What if some of the things you believe most strongly aren’t actually facts—but tools you’re using to navigate a complicated world?

In this bittersweet final interview for Psychologists Off the Clock, Jill Stoddard welcomes back Nir Eyal, author of Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary Results. Nir was Jill’s very first guest when she joined the podcast, making this conversation a fitting bookend to her time on POTC. Together, they explore how our beliefs shape motivation, perception, pain, relationships, and our ability to create lasting change.

Nir explains why beliefs are different from facts or faith, and why treating beliefs as tools rather than truths can give us more flexibility. He shares his personal story of struggling with his weight, how changing his beliefs helped him persist, and what his experience with Pain Reprocessing Therapy taught him about chronic pain.

You’ll hear why “seeing is believing” is only half the story, how our expectations can change our experience of pain and pleasure, why venting may reinforce the very beliefs that keep us stuck, and how expanding your portfolio of perspectives can create more freedom in relationships and everyday life.

Join Jill and Nir for a fascinating conversation about the power of belief—and a reminder that feeling bad isn’t necessarily bad. Sometimes, pain comes with purpose.

Listen and Learn:

• Why beliefs are neither facts nor faith, but flexible “working models” that help us navigate reality when the truth isn’t fully knowable
• How beliefs influence motivation, behavior, and persistence—and why believing you can succeed may be just as important as knowing what to do
• Nir’s personal weight-loss journey and how searching for the “one true” diet ultimately got in the way of persistence
• Why beliefs can be powerful tools even when we can’t prove that they are objectively true, and how choosing beliefs that serve us can change the way we respond to everyday challenges
• How attention shapes perception, why our brains rely on predictions and prior beliefs, and what the classic checkerboard illusion teaches us about seeing reality
• The relationship between beliefs, expectations, pain, and suffering—including what Nir learned from Pain Reprocessing Therapy and the surprising power of the brain to change the experience of chronic pain
• Why feeling bad isn’t necessarily bad, and how redefining discomfort as something that can accompany purpose may help us stop avoiding the experiences that matter
• How placebo and nocebo effects demonstrate the powerful role of expectations, and why beliefs can influence our experience through changes in behavior and biology
• Why venting can reinforce negative beliefs about other people, and how “getting it off your chest” may provide short-term relief while making us angrier in the long run
• How Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction can help us loosen rigid beliefs by developing a broader “portfolio” of possible perspectives rather than forcing ourselves to replace one belief with another
• Nir’s personal transformation in his relationship with his mother, and how questioning assumptions about other people can create more flexibility without requiring them to change
• How expanding our beliefs can create “wiggle room” to respond more flexibly, reconnect with our values, and take responsibility for our own contribution to difficult situations

Resources:

• Nir’s book Beyond Belief: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780593852033
• Free belief change guide is here: www.nirandfar.com/beyond-belief-live
• Bonus content and the 30-Day Belief Transformation Journal is here: nirandfar.com/beyond-belief
• Website: http://nirandfar.com
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nireyal/
• Instagram - http://instagram.com/nireyal

Previous books:

• Hooked: geni.us/hooked
• Indistractable: geni.us/Indistractable

About Nir Eyal:

Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and human potential. He previously taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford.

He is the author of the international bestsellers Hooked and Indistractable, which have sold more than a million copies in more than 30 languages. His latest book, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Extraordinary Results, explores the science of beliefs and how they influence our perceptions, behaviors, and ability to create lasting change. The book recently reached the New York Times bestseller list.

Nir is also an active angel investor whose portfolio includes multi-billion-dollar companies such as Canva and Kahoot!. He blogs at NirAndFar.com and has published writing in The New York Times and Harvard Business Review. He is also a regular contributor to Psychology Today.

Related Episodes:

127. Indistractable with Nir Eyal

310. The Expectation Effect with David Robson

312. Throwback Episode! The Invisible Gorilla with Christopher Chabris

422. Mindwise with Nicholas Epley

443. Shift with Ethan Kross

458. The Pain/Brain Connection with Alan Gordon

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What makes an explanation feel satisfying, and does that feeling have anything to do with whether it's actually true?

Cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo, author of Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand, joins Michael to talk about the human drive to explain: where it comes from and what it buys us. She also makes the case that explanations aren't objects sitting out in the world waiting to be found, but mental acts we construct.

