In The Doctor's Chair: Recent Episodes
Dr. Mark Rowe
I’m Dr. Mark Rowe, Welcome to my VitalityMark™ Podcast. As a practicing Medical Doctor, I’m an expert in Positive Health & Lifestyle Medicine, an Author, Corporate Speaker, Vitality Expert & Life Strategist. I started podcasting sporadically a couple of years ago, and now, having spent a lot of time during Covid 2020, delivering to organizations about ‘Living with more Vitality & Building a resilient mind’ I’m answering the call to share my knowledge and practice, & that of my guests, with you, on this weekly VitalityMark™ Podcast. My passion is to Empower YOU to Live your life with Vitality on Purpose.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com. Gifting yourself some short periods of stillness throughout your day is a wonderful way to recharge from stress, rebalance your emotional equilibrium, and restore a greater sense of balance.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com. Do you feel irritable, isolated or withdrawn? Do you find yourself working all the time? Drinking too much alcohol?
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
I am a big advocate for gratitude, not just the emotion of experiencing gratitude, which like all positive emotions is fleeting and transient, but more importantly the habit of regularly expressing gratitude. Gratitude is a powerful habit to bring perspective to the past, peace to the present moment and hope for a brighter future.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Wisdom asks the right questions whereas knowledge provides answers. Looking back to learn from great wisdom of the past can inform the present moment and inspire a brighter, better future too.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com. In recent times, I have become fascinated with this concept of future you. This concept is something I use conversationally on many occasions in my medical practice when I see someone who attends.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.This personal (non political) interview was with Minister Mary Butler as I took my podcast ‘In The Doctors Chair’ live for the first time where our conversation explored life lessons, wellbeing, personal reflections, and the meaning of life.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com. This personal (non political) interview was with Sinn Féin Health Spokesperson David Cullinane TD, as I took my podcast In The Doctors Chair live as a fundraiser for the Waterford Hospice Movement, who provide valuable support to patients and their families at a critical time in their lives...
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com. Jason Gootman is a Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach. His passion is in supporting people to make positive sustainable lifestyle changes that enhance health span. As I say in supporting people to close the ‘intention gap’ between where they are right now in terms of their wellbeing and a healthier version of themselves.
In this episode of my wellbeing podcast, ‘In The Doctors Chair’, I talk to Lorraine Cooney, a specialist gastroenterology dietician at Dublin’s Blackrock Clinic about her new book ‘Why You Can’t Go’. Her book is a gut health ‘bible’ that delves into all the relevant factors contributing to constipation and excess bloating, empowering people to find their own personal solution to digestive relief.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Firstly there’s no real way to prepare for grief. It’s part and parcel of life. While to love and be loved beings great joy and meaning to life, it also equates with loss. Kahlil Gibran, the Persian writer, put it well when he wrote that the depth of your loss is a mirror image to the depth of your love. In his words, ‘you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.’
Grief is a ubiquitous experience that befalls everyone during life. To live and to love as a human being has its polar opposite of death, loss and suffering. Sometimes this loss can lead in time to a sense of posttraumatic growth with a renewed of purpose and meaning.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Just like Groundhog Day, each day that we wake up our brains are hardwired for fear, for anxiety, and for survival. Gratitude as a practice is a powerful way to attune your thinking and way of being in the direction of a more positive mindset.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Recently I interviewed Professor Ciaran O’Boyle, a pioneering leader the area of psychology, leadership and positive health. As Professor of Psychology at the RCSI he is the Founding Director of the RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences (formerly the Centre for Positive Psychology and Health).
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Alana James is an artist, author, and academic whose artwork expresses the love of the intricacies of life as a human being. She obtained her degree in Fine Arts from the University of Colorado in 1971 and exhibited her art in galleries and competitive shows in the US during the 80s.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
As a family doctor for over three decades, I have met many patients who materially may have very little, but actually have so much. I have also seen people who are materially very wealthy, but are very miserable.
Find more episodes and helpful content on www.drmarkrowe.com.
Originally from Tramore Co. Waterford, John McCarthy is a champion surfer who has competed and has travelled all over the world – including to Hawaii, Australia, Africa, Central and South America and all over Asia – in search of what he calls the ‘perfect wave’.
Episode #93 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
Dr. Liana joins me again this episode to discuss adopting a strength-based approach to living our lives. We explain what individual character strengths are and discuss why we need to pay attention to and savor the moments when we’re at our best. We discuss how routinely using our character strengths to our advantage helps contribute to our overall sense of well-being and why many people are hesitant about embracing their character strengths.
Episode #144 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
In this episode, I explore different solutions and suggestions to support your mental health. I highlight the difference between mental health and mental illness. I present UK research that identified seven separate lifestyle factors that reduce the risk of developing depression. I discuss the role of making positive lifestyle choices in preventing and managing mental health issues and how mental health can benefit from movement and exercise.
Episode #21 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
In this episode, I talk about the different types of cholesterol, and I explain why some are good and some aren’t. I talk about what your numbers should look like in each category, and I talk about how to improve these numbers when they’re not where they should be. I talk about the different ways you can help and hurt your cholesterol numbers, and I go into specific diet changes you can make to improve these levels or keep them healthy.
Episode #26 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
Today, I talk about the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet. I explain why I do not like the term “diet” for its connotations, and I note that, over the course of ten years, you make 11,000 food choices. I explain what blue zones are and list the four healthy lifestyle factors. I note the importance of consistency and color in your food, and I explain what is included in the Mediterranean diet. I also note that it supports better telomeres. None of us can go back to the beginning and start again, but starting today, you can create a brand new ending.
Episode #70 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
In this episode, I discuss what Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is and why it’s not as uncommon as society typically believes. I discuss the connection between frequent erectile dysfunction issues and other, sometimes more serious, health concerns. I explain the common physical and psychological causes of ED and the connection between your psychological health and your physical wellbeing. I explain how certain health issues like diabetes, chronic pain, and anxiety as well as certain prescription medications can often lead to erectile dysfunction.
Dr. Liana Lianov is the President of Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the integration of positive psychology in the healthcare setting. She is an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine who has led the development of its core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals which, most recently, has been expanded to include positive psychology-based knowledge and skills.
