Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan: #1 Podcast for Inspiring Conversations to Live and Lead On Purpose

Dr. Dan Peters, Psychologist and Executive Leadership Coach
  • 4.8 (285)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan is your weekly dose of inspiration, purpose, and practical wisdom for living a life aligned with your true self. Hosted by renowned psychologist and executive coach Dr. Dan Peters, this podcast helps you break free from autopilot and step fully into the life you’re meant to live. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re living up to your potential—or how to navigate challenges with more resilience and clarity—this show is for you. Dr. Dan combines expert insights, powerful interviews, and real-life tools to help you deepen your self-awareness, strengthen your mindset, and make a positive impact. With decades of experience guiding individuals and leaders toward lasting transformation, Dr. Dan brings heart, humor, and honesty to every episode—so you walk away feeling motivated and equipped to make each day count. Tune in to new episodes every Thursday to unlock your potential, ignite your purpose, and—most of all—make it a great one. 

  1. 6D AGO

    Bad Bosses, Boundaries, and Burnout: What We Can Learn From Toxic Bosses with Mita Mallick

    Dr. Dan continues his Make It a Great One in 2026 kick-off by interviewing author and advocate Mita Mallick to explore the real impact that leadership has on mental health, identity, and workplace well-being. Drawing from her bestselling books Reimagine Inclusion and The Devil Emails at Midnight, Mita shares personal stories of toxic leadership, bullying, grief, and growth, while challenging leaders to confront their own behaviors with honesty and compassion. Together, Dr. Dan and Mita unpack why bad bosses aren’t born but made—and how self-awareness, empathy, and accountability can transform workplaces into environments where people feel seen, valued, and empowered to do their best work.  This episode invites listeners to reflect on the profound effect leaders have on mental health and well-being – and the importance of self-care, reflection, and emotional intelligence in all aspects of our lives. For more information visit www.mitamallick.com and follow @mita_mallick13 on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1 hr

  2. JAN 8

    From Enemies to Understanding: Healing Division Through Human Connection with Larry Rosen

    Welcome to 2026 and all new episodes of Make It a Great One!  Today, Dr. Dan sits down with Larry Rosen, creator of The Enemies Project, to explore why conflict has become so entrenched in our culture—and how genuine listening can begin to heal it. During his conversation with Dr. Dan, Larry shares his personal journey from law to mediation to ultimately creating a global project that brings people labeled as “enemies” into the same room for honest, day-long conversations. Drawing from psychology, neuroscience, and decades of experience working with people in deep conflict, Larry Rosen explains why arguments fail, empathy shuts down under threat, and how understanding—not persuasion—is the fastest path to transformation. Together, Dr. Dan and Larry unpack the mechanisms behind polarization, the role of fear and perceived threat, and how “enemy-making” erodes our ability to cooperate as families, communities, and societies. Through stories from The Enemies Project, they reveal how people with radically opposing views often share the same core motivations: safety, belonging, love, and meaning. This episode is a compelling exploration of leadership, courage, compassion, and what it truly means to really see the humanity in others—even when it feels impossible. As a new year unfolds, Dr. Dan and Larry encourage listeners to reflect on this episode and these words from The Enemies Project: “We bring people together—not to debate, but to come face-to-face. Not to argue, but to understand. Not to compromise their values—but to reclaim something deeper: the capacity to recognize each other as fellow citizens, fellow humans, insightful, valuable, real.” For more information www.enemiesproject.org visit @theenemiesproject on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan #Purpose #Growth #SelfAwareness #Inspiration #Resilience #Courage #Mindset #Leadership #Compassion #Connection #Authenticity #Empathy #Wellness #ConflictResolution #HumanConnection #TheEnemiesProject #MakeItAGreatOne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 11m

  3. 12/18/2025

    The Secret Language of Your Body: Self-Awareness, Resilience and the Path to Authentic Healing with Inna Segal