Tania walks through why philosophers and psychologists have circled the same phenomenon from different angles, and why a strong drive to explain isn't an obvious thing to build into an intelligent system in the first place. Curiosity, she explains, works as a filter on the endless supply of questions we could be asking. She also shares what her own lab has found about what actually predicts it, and why a satisfying explanation tends to open up more questions rather than shut inquiry down.

Along the way: Alison Gopnik's provocatively titled paper on the aha moment, and the explore/exploit trade-off behind the randomized summer reading program Tania uses to keep herself exploring. They also get into the self-explanation effect, and why explaining to another person usually beats explaining to yourself. The conversation closes on what to do when a three-year-old asks why, including how to bring a chatbot into that moment without skipping the part where good inquiry gets modeled.

Listen and Learn:

• Why a strong drive to explain isn't an obvious thing to build into an intelligent system, and what seeking explanations actually does for creatures like us
• Why explanations are mental acts rather than facts sitting out in the world, and how a punchline makes that idea concrete
• How curiosity filters the endless supply of questions we could ask, and why we gravitate toward things just one step beyond what we already understand
• What happens to your curiosity right after a satisfying explanation, and why good answers tend to open up more questions instead of closing them off
• The explore/exploit trade-off, and practical ways to build a little more randomness into what you read and what you try
• Why explaining something to another person usually beats explaining it to yourself, and the three things that make the difference
• How to respond when a child asks why, and how to use AI tools with kids without cutting out the modeling of good inquiry

Resources:

• Tania’s book: Why We Ask Why https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9780063395008  
• Twitter / X: https://x.com/tanialombrozo?lang=en 
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tanialombrozo.bsky.social 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-lombrozo 
• Tania's Website: www.tanialombrozo.com http://www.tanialombrozo.com/
• Michael’s Confidence Course http://herold.coach/course

About Tania Lombrozo

Tania Lombrozo is Arthur W. Marks '19 Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. She holds degrees in cognitive science and philosophy from Stanford University and in psychology from Harvard University. Her award-winning research has explored the human drive for explanation in both children and adults. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey, with her husband and two daughters. Her book, Why We Ask Why: The Science of Explanation and the Human Drive to Understand, will be released in October 2026.

Related Episodes:

• 428. How to Fall in Love with Questions with Elizabeth Weingarten
• 385. Oliver Burkeman on Embracing Your Limitations
• 457. Tiny Experiments with Anne-Laure Le Cunff
• 429. May Contain Lies with Alex Edmans

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Navigating a loved one's mental health struggles can feel like walking a tightrope between wanting to save them and trying to keep your own head above water.

In this episode, Dr. David Dozois from the University of Western Ontario highlights his book, What to Do When Your Partner Is Depressed, talking through the toll depression can take on relationships and why the supporting partner's experience so often goes unnoticed.

He shares with us why our instinct to "fix" a partner's pain can often backfire, and offers up actionable strategies for giving real support, encouraging treatment, and how to shift from frustration to true connection, without taking on the role of an unpaid therapist.

Plus, David touches on essential self-care, navigating tricky boundary dynamics, and safely approaching heavy, sensitive topics couples tend to avoid.

Listen and Learn: 

• How clinical depression differs from ordinary sadness, how it impacts both partners in a relationship, and actionable, evidence-based strategies to support a depressed partner without burning out or sacrificing their own well-being 
• The complexities of supporting a depressed partner and reveal why the human impulse to "fix" things often backfires, sharing research-backed strategies on how to move from wrestling with your partner to truly connecting with them first 
• The art of true active listening, explaining why genuine empathy means tuning into your partner’s heart rather than just rehearsing your next response 
• Framing depression as a shared "we" problem rather than an individual label to encourage a struggling partner to seek help without putting them on the defensive 
• How non-depressed partners can support their loved one without burning out or slipping into the role of an unpaid therapist 
• How excessive reassurance seeking can strain a relationship, and why setting compassionate boundaries and practicing response prevention are essential for long-term trust
• Navigating the delicate balance between self-care and supporting a loved one through depression 

Resources: 

• David’s Website: https://dozoislab.com
• David’s book: What to Do When Your Partner Is Depressed: Supporting Your Loved One While Caring for Yourselfhttps://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/what-to-do-when-your-partner-is-depressed
• Pre-order Yael’s new book, Why Don’t You Understand Me?: The Surprising Science Behind Connecting in a World of Missed Signals. Then fill out THIS form to get pre-order bonuses!
• Link to Yael’s newsletter and (for paid subscribers), a chance to win a copy of David’s book!