Episode #81 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
Today, I talk about how to navigate this situation. I note that we’re hardwired for fear and that it doesn’t take much to trigger stress in us. I talk about how to be mindful of how you consume media, noting that you don’t need to unnecessarily stress yourself to stay informed. I note the power of differentiating between the things you can control and the things you can’t. I discuss the importance of self-care, pointing out that every environment you spend time in can be health-depleting or health-enhancing. I posit that you can control your level of stress to an extent and offer practical tips on how to do so. You have the power to choose how to respond in any given situation.
Episode #58 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
Today, I explain what acne is, some of the most common causes for acne breakouts, and the most common areas you may find blemishes develop. I highlight how chronic acne can sometimes lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and even depression for some people. I explain the difference between white-head and black-head pimples and how squeezing pimples can ultimately create scar tissue. I also discuss treatment options currently available, including home remedies, over-the-counter medications, and prescription medications, to treat acne breakouts and share a few basic skin care tips you can do each day to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy. The good news is – while acne may not be preventable, it’s really treatable. There are so many effective options out there.
Episode #84 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
Today, Kayleen joins me to share her story. She shares what’s behind her love for learning and she notes that you can transform your pain into something beautiful. She emphasises the power of gratitude, offering practices to cultivate it, and she points out that beauty is always woven into the darkness; you just have to shift your way of seeing. She talks about her heroes, sharing why each one makes the list, and she notes that goodness, truth, and beauty are all united. She talks about the power of pilgrimage and emphasises the importance of cultivating habits that contribute to your vitality.
Episode #61 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
In this episode, I discuss health beyond the absence of disease and how making lifestyle changes can significantly improve your health and well-being. I define lifestyle medicine and outline its six pillars. I share the Million Veteran Study and explain how it demonstrated the cumulative effects and age-specific benefits of adopting multiple healthy habits. I also suggest a few small, positive lifestyle changes and habits you can adopt today and underscore the interconnected nature of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Episode #138 see www.drmarkrowe.com for more episodes.
In this episode, Michelle and I discuss how self-care and self-compassion can help us show up for ourselves and others. We explore her background in sports, sports development, and her interest in psychology and personal development. We describe the power of hope and how faith allowed Michelle to navigate the most challenging chapters of her life. We also outline her daily gratitude practice, discuss her experience writing A Heart Full of Love, and highlight Michelle’s thoughts on the essence of life.
In this episode, I discuss how you can live better and longer through strength-based training and exercise. I share the story of John, an 84-year-old man whose biological age is decades behind his chronological age. I explain how our bodies lose lean muscles as we age—leading to eventual decline—and how the environments we spend our time in can be health-enhancing or health-depleting. I also outline the key benefits of strength training on aging, metabolism, mental health, and vitality and offer advice on starting strength training as a habit.
Eimear Byrne is a fertility support coach and IVF survivor. Eimear is the creator of Moments of Sparkle, through which she helps others navigate the challenges of the fertility journey. She created the Fertility Rollercoaster Toolkit, a six-week course packed with all the mental health practices and tools she has learned from her own fertility journey and mindfulness training. She is on a mission to help people realize that they are not alone, that there is mental health support available, and that it’s possible to live a meaningful life after IVF.
Eimear joins me today to share her fertility journey. She describes the IVF cycles she has been through, the challenges that she faced, and the lessons she learned from the adversities she overcame. She outlines the practices in her mental health toolkit—including mindfulness, journaling, and counseling—and how they helped her face the challenges of her IVF journey. Eimear also discusses how she helps others through Moments of Sparkle and shares her ideas for cultivating a resilient mind.
“A resilient mind has the capacity to recover from difficult times, but it is also the realization that you’re human that makes difficult things happen.” – Eimear Byrne
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Eimear’s journey through healthcare and IVF
- The failings of conventional medicine and healthcare
- How Eimear discovered mindfulness practices and how she initially reacted to them
- How mindfulness kept Eimear mentally well through her IVF journey
- Seeking support and how counseling helped Eimear navigate fertility challenges
- How Eimear’s family and friends supported her through her journey
- How the pandemic became a transformative period in Eiemar’s life
- What life was like for Eimear before her mindfulness and mental health practices
- How gratitude journaling can help us recalibrate our attentive energy to what’s present
- Having and creating a sense of realistic hope and optimism
- The creation of Moments of Sparkle
- Post-traumatic growth
- Cultivating a resilient mind
- The essence of emotional agility and the power of learning to sit with difficult emotions
- What life means to Eimear
Connect with Eimear Byrne:
- Moments of Sparkle
- Moments of Sparkle on Instagram
- Eimear Byrne on Instagram
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #135 Building Mental Resilience through the Fertility Journey with Eimear Byrne appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Having a Health IQ is important. A great way to start building it up is to keep track of your cholesterol numbers. This can seem like a daunting task, so today I talk all about cholesterol: what it is, why it matters, how to keep track of it and how to leverage lifestyle changes to keep it at healthy levels thereby reducing your risk of chronic illnesses.
In this episode, I talk about the different types of cholesterol, and I explain why some are good and some aren’t. I talk about what your numbers should look like in each category, and I talk about how to improve these numbers when they’re not where they should be. I talk about the different ways you can help and hurt your cholesterol numbers, and I go into specific diet changes you can make to improve these levels or keep them healthy.
“I call exercise the greatest pill of all.”– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is cholesterol and why does it matter?
- The yo-yo diet and why you should avoid it
- The different types of cholesterol
- The power of exercise
- What you should be eating to keep your cholesterol levels healthy
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #134 Cholesterol – We Make Our Habits in Life, and Then Our Habits Make Us. Aristotle appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Liana Lianov is the founder and President of HealthType LLC, which offers digital programs and interactive workshops that focus on positive psychology for health professionals and individual audiences. An international leader in lifestyle medicine and positive psychology, Liana has dedicated her career to promoting positive psychology in healthcare. In addition to her role at HealthType, she serves as the President of the Global Positive Health Institute, a nonprofit organization that helps health professionals promote flourishing and total well-being for their parents and themselves. She is also the author of Strengths in the Mirror and Roots of Positive Change.
In this episode, Liana and I discuss how approaching life with your character and personal strengths can help you achieve long-lasting benefits to your health, well-being, and vitality. We discuss how individuals can find their character strengths amid a world that focuses on insecurities and imperfection. We explore different ways to discover your character and personal strengths. We describe how everyone can bring their character strengths into their daily lives and develop them. We also highlight the power of knowing yourself and underscore how knowing your personal strengths can help you navigate challenging circumstances.
