Podcast Recommendations
Below are some of my favourite podcasts to help you continue your journey to a more relaxed and calmer life. I find the best place to listen to podcasts is in the car, it makes journeys more relaxing and interesting.
I feel I can safely say that if you listen to them all you will transform your life.
Dr Rungan Chatterjee with Dr Gabor Maté
The 5 Life Lessons People Learn Too Late
For anyone not aware, Gabor is respected the world over as an expert on trauma, stress, addiction and childhood development. He is a physician, speaker and international bestselling author of some truly game-changing books such as When the Body Says No and The Myth of Normal - which has just come out in paperback.
As this is Gabor’s 4th appearance on my podcast, I was keen to explore some new ground and different topics. Gabor has worked as a family doctor as well as in palliative (end of life) care. Back on Episode 383 of this podcast, I had a wonderful conversation with Bronnie Ware, author of the book, The Five Regrets of the Dying and I thought it would be interesting to examine each of these 5 regrets, through the lens of Gabor’s thoughts and work.
We chat through all five of these regrets and Gabor provides some thought-provoking insights on each of them. He explains why we work so hard to the detriment of time with family and friends. We talk about how disease can be a teacher, why it’s vital children grow up able to express their emotions, and how we wish more doctors were aware of the connection between emotions and physical health.
We discuss happiness and if it’s possible to be happy or seek happiness when there is so much suffering in the world. This leads us on to talk about the nature of forgiveness, curiosity, compassion, and also regret. Gabor says that living life with ‘no regrets’ is about learning and understanding from your perceived mistakes, but not being unkind to who you were then. Instead we should recognise that we did the best we could do at the time.
Like all of my previous episodes with Gabor, this is a powerful conversation full of compassion, knowledge and wisdom. I hope you enjoy listening.
Dr Tara Swart - Crossing the Threshold with Dr. Bruce Greyson
Tara sits down with the world’s leading expert in near-death experiences, Dr. Bruce Greyson, to dig into the nature of the mind and brain connection. Dr. Greyson, a psychiatrist, author, Professor Emeritus and co-founder of the International Association of Near-Death Studies, also explores whether consciousness survives physical death.
Dr. Ellen Langer: Using Your Mind to Control Your Physical Health & Longevity
Huberman Lab
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Ellen Langer, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Harvard University and the world’s leading researcher on the mind-body connection and the power our thinking has on our physical health. She explains how specific ways of framing and asking questions about the world shape our physical health and rate of aging. Dr. Langer also explains how our perception of time and control significantly impact our rate of physical healing, hormones, immune system, and longevity. She describes mindfulness as a way of framing life, not simply a meditation or other practice, and discusses data showing how to use one’s mind to overcome health challenges and achieve remarkable outcomes. Dr. Langer is a luminary and pioneer in researching the relationship between the mind and body with scientific rigor. Her work and our discussion are applicable to women and men of all ages and walks of life.
Dr Joe Dispenza - How To Unlock Your Mind & Master Your Life
Modern Wisdom Podcast
Dr. Joe Dispenza is a researcher and an author specialising in neuroscience and known for his work on neuroplasticity and epigenetics.
If your thoughts can make you sick, the obvious question is whether your thoughts can make you well. Just how instrumental are the things we think to the way our mind and body operate, and how much is this crossing over from experimental subculture to legitimate science?
Expect to learn how to make genuine change in your life, why we get addicted to thinking negative thoughts, the wild new studies showing the effects of Dr Joe's work, how to get more comfortable facing the unknown, the many ways our memories lie to us, how to stop being a victim of life, the most powerful techniques you can use to self-regulate and much more...
Optimize Your Learning & Creativity With Science-Based Tools
Huberman Lab Podcast
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode, I explain how to boost creativity and enhance learning by aligning with the body’s natural rhythms and strategically using protocols to optimize states of alertness or calm.
I outline tools to improve focus and learning, including when to use specific techniques based on the time of day and how to adjust focus and tasks according to energy levels. I also discuss the two essential components of creativity and explain how to structure productive, creative work sessions. By combining biological tools — such as exercise, meals, hydration, and sleep — with subjective methods like music, I demonstrate how to tailor your approach to align with your unique biological rhythms and individual goals, fostering greater creativity and learning.
Huberman Lab Essentials are short episodes, approximately 30 minutes, focused on key scientific and protocol takeaways from past Huberman Lab episodes. Essentials are released every Thursday, while full-length episodes continue to be released every Monday.
Dr Rungan Chatterjee with Dr Tara Swart
The Truth about Stress, Belly Fat and Alcohol
For today’s episode, I’m pleased to welcome back the wonderful Dr Tara Swart. Tara is a neuroscientist, a former medical doctor & psychiatrist, a lecturer at MIT, an executive coach and author of the bestselling book, The Source. She also hosts the podcast Reinvent Yourself with Dr Tara. This insightful and often unusual episode takes a deep and meaningful look at stress - what exactly it is, what impact it has on health and how it predisposes us to storing fat. We also discuss the most effective ways to manage stress, the best ways to build resilience and the benefits of practices like journaling. We really do cover a whole variety of different topics today including metacognition, the definition of spirituality, what exactly intuition and interoception are, and how we can use them to get to know our minds and bodies more intimately. We talk about rituals, the incredible power of creativity, beauty, and time spent in nature. And finally, we ask some big questions around the topic of death and consciousness, which Tara is increasingly drawn to studying. If you’re someone who’s interested in alternative thinking and new ideas, but likes the reassurance of scientific backing, Tara’s warmth and wisdom will tick all your boxes. If you’re a sceptic - well, this conversation might just open your mind.
The Secret To Dealing with Any Stressor In Life with Dr Edith Eger #500
Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee
This week marks the 500th episode of this podcast! And what a journey it’s been! There have been so many conversations that have had a profound impact upon my life and to celebrate, I thought it would be fitting to share the conversation that has impacted me the most:
My conversation with the incredible Dr Edith Eger back on episode 144 fundamentally changed who I am and how I see the world. I was lucky enough to meet Edith, now aged 97, a few weeks ago at an event in San Diego and sit down and have a chat with her. We were able to record our brief conversation, which you can hear at the end of this episode.
For those of you who haven’t already heard our initial conversation, Edith is a holocaust survivor who became a psychologist and an expert in the treatment of post-traumatic stress. She is also the author of 3 amazing books, The Choice: Even in Hell Hope Can Flower, The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life, and most recently, she has released The Ballerina of Auschwitz – a retelling of her story for younger adults from a different perspective.
As a Jew living in Eastern Europe under Nazi occupation, Edith was taken to Auschwitz concentration camp with her parents and sister, at the age of 16. In this conversation, she explains how she found her inner resources, how she came to view her guards as the real prisoners, turn hate into pity and, incredibly, she even describes her horrific experience as ‘an opportunity’. Edith not only survived Auschwitz, she freed herself from the trauma of her past by using her mind and the healing powers of forgiveness.
For those of you who have already heard this conversation, I would urge you to listen again because each time you listen, you will hear something different – as Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher said, ‘no man ever steps in the same river twice’. This really is a timeless conversation that keeps on giving.
Edith’s story is incredible. It is powerful, confronting and, at times, challenging. Above all though, it is deeply inspiring and I cannot think of a better way to celebrate 500 episodes of my podcast – I hope you agree.
