This week, journalist and author of The Explorers Gene:Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map,” Alex Hutchinson tackles something athletes and sports enthusiasts think about all the time; how to break through physical barriers. Hutchinson suggests that athletic milestones, and he uses the example of Roger Bannister breaking the 4-minute mile, often have little to do with physical ability and skill, but what holds us back is a lack of belief. 

Owen Flanagan, professor of philosophy and neurobiology at Duke University and author of “What Is It Like to Be an Addict? Understanding Substance Abuse” reflects on his life as an alcoholic and explores the brain science and individual complexities behind why we become addicted. Flanagan addresses the role of the individual and agency and is critical of those who maintain that addiction is a disease of the brain. When it comes to treatment, Flanagan says community, compassion and love are key factors in maintaining long term sobriety.

Guest:

Owen Flanagan 

Professor of philosophy and neurobiology at Duke University and author of “What Is It Like to Be an Addict? Understanding Substance Abuse.” 

This week, polar scientist, explorer and author of “Life Lessons From Explorers: Learn how to weather life’s storms from history’s greatest explorers” Felicity Aston reflects on her experience of leading a failed North Pole expedition and the time it’s taken her to face and process that failure. Aston uses the example of the historical Scottish explorer David Livingston to show how much can be gained from time and perspective and to illustrate the challenge of balancing success and failure in exploration and in life.  

Polar scientist Felicity Aston reflects on her fascination with exploration; shares lessons on survival, risk, and adventure. 

Guest:

Felicity Aston Polar scientist, first woman to ski solo across Antarctica and author of “Life Lessons From Explorers: Learn how to weather life’s storms from history’s greatest explorers.” and “Polar Exposure: An All-Women’s Expedition to the North Pole.”  

Explorer Felicity Ashton recounts her  solo skiing expedition across Antarctica,  explaining exploration for her and many others is not  merely  a choice but a fundamental need.  

“It took me a long time to realize that not everybody has that same itch to go. There's a commonality amongst all the explorers that I've written about is that, largely, it's not their choice. They're not deciding, ‘Oh, I'm going to do this.’ It's almost taken out of their control. They have to go and do it. There is no other option.” 

Growing up, there was nothing in Felicity Ashton’s childhood or DNA to suggest that she’d become an explorer or the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica – perhaps because none of the explorers she had read about, looked anything like her. 

“Most of the explorers we were taught about at school were men, for a start, and men at the opposite end of the 20th century who had very little in common with me or the way that I saw the world, and probably would have no understanding of why a woman would want to go and do these things.” 

Throughout her journey, Ashton experienced both failures and successes – each time coming away with new experiences and life lessons. Central to these lessons is the importance  of staying curious while being able to balance the risks with the thrill of adventure. 

“It's a really tough decision to make whenever you're out in the field of where is that line between adventure and madness? When is the moment to push beyond all reason and when is the point to go? Now we need to fall back. And this is where we get to the famous quote from Shackleton: ‘I would rather be a live donkey than a dead lion.’” 

In her book Life Lessons From Explorers: Learn how to weather life’s storms from history’s greatest explorers,  Ashton shares how she weathered storms, dealt with isolation, and found the motivation to keep  herself going. She also  includes anecdotes and stories from the Vikings to David Livingston, Shackelton to Amelia Ehrhardt.

“Often what history records and what we see on the surface is not an accurate representation of the true story, and the truth is probably far more similar to what we ourselves have experienced throughout our lives than we care to admit.”

This week, psychologist and author of “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents,” Lisa Damour addresses one of the toughest challenges in parenting - communicating and connecting with teenage children. When it comes to exactly what that means, Damour suggests that parents typically see communicating with their teens as an opportunity to impose their ideas or agendas and that’s a mistake.  What most kids want is to be able to share what they enjoy with their parents - like music. Day to day, teens communicate best when there is a steady presence and when parents communicate with comfort and empathy and without an agenda.

David Whyte, poet and author of “Consolations II: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words,” reflects on the transformative power of the poetry and its ability to rekindle our emotions - from anguish and anxiety, to death, humor and joy. Whyte shares personal experiences, time spent in the Himalayas, and the vital role that humor, laughter and a daily blessing have on his life.

This week, writer and author of Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, Leslie Jamison reflects on her childhood marriage fantasy and says when it comes to love and marriage we all want that perfect Hollywood ending. However all too often marriages don’t actually work like that but Jamison points out that even when the love is gone from a marriage - as she saw with her own parents, the mutual respect and friendship remained..and that too can be an equally wonderful gift. 

Episode description: Jonathan Bastian talks with Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Emotion Regulation Lab at Hunter College, about the anxiety epidemic and her book “Future Tense; Why Anxiety Is Good for You (Even Though It Feels Bad).”

“Anxiety is a feature of being human,” Dennis-Tiwary says. “It’s not a bug, it's not a malfunction. We can learn and work through it.” 

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This week, cognitive scientist and professor of psychology at Yale University Lori Santos explains that negative emotions are very much part of the human experience and essential to leading a happy life. Leaning into these emotions and accepting them is better for us than trying to dismiss or suppress them.