“When the world seems to crumble around us, it’s very reassuring to know that when all else fails, we can turn inward and see that we have character strengths we can use to persevere, thrive, and flourish.” – Dr. Liana Lianov
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Finding your character strengths in a social-media-centered society
- The six core virtues of the wisdom books and their 24 character strengths
- Developing character strengths over time
- Allowing your signature to emerge and develop
- How identifying and applying your top character strengths can feel resonant and effortless
- Knowing yourself and the power of having a sense of self
- How to bring your character strengths into your everyday life
- How all change happens on the inside
Resources Mentioned:
- The VIA Character Strength Survey
Connect with Dr. Liana Lianov:
- Dr. Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow
- Book: Roots of Positive Change: Optimizing Health Care with Positive Psychology
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #133 Boosting Your Well-being through Character Strengths with Dr. Liana Lianov appeared first on Mark Rowe.
If health is truly every individual’s wealth, what can we do to improve it? There is a myriad of information out there on improving health, vitality, and longevity. Educating yourself on cultivating well-being can be, ironically, a stressful experience, but taking the initiative to gather knowledge is a good step towards being an active participant in your health. And it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming journey—there are simple but impactful ideas to help you enhance your health span.
In this episode, I discuss health being your wealth and outline key ideas to help, support, and improve your health span and enable you to live with vitality. I explain how having a positive view of aging impacts vitality and longevity. I share my G.L.A.D. and W.W.W. exercises to help build your emotional bank account. I also highlight how our interpersonal relationships impact our health, discuss how our daily lifestyles and habits determine our well-being, and underscore the power of gratitude on improving our vitality.
“By taking good care of our health and appreciating that your health is your wealth, you can optimize your health span and increase the number of years in your life where you stay healthy.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Knowing yourself and your bio-markers
- The importance of having a positive view of aging
- Why having a positive mindset doesn’t mean ignoring our negative experiences
- What it means to have emotional agility
- How the quality of our interpersonal relationships is directly linked to the quality of our long-term wellbeing
- Letting your lifestyle and daily habits become your best possible medicine
- How 80% of your genes express themselves according to lifestyle habits
- Becoming your own best friend and how self-care starts from the inside
- Optimizing your health span and being an active participant in your own health and well-being
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger M.D.
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #132 Health is Wealth appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Imagine that there is a bridge between you and a state of health, well-being, vitality, creativity, and empathy for yourself and the world around you. That bridge exists and is accessible to anyone for free—and that bridge is forest therapy. Spending time in nature, disconnected from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, is a relaxing, restorative, health-enhancing experience.
In this episode, I discuss forest therapy and how it can improve your overall well-being, creativity, and connection to the world around you. I reveal how nature inspired me to write my book, The Vitality Mark. I explain how spending time in natural environments can help you lower your stress response, increase your relaxation response, and become more compassionate to yourself and the world around you. I also highlight how you can make the most out of your time being in nature to maximize its benefits.
“Forest therapy, or shinrin-yoku, can become that bridge to more well-being and vitality; it can take you home not just to nature, but to your true nature.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Nature as a creative laboratory
- How time in nature can reduce the voice of the inner-critic and increase self-compassion
- The ‘Green Exercise’ prescription
- The history of forest bathing or shinrin-yoku
- Improving your relaxation response through forest therapy
- How time spent in nature can reduce stress and chronic health conditions
- How being in nature produces a flow state and triggers the “small self” effect
- Forest therapy and raising awareness of the importance of the natural world
- Ralph Waldo Emerson on adopting the pace of nature
- What you should do before ending your time in nature
- Hellen Keller on spending time in nature
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your Prescription for Feeling Energised, Invigorated, Enthusiastic and Optimistic Each Day by Dr. Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #131 Forest Therapy appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Caroline Adams Miller is an author, speaker, leader of the self-help and positive psychology movements, and an expert on the science behind successful goal-setting and “good grit.” Caroline’s journey began with her battle against bulimia in her early twenties, and she draws from her experience, real-life examples, and cutting-edge research from positive psychology to engage audiences and empower them with practical takeaways. Caroline has worked with prestigious clients worldwide— including Morgan Stanley, lululemon, McKinsey & Company, and Harvard Law School—and her contributions have been featured in prominent media outlets such as BBC World News, The New York Times, and CNN. Caroline holds one of the first 32 Masters of Applied Positive Psychology degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. When she’s not transforming lives, Caroline excels as a Masters Swimmer, holds a black belt in Hapkido, and is pursuing another in the self-defense system, Tzee Wai Kuen. She resides between Bethesda, Maryland, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with her husband and their giant black Schnoodle, Alpha.
Today, Caroline joins me to discuss where happiness comes from and the science behind goal-setting. She recounts her journey recovering from bulimia and addiction and how it led her to the field of positive psychology and coaching. She demonstrates the importance of positive psychology and provides instructions on using it to pursue difficult goals. She reminds us that it is never too late to start pursuing our goals and how novelty and zest for life can help us through challenges. We highlight how grit can be cultivated and how women in particular benefit from supporting each other in developing it. We also talk about the importance of healthy habits and Caroline’s favorite ways to find meaning in life.
”I think there’s something about the pursuit of hard goals that makes us better people, that makes us more resilient, that makes us more creative, that makes us more optimistic.” – Caroline Adams Miller
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Caroline’s passion for positive psychology
- How Caroline discovered positive psychology and coaching
- The importance of growth after trauma
- How giving back helps you achieve happiness and fulfillment
- The connection between goal-setting and the science of happiness
- Behind the science of goal-setting
- Why pursuing hard goals leads to long-term happiness
- Action steps for pursuing hard goals
- The importance of support networks
- The importance of novelty and zest in life
- Caroline’s thoughts on the meaning of life
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Lifeby Dacher Keltner
Connect with Caroline Miller:
- Caroline Adams Miller Website
- Caroline Adams Miller on LinkedIn
- Caroline Adams Miller on Instagram
- Caroline Adams Miller on Facebook
- Caroline Adams Miller on Twitter
- Caroline Adams Miller on YouTube
- Caroline Adams Miller’s Books
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #130 Set Goals To Grow with Caroline Adams Miller appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher that was born into slavery. After being banished from Rome, he moved to northwestern Greece, where he lived for the rest of his life. His life was about making progress instead of mastering perfection and, because of this, there are many great life lessons we can learn from him. These lessons provide us with a practical path to resilience, growth, fulfillment, and wisdom.
