The FitMind Podcast: Mental Fitness, Neuroscience & Psychology

Steven Kotler is the bestselling author of Stealing Fire and Founder of the Flow Research Collective. Steven is a leading expert on human peak performance. His work has appeared in over 70 publications, including The New York Times, National Geographic, Wired, and Time. This episode centers around the neuroscience and psychology of flow states, as well as the future of flow technology using machine learning. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

James Nestor is a science journalist and bestselling author. His most recent book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, explores the fascinating evolutionary biology and ancient practices of breathing. He's also written about freediving, created an Emmy-nominated documentary, and been on various shows, such as The Joe Rogan Experience. Topics in this episode include nose breathing, surgical breath interventions, elite athletic respiration, advanced yogic breathing techniques, and the relationship between breath and mind. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Rick Hanson is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times bestselling author. He's lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, Dr. Hanson's work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He also founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. Topics in this episode include neuroplasticity, negativity bias, the HEAL model, our internal good and bad wolves, and so-called "neurodharma." FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Cyndi Lee is a world-famous yoga and meditation teacher, Founder of the OM yoga center in New York, and a renowned author. Cyndi is the first female Western teacher to fully integrate yoga with Tibetan practices. She has trained thousands of yoga teachers across the world and appeared on a number of TV shows. Topics in this episode include misconceptions about yoga, some advanced breathing methods, the relationship between body and the mind, and integrating Tibetan meditation techniques. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mark Divine is an ex-Navy SEAL Commander, serial entrepreneur, and NY Times bestselling author. Mark, a self-described "warrior monk," is a master of human performance, both mental and physical. As you'll hear he started out on Wall Street before getting into martial arts, entering the SEALs (where he was the Honor Man of his class), and starting multiple million-dollar businesses, including SEALFIT. Topics in this episode include Zen, Navy SEAL training, mental toughness, and his unique model of training that combines principles from martial arts, yoga and CrossFit. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Harriet De Wit is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago with a PhD in Experimental Psychology. She has been researching psychoactive drugs for over 40 years. Dr. De Wit takes a cautious, scientific approach to these potent compounds. She's excited about their transformative power, but not caught up in the hype. Topics in this episode include MDMA and LSD research, microdosing, potential pitfalls, and the future of psychedelics. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Steven Hayes is one of the most cited psychologists in the world. He was listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 30th "highest impact" psychologist worldwide and is the author of 46 books and nearly 650 scientific articles. His career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language, cognition, and the application of this for the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He's also the developer of Relational Frame Theory, an account of human higher cognition, and has guided its extension to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a popular evidence-based form of psychotherapy that uses mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based methods. In this episode, we discuss the importance of psychological flexibility, why mental suffering is optional, how our minds have created a virtual reality, theory of mind, psychedelics, lucid dreaming, utopias, and of course his famous form of psychotherapy, ACT. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Gretchen Rubin is the New York Times bestselling author of several books about happiness, habit and human nature. Her books, including The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, Happier at Home, and The Happiness Project, have sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. Gretchen also has a popular blog and podcast, called Happier. Previously, she received a law degree from Yale and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Topics in this episode include happiness engineering, how to make and break habits, why habits are highly personal and Gretchen's four tendencies framework, willpower, and the effects of clutter on the mind. FitMind App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Jay Sanguinetti is a scientist and technologist trained in philosophy, neuroscience, and cognitive psychology. Jay's SEMA Lab is researching ways of using noninvasive brain stimulation to enhance cognitive function and wellbeing. For example, he's working with one of the world's best-known meditation masters, Shinzen Young, to create a neuromodulation device for augmenting mindfulness meditation practice. Topics in this episode include how noninvasive brain stimulation works, neural changes associated with mindfulness, and a rare disorder that led to some fascinating scientific breakthroughs. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Andrew Hill is a neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and biohacker. He's the Founder of Peak Brain Institute, a brain fitness center, and Lead Neuroscientist at TruBrain, a nootropics company. Dr. Hill holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA and is best known for his mission to bring the brain-hacking technology of neurofeedback into mainstream practice. His community-oriented company Peak Brain Institute teaches brain-training from a fitness perspective and uses EEG neurofeedback and QEEG brain mapping designed to help people enhance cognitive performance. Topics in this episode include neurofeedback, a NASA study on cat brains, how brainwaves work, debunking the stoned ape hypothesis, the "god spot" in the brain, aging well, altered states of consciousness, brain gyms, the future of neuroscience technology, and why Elon musk may be wasting his time trying to get to Mars. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Erik Won is a Harvard-trained doctor and the President of Wave Neuroscience, a biotechnology company developing innovative solutions for mental disorders like PTSD. Dr. Won served as a U.S. Navy Flight Surgeon for Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 and became CTO of medical at Boeing before joining Wave Neuro. He also has an MBA and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. In this episode, we talk about the tragedy that led to Dr. Won's interest in treating PTSD, unpack a promising technology called magnetic e-resonance therapy (MeRT), and discuss the future technology in this field. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Tucker Peck is a meditation teacher, clinical psychologist, and founder of Drugfreesleep.com. He holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a focus on the scientific study of meditation's effects on the mind, brain, and body. Tucker began training in meditation in 2005 and has studied with Sharon Salzberg of the Insight Meditation Society and Dr. John Yates of Dharma Treasure, a previous guest on The FitMind Podcast. Tucker was awarded a research grant from the Mind and Life Institute, which he has used to study the effects of meditation on the sleeping brain. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Donald Hilton, MD is a neurosurgeon and internationally recognized expert on the neuroscience of pornography. Dr. Hilton is currently listed in Best Doctors of America and serves as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Neurology at UT Medical School. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biology from Lamar University and cum laude with a medical degree from UT. In this episode, we discuss the magnitude of the porn problem, the neuroscience of porn addiction, and potential solutions to the issue on both personal and society-wide levels. Explicit Content Warning: Includes detailed descriptions of pornographic acts. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Sean Fargo is the Founder of Mindfulness Exercises, where he has taught meditation to some of the top executives in the world at companies like PG&E, Reddit, and DocuSign. Sean is a meditation instructor at Google and advisor to technology startups like Elevate Labs and WellBrain.io. He was formerly a Buddhist monk for two years and worked at the famous Spirit Rock Meditation Center with Jack Kornfield and other world-renowned meditation teachers. In this episode, we talk about how he went from being an international businessman to becoming a monk with no possessions, the details of his training as a monk, why he decided to leave and reenter the western world, and how to deal with difficult emotions. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroanatomist with the 7th most viewed TED talk of all time, titled "My Stroke of Insight." She's been named by Time Magazine on a list of the 100 most influential people in the world and was the first guest on Oprah's SoulSeries show. Dr. Taylor founded the nonprofit Jill Bolte Taylor Brains, Inc. and is the national spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. She received a PhD with postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School in the Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. She's also the author of the bestselling book My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientists' Personal Journey. In this episode, we talk about the brain hemorrhage that led to her stroke of insight and one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, her tips for taking control of our brains, how to switch from doing mode to being mode, becoming your best self, and how consciousness works. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

4x USA Memory Champion Nelson Dellis tells us how to remember (and forget) anything. Nelson Dellis is an American memory champion, mountain climber, and consultant. He has won the USA Memory Championship four times and is an official Grandmaster of Memory (for which you must: memorize 1,000 random digits in one hour, memorize the order of 10 decks of cards in 1 hour, and memorize the order of one deck of cards in less than two minutes). Nelson runs a nonprofit, Climb 4 Memory, which helps combat Alzheimer's disease, co-founded Memory League, and authored Remember it!. As a memory athlete, he has broken several memory records, including memorizing a shuffled deck of cards in 63 seconds and memorizing 339 digits in 5 minutes. Nelson has been featured in documentaries, programs, and shows like Today, The Dr. Oz Show, and Nightline. In this episode of The FitMind Podcast, we discuss how memory works, tips for improving your memory, creating a memory palace, how to learn a language fast, speed reading and how to remember what you read, the future of brain training, his favorite brain foods, and how to forget bad memories. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Michael Taft is a meditation teacher, bestselling author, and podcaster. He teaches meditation at top tech firms like Google and is a core faculty member of Wisdom Labs in San Francisco and an official advisor to the Therapeutic Neuroscience Lab. He has served as editor-in-chief of Being Human and long-time editorial director of Sounds True. Having meditated in various traditions and techniques from Zen temples in Japan to yogi caves in India, Michael has a ton of experience (over 35 years) in training his mind. He also interviews top teachers on his popular podcast Deconstructing Yourself. In this episode, we talk about Michael's journey to the east and through advanced meditation practice, worldviews and frameworks for understanding the mind and meditation, the trials and potential pitfalls of adapting ancient methods for a modern context and the future of meditation in the West, and his general advice for finding the right meditation practice and refining it And if you enjoy this podcast with Michael, which I think you will, then I encourage you to check out his books The Mindful Geek, Nondualism, and Ego. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD taught the most popular course in Harvard history and helped give rise to the positive psychology movement with his research into happiness. He lectures and consults globally for multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies, and educational institutions and has appeared on major television, like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Tal is also the Co-Founder of Potential Life, a company that provides leadership programs based on the science of behavioral change to organizations, schools, and sports teams around the world. Tal has a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University and has authored six books including international bestsellers Being Happy and Happier, which have been translated into 25 languages. This episode of The FitMind Podcast, as you might've guessed, is all about happiness. We talk about the hamburger theory of happiness, Tal's counterintuitive tips for finding true happiness, the most common misunderstanding about happiness, the #1 predictor of happiness, how to implement these methods and experience happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic, the relationship between wealth and happiness, what we can learn from the happiest countries in the world, and two things Tal would change about our society to help us lead happier lives. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Tamara Russell is a clinical psychologist, martial artist (with a black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu), and neuroscientist. She's the Director of the Mindfulness Centre of Excellence in London and a visiting lecturer at King's College London in the Neuroimaging Department of the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Russell's clinical and academic research explores the link between movement, mind, and the brain. She practices and teaches Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong, and other martial arts. Dr. Russell holds a BS in Psychology, a Masters in Neuroscience, a PhD in Psychology, and a Doctorate in Clinical psychology. She is also the author of two books: What is Mindfulness? and Mindfulness in Motion. In this episode, we talk about Dr. Tamara Russell's martial arts training in Shaolin kung fu, spotting mental patterns, using western psychology and neurocognitive models to understand eastern practices, the relationship between the brain and consciousness, transpersonal and clinical psychology, neuroscience research into meditative states, and the challenges with bringing eastern techniques into a western secular context. This is a very timely conversation given the current pandemic and her applicable system called Body in Mind Training (BMT), which blends neuroscience, martial arts, and mindfulness. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Michelle Zellner is the Founder of Better Beings and the author of The YOU Revolution. She's a former competitive gymnast and holds a Master of Science in Kinesiology, which has helped inform her work as a wellness coach and personal trainer. Michelle's company Better Beings hosts corporate workshops, retreats, and other programs for promoting wellness and motivation. In this episode, we talk about behavioral change, starting with "why," how to think about nutrition for an optimal mind, and integrating different lifestyle factors for general wellness. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Steve Taylor talks about self-transcendence and peak experiences (terms famously coined by Maslow) and gives a psychological view of what causes them to occur. Steve is an author and psychologist who comes highly endorsed by leaders like Eckhart Tolle. He is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University and the author of several bestselling books on psychology and self-transcendence. He is the current chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society. His books have been published in 20 languages and include Waking From Sleep, The Fall, Out of the Darkness, Back to Sanity, The Calm Center, and The Leap. His latest book is Spiritual Science: Why Science Needs Spirituality to Make Sense of the World. Steve's research has appeared in The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, The Journal of Consciousness Studies, The Transpersonal Psychology Review, The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, as well as the popular media in the UK, including on BBC World TV, The Guardian, and The Independent. In this episode, we talk about the science behind self-transcendence, a term used by psychologists to describe peak experiences but also enduring states of what some call "awakening." Steve has extensively researched what causes this to happen and also draws upon his personal experience to give a pretty incredible account of what the mind is capable of and how we might improve our chances of experiencing the world in this way. And if you stick around for the end, Steve shares some powerful poems from his book that express his own experience of self-transcendence. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Melanie Greenberg is a clinical psychologist and consultant who wrote the bestselling book The Stress-Proof Brain. An expert on stress management and general wellbeing, she draws on neuroscience, mindfulness, and positive psychology in her work, blending western science with eastern wisdom. Melanie also writes the popular "Mindful Self-Expression" blog for Psychology Today, which has over 8 million page views. She's been featured on CNN, Forbes, BBC, AVC News, Men's Health, HuffPost and a long list of other media. With over 50,000 followers on Twitter, Melanie has been named one of the 30 most prominent psychologists by the British Psychological Association. In this episode, we talk about getting off of autopilot, the neuroscience of stress, the role that evolution plays in all of this, and some direct tips for creating your own stress-proof, or at least stress-resistant, brain. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Bob Roth is a famous American Transcendental Meditation (TM) teacher, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, and the Director of the Center for Leadership Performance. In 1972 Bob began to study TM with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles' guru, a physicist, and founder of the TM movement. Nicknamed "Meditation Bob" by David Letterman, he has now taught TM for over 40 years, including to numerous celebrities like Tom Hanks, Oprah, Hugh Jackman, Martin Scorsese, Katy Perry, and Russell Brand. Bob's non-profit foundation has brought meditation to over 1 million kids and serves at-risk students, military veterans, and women and children who have experienced domestic violence. He has also written two books, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation and Strength in Stillness. In this episode, we talk about how Bob started teaching meditation to celebrities, the underlying psychological mechanics of TM, and the scientific research findings regarding TM's effects on the brain. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Laura Bakosh is the Co-Founder of Inner Explorer, which has brought meditation to over 1 million students in grades PK - 12. Previously, Laura worked in GE's healthcare division for 13 years before co-founding her meditation and mental health organization and has spoken at major venues like TEDx and Wisdom 2.0. She has a Ph.D. in Psychology and was trained as a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) instructor through the Center for Mindfulness at UMass Medical School. In this episode, we talk about how mindfulness is being taught to kids, the amazing early results of those programs, as well as some of the scientific research on how mindfulness changes the brain. Laura mentions guided meditations for kids from her program, which you can find on the FitMind website. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. The Ego talks about how we can begin to let go of constructed "self" images that cause us a great deal of suffering. Topics covered: • How we form an Ego • Why Ego stories are often harmful • The default mode network (DMN) FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC) at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. She co-authored with Susan Smalley, Ph.D. a book called Fully Present, the Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness. Diana has practiced mindfulness for over three decades, including spending a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma, and she has taught meditation for over two decades in hospitals, universities, corporations, non-profits, and schools throughout the U.S. and Asia. She's been called by the LA Times "one of the nation's best-known teachers of mindfulness." Diana is also a founding board member of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association and a member of the Teacher's Council at the famous Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Northern California where she was trained to teach by Jack Kornfield. She's been mention in the New York Times, O Magazine, Newsweek, Women's Health, and a variety of other publications. In this episode, we discuss how Diana became a nun in Burma and then realized her meditation practice needed a big change, the concept of "enlightenment" and how it can be harmful, natural awareness, personalizing your meditation practice, and the infusion of meditation into the modern world. Diana also leads a powerful guided meditation. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. Mental Programs talks about the three programs that determine all thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Understanding this will give you more control over your mind as you recognize the forces that are driving it. Topics covered: • Evolutionary psychology • Neuroplasticity and self-directed neuroplasticity • Reprogramming your mind with meditation FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Judson Brewer, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist, author, and Founder of MindSciences, Inc. Dr. Jud, as he's known, has spent over 20 years at Yale, MIT, and Brown University researching how the brain forms negative behavior patterns, bad habits, and addictions, and has developed meditation-based techniques for creating lasting change. His work has received funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Heart Association (AHA). He is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, as well as a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Jud has been featured on CNN's 60 Minutes, Forbes, TIME, NPR and has the 4th most popular TED talk of 2016 with over 10 million views. He also wrote a book called The Craving Mind, which I highly recommend and has trained US Olympic coaches. In this episode, we talk about thought addiction, using mindfulness to treat anxiety, eating disorders and smoking addiction, the neuroscientific mechanisms of addiction, subjective bias, and the latest cutting-edge research into the neuroscience of mindfulness. Dr. Jud's mindfulness-based treatments for smoking, emotional eating, and anxiety are apps called (respectively) Craving to Quit, Eat Right Now, and Unwinding Anxiety. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Jiro Taylor is the Founder & CEO of the Flowstate Collective, a company dedicated toward helping leaders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs achieve self-mastery. He spent two years studying Zen Buddhism in Japan and instead of becoming a monk went into the corporate world where he was making millions in London and Hong Kong. Jiro's path took another radical turn when he reached a breaking point in 2008 and left his very financially-rewarding career. He then wandered the earth for 11 years exploring happiness through meditation, surfing and learning from masters of presence and flow. In this episode, we discuss Jiro's journey from great financial success and drug abuse into an eventual breakdown that led him to forge a radically new path in life, the shift from a life of doing to a life of being, self-knowledge, meditation, flow states, and breaking out of cultural narratives and conditioning. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. Inner Chatter talks about that voice in your head that can prove so challenging sometimes, offering a skillful method for understanding and relating to it. Topics covered: • Mind-Wandering • Where do thoughts come from? • The first obstacle in meditation FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Willoughby Britton is a neuroscientist at Brown University studying the neurocognitive effects of mindfulness-based interventions for mood and anxiety disorders. She's currently the Director of Brown's Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory and has research service awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a clinician, Dr. Britton has been trained as an instructor in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and has taught mindfulness to both clinical and non-clinical populations, as well as in federally-funded clinical trials. She also runs an organization called Cheetah House, a non-profit that supports meditators in distress. In this episode, we discuss the potential dark sides of meditation practice. In a western world where meditation has been taken out of eastern traditions and spread widely in a secular context, we need to be pragmatic and aware of the risks. Dr. Britton's research has demonstrated that some meditators experience adverse side effects as a result of their practice, and she helps us understand how to avoid such pitfalls. For example, she talks about the specific meditation techniques one should employ and also avoid if they have a history of trauma. It's important to note that this shouldn't scare you away from meditation, but rather help you to understand that meditation is fundamentally reordering of the mind, a delicate instrument that determines our realities, in ways that we can't take lightly. Dr. Britton's work is important because it challenges dogma and seeks to help a minority group of meditators who are experiencing some life-threatening adverse phenomena. And while she admits that there's much more research to be done, her early findings are both fascinating and essential knowledge for any meditator. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. Modern Survival is all about our newest challenge as a species: the struggle for fulfillment. Topics covered: • Innate psychological needs • The modern meaning crisis • The evolution of happiness • Meditation as an antidote FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Ash Sangoram is a neuroscientist, neonatologist, former assistant Stanford Golf coach, and the founder of GoaLoGolf, an elite performance training company. Ash trained under two National Academy of Science neuroscientists and implemented this understanding of the brain into his golf practice to drop his handicap by 15 points while rehabilitating from a spinal cord injury. Ash is also an experience insight meditation practitioner, and he is currently working on bringing neuroscience and meditation principles into the Stanford golf program. Ash believes that meditation and elite athletic performance are inextricably linked, with neuroscience providing the glue that grounds how to go about practicing for elite performance. This is a wide-ranging conversation on how the mind works and how to optimize it. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. Attention Economy is all about the value of attention and how to use it skillfully throughout the day. Topics covered: • Attention engineers • Subconscious programming • Attention Deficit Disorder • Eliminating low-quality, dopamine-rich information FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Loch Kelly is a meditation teacher and psychotherapist who combines western science and psychology with ancient eastern methods for training the mind. He's the Founder of Open-Hearted Awareness Institute and author of Shift Into Freedom and The Way of Effortless Mindfulness. Loch served on the New York Insight Teachers Council, studied extensively with Mingyur Rinpoche, and was invited to teach by Adyashanti, two very famous meditation teachers. Given his extensive experience meditating and decades studying with teachers in Sri Lanka, Nepal and all around the world, Loch was asked to collaborate with neuroscientists at Yale, UPenn, and NYU in the study of how meditation training can enhance the brain. In this episode, we discuss flow states, non-duality, and how to shift out of a thought-based operating system, and Loch leads a powerful guided meditation. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Mind Nuggets are mini-episodes on how the mind works and how to apply it for the best life possible. They are taken directly from the FitMind meditation training app. Pleasure vs. Fulfillment is all about why we ought to aim for lasting happiness in an age of instant gratification. Topics covered: • Psychology of YOLO • The Downstairs Brain • Struggling for fulfillment FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is the Founder of Ness Labs, a venture studio dedicated to products that help people be happier and healthier. Previously Anne-Laure worked for Google on their digital health products team, and she is currently completing a Master of Science in Applied Neuroscience at King's College London. Her work has been featured in WIRED, Forbes, The Rolling Stone. Anne-Laure is also a certified Mental Health First Aider and member of the Society for Neuroscience. In this episode, we discuss burnout, imposter syndrome, neuromyths, the cobra effect, overcoming cognitive biases, joy triggers, FOBO, time anxiety and more. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Nichols is a scientist, activist, community organizer, and author of the bestselling book Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do. He is a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and his work has been broadcast on NPR, BBC, PBS, National Geographic and Animal Planet and featured in Time, Newsweek, GQ, Scientific American and New Scientist, among others. Dr. Nichols' most recent work has been on BLUEMiND: The Mind + Ocean Initiative, merging the fields of cognitive science and ocean exploration. In this episode of the FitMind Podcast, we discuss blue mind vs. red mind, overstimulation, the scientific effects of water on the mind, neuromarketing, float tanks, surfing as therapy, and aquatic ape hypothesis, among other topics. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Neil Pasricha is the bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome, The Happiness Equation and most recently You are Awesome. His books are New York Times and #1 international bestsellers and have sold millions of copies across dozens of languages. He also has a 100 million-hit award-winning blog called 1000 Awesome Things, a very popular TED talk, and has spoken at places like Google and South by Southwest. We talk about his path from Harvard Business School to working at Walmart and eventually researching and writing about happiness, why he likes hanging out with 3-year-olds, attention diets, quitting social media, untouchable days, echo chambers, resilience, and failure budgets. Neil gives some great direct takeaways for improving your mindset. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Ben Pakulski, a.k.a. BPAK is the CEO of Muscle Intelligence and a former IFBB professional bodybuilder who won the Mr. Canada competition in 2008. In this episode of the FitMind Podcast, we discuss how Ben got into yoga as a 320-pound muscle man, achieving mental fitness through meditation, covert influence, the attention economy, and tips for optimizing the mind. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Keely Kolmes is a psychologist with over 20 years of experience providing psychotherapy. They are also the founder of Bay Area Open Minds and consult nationally and internationally on digital ethics and technology issues for clinicians. In this episode of the FitMind Podcast, we talk about the psychological impact of the Internet and the nuances of forming genuine relationships and community in this virtual ecosystem. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Frates is the Founder of Wellness Synergy, an award-winning professor at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of Life After Stroke. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and then Stanford Medical School. We discuss a family tragedy that led Dr. Frates into the wellness field, taste bud rehab, the Harvard healthy plate, the sugar cycle, how to make a healthy habit change and, overall, the importance of nutrition, exercise and sleep for achieving a healthy mind and body. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Home is the Founder and CEO of MindKind Institute and has over 20 years of experience in personal leadership, mind-body practices and executive coaching. He is a consultant at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and teaches MBAs at Columbia and Yale. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Kauffman is a licensed psychologist with a PhD in counseling psychology from Stanford. She specializes in working with kids, teens and parents. We talk about the challenges of raising children in the digital age and the effects of technology on a developing brain. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Jevan earned a masters degree in Mind, Brain and Behavior Research, worked as a brain trainer and lived with indigenous Amazonian tribes. He wrote The Awakened Ape: A Biohacker's Guide to Evolutionary Fitness, Natural Ecstasy and Stress-Free Living. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Gackenbach is a dream researcher whose focus is lucid dreaming and other altered states of consciousness. She holds a Ph.D in Experimental Psychology and her most recent research focuses on video game players and the development of consciousness. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Richard Lang is the primary teacher of a popular meditation technique known as Headless Way. He was a close friend of Douglas Harding, the philosopher who first invented this method, and is also coordinator of UK charity Shollond Trust. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Cortland Dahl is a leading scientist at The Center for Healthy Minds, the top meditation research lab in the world. He also has decades of meditation experience and is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Tergar International, a global network of meditation groups and centers. We talk about what science has to say about unlocking the mind's full potential through meditation. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

At the age of 21, Tami Simon founded Sounds True, a large multimedia publishing house with a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. She is also a renowned meditation instructor and wrote Being True: What Matters Most in Work, Life, and Love. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com

Dr. Mark Leary is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University who has made significant contributions to his field. We discuss when and why self-awareness evolved in humans and how this causes problems today. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com