The Wise Effort Show

Dr. Diana Hill
  • 4.8 (89)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

The Wise Effort Show with Dr. Diana Hill is a show about how to live wisely. You’ll learn how to put your energy into places that matter most to you while making a difference in the world. This show is for you if: ...you’re a high achiever feeling burned out from tasks that don’t matter. ...you want to invest your energy in fulfilling and sustainable ways. ...you seek holistic living without the pressure of a rigid wellness checklist. ...you care about your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. ...you appreciate science but are open to exploring spirituality and contemplative practices. ...you have an open, beginner’s mind. ...you believe there’s a better way to live and are ready to apply your wisdom. We don’t have to burn ourselves out or engage in things that are not worth it. We can put our energy where it matters most and savor the good along the way. Join us at the Wise Effort Show!

  1. 1d ago

    Dare to Live What Is True

    Are you feeling disconnected from what you know is true for you—and overriding it anyway? In this live-recorded Wise Effort episode, Diana Hill explores “truth” (personal, collective, spiritual, and scientific) and how it’s often simple, close, profound, or even hard to accept. She shares ways truth emerges through rough initiations, deep listening to the body and intuition, unexpected states of consciousness, solitude, real conversation with epistemic humility, and connection to nature as a resilience factor. She closes with a “truth or dare” invitation to name a truth and take one action to live it this week. Listen and Learn:There are overlapping truths from science and spirituality, including that we’re not separate selves, the mind extends beyond the brain, attention shapes the brainAvenues to finding your truthsHow awareness is different from thoughts and feelings. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    19 min
  2. Inside Information About Your Brain with Dr. Jud Brewer

    Jun 1

    Inside Information About Your Brain with Dr. Jud Brewer

    Do you feel stuck in worry loops that drain your energy and pull you out of the present moment? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill talks with neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer about “inside information” on the brain—especially the default mode network and how self-focused rumination and worry activate the posterior cingulate cortex. They explore new, encouraging research showing that experienced meditators don’t show the same activation during worry recall, and that even beginners can deactivate this brain region quickly using a simple mindfulness “noting” practice (labeling seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking). Diana and Jud also discuss using technology to interrupt addictive habit loops (like compulsive checking) and how moving beyond anxiety can open the door to integrity, kindness, and flourishing—grounded in the reminder that “your actions are your only belongings.” Listen and learn:Your brain has a “me network” that can drain your energy.Noticing changes your relationship to experience.The goal is not just less anxiety, but more integrity, energy, and flourishing.“My actions are my only belongings.” Suggested Next Episode:Busting Brain Myths With Dr. Judson Brewer Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    54 min
  3. Hope, Joy, and Are We Going To Be OK? Live in Costa Rica With Doug Abrams

    Apr 20

    Hope, Joy, and Are We Going To Be OK? Live in Costa Rica With Doug Abrams

    Dr. Diana Hill welcomes author and Idea Architects founder Doug Abrams live from Blue Spirit Costa Rica to explore how to stay grounded, joyful, and hopeful in uncertain times. Abrams shares lessons from working with leaders like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Jane Goodall, including Tutu’s guidance to “never surrender your joy,” taking the wider perspective, and resisting without “othering” opponents. He describes his in-progress book inspired by his daughter’s question, “Are we gonna be okay?” Abrams discusses living with ADHD, shame, and vulnerability in relationships, and highlights Goodall’s four reasons for hope—human intellect, nature’s resilience, young people, and the indomitable human spirit—emphasizing that hope is an action. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    1h 11m
  4. How A Little By Little Becomes A Lot with Eric Zimmer

    Mar 16

    How A Little By Little Becomes A Lot with Eric Zimmer

    Do you keep trying to make big changes, only to burn out or get stuck at the choice point? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed and author of How a Little Becomes a Lot, about why lasting transformation happens through small, consistent actions—shaped by clear values, a “middle way” mindset, supportive structure, and compassionate self-talk. Drawing from Eric’s recovery from heroin addiction, Diana’s pushup challenge, and everyday examples like food choices and pain language, they explore how to navigate motivation, self-doubt, autopilot, and other traps, and why meaningful change requires both inner skills and connection with others. Listen and learn:How “little by little” creates real change over timeHow to decide what is worth wanting and work with values conflictsHow the middle way and self-compassion help you move through setbacks Share this episode with someone who needs a steadier, more sustainable approach to change. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    47 min
  5. The Science of Happiness and Finding Joy with Laurie Santos

    Feb 23

    The Science of Happiness and Finding Joy with Laurie Santos

    Are you doing “all the right things” and still feeling like happiness keeps slipping through your fingers? In this episode, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Yale psychology professor and The Happiness Lab host Dr. Laurie Santos about the biggest mind traps that block joy—and the small, research-backed shifts that help you feel better in real life. Together, Diana and Laurie unpack why mind-wandering, hedonic adaptation (getting used to the good), and comparison quietly drain wellbeing—and how practices like mindfulness/savoring, treating negative emotions as helpful signals, radical acceptance, and “time affluence” can bring you back to what matters most. Key takeaways you’ll learn in this episode: The three biggest “happiness traps” (mind-wandering, adaptation, and comparison) and how to work with them.Why chasing “good vibes only” can backfire—and how to redefine happiness as flourishing.How to use negative emotions as signals (like a dashboard light) instead of problems to eliminate.Why more money and achievement often don’t move happiness much—and what tends to help more (sleep, friends, free time, and presence). Press play, then share this episode with a high-achiever friend (or anyone feeling stuck in the comparison spiral) who could use a science-backed reset on what actually creates joy. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    52 min
  6. The Science of Wise and Fierce Relationships with Diana Hill and Gabby Reece