This week, I discuss some of the life lessons we can learn from the great minds of ancient philosophers, like Epictetus. I share how he learned by choosing how he responded to different situations, it gave him an inner sense of freedom despite his circumstances. I share how Epictetus teaches us to use adversity as a means to develop our sense of freedom and the importance of taking responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs. I discuss why he believed our actions speak louder than words, his thoughts on receiving criticism from others, and why he taught his students to cultivate good habits. I also discuss the value of being mindful of how we spend our time and making light of life’s challenges.
“Use adversity as an opportunity to develop your inner sense of freedom. The robber of your free will does not exist. Some things are in your control, others are not.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Choosing how we respond to different situations
- Epictetus’ manual for living
- What Epictetus believed about blaming others for your own bad circumstances
- Accurately identifying what’s within your control and what is not
- Using adversity as an opportunity to develop your sense of freedom
- How Epictetus describes suffering
- Taking responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs
- Making light of life’s challenges
- Why your actions speak louder than your words
- Epictetus’ views on receiving criticism from others
- Cultivating good habits
- Being mindful of how we spend our time
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Enchiridion by Epictetus
- Book: Discourses by Epictetus
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #129 Life Lessons from Epictetus appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Frates, MD, is a pioneer in Lifestyle Medicine education and an award-winning teacher at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Extension School. Dr. Frates’s passionate teaching style at Harvard Medical School has earned her several Excellence in Teaching awards for her work in multiple pre-clinical courses. She specialises in connecting one-on-one with her clients.
Today, Beth joins me to talk about the power of a healthy body, peaceful mind, and joyful heart. She shares how her story began and talks about the impact of her father’s heart attack and stroke on his life and hers. She notes that exercise can often act as an internal motivator and discusses the power of a growth mindset. She shares her own lifestyle health practices and discusses the power of movement. She notes the power of self-care and its effects on a person’s health and ability to take care of others well. She discusses the six pillars of lifestyle health and notes that they work best as a combination. Finally, she emphasises the power of a growth mindset, gratitude, and the ability to see beauty in everything.
“It’s a new day. It’s a new chance.”– Elizabeth Frates
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of knowing you have control
- Exercise as an internal motivator
- The power of movement
- The importance of self-care
- The six pillars of lifestyle health
- Why the six pillars work best together
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations sharing life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #128 Dr Beth Frates: Lifestyle Medicine as a Game Changer appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Domini Kemp is an entrepreneur, chef, author, and advocate for positive health. As the co-founder of ITSA Ltd, she has successfully developed multiple award-winning brands within the ITSA Group, including Feast, Joe’s, Alchemy Juice Co., Hatch & Sons, and more. Domini trained as a chef at Leith’s in London. Upon returning to Ireland, she co-authored “New Irish Cooking” and gained invaluable experience at Dublin’s Michelin-starred Peacock Alley. Domini has been named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and received the Image Business Woman of the Year award, as well as contributed to notable publications, including The Irish Times Saturday Magazine, Image, and The Dubliner Magazine, and is a familiar face on TV and radio. Following a breast cancer diagnosis, Domini co-authored the best-selling cookbook “The Ketogenic Kitchen.” She holds an MA in Gastronomy & Food Studies and a Prof. Dip in Positive Health. She also regularly speaks internationally on topics like “Food & Cancer” and “Food as Medicine.”
Today, we discuss Domini’s passion for food as medicine. Domini shares how being a chef and entrepreneur-led her to embrace the power of food. She emphasizes the importance of real, unprocessed food and highlights the benefits of herbs and spices for their potential anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. She clarifies why her goal is not to make absolute claims but to promote the idea that small dietary choices can have a significant influence on our health. We discuss the role of food education and Domini’s frustrations with bureaucratic systems. We emphasize the importance of confidence, particularly for women, and how we can influence the healthcare system through food. We also stress the value of gratitude, self-kindness, and acceptance in navigating life’s challenges and how to find meaning in sharing meals with loved ones and bringing joy to others through food.
“This older knowledge that old cooks have passed down, not only do they taste delicious, but you get this added enhanced nutritional benefit.” – Domini Kemp
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How Domini’s breast cancer diagnoses affected how she views food as medicine
- The importance of unprocessed and plant-based foods
- The benefits of herbs and spices
- How diet impacts cancer
- The small choices we can make to improve our health through diet
- The challenges of cooking nutritious meals
- The role of food education in schools
- How sharing meals increases your levels of joy
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber
Connect with Domini Kemp:
- Domini Kemp’s Website
- Domini Kemp on LinkedIn
- Itsa Cafe and Catering on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #127 Food as Medicine: Uniting Health and Flavor with Domini Kemp appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Rachel Graham is a Nutritional Therapist and Medicinal Chef who helps her clients improve their eating habits and increase their well-being by creating delicious and healthy meals. Rachel specializes in women’s health, particularly focusing on menopause, and is an accredited menopause educator recognized by The British Menopause Charity. She offers guidance and advice on various treatment options for managing Menopause symptoms, including Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), alternative supplements, lifestyle adjustments, and alternative therapies. Rachel also caters to younger women experiencing early menopause and those approaching menopause, ensuring they are well-informed and prepared for this transitional phase. She is the author of several books including a medicinal cookbook and fosters a supportive online menopause community through a private Facebook group called “BACK TO LIFE – Your Menopause Transformation Community.” She also conducts small group workshops and private one-on-one medicinal cooking demonstrations.
Today, Rachel joins me to discuss the significance of willpower, seeking professional help, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle during menopause and beyond. Rachel explains the benefits of a nutrient-focused approach to eating during menopause, highlighting eight essential nutrients for women’s health, and emphasizes the challenges of overcoming sugar addiction. She shares her personal practices for healthy living and recounts how overcoming adversity in her own life led her to pursue nutritional therapy and lifestyle medicine. She shares advice she wished she received when she was younger, like exploring a different career options and taking care of her skin with SPF. We also discuss how focusing on a whole-food diet, regular physical activity, and quality sleep increases our quality of life.
