Mind Tricks Radio

Episode 33: Managing Health Anxiety and Panic Attacks, with Dr. Bonnie Zucker

Today I had a conversation with  Dr. Bonnie Zucker, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, about managing health anxiety and panic attacks. This is a timely topic as many mental health professionals have seen a huge increase in patients presenting with anxiety because of the pandemic.  Dr. Zucker discusses the phenomenology of panic attacks and health anxiety, and gives helpful suggestions on how people can address these issues and reduce their anxiety.

Currently, Dr. Zucker has a private practice in Los Angeles and trains other mental health clinicians in anxiety disorder treatment and prevention. She also writes articles on mental health for Psychology Today and for other outlets.

Episode 32: Teaching Children to Think for Themselves, with Dr. Marty Nemko

I had a lively conversation with Dr. Marty Nemko, a career and personal coach to over 6000 individuals.  The conversation was inspired by Dr. Nemko's Psychology Today blog post: Beware the Temptation to Indoctrinate your Children. Dr.  Nemko, who considers himself a "moderate," discussed how he sees the world becoming increasingly polarized along political, religious, and lifestyle-choice beliefs.  He cautions parents to avoid "indoctrinating" their children along polarized belief systems, but rather to encourage them to examine all angles of topics and decide for themselves what makes sense to them.

Dr. Nemko is the author of 13 books, with 250,000 copies sold, including Careers for Dummies, as well as 4,000 published articles which can be found in TIME, The Atlantic, the Washington Post. He’s written more than 1,800 in Psychology Today. 26 of his best articles are anthologized in The Best of Marty Nemko, 2021 edition. He teaches methods of inquiry to medical students at the University of California San Francisco. He was the one man in a one-man PBS-TV Fundraising Special, 8 Keys to a Better Worklife. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley with two specializations: educational psychology and evaluation of individuals and programs.

Episode 31: Men’s Fear of Women, with Dr. Avrum Weiss

Today I interviewed Dr. Avrum Weiss about his important and thought provoking, best-selling book, Hidden in Plain Sight: How Men's Fear of Women Shape Their Intimate Relationships. We discussed several ways in which men fear women, often stemming from socialized expectations of "what it means to be a man" and how these expectations are tested in intimate relationships.  Dr. Weiss explains that, not only do men actually desire more intimacy and emotional openness in their relationships, but that in many cases, the fears men face contribute to higher rates of mental and physical illnesses. 

Dr. Weiss is a regular contributor to the Psychology Today website and gives workshops nationally teaching men and women how to better understand each other.  He lives on an island off the coast of Maine, with his wife and dog. 

Episode 30: Calling Out Irrational Beliefs, with Dr. Denise Fournier

I enjoyed an upbeat conversation with Dr. Denise Fournier on Calling Out Irrational Beliefs. Dr. Fournier described how people develop maladaptive belief systems about themselves, others, and the world around them. These beliefs can cause people to suffer and impede them from taking risks and making changes in life. While many beliefs serve functional purposes earlier in life, they become "outdated" over time, with changes in a person's life circumstances and developmental stages.  Dr. Fournier discussed how we can notice the Self-Talk associated with maladaptive beliefs, and how to examine evidence and challenge these beliefs in our day to day lives.

Dr. Fournier, LMHC, is a psychotherapist, coach, facilitator, and adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University. Over the last 15 years, she's worked in numerous mental health settings, guiding several hundred people on their own unique growth journeys. Currently, Dr. Fournier owns and operates a private therapy practice, Evergreen Therapy, in Miami, FL. In addition to her work with clients, she also writes for Psychology Today and produces e-courses in the areas of mindfulness and mental health. Her work, as well as her writing, center on the Eastern traditions of Zen Buddhism and Taoism, which encourage a balanced, open, and accepting approach to life.  She writes a popular Blog series in Psychology Today.

Episode 29: Men’s Issues in Mental Health, with Dr. Robert Whitley

I enjoyed interviewing Dr. Robert Whitley, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, about Men's Issues in Mental Health. Dr. Whitley is the author of his recently released textbook, Men’s Issues and Men’s Mental Health. We talked about about some important concepts in Social Psychology such as Gender Stereotypes of Men and how these affect mental health outcomes and treatment; the Gender Empathy Gap; and Male Gender Blindness. We also talked about the importance of adult male role models in the development of boys. We also discussed unique challenges that men often face in the workplace and within social/family relationships and how these can impact mental health. Dr. Whitley writes a popular monthly blog for Psychology Today entitled ‘Talking About Men.’ 

