Dr. Sunita Puri is the Medical Director of the Palliative Medicine Service at Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center of the University of Southern California, where she also serves as Chair of the Ethics Committee. Sunita is the author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, an acclaimed literary memoir examining her journey to the practice of palliative medicine, and her quest to help patients and families redefine what it means to live and die well in the face of serious illness. Her work has been featured on PBS' Amanpour Show, the Guardian, NPR, the Atlantic, Forbes, and People Magazine, which named her book the Book of the Week. She has also written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. For more, please visit sunitapuri.com

In this episode we explore:

• Sunita’s personal journey toward greater self-acceptance 
• Why honesty is a form of kindness
• How curiosity can be a key factor in keeping the heart open in the face of difficulty
• Strategies for having courageous conversations about what really matters in life
• What death can teach us about living well
• Empathy - why it’s about asking the questions that need to be listened to
• A few of Sunita’s learnings about when to keep fighting, and when to let go
• The role of courage in living a life without regret
• And more!

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Melvin L. Smith, Ph.D., is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Director of Executive Education at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. Melvin's teaching and research focus on leadership, leadership development, executive coaching and the development and use of human and social capital in organizations.  He is coauthor of the book Helping People Change: Coaching for Lifelong Learning and Growth. Prior to his academic career, Melvin spent nearly 15 years in a series of Sales, Marketing and Organization Development roles at a number of Fortune 500 companies including IBM, Pepsi and H.J. Heinz. 

In this conversation Melvin and I explore:

• What renewal is and why it's fundamental to thriving
• How we can navigate stress in uncertain times using practices of renewal
• Every day practices for finding renewal, including meditation, deep breathing, and more
• How community and compassionate relationships support renewal and thriving
• Why negative emotions help us survive, and positive emotions + renewal help us thrive
• Why questions are so powerful when it comes to pursuing your dreams
• The importance of having a dream, and pursuing it with intentionality
• How Melvin works with coaching clients to realize their dreams
• The 4 foundations of a courageous life
• And more!

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Jeffrey Hull, Ph.D. is an author, educator and consultant with over twenty years experience partnering with C-suite executives on issues of high performance leadership, change management, organizational strategy, structure and culture. Dr. Hull is a highly sought-after facilitator, keynote speaker and executive coach to both non-profit and for-profit global organizations. Dr. Hull is Director of Education & Business Development at the Institute of Coaching, McLean Hospital, a Harvard Medical School Affiliate. He is also a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct professor of leadership at New York University. For more about Jeff, and his new book Flex: The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World, please visit jeffreyhull.com

In this episode Jeff and I explore:

• The current landscape of leadership and who is rising to the top
• Why agility and being able to flex your communication style is key to succeeding as a leader
• Practical strategies that will help you to flex 
• Stories of inspirational leaders Jeff has worked with
• Vulnerability as a form of courage 
• How to tap into creativity including practices that are supportive of innovation
• Jeff's latest thinking on the future of leadership and why compassion is at the core
• And more!

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Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in using his research to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. Scott's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review. In his latest book Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, he presents a new hierarchy of human needs for the 21st century, one that allows for the fulfillment of individual potential as well as the actualization of transcendent purpose and peak experiences. Scott also hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world, The Psychology Podcast. To learn more, please visit scottbarrykaufman.com

In this episode Scott and I discuss themes from his new book Transcend, including:

• His deep interest in the Abraham Maslow's work and motivation for writing Transcend
• The psychology of everyday saints
• The link between a "quiet ego" and self-actualization
• Acceptance as a form of courage 
• Practical strategies for living a more authentic and fulfilling life
• Finding meaning and joy in everyday experiences
• How setting personal boundaries can unlock a deeper capacity for compassion
• And more!

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Have you ever thought about us and them thinking, judgment,  tribalism, or blame as habits? If they are habits, can they be broken using the latest science of habit change? Dr. Jud and I dive deep into this question in this episode. We also explore: 

• A 3 step process for habit change developed by Jud and his team
• Why Jud believes curiosity is a superpower
• How to rewire your brain for greater kindness, curiosity, and connection
• The key to adopting a growth mindset
• What Jud's team found when they analyzed Anderson Cooper's brain during meditation
• How findings from Jud's neuroscience lab can be used to build bridges, counter tribalism, and foster community
• Practical ways to keep your heart open when it begins to close
• How mindfulness can be helpful in dealing with difficult emotions

About Dr. Jud:

Dr. Jud Brewer is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large. He is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University. As an addiction psychiatrist and internationally known expert in mindfulness training for treating addictions, Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change, including both in-person and app-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety. He has also studied the underlying neural mechanisms of mindfulness. He has trained US Olympic athletes and coaches, foreign government ministers and corporate leaders. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, TED, Time magazine, Forbes, CNN, BBC, NPR, The Washington Post, Businessweek and others. You can find out more at drjud.com

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Show notes and more can be found at joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast

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Samantha Novick is passionate about amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, creating connections and sharing kindness with others. She pursues these passions as a speech-language pathologist, owner of her private practice Bridge Therapy, and President of The Friendship Journey, a charitable organization that cultivates equitable friendships and experiences amongst people of all abilities. Samantha grew up in Parkland, Florida. After a violent mass shooting devastated her community, her passion for activism, social justice and philanthropy grew. Samantha is committed to honoring those who lost their lives to hatred through acts of love and meaningful action in their memories. This summer, The Friendship Journey partnered with Dylan’s Wings of Change of the Sandy Hook community to create a free virtual summer camp for teens and adults with disabilities through the Covid-19 crisis. Their camp motto this summer was “look for the good.” For more about Samantha please visit thefriendshipjourney.org

In this episode Sam shares:

• Strategies for finding joy when times are hard
• How she has developed a quality called equanimity, the ability to "hold it all", and how this has helped her during the pandemic
• The power of self-care and why she was resistant to it at first
• Highlights from Camp Wings of Friendship, a free virtual summer camp for teens and adults with disabilities she co-created this summer
• Why acts of kindness may be a key to resilience and thriving
• Why "looking for the good" can be a life-changing mindset
• And more!