About David Dozois

David Dozois is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Western Ontario, where he directs the clinical psychology graduate program and studies cognitive vulnerability to depression, the "why" behind who gets stuck in depressive thinking and why it's so hard to climb out. He's published more than 200 scientific articles and books and has served as president of the Canadian Psychological Association twice.

His new book, What to Do When Your Partner Is Depressed: Supporting Your Loved One While Caring for Yourself, tackles something couples therapists see constantly and talk about far too little: depression is never really a solo experience. It moves into the relationship and unpacks its bags. The partner who isn't depressed often becomes the default project manager of the household, the mood, and the marriage, all while getting none of the concern, support, or permission to fall apart themselves. David's work is a rare combination of rigorous science and genuinely useful, human advice for the partner nobody's checking in on.

Related Episodes:

• 135. Power of Empathy and Motivational Interviewing with Stephen Rollnick
• 255. Influence is Your Superpower with Zoe Chance
• 397. The Mindful Path to Intimacy with James Cordova
• 408. Connecting Like a Hostage Negotiator with Gary Noesner
• 413. Validate with Caroline Fleck
• 449. How to Feel Loved with Sonja Lyubomirsky and Harry Reis
• 472. One Relationship, Two Brains with Cindy Ariel

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Parenting a kid with ADHD takes way more than standard advice; it requires understanding a complex brain difference that impacts focus, sleep, big emotions, and daily energy.

In this episode, child psychologist Dr. Emily King and TILT Parenting founder Debbie Reber join Emily to give their perspective on what neurodivergent parenting looks like by challenging the "disorder" label, unpacking why behaviors shift between home and school, and diving into hidden struggles like RSD, time blindness, and burnout.

From navigating evaluations to handling the gap between your child's age and their developmental stage, this conversation offers the honest, evidence-based grounding every parent needs.

Tune in now, and reach out to Emily Edlynn to learn more about her 1-on-1 parent coaching!

Listen and Learn: 

• Should ADHD be framed as a medical disorder or a brain regulation difference?
• How pathologizing language impacts stigma, diagnosis, and access to support in both clinical and educational settings 
• Why the name "ADHD" is misleading and how the disorder goes far beyond inattention and hyperactivity to affect emotional regulation, sleep, appetite, and energy management 
• How to navigate the ADHD diagnosis process from choosing between a pediatrician and a full neuropsychological evaluation to gathering cross-environment data and shifting parent strategies for lasting behavioral change 
• Overlooked ADHD traits that rarely get covered in formal evaluations and practical strategies to support your child without damaging their self-esteem 
• How ADHD-related time blindness, task avoidance, and a lack of future-oriented thinking drive daily struggles like running late and better understanding your child's neurodivergent experience 
• How emotional sensitivity, sensory processing, and energy regulation manifest in children with ADHD and autism and why a child's behavior can look so drastically different between home and school 
• Why raising a neurodivergent child feels like "advanced parenting," and the deep isolation, constant judgment, and overwhelming family burnout that comes with it

Resources:

• https://www.dremilyking.com/
• The Neurodivergent Learner https://www.learnwithdremily.com/book
• https://www.learnwithdremily.com/book
• https://www.instagram.com/emilywkingphd/
• https://www.facebook.com/emilywkingphd
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywkingphd/
• https://www.debbiereber.com/
• Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confidence and Hope https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781523506316
• https://www.facebook.com/DeborahReberAuthor/
• https://twitter.com/debbiereber 
• Tilt Parenting Podcast 359 A Conversation with Dr. Emily Edlynn on Raising Autonomous Children
• Emily Edlynn’s website – contact her directly if you are interested in a parent group! 
• Emily Edlynn’s Substack pieces about ADHD:
• Raising ADHD: Beyond the Diagnosis
• Raising ADHD: Why Common Parenting Strategies Don’t Work
• What the New York Times Got Wrong About ADHD
• Understanding This One Emotion Will Transform Your Parenting

About Emily King and Debbie Reber

Emily King is a child psychologist who has worked with neurodivergent learners for over 20 years. She received a Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and began her career in Houston, Texas specializing in school-based mental health in K-12 public schools. She has since worked in private practice in North Carolina supporting the mental health, executive functioning, and social needs of neurodivergent youth. Dr. Emily hosts the Learn with Dr. Emily Substack, where she provides parent workshops, is the creator of The Neurodiverse Classroom®, a professional development curriculum for educators, and her first book, THE NEURODIVERGENT LEARNER, came out on August 25th. 