“Once you start feeling the benefits of your actions, then it is self-perpetuating.” – Rachel Graham
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The 8 essential nutrients for women’s health during menopause
- The challenges of overcoming sugar addiction
- Why it’s so important to tame your sugar addiction
- How to reduce your sugar intake and make more informed food choices
- Rachel’s favorite personal wellness practices
- How overcoming personal adversity led Rachel to nutritional therapy
- Rachel’s advice to her younger self
- The importance of prioritizing skin care and using SPF
- How Rachel finds meaning in life
Connect with Rachel Graham:
- Rachel Graham’s Website
- Book: MENO-MORPHOSIS COOKBOOK
- Rachel Graham on LinkedIn
- Rachel Graham on Facebook
- Rachel Graham on YouTube
- Rachel Graham on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #126 Food As Medicine for Menopause with Rachel Graham appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Paddy Barrett is a preventive cardiologist committed to helping patients optimize their health, extend their lives, and discover the deeper meaning of life. He has 20 years of experience in world-class medical centers in California, New York, Sydney, and Ireland. Dr. Barrett has realized that true well-being encompasses more than just the treatment of diseases and promotes extending life span, health span, and soul span through leading a purposeful and meaningful life. He shares insights from his career in his Substack newsletter—where he provides readers with valuable information on optimizing health and discovering meaning—and on his podcast, The Dr. Paddy Barrett Podcast.
Today, Dr. Paddy and I discuss preventive cardiology and the risk factors leading to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. Dr. Paddy highlights the need for lifestyle medicine and positive health practices and details how his work in preventive cardiology and medical innovation continues to significantly impact the field. We discuss how understanding metabolic syndrome and its role in chronic diseases can prevent the early onset of major illnesses. We explain why it’s never too late to make positive changes to our health. Dr. Patty also shares his insights on meditation and stoicism and details how those tools can improve emotional resilience and well-being.
”If you want to be a kick-ass 90-year-old, you cannot settle for being an average 50-year-old.” – Dr. Paddy Barrett
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why Paddy is so passionate about preventive cardiology
- The importance of focusing on risk factors to prevent disease
- The leading causes of death in the developed world
- What we can learn from healthy centenarians
- The importance of lifestyle medicine and positive health
- Strategies for reducing burnout in the medical profession
- Paddy’s experience hosting his podcast
- The role of medical innovation in preventive cardiology
- The good news about metabolic syndrome
- How Patty celebrates patient wins
- Why some patients resist statin therapy
- How stoicism and meditation build resilience
Connect with Dr. Paddy Barrett:
- Dr. Paddy Barrett Website
- Dr. Paddy Barrett on Substack
- Dr. Paddy Barretton on Instagram
- Dr. Paddy Barrett on LinkedIn
- Dr. Paddy Barrett on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #125 Prevent & Treat Heart Disease with Dr Paddy Barrett appeared first on Mark Rowe.
How do you let go of petty resentments and destructive ideas holding you back from reaching your goals? I look to Benjamin Franklin, one of my favorite historical figures, because of his brilliance and his ability to hold himself accountable for his personal growth for guidance. Every day, Franklin would ask himself a series of introspective questions about the good he could do and what he could give back to the world, which nurtured his curiosity about the world around him and led him to be one of the most prolific thinkers the world has ever known.
Today, I guide you through a series of questions meant to help you develop a growth mindset and learn how to ask yourself the right questions to find your personal truth and foster your curiosity about the world around you. I help you identify your strengths and share some surprising traits that strong people have. I discuss the importance of gratitude and how focusing on abundance is more important than focusing on what you don’t have. I explain how you can incorporate these questions into your daily routine and how this practice can increase your well-being and relationships. I also discuss the benefits of incorporating appreciation into your life.
“A foundational habit brings perspective to the past, a sense of peace to the present moment, and a profound sense of hope and realistic optimism for a brighter, better future.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How to ask yourself the right questions to foster health and well being
- The questions I recommend asking yourself daily
- The positive effects of being curious about the world around you
- What Benjamin Franklin can teach us about the growth mindset
- How letting go of negativity can help you re-charge and recenter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #124 Ask the Right Questions appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Today, we live in a society where kindness is often looked down on as a weakness. But in reality, kindness–which stems from the Golden Rule–has benefits that are spiritual, physical, and mental.
In this episode, I talk about why kindness is an essential part of a lifestyle of vitality. I share the concrete benefits of being kind and compassionate toward others, benefits which are mental, physical, and spiritual. I share research on why, when you’re kind, you actually make the world a better place. I explain why, contrary to being a sign of weakness, kindness increases your resilience. Finally, I share a poem on kindness.
“When you seek to find the best in others, you also bring out the best in yourself.”– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The concrete benefits of cultivating kindness and compassion in your everyday life
- The benefits of kindness
- Why kindness is good for your heart
- How kindness can change your worldview
- The contagiousness of kindness
- Kindness on social media
- Kindness as a choice
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #123 Kindness – A Key For Vitality appeared first on Mark Rowe.
The ideology that manly men never show weakness and never ask for help is a dangerous stereotype of masculinity that has profound health consequences. Far too often, I see men delay healthcare and lose out on years that they could have spent living healthier lives and enjoying time with their families. I even wrote a book, The Men’s Health Book: A Guide for the Irish Man, about the distressing gap in life expectancy between men and women. When I wrote the book in 2009, women lived, on average, 6 years longer than men. Since then, the gap has shrunk to 3.6 years, but it has led me to further study how men approach healthcare and why they delay seeking it out.
Today, I discuss men’s health and why it’s important for men to work with their doctors on a partnership approach to healthcare. I highlight why men often delay seeking medical attention and neglect their health, which can have negative consequences. I emphasize the need for men to take action and be proactive in caring for their health. I explore the reasons behind men’s health issues, including biological factors and societal beliefs, and encourage men to overcome their fears and seek help when needed. I also provide tips on how to have a productive doctor-patient relationship and stress the importance of being informed about one’s own health, including knowing the numbers related to blood pressure, cholesterol, belly fat, and other health markers.
“Become more of an active participant in your own well-being as opposed to simply a passive consumer of healthcare.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The importance of a partnership approach to healthcare
- How men’s health affects partners, wives, children, and friends
- Why men so commonly delay seeking medical attention
- How men can take action to look after their health
- How testosterone can contribute to men’s health risks
- Why it’s important to know your family history and basic health data
- How lifestyle choices affect men’s health
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Men’s Health Book: A Guide for the Irish Man by Dr. Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #122 When Men Delay Seeking Healthcare: The Dire Consequences of Not Asking For Help appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Keith Barry is the world’s foremost TV hypnotist, mentalist, and Brain Hacker who has been dubbed the Wizard of the Western World. He has captivated audiences across the globe on over forty international television shows including his latest groundbreaking series, The Keith Barry Experience. He’s also appeared on ITV’s You’re Back in The Room, the CW’s Hypnotize Me, and the Irish TV series, The Keith Barry Experience. Keith has also crafted a mesmerizing corporate show. As a mind coach, Keith has worked with esteemed athletes, influential business figures, and renowned actors, helping them to unlock their subconscious potential, harness their inner capabilities, and achieve remarkable success.
Today, Keith and I discuss gratitude, the importance of being curious and open-minded, and how to introduce children to different experiences and ways of thinking. Keith shares his experiences of working odd jobs before achieving success and encourages people to stop blaming others for their circumstances in life. We discuss the power of the subconscious mind and how it is often overlooked or misunderstood. Keith explains how he can help people make permanent changes within themselves and eliminate fear, anxiety, and other mental blocks. We also discuss how Keith’s technique can be used to help people build new habits and make healthier choices.
“With just one small shift in your habits daily, you can actually make a significant change to your life.” – Keith Barry
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How Keith discovered magic
- The importance of introducing children to new experiences
- The power of the subconscious mind
- How Keith helps people unlock the power of the subconscious mind
- The techniques Keith uses to help others overcome their fears
- How to build new habits
- The power of defining your personal purpose
- Visualization techniques for stress relief
- The value of cold water therapy
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Klutz Book of Magic by John Cassidy
- Book: Practical Hypnotism by Ed Wolff
Connect with Keith Barry:
- Keith Barry’s Website
- Keith Barry on Instagram
- Keith Barry on Facebook
- Keith Barry on YouTube
- Keith Barry on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #121 The Magic of the Subconscious Mind with Keith Barry appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Emilia Elisabet Lahti, PhD, MSSc, MAPP, is an internationally acclaimed presenter specializing in positive psychology, courage, leadership, and high performance. Emilia’s groundbreaking research at Aalto University School of Science and Technology focused on sisu, an ancient Finnish concept representing courage and determination in the face of extreme adversity. Her research paper garnered widespread attention, featured by prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, Business Insider, Scientific American, BBC, Spirituality and Health, and Forbes. Emilia holds a master’s degree in Social Psychology from the University of Tampere in Finland, and a master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied under the guidance of Professor Martin Seligman. Her master’s thesis on sisu in 2013 was advised by research professor Dr. Angela Duckworth. Additionally, Emilia is the founder of the Positive Psychology Association of Finland and the driving force behind the non-profit organization Sisu Not Silence, which promotes nonviolence and active compassion across all domains of human life.
Today, Emilia Elisabet and I discuss the concept of sisu, how she found it helpful in healing and rebuilding after an abusive relationship, and how it can heal you. We discuss how sisu can help you overcome adversity and how to develop sisu in your own life. Emilia Elisabet shares how her Finnish heritage helped her find her own sisu and the courage to move forward. She discusses why sisu is not only a way to heal but also a way to give her gift to the world and find her own unique place to serve. She also explains how she learned that sisu is a life philosophy and has grown in her understanding of how to use it to overcome adversity and help others.
“Everything, to me, starts from awareness.” -Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Emilia Elisabet’s definition of sisu
- How sisu impacts every facet of your life
- Sisu and inner strength
- How sisu helps you grow as a person
- Why Emilia Elisabet ran across New Zealand
- The benefits of cold therapy and saunas
- Why discomfort isn’t always a bad thing
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Energies of Men by William James
- Rhadi Ferguson YouTube Channel
Connect with Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti:
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti’s Website
- Book: Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead, and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu
- Podcast: Sisu Lab Podcast
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti’s Research Paper
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti on LinkedIn
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti on Instagram
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti on Facebook
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti on Twitter
- Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti on YouTube
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #120 Cultivating Sisu And Accessing Inner Strength with Dr. E. Elisabet Lahti appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Mary Ryan is a consultant physician, endocrinologist, and Senior Lecturer with the Post Graduate School of Medicine. She lectures to GPs nationwide as well as to the general public on preventing Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and its complications. She is a member of the Women’s Heart Advisory Group for the Irish Heart Foundation and the National Lipid Steering Committee, as well as provides public lectures on behalf of the Irish Heart Foundation on heart disease prevention. She has made regular contributions to radio and television shows throughout her career and shared her expert views on Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Endocrinology. As an active advocate for heart health and heart disease prevention as well as a wonderful Soprano singer, she has produced a CD entitled “The Next Chapter,” where she raised well-needed funds for the Irish Heart Foundation. She is a graduate of Trinity College with an MB, BCH, BAO, and Honours in the Foundation Scholarship. She later went on to obtain a MA and MD from Trinity College, where she specialized in Diabetes, Obesity, and Insulin Resistance.
Today, Dr. Mary joins me to discuss the importance of taking care of yourself and how stress and lifestyle affect hormones. She shares the story of how she became a doctor and some of the professors who inspired her to become an endocrinologist. Dr. Mary explains the role of the pituitary gland and what happens when hormones become imbalanced. She shares her suggestions to help balance hormones, how to listen to your body, and how to recharge from stress in order to prevent burnout. We discuss the vicious cycle of stress that we see our patients get caught in, how education is the key to understanding how to take control of your health, and discuss how you can best educate yourself. We also discuss the writing process and the surprises Dr. Mary encountered while writing her book It’s Probably Your Hormones: From Appetite to Sleep, Periods to Sex Drive, Balance Your Hormones to Unlock Better Health.
“Hormones control everything – they control your moods, your desires, all your muscles, your immune system – they control every single organ in your body.” – Dr. Mary Ryan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Dr. Mary’s journey to becoming an Endocrinologist
- The mentors that inspired Dr. Mary along the way
- How your hormones affect your physical, mental, and emotional health
- How stress levels affect your overall wellbeing
- The benefits of counseling
- How to prevent Type 2 Diabetes through diet
- Why spending time in nature leads to better health
Connect with Dr. Mary Ryan:
- Dr. Mary Ryan’s Website
- Podcast: Empowering Women
- Book: It’s Probably Your Hormones From Appetite to Sleep, Periods to Sex Drive, Balance Your Hormones to Unlock Better Health
- Dr. Mary Ryan on Instagram
- Dr. Mary Ryan on Facebook
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #119 It’s Probably Your Hormones: Balancing Your Hormones to Improve Your Health with Dr Mary Ryan appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Colman Noctor is a Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist, who has worked at the Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, the Lucena Child Mental Health Services, and St Patricks Mental Health Service. He provides his patients with specialized treatment of various emotional disorders and possesses a deep interest in understanding the influence of contemporary media on child development and mental health, frequently sharing his insights through national media contributions. Dr. Noctor’s book The 4-7 Zone: An Easy and Effective Way to Live a Balanced Life – and Become Your Own Therapist is expected to be published in April 2024. He holds a Post Graduate Higher Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health from Dublin City University, a Graduate Diploma in Psychoanalytic Studies from Dublin Business School, a Master of Science in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy from Trinity College Dublin, and a Doctorate in Psychotherapy from Dublin City University.