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Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful 14-year-old daughter Jaime in the Parkland school shooting on Feb 14, 2018.  The day after the murder, Fred decided to attend a public vigil in Parkland.  While there, the Mayor asked him to speak.  His words shook a nation and he has not stopped since. Only four months prior to the murder of his daughter, Fred's brother Michael passed away in October 2017 from cancer related to his service in 9/11.  He was one of the original first responders at the World Trade Center with a team of doctors who got trapped in the building as it collapsed. Amazingly, the room that they hid out in did not collapse and Michael and his team of physicians spent 16 days at ground zero taking care of others. Following his involvement in these two distinct American Tragedies, Fred has traveled the country talking about both events but also talking about perspective, perseverance, and resilience.  He discusses pivotal moments in life and how we respond to those moments.  Fred uses his speech to inspire others. Learn more about Fred's work at orangeribbonsforjaime.org and pick up his book, Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me About Recovery, Purpose, and Hope now.

In this episode Fred and I discuss themes from his new book Find the Helpers including:

• Who his helpers are and how they have helped him to deal with grief, transform pain into purpose, and find hope after Parkland and 9/11
• What Joe Biden taught him about grief
• How he has been able to respond to acts of hate from a place of compassion, and love
• The importance of community when it comes to being resilient
• Practical strategies for overcoming 'us and them' thinking
• More about his mission of reducing gun violence, and some of the incredible progress that has been made in terms of new laws and bills, including Jaime's Law that honors his daughter's death by continuing to save lives in her name
• Why it's not what happens to you, but your response that matters most
• And more!

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Sharon Salzberg is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and the author of over ten books including NY Times bestseller, Real Happiness, her seminal work, Lovingkindness, Real Love, and her latest release Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World. Acclaimed for her humorous, down-to-earth teaching style, Sharon offers a secular, modern approach to Buddhist teachings, making them instantly accessible. She is a regular columnist for On Being, a contributor to Huffington Post, and the host of her own podcast: The Metta Hour. For more, visit www.SharonSalzberg.com.

In this episode Sharon and I discuss themes related to her new book Real Change including:

• How to deal with strong emotions using mindfulness
• Working with anger in a skillful way, harnessing it's benefits for action while not getting overwhelmed by it
• Finding joy today, in the face of these tumultuous times
• Why joy is a strategy for resilience
• Equanimity and how to find a sense of balance even in the face of tremendous challenges like the pandemic, election stress, or other adversity
• Moving away from us and them thinking by embracing common humanity
• Finding compassion for people we may disagree with or not like

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Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer.  He taught two of the largest classes in Harvard University’s history, Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership.  Today, Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations.  The topics he lectures on include leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages, and have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world. Tal is a serial entrepreneur, and is the co-founder and chief learning officer of Happiness Studies Academy, Potentialife, Maytiv, and Happier.TV. An avid sportsman, Tal won the U.S. Intercollegiate and Israeli National squash championships. Find out more about Tal at talbenshahar.com

In this episode we discuss:

• Perfectionism - what it is, how it works, and how to work with this tendency more skillfully in one's life
• How Tal works with perfectionism in his own life
• The power of acceptance and why this is such a powerful approach to working with perfectionism and finding happiness
• Details on Tal's approach to teaching and speaking. How he prepares, and thinks about connecting with his audience
• Why reminders are so critical to a happier and more optimal way of living and working
• Strategies and approaches for increasing gratitude, and for working with difficult emotions
• And more!

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For show notes and more visit joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast

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Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In 2007, Chris began collaborating with Kristin Neff, psychology professor at the University of Texas, Austin, and pioneering researcher on self-compassion.  In 2009, he wrote the book, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion, and, in 2010, Chris and Kristin co-developed Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), an empirically-supported, 8-week training program for the general public.  The Center for Mindful Self-Compassion was established in 2012 and since then tens of thousands of people have learned MSC. Additionally, they have co-authored two books on MSC, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Chris spends most of his time lecturing and leading workshops around the world on mindfulness and self-compassion, supporting MSC teachers and students, and maintaining a modest psychotherapy practice. To learn more about Chris, check out chrisgermer.com

In this episode Chris and I explore: 

• How compassion meditation helped him overcome a long battle with public speaking anxiety
• How acceptance can be a powerful way to reduce suffering and stress
• Fierce compassion, and why compassion can be a form of courage
• What self-compassion is and what it's not
• The myths and misconceptions about self-compassion
• Why self-compassion helps build resilience, enhance motivation, and improve relationships
• The health benefits of self-compassion
• How self-compassion can be an antidote to shame
• Practical strategies for building mindfulness and compassion in one's life
• And more!

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For show notes and more visit joshuasteinfeldt.com

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