Debbie Reber is a parenting activist, bestselling author, speaker, and the founder of Tilt Parenting, a top resource for parents raising neurodivergent children. Since launching Tilt in 2016, Debbie has championed a strengths-based approach that reframes how society supports differently wired kids. Her groundbreaking book, Differently Wired, is widely recommended by professionals in education and mental health, and her Full-Tilt Parenting Podcast has 10+ million downloads, featuring leading voices in the intersection of parenting and neurodivergence. A parent coach and Positive Discipline trainer, Debbie has been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and on NewsNation, is a three-time TEDx speaker, and is a founding expert and advisor for HumanUp. She lives in the Netherlands with her husband and two cats, while her neurodivergent young adult attends university in Scotland.

Related Episodes:

• 395. Neurodivergence with Jennifer Kemp
• 367. ADHD in Adulthood with Michaela Thomas
• 344. Differently Wired Kids with Deborah Reber
• 319. Autonomy-Supportive Parenting with the AMAZING Emily Edlynn
• 202. The Addiction Inoculation with Jess Lahey
• 187. Raising a Child with ADHD with Russell Barkley

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you’re the kind of person who is pathologically nice, physically incapable of saying "no," and constantly burning out to keep everyone else happy, you might actually have a Type C personality. 

Debbie Sorensen chats with psychologist Kore Glied and former Wall Street exec Anna White to break down how this conflict-avoidant, super-pleaser trait differs from Types A and B and why hiding your true feelings takes such a heavy toll on your health, career, and relationships.

You'll hear Anna open up about her own experience grinding straight through maternity leave until chronic fatigue hit, how these habits usually stem from early criticism or neglect, and how you can change these Type C patterns with a simple SASS framework. Tune in to find out how to Spot your hidden rules, Accept your own worth, Sit with tough emotions, and Say no thoughtfully. 

Listen and Learn:

• What defines the Type C personality
• Anna shares her personal story of growing up as a Type C personality and a cautionary story of how her "Type C" tendency to put work obligations above her own needs led her to work through a seven-week maternity leave 
• How a personal journey through chronic illness and a chance discovery of the "Type C" personality traits 
• How Type C personality traits develop, how cultural expectations and social rewards reinforce them, and how understanding these origins can help reduce feelings of blame and shame 
• How Type C personalities are driven by guilt and recognizing the subtle patterns that prevent you from asserting your own worth 
• How Type C personality traits can lead to unbalanced relationships, career burnout, and vulnerability to toxic dynamics in both the workplace and at home 
• How Type C personality traits can impact parenting and health
• The practical "SASS" framework to build resilience and break people-pleasing habits 

Resources:

• https://thetypecpersonality.com/ 
• Debbie’s burnout appearance on the Type C personality podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6d7AIsfXM18njrNzZvd6Kd 
• To preorder Kore and Anna’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/006349244X 
• Kore’s Website https://www.drkorenissenson.com 
• Anna’s care package company, Rest & Heal: https://restandheal.com

About Kore Glied and Anna White 

Dr. Kore Glied is a clinical psychologist based in New York City who specializes in helping adults manage anxiety disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder, and insomnia. Before starting her private practice, she spent many years as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at several major New York City hospitals, including Montefiore Hospital, NYU Medical Center, and most recently, Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Glied uses evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients get unstuck and build healthier, more fulfilling lives. Dr. Glied provides training and supervision in (ACT). She has published research on anxiety, trauma, and HIV-related health and has been invited to present her work at national conferences. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Glied leads corporate wellness workshops focused on managing stress, anxiety, and building healthier relationships. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, two sons, and their dog. As a working mom, she understands the challenges of balancing career, family, and everything in between—and she’s the first to admit she doesn’t have it all figured out.

Anna White is a former investments executive who spent 20 years working for a range of Wall Street firms in capital markets, private equity, equity research, and asset management. She experienced severe burnout at one point in her career which led to a chronic illness that was difficult to diagnose, treat, and recover from. Type C traits were a significant contributor to her declining health. After leaving corporate life, she founded a specialty care package company, Rest & Heal, which focuses on supporting women who have suffered hardship and/or illness through carefully curated gift packages meant to soothe, educate and re-energize the spirit. She holds a B.S. and M.B.A. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Related Episodes: 

• 447. Fawning with Ingrid Clayton 
• 362. Adult Bullies and High Conflict People with Bill Eddy – Psychologists Off the Clock 
• 276. Assertive Communication Skills with Randy Paterson 
• 186. Set Boundaries Find Peace with Nedra Tawwab 
• 199. Belonging From the Inside Out with Meg McKelvie
• 163. The Likeability Trap with Alicia Menendez
• 399. Likable Badass with Alison Fragale   
• 250. Anxiety and Perfectionism with Clarissa Ong 
• 226. ACT for Perfectionism with Jennifer Kemp 

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every couple has to learn how to accept their differences. But when you’re in a neurodiverse relationship, those differences aren't just quirks; they’re completely different ways of experiencing the world. 

