In our busy lives, it’s important to find time to reflect on our own personal growth – whether it be the health of our relationships, the direction of our careers, or how apt we are in recognizing and meeting our own personal needs. Today, we’re sharing a few of our favorite podcasts which address these topics. Sit back, relax, and hit play.
Ellen Langer on the Science of Mindlessness and Mindfulness: Ellen Langer is a social psychologist who some have dubbed “the mother of mindfulness.” But she defines mindfulness with counterintuitive simplicity: the simple act of actively noticing things — with a result of increased health, competence, and happiness. Her take on mindfulness has never involved contemplation or meditation or yoga. It comes straight out of her provocative, unconventional studies, which have been suggesting for decades what neuroscience is pointing at now: our experience of everything is formed by the words and ideas we attach to them. What makes a vacation a vacation is not only a change of scenery — but the fact that we let go of the mindless everyday illusion that we are in control. Ellen Langer has shown it’s possible to become physiologically younger through a changed frame of mind; to find joy in what was experienced as drudgery by renaming it as play; and to induce weight loss by substituting the label “exercise” for labor. (via On Being)
Mary Catherine Bateson on Composing a Life: The wise linguist and anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson explores the matter of life as an improvisational art, at every age. As the daughter of the iconic anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, she’s had an ability to move through the world as both an original observer and a joyful participant. She’s composed a life that is far more settled but always in dialogue with the memory of her brilliant, globe-trotting, unconventionally-coupled parents. (via On Being)
Love, No Matter What with Andrew Solomon: What is it like to raise a child who’s different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents — asking them: What’s the line between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance? (via TED)
Oh Boy Interview with Emily Weiss: The Founder and CEO of Glossier and Into the Gloss talks beauty, business, and growing up.
Fearless: What would happen if you could disappear fear? We’ll hear about the striking (and rare) case of a woman with no fear. The second half of the show explores how the rest of us might “turn off” fear. (via Invisibilia)
We’d love to know – what are some of your favorite podcasts?
