What does it mean to do "good" as a human being? Is there such a thing as something that is fundamentally "good" or is that purely subjective? Should we follow our feelings and desires, or adhere to a set of rules or laws – like religion – that have been around for millennia?
Today's episode features a conversation with Caleb Crutchfield, founder of Collaborate Good, an organization that hosts workplace conversations with people from all different backgrounds and beliefs on questions related to society, culture, or individual flourishing.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Caleb’s background and what led him to doing this work.
-Whether there is an objective truth, whether everything is subjective, and how these questions relate to moral action in society.
-The question of “what humans are made for” and how this informs our values, beliefs, and social and political norms and rules.
-Whether we need religion to guide our behavior or whether we can make moral decisions without it.
-Whether technology and social media are “good.”
-The merits (and pitfalls) of casual sex, polygamy versus monogamy, and other moral conundrums in our modern world.
-And much more!
Learn more about Collaborate Good: https://collaborategood.org/
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: matthewgoodmanphd.com
Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@matthewgoodmanphd
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
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Is there inherent meaning to the universe, or is it meaningless? Are ethics simply a matter of "matter"—the result of a bunch of firing neurons and the relativistic musings of the mind? Is our current paradigm of what is "true" beginning to be updated? In this episode, we are joined by philosopher and author Zak Stein, who elucidates what it means to acknowledge the “first principles” of the universe—and how failing to do so has led us towards the “meta-crisis” we now face as humanity.
Dr. Zachary Stein is a Co-Founder of the Civilization Research Institute and the Center for World Philosophy and Religion. He was trained at the interface of philosophy, psychology, and education and now works in fields related to the mitigation of global catastrophic risk. He is a widely sought-after and award-winning speaker and a leading authority on the future of education and contemporary issues in human development. He is the author of dozens of published papers and books, including Education in a Time Between Worlds. With his colleagues at the Center for World Philosophy and Religion, he helped author their new book, First Principle and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on CosmoErotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How Zak came to religion and philosophy through music.
-The “Meta-crisis” we are currently facing including human-created, existential threats.
-Moral relativism versus a worldview that holds first principles/values.
-How value is encoded into the universe.
-Free will versus determinism.
-The myth of the march of progress and the growth of technology as “good.”
-How global stress is heightening relativism, separateness, technofeudalism, and moving us closer to a tipping point.
-Iain McGilchrist’s work on Left and Right hemispheres and how these show up in the collective.
-The question of whether society is experiencing a sort of mental illness.
-How attention/awareness acts as an organizing force and helps to create more health, interrelation, intimacy, and evolution.
-The effects of technology on attention and the manipulation of our attention spans.
-The body as a portal to understanding first principles.
-Technofeudalism, coercion, manipulation, and social media in our modern world.
-The conundrum of whether it is moral to control people for “good” reasons.
-Chaos, order, and re-order in the evolution of our society.
Check Out/Learn More About Zak's Work:
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: matthewgoodmanphd.com
Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@matthewgoodmanphd
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
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"The Work" of Byron Katie is a method of inquiry that helps us get in touch with reality instead getting caught up in the stories in our mind. It is a powerful practice for improving our relationship to ourselves, others, and the world.
Sarah Climenhaga is a dedicated facilitator of The Work. She began her career as an environmental advocate in the nonprofit sector before later running for mayor of Toronto with a vision of a free, inclusive, and beautiful city. After the turmoil of the pandemic, she experienced firsthand how much pain came with fighting reality, and how acceptance of even the biggest challenges profoundly affected happiness and peace both for her and for those around her. That led to her decision to embark on a professional career to help others find freedom from suffering. She now guides clients through the practice of The Work in one-on-one sessions and workshops, both online and in person.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Living in reality versus believing the thoughts and stories that dominate our experience of the world.
-The similarities and differences between The Work and psychotherapeutic interventions such as CBT.
-Dealing with despair over the planet.
-How the world is a mirror of our thoughts.