In this episode, we're getting real about love, autism, and how to actually understand each other in a conversation with psychologist and author Dr. Cindy Ariel, who drops by to chat about her book, Autism and the Two of Us. Cindy brings so many incredible insights to the table, including what autism actually is and why neurodiversity is just a normal variation of the human brain. 

She also gets into the nuances of identity-first vs. person-first language and why those choices matter, and busts some major myths and talks about redefining what "typical" love even looks like. 

Tune in for a genuinely eye-opening conversation on love, connection, and neurodiversity!

Listen and Learn: 

• Framing neurodiversity as the natural spectrum of variation in human minds 
• Why the assumption that autistic individuals cannot sustain meaningful partnerships is a misconception 
• The need to move away from standard expectations of romantic behavior, and why neurotypical and autistic partners often express love in vastly different ways 
• Actionable insights on how partners can translate each other's emotional signals to build deeper connections 
• How neurodiverse and neurotypical partners often interpret the same situation in vastly different, yet equally valid ways 
• Moving past rigid expectations and deadlocks by co-creating custom, "third-way" solutions that meet both partners' unique emotional and practical needs 
• Overcoming the "closeness communication bias" by learning to treat your partner how they want to be treated rather than relying on default assumptions 
• Navigateing deep neurological differences by letting go of diagnostic labels and distinguishing between normal incompatibility versus toxic behavior

Resources: 

• Autism and the Two of Us: Love, Communication, and Neurodiversity https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/autism-and-the-two-of-us-how-understanding-each-other-can-help-you-build-a-stronger-lasting-love-cindy-n-ariel/b92004b21dec8780?ean=9781462560189&bkshp-astro=t 
• alternativechoices.com 
• Pre-order Yael’s book and get pre-order bonuses! (order 12 or more copies and I’ll join you on a Zoom for a 30-minute mini-workshop or Q&A!)

About Cindy Ariel: 

Cindy Ariel is a Philadelphia-based psychologist who has spent more than three decades at the intersection of psychology, neurodiversity, and intimate relationships. In 1992, she cofounded Alternative Choices, an independent group psychology practice known for its work with LGBTQ families and with individuals on the autism spectrum. She is the author of several books on neurodivergent relationships, including her newest, Autism and the Two of Us: How Understanding Each Other Can Help You Build a Stronger, Lasting Love (Guilford Press). Dr. Ariel is widely recognized for her work with neurodiverse couples, combining clinical insight with advocacy for understanding, acceptance, and the celebration of all kinds of minds. She was doing this work long before most people had a framework for thinking about autism in adulthood. Learn more at alternativechoices.com.

Related Episodes:

• 186. Set Boundaries Find Peace with Nedra Tawwab
• 263. Relationships with Emotionally Immature People with Lindsay Gibson
• 449. How to Feel Loved with Sonja Lyubomirsky and Harry Reis
• 467. Bonded by Evolution with Paul Eastwick

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What do you do as a mental health provider when a client walks into your office and flat-out refuses to be there, is silent, or is disengaged?

In this episode, Michael chats with psychotherapist and Motivational Interviewing trainer Kristen Dempsey about her book, Advancing Motivational Interviewing, and how to actually navigate those cases.

They get into why Motivational Interviewing works so well when a client is stuck on the fence and how these skills end up being surprisingly useful outside the clinic, too. Kristen also breaks down how MI can help to build real connection early on, why our instinct to "fix" people almost always backfires, and how to work with mandated clients without getting into a power struggle. 

They also touch on practical group ideas, the whole concept of "lending hope," and how using MI might just save you from burning out. Tune in for the full chat!

