How can we practice more presence in our lives and stay connected with our truest selves? My guest this week is Ora Nadrich, a mindfulness instructor who addresses these questions in her recent book, Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity. We discussed her approach to mindful living, awakening to our existence, and valuing every moment. 

My guest this week is Alejandra Costello, a professional organizer with over one million YouTube subscribers. We explore the many positive effects of tidying up, from the obvious improvement in your living space to the deeper mental and emotional benefits. Alejandra also shared key principles for decluttering your home and getting organized. 

My guest this week is psychologist Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath. We talked about the big ideas from her recent book, Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path. Polly presents an inspiring view of committed relationships—while she acknowledges the challenge in sharing life with another person, she also points to the possibilities that await us in truly relating to someone over time. Her ideas might change how you think about and how you experience your own relationships.

What is the surest path to success and contentment in life, and what are the mistakes to avoid along the way? My guest this week is Skip Prichard, who has thought a lot about these questions for many years. He's distilled his insights into his Wall Street Journal bestselling book, The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets to Creating a Successful Future. We explored some of the nine secrets and we discussed his book,  and the many benefits of avoiding these mistakes.

You're probably familiar with "near death experiences." My guest this week is Dr. Sharon Prentice, who describes a related journey called a "shared death experience." This was a new concept for me, as I'm sure it will be for a lot of listeners. It made for a really fascinating discussion as we explored the ways it changed Sharon's understanding of God and what it means to die, and to live. 

Psychologist and author Dr. Ross Greene encourages parents to let go of unhelpful parent-imposed solutions when kids aren't meeting our expectations, such as rewards and punishment. His approach focuses instead on solving problems collaboratively with our children, using a straightforward three-step method. 

My guest this week is therapist and OCD specialist Jon Hershfield. Jon is doing an incredible amount of work to improve the lives of those who struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder through his therapy practice, writing, and public talks. In this episode we discussed his excellent new book, Overcoming Harm OCD: Mindfulness and CBT Tools for Coping with Unwanted Violent Thoughts.

Do you ever feel like you and someone else just aren't hearing each other? My guest this week is Oren Jay Sofer, who is passionate about helping people to improve their relationships through his mindful approach to nonviolent communication. Discover how true presence can help us to listen and express ourselves more effectively. 

My guest this week is my brother Charlie Gillihan, who will graduate from medical school soon. We explored the slow evolution of medical training in the US, what it takes to become a doctor, the high rates of burnout and suicide among physicians, and what to look for in a great primary care doctor. 

My guest this week is highly acclaimed poet Mary Jo Salter, whom Dan Chiasson described as “one of America’s most accomplished formalists” in the New York Review of Books. In this conversation we explored the drive to create poetry and its unique effect on our psyches.