-How The Work impacts our relationships.
-Why The Work is not a denial of what is happening in the world but helps us be more effective agents by "cleaning up" our own thoughts first.
-Sarah's question/practice around "what is getting in the way of being happy right now?"
-The inner conflict of whether we can be happy when the world is suffering.
-Sarah guides me through the practice of The Work (~45:00 in the episode).
Sarah Climenhaga's website: https://sarahclimenhaga.ca/
The Work of Byron Katie: https://thework.com/
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Comment or contact me through: matthewgoodmanphd.com
Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
Wishing you a peaceful, joyful, meaningful New Year : )
Luis Mojica is a somatic therapist, trauma nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, where he teaches thousands of people around the world how to recover from stress and trauma. He uses whole foods, self-inquiry, and Somatic Experiencing as tools to find safety within yourself. Through Holistic Life Navigation, Luis offers online courses and webinars, in-person workshops and retreats, trauma-informed support groups, a monthly membership and newsletter, a weekly podcast, and a popular YouTube channel filled with insights and interviews.
In this incredibly insightful episode, Luis and I discuss:
-What "Somatic Experiencing" is and how it relates to trauma.
-How trauma lives and manifests in the body.
-Luis guides us through a "feeling the now" somatic practice.
-The neurobiology and somatics of anxiety and “addiction” to not feeling happy.
-Understanding your interpersonal triggers through a somatic lens and how to regulate them.
-The radical and controversial act of being 100% responsible for our actions while being 0% responsible for how someone else feels, and why this is both liberating and truly compassionate.
-Why “safe spaces” are not actually safe and how to find safety in disagreement.
-How we are becoming more divided based on our narrowing bandwidth to tolerate disagreement and discomfort.
-Co-dependence, aka “I need you to feel a certain way for me to feel safe.”
-The act of being oppressive in pursuit of trying to end oppression and “shaming people into accountability” – how to step out of the trauma cycle instead.
-Relational dynamics in the context of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
-How our behavior is affected by taking in negative news.
-The role of nutrition in healing trauma.
-And much more!
Connect with Luis here:
Luis' website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/
Holistic Life Navigation Podcast: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/podcast
Luis on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@holisticlifenavigation/featured
Luis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holistic.life.navigation/?hl=en
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He is the author of "The Making of a Generalist," "Think For Yourself," and "Boombustology." He has been a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the global business environment. Vikram’s ideas and writings have also appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, The New York Times and a long list of other publications. Linkedin twice listed him as their #1 Top Voice for Money, Finance and Global Economics and Worth has profiled him as one of the 100 most powerful people in global finance. Millions of readers have enjoyed his unique multi-lens approach to connecting seemingly irrelevant dots.
In this episode, Vikram shares how a “generalist mindset” can help us navigate a world full of complexity and uncertainty; and why, from his perspective, this opens up more creative, innovative, and effective solutions to our global problems.
Highlights/quotes from this episode: " Every single perspective is limited, biased, and incomplete. And if that’s the case, then why not use more than one perspective to really integrate a view of what’s happening in the world?”
Specifically, we discuss:
-The "migrant mindset" and how his family's immigrant background helped shape him today.
-What a "generalist mindset" is and how it helps us connect the dots.
-How being a generalist is a "call for empathy" and the integration of multiple perspectives.
-Vikram’s view of some of the forces contributing to polarization.
-How diversifying our media diets and other sources of information can help us think more comprehensively.
-How renewable fuel in the U.S. may be tied to the Arab Spring and other examples of global interconnection.
-Vikram's "global developments to watch" over the next 5 years.
-And much more!
Vikram's website: https://mansharamani.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikrammansharamani/
Substack: https://substack.com/@mansharamani
Article: "24 Global Trends to Watch Over the Next 5 Years"
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
Did you hear?! LOVE is "in." And hate... so 2000-and-late.
That's my prediction, anyway, for the next 10-20 years. Or maybe it's simply a necessity.
