The Perkins Platform

Join us on Monday, August 1 @ 2pm EST for an enlightening conversation with Robert Thurman, a talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, he was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Robert served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. He is the founder and active president of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture, and of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific Tibetan treatises.

Join us on Monday, August 1 @ 2pm EST for an enlightening conversation with Robert Thurman, a talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, he was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Robert served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. He is the founder and active president of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture, and of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific Tibetan treatises.

This show, originally scheduled for a guest on decision-fatigue, is a strategy taught by Dr. Brian Perkins at Columbia University on how to make consistently good decisions.

Join us on Wednesday, July 20 @ 2pm EST for an informative conversation with psychologist, Dr. Leon F. Seltzer, as he shares his work on dealing with narcissists.  Leon holds doctorates in both English and Psychology, and was an English professor for over a decade–originally at Queens College in New York, then at Cleveland State University. As a longtime blogger for PsychToday, he has published over 530 posts–see http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolution-the-self–which have received almost 49 million views. His specialties are indicated by the many topics he has written on: from anger and underlying self-image deficits, to compulsive/addictive behaviors of all kinds, to stress and troubled relationships. Leon is formally retired from his former clinical psychology practice, but still available for phone and video consultations. In some 40 years as a psychologist, he has amassed over 40,000 hours of hands-on experience!

Join us on Wednesday, July 13 @ 6pm EST for an enlightening conversation with Robert Thurman, a talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, he was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Robert served as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University for 30 years, until 2020. He is the founder and active president of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan culture, and of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a non-profit affiliated with the Center for Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and dedicated to the publication of translations of important artistic and scientific Tibetan treatises.

Authors Helen Shwe Sdanai and Rachael Katz join to discuss their book The Emotionally Intelligent Child: Effective Strategies for Parenting Self-Aware, Cooperative, and Well-Balanced Kids. The book outlines the stages of development a child goes through as they gain social awareness and emotional balance.

Helen Shwe Hadani, PhD, is currently a fellow at the Brookings Institution where she conducts policy-focused research on the benefits of playful learning in both formal and informal contexts. Prior to joining Brookings, she served as the director of research at the Bay Area Discovery Museum where she guided program and exhibit development. An expert in early childhood and creativity development, she has more than twenty years of experience in research and education settings, and has worked with toy, media, and technology companies, including Disney, Sesame Workshop, Apple, LEGO, Fisher-Price and Mattel. Helen holds a BA in cognitive science from the University of Rochester, and a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University.

Rachael Katz, MS, Ed, teaches social and emotional learning skills to parents and children. She has over 25 years of experience as an early childhood educator and school leader. Rachael was the Head of the Discovery School at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Head of Social and Emotional learning for Early Years at Dulwich College Beijing, and an elementary classroom teacher for preschool - third grade.  In addition to working in school settings, Rachael has created and written television for Nick Jr. and Radio Television Hong Kong, and was a consultant for educational programs at Children’s Television Workshop. Currently, she is working on a children’s animated series on emotional intelligence with Marc Lumer Productions. Rachael holds a Master’s degree in education from Bank Street College and a BA from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Psychologist, professor and author, Dr. Todd B. Kashdan joins us on Wednesday, June 29 @ 6pm EST to discuss his new book, The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. Dr. Kashdan is the leading expert on the psychology of well-being, curiosity, mental flexibility, and social relationships and a professor of Psychology at George Mason University, a leading authority on well-being, psychological flexibility, curiosity, courage, and resilience. He has published over 220 peer-reviewed articles and his work has been cited over 38,000 times. He received the Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year Award from George Mason University and Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association. He is the author of Curious? and The Upside of Your Dark Side, and his latest book is The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively. His writing has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, National Geographic, Fast Company, among other publications, and his research is featured regularly in media outlets such as The Atlantic, The New York Times, NPR, and Time Magazine.  He's a twin with twin daughters (plus one more), with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists!

Dr. Jolanta Burke joins us on Wednesday, June 22 @ 2pm EST to share her thoughts on powering off smart devices. Dr. Burke is a Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society) specializing in positive psychology and an Associate Professor at the Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. She has authored eight books, one of which is “The ultimate guide to implementing wellbeing programmes for school” and published over 200 articles (academic, professional, popular). She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today and has spoken at conferences worldwide. Dr. Burke was acknowledged by the Irish Times as one of 30 people who make Ireland a better place.

Dr. Frederic Luskin joins us on Wednesday, June 15 @ 6pm EST for an impactful conversation about his research on forgiveness. Dr. Luskin founded and currently serves as Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. He is also the Department Chair in Clinical Psychology at Sofia University. At Stanford, he teaches classes on Positive Psychology, The Art and Science of Meditation, Forgiveness, Wellness, Flourishing and The Psychology of Storytelling. Dr. Luskin is the author of the best-selling books Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness and Forgive for Love: The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Happy Relationship. Dr. Luskin teaches stress management, emotional intelligence and happiness skills to corporate clients throughout the United States and has been interviewed by the New York Times, O Magazine, Today Show, Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Huffington Post, and CBS Morning News, etc. His work has been applied in veteran’s hospitals, churches, in resolving legal disputes, with cancer patients as psycho education and in psychotherapy. Dr. Luskin’s work focuses on the research proven triad of a healthy and happy life: Enhancing interpersonal relationships, creating a positive purpose in life and guided practice in appreciation and other positive emotions.

Organizational psychologist, behavioral scientist, and charter member of the International Positive Psychology Association, Dr. Mike Rucker, joins us for a conversation on authenticity and the workplace. Dr. Rucker has been academically published in publications like the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. His ideas about fun and health have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Fast Company, Forbes, Vox, Thrive Global, Mindful, mindbodygreen, and more. He currently serves as a senior leader at Active Wellness and is the author of the upcoming book The Fun Habit, available January 2023. Tune in on Wednesday, June 8 @ 6pm EST!