Listen and Learn: 

• How Motivational Interviewing (MI) helps clients uncover their own internal motivation for change 
• Blending MI with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to meet clients where they are and navigate ambivalence
• Practical strategies for handling mandated and disengaged clients with the use of "comfort agreements," and offering flexible participation options
• How practitioners can act as a "professional hoper" in Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 
• How MI can prevent burnout and cultivate deeper curiosity, compassion, and presence in relationships 

Resources: 

• Advancing Motivational Interviewing: https://www.kristindempseycounseling.com/kristins-book-advancing-motivational
• Kristin’s Website: https://www.kristindempseycounseling.com 
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-dempsey-ed-d-lpcc-lmft-322812a/ 
• https://www.facebook.com/p/Kristin-L-Dempsey-LPCC-LMFT-100057356474362/
• https://www.instagram.com/kristin_d_author_trainer?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==&utm_source=qr 
• MI Macrostack Collaboration: https://substack.com/@ali1850709/note/p-194642379?r=1tfnrv&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action 
• Michael’s Confidence Course https://herold.coach/course  

About Kristin Dempsey

Kristin Dempsey is a psychotherapist, trainer, and counselor educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has over 30 years’ experience working with individuals, youth, and families with challenging behavioral issues that impact their lives, such as substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, trauma symptoms, and unresolved grief. Kristin believes that each individual has unlimited ability to change and grow, and she enjoys exploring the complexities of complex challenges and how to approach them with compassion and curiosity. Kristin has taught many classes in the counselor education curriculum, and she is currently focused on practitioner skill development, substance use disorder treatment, and effective practices in community mental health. Kristin is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), and she currently teaches motivational interviewing to behavioral health and other allied human services professionals. She is an adjunct professor at the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology Program and lecturing faculty at San Francisco State University. Kristin is the author of The Harm Reduction Workbook for Addiction (New Harbinger, 2024), co-author of Advancing Motivational Interviewing: An Experiential Skills Guide for Mental Health Professionals (PESI, April 2026), and a writer for The Mental Health and Substance Use Recovery Workbook (New Harbinger, May 2027).

Related Episodes:

• 135. Power of Empathy and Motivational Interviewing with Stephen Rollnick
• 66. Helping People Change Using Motivational Interviewing With Nadine Mastroleo
• 402. Harm Reduction for Addiction with Kristin Dempsey

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Don't stress over parenting advice, as much of it is based on clickbait, panic, and outdated science.

In this episode, we hear from science journalists and experts Melinda Wenner Moyer, Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, Jacqueline Nesi in a conversation with Emily on how to spot actual, trustworthy parenting guidance amid all the online noise.

Dismantling the myth of the "one-size-fits-all" approach, they explain why classic research was always meant to be flexible and why anyone claiming there is only one right way is usually just selling something. 

You'll also learn about the deep flaws in historical parenting studies and what modern research is getting right, as well as the viral panic surrounding screen time, extreme media narratives, and the real risks AI companions pose to kids' emotional growth. 

If you’d appreciate a reassuring, reality-based sanity check on modern parenting so you can tune out the fear and focus on what actually works for your family, tune in for this episode on Parenting Science in the Media.

Listen and Learn: 

• How parenting advice moved past simple "good vs. bad" rules to look at how things like culture, environment, and everyday context actually shape what works 
• Calling out rigid parenting advice, spotting the red flags, and breaking down why real child science actually depends on the context
• Biases in parenting science and leaning into "goodness of fit" to figure out what actually works for your specific kid  
• How nuanced, multi-method science often gets distorted by media algorithms and fear-based messaging and how to spot misleading science headlines 
• How kids are actively using AI, why vulnerable or unfulfilled kids are most at risk of over-dependence, and how parents can guide their children through open communication rather than strict bans 
• Positive trends in youth resilience and self-control, how modern parenting shifts drive these improvements, and why adults in every generation fall victim to the cognitive bias that "kids these days" are doomed 

Resources: 

•  jacquelinenesi.com 
• melindawennermoyer.com 
• https://www.tracydennistiwary.com/
•  technosapiens.substack.com 
• https://tracydennistiwary.substack.com
•  melindawmoyer.substack.com. 
• The Kids Are All Right, Scientific American article by Melinda
• Tracy’s Book Review in the New York Times
• The Most Elusive Part of Modern Parenting, Emily’s Substack (if you hit a paywall, just email Emily for a free link - [email protected])

About Melinda Wenner Moyer, Jacqueline Nesi and Tracy Dennis-Tiwary 

Melinda Wenner Moyer - Melinda Wenner Moyer is an award-winning science journalist and author. She’s a contributing editor at Scientific American magazine and a regular contributor at The New York Times. She’s the author of How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes and Hello, Cruel World! She also writes the popular parenting Substack Now What. 