We are approaching the two year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. It seems like conflict in the world continues to ratchet up, the possibility of a global conflict becoming ever more realistic and sadly palatable.
Is there another way? What new possibilities and paradigms are attempting to emerge in the world?
In this episode, I share my thoughts on:
-The tragedy of the Russia-Ukraine war and why I believe a pragmatic approach leads us closer to peace, not more conflict.
-The paranoia of the current world paradigm and why offensive defense is not a strategy for peace but a trigger for conflict and escalation.
-The flawed idea and "projection" of the West about other countries' own imperialistic ambitions and how this relates to spiritual maturity ("if you spot it, you got it").
-Leading by example - creating peace through peace, not through force.
-Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin - what was weird and what was right.
-The natural rise and fall of empires and the indications of decline.
-The new paradigm of multipolarism: not power over, but power together (competition as a form of cooperation) and how this brings us closer to our evolutionary destiny.
Thoughts on this episode? What points do you agree or disagree with? I'd love to hear from you. Send a message to: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
The psychologist Carl Rogers famously wrote, "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.” The same is often true on a collective level. The more we use shame, blame, and "othering" as tactics to inspire behavior change, the more resistant and defensive people tend to be. This has hardly been more on display than in the highly charged area of climate change.
Our guest on this episode, Dr. Renée Lertzman, explains why the status quo approach of "yelling, telling, and selling" on climate action has underperformed its aims based on insights from clinical psychology and behavioral neuroscience.
Dr. Renée Lertzman is a researcher, educator and engagement strategist who translates relational psychological insights to change our approach to our planetary crisis. She works with founders, innovators, companies and organizations across public and private sectors, looking to strengthen climate and sustainability initiatives, develop more effective campaigns, and harness the creativity and innovation needed to address our most complex and intractable problems with speed, creativity and imagination. A popular international keynote speaker, trainer and facilitator, she works with organizations, leaders and teams across sectors and regions, including clients such as Google, VMWare, IKEA, California Academy of Sciences, WWF, and the City of London.
Learn more about Dr. Renée Lertzman: https://reneelertzman.com/
Learn more about Project Inside Out: https://projectinsideout.net/
Topics covered in this episode:
-How Renée's confrontation with our planetary crises shaped her career path as a psychologist.
-Understanding social and ecological issues through the lens of trauma.
-How polarization on climate has insidiously developed over the last few decades.
-The role of safety, threat, and identity in the interpersonal dynamics of climate conversations.
-Why shame, blame, and "othering" may be well intended, but are not effective strategies for change.
-How to guide people through their ambivalence around action through "Motivational Interviewing" skills.
-Renée's work with leaders on the "inner" skills for outer change: self-awareness, self-regulation, and listening and empathy.
-Renée's work with consulting, research, and strategic messaging during the 2016 election.
-The three A's affecting climate behavior change: Anxiety, Ambivalence, and Aspiration.
-"Call out" culture and the alternative opportunity to "call in" or "call off" conversations.
-And much more!
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Improv Classes: zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
There's one certainty in life: life is uncertain. Especially in our rapidly changing world, individuals and organizations are forced to adapt to constant challenges and change. The ability to improvise - the respond to each moment with openness, flexibility, and grace - is pivotal to thriving in a complex and constantly changing world.
In this episode, I speak with entrepreneur Mary Lemmer about how improv can help us better navigate business and life.
Mary Lemmer is a creative impact-driven entrepreneur and consultant helping leaders and companies innovate, navigate change and thrive in an unpredictable world. She is the founder of Improve, a company that improves lives, teams, companies, and impact, in ways that work and just so happen to be fun and engaging. She designs and delivers engaging keynotes, offsites, and conference sessions, bringing two decades of experience as an entrepreneur, author, humorist, and recovering venture capitalist and startup unicorn director. She gave the TED Talk “How improv can improve your leadership and life” and has spoken at The Social Innovation Summit, TED Women, TechCon, The Positive Business Conference, multiple years at the Agile Alliance conference, among speaking and leading interactive and empowering sessions for hundreds of companies around the world.
