The Meaning Project

It's that time of the year again! The time when many of us clinicians get early morning calls to reschedule or cancel appointments due to "cold", "flu", or "feeling terrible", and we graciously accept so that we may keep those particular ailments out of our offices. Although, I feel like the steady flow of a variety of viral infections has helped to innoculate me over the years, that's a story for another podcast...

This is also the time of year we start to discuss the prevention of Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) and begin preparing for the stress, expectations, and overall health impact of the holidays. Hopefully this helps you to enjoy the upcoming "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"!

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

With everything growing so quickly at The Meaning Academy, Dr. B. & Dr. D. crossed paths and calendars this week, and somehow missed each other's schedule.

So, after many weeks, I return to share a solo podcast!! I thought some recent research into Frank's "The Will to Meaning" really related to what I was seeing in my clinical office, and perhaps to what you might be going through lately.

In this podcast, I illuminate The Three Pillars of Logotherapy, and discuss how they might help our modern, multiple, forms of compulsive and addictive behavior. I hope you find it meaningful.

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

We say it at the end of the Viktor Frankl Meaning Academy podcast every week, "now go live your life with Meaning, Purpose, & Resilience."

But how do you do that?

We've probably discussed it different ways at different times, in brief. So, in this episode, we decided to tackle all three together. And, I've got to tell you, B. came up with a beautiful metaphor for the combination! Enjoy!

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

In 'Man's Search for Meaning', Dr. Frankl writes; “There are two races of men in this world, but only these two -- the "race" of the decent man and the "race" of the indecent man. Both are found everywhere; they penetrate into all groups of society. No group consists entirely of decent or indecent people.”

Our world has seen much indecency; it has seen the face of evil recently. Evil that has had a significant on B., and therefore the team at The Meaning Academy. Therefore, we took some time to discuss, but also educate - as B. has extensive knowledge, and, admittedly, mine is limited. So he took some time help me understand better, and therefore, hopefully, give you, our audience an informed perspective. From there, of course, we share where Meaing, Purpose, and Resilience can be found in such difficult times.

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

What does it mean to "be a good human"?

I had the opportunity to take a good friend and business owner out to dinner recently. The hope, other than some good chicken wings, was in to pick his brain about his business success for a new project I am working on helping family businesses. The main point of our discussion - he has build a successful family business in under a decade on a very simple principle - just be a good human. Now, that manifested itself in several different ways, but in the end, the message was clear - be good to your people, be good to your family, be good to your customers, and the business, as well as life, will take care of itself.

So I wanted to posit this question to my friend Dr. B. - "what does it mean to be a good human?"

Hopefully, you find some key take-aways to put to work in your life! Enjoy!

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

Life is full of transitions - and many of us struggle through them. Whether it is the struggle from one season to the next, from summer to fall to winter; or it is the struggle from youth to middle age, we all have our hiccups along the path of life.

Psychologist Carl Jung writes about "the transition from the morning of life to the afternoon of life", and how, often, we are not prepared for the transition. In this episode, B. and I take on the question of "A college for 40 year olds", and what is needed to make this transition in the healthiest and most meaningful of ways. Enjoy!

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

Go to your local bookstore - if you still have one within a hundred miles - or run a quick online search on the topic, and you can find endless information on parenting. How to raise the perfect child, or even simpler, how not to 'break' your child in the first 18 years, are topics many of us have looked up in our parenting journey

It seems "Coach Prime" - Deion Sanders - formerlly of NFL fame, now front and center of current events in college football, has some interesting ideas on training young men, which we can extrapolate to parenting, as well as most other relationships - work, friendship, marriage.

So, in this episode, B. and I explore the teaching of "Coach Prime" and how they relate to the psychology of meaning.

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

How do men grow from "Prince" to "King"? (And hopefully bypass "Toad") At one time, we lived in a culture full of male initiation rites. But that has changed in the past few decades. So how can men grow from adolescent to adult in a healthy and positive way? What does it look like to be a "King"? In this episode, my good friend, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi and I discuss that more, from a variety of perspectives.

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

Take three Logotherapists and put them together in a room to discuss the importance and impact of logotherapy in modern times.

That's what this podcast is all about - I welcome my peers from the Meaning Academy, Dr. Baruch "B" HaLevi and Dr. Alise Cortez to discuss our combined work and our hopes for it's impact. Enjoy!

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast

You may have noticed there was no Meaning Project Podcast or Viktor Frankl Meaning Academy podcast last week. That's my fault - well, sort of. Life got a little crazy - yes, life goes awry even for a logotherapist. I talk about all the bits and pieces of it in the podcast.

Interestingly, I hear these stories fairly often. Life can seem to pile up on us and cause us to take our eye off the ball - or wake up Monday morning realizing, "wow, I didn't even send out the weekly email"... It's what we DO during these times that can define us - as well as define our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. So we are sure to leave you with some tips on what to do when the lightnight strikes, and the frustrations - maybe even the suffering - of life just piles up.

To contact Dr. Dan go to www.DanielAFranz.com or email me directly at [email protected]

To find out more about what we have going on over at The Meaning Academy, go to: https://www.themeaningacademy.com/

To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.creator-spring.com/

And finally, if you would like to support our efforts to improve the podcast and maybe even connect with Dr. Dan in different ways, become a Patron on our Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/themeaningprojectpodcast