    Feb 14

    The Science of Wise and Fierce Relationships with Diana Hill and Gabby Reece

    Do you keep getting stuck in the same fights or feeling rejected in your relationship? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill shares an evidence-based talk on the science of “wise and fierce” relationships, then follows with a conversation with athlete and entrepreneur Gabby Reece about what helps partnerships last. Diana draws on relationship research and her clinical experience to explain why conflict isn’t the main problem—repair is—and on what predicts relationship satisfaction: commitment, appreciation, responsiveness, and sexual satisfaction. She also discusses research on sexual frequency and how motivation matters more than frequency (“getting it on” vs. “getting it over with”). Diana offers a practical exercise to help listeners “put down the broom” of rigid stories: write your story about your partner and their story about you, identify the “negative truth,” then (1) create disconfirming evidence by noticing what contradicts your story about them, and (2) do something that proves their story about you wrong. In the conversation, Gabby describes how respect, emotional honesty, daily connection rituals, and sustaining momentum—along with supporting each partner’s individual passions—strengthen her decades-long marriage to Laird, and they discuss reframing intimacy bids and avoiding complacency. Listen and share this episode with someone you want to strengthen a relationship with. Listen and learn:Why repair after disharmony matters more than avoiding conflictThe key relationship ingredients identified across 43 studies: commitment, appreciation, responsiveness, and sexual satisfactionWhat the research suggests about sex frequency and why “getting it on” vs. “getting it over with” changes satisfaction Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    48 min
  7. The Science of Transformation and Imagination With Cassandra Vieten

    Jan 26

    The Science of Transformation and Imagination With Cassandra Vieten

    How can we use our imagination to transform individually and our collective consciousness? Clinical psychologist Dr. Diana Hill explores this question with Dr. Cassandra Vieten on The Wise Effort Show. Dr. Vieten, a clinical professor and director of research at multiple institutions, shares her extensive research on the subject, emphasizing the profound impact transformative spiritual experiences can have on changing our worldview and behaviors. Listeners will learn about the conditions that support transformation, the importance of imagination in altering future outcomes, and practical approaches to fostering a shift in consciousness. Vieten's compelling personal anecdotes and scientific insights provide a roadmap for understanding and achieving deep, lasting change. Listen and learn:Scientific Approach to TransformationThe Power of Imagination in TransformationImagination and Worldview TransformationImagination in Practice and TherapyImagining a Better Future Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    55 min
  8. Power of the Pause with Jillian Pransky

    12/29/2025

    Power of the Pause with Jillian Pransky

    How can we practice the power of the pause? In this week's episode of the Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill sits down with meditation and yoga teacher Jillian Pransky to explore this profound concept. They dive into the bardo, a transitional state perfect for reflection, and share practical steps from Jillian's LAR LAR method (Land, Arrive, Relax, Listen, Attend, Respond, Repeat) designed to help you cultivate a calmer and more intentional life. Jillian also highlights ways to infuse these practices into your daily routine for a smoother transition into the new year. You'll also get a preview of Diana's new weekly saga Dharma talks and meditations. Join them in learning to pause, reflect, and enter 2026 with wise effort. Listen and learn:An in-depth look at Jillian Pransky's LAR LAR method and how it can transform your lifeThe importance of grounding and breath in calming the nervous systemHow to create space for your emotions and respond more wisely Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeBecome a Wise Effort Community memberSign up for my newsletterOrder my book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts.Want to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's "Foundations of ACT" course. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Tell the Truth Salon Series  You are invited to join me live in person or streaming online here in Santa Barbara to Tell the Truth Salon Series. This is something that I have been dreaming up for a while now. I want us to gather in person, online, and have real conversations, unedited, unscripted, with people who are change-makers in our world, but also to uncover our own inner truths. drdianahill.com/salon Tell the Truth Salon Series

    44 min
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4.8
out of 5
89 Ratings

About

The Wise Effort Show with Dr. Diana Hill is a show about how to live wisely. You’ll learn how to put your energy into places that matter most to you while making a difference in the world. This show is for you if: ...you’re a high achiever feeling burned out from tasks that don’t matter. ...you want to invest your energy in fulfilling and sustainable ways. ...you seek holistic living without the pressure of a rigid wellness checklist. ...you care about your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. ...you appreciate science but are open to exploring spirituality and contemplative practices. ...you have an open, beginner’s mind. ...you believe there’s a better way to live and are ready to apply your wisdom. We don’t have to burn ourselves out or engage in things that are not worth it. We can put our energy where it matters most and savor the good along the way. Join us at the Wise Effort Show!

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Diana Hill
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Dr. Diana Hill
  • Show Website
    The Wise Effort Show

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