In this episode, we discuss:
-Mary's trip to Africa to help aspiring entrepreneurs.
-Starting a business at 14 years old.
-Dealing with stress, uncertainty, and lack of control in business (and life).
-The blocks of "overthinking."
-How improv can improve our ability to listen, communicate, and have difficult conversations.
-Noticing and debunking our internal stories about other people and the world.
-Improv as a mindfulness tool and what it offers that meditation doesn't.
-How to use improv to improve companies and leadership.
-Mary's research on improv and sleep, physiological health, and happiness.
-And much more!
Connect with Mary at www.marylemmer.com and learn more about Improve at www.chooseimprove.com.
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com / https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Hello beautiful souls! In this episode, I flip the script and share an interview I did on my friend Rachael Bonetti's podcast, "What It Means To Be Well." In it, Rachael and I discuss the art of "conscious communication," including the power of deep listening, building trust, showing up authentically, and taking "radical responsibility" in relationships and as a leader. We discuss tips for having safe and productive conversations at work, home, and everyday life.
Rachael is the founder of The Elite EA Academy, a corporate trainer and consultant who supports organizations to create the conditions that allow everyone to thrive. She was our guest on Episode #49 of The Middle Way, "Talking Burnout and Taking Care" (Apple, Spotify).
Thank you for tuning in!
Have comments or questions on this episode? An idea for a future guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of. Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): zen-improv.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com / https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Kristen Ulmer is a thought leader, master facilitator and fear/anxiety expert. Her education comes from practical, real- world experience, starting with being a mogul specialist on the US Ski Team. Kristen then became more notoriously recognized as the best female big mountain extreme skier in the world, a status she kept for 12 years. Known for big cliff jumps and you-fall-you die descents, she became sponsored by the likes of Red Bull, Ralph Lauren, and Nikon, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame September of 2019. Her mastery of other danger sports such as paragliding, ice and rock climbing, and adventure mountain biking also gained her the outdoor industry vote as most extreme “fearless” woman athlete in North America. After retiring in 2003, she spent the next 15 years studying Zen Buddhism. Her current work as a facilitator and teacher is the culmination of her decades-long experiences becoming intimate with fear.
In this episode, Kristen and I explore:
-Kristen's view that fear underlies other emotions such as anxiety, anger, sadness, and excitement.
-Kristen's own unhealthy relationship to fear, and when extreme behaviors turn into unhealthy addictions.
-How to be "intimate" with fear versus trying to conquer it or understand it intellectually.
-Seeing fear as "person" who needs to be accepted and validated (versus controlled).
-Re-imagining anxiety, PTSD, and mental health through Kristen's paradigm of understanding fear.
-How fear gets conditioned in childhood.
-How meditation and spirituality can inadvertently interfere with feeling fear.
-Non-resistance and "being in love" with our emotions.
-How our culture reinforces resistance and distraction from our emotions.
-How Kristen's model compares and contrasts with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
-Noticing your resistance patterns as the first step to being "intimate" with fear.
-The four levels of working with fear.
-Getting into "flow" with fear.
Audio Clip (at beginning of episode) - Kristen's induction in USSSHOF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujrrubEivBU
Kristen's Book, "The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won't Work and What To Do Instead"
Kristen's Website: https://kristenulmer.com/
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com / https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Sarah Marshank has lived many lives: college student, lover, Orthodox Jew, escort, celibate monk, truth-seeker, recluse. As we all do in some fashion, Sarah embarked on a hero's journey to answer her deepest call: to be a teacher. Through these diverse and rich experiences, Sarah now shares what she's found to be the most helpful principles and practices for being a "self" in the world. What exactly does this look like?
This episode explores the "self" in all its complexity and beauty.
