Better.

On Greatness: My Story Of Leaving Accounting For Psychology

On Greatness:  My Story Of Leaving Accounting For Psychology

There are a lot of avenues we can take to define anxiety.  So with this episode, I’d like to share my own personal story of how anxiety can bubble to the surface if all the best parts about yourself are being bottled.  For me, this meant leaving behind an accounting career I’d worked very hard to build because my body was continuously letting me every day that I was in the wrong place.  In this sense, anxiety can actually serve as a tremendous gift to us, a kind tap on the shoulder from our nervous system letting us know there’s a much better life for us that’s waiting to be tapped into. 

Turning Fear Into Health, Wealth, & Happiness with Akshay Nanavati

This week’s guest is Akshay Nanavati, author of the forthcoming book “Fearvana: The Revolutionary Science of How To Turn Fear Into Health, Wealth, & Happiness.” Akshay struggled with drug addiction as a youth, but his life was changed after the movie “Black Hawk Down” inspired him to join the US Marines.  After serving in Iraq, and struggling with PTSD as a result, Akshay began to educate himself deeply on the neuroscience behind fear, and developed some very interesting ideas on how fear can be used as a catalyst for many areas of personal growth. Akshay’s high-octane demeanor is contagious, and his enthusiasm for life and his work are highly enviable.  I suspect you’ll enjoy this one and learn a lot like I did!

Highlights of this episode include:

—How the movie “Black Hawk Down” inspired Akshay to quit using drugs forever

—His experiences in the US Marines and the PTSD he experienced afterwards

—The differences between post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder

—The concept of “Fearvana” and how we can use it to our advantage

—What we can learn through enduring challenging events, and more!

“Designing Your Ideal Day w/ John & Julie"

We live in strange, anxiety-inducing times.  Whether it’s the 24-hour cycle of negative news, political drama, natural disasters, or personal troubles, it’s becoming increasingly easier to feel like we’re losing control of both our circumstances and our lives.  So this week Julie and I would like to take some time to talk about the idea of designing your ideal day, which can be done as a simple exercise when you wake up in the morning.  One of the keys to creating a more meaningful life lie in our daily actions, so we’d like to help you make sure your actions are in tune with the vibe you want to put out into the world.  We think you’ll find this both simple and effective.  Try it out and let us know how it goes!

On College Freshmen & Loneliness

 

This week’s podcast is partially inspired by this article, written by one of my favorite writers Frank Bruni:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/02/opinion/sunday/college-freshman-mental-health.html?mcubz=0

Bruni makes some fantastic points in the article, so I decided to discuss a few of them while offering some advice to college freshmen who might be struggling with the transition as well as my thoughts on getting right into the mix to hopefully avoid potential growing pains altogether. Enjoy!

Undue Anxiety Quick Hit: On Weatherman Tom Skilling's Priceless Reaction To The Eclipse

I felt compelled to record an additional quick episode of UA this week to talk about Chicago weatherman Tom Skilling, and how he was so moved by the solar eclipse that he shed tears.  Tom's shameless display of emotion can teach us a lot about living life from a place of passion as well as the shifting nature of masculinity in today's world.  Enjoy!

On Navigating Transitions & Change

Julie & I just dropped off our son, George, back at college for his senior year, and it got inspired us to talk a little bit this week about periods of transition and change that we encounter throughout our lives, especially as parents as we watch our kids grow up and move to on to do all the great things they’re destined for.  While these times can be scary and uncertain, change is nothing to fear, so tune in to get our extended thoughts on the topic!

How To Have Your Best School Year Yet

Back To School time can sometimes be a harrowing period that where old anxieties re-surface and new ones form seemingly out of thin air.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  So in the spirit of undoing our undue anxiety, I’ve collected a list of thoughts on how you can have your happiest, healthiest school year yet.  This is the stuff I work with most commonly in the therapy room, so take a listen and then take action! Have a great school year!

Sean Griffin: On Strength, Health, Happiness and Finding Your Purpose

Sean Griffin is the owner of Chicago Primal Gym, and he’s here today to share some of his incredible insights on how to cultivate strength, health, and happiness.  Sean opened his gym back in 2013, and has managed to build an extremely tight-knit community of more than 250 members.  What interests me about Sean’s philosophies is that they tend to differ from the norm —  he describes the CPG experience as being like the TV show “Cheers,” except you’re in a gym instead of a bar!  Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Be sure to check out Sean’s gym on the web at www.chicagoprimal.com

Highlights of this episode include:

— Why Sean dropped out of corporate America 

— How he came to discover his path lie in helping people achieve fitness instead

— How he was highly influenced by books like “The Alchemist” and “The Untethered Soul”

— Some unconventional habits Sean has adopted for the gym such as friday gratitude circles

— What is unconditional positive regard, the importance of taking action, and much much more!

Steve Bartman Gets A World Series Ring!

We wanted to post an additional episode this week sharing our thoughts on the breaking news that Steve Bartman will be receiving a 2016 World Series Championship Ring from the Chicago Cubs!  Bartman was the subject of relentless public scrutiny after he accidentally tipped a foul ball in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, and we’re pleasantly surprised that his story has a great ending.  

In case you need to catch up to speed on the story: http://wgntv.com/2017/07/31/steve-bartman-to-receive-2016-chicago-cubs-world-series-championship-ring/

Matt: On Teen Marijuana & Alcohol Trends

Joining me on this week’s episode is Matt Quinn, Community Relations Coordinator at Rosecrance, a substance abuse treatment center with locations throughout Illinois.  Matt’s here to help me touch on a number of areas we haven’t really had an opportunity to discuss on the podcast just yet, mainly as it relates to marijuana and alcohol usage in teenagers. 

Topics we discuss include:

— Substance abuse trends that have surprised him.  What drugs has he seen decreases and increases in?

— His biggest concern about teens and young adults using marijuana

— Marijuana usage as it related to brain development in teens

— Can marijuana be a long-term healing solution overcome anxiety, or does it only have short-term benefits?

— Is Connection the opposite of Addiction?  An interesting theory you’ll want to tune into…