Not surprisingly, the podcast with Chloe Carmichael ('Can I Say That?') stimuated a very spirited and thoughtul roundtable discussion. Topics discussed included: the importance of finding a common humanity with people whose views we strongly disagree with; how technology amplifies our differences and deeply reinforces more and more extreme ideas; how our own authenticity and integrity is restored when we do speak up; the talking cure - which allows us to articulate that which ails us; the devestating impacts of self-censorship and self-suppression; the limits of free speach, especially speech inciting violence and intended harm; the deep need to continuously have the debate and conversation about protecting free speech for everyone.

This podcast discusses Chloe Carmichael's book: 'Can I Say That? Why Free Speech Matters and How to Use It Fearlessly'. Chloe explains how to unlock the mental health benefits of free speech. We also discussed the neagtive side of thought and speech suppression: we explored secondary gain, especially the growing prevalence of victimhood. We also explored the link to bullying, poor mental helath and lowered resilience. More positively, we discussed not only how free speech unlocks creativity and growth, but is also a key foundaiton for civic virtue and civic health.

This Music, Creativity & Mental Health podcast is with Jake Isaac, who is a Manchester-based, multi-instrumentalist with a distinctive style as a singer-songwriter fusing soul, jazz and rock. He’s had a stellar career having worked with and supported a diverse range of artists from Sting, India Arie, Ella Eyre, Paloma Faith, Lake Street Dive, Joan As Police Woman, Angus and Julia Stone, Tori Kelly and Elton John. This was a really stimulating discussion and you’ll see what a delightful, gentle and thoughtful man Jake is. Themes in this conversation included: the central role of one’s ‘internal antenna’ or intuition in the creative process; how Jake’s managed a happy medium in terms of family and wellbeing, not compromising his music and learning how to be content with what he has; his advice to musicians to be true to their creative identity, not just to copy others; the spiritual and sacred aspects of music; the role of highs and lows, including suffering in making art authentic and relevant; the centrality of the African philosophy of Ubuntu or ‘I am because we are’ in Jake’s whole approach; and his advice to young artists to both diversify and to get enough rest to sustain and stimulate creativity. It was a wonderfully diverse and well-humoured conversation, and I hope you love it too.

The Sharon Niv podcast on psycholytic ketamine therapy stimulated a deep andvibrant roundtable discussion. We began by exploringg state-dependnet memory - highlighting the fully embodied (cogntiive, motivational, emotional, physiological) nature of memory and the consequent link to somatic-based therapies. We briefly discussed the positive implications of an adffordable and readily available means of accelerating psychological growth. We then dug deep on neuroplasticity (the way the brain restuctures itself to instantiate change). This appears to be the primary action of ketamine, and paired with intentional activity (therapy, journaling, intriospection), this creates very promising outcomes with psycholytic ketamine dosing. We then went broader into the notion of habits and 'loops' being more amenable to intentional change, extending the efficacy beyond therapy to more everyday challenges. Finally, we discussed the centrality of receptivity and openneess in providing the user with a sense of agency and psychological safety.

Dr Sharon Niv, is the cofounder of Joyous, a platform for providing Psycholytic, or very low dose, Ketamine Therapy. The promise here is an affordable, effective mode of treatment that is effective and possible at scale. Sharon takes us through what a psycholytic dose is; how ketamine at this level affects people; the neuroplastic action of ketamine and how this is integrated into therapeutic practice; the safety of the protocol; and details of the actual process. Central to this discussion is memory reconsolidation to resolve trauma and other debilitating psychological patterns that repeat on a kind of psychic loop. In essence, it appears that repeated doses in conjunction with intentional inquiry and/or therapeutic assistance helps separate the memory part of trauma or habitual distress from the full-brain-activated dysregulation that generates a whole system of distress: somatic, episodic memory, nervous system activation, emotional memory processing, and narrative stories. It was a delightful and stimulating discussion.

This was an insightful and inspiring conversation with TJ Dumser from 6 Missing. He’s an ambient artist, award winning sound designer, mixer and composer based in Austen Texas. Themes in this conversation included: how music really helped TJ overcome his addictions, anxiety and depression; how creating ambient music provides a platform for listeners to feel their emotions and to practice a form of mindfulness; the double-edged nature of social media, which can both connect people and make them feel more alone; the therapeutic value of sharing experiences; how quitting alcohol, exercising and changing his eating habits significantly improved his well-being; and the importance of gratitude in dealing with anxiety and negativity. I took a lot from this conversation and I hope you do as well.

The Dr Henry Venter podcast led to a spirited and thoughtful roundtable discussion. Topics included: how do leaders in workplaces 'show up' for young workers who are fully remote? How do we help them with person-to-person connection?; Expanding the conversation beyond the (terrible) impacts on youth ,but also on older folk; thevery real problem of future jobs and vocational assistance to youth; how implementing some 'old-fashioned, in-real-flesh, social life is part of the solution to digitally-induced loneliness.

For more information on National University, please visit: https://www.nu.edu

My guest on the podcast is Dr. Henry Venter. Henry is a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology. He is currently the Program Director for the Master of Arts Human Behavioral Psychology Program and Professor of Psychology at National University. Dr. Venter’s research focuses on the rising mental health issues among young adults, including the increasing rates of loneliness, and the role that declining meaning and purpose has in undermining happiness and fulfillment in life. By current estimates, up to 25% of young people in the USA are suffering from loneliness, a lack of purpose and meaning accompanied by a type of general resignation and withdrawal into a digitally mediated world. Today’s podcast focussed on the nature of this loneliness, its causes and impacts – especially social media and excessive online life, and how modern life is creating the conditions for social disconnection, disengagement and lowered wellbeing - especially for youth. Henry suggests what needs to be done, specifically that young people seek therapy, coaching or mentoring to help them and to do this proactively before they may become unwell. He urges any type of exercise, playing sport or just ‘moving’ - engaging in activities outside the home. He also emphasises the importance of interacting with real people in real life situations, especially sharing common interests in clubs or shared pursuits. He is a voice of calm reasoned optimism and practicality in the face of great need.