Jacqueline Nesi - Jacqueline Nesi, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor at Brown University, and author of the popular weekly newsletter Techno Sapiens. Her research focuses on the role of technology in kids’ mental health (especially teens), and on how parents can help.

Tracy Dennis-Tiwary, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, professor, researcher, mental health tech entrepreneur, and AI safety advisor. Her research focuses on the intersection between digital technology and mental health. She writes about growing up and growing old in the digital age in news outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, as well as on her Substack The Future of Sanity.  She is author of the book Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good for You (Even Though it Feels Bad). 

Related Episodes:

• 464. Dad Brain with Darby Saxbe
• 428. How to Fall in Love with Questions with Elizabeth Weingarten
• 409. Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times with Melinda Wenner Moyer
• 382. The Anxious Generation? The Conversation We Should Be Having About Kids, Technology, and Mental Health
• 319. Autonomy-Supportive Parenting with Emily Edlynn
• 307. Navigating Social Media As a Parent with Cara Goodwin
• 266. Future Tense with Tracy Dennis-Tiwary
• 253. Free-Range Kids with Lenore Skenazy
• 214. How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Jerks with Melinda Wenner Moyer

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We spend an exhausting amount of energy trying to outrun our own difficult thoughts and feelings.

For this episode, Jill Stoddard brings back ACT therapist, trainer, and author of The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Workbook, Matt Boone for a refreshingly grounded look at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Matt shares how his own path through chronic pain led him to ACT, breaking down why trying to "fix" uncomfortable inner experiences usually backfires.

You'll hear about why we procrastinate, how to unhook from spiral-inducing thoughts, and how to get unstuck when uncertainty feels overwhelming. Plus, Matt shares how ACT helps therapists dodge burnout. 

Join us for this practical guide to making peace with the noise in your head so you can finally move toward what actually matters.

Listen to POTC ad-free for just $5 a month by becoming a Mega Supporter on Patreon! Or, support the podcast with a one-time donation at Buy Me A Coffee!

Listen and Learn: 

• How ACT moves away from trying to "fix" or eliminate difficult emotions, teaching people to live alongside their pain so they can focus energy on what truly matters 
• Matt’s personal journey from chronic pain patient to ACT therapist, exploring how real-life experiences shaped their approach to therapy and led to designing experiential ACT training courses 
• How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) shifts the focus from managing symptom scores to creating meaningful, real-world behavior changes through experiential, values-based action 
• Why "we hurt where we care," how procrastination and avoidance function to give us short-term relief, and how reconnecting with your deeper "why" can help you step through discomfort toward a full life 
• How to define values as actionable, ongoing ways of being rather than fixed feelings, and discover practical tools 
• Aligning small everyday actions with your values to allow you to act with intention, kindness, and self-acceptance, even in hard moments 
• Major clinical hurdles and creative, practical exercises to act in alignment with your values anyway 
• How mindfulness allows you to step back and observe unhelpful thoughts without getting tangled up in them or taking them as "capital-T truth 
• Why arguing with your mind often backfires, how to shift focus from thought content to thought impact, and why taking a "leap of faith" empowers you to take meaningful action aligned with your values 

Resources: 

• The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Workbook https://www.matthewsboone.com/acceptance-commitment-therapy-skills-workbook
• Matt's Website https://www.matthewsboone.com/
• Connect with Matt on Social Mediahttps://www.facebook.com/matthew.boone.794/about
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsboone
• https://www.praxiscet.com 
• 
  

About Matt Boone: 

Matt Boone is a social worker, psychotherapist, and author who specializes in translating mental health concepts for the general public. His books include The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills Workbook, co-authored with Jennifer Gregg, and Stop Avoiding Stuff: 25 Microskills to Face Your Fears and Do It Anyway, co-authored with Jennifer Gregg and Lisa Coyne.

He is the Associate Director at the Student Wellness Program (SWP) of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry. As the Clinical Director of Mental Health Coaching at Lyra Health, he oversaw the clinical development of Lyra’s mental health coaching program and offered workshops and webinars on mental health topics to workers in the tech industry. Lyra partners with eBay, Lyft, Uber, Servicenow and others to provide evidence-based care to their employees.

At Cornell University, he oversaw the development of Let's Talk, an outreach program that has since been replicated at nearly 100 other colleges and universities. 

He lives and works in Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife, guitars, and cats, Giorgia (a sassy Tortie) and Finley (a gentle giant orange kitty with a superhuman -- or superkitten-- capacity for empathy).