    In this inspiring and illuminating conversation, Dr. Dan sits down with Inna Segal, bestselling author of The Secret Language of Your Body, to explore how pain, trauma, and emotional overwhelm can become powerful gateways to healing, self-awareness, and inner freedom. Inna shares her extraordinary personal journey from debilitating chronic illness and profound grief to discovering her intuitive healing abilities — and dedicating her life to helping others reconnect with the wisdom of their bodies. Dr. Dan and Inna break down why the body is never the enemy, how slowing down is the first essential step toward wellness, and why meaningful healing requires curiosity, courage, compassion, and patience. Inna explains how unresolved childhood wounds, ancestral trauma, and unprocessed emotions can shape our physical and emotional experiences — and how simple daily practices can begin to restore balance, empowerment, and alignment. Listeners will learn how to tune into the body’s signals, use breath and attention to shift internal states, embrace personal growth without overwhelming themselves, and understand healing as a lifelong journey toward authenticity, connection, and wholeness. If you’re seeking hope, clarity, or a renewed sense of purpose along your wellness path, this episode offers profound insights and practical tools to help you begin or continue your transformation. For more information, visit innasegal.com and follow @innasegalauthor on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 22m

  4. 12/11/2025

    Becoming Better: How Vertical Development Transforms Leadership, Purpose, and Personal Growth with Dr. Ryan Gottfredson

    Dr. Dan sits down with leadership researcher, author, and mindset expert Dr. Ryan Gottfredson to explore what it truly means to become better—better leaders, parents, partners, and human beings. Drawing from his groundbreaking work on vertical development, Ryan reveals why most of us are overdeveloped in “doing” and underdeveloped in “being,” and how this imbalance limits our growth, purpose, and connection in every part of life.  During this powerful and deeply human conversation with Dr. Dan, Ryan shares personal stories of emotional neglect, independence, healing, and the courageous work of rewriting one’s internal operating system. Dr. Ryan and Dr. Dan dive into the profound relationship between self-awareness, compassion, resilience, and authentic leadership and why healing isn’t a soft concept, but a neurological upgrade that changes how we respond to stress, relationships, and opportunity. Listeners will learn the difference between horizontal development (knowledge, skills, and doing) and vertical development (mindsets, presence, and being), and why the most effective leaders elevate through intentional inner work.  This episode is for anyone seeking deeper purpose, greater self-awareness, healthier relationships, and a more grounded, empowered approach to leadership. Whether you’re guiding a team, raising a family, or navigating your own personal evolution, today’s episode offers inspiration, clarity, and transformative possibility. Take Ryan’s free assessments, explore his books (including Becoming Better), and access additional tools at. For more information, visit ryangottfredson.com and follow @ryangottfredson  on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 9m

  5. 12/04/2025

    Purpose, Growth, and Authentic Leadership: Embrace Your Ripple Effect with Dr. Lauren Speeth

    Dr. Dan welcomes Dr. Lauren Speeth—award-winning author, educator, storyteller, and global changemaker—for a powerful conversation about purpose, resilience, and the courage to live an authentic, hope-filled life. Drawing from her new book Taking the Stairs and Liking It, Lauren shares the seven transformative principles that shaped her remarkable journey, including wisdom passed on directly from President Jimmy Carter. In this inspiring and deeply human episode, Lauren opens up about shaping her identity beyond titles, navigating loss and reinvention, and discovering her unique path to service and leadership. Dr. Speeth and Dr. Dan explore what it means to show up with compassion, to cultivate self-awareness, and to take purposeful steps toward the person you want to become—especially when life feels overwhelming. Listeners will hear stories about music, creativity, Lauren’s formative childhood experiences, the profound power of small acts of kindness, and how each of us has the ability to uplift others through our presence. This conversation is a reminder that we all have a ripple effect—and that the world needs the unique strengths only you can bring. This episode will inspire you to pause, reflect, reconnect, and remember – your presence matters more than you know. For more information, visit https://bgu.edu/dr-lauren-speeth and follow @elfenworksproductions on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    59 min

  6. 11/20/2025

    Facing Fear, Finding Purpose: Empowerment, Authenticity, and Wholeness with Courtney Smith

