Episodes

  • CM 308: Julia Hotz on the Connection Cure – Rebroadcast

    CM 308: Julia Hotz on the Connection Cure – Rebroadcast
    Dec 26 2025
    Each day, millions of doctors write prescriptions for drugs intended to help their patients. But what if many of our modern health ailments, like depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, would benefit as much, if not more, from a social prescription? What if nature, art, movement, and service could reduce our symptoms, decrease doctor visits, and improve our health? These are questions Julia Hotz set out to answer. Julia is author of the book, The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging. By sharing research findings, as well as people’s stories from around the world, we get to see a whole other side of medicine. After reading her book, I’m more convinced than ever we need to seek out and prioritize healthy social time. Episode Links New Horizons in Medicine: Why Art, Service, and Nature Might Be What the Doctor Orders What If Your Doctor Could Prescribe Fishing Trips or Art Classes? Social Prescribing on the Rise Doctor’s Orders: A Social Prescription for Health Interview with Geoffrey Cohen The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    54 mins
  • CM 307: Joe Keohane on the Benefits of Talking to Strangers – Rebroadcast

    CM 307: Joe Keohane on the Benefits of Talking to Strangers – Rebroadcast
    Dec 13 2025
    I have a confession to make. I enjoy talking to people I don't know. I like learning about them and hearing their stories. I'm sure it explains why I started this podcast over ten years ago. Yet I know a lot of people who avoid talking to strangers. And if, for any reason, they have to, they dread it. But these feelings of dread work against us. Study after study shows that when we talk to strangers, we nearly always feel good afterwards. And in a time where people feel more isolated and lonely than ever, the good feeling that comes from talking to strangers may be just the thing we need to bring us closer together. That's why I reached out to Joe Keohane to talk to him about his incredibly entertaining and enlightening book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World. He explains how we got to be so suspicious of strangers and what it's cost us. And for anyone who avoids talking to strangers because they don't know what to say, he's got you covered. Joe shares things he's learned from workshops he attended while writing the book. Episode Links Why Talking to Strangers Can Make Us Smarter 'The Assignment Made Me Gulp': Could Talking to Strangers Change My Life? The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    49 mins
  • CM 306: Jennifer Garvey Berger on Thriving in Uncertainty – Rebroadcast

    CM 306: Jennifer Garvey Berger on Thriving in Uncertainty – Rebroadcast
    Nov 29 2025
    https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/curiousminds/CM_306_Jennifer_Garvey_Berger.mp3
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    40 mins
  • CM 305: Maryellen MacDonald on Talking as a Superpower

    CM 305: Maryellen MacDonald on Talking as a Superpower
    Nov 15 2025
    In today’s hyper-connected world, when you want to communicate, you’ve got so many alternatives to talking. But before you spend another minute drafting a text or email, consider how essential it is for us to talk to others. Talking – whether self-talk, sign language, or in-person speaking – is a process we need for learning, setting goals, and managing our emotions. That’s because talking is a multi-step process, and to do it well, we can’t skip a step. Maryellen MacDonald is a Professor of Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her book, More Than Words: How Talking Sharpens the Mind and Shapes Our World, gives us many reasons to prioritize talking in our lives. It’s a key component of a healthy life. Episode Links How Can You Get Better at Learning a Foreign Language? Good-Enough Production: Selecting Easier Words instead of More Accurate Ones Interview with Alison Wood Brooks on her book, Talk The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    54 mins
  • CM 304: Steve Magness on Real Toughness – Rebroadcast

    CM 304: Steve Magness on Real Toughness – Rebroadcast
    Nov 1 2025
    How we think about toughness needs a reset. Too often, it’s been associated with brute forcing our way through things. Ignoring our feelings. Making an outward show of confidence and dominance. The problem is it just doesn't work. Performance coach and bestselling author, Steve Magness, offers another way. He’s done a deep dive on the latest research on toughness and performance. In his book, Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and The Surprising Science of Real Toughness, he discusses the misconceptions of our current model. Then he offers a new one informed by the latest in neuroscience and psychology research. Along the way, he translates research findings into practical steps we can take to make the shift. If you’re a performance junkie, you’ll gain a lot from this interview. You can also apply his ideas to managing your teams. If you enjoy Steve’s approach, check out my previous interview with him on finding your passion at work and in life, episode 142. Episode Links How to be More Resilient, According to an Elite Performance Coach The Secret to Developing Resilient Teams and Organizations Changing This 1 Word in Your Thoughts Can Boost Mental Toughness and Resilience, Psychologists Say Steven Callahan Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    50 mins
  • CM 303: Ben Rein on Why Brains Need Friends

    CM 303: Ben Rein on Why Brains Need Friends
    Oct 19 2025
    You’re days into a work project, staring at a screen, feeling anxious about your tight deadline. Mid-afternoon your phone lights up with a call from a friend. You want to connect, but you feel like you don’t have a minute to spare. You let the call go into voicemail. On the surface, this decision may seem inconsequential. But what if you knew that a decision like this, centered on an opportunity for social connection, could make a difference in the health of your brain? Would you make time for the call? Ben Rein is author of the book, Why Brains Needs Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection. He studies the impact of social interactions on brain health and helps us understand, at a cellular level, the biological importance of human relationships. After listening to this interview, you may find yourself picking up the phone a whole lot more. Episode Links Wired for Connection, Cursed by Computers: How Social Media May Be Affecting Our Empathy The Sci-Fi Hypothesis that Explains Why You Click with Certain People Interview With Kasley Killam The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    56 mins
  • CM 302: Paul Leonardi on Overcoming Digital Exhaustion

    CM 302: Paul Leonardi on Overcoming Digital Exhaustion
    Oct 5 2025
    Digital exhaustion is real. We’re working across more apps than ever before, and since they’re always accessible, work-life boundaries have disappeared. Combine this with our personal tech, and we’ve got a recipe for burnout. Paul Leonardi is a Professor of Technology Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After decades of business consulting, he’s had a front-row seat to employees’ digital burnout. What he saw led him to create concrete solutions, which he outlines in his latest book, Digital Exhaustion: Simple Rules for Reclaiming Your Life. These are smart and sensible strategies leaders can put into practice to improve employees’ quality of life – and work. Episode Links Developing a Digital Mindset Are Collaboration Tools Overwhelming Your Team Interview with Gloria Mark The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    53 mins
  • CM 301: Colin Fisher on Building Smarter Teams

    CM 301: Colin Fisher on Building Smarter Teams
    Sep 21 2025
    We spend a lot of our lives in groups. Whether it’s at work. With friends. Even with family. Yet we tend to focus on everyone as individuals. We rarely think about things from the group’s perspective. Colin Fisher is an expert in organizational behavior and an associate professor at University College London, and he wants to change that. His book, The Collective Edge: Unlocking the Secret Power of Groups, is his insightful attempt at sharing the latest insights on high-performing teams and how to lead them. Episode Links Top Six Tips for Terrific Teams 5 Secrets for Getting the Most out of Working as a Group Interview with Keith Sawyer on groups’ collective genius The Team Learn more about host, Gayle Allen, and producer, Rob Mancabelli, here. Support the Podcast If you like the show, please rate and review it on iTunes or wherever you subscribe, and tell a friend or family member about the show. Subscribe Click here and then scroll down to see a sample of sites where you can subscribe.
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    52 mins