Related Episodes:

• 77. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Jill Stoddard
• 106. Therapy from “The Heart of ACT” with Robyn Walser
• 116. Building a Meaningful, Values-based Life with Jenna LeJeune
• 121. Be Mighty: An Episode for Stressed Out, Worried Women with Jill Stoddard
• 128. ACT for Food Restriction and Anorexia with Rhonda Merwin
• 190. ACT for Suicide Prevention with Sean Barnes
• 195. ACT Daily with Diana Hill and Debbie Sorensen
• 226. ACT for Perfectionism with Jennifer Kemp
• 279. ACT for Healing Black Racial Trauma with Jennifer Shepard Payne
• 301. Seven Daily ACT Practices for Living Fully with Diana Hill and Debbie Sorensen
• 313. ACT-Informed Exposure for Anxiety with Brian Pilecki and Brian Thompson
• 338. ACT for Burnout with Debbie!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sometimes saving the planet can feel like a massive, exhausting guilt trip. 

In this episode, Debbie sits down with University of British Columbia professors Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying Zhao to talk about their book, Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species. 

Their main point is about the whole "you must be perfect" climate messaging is totally backfiring, and focusing on joyful, high-impact changes is actually what keeps people motivated. Jiaying breaks down a massive 63-country study showing how scare tactics just make people want to shut down, and the duo debunks some common eco-myths.

It turns out that obsessing over turning off the lights or choosing the perfect reusable bag doesn't move the needle much. Instead, they shout out smarter, high-leverage moves like treating beef and lamb as occasional splurges, eating more plants, and traveling lighter. 

They also get into how to influence the people around you by making sustainable choices easy, attractive, and non-political, proving that individual habits and big systemic changes (like voting) both matter.

Listen and Learn: 

• How "doom and gloom" climate messaging actually backfires by discouraging real-world action
• Surprising insights from a massive global study of 60,000 participants across 63 countries
• Finding joyful, climate-friendly lifestyle changes to create a positive feedback loop that makes us happier and more motivated to protect the planet 
• How making practical, high-impact shifts in your daily habits like smarter food choices can create a truly sustainable difference for both you and the planet
• Data-backed truth behind common environmental myths and how to easily focus your energy on the daily lifestyle choices that actually make a high-impact difference for the planet  
• How to significantly lower your carbon footprint without sacrificing the foods you love
• Reducing your carbon footprint without giving up the joy of travel by mastering the art of packing light, making smarter flight choices, and embracing the unexpected adventure of staycations 
• How to inspire positive behavior change in others without lecturing them on climate change 
• Why individual action and systemic change are not a false dichotomy, but rather a powerful partnership where local community engagement can drive larger policy shifts and boost your personal happiness 

Resources: 

• Leave the Lights On: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species
• www.happyclimate.org 
• Book Debbie mentioned: Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden, by Camille T. Dungy
• Debbie’s essay about the drought in Denver, with pictures of her low-water garden: https://drdebbiesorensen.substack.com/p/drought-dispatches-from-denver 

About Elizabeth Dunn 

Elizabeth Dunn is Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and coauthor of Happy Money. She directs UBC’s Happy Lab, which focuses on how to optimize valuable resources including time, money, and carbon to maximize human well-being. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, TIME, Rolling Stone, and Harvard Business Review; and on numerous podcasts and television shows, including Hidden Brain, NPR’s Short Wave, The Happiness Lab, Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris, Morning Joe, and CBS Mornings. Dunn spoke on the TED mainstage in 2019, and her talk was selected as one of the top ten TED talks of the year.

About Jiaying Zhao

Jiaying Zhao (JZ) is Professor of Psychology and Sustainability and founded the Behavioral Sustainability Lab at the University of British Columbia, which designs and tests behavioral solutions that encourage climate action. She has worked with NASA, NOAA, and the US and Canadian Forest Service to develop pathways to net zero. Zhao has appeared on numerous podcasts and in documentary films, including Why Is This Happening? With Chris Hayes and Close the Divide. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, TIME, The Economist, Scientific American, CNN, and NBC. In 2023, Zhao gave a TED talk on climate strategies rooted in happiness, which was selected as one of the top TED Talks to be a better you in 2024.

Related Episodes:

• 262. Hope and Values in Dark Times with Us 
• 255. Influence is Your Superpower with Zoe Chance 
• 215. How to Change with Katy Milkman 
• 371. Uniting Toward a Better Future with Diana McLain Smith 
• 431. Ordinary Magic: Social Psychology for Big Change with Gregory Walton 

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