Sarah Marshank is the founder of Selfistry, a unique learning system for mastering the art of being human. She’s the author of Being Self-ish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother and Selfistry: A Guide to Embodying Timeless Spiritual Wisdom. Based in California, Sarah teaches and speaks internationally, offers online programs, consults with corporate clients, and works one-on one with individuals. Her training as an educator makes her an effective and impactful facilitator, but Sarah’s embodied presence is what touches people the most — the fruit of spending ten years in personal retreat. Her superpower is how she weaves Eastern philosophy and Western psychology into a process that yields profound authenticity. Sarah loves to guide people towards this deep and sustainable encounter with themselves.
In this episode, Sarah and I dive into:
-Sarah's background: from her childhood in Detroit, to being an educator and orthodox Jew, to going on retreat for 10 years, to finally arriving at the work she does now with Selfistry.
-The relationship between "Source," "Self," and "Witness" as Sarah understands it.
-Working with the "messy" parts of ourselves: our flaws, habits, addictions, wounds, and all the things we want to change within ourselves - how we can both work on these things AND hold "loving awareness" (i.e., The Witness) for all of the beautiful messiness in its entirety.
-Why attempts to transcend the "self" may not be so helpful.
-Why "The Witness" helps us mediate between what the universe wants for us, and what we're actually doing.
-How suffering works as a "feedback mechanism" that keeps us on track with what the universe wants (i.e., Source).
-Meditation as a "self-improvement" project and how to even hold loving-awareness for this!
Learn more about Selfistry: https://selfistry.com/
Check out Sarah's books: https://selfistry.com/books/
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com / https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Welcome to Season 3! Thank you for being a listener over the last two years 🙏. Your support is deeply appreciated!
Polarization continues to grow on issues such gender-affirming care, abortion rights, anti-racism, climate solutions, and other political topics. It seems as though the more one side pulls in one direction, the harder the other side pulls back; we are in a political tug-of-war where the rope itself might actually snap.
There are a lot of contributors to the cycle of polarization. Yet, there is one that is rarely talked about—a component of the polarizing dynamic that, if we could bring into public discourse, may help soften or reverse the toxic spiral threatening to sink us.
This episode explores that covert component.
Together, we will explore:
-Whether compassion has become an ideology, and how this differs from pragmatic compassion—compassion in effect.
-How the Left-Right dynamics of polarization turn good-hearted intentions into a battle to uphold ideology.
-Whether it is possible to be exceptionally and deeply compassion without polarizing initiatives, and how this might look.
-The trend to classify everything as a medical or "brain disease" (removing personal responsibility) as a way to engender more compassion in the cultural consciousness; and whether it's possible to retain the idea of personal responsibility AND hold space for deep compassion for people at the same time.
-Current debates over weight loss/obesity, gender-affirming care, the #MeToo movement, climate (and other issues) and how compassion has become swept up in the spin cycle of polarization on these issues.
-Why efforts to generate more compassion fail when they focus on changing people's minds, instead of their hearts.
-How to appeal to people's hearts (individually and collectively), instead of trying to change their minds; how we can reduce defensiveness and backlash and increase actual compassionate behavior.
-Why true compassion always comes back to the question: what works?
-Whether Grizzly Adams had a beard (he did.. did you know that?).
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? I'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmga5Z4JdHziQjtCdnVhYuw
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://the-middle-way.com / https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support is a HUGE help and allows the show to continue reaching a wider audience. Please consider leaving a RATING, REVIEW, or SHARING this episode if you found the content useful. Thank you for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Dr. Karin Tamerius is a political psychiatrist and the founder of Smart Politics, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching progressives how to communicate more persuasively with people who hold different views. Since the 2016 election, she has worked to introduce psychotherapy skills to the political realm, pioneering the development of new tools to help individuals have constructive conversations online and off. Most notably, she’s written three highly successful “Angry Uncle” chat bots for The New York Times that have reached millions of readers, and she has created an original model to “tame” trolls on social media. Prior to that she earned a B.A. in political science from UC Berkeley and an M.D. from UC San Francisco, and pursued graduate study in political science at the University of Michigan.
