Slo Mo: A Podcast with Mo Gawdat Mo Gawdat

Our guest today is Doctor of Psychology, Author, and Speaker Angela Ahola.

Dr. Ahola specializes in human behavior and the primary forces that drive human psychology. She is a sought-after keynote speaker, interviewee, and author of educational self-improvement books.

She has worked with everyone from corporate leaders to academics and police officers, and is the author of 100 Dates, Dina dolda drivkrafter ("Your Hidden Motives") and Konsten att göra intryck ("The Art of Making an Impression').

Today we speak about first impressions, power and influence, the art of meaningful communication, dating and relationships, the secrets of happiness, and the mysteries of love. 

Listen as we discuss: 
One wild experiment to help you understand What DATING is Be happy being single How many matches does it take to get a date? Keeping an open mind The mathematics of dating How to improve your dating profile? What to look for in a man’s profile?Do dating apps work? When to say “no” to a second dateChemistry and attraction The 3 types of dates you will run intoWhat the title of Angela’s book should mean for the listeners Connect with Angela Ahola on Instagram @angelaahola and learn more about her work at https://angelaahola.com/en/ 
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Today we are revisiting another great conversation, continuing our Love and Relationships series.

Listen in as Michaela Boehm and I continue to discuss one of my absolute favorite topics: relationships. Michaela has given Slo Mo one of my favorite takes yet on the perpetually interesting and controversial topic of human sexuality and intimacy. (See my interviews with Dr. Robert Glover, Alain de Botton, and Kasia Urbaniak for some other fascinating takes).

Michaela travels and teaches internationally as an expert in intimacy, relationship and sexuality. Her unique body of work centers around the intersection of intimacy and embodiment. With over 30,000 hours of in-person counseling, clinical experience in trauma and addiction and innovative somatic approach, her work with celebrities (Will Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc.) has been featured in international print publications, TV programs and online talk shows.

Most recently her approach has been featured on the Netflix Series [UN] WELL, which is how I first saw her and decided I had to reach out. Michaela is the creator of The Non-Linear Movement Method, and her book The Wild Woman’s Way  was published in 2018.

Listen as we discuss:
What is intimacy?The meaning of embodiment, the ability to hear and feel the messages of the bodyHow intimacy with yourself is the fundamental step before intimacy with othersIs it normal to lose the spark in your relationship? Yes, and here's why.Caution: Attend to the issues in a relationship before it's too late. They're fixable.Erotic friction vs. Relationship , the clash between familiarity and newnessA relationship problem is when you're not agreeing, not alignedAn attraction problem is the result of too much familiarity, too aligned."I married my best friend, but we no longer have sex."The biological, emotional, and spiritual layers of human relationships.How to rekindle the spark and introduce variety into your relationship.Do women really like men in uniforms? (And why?)The importance of being honest about the compromises you make in a relationship.Learn new sexual skills! Sex-Life BalanceConnect with Michaela Boehm on Instagram @micboehm77, on Facebook @boehm.michaela, and her website, michaelaboehm.com
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Continuing our love and relationships series, we revisit my chat with the incredible Alain de Botton. 

One of the most listened episodes on Slo Mo, I and the British-Swiss philosopher, Alain de Botton, dive deep into one of my favorite topics: Love.

Alain de Botton is a philosopher and writer of essayistic books that have been described as a "philosophy of everyday life." He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries and have sold millions of copies. Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. His latest book, published in September 2019, is a collection of essays written for The School of Life, titled The School of Life: An Emotional Education.

I love talking about love, just as much as I'm happy to discuss happiness. Alain's body and scope of work is so vast, I decided to focus this conversation entirely on love, sex, and relationships. I'm so glad I did.

We will revisit:
What is love? Alain's definition of love: 'when two people meet in their raw condition.'How the opposite extreme of love is Loneliness, not Hatred.How Life is a desperate emergency, and if we can just admit that, things open up.Why Christianity gives a privileged role to those who sufferOne of the most honest takes on sex you'll ever hearHow we're always trying to get our life as close as possible to our true realityIf we're all imperfect, doesn't that make imperfection perfect?How we've replaced happiness with "fun" just as we've replaced love with "romance"The contradictions in love and how they're only glaring because they violate a script or story we expect from our relationshipHow we shouldn't be held accountable for what we feel, but rather the actions we take based on those feelings.Reinterpreting the typical disaster scenario in a relationship when one partner cheats on another.Humanity's transition from demonizing sex to trying to understand itThe differences (or lack thereof) between male and female in love and sexSexual fetishes and their unique place in couple connectionsUndertakers and nurses as beacons of acceptanceThe game of life is trying to find connectionsThe ironic outcome of jealousy's intentionsHow to keep your partner faithfulAlain's love advice to my daughterCoping with the feeling of being rushed into marriage as a womanWhat "God is love" really meansSeeing your partner as an Adorable Idiot rather than just a regular idiotConnect with Alain de Botton on Twitter @alaindebotton and alaindebotton.com
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Continuing our love and relationships series, we revisit my chat with the wonderful Dr. Jed Diamond.

Jed is the founder and director of MenAlive, a health program that helps men, and the women who love them, to live fully, love deeply, and make a positive difference in the world. He is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of gender-specific medicine, men’s health, and trauma recovery. His training programs on The 5 Stages of Love have been taken by men and women throughout the world.

Jed has written 16 books, including international best-sellers Male Menopause, Surviving Male Menopause, The Warrior’s Journey Home: Healing Men, Healing the Planet, and The Irritable Male Syndrome. His most recent books are 12 Rules for Good Men and Survive and Thrive in the Post-COVID World.

