Dr. Laith Al-Shawaf is an award-winning professor, research psychologist, and writer at the University of Colorado. His research focuses on emotions, cognitive biases, and personality & individual differences. He is the primary editor and curator of the 70-chapter Oxford Handbook of Evolution and the Emotions, published in 2024.

You can find his scholarly work, popular science writing, and podcast appearances on his personal website (laithalshawaf.com) and on his X profile, @LaithAlShawaf

FB: https://www.facebook.com/laith.alshawaf/  Instagram: @laith.alshawaf.psych

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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://thinkingmindblog.substack.com/p/2026-is-the-year-of-the-horse-but

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Neil Agius is a Maltese former Olympian and world record-breaking ultra long-distance swimmer. Neil has completed some of the longest unassisted open-water swims in history, including record-breaking crossings between Sicily and Malta and a 142km non-stop world record in 2024. Most recently Neil completed the Gozo 7, swimming around the island of Gozo 7 times in 7 days. 

Expect to learn: 

- What it takes physically and psychologically to swim for 24 - 60 + hours 

- The role of micro-goals, radical acceptance, visualisation, breathwork

- How a sense of purpose and social connection can sustain performance when the body is nearly depleted

- The importance of embracing failure, persistence, and much more.

You can find out more about Neil here: https://neilagius.com/

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Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Professor Emma Robinson is Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Bristol. Professor Robinson conducts research with rodents, which can help us to better understand how emotions get formed by the brain and how novel fast-acting antidepressants like ketamine and psilocybin (aka the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) could cause antidepressant effects. 

We discuss how animal research can help us understand human emotions and very human conditions like depression, and why psychedelics might work to treat it.

Interviewed by Dr. Anya Borissova - Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast Tiktok - @thinking.mind.podcast 

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: 

https://substack.com/home/post/p-183600902

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line. 

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Jacob Ward is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering technology, power, and the unintended consequences of innovation. He’s currently a reporter-in-residence at Omidyar Network and the founding editor and host of The Rip Current, a newsletter and podcast about the hidden forces shaping modern life.

He previously served as a technology correspondent for NBC News and Al Jazeera, and has featued as a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience and the Don Lemon Show. He was editor-in-chief of Popular Science, and is the author of The Loop: How Technology is Making a World Without Chocies , a book on how artificial intelligence influences human decision-making.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright on 3rd Feb 2026:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Alex discusses the fundamentals of weight loss and sustainable weight management including:

 - How to approach the problem of being overweight or obese

- The role of nutrition, exercise, sleep and alcohol 

- Understanding different phases of weight management

- How to measure your progress

- The psychology of weight loss

- How to get started 

.. and much more.

Disclaimer: This podcast is not appropriate for individuals with a previous history of restrictive eating disorders or extreme body image issues. 

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Alex is doing a live event with Rose Cartwright in London on Feb 3rd 2026 - tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-178065522

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Alex discussed the 2010 film Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance and starring Ryan Gosling & Michelle Williams. Including themes of attachment, regret, addiction and unmet potential. With important takeways such as how relationships commonly fail, how to maintian healthy relationships and why you always hurt the ones you love. 

Presented by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-178065522

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Sean Ruane is the founder and CEO of Mind Data. A lifelong entrepreneur, Sean's goal is to combine his business accumen with his own experiences of mental health difficulties to form a company than can help practitioners deliver high quality mental healthcare. 

Disclaimer: The Thinking Mind does not have any financial affiliation with Mind Data.

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

Tickets to Mental Health Re-Imagined with Rose Cartwright on 3rd Feb 2026:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-reimagined-beyond-the-medical-model-tickets-1978111353307?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This week Alex presents his conversation on the Examined Life podcast with Kenneth Primrose. 

Alex discusses the more troubling aspects of modern life, and how we might prepare for an uncertain future. The question which formed the spine of our conversation was ‘ In a world where technology has been quite disruptive psychologically for a lot of people, how do we prepare for an increasingly technological future?

This conversation examines how modern technology reshapes attention, confidence, morality and meaning, and Alex offers practical tips for staying human as machines grow more capable. Among the topics explored you will find:

• Tech-driven overstimulation dulling joy and focus
• Confidence built through voluntary discomfort
• Psychiatry and psychotherapy as complementary lenses
• Intolerance of uncertainty and stoic control
• Integrity, congruence and moral habits 
• Social skills as a proactive practice
• AI as tool versus thinking crutch
• Career durability through uncommon skill combinations
• Financial resilience vs consumerist drift
• Community as the container for lasting change

You can check out The Examined Life on Apple, Spotify and every major podcast platform:

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-examined-life/id1680728280

https://open.spotify.com/show/1QaEmvYjKVmMg3LZVpq0qS?trackId=1rJaiv1oQkEL0DdBoKarPA

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

This week Alex returns to the Lively Minds Podcast to chat to hosts Will and Ellie. They discuss what it means to take a patient-centred approach, and the differences between seeing clients as a psychiatrist, therapist or coach. 

He elaborates on his diverse experiences across various mental health settings and the importance of recognising biological, psychological, and social inputs in mental health. He also touches on the challenges and methodologies involved in acute and planned mental health interventions, patient-centred care, and challenges of working within a limited mental health system. 

The conversation highlights the need for a holistic, collaborative, and anti-tribalistic approach in mental health practice.

You can check out Lively Minds on Apple, Spotify and every major podcast platform:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/021FbsjSIfH2ZvXPm5bNfA?si=TKA7Lzr1TSCRZrgUZRQ6jA

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/lively-minds-the-uk-mental-health-podcast/id1670147948

Dr. Alex Curmi is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/thinkingmindblog/p/thinking-mind-blog-big-thoughts-edition?r=1cn09u&utm_medium=ios

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast

Today Alex discusses David Lynch's 2001 classic Mulholland Drive with David Shariatmadari. David is a writer and editor at the Guardian and is the author of Don't Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language.

Including themes such as splitting, repression, the shadow, and the effects of guilt and moral injury - this film remains a beautiful, dark and enigmatic look at human psychology. 

Interviewed by Dr. Alex Curmi. Dr. Alex is a consultant psychiatrist and a UKCP registered psychotherapist in-training.

If you would like to invite Alex to speak at your organisation please email [email protected] with "Speaking Enquiry" in the subject line.

Alex is not currently taking on new psychotherapy clients, if you are interested in working with Alex for focused behaviour change coaching , you can email - [email protected] with "Coaching" in the subject line.

Check out The Thinking Mind Blog on Substack: https://substack.com/home/post/p-174371597

Episode produced by Ellis Ballard and Alex Curmi. 

Give feedback here - [email protected] Follow us here: Twitter @thinkingmindpod Instagram @thinkingmindpodcast