In addition to running regular workshops teaching Democrats how to advocate for their beliefs without sacrificing their relationships with Republican friends and family, Dr. Tamerius has trained thousands of volunteers for progressive organizations like MoveOn.org, Indivisible, Women’s March, and Netroots Nation to campaign more effectively. Her work on political dialogue has garnered international attention and been featured in many media outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Time, NPR, FiveThirtyEight, Forbes, and Business Insider.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How to use the skills of therapy to have effective one-on-one political conversations, including: building trust, respecting autonomy, and sharing information.
-The Smart Politics and how it differs from other bridge-building organizations in its progressive political advocacy orientation.
-Skills for listening deeply and nonjudgmentally.
-When it is helpful, and not helpful, to offer information/facts/data.
-How to find agreement and common ground by focusing on values, goals, and emotions.
-How to be more persuasive when sharing your perspective and circumvent the brain's internal defense system.
-How chatbots and AI can help us practice having depolarizing conversations.
-The Change Conversation Cycle: Inviting, Listening, Reflecting, Agreeing, Sharing.
-The Change Conversation Pyramid: Comfort, Connection, Comprehension, Compassion, Cognition.
Resources from this episode:
Smart Politics: https://www.joinsmart.org/
Change Conversation Cycle & Pyramid Handout: https://www.joinsmart.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Smart-Politics-Handout.pdf
Dr. Tamerius' website: https://www.karintamerius.com/
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~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him “among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling.” Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York Times, most of it as a foreign correspondent. His foreign postings placed him at the center of historic events and, at times, in the line of fire. He has authored several books including, "Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq" and "All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror," amongst others. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
In this episode, Stephen and I explore the dominant narratives surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war and other U.S. foreign policy. Stephen offers a refreshing, desperately needed, and imminently important (in my view) counter-view to the nearly unanimous narrative offered by U.S. government and media. In particular, we explore:
-The simplistic narrative being portrayed in the U.S. and why the story of "good" versus "evil" is not sufficient to explain this complex conflict.
-The surprising unanimity amongst congress, particularly Democrats, in supporting the war.
-The incentives for congress to support the war (e.g., defense contractor lobbying, money going to districts).
-How the press has abdicated its role to hold people in power accountable, ask deep questions, and provide a balanced take.
-Why the idea that Putin will continue to expand westward if we don't act now deserves to be questioned and challenged.
-The historic relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine and Russia.
-The possibility that the U.S. does not want to diffuse tensions, and instead capitalize on this this as an opportunity to weaken it's enemy.
-How the backdrop of China and Taiwan affects current U.S. policy, and whether "proving a point" to Russia is logical.
-The radical idea of focusing on our own prosperity and development, instead of trying to block other countries from doing so.
-Living in a multipolar world and how cutting defense costs could fund important social justice initiatives.
-The possibility for a new paradigm of leadership based in peace.
Referred to in this episode:
"Congress has appropriated more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine"
Episode 10 of The Middle Way: "Russia and Ukraine: Compassionate Heart, Pragmatic Action"
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Stephen Kinzer's webite: http://stephenkinzer.com/
Check out Stephen's Books
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
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Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
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Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com
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~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Technology has propelled society forward in so many ways. We have cured diseases, reduced famine, and increased access to education for billions. Yet, despite the growing list of scientific and technological achievements and the material benefits these have afforded, there is one question that is seemingly ignored in our march towards progress: Are human beings happier today? As technology reaches greater heights, will human beings experience less, or more, suffering?
This episode turns the assumptions of our current scientific and technological paradigm inside-out: that technology will create more free time and convenience; that it will reduce worry and anxiety about the future; that it will reduce or eliminate disease; that it will decrease human suffering... these assumptions are examined against the evidence of the paradox of progress throughout history. The technological paradigm is likened to the process of addiction whereby we succumb to the belief that "just a little bit more" will finally deliver a utopia.