Episode 28: Finding Meaning in Life, with Dr. Iddo Landau

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Israeli Philosopher, Dr. Iddo Landau on the topic of Finding Meaning in Life.  Dr. Landau discussed many keen and intriguing arguments from his popular and thought provoking book, Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World. He also discussed ways in which people can recognize what's valuable and meaningful within their own lives. 

Dr. Landau grew up and lived most of his life in Israel. He currently teaches philosophy at University of Haifa, where he focuses mostly on the philosophy of meaning in life, existentialism, and ethics. Dr. Landau also has worked for many years with terminally ill cancer patients under the auspices of the Israel Cancer Association. He is the author of Finding Meaning in an Imperfect World.

Episode 27: The Psychology of Leadership, with Dr. Ronald Riggio

I enjoyed an informative interview with Dr. Ronald Riggio, a Social/Personalty Psychologist and researcher at Claremont McKenna College who specializes in research on Leadership and Non-Verbal Behavior. Dr. Riggio talked about the psychology of leadership -- what makes a good leader, how a leader can develop his or her leadership skills, some behaviors of "bad" leaders, and the concept of good followership. Dr. Riggio is a prolific blogger on topics of psychology, and his writings can be found on the Psychology Today website: (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership).

I hope you enjoy the interview! Please be sure to like, review, and share this podcast episode -- it really helps in getting the word out about Mind Tricks Radio. Thank you!

Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. is the Henry R. Kravis Professor of Leadership and Organizational Psychology and former Director of the Kravis Leadership Institute at Claremont McKenna College and a Visiting Scholar at Churchill College, Cambridge University. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Santa Clara University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology from UC Riverside. Dr. Riggio is a leadership scholar with more than two dozen authored or edited books and more than 250 articles/book chapters.  He is part of the Fullerton Longitudinal Study, examining leadership development across the lifespan (from 1 year of age and through middle adulthood).  Besides research on leadership development, he has been actively involved in training young (and not so young) leaders. His website is: www.riggioleadership.org

Episode 26: Critical Thinking and Cognitive Biases, with Dr. Christopher Dwyer

I enjoyed a lively interview with Irish Cognitive/Social Psychologist, Dr. Christopher Dwyer about critical thinking and cognitive biases.  As a Clinical Psychologist, when working with my patients, I often examine irrational thoughts and how they affect the person’s perspective on what’s going on in their lives. Dr. Dwyer explained how people can easily tend toward cognitive biases that undermine critical thinking.  Dr. Dwyer gave examples of several common cognitive biases that affect thinking, and he explained how and why they represent an uncritical approach to one’s thinking process.

Dr. Christopher Dwyer is a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Health Sciences and Lecturer in the Center for Adult Learning and Professional Development at the National University of Ireland Galway. He is also the author of Critical Thinking: Conceptual Perspectives & Practical Guidelines, published by Cambridge University Press; and writes a blog for Psychology Today called Thoughts on Thinking, which covers the topic area of critical thinking.

Episode 25: Adult Personality and Childhood Attachment, with Dr. Hal Shorey

Today I interviewed Dr. Hal Shorey, a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in Attachment, adult personality development, and relationship dynamics.  Dr. Shorey helps people harness their personalities, maximize their personal and professional relationships, and reach their best possible life outcomes. He has published widely in scientific journals on applying personality theory to dealing with relationships, work, change and adversity. He has been interviewed and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the Philadelphia Enquirer, the Huffington Post, and NPR. He has a widely read blog on Psychology Today called “the Freedom to Change.”

Dr. Shorey is an Associate Professor in the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University outside of Philadelphia. He teaches Social Psychology, Leadership Development and Attachment Based Interventions. He also directs Organizational Development Services and led the development of Widener’s unique PsyD/MBA joint degree program that prepares doctoral level psychologists for careers as executive coaches and organizational consultants. Finally, he directs Widener’s Adult Psychotherapy Services.

Dr. Shorey earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas where he was a Self-Graduate Leadership Fellow. He completed his post-doctoral studies at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before moving to Pennsylvania and joining the faculty of Widener University in 2008.  

Episode 24: Anxiety in Achievers: Fear of Failure/Fear of Success, with Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris

I'm excited to announce Mind Tricks Radio, Episode 24: Anxiety in Achievers: Fear of Failure/Fear of Success, with Dr. Dimitrios Tsatiris.  Dr. Tsatiris specializes in the field of anxiety management. We had a lively and engaging discussion about anxiety related thinking and behavior among Achievers, and how Achievers often over-focus on fears of failure and fears of success. 

Dr. Tsatiris is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He studies and writes about the interface of anxiety and achievement. His Psychology Today blog “Anxiety in High-Achievers” is viewed by more than 20,000 readers per month. 

To read more of his work, you can follow him at dimitriostsatiris.com, on Twitter and Instagram @drdimitrios.