225 episodes

The Think Act Be podcast features conversations about finding happiness, peace, and connection. Each week your host, psychologist Seth Gillihan, talks with his guests about effective ways to face life’s challenges: What thoughts serve us well? What actions promote well-being? How can we practice mindful presence? Guests from a wide range of backgrounds share their expertise on ways to nourish our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Think Act Be Podcast Seth J. Gillihan

    • Health & Fitness
    • 4.8 • 122 Ratings

The Think Act Be podcast features conversations about finding happiness, peace, and connection. Each week your host, psychologist Seth Gillihan, talks with his guests about effective ways to face life’s challenges: What thoughts serve us well? What actions promote well-being? How can we practice mindful presence? Guests from a wide range of backgrounds share their expertise on ways to nourish our minds, bodies, and spirits.

    Nick Davies — Midlife 3. Waking Up to the Life That Wants to Be Lived Through You

    Nick Davies — Midlife 3. Waking Up to the Life That Wants to Be Lived Through You

    My guest this week is Nick Davies, back for his third time on the podcast. This time we focused on issues related to midlife, as this is part 3 of our series on that topic.
    Things we discussed included:
    Nick’s personal backstory and his decision to make a big change in his mid-thirties Asking the right questions that can lead us to fulfillment The danger of “normality” that doesn’t serve us well Waiting for life to open up for you vs. creating the life you want Unhelpful beliefs that can lead us to take a passive role in our own lives Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Setting up your environment in a way that helps you flourish (e.g. life-giving relationships) Knowing when to change ourselves vs. changing the situation Returning to my clinical practice with a different mindset Nick Davies is a Tony Robbins-trained coach with over 20 years of experience in the corporate world.
    Nick’s sweet spot for delivering value is working with high achieving financial advisors who want to add zero’s to their business but aren’t willing to sacrifice their health or time with family,
    Growing up in England, living across 3 continents and 5 locations, Nick takes the lessons from his extensive exposure to people and business, and applies them to his life and his clients.
    His focus is to get to the heart of what people really want. Nick believes most of us leave our personal and business potential on the table and settle – and is on a mission to relieve the suffering that can bring. With over 3500 hours of coaching and counting, Nick has worked with many different types of people and businesses to create massive awareness and abundance in those areas.
    He believes in holding high standards for himself and his clients. That means a focus on results, but also a focus on compassion.
    Find Nick online at LinkedIn.

    • 38 min
    Dr. Kieran Setiya — Midlife 2. How to Think More Clearly About What Life Can and Can't Offer

    Dr. Kieran Setiya — Midlife 2. How to Think More Clearly About What Life Can and Can't Offer

    My guest this week is Dr. Kieran Setiya, a philosophy professor at MIT and author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide (affiliate link).
    Topics we discussed included:
    The extent to which midlife is a time of crisis Elliott Jaques’s coining of the term “midlife crisis” in 1965 Data showing that life satisfaction is U-shaped, with a low in middle age Common significant challenges in midlife Past, Present, and Future The feeling of having missed out on other possible lives The tremendous loss we would experience if missing out were not possible The power of philosophy in the self-help space The poetic quality of Kieran’s writing and its likely origins The overvaluing of having options for their own sake, even if it costs us in absolute satisfaction Value beyond removing problems and suffering A vision of life beyond striving for “neutral” The tension between feeling like what we do matters, and yet life feels completely pointless The profundity of hobbies as gratuitous activities that aren’t aimed at solving problems What my guest has found is worth doing beyond addressing unmet needs The distinction between telic (project) and atelic (process) activities The societal pressure and value to be project-focused Why we’re bothered by our nonexistence after death much more than our nonexistence before birth Understanding what it would really mean to be immortal How the arc of a life is different from a movie or a book Kieran Setiya, PhD, is professor and philosophy section head at MIT.
    He works mainly in ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of mind.
    Kieran’s other books include Practical Knowledge, Reasons without Rationalism, Knowing Right from Wrong, and Life Is Hard, which was named one of the best books of 2022 by the Economist and the New Yorker.
    Kieran has also written about stand-up comedy, HP Lovecraft, baseball, free will, and the meaning of life.
    Find Kieran online at his website and on Substack.

    • 55 min
    Dr. James Hollis — Midlife 1. Discovering What the Gods Are Asking of You in Midlife

    Dr. James Hollis — Midlife 1. Discovering What the Gods Are Asking of You in Midlife

    My guest this week is Dr. James Hollis, a therapist and author of many books, including Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up (affiliate link).
    Topics we discussed included:
    Common struggles one tends to experience in midlife The part of our psyche (soul) that knows us better than we know ourselves The agenda of the first and second halves of an average-length life Why certain issues tend to arise at midlife and not sooner The Buddha’s experiences before and after enlightenment Missing out on the opportunity to find a different solution to unaddressed problems Asking metaphorically what the gods intend through us Living in harmony with our inevitable mortality The Self working to overthrow the ego Asking what the symptoms we’re having are pointing to or asking of us Depression as a reorienting of energies when we’re at odds with ourselves Why popular culture ideas about intimate relationships tend to lead to unhappiness The contrasting realities of “being in love with” and loving another person What it means to leave one’s family of origin for the second time The projection that is part of the origin of any relationship The growth that often comes through challenges and pain The cost to ourselves and our loved ones of denying our calling Aligning vocation with one’s work life How to successfully navigate the challenges of midlife James Hollis, PhD, is a Jungian analyst based in Washington, DC.
    He is the author of many books, including his latest, A Life of Meaning (affiliate link).
    Find Jim online at his website.