Read this on Medium: https://medium.com/@matthewgoodmanphd/the-paradox-of-progress-technological-addiction-and-the-illusion-of-a-better-tomorrow-fb0f695d3945
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Listen/Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e9DQuWAWghQ
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com
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~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
My guest today is Dr. Nick Fadoir. Aside from being a talented psychotherapist and all around wonderful human, Nick has been one of my best friends since we were 5 years old! I am joined by Nick on this special episode to discuss therapy, mindfulness, friendship, parenthood, and more.
Dr. Nick Fadoir is a clinical psychologist at the Lee County VA Healthcare Center. He works with individuals experiencing depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance-use issues. He received his Ph.D. in Clinical-Counseling Psychology from the University of South Alabama and completed his clinical internship at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. His work seeks to integrate ideas and practices of the wisdom traditions with the best of psychological science.
In this episode we discuss:
-Pursuing careers based on how we wish to be perceived by others, versus what we truly care about.
-The opportunity to practice presence offered through being a psychologist.
-The paradox between self-acceptance and change.
-Why Nick began meditating and how it has impacted his life.
-Being the best version of ourselves.
-How Nick and I each define “spiritual” practice.
-The difficulties of forming new friendships in adulthood.
-Parenthood and how it changes (and doesn't change) one's life.
-And much more!
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-UfKuaHZs44
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode? Have an idea for a future episode or guest? We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com
Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
Mindfulness has grown increasingly popular over the past two decades. Yet there are legitimate questions about how, and whether, this practice is appropriate for the modern Western mind. Can mindfulness be extracted from its original Buddhist cultural/philosophical context? How can this practice best be adapted to modern, Western, capitalist life... especially when so many of us are prone to trauma, anxiety, and the brain-scrambling effects of Tik Tok and other technology? Can we "shortcut" spiritual practice? These are among the questions that I discuss with my very delightful guest, Christin Chong, in this deep dive into the mind.
Christin Chong is a neuroscience PhD, Buddhist chaplaincy trainee, and creative entrepreneur. She is the author of "Debug Your Meditation" and offers speaking, consulting, and online courses at the intersection of Buddhism, science, and creativity. Her online writing community, Kind Camp, offers a space to deepen personal discovery through reflection and support based in Buddhist and neuroscience principles.
In particular, we discuss:
-Christin's early childhood and how witnessing life's ephemeral nature inspired her career path.
-The continuous human experience of "never having enough."
-The "inner" and "outer" story arc of our lives.
-The tension between spiritually oriented work and pursuing financial success.
-How the illusion of "doing spiritual work" can actually obscure our deeper path and potential.
-The question of whether mindfulness can be extracted from its original Buddhist context.
-Mindfulness as a self-improvement tool.
-"Shortcutting" the spiritual path through psychedelics versus the slow and boring path.
-Why its hard to "step on the brakes" and meditate when our brains are being overstimulated by Tik Tok and technology.
-Misconceptions about "ego" and why low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety are also rooted in high ego.
-Bringing mindfulness and Buddhism into the business world.
-Alternative mindfulness practices for anxiety, panic, and trauma.
-And much more!
Christin's website: https://christinchong.com/
Grab a copy of Christin's book, Debug Your Meditation: https://christinchong.gumroad.com/l/debug/COMMONPLACE
Referenced in this episode: "On the Path" (Documentary Film on adverse meditation experiences): https://vimeo.com/482172141
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DEkuFg9HcUU
What are you thoughts on this topic/episode?! We'd love to hear what you liked, agreed/disagreed with, and what you'd like to hear more of! Email: hello@the-middle-way.com
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/ / https://the-middle-way.com
Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
What does a politics of "being" look like? My guest on this episode, Thomas Legrand, spent the last 10 years researching and writing on this vision of humanity's future —a future that seems almost inevitable given the unsustainability of our faltering social, economic, and ecological systems. A shift from serving the "gods" of endless economic growth, ecological exploitation, and social disconnection seems pressing. What if, instead, we focused on cultivating human potential and well-being? How would that change our happiness? How would creating inner change affect our outer systems? Is this at all practical?
This episode dives into these very deep and important issues in a down-to-earth and accessible way.
Thomas Legrand is a sustainability consultant for UN agencies, private companies, and NGOs in the areas of forest conservation, climate change, sustainable finance, and organizational transformation. He holds a Ph.D. in (Ecological) Economics with a background in international development, political science, and management. Thomas' book, The Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a New Development Paradigm, is a significant contribution to a vision of a new political future and has been praised by a diverse range of leaders across the globe. Thomas is a longtime wisdom seeker and currently lives with his family near Plum Village, monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh in the South West of France.
In this episode, we cover:
-The "Story of Separation" versus "The Story of Inter-Being."
-Our society's allegiance to never-ending economic growth and why this is not sustainable.
-Policies and behaviors that support values directly tied to happiness.
-The shift from focusing on "Being" to "Having" and whether one must "have" to "be."
-Building in compassion, mindfulness, love, interconnectivity, and other values of "being" into political policy.
-How science works in tandem with spirituality to foster a new paradigm.
-The importance of relationships in human flourishing (individually and collectively).
-The role of awareness and shared (i.e., collective) awareness in shifting systems.
-How Thomas is bringing "being" into organizations like the U.N.
-Why we can't change people's minds through top-down control, but rather through trust and deep listening.
-Concrete and practical policy recommendations that support a politics of being.
-And much more!
Grab a copy of Thomas' book, "The Politics of Being": https://politicsofbeing.com/get-the-book/
More on Thomas' work: https://politicsofbeing.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fDLulScqJ_8
Let's connect:
Website: https://matthewgoodmanphd.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Consulting: https://ccg-group.eu/
Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
There has been an epidemic of burnout unfolding over the last few years. Rates of burnout and job dissatisfaction have skyrocketed; employees report exhaustion, lower motivation, and feeling a lack of purpose in their work. This has pervaded more than just the workplace: people broadly report feeling more fatigued, anxious, depressed, and lonely than perhaps ever before.
The need to tend to ourselves in a deep, restorative way is absolutely crucial. Yet this is difficult to do. Our guest today knows this from the inside out.
Rachael Bonetti is a corporate trainer, international speaker, podcast host, writer, wellbeing practitioner, and former executive assistant. For 27 years she worked in the corporate trenches partnering with some of the best minds in business: change makers, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, billionaires and high profile business leaders - the 1%. In 2021, after wrestling with her own journey through burnout, she stepped away from her corporate career to focus on teaching others how to integrate wellness into their lives. She offers practical and accessible strategies for individuals and organizations to sustain high performance while still prioritizing well-being.
In this episode we cover:
-Rachael's unique experience of 200+ days of lockdown in the Victoria (Australia) area; the emotional and social effects this created in her community; and how companies are attempting (or should consider attempting) to make adaptations.
-Rachael's personal experience with burnout and how she cultivated a daily wellness practice.
-The experience of feeling unheard or ignored by doctors and Rachael's untraditional approach to healing.
-Practical steps for carving out protected time for self-care.
-Wayapa Wuurrk meditation - what is it, how it connects us to nature, how it honors and incorporates indigenous wisdom, and how it can be used in the workplace.
-Negotiating wellness, autonomy, and empowerment in our workplaces.
Connect with Rachael: https://www.rachaelbonetti.com/
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pVRgewvwFVU
Follow Dr. Goodman:
Interested in bringing wellness to your workplace? Schedule a free consultation with Dr. Goodman and The Middle Way Consulting: the-middle-way.com
Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd
Your support for the show helps! Donate as little as $1/month. Or leave a RATING/REVIEW or SHARE it with someone who would find it valuable! Thanks for listening!
~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~
