UCLA LiveWell

Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Angus Fletcher, Professor of English at Ohio State University and a core member of Project Narrative.

Angus shares his personal journey from working in a neurophysiology lab studying live brain cells to pursuing a PhD in literature at Yale to understand the mechanics of story.

Drawing from his work with the US Army Special Forces and his latest book, Primal Intelligence, Angus explores how the human brain evolved to be smart in uncertainty—a capacity he fears we are losing in an age of computational logic.

He highlights the flaw in modern education that treats intelligence as a pattern-matching game and offers practical, hopeful pathways forward through the four pillars of primal intelligence.

In this episode, we discuss:

● Why AI is "lobotomizing" the human brain by ignoring narrative thinking

● The four pillars of Primal Intelligence: Intuition, Imagination, Emotion, and Common Sense

● How to train pediatric residents to trust their "feelings" as medical data

● Lessons from Shakespeare on starting stories in the middle to spark wonder

● The critical difference between being a manager and being a leader

● How to reform education to support early-career scholars and innovative thinkers

Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for a sense of purpose in a digital world, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more human future.

Resources:

Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740110/primal-intelligence-by-angus-fletcher/

Website: https://www.angusfletcher.co/

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center.

It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform.

Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.

We also have links in the show notes on our website at healthy.ucla.edu/livewellpodcast.

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected].

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @LiveWell_UCLA!

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Diana Winston, the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC). Diana shares her personal journey from being a young seeker traveling through Asia to spending a year as a Buddhist nun, a period that fundamentally shaped her understanding of the human mind. Drawing from her decades of teaching and her work at MARC, Diana explores how mindfulness is a practical, evidence-based tool that anyone can use to lower stress and enhance well-being. She highlights the growing crisis of "continuous partial attention" in our digital age and offers practical, hopeful pathways forward through the art of "natural awareness."

In this episode, we discuss:

● The difference between concentrated meditation and natural awareness

● How mindfulness can physically rewire the brain for better focus

● Techniques for "micro-moments" of peace during a hectic workday

● The role of mindfulness in promoting equity and social justice

● Overcoming common myths about meditation

● How students can use presence to combat academic burnout

Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for a sense of calm in a chaotic world, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more mindful society.

Resources:

Book: The Little Book of Being

Website:

https://www.dianawinston.com/

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Kasley Killam, a leading expert in social health and author of The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier Lives. Kasley shares her personal journey from being a curious psychology student to becoming a nationally recognized voice on the power of human connection. Drawing from her work with Social Health Labs, global field research, and her own experiences as an empath and introvert, Kasley explores why social health is emerging as a critical pillar of well-being alongside physical and mental health.

Her insights are grounded in both research and lived experience—from her transformative “108 Days of Kindness” project to her work with cities like Barcelona and Paris to strengthen community connection. Throughout the episode, Kasley highlights the urgent need to rebuild social ties in a time of widespread loneliness, and she offers practical, hopeful pathways forward.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Kasley discovered “social health” and why it is becoming a global movement
• Her four strategies for strengthening our “social muscles”
•  The 5-3-1 guideline for building meaningful and sustainable relationships
• The influence of built environments—from LA to Bhutan—on our ability to connect
• How students and communities can create a culture of belonging
•  The role of AI in modern connection, and why diversity of social ties matters
• The power of intentionality, kindness, and community-led initiatives in creating a thriving society

Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for ways to strengthen your connections and improve well-being, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more connected world.

Resources:

Book: https://www.kasleykillam.com/social-health-book

Website: https://www.kasleykillam.com/

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

“It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning… the twilight of the dawn.” – H.G. Wells
But how do we shape what comes next—and prepare for futures we can’t yet see?

Join us for a compelling episode of the UCLA LiveWell podcast featuring Dr. Andy Hines — futurist, professor at the University of Houston, and expert in strategic foresight.

Andy guides us through:

• 🔭 How to scan for signals and build stories about the future.
• 🧠 Why vision is the antidote to chaos and uncertainty.
• 🐸 The role of “frogs”—those who bridge foresight and organizational reality.
• 🧩 How stealth strategies can embed future thinking in resistant cultures.

Whether you're navigating change or dreaming big, this episode will help you think ahead with clarity and purpose.

🎧 Tune in and explore how strategic foresight can help you live—and lead—with intention

Dr. Andy Hines' Website

Imagining After Capitalism 

University of Houston Foresight Program

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an enlightening conversation with Dr. Dan Wildcat, a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University and a profound thinker on Indigenous perspectives of ecology, technology, and community. Dr. Wildcat shares his transformative journey from Sociology to Environmental studies, deeply influenced by his mentor, Vine Deloria Jr.