    • 56 min
    Dr. Joel Minden — Therapy 4. How Men Can Get the Most Out of Psychotherapy

    Dr. Joel Minden — Therapy 4. How Men Can Get the Most Out of Psychotherapy

    My guest this week is Dr. Joel Minden, a clinical psychologist, therapist, author of Show Your Anxiety Who’s Boss (affiliate link), and frequent guest on the podcast. This conversation focused on men in therapy.
    Topics we discussed included:
    The extent to which men tend to be interested in and open to psychotherapy Fears that men might bring to therapy The significant overlap in the issues men and women deal with and what brings them to therapy The challenge of dealing effectively with anger More frequent externalizing disorders among men, e.g., substance use, aggression Gender differences in suicide attempts and death by suicide Male/female differences in therapy based on roles, e.g., mom vs. dad, husband vs. wife Variability among men or women compared to average differences between men and women Changes over time in men’s attitudes toward and participation in therapy Trying to suppress strong or difficult emotions Deflecting the thread of a discussion when running into difficult material The idea of reclaiming an “alpha” masculinity Confusion and uncertainty about what it means to be a male in our society The benefit of normalization in therapy and in life Joel Minden, PhD, is a clinical psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and related disorders.
    He is the author of Show Your Anxiety Who’s Boss (affiliate link), founder of the Chico Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, diplomate of The Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at California State University, Chico.
    Find Joel online at his website and read his blog on Psychology Today.

    • 41 min
    Dr. Michelle Drapkin — Therapy 3. How to Overcome Common Barriers to Behavior Change

    Dr. Michelle Drapkin — Therapy 3. How to Overcome Common Barriers to Behavior Change

    My guest this week is Dr. Michelle Drapkin, a clinical psychologist, therapist, and author of an excellent new workbook called The Motivational Interviewing Path to Personal Change: The Essential Workbook for Creating the Life You Want (affiliate link).
    Topics we discussed included:
    What motivational interviewing (MI) is and why the name is misleading Ambivalence toward change and how it’s addressed with MI Living our values in the midst of our ambivalence Finding different and more productive avenues to pursue our values Prochaska and DiClemente and the Stages of Change model Pre-contemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance Why change is not a completely linear process How much of our behavior is conscious and intentional vs. automatic Realizing that it’s normal for the mind to think of off-the-wall things The meaning (or meaninglessness) of dreams The book The Alchemist What led Michelle to adapt MI for a self-help workbook The practice of “rolling with resistance,” now renamed “dancing with discord” Encouraging change talk vs. trying to convince someone they have to change Michelle Drapkin, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified psychologist who owns and operates the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center, and has worked in behavioral science for over 20 years.
    She has held various roles as a behavioral scientist in industry, including leading the development and deployment of behavior change interventions at Johnson & Johnson.
    Michelle was a national motivational interviewing (MI) trainer at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and was on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.
    She completed her PhD in clinical psychology from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and joined the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) in 2008. She has trained thousands of health care professionals and industry leaders in MI.
    Find Michelle online at her website and on LinkedIn.

    • 44 min
    Dr. Regine Galanti — Therapy 2. How Anxious Parents Can Help Their Anxious Kids

    Dr. Regine Galanti — Therapy 2. How Anxious Parents Can Help Their Anxious Kids

    My guest this week is Dr. Regine Galanti, a licensed psychologist and author of the amazing new book, Parenting Anxious Kids: Understanding Anxiety in Children by Age and Stage (affiliate link). It was Regine’s second time on the podcast and we had another great conversation.
    Topics we discussed included:
    Regine’s fantastic new book Less-frequently recognized signs of anxiety in young kids Why anxious parents often have anxious kids The online information for parents that often makes kids’ anxiety worse The issues my guest takes with “gentle parenting” The negative effects on kids of missing school due to anxiety Parents’ concerns about how the way they respond to their child’s anxiety will hurt their relationship Building the relationship with a child outside of the “anxiety zone” The shortcomings of so-called “tough love” when it comes from anger or fear The challenges when a parent of an anxious child isn’t ready to face their own fears All-or-nothing approaches to responding to a child’s anxiety The opportunities that kids offer in terms of parents’ growth Ways that a parent-child relationship can grow by working through hard things together Regine Galanti, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who focuses on helping kids and teens with anxiety. She specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and has expertise in treating OCD, anxiety, parenting, and behavioral problems.
    She’s the founder of Long Island Behavioral Psychology, where she brings warmth, sensitivity, and a problem solving approach to her practice.  Regine specializes in effective short-term treatments that work for anxiety and related disorders, including exposure therapy.
    She lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and three daughters.  She’s quick to acknowledge that they all get anxious sometimes, and that’s okay.
    In addition to this new book, she’s also the author of Anxiety Relief for Teens and When Harley Has Anxiety.
    Find Regine online at her website and on Twitter and Instagram.

    • 35 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
122 Ratings

122 Ratings

Coach-ND ,

Think Act Be - listen!

Seth has a fantastic way of creating calm in his interviews whilst getting deep every time. Powerful.

Whrifnrjkd ,

Wonderful insightful podcast

Love the thoughtful insights Seth and his guests share. He knows just how to ask the questions that are on our minds without losing my attention. The format and length are perfect to binge!

J-Sto14 ,

Terrific psychology podcast

Seth is a really thoughtful interviewer. If you like psychology you’ll love Think Act Be.

Top Podcasts In Health & Fitness

Huberman Lab
Scicomm Media
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes
ZOE Science & Nutrition
ZOE
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
iHeartPodcasts
Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep
iHeartPodcasts
Passion Struck with John R. Miles
John R. Miles

You Might Also Like

The One You Feed
iHeartPodcasts
Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson
Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris
Ten Percent Happier
Untangle
Untangle
Psychologists Off the Clock
Debbie Sorensen, Jill Stoddard, Michael Herold, & Emily Edlynn
Good Life Project
Jonathan Fields / Acast