I'm so grateful to Jed, who has written multiple articles featuring some of my work alongside his own brilliant work and writing. I was so excited to get a chance to chat with him, and I'm certain this will be an eye-opener for you.

Listen as we discuss:
A dive into Jed's past and how he found his creative side.Why he committed his life to understanding the world of men and women.Why do men often become angry and irritable?What is Male Menopause and Irritable Male Syndrome?Our past marriages and the importance of knowing the 5 stages of love.Why disillusionment is a precursor to real, lasting love.Understanding the ancient reality of the male and female division.Breaking out of the "man box" and the 12 rules for good men.Jed's one core piece of advice for men.Connect with Dr. Jed Diamond on Facebook @dr.jed.diamond, Twitter @menalivenow, and his website, menalive.com
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Continuing our Love and Relationships series, we've decided to revisit a few of our favorite past episodes on the subject.

Today we revisit my talk with Kasia Urbaniak, the founder and CEO of The Academy, a school that teaches women the foundations of power and influence. Kasia's perspective on power is unique. Over the course of nearly 20 years, she has worked as a professional Dominatrix, practiced Taoist alchemy in one of the oldest female-led monasteries in China and obtained dozens of certifications in different disciplines, including Medical Qi Gong and Systemic Constellations. Since founding The Academy in 2013, Kasia has taught hundreds of women practical tools to step into leadership positions in their relationships, families, workplaces, and wider communities. She is the author of UNBOUND: A Woman's Guide to Power,  released in March 2021.

Listen as we discuss:
Kasia's seriously incredible storyBeing a dominatrix, where you'll learn more about the art than you ever thought existedHow she went to teach other dominatrices her methodBein born into a world that made no sense to herThe reason she become a dominatrix: earn money to pursue spiritual journeyThe difference between "performing power" vs. leading from a place of carePower dynamics, and how we find them everywhere, and how that's not a bad thingHow men don't know how to make women happy, and women stay silent and angry about itGood girl conditioning, and how to reform itReacting to life with attention in vs. attention outCuriosity is one of the best ways to get through conflict and come out with goldMy experiences working at Google with female leadersKasia's belief that if she teaches women well, they'll teach the men"Women in a Meeting Syndrome"How women struggle with asking because they fear being bossy or needyThe belief that needing things is badHow can men empower women? Why women should keep an invisible labor log"Where there is no awareness there is no choice"Train women to love the word "no"People don't say no to be jerks, they say it because it threatens something importantResistance is precious!Imagining the first woman ever who asked for maternity leave!How a complaint always has a desireKasia's upcoming book, UnboundGood Girl Reformed School: a seat in the class for anyone who pre-orders the bookWe need more levity!Connect with Kasia Urbaniak on Instagram @realkasiaurbaniak, on Facebook @therealkasiaurbaniak, and kasiaurbaniak.com
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy

Continuing our Love and Relationships series, we've decided to revisit a few of our favorite past episodes on the subject.

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Robert Glover, author of the brilliant, often life-altering, and slightly controversial bestselling classic, No More Mr. Nice Guy.  It may not sound like the kind of book I'd have read, but it is a little piece of self-help magic and has helped countless people recognize their own "Nice Guy Syndrome": the trait of hiding feelings and truths that we fear will get a negative reaction from other people so as to maintain the belief that we are "nice", leading to a host of toxic relationships and fundamentally dishonest behaviors.

Robert is an internationally recognized authority on the Nice Guy Syndrome, and through his book, classes, and therapy groups, he has helped thousands of Nice Guys transform from being passive, resentful victims to empowered, integrated males, transforming their professional careers and intimate relationships along the way.

Before we get started, I implore you as always to stay open minded for this conversation. The concepts, though admittedly slanted toward men due to the focus of Robert's work, certainly apply to women as well, and to all sexualities.

Listen as we discuss:
What is wrong with being a nice guy?How 'nice guys' are often dishonest, resentful, and give to get.How Robert's second marriage was falling apart despite his best efforts.The "Victim Pukes"The confused belief that if sex is bad and evil, why should it only be for the one you love?The three covert contracts that lead to toxic relationshipsThe reason men become nice guys is due to desiring the validation of womenThe crucial need for a stronger involvement of fathers in their sons' livesNice guy logic: "If I have needs, I'm bad, yet I want things, but I won't accept them."For women to experience sexual attraction, they need to experience emotional tension."If a man can't stand up to me, how can he stand up for me?"The effect of 50 Shades of Grey on society.Human women are the most sexually evolved creatures on the planet. Men are basically apes.Co-dependency: "I don't exist unless I'm in a relationship"Healthy interdependence The 'hugging until relaxed' exerciseCalm is contagiousYou can want your partner, but as soon as you start needing them, you lose themTo have the best sex, there needs to be an interplay of dominance and submissionEqual does not mean the sameUsing men's motivation to have sex to expand their emotional intelligenceThe struggle between man vs. woman as a profound catalyst for growthThe lingering effect of not having our childhood needs meetWomen are  sexual Ferraris and men are sexual mopeds"Slut shaming"The Disney and Hollywood effect on women's perception of monogamyRepressing female sexuality has become par for the courseMen need a tribeConnect with Dr. Robert Glover on  Facebook @drrobertglover, Twitter
YouTube: @mogawdatofficial
Instagram: @mo_gawdat
Facebook: @mo.gawdat.official
LinkedIn: /in/mogawdat
X: @mgawdat
Website: mogawdat.com

Don't forget to subscribe to Slo Mo for new episodes every Saturday. Only with your help can we reach One Billion Happy #onebillionhappy