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We all know what it's like to be in the grip of fear. And while our intuition is to avoid the things we're afraid of, this can paradoxically make the problem worse. We recently talked with psychiatrist Arash Javanbakht about how we can cope with these intense feelings. This week, he returns to the show to respond to listeners’ questions about everything from spider-related fears to anxieties over air travel.

If you missed our original conversation with Arash Javanbakht, you can find it in this podcast feed. It's the episode called "Fear Less."

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that people wrote you off? Maybe a teacher suggested you weren't talented enough to take a certain class, or a boss implied that you didn't have the smarts needed to handle a big project. In the latest in our "Innovation 2.0 series," we talk with Mary Murphy, who studies what she calls "cultures of genius." We'll look at how these cultures can keep people and organizations from thriving, and how we can create environments that better foster our growth.

Why is it so hard to guess where we're meant to be? To predict where we'll end up? Nearly all of us have had the experience of traveling down one road, only to realize it's not the road for us. At the University of Virginia, Saras Sarasvathy uses the lens of entrepreneurship to study how we plan and prepare for the future. We kick off our new "Innovation 2.0" series by talking with Saras about how we pursue goals and make decisions.

If you're a parent or a teacher, you've probably wondered how to balance play and safety for the kids in your care. You don't want to put children in danger, but you also don't want to rob them of the joy of exploration. This week, we talk with psychologist Peter Gray about how this balance has changed — for parents and children alike — and what we can do about it.

Do you dread conversations with a relative or co-worker whose political views are different from your own? Psychologist Kurt Gray returns to the show to answer listener questions about how we can better connect with our political adversaries — whether they be a stranger, neighbor, family or friend.

If you missed our original conversation with Kurt Gray, you can find it in this podcast feed — it's the episode called "US 2.0: What We Have In Common." Or you can find it here on our website: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/us-2-0-what-we-have-in-common/

We've all had those days when all we want is a little treat. Maybe it's a bag of chips, an ice cream sundae or a glass of wine. But sometimes, these desires become all-consuming. This week on the show, psychiatrist Judson Brewer helps us understand the science of cravings, and how we should respond to them.