Minds and Mics

In this episode of Minds & Mics, Nick chats with author Oliver Burkeman about the imperfectionist mindset and how this counterintuitive idea can help with everything from perfectionism and indecisiveness to procrastination and imposter syndrome.

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The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/newsletter/

📙 OLIVER'S BOOK
Meditations for Mortals: https://www.oliverburkeman.com

EPISODE TOPICS

• The Problem with Self-Improvement
• Function Follows Form
• What Is Imperfectionism?
• The Oliver Burkeman Thesis Statement
• Synthesizing the Achiever and the Enjoyer
• Oliver's 4-Hour Workday Experiment
• The Virtues of Deliberate Constraint
• The Psychology of Indecisiveness and Overwhelm
• Daily-ish as the Antidote to Perfectionism
• Scruffy Hospitality as the Antidote to Imposter Syndrome

Jonny Miller shares his favorite exercise and techniques to lower chronic anxiety by regulating your nervous system.

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The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/

😇 NICK'S ANXIETY COURSE
Creating Calm: https://nickwignall.com/creating-calm

🫁 JONNY'S COURSE
Nervous System Mastery: https://www.nsmastery.com

Psychologist Nick Wignall and therapist Emma McAdam share their favorite tips for overcoming social anxiety.

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The Friendly Mind: https://www.thefriendlymind.com/newsletter-yt/

⚒️ LINKS & RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE
→ Painfully Shy by Barbara and Gregory Markway https://www.amazon.com/Painfully-Shy-Overcome-Anxiety-Reclaim/dp/0312316232
→ The Assertiveness Workbook by Randy Paterson  https://www.amazon.com/Assertiveness-Workbook-Express-Yourself-Relationships/dp/1648480276/
→ Emma's Anxiety Course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/anxietyskills
→ Nick's Anxiety Course: https://nickwignall.com/creating-calm/

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with trauma and resilience researcher Dr. George Bonanno.

Show Notes:

• How to think clearly about trauma and PTSD
• Common misconceptions about trauma
• The resilience paradox
• The problem with the PTSD diagnosis
• Trauma concept creep
• How to develop resilience (The flexibility sequence)
• The end of trauma?
• Lisa Feldman Barret
• Mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of exercise on mood and emotional health

Learn more about Dr. Bonanno and his work here:

• George Bonanno (Personal Website) →
• The End of Trauma (Book) →

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with Dr. Daniel Erichsen about better sleep for high-achievers.

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with Liz Fosslien about her new book, Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay. We cover topics like perfectionism vs healthy striving, the difference between envy and jealousy, burnout and the Amazon Zen Booth, revenge bedtime procrastination, and the role of personal responsibility in mental health.

Show Notes

• The dark side of “coping” with difficult feelings
• No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work
• Jealousy vs envy
• Benign vs malicious envy
• The role of personal responsibility in mental health
• The Amazon Zen Booth
• How organizations can actually help foster well-being and resilience
• The relationships between burnout and self-awareness
• Why setting boundaries is so hard (and how to make it a little easier)
• Revenge bedtime procrastination
• Emotional opportunity cost
• Perfectionism and self-kindness
• Healthy striving vs perfectionism
• The benefits of playfulness

Learn more about Liz and her work here:

• Big Feelings: How to Be Okay When Things Are Not Okay (book)
• LizandMollie.com (website)

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

In this episode of Minds & Mics, I chat with Dr. Steve Hayes, the founder of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). We talk about everything from the importance of psychological flexibility and emotional tolerance to the future of psychotherapy and what to look for in a great therapist.

Show Notes

• Psychological flexibility
• Psychological rigidity
• Social anxiety and panic attacks
• Where does self-judgment and negative self-talk come from?
• The psychological function of religion and wisdom traditions
• Emotional tolerance
• 3rd wave behavior therapy, process-based therapy, and the future of psychotherapy
• What to look for in a good therapist 
• 2nd wave humanistic therapy

Learn more about Steve and his work here:

• The Liberated Mind (Book)
• Steven C Hayes (website)

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

In the latest episode of Minds & Mics, I chatted with Michael Bungay Stanier about his new book How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters and a range of topics, including the obligation we all have to be "doubly ambitious," why SMART goals aren't usually very smart, the case for working in 6-week cycles, and the genius of cartoonist Gary Larson.

Show Notes

• What makes a book useful?
• The Coaching Habit
• Being “doubly ambitious” 
• How to think about overwhelm: realistic, consistent, grace 
• Working in 6-week cycles
• Why Michael hates SMART goals
• Should we follow our passion? 
• Relaxing into commitment
• Prizes and punishments of maintaining the status quo
• The Call of the Wild (Gary Larson)
• The value of the humble pros and cons list

Learn more about Michael and his work here:

• How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters (Book)
• Michael's Website

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

Kai Koch is the co-founder of ahead, which is a software company and app for building emotional intelligence. We talk about the opportunities and challenges for technology in emotional health, self-awareness, emotional intelligence in organizations, and what the future of technology-assisted emotional health might look like.

Show Notes

• The unique benefits of mobile technology for emotional health
• Making self-awareness social
• Making personal growth social
• Emotional granularity
• Emotional intelligence in organizations
• The future of technology for emotional health

Learn more about Kai and his work here:

• Ahead App
• Self-Awareness Test

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Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.

Sleep psychologist Dr. Jade Wu returns to the show to talk specifically about sleep issues for new moms, including what’s normal and what should be addressed professionally, how sleep and postpartum depression interact, intrusive thoughts and anxiety, and some practical tips for new moms to get their sleep back on track.

Show Notes

• How sleep changes in pregnancy and postpartum
• Sleep deprivation vs circadian disruptions
• Types of sleep disturbances that predict postpartum depression
• Tips for minimizing sleep issues as a new parent
• How much to nap as a new mom
• What old-school pediatricians get wrong about sleep with new babies
• Parasomnias in pregnancy and postpartum
• Exploding head syndrome
• Sleep paralysis
• Postpartum anxiety
• REM rebound and nightmares
• Intrusive thoughts
• Sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing
• Poor sleep and postpartum depression 

Learn more about Jade and her work here:

• Website: JadeWuPHD.com
• Twitter: @jadewuphd

Get New Episodes First

Learn more about the Minds & Mics podcast here, including how to subscribe and get all my newest episodes as soon as they’re released.