Anti-Jewish sentiment might be the world’s longest hatred. Historical documents suggest Jews have experienced this hatred for over 2,000 years, well before the Common Era even began. It would continue through various eras, including the Roman Era, the Inquisition, and the Holocaust. 

And it continues today. Hate crimes against Jews have gone up by 400% in the US compared to last year. 

So many questions arise, including the obvious: why are Jews so hated and what can we do to help? 

Jewish hatred confuses me deeply. Jews are a people who comprise about 0.2% of the world's population, yet they have been at the forefront of major social justice movements and scientific breakthroughs. Jews show up consistently to lend a hand in repairing the world in disproportionately high numbers considering they comprise only a fraction of a percent of the population.  

In this episode, you’ll hear two Jewish psychologists discussing anti-Jewish sentiment, misunderstandings that lead to antisemitism, and myths and truths. It is my hope that people can walk away with a better understanding of why this is a misplaced hatred. And, of course, we discuss what we can do to support Jewish people. My colleague, Dr. Liya Levanda (https://www.drlevanda.com/) is a psychologist and educator who specializes in teaching others about Jewish issues like antisemitism. As you'll hear, she's thoughtful and very well-informed.

So, listen in as Liya talks with me about supporting Jews through antisemitism.

Sometimes when we hear about the climate crisis, we can feel a sense of hopelessness. As a result, our anxieties can spike and there’s even a term for it: Eco-Anxiety.

One thing I have learned about anxiety—eco-anxiety or other forms of it—is that the more we avoid the thing that makes us anxious, the more the anxiety increases. If you’re asking, “What can I do about the environment and my own eco-anxiety?” then this episode is for you. 

Two years ago, I hosted Heather White, a licensed attorney and the author of One Green Thing, on this podcast and we geeked out to the topic of eco-anxiety. She’s returning with her new book, 60 Days to a Greener Life: Ease Eco-anxiety Through Joyful Daily Action. I loved this book because it acknowledges that despite the crisis, we must live our lives and that we can’t do all the things. But we can do some things. And the book shares small daily exercises that are easy and actionable that leverage our personal strengths, allowing each of us to lead from those strengths to improve the health of the planet.  When we do these things alone, it may seem like not much will affect change of the state of the planet; but when we do this collectively, as Heather suggests, the outcome can be quite different.

By the way, another person who loved this book was someone I know you’ve heard of—Erin Brockovich. She said, “I call Heather the Brené Brown of the environmental movement because she makes environmental action personal, doable, and joyful.”

So, listen in as Heather talks about 60 days to a greener life.

Vaping. It seems to be everywhere these days. Sure, adults engage in vaping but, sadly, so do adolescents and even children at very high numbers.

There have been all kinds of myths as they relate to vaping and, as always, it is crucial to listen to the experts who know the science. One such person is Dr. Adam Leventhal (https://keck.usc.edu/faculty-search/adam-matthew-leventhal/). Adam is a professor at Keck School of Medicine at USC where he serves as Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences as well as the Director of the Institute for Addiction Science.As his title suggests, he’s the guy from whom I would want to learn and I am so grateful he shared his knowledge.So, listen in as Adam and Adam talk about vaping, the myths and realities.

If you have ever been in a relationship, there's about a 100% chance that you and your partner had certain differences. One of those differences just may have been how you handled money. Within that difference, it is likely that one of you was bit spendy and the other was, shall we say, thriftier.

This would be all fine and dandy, except often it’s not. Money can be one of the biggest sources of arguments for couples. And money is funny… it can be a more charged topic and even more taboo than sex.

What to do? Fear not, help is on the way!

Dr. Scott Rick (https://scottrick.com/) is an associate professor of Marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is the author of the well-researched and hilariously titled Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships. I loved this book and I’m hardly alone—Booklist said “…It's a must-read for anyone looking to unravel the mysteries of money and love."I couldn’t agree more. So, listen in as Scott and I talk about how to navigate money in our relationships.

One of the most common topics discussed in my office is social anxiety. Really great people say that there’s nothing more painful than going to a party where they know few people or, worse still, no one.How about giving a toast at a wedding? Or, trying to engage in small talk that might lead to bigger talk? Or, how to handle awkward social interactions?If there’s one person on the planet who knows how to handle all of these, it would have to be my new friend, the mingling maven, Susan RoAne (https://www.susanroane.com/)! Susan is the author of the now-classic book, How to Work a Room: The Ultimate Guide to Making Lasting Connections—In Person and Online. I loved the book as have major thought leaders like Dan Pink and many others.So, as it says on Susan’s website, "If you have ever walked into a room full of strangers and felt uncomfortable..." listen in. Susan is here to help!

I’m a big fan of the English language and, although I make a lot of errors with grammar, I’m always trying to learn the rules.

Yet, as you’ll hear on this episode, a word or phrase might be grammatically incorrect but linguistically correct. And, I cringe as I write this, that includes my most dreaded of non-word words: irregardless.

Ouch. At least my spellcheck caught that so-called word with a red underline!

I was utterly thrilled to talk about language with Dr. Valerie Fridland (https://www.valeriefridland.com/), a professor of linguistics at University of Nevada Reno and the author of a hilarious and highly educational book called, Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English.

So, listen in as Valerie gives a mini-master class on the language we use!

The US Constitution became effective 235 years ago. It is a document that was way ahead of its time. Yet, while the document is the same as it was, much of our world has changed since then.

We can talk about what it says and debate aspects about it. But what would it be like to live daily life according to what the document says?

AJ Jacobs (https://ajjacobs.com/) is a New York Times bestselling author. He is also one of the funniest, smartest, and most curious people I have ever known. Each of his books have involved stretching his knowledge through experience and I call him a stuntman driven by his desire to learn. Instead of putting his body in danger, however, his stunts are doing things like bringing the constitution to life by walking through the streets of Manhattan with a tricorn hat and a musket. He does these and other feats while following various aspects of the Constitution to the letter. His latest book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning was a total delight to read. The book has received copious praise and the words that resonated most with me came from Andy Borowitz who said, “I didn’t know how I learned so much while laughing so hard.”

This is AJ's fifth interview on the SuperPsyched podcast, and I am so delighted to have him back. His commitment for personal growth, to live life according to his values, and to waving his freak flag fully is utterly inspiring to me. So, listen in as AJ talks about his year of living constitutionally.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the most popular thought leaders in modern psychology. That person is none other than Dr. Frank Anderson (https://frankandersonmd.com/). Frank is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist who has turned his attention to treatment of trauma, particularly with a powerful method called Internal Family Systems (IFS). Frank has worked alongside the creator of IFS, Dr. Richard Schwartz, also a SuperPsyched guest, and Frank has become internationally known and revered.

On this episode, however, he’s getting very personal, and he is sharing his story in a memoir called To Be Loved. I loved this book as did thought leaders like various SuperPsyched guests Lori Gottlieb and David Kessler. Frank shares deeply about his own trauma and he shows how his maxim of “Trauma blocks love. Love heals trauma.” relates to his own life.

So, listen in as Frank and I talk about his story and how he became the man he is today.