Building Psychological Strength
PODCAST & BLOG
Explore Peak Mind's articles, episodes, and videos.
I happen to be in Arkansas visiting my family, and my parents were so excited that I'd be able to join them in going to their neighbor's Memorial Day get together. My dad, especially, gets a kick out of the fact that his neighbors are Doc and Ashley, and some of my friends have nicknamed me...
Despite loving audio books and being a big fan of the work Dr. April (my counterpart here at Peak Mind) does through the Building Psychological Strength podcast, I don't really listen to a lot of podcasts. Unless someone sends me a specific episode, promising me that I'll find it interesting, or...
"Look around at what you have with appreciation. Be happy with it, and if you aren't, reach a little higher," he said as we sat around the fire having a surprisingly deep conversation.
Let me rewind.
The Alaskans
This was about 5 years ago. I was fresh out of a break up...
On Sunday mornings, I work out with my trainer, Emily. This is a pretty recent and very positive development in my life. With her unwavering support and perfectly timed pushes, she's teaching me, building my strength and my confidence, and helping me reach my goals (Michele Obama arms and 10 push...
There's no denying it - the last handful of years have been very challenging. Aside from the personal adversity we've all felt in our individual lives, we've faced incredible collective adversity. The pandemic. Political divide. Crime and mass shootings. It has all been a lot to handle, and many...
It's Memorial Day in the U.S., which is celebrated with 3 day weekends, BBQs, and the opening of swimming pools. The true meaning of the holiday, however, is much more somber. It's a day dedicated to remembering those who died during military service, for honoring their sacrifice and that of...
“I have 8000 questions,” I said to an old friend who I hadn’t seen in quite some time. “Shoot,” he replied.
After countless hours and at least that many questions volleyed back and forth, many of them hard, tangential, deep, personal, whimsical, or out...
How many times have you said, “I feel bad”? How many times have you been asked “What’s wrong?” or told “Don’t be sad/mad/worried/_____”?
About a million, right?
And therein lies a problem.
We are taught from early...
How often do you find yourself feeling reactive to the circumstances life hands you? Human beings are naturally reactive, and many times, that reactivity can actually be helpful. But, many times, our minds are tricked into reactivity in situations that don't actually call for it.
This week,...
There are times in our lives when the weight of the world feels too heavy to bear.
Things seem to be going wrong...
The world's problems seem so large...
Right now, in the U.S., we're moving toward one of the most dramatic and volatile and tense elections in our nation's recent...
I have to share a painful/slightly hilarious story with you.
I'm currently training for my first half-marathon. Yesterday, I was a little over 7 miles into my planned 8 mile run, and I was feeling good. Really good, in fact, so I picked up the pace. I crossed 75th Street,...
What do grammar and math have to do with mindset and pain? More than you might think!
There’s an old Buddhist saying: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
If you’ve ever heard me speak, or even had a conversation with me, you’ve probably heard...