In his book co-authored with Vine Deloria Jr., Power and Place (2001), covers the challenges that Native American students experience throughout educational systems and professions. Additionally, in his most recent book, Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge (2009), Dr. Wildcat uses Native American wisdom and a perspective that is centered in nature for modern solutions to global warming. 

In this episode, we discuss:

·       His unique approach to understanding the relationship between nature and culture through an Indigenous lens

·       The concept of eco-kinship and moving beyond anthropocentric thinking

·       His experience writing "Red Alert" and finding hope in the face of climate change challenges

·       The power of storytelling, gratitude, and generosity in creating resilient communities

·       The importance of reframing technology to enhance life for all living beings, not just human convenience

Whether you're an environmentalist, educator, or anyone interested in Indigenous wisdom and sustainable living, this episode offers profound insights into reimagining our relationship with the natural world.

 Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Original air date: March 1st, 2023

Why is controversy a good thing? What does it mean to have five eyes? Why is there no such thing as spectatorship? 

This is what we set out to uncover in Part 2 of our Special Series with Peter Sellars, world-renowned theater and opera director. Join us as we discuss imagining new and revolutionary solutions to issues and injustices by centering art and community care. 

Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! 

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Original release date: February 16, 2023. 

Why were snakes at the original Olympics? How are the arts and sports intimately connected? How did the Greek tragedy come to be? We cover all of these questions in Part 1 of our Special 2 Part Interview  with Peter Sellars. 

Peter, with his gift of storytelling, takes us on a journey to the Olympics in ancient Greece, where health, theater, and the arts were of equal importance in this celebration of togetherness. Fast forward to today, we look at how arts and sports are both lifelong commitments to navigating struggle in thrilling, liberating, and uniting ways.

Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! 

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Our latest episode of LiveWell features a powerful conversation with Dr. Eraka Bath, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA and a triple board-certified expert in child, adolescent, adult, and forensic psychiatry. Dr. Bath’s work profoundly impacts youth in the foster care and juvenile legal system, addressing critical issues of racial justice, structural vulnerability, and the path to system transformation.

We discuss:

• Her early exposure to social conditions and structural marginalization through her travels with her mother as a child
• Why she was drawn to psychiatry and how this field can be used to address root causes of socioeconomic injustices
• Identifying problems in clinical spaces and finding solutions that extend beyond the doctor-patient relationship to impact structures and policies
• Her vision for the future of psychiatry, including the integration of Neuroaesthetics and the Arts into health to enhance well-being

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, an advocate for youth, or anyone interested in the intersection of health, justice, and community, this episode offers profound insights into building a legacy of system transformation.

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that elevate purpose-driven leadership.

Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

Our latest episode of LiveWell is a conversation with Dr. Angela Fentiman. An educator and executive communications leader at UCLA, where we explore how an early introduction to communication in service and civic duties, then roles in energy and education shaped her approach to communication and leadership. From writing speeches for her father, a small-town mayor in Oregon, to managing narratives during utility and infrastructure outages, Dr. Fentiman shares the moments that defined her voice, and the lessons she shares with students and colleagues.

We discuss:

• Her early exposure to public service and speechwriting
• What it means to lead with curiosity, empathy and clarity
• Approaches to crisis management and what’s at the core of every situation
• Her dissertation on women in executive political roles
• Why foundational skills like emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication are essential for today's leaders
• The connection between living well and leading well

Whether you're a professional communicator, an aspiring leader or simply someone who values thoughtful conversation, this episode will leave you inspired to speak—and live—with intention.

Listen now and subscribe for more stories that elevate purpose-driven leadership.

Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! 

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla

What if healing didn’t start in a clinic—but in the soil?

On the newest episode of LiveWell, we explore how nature, community, and purpose are transforming Veteran care with Dr. Kaitlyn Fruin, UCLA preventive medicine fellow, and Air Force Veteran Cyntrea Cotton, founder of the Veterans Garden Initiative.

This inspiring episode reveals:
 • How therapeutic gardening is easing PTSD, anxiety, and depression for veterans.
 • Why growing organic food can support whole-person healing—from the inside out.
 • The challenges and triumphs of reviving a 15-acre clinical garden on VA grounds.

Cyntrea shares her personal journey of struggling with panic attacks, isolation, and chronic stress—and how reconnecting with the earth sparked her recovery and purpose. Katie walks us through the science and systems behind food as medicine, highlighting how gardens can be powerful entry points for mental and physical health.

If you’ve ever wondered how nature can heal trauma, build community, and restore well-being, this episode will plant a seed.

Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! 

Episode Resources + Mentions: 

-       Transcript 

-       GrowGood

-       Restoring The Veterans Garden

Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling. 

We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/ 

If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: [email protected]  

To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla