Untangle, The Podcast From Meditation Studio

Today's encore episode is with Yale Psychology Professor and Happiness Lab podcast host, Laurie Santos. Laurie taught "Psychology and the Good Life" first in spring 2018 in response to concerning levels of student depression, anxiety, and stress on campus. It became the most popular class in Yale's history. Laurie Santos has definitely hit a nerve. The good news is that we have a lot more control over our happiness levels than we think. Laurie talks about how to put the science of happiness and well-being to work in our own lives. And she offers actionable steps and choices we can take right now.  Laurie’s goal is to help teach us all to live happier lives through science-backed techniques Resource: Dr.lauriesantos.com As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio Transform your brain's potential with 15% off Muse.

Today’s guest is the amazing Martha Beck. I know why Oprah loved working with her! She’s back on Untangle for the second time, and her last interview was our number 1 top listened to episode…so we are thrilled to have her back. Her next book is called Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity and Finding Your Life’s Purpose. This is the 10th book from Martha, a Phd, Harvard-trained Sociologist, World-renowned Coach and NYT bestselling author. She shares why anxiety is at an all time high, and why curiosity and creativity can be our superpowers to help reduce it. We can stop ourselves from falling into an anxiety spiral and she shows us how. She used me as a guinia pig which is always a little uncomfortable for me, but helps me shift the way I see things so that’s a good thing. I hope you get as much out of Martha’s interview as I did.  There’s so much here to help us lead our best lives.  Resources: Marthabeck.com As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking

Today's guest Natalie Pennicotte-Collier, a Sleep Expert, Clinical Therapist and Author of the book Sleep Reset, The New Tools for Rest and Recovery. Over the past decade, she has developed a mind-body approach to enhance sleep, performance and overall well-being. She discusses the book and its five week program that uses a blend of mindfulness based cognitive therapy, breath work and hypnotherapy to support the nervous system, reduce stress and calm our racing minds. I liked that the book goes through a step by step roadmap over five weeks. It’s easy to follow. Also, she outlines why a good night sleep is so important for our mental and physical health. Sleep isn’t just a nighttime problem, she says, it’s a 24 hour problem. And a 24 hour solution. So true! As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio Transform you

This week we’re got a popular encore episode with Judson Brewer, a Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist, and Author of the book, Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal your Mind. He has combined his expertise in mindfulness, habit, and behavioral change, and neuroscience to create practical tools to help unwind anxiety. The interview offers several ways to uncover what triggers anxiety and how to identify and break these anxiety habits using a variety of methods, including mindfulness and reward-based learning As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brain's potential and revolutionizing health AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio Transform your brain's potential with 15% off Muse. Use code UNTANGLE15 at checkout or visit choosemuse.com/UNTANGLE15  Resource: drjud.com for more on Judson Brewer. Learn more about your ad choi

This is a favorite encore…with Ariel interviewing James Nestor — Author of Breath…The New Science of a Lost Art. . There are so many great nuggets in this episode. You’ll learn that the way you breathe can energize or relax you? That a simple hack can help with snoring and sleep apnea? That your lung volume can relate to your longevity, and that your lung volume can be expanded with simple exercises?  Resources: mrjamesnestor.com As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brain's potential and revolutionizing health and Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio Transform your brain's potential with 15% off Muse. Use code UNTANGLE15 at checkout or visit choosemuse.com/UNTANGLE15  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guests are Bridget Hilton and Joe Huff, co-authors of a book called Experiential Billionaire. Build a Life Rich in Experiences and with No Regrets. Intriguing, right? I was curious to hear their stories and what led them to this perspective. Armed with a sense of urgency after his dad died young, Joe became painfully aware that there was no guarantee of how much time he had to live. He began focusing on doing things (and living his life) with an 'experiential mindset' in love, work, service and adventure. His Goal? To live a rich and meaningful life. Bridget is also passionate about creating new experiences and living her life armed with a zeal for big leaps of faith and an endless spirit of adventure. They say…imagine you had one year to live. … take out a sheet of paper and write down the top 10 things you'd want to do right now. Then, look at that list and see how many of those things are in your life right now. Hint…do more of what matters to you, what you love…while you’re here. Start now.  They

This week we’re got a popular encore episode that aired in 2019 with Ariel and Dr. Dean Ornish. The focus? How you can optimize your health and heart by making lifestyle changes. Ornish Lifestyle Medicine was created to reverse heart disease without surgery or medicine…but the benefits beyond that are significant.  Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He was recognized as “one of the 125 most extraordinary University of Texas alumni in the past 125 years;” by TIME magazine as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by LIFE magazine as “one of the fifty most influential members of his generation;” by People magazine as “one of the most interesting people of the year;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s seven most powerful teachers.” For more information, please go to www.ornish.com As alway

Today I’m excited to interview not only the amazing Dan Harris..but — bonus, I interview his 9 yr.old son Alexander at the end of the show. I actually wanted to find out if Dan walks the talk and, indeed, spoiler alert, he does. It was fun to see that his son shares his sense of humor. Very funny. Alexander says he's Dan's emotional support animal when he travels with him. And definitely thinks Dan is a hippie. Hmmm. I think of Dan as part comedian, part meditation or self help guru and part real guy who shares all the messy stuff that shows up in his life. The stuff most of us hold inside. And while it’s the 10 year anniversary of 10% Happier…he’s actually, he says, now more like 40% happier.  Dan’s books, podcast and meditations have helped so many people. I love when he talks about his twin demons…anger and self centeredness and shares how he copes. OR the toilet vortex — a term his friend gave him for when we go down the rabbit hole of rumination.  We discuss what has motivated him to up level his happine

Today’s guest, Adam Pearce, has a heartbreaking personal story that has humbled him and changed his life. It’s also taught him patience, resilience and hope — and perhaps given him a deeper experience of love. Most importantly, he’s learned the gifts that come from accepting what IS — especially when it’s out of our control.  In 2009, his brother, Kevin Pearce, one of the top snowboarders in the world (competing against Shaun White and often winning) had a tragic accident while training. This happened as he was heading into the Olympics. It left Kevin with a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) which changed the course of his life, and Adam's life as well. Adam shared how he kept going despite sadness and uncertainty - and how both he and Kevin had to reframe their mindset to help the healing process. One doctor told Kevin he would need to find a way to ‘love your brain.’ This ultimately became the name of the foundation they formed to help others with TBI. Meditation, yoga, compassion and connection…are all at the h

Super excited about today’s guest… Rob Dube…a dear friend, brilliant entrepreneur, author and all around pretty phenomenal human. His new book is co authored with Gino Wickman, the creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System and author of the book, Traction. Their new book is called SHINE, the 10 disciplines for maximizing your energy, impact and peace. It’s THE handbook for type an entrepreneurs who want to begin looking inward, finding more balance while being successful at life and at work. Their premise is that their drive often takes a toll on their teams, personal relationships and even their health. It’s all about finding that delicate balance between our internal and external worlds. Rob shares how they define true self, how to make decisions based on love not fear, and the 10 disciplines that have worked for many entrepreneurs.  As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential and revolutionizing health AND Meditation Studio

Today's encore episode is hosted by Ariel Garten. Dr. Lisa Mosconi is a neuroscientist, Alzheimer’s researcher, nutritionist, and author of "Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power." Listen as she shares the easy ways we can supercharge our brains through what we eat and drink. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. Transform your brain's potential with 15% of Muse. Use code UNTANGLE15 at checkout or visit choosemuse.com/UNTANGLE15.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Alex Auerbach is a Sports Psychologist and Director of Wellness and Development for the basketball team, Toronto Raptors. Before working with the Raptors, he was the Director of Clinical and Sports Psychology for the University of Arizona. He’s a huge fan of Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy —also called ACT — for optimizing both the performance and mental health of athletes. He works with athletes on self-awareness, and emotional regulation and helps them understand and even name and ground their often difficult feelings. Mindfulness is a core pillar in all his work. He shares some of the great research that’s been done suggesting that mindfulness can lead to optimal performance and, possibly, to the all-important flow state. There are so many stressors in the life of a professional athlete — and these tools are a great way to help manage stress and tension as well as being more resilient to the ups and downs that are a natural part of life. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at

In todays encore episode, join Muse co-founder Ariel Garten as she interviews Jim Kwik is a celebrity brain trainer who teaches tools and techniques to optimize your brain to learn and remember. Jim works with Elon Musk, Jim Carrey, and Richard Branson--among many others! He shares his brain-enhancing learning and memory techniques with Ariel and with all of us. As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential and revolutionizing health AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. Transform your brain's potential with 15% of Muse. Use code UNTANGLE15 at checkout or visit choosemuse.com/UNTANGLE15.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This was such a fun interview — our guest today is Dr. Robert Waldinger, a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing Psychiatrist, Zen Master and author of the book The Good Life, Lessons from the Worlds Longest Scientific Study on Happiness. This study, which began in 1938, reveals what it takes to build a good life. What does that exactly mean, I wondered…fulfilling, satisfying, meaningful, happy? All of it. There's no one size fits all. BUT…the one thing that was consistent? Relationships. All kinds of relationships. The quality of the social connections that we make throughout our lives means everything. He says…Human connection is our superpower. Good relationships help us get through life’s inevitable challenges, and they keep us happier and healthier. and the research shows that they actually help us to live longer. Robert reminds us that we should pay attention to the things that we really care about…the things and people that energize us. AND pay attention to the things and peop

