This week I share the first half of my conversation with Professor Patrick Murray host of the UCD School of Medicine MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast series. I relive my experience as a student of UCD and reminisce about the people who made my time there such a memorable experience.

I discuss how my family inspired me to go into medicine, my early days as a student, and some of the cramped living situations that, in retrospect, led to some of the best days of my life. I remember the people, both the professors and fellow students, who taught me about more than just medicine.

Today, Robb joins me to share the story of his history with addiction and how his personal experiences allow him to help others. He offers inspirational words of wisdom on overcoming setbacks, using adversity to become a stronger person, and achieving your goals.

Today, I talk about why everything in your life is interconnected. I note the importance of self-care and posit that you’re irreplaceable as a human being. I talk about the growth mindset, ask some key questions, and share my definition of well-being.

I explain why your health is your greatest asset, define the ‘intention gap,’ and talk about gratitude’s power. Finally, I share how my’ Self-Development Club’ can help you, discussing what it is and is not! and explaining why change doesn’t necessarily require a 180-degree shift.

Michael joins me today to discuss the grow-it-yourself movement and why growing your own food is beneficial for your physical, emotional, and mental health. He shares how shopping for a bulb of garlic ignited his passion for food sustainability and led him to found GIY.

He describes the gift of being present and the joy of being in nature. Michael also offers advice on building the skills necessary for resilience and highlights the importance of keeping your mission at the forefront of your mind when driving social change. 

Do you tend to focus on your weaknesses instead of your strengths? Do you tend to focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s strong? As humans, our brain is hard-wired for fear detection, anxiety, and discomfort, which often leads us to focus on our faults and flaws instinctually.

While it might seem counterintuitive to focus on our strengths instead of our weaknesses, it can also be a tremendous way to feel better and bring more of the ‘real you’ into the world.

In this episode, I outline the B.E.S.T. Y.E.A.R. mnemonic and explore ideas for living with more vitality in the new year. I discuss how accepting the totality of the human experience and practicing habits of kindness and gratitude can help us flourish.

I describe how forging deeper connections and investing in the people around you can benefit your quality of life. I also highlight the importance of recommitting to live with more vitality every day and underscore the value of remembering to never stop starting.

In this episode, I discuss how your words can impact you and the people around you. I describe the contagiousness of positive and negative emotions and the presence of energy in words. I explain how toxic positivity sets you up for more feelings of distress, discomfort, and disease.

I also discuss how the practice of being more mindful and present enables you to let go of the past and anxiety of the future and share wisdom from the brilliant minds of Maya Angelou, Confucius, St. Francis of Assisi, and others.

Today we discuss the science behind adopting a gratitude practice, why there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits all’ approach and why it’s important for each individual to find their own recipe for inner contentment. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

In this episode, I discuss the lessons we can learn about the concept of flow from the Russian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I discuss what ‘being in flow’ truly means and how it impacts your emotional health, well-being, and feelings of joy and fulfillment. I discuss how Mihaly explored the concept of flow by studying artists’ work habits and practices and how we can create more flow in our lives by doing more of the things we enjoy.

Recently I was a guest of Bernie Keogh on her Podcast YayCanDo. YayCanDo is a podcast about possibility, embracing our humanity and letting go of limiting beliefs in our lives. Bernie Keogh, with her co-founder Paula Thomas, is on a mission to power new possibilities in life and work through better relationships with ourselves and others. I enjoyed our conversation so much; I think you will too.