought mini-series— Working Together: Elements of Interpersonal Relationships.

Key Topics: Jealousy, Envy, Yearning, Motivation, Evolutionary Psychologists, Emotions, Vulnerability, Evil Eye

Sources:

On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to be Good by Elise Loehnen

Choosing Wholeness Over Goodness: A Process for Reclaiming Your Full Self by Elise Loehnen

The Evolutionary Psychology of Envy and Jealousy

Robert Leahy || The Jealousy Cure

Sibling Rivalry, A History

Yearning: the ache at the center of our lives

Jealous Vs. Envious

Hard Won and Easily Lost: A Review and Synthesis of Theory and Research on Precarious Manhood

Evil Eye

Nazar: Energies Exchanged in a Glance

How can we be free and live together? What binds humans into a society?

In this episode of Hold That Thought hosts Becca and Taylor explore these central questions and other foundational principles of Social Contract Theory. They unpack how The Social Contract may or may not be the underpinning that dictates our implicit following of ever-day-rules. They take it back to the early Social Contract theorists and critiques of their philosophy, exploring what may be the innate human instinct to follow rules to protect stability and each other, while interrogating what happens when they don’t. 

This episode is part of the Hold That Thought mini-series— Working Together: Elements of Interpersonal Relationships.

Key Topics: Social Contract Theory, Rule Following, Philosophy, Psychology, Joint Commitment, Political Theory, Politics, Democracy, Pro-Social, Anti-Social, Behavioral Economics    

Resources:

The Social Contract Explained Simply

Psychopathic, Sociopathic, or Antisocial Personality?

The Social Contract Only Works If It Protects People

Evaluating social contract theory in the light of evolutionary social science

Prospect Theory: How We Make Decisions Under Risk

Study finds apes mind their manners much like humans
A Big-Picture Look at Social Rules
Social Contract Theory in Education: Rules, Rights and Responsibilities