Today's encore episode is with the lovely Daphne Rose Kingma, best selling author of 12 books, primarily on love and relationships. Her books have sold more than a million and a half copies and been translated into 16 languages. The San Francisco Chronicle called her the love doctor. In this episode, I was excited to ask her my many questions on love and relationships, but I also asked several from our listeners who shared them with me before the interview. Here’s a preview of some of the questions she answered…. What are the biggest challenges people have in relationship? How would you define falling in love or even just love? Does marriage require a leap of faith or is it a choice or what? Why do some relationships work and to others not so much. I truly believe that loving others is one of the greatest gifts we have and relationships are a mirror into what we each need to learn in our own lives. But as Daphne clearly said…relationships are not for sissies.  Resource: Daphnerosekingma.com Check out Choosemu

Today we’re doing a special episode of Untangle to celebrate — and explore — the many ways we look at LOVE. I wanted to explore this topic because it’s a word that holds so much meaning for so many of us. And yet, it can be defined in many many different ways as you’ll hear today. For some it guides how we live our lives, how we make our choices. For some it’s something we fall in — as in falling IN love when we meet someone we want to be with. Some say, it’s an energy— you just feel it, it can’t be explained. Others describe it as a feeling of intimacy or desire or even as a deep sense of empathy. One guest said it’s not a feeling…it’s an ability.  In this episode I ask a number of our former Untangle guests two questions. How do you define love AND How does love express itself in your life. I found these questions difficult to answer myself…so was curious what we’d find. I’m beginning to accept the fact that we all see things a little or perhaps a lot differently. And that is just fine.  In our mini episode

Dr. Marisa Franco is a New York Times bestselling Author, Professor, Psychologist, and self-proclaimed friendship expert. Marisa discusses the science of connection — and the importance of platonic friendships. Her new book is called Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends. She believes friendship is the single best action a person can take to live a longer life, take the edge off depression, flourish and even revitalize a marriage. She challenges the notion that friendships should be at the bottom of the relationship totem poll. Her mantra is — Never stop cultivating friendships and connections. She gives us many reasons to prioritize platonic love and bring more friends into our life, nurture the ones we already have and keep building community. If we do these things, we’ll always be surrounded by love —whether or not we choose a romantic relationship. Check out choosemuse.com/meditationstudio for hundreds of free meditations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap

Today’s guest is amazing! Anese Cavanaugh is an award winning Speaker, Author, Teacher, Strategic Advisor and Thinking Partner for many innovative organizations and individuals. She’s also the CEO of Active Choices, a strategic advisory and training company. Today we get to the heart of many of the ideas she has shared in her books (see below), and we dive into her proprietary approach to leadership called Intentional Energetic Presence. The bottom line…how we show up in the world MATTERS, regardless of whether you’re at work or at home. It matters. Your intentions energy and presence can have a positive OR negative impact, depending on the choices you make. She unpacks why we need tools and practices for self awareness, honest reflection and for being more present and intentional so we can create the most positive and impactful experiences and relationships. I love this quote from one of her books: “We create our experience in every moment, contract or expand, repel or invite, fear or love, abdicate or lead.

Encore from 2020. Still (very) Relevant! Guest Host is Ariel Garten. Learn how to create any habit you want! By celebrating even the smallest changes as victories, you can rewire your brain to tackle your year's challenges successfully. Dr. BJ Fogg is an American Social Scientist and Author who is a research associate and adjunct professor at Stanford University. He founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, where he directs research and innovation. In addition, he teaches industry innovators how to use his models and methods in Behavior Design. The purpose of his research and teaching is to help millions of people improve their lives.  At Stanford, BJ was an appointed Lecturer and Consulting Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science, where he taught classes from 1997 - 2014. He has also been a Lecturer and Social Science Research Scholar at the Graduate School of education from 2001 to the present. Learn more about BJ Fogg at www.bjfogg.com and read his book, "Tiny Habits". Unloc

Today’s episode is one that I hope will make you smile.  Our guest is Jennifer King Lindley, a wonderful writer and researcher. Jennifer’s book, Find your Joy, is a perfect way to kick-start the year. It’s a beautiful guided journal with some simple, but important practices to inspire more joy in our lives. She’s integrated some research based interventions with prompts and practical tools.  Today, she discusses a few of her favorite practices from the book with themes like cultivating more self compassion, awe and savoring daily pleasures, practicing forgiveness, reigniting play and expressing gratitude in some new ways. I really like the way she made all of this very accessible. This is like having a self care first aid kit for boosting joy. Resource: Find Your Joy (self care journal) at all major booksellers. Jenniferkinglindley.com Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. Transform your brain's potential with 15% of Muse. Use code UNTANGLE15 at checkout or visit cho