On Episode 41 of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Dr. Lisa Firestone — Clinical Psychologist, Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association, and Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org. Dr. Firestone is the coauthor of numerous articles and book chapters and has written several books with her father, Robert Firestone, including The Self Under Siege, Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion, and Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships.

Her extensive clinical training and research in the areas of suicide and violence have led to the development of several widely used assessments, including the Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts (FAST), the Firestone Assessment of Suicide Intent (FASI), and the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts (FAVT), applied with both adults and adolescents.

In this insightful conversation, Dr. Firestone explores how reframing our relationship with stress can transform our quality of life, presence, and performance. If you’ve ever wanted to transform the way you think about stress—and learn how to make it work for you instead of against you—this episode is a must-listen.

She explains that “we’re all going to experience stress in our lives, but when we shift our mindset about it, our entire experience changes. Stress isn’t just one thing—it’s how we perceive it. If we see it as exciting and challenging, our bodies respond very differently than if we see it as overwhelming or life-threatening.”

Dr. Firestone challenges the common misconception that mindset work is simply about “thinking positively.” She notes that “mindset isn’t about tricking ourselves into thinking positively—it’s about changing how our nervous system responds. If you interpret a situation as dangerous, your body goes into fight-or-flight or even shutdown mode. But if you see it as a challenge, you can overcome it. It can be motivating, energizing, and even improve your performance.”

One of her favorite techniques for reframing stress is surprisingly simple. “Replacing the word ‘stress’ with ‘challenge’ can be powerful. A challenge is something you can choose to take on, approach with curiosity, and even decide to walk away from. That simple reframe reminds us that we have agency, and that we can choose how we respond.”

She also shares practical wisdom for building resilience over time. “We can train ourselves to respond differently to stress. That means growing our ability to handle it with self-compassion, preparing where we can, and letting go of what we can’t control. The more flexible and adaptable we are, the more we expand our boundaries—and the better we perform in all areas of life.”

You can learn more about Dr. Lisa Firestone’s work at www.drlisafirestone.com, www.psychalive.org, and www.glendon.org.

To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio, follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and visit www.mindfulwarrior.com.

On Episode 40 of Mindful Warrior Radio, we welcome Dr. Lisa Firestone — Clinical Psychologist, Director of Research and Education at the Glendon Association, and Senior Editor at PsychAlive.org. Dr. Firestone is the coauthor of numerous articles and book chapters and has written several books with her father, Robert Firestone, including The Self Under Siege, Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion, and Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships.

Her extensive clinical training and research in the areas of suicide and violence have led to the development of several assessments, including the Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts (FAST), the Firestone Assessment of Suicide Intent (FASI), and the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts (FAVT), which are used with both adults and adolescents.

In this insightful conversation, Dr. Firestone explores the impact of attachment styles on leadership and working relationships. She outlines the characteristics of each attachment style and offers tools for managing and understanding our own patterns. She also emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, mindfulness, and compassion in the process of personal and professional growth.

Dr. Firestone explains, “We didn’t develop [our attachment style] as a choice. What we did was make the best adaptation we could to what was there, and that happened as our nervous system was still forming. So it is in our brain, it’s in our bones—it’s part of us. But we need to be kind to ourselves about it. We came by it honestly. We might even disapprove of a behavior, like being too harsh on people, but beating ourselves up doesn’t help. It really helps to have what a dear friend and colleague of mine calls a ‘COAL’ attitude—Curious, Open, Accepting, and Loving. That’s what people might call self-compassion.”

Dr. Firestone adds, “We all get triggered at times. It doesn’t matter what type of attachment we have—even if it’s secure. Something can bring up a feeling that dysregulates us. But the healthier our attachment is, the more we can say, ‘Oh, okay—I got dysregulated,’ and then do something to regulate ourselves and repair.”

On healing and transformation, she shares, “Everything in life will go better if you start to resolve some of that unresolved trauma. People want a quick fix or a way around it, but we really have to walk through it. And I think that’s true for all of us. Again—with a kind attitude. This didn’t happen for no reason. It doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It means you had a rough beginning.”

You can learn more about Dr. Lisa Firestone’s work at www.drlisafirestone.com, www.psychalive.org, and www.glendon.org.

To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio, follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior and visit www.mindfulwarrior.com.

On episode thirty-nine of Mindful Warrior Radio, I host Aleca Hughes McPherson, Head of Portfolio and Platform at Highland. Aleca brings deep experience in strategy, operations, and leadership—supporting founders and scaling early-stage companies. She began her career at Catalant Technologies, rising from sales to a key role in strategic operations. A former captain of Yale’s Women’s Ice Hockey team, Aleca also founded the Mandy Schwartz Foundation, honoring her late teammate, and serves on the board of the Hockey Humanitarian Award—an honor she once received. In this episode, we dive into how Aleca helps build strong leaders, winning teams, and healthy, high-growth companies.

In our interview, Aleca shares the impact of sport on her career today. “Through sport, my parents taught us so many foundational life lessons. It’s such a big part of who I am—and who my brothers are. I imagine it’s the same for you with water polo. Within 10 seconds of being on the field, the ice, or in the pool, you know who someone is. Do they pass the puck? Do they backcheck? Are they excited when their teammate scores? I learned those lessons playing pickup hockey with my brothers, often with a bit of a chip on my shoulder—no one passed me the puck, so I had to go get it and make a name for myself. That mindset really propelled me forward.”

Aleca explains what Highland looks for in a founder. “At Highland, when we’re evaluating a founder, I think about how I show up to those conversations and what we’re really looking for. One of the key things we look for is strong founder–market fit. You often hear about product–market fit, which is of course important. But for us, founder–market fit is equally critical. Who is this individual? Why are they pursuing this particular problem or opportunity? What makes them so deeply passionate about it that they’re willing to go all in?”

Aleca shares one of Highland’s most frequently asked questions when evaluating a founder. “One of the first questions we ask ourselves when evaluating an opportunity is: Is this a founder I would work for? It’s really a question of ‘work with’ or ‘work for.’ Like—would you leave your current role to go work for this founder? I ask myself that, and so do our general partners, some of whom have been in the business for 25 or 30 years. We have a concentrated portfolio and make a very limited number of investments per fund, so this isn’t just a throwaway question—we take it very seriously.”

To learn more about Mindful Warrior and Mindful Warrior Radio, follow us on Instagram @therealmindfulwarrior or visit www.mindfulwarrior.com.