Today Dr. Colman and I discuss the concept behind his book The 4-7 Zone and the importance of finding balance. We discuss the importance of maintaining a moderate mindset to achieve well-being and how to accept yourself for who you are today. He instructs us on how to be more present in our day-to-day lives and shares surprising statistics on how happy we truly are. We discuss the idea of having enough, what contentment really means, and how social media makes us feel like we’re falling behind. We also discuss how we distort our perceptions of happiness and emphasize the importance of contentment and inner peace.
“There is an aspiration that we would go through life without adversity. But through any growth, there has to be some degree of discomfort.”
– Dr. Colman Noctor
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The definition of the 4-7 Zone
- How Colman discovered the 4-7 Zone
- The upside of feeling moderate
- How being vulnerable can help us grow
- The benefits of unstructured play on a child’s development
- The benefits of drawing on parental wisdom
- Why well-being doesn’t automatically equal happiness
- Dr. Colman’s tips for navigating life
- The downside of medicalizing normal life struggles
- Why self-diagnosis could be harmful to your health
Connect with Dr. Colman Noctor:
- Dr. Colman Noctor’s Website
- Book: The 4-7 Zone: An Easy and Effective Way to Live a Balanced Life – and Become Your Own Therapist by Colman Noctor
- Dr. Colman Noctor on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #118 The 4 – 7 Zone – Become Your Own Psychotherapist appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Jessica Matthews is a renowned health and wellness educator, author, and speaker. She is an Assistant Professor and the creator of the Master of Kinesiology in Integrative Wellness program at Point Loma Nazarene University and the Director of Integrative Health Coaching in the Centers for Integrative Health at UC San Diego. She is also the lead faculty member in the area of health behavior change for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), serves as chair of the ACLM Health and Wellness Coaches member interest group, and is a consultant and senior advisor for the American Council on Exercise (ACE). She regularly contributes to numerous publications and media outlets, such as CNN, The Washington Post, Women’s Health, The New York Times, NPR, and Doctor Radio.
Today, Jessica and I discuss how when we as practitioners adopt healthy habits in our own lives it leads to better outcomes for our patients. Jessica analyzes the results of studies showing that physicians who practiced healthy behaviors, such as resistance training, were more likely to counsel patients with authenticity and shares her personal experiences that led her to develop the Master of Science in Integrative Wellness program. Jessica also explains what ‘whole person health’ is, how it helps practitioners provide better care to their patients, and the healthy habits she recommends to her patients.
“When you have experiences in life that are challenging, it’s an opportunity to further evolve your perspective.”
– Dr. Jessica Matthews
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why it’s important for healthcare professionals to adopt a healthy lifestyle
- How patients benefit from their doctor’s healthy lifestyle
- How doctors can model authentic health behaviors for patients
- How doctors can have more authentic conversations with their patients
- How to overcome setbacks on your journey to a healthy lifestyle
- What whole person health is and how it helps practitioners provide better care
- Jessica’s recommendations on how to navigate through life
- The power of giving back and serving others
Connect with Dr. Jessica Matthews:
- Jessica Matthews’ Website
- Jessica Matthews’ TedX Talk
- Jessica Matthews’ on LinkedIn
- Jessica Matthews’ on Instagram
- Jessica Matthews’ on Facebook
- Jessica Matthews’ on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #117 Authenticity in Lifestyle Medicine With Dr. Jessica Matthews appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Sugar is all around us. It occurs naturally in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. It’s added to processed foods, like cookies, sodas, cereal, and flavored yogurt. Sweet foods are part of our social lives and are served at celebrations, from birthday parties to weddings. It is integral to life as it provides energy for our cells. But sugar has a bittersweet side, and overconsumption can lead to short-term discomfort and long-term health problems.
Today, I discuss what added sugars to your body, health, and longevity. I explain the difference between naturally occurring sugar and added sugar and which type of sugar you should eat less. I discuss how to make simple changes in your diet and how to read labels at the grocery store. I caution you about the risks of too much sugar in your diet and explain which diseases your diet can put you at increased risk for. I also explain the science behind how too much sugar can cause inflammation and cite several prominent studies to illustrate how damaging sugar can be.
“Not only does added sugar increase your likelihood of gaining weight, it can increase your tendency to store visceral fat.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The difference between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar
- When sugar is good for you
- The adverse effects of too much sugar
- The impact of sugar overconsumption on your mental health
- How sugar impacts your brain health
- Simple ways you can reduce your sugar intake
- Your recommended sugar intake
Resources Mentioned:
- American Institue For Cancer Research Sugar and Cancer Connection Article
- American Heart Association Sugar Guidelines
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #116 Bittersweet: Why Sugar Might Not Love You Back appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Lisa Cunningham is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) physician in Ireland. Lisa thrives under pressure and has learned to enjoy even talking and sharing about peak performance under challenging environments. A mother of three and wife to Bernard, Lisa believes that family is also very important. She credits the support from family and friends to help achieve a less stressful balance between working and family life. Her grá for Gaelic football cannot go unmentioned! Last year saw her appointed to the Mayo senior LGFA (Ladies Gaelic Football Association) as team doctor. A lifelong dream was fulfilled last year for Lisa when she got to walk on Croke Park with the Co. Mayo ladies!
Today, Lisa joins me to share why she loves her job. She notes that we never stop learning, growing, or starting, and she talks about the satisfaction she gets from helping people. She offers some concrete tips for handling stress and emphasises the power of gratitude. She discusses the strong, supportive relationships in her life and notes their importance. She shares her thoughts on Imposter Syndrome, notes that it’s good for children to see their parents supporting each other, and observes that what we say to others can have a huge impact. She offers her thoughts on gaining the confidence to pursue a certain field, shares her experience with her first panic attack and what she took from the experience, and emphasises the power of positivity.
