On episode 245, we welcome Michael Uebel to discuss the practice of equanimity, its similarities and differences from mindfulness practices, how perspective taking helps mitigate difficult feelings as in PTSD, how it can be used to help bridge political divides, shifting goals to less ambitious ones for greater equanimity, perspective taking and its influence on self-esteem, and psychoanalysis as a foundation for increased humility and curiosity.

Michael Uebel, PhD, LCSW, studies intellectual history. He has taught theory and literature at the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, and the University of Kentucky. Currently an Affiliate of the Office for the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Texas-Austin, and an International Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Council, his research focuses on the intersection of philosophy and psychology as it bears on the nature of self and ethical life. His new book, available October 31, 2025, is called Seeds of Equanimity: Knowing and Being.

| Michael Uebel |

► Website | https://utexas.academia.edu/MichaelUebel

► Psychology Today | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michael-uebel-austin-tx/46379

► Seeds of Equanimity Book | https://amzn.to/42BsUNa

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| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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On episode 244, we welcome Troyen Brennan to discuss the pitfalls of the US healthcare system, the fee-for-service model’s implications for patient outcomes, primary care as a more viable alternative, Walmart’s failed attempt to establish primary care clinics, Optum’s contrasting success, how to incentivize primary care, AI streamlining prior authorizations, increasing government funding and venture capital for primary care, how preventative care keeps patients from falling through the cracks, and why medical professionals tend to dislike the business side of medicine.

Troyen A. Brennan is an adjunct professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. A former professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and the former chief medical officer at CVS Health, he is the author of The Transformation of American Health Insurance: On the Path to Medicare for All and Just Doctoring: Medical Ethics in the Liberal State. His new book, available October 7, 2025, is called Wonderful and Broken: The Complex Reality of Primary Care in the United States.

| Troyen A. Brennan |

► Website | https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Troyen-A-Brennan-38805570

► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/troyen-brennan-494bb533

► Wonderful and Broken Book | https://amzn.to/3KBnjQD

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

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► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

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► Patreon | https://bit.ly/3xLHTIa

On episode 243, we welcome Eram Alam to discuss the experiences of foreign-born physicians practicing in the US, the structural problems that led to significant deficits in healthcare across the US, the Hart-Celler Act of 1965 and the other political underpinnings of migrating physicians to the US, skepticism of immigrant physicians from rural populations, the exploitation of healthcare by capital, what we owe the countries whose physicians we entice, and why race continues to occupy our minds despite our desire to surpass the construct.

Eram Alam is a historian of medicine and Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. His research explores the intersections of race, migration, and healthcare, with a focus on how global labor flows have shaped American medicine. His new book, available October 14, 2025, is called The Care of Foreigners: How Immigrant Physicians Changed US Healthcare.

| Eram Alam |

► Website | https://www.eramalam.com

► The Care of Foreigners Book | https://bit.ly/TheCareofForeigners

Where you can find us:

| Seize The Moment Podcast |

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment

► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

► Patreon | https://bit.ly/3xLHTIa