    Dr. Dan interviews coach, Enneagram teacher, and author Courtney Smith to explore how we grow, evolve, and reclaim our most authentic selves. Courtney shares the transformational journey that took her from a high-achieving, analytical career to helping leaders and individuals uncover the stories, fears, and inner patterns that shape their lives. Together, they dive into themes of self-awareness, purpose, empowerment, courage, compassion, and authentic leadership, revealing how we can all step out of our “zone of greatness” and into our true zone of genius. Drawing from Courtney’s work with the Enneagram, Conscious Leadership tools, and her new workbook Choosing Wholeness Over Goodness: A Process for Reclaiming Your Full Self By Elise Loehnen and Courtney Smith, this episode breaks down how old stories and inherited beliefs keep us stuck — and how understanding fear, rewriting narratives, and naming our “parts” can create profound personal growth. This episode is an invitation to slow down, tune inward, and step courageously into a more authentic and connected version of yourself. It’s for leaders, caregivers, creators, and anyone committed to personal evolution and meaningful impact. For more information, visit CourtneySmithConsulting.com and follow Courtney Smith on Substack. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 11m

  7. 11/13/2025

    Creativity, Healing, and Connection: Self-Discovery Through Adversity and Art with John Guillemette

    Artist and writer John Guillemette joins Dr. Dan for a moving conversation about paradox, purpose, and the transformative power of creativity. From being misdiagnosed and over-medicated to rediscovering balance and meaning as a hospital janitor during the pandemic, John’s story reveals how struggle can become the source of wisdom. Together, John and Dr. Dan explore the courage it takes to live authentically, the importance of self-discovery through art, and the beauty of collaboration that honors our shared humanity. They discuss John’s acclaimed illustration work with repeat MIAGO guest Dr. Gina Barreca on Gina School: It’s Not What They Teach You, It’s What They Learn, and his upcoming illustrated memoir Relapse of a Recovering Ego Addict. This episode is a meditation on growth, resilience, and what it means to “make it a great one” — even when life feels messy, strange, or contradictory. For more information, visit musingjohn.com and follow @musing_john on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan #MakeItAGreatOne #DrDanPeters #JohnGuillemette #Creativity #Resilience #Authenticity #Mindset #Growth #SelfAwareness #ArtAndHealing #Leadership #Connection #Courage #Inspiration #Humanity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 15m

  8. 11/06/2025

    Power, Healing, and Hype Women: Remember Who the F*ck You Are with Erin Gallagher

    In this powerful and honest conversation, Dr. Dan Peters talks with Erin Gallagher–CEO, author, and founder of the Hype Women movement—about what it truly means to remember who you are and break free from systems, expectations, and internalized beliefs that keep us small. Erin shares her journey of trauma, transformation, triumph, and how she turned a viral moment into a global movement with Dr. Dan, highlighting as her journey from pain into purpose and self-doubt into empowerment. Together, she and Dr. Dan explore how women (and everyone) can challenge patriarchal conditioning, set boundaries without guilt, embrace duality, and step into their full, authentic selves. This episode is about courage, self-awareness, and the radical act of hyping others up as we rise together. Erin reminds us that empowerment starts with asking, “Is it still working?”—and having the bravery to make a different choice when it’s not. For more information, visit www.hypewomen.com and follow on Instagram @erin.gallag.her on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    1h 12m
See All (372)

Trailers

Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
285 Ratings

About

Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan is your weekly dose of inspiration, purpose, and practical wisdom for living a life aligned with your true self. Hosted by renowned psychologist and executive coach Dr. Dan Peters, this podcast helps you break free from autopilot and step fully into the life you’re meant to live. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re living up to your potential—or how to navigate challenges with more resilience and clarity—this show is for you. Dr. Dan combines expert insights, powerful interviews, and real-life tools to help you deepen your self-awareness, strengthen your mindset, and make a positive impact. With decades of experience guiding individuals and leaders toward lasting transformation, Dr. Dan brings heart, humor, and honesty to every episode—so you walk away feeling motivated and equipped to make each day count. Tune in to new episodes every Thursday to unlock your potential, ignite your purpose, and—most of all—make it a great one. 

Information

You Might Also Like