Untangle Untangle

Dr. Alex Auerbach is a Sports Psychologist and Director of Wellness and Development for the basketball team, Toronto Raptors. Before working with the Raptors, he was the Director of Clinical and Sports Psychology for the University of Arizona. He’s a huge fan of Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy —also called ACT — for optimizing both the performance and mental health of athletes. He works with athletes on self-awareness, and emotional regulation and helps them understand and even name and ground their often difficult feelings. Mindfulness is a core pillar in all his work.
He shares some of the great research that’s been done suggesting that mindfulness can lead to optimal performance and, possibly, to the all-important flow state. There are so many stressors in the life of a professional athlete — and these tools are a great way to help manage stress and tension as well as being more resilient to the ups and downs that are a natural part of life.
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In todays encore episode, join Muse co-founder Ariel Garten as she interviews Jim Kwik is a celebrity brain trainer who teaches tools and techniques to optimize your brain to learn and remember. Jim works with Elon Musk, Jim Carrey, and Richard Branson--among many others! He shares his brain-enhancing learning and memory techniques with Ariel and with all of us.
As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential and revolutionizing health AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Check out all the free meditations at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. 

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This was such a fun interview — our guest today is Dr. Robert Waldinger, a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, a practicing Psychiatrist, Zen Master and author of the book The Good Life, Lessons from the Worlds Longest Scientific Study on Happiness. This study, which began in 1938, reveals what it takes to build a good life. What does that exactly mean, I wondered…fulfilling, satisfying, meaningful, happy? All of it. There's no one size fits all. BUT…the one thing that was consistent? Relationships. All kinds of relationships. The quality of the social connections that we make throughout our lives means everything. He says…Human connection is our superpower. Good relationships help us get through life’s inevitable challenges, and they keep us happier and healthier. and the research shows that they actually help us to live longer. Robert reminds us that we should pay attention to the things that we really care about…the things and people that energize us. AND pay attention to the things and people that deplete us. He shares the keystones of healthy relationships — things like safety security, emotional closeness, fun and relaxation, learning and growth…and there’s more. 
Resources: The Good Life is available at all major booksellers.
Robertwaldinger.com
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Today's encore episode is with the lovely Daphne Rose Kingma, best selling author of 12 books, primarily on love and relationships. Her books have sold more than a million and a half copies and been translated into 16 languages. The San Francisco Chronicle called her the love doctor. In this episode, I was excited to ask her my many questions on love and relationships, but I also asked several from our listeners who shared them with me before the interview. Here’s a preview of some of the questions she answered…. What are the biggest challenges people have in relationship? How would you define falling in love or even just love? Does marriage require a leap of faith or is it a choice or what? Why do some relationships work and to others not so much. I truly believe that loving others is one of the greatest gifts we have and relationships are a mirror into what we each need to learn in our own lives. But as Daphne clearly said…relationships are not for sissies. 
Resource: Daphnerosekingma.com
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Today we’re doing a special episode of Untangle to celebrate — and explore — the many ways we look at LOVE. I wanted to explore this topic because it’s a word that holds so much meaning for so many of us. And yet, it can be defined in many many different ways as you’ll hear today. For some it guides how we live our lives, how we make our choices. For some it’s something we fall in — as in falling IN love when we meet someone we want to be with. Some say, it’s an energy— you just feel it, it can’t be explained. Others describe it as a feeling of intimacy or desire or even as a deep sense of empathy. One guest said it’s not a feeling…it’s an ability. 
In this episode I ask a number of our former Untangle guests two questions. How do you define love AND How does love express itself in your life. I found these questions difficult to answer myself…so was curious what we’d find. I’m beginning to accept the fact that we all see things a little or perhaps a lot differently. And that is just fine. 
In our mini episode, you’ll hear perspectives from zen monks, leadership experts, authors, buddhist teachers, entrepreneurs, therapists and an expert on love. 
Some of the words that came up reflected the many forms of love…Romantic, friendship, family, self, nature, energy. 
Other Words emerged too…commitment, trust, passion, intimacy. Desire, acceptance, empathy. 
But we don’t need to solve this, of course. Just listen. Perhaps be inspired or consider your own definition… And enjoy because...
Love is just love. And, as one of our guests says, every day and every act is an opportunity for love. To practice, just simply, love. 
As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brain potential and revolutionizing health AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Check out all the free meditations at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.
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Dr. Marisa Franco is a New York Times bestselling Author, Professor, Psychologist, and self-proclaimed friendship expert. Marisa discusses the science of connection — and the importance of platonic friendships. Her new book is called Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make--and Keep--Friends. She believes friendship is the single best action a person can take to live a longer life, take the edge off depression, flourish and even revitalize a marriage. She challenges the notion that friendships should be at the bottom of the relationship totem poll.
Her mantra is — Never stop cultivating friendships and connections. She gives us many reasons to prioritize platonic love and bring more friends into our life, nurture the ones we already have and keep building community. If we do these things, we’ll always be surrounded by love —whether or not we choose a romantic relationship.
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