Curious Minds at Work

Most of us ruminate. We get caught in a loop of thoughts that replay over and over again. It’s as if our brain is stuck in a place we don’t want to be, yet we can’t break free. Over time, those repetitive thoughts can become the lens through which we see ourselves, other people, and the world—and that lens is often shaped more by fear than reality.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa can help us break the cycle. An award-winning science journalist, Donna is the author of Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist. She spent years talking with researchers and clinicians to understand why we ruminate—and, more importantly, how we can shift from negative rumination toward creativity, curiosity, and growth.

Donna shares practical tools I’m already putting into practice. This is a book I’ll return to again and again.

Episode Links

Are You Processing Your Emotions or Just Ruminating

How to Escape a Thought Spiral

Understanding Why We Get Lost in Thought Spiraling

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

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Most of what we hear about the middle part of our lives is untrue. It’s focused on the myth of the midlife crisis rather than the realities of these years. This can create a sense of dread for a period of time with tremendous upside.

Margie Lachman has spent her career studying midlife. She's author of the book, Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife, Professor of Psychology at Brandeis University, and an expert in adult development and aging. Margie also directs the Brandeis University's Lifespan Lab.

This is a conversation about the complexities of midlife. In it Margie shares how to navigate them successfully.

Episode Links

The ‘Midlife Crisis’ is Overblown – It’s Actually an Opportunity

Why Midlife Might Actually Be Awesome

5 Ways to Shape Your Health and Happiness in Midlife

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support the Podcast

If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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There are times in our lives where we feel stuck, be it personally or professionally. It might be in our career. It might in a relationship.

We’re smart, so we try to think our way out of it. But when we’re really stuck, thinking can turn into ruminating. And the more we think, the more we stay stuck. That’s when the labeling kicks in. The voice in our head labels us lazy, or crazy, or just plain unmotivated.

Today’s guest, Britt Frank, is a licensed specialist clinical social worker (LSCSW). She’s written the book, The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find your Path Forward. Britt’s the perfect person to teach us how thinking our way forward may not be the right tool for the job. In this interview, she explains how we get stuck and steps we can take to move through it.

Episode Links

How Long Does It Actually Take to Break a Bad Habit?

Six Things Successful People Always Do in a Conversation

Do Hard Things by Steve Magness

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support the Podcast

If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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No one wants to feel like a sucker. In fact, the very thought of being one – of playing the fool – shapes our behavior in powerful ways.

But what if our fear causes us to make choices that aren’t good for us? Or worse, what if people weaponize our fear in order to dominate or disempower us?

Tess Wilkinson-Ryan has written a stunning book on the topic called, Fool Proof: How Fear of Playing the Sucker Shapes Our Selves and the Social Order and What We Can Do about It. A psychologist and law professor, Tess helps us understand what this fear is, why we have it, and how it plays out in law, politics, and everyday life. She also shares how to overcome it and make the decisions that are aligned with our goals.

It’s a book you’ll keep thinking about long after you’ve read it.

Episode Links

Breach is for Suckers

Transferring Trust: Reciprocity of Norms and Assignment of Contract

Moral Judgment and Moral Heuristics in Breach of Contract

Njinga of Angola: Africa’s Warrior Queen by Linda Heywood

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support the Podcast

If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

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Runners have pacers to help them manage their energy throughout a race. They couple that with a training program that balances extreme and moderate effort with rest. Research shows that this balanced approach ensures a stronger performance.

Like professional athletes, we, too, seek high performance. But we may not realize that, like runners, we need to manage the pace of our lives.

That’s where science journalist Elizabeth Svoboda comes in. Curious about the way athletes build rest into their workouts, she wondered if their recovery plans could help the rest of us. This research informs her book, The Art of Pacing: A Guide to Balancing Short-Term Demands with Long-Term Thriving. In it, she shares a range of effective tips that include personal storytelling, modulation, and much more.

Related Links

How to Find Inner Resolve in Times of Upheaval

An Athletic Coach for the Mind?

Interview with Malissa Clark

The Team

Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here.

Support the Podcast

If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show.

Subscribe

Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.