“Positivity just breeds positivity.”– Dr. Lisa Cunningham
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why Lisa loves her job
- The satisfaction of helping people
- Tips and techniques for handling stress
- The power of gratitude
- The importance of strong, supportive relationships
- Lisa’s thoughts on Imposter Syndrome
- The impact of our words
- The power of positivity
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #115 Encore Episode: Dr Lisa Cunningham on Gratitude, Positivity, and What Makes a Strong Relationship appeared first on Mark Rowe.
The search for happiness is age-old. Numerous answers have been given over the years, and in my research, I’ve come across many of them. Today, I compile them for you.
In this episode, I list 15 ways to boost your happiness, emphasising the power of gratitude, kindness, physical health, purpose, and simplicity. I tell a Chinese proverb and a story from Buddha to underscore the power of these elements, and I share the name of the book I wrote on the subject.
“What can you subtract from your life right now that can enhance your wellbeing?”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of gratitude
- The power of kindness
- The power of relationships
- The power of a why
- The power of exercise
- The power of silence
- The power of spending time with happy people
- The power of simplicity
- The power of lightening up
- The power of setting goals that are consistent with your values
- The power of a healthy diet
- The power of meditation
- The power of restorative sleep
- The power of volunteering
- The power of focusing on your strengths
Resources Mentioned
- A Prescription for Happiness by Dr. Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Liana Lianov is an international leader in Lifestyle Medicine and positive psychology who has dedicated her career to promoting the science of positive psychology and health in healthcare. She specializes in Preventive Medicine, Public Health, and Internal Medicine and has authored several books, including Strengths in the Mirror and Roots of Positive Change: Optimizing Healthcare with Positive Psychology. Currently, she is the President of the Positive Health and Wellbeing Division of the International Positive Psychology Association, Chair of the Happiness Science and Positive Health Committee at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and the Vice Chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Liana also founded the Global Positive Health Institute, which helps physicians and health professionals leverage the science of positive psychology and lifestyle medicine. She is also the founder of HealthType LLC, which offers digital programs and interactive workshops that focus on positive psychology for health professionals and individual audiences.
Today Liana joins me to discuss the importance of social connections and how they can lead to our long-term well-being. We analyze research from Harvard that proves that typical self-care techniques like sleep, diet, and exercise aren’t the most important factors in promoting longevity. We discuss the negative side effects of loneliness and how being lonely is turning into a public health crisis. We discuss the number of people you need to interact with for optimal health. We also share some of our tactics for increasing your social circle and connecting more deeply with the people around you.
“Social connections are top of the list for not only making us happy but also physically healthy and helping us to live longer.” – Liana Lianov
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why social connections lead to an improved sense of well-being
- What science has proven about the power of social connections
- The risks of loneliness on your health
- Why you don’t need to have a large group of friends to reap the benefit of social connection
- How to incorporate social contact into your everyday life
- The effect of social connection on the parasympathetic nervous system
Resources Mentioned:
- Harvard Study of Adult Development
Connect with Liana Lianov
- My Happy Avatar Website
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow by Liana Lianov
- Book: Roots of Positive Change: Optimizing Health Care with Positive Psychology by Liana Lianov
- Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #113 The Healing Power of Social Connections with Liana Lianov appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Elaine O’Brien, Ph.D., MAPP, is a Certified Health Coach and a member of The Wellness Registry who helps people live their best lives filled with physical health, mental clarity, and purpose. Elaine’s work has inspired tens of thousands of people and organizations to move towards greater fitness, resilience, and well-being. Elaine has also helped many manage stress and post-traumatic growth and is best known for her pioneering work in human movement science and the science of happiness. She is one of the first individuals in the world to earn a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Human Movement in 2015 and also studied Positive Psychology Across Cultures at the University of Oslo. Elaine is also a member of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Leader Team and an accomplished author, speaker, presenter, and well-being strategist.
Today, Elaine joins me to discuss her research on zesty aging and how to approach life with vitality and be more open to new experiences. She shares some of the wisdom she has learned from writing her book The Power of Play: Optimizing Your Joy Potential, including how to increase the joy in your life by tapping into your inner child. We discuss why adults neglect play and what you miss out on when you don’t prioritize it. Elaine also explains the PERMA model, what she learned from her mentor, Dr. Marty Seligman, and some simple strategies you can use to find opportunities for play in your life.
“Play keeps us fresh, it helps our mental health, our physical health, spiritual health. It helps us to grow as people with new experiences. It opens this up to the possibility of more socialization. It helps us feel more confident.” – Dr. Elaine O’Brien
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What is zesty aging
- How the Power of Play can optimize joy in your life
- Why adults don’t prioritize play
- The benefits of play for mental, physical, and spiritual health
- Dr. Marty Zeligman’s PERMA model
- The benefits of play in your day-to-day life
- How to increase joy and well-being through play
- How to turn the mundane into the magnificent
- How to build a “play toolkit”
- How to use play to optimize your potential
Resources Mentioned:
- Book Love 2.0: Creating Happiness and Health in Moments of Connection by Barbara Frederickson
Connect with Dr. Elaine O’Brien:
- Dr. Elaine O’Brien’s Website
- Free eBook: The Power of Play Fun Tracker
- Book The Power of Play: Optimizing Your Joy Potential by Dr. Elaine O’Brien
- Dr. Elaine O’Brienon LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #111 Zesty Aging: How to Unlock The Power of Play with Dr Elaine O’ Brien appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Memory is one of the most important faculties. Not only does it allow us to relive the good times, but it also affects our mood and how we act and behave. Factors like stress, certain medications, illnesses, or the amount and quality of sleep can impact memory in the short term. With age, memory can decline as the risk of issues like dementia increases. Fortunately, losing your memory as you age is not a foregone conclusion. With a few lifestyle adjustments, it is possible to remain sharp into old age.
Today, I share some lifestyle changes you can adopt to help protect both your memory and overall health, using my 93-year-old patient Mary as a real-life success story. I explain what the MIND diet is and why it helps to slow cognitive decline. I discuss the roles that sleep and stress play in maintaining a good memory. I recommend some fun ways to keep your brain health that will keep your social calendar full and make your next vacation easier. I also remind you that if you are experiencing any changes in your memory, you need to see your doctor.
“Dementia is not just about memory loss. It can impact the way you think, feel, act, and behave—and it’s certainly not a natural part of the aging process.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The factors that affect memory
- Why loss of memory after the age of 65 is not normal and when you should consult your doctor
- How your lifestyle can support brain health
- What you can learn from my 93-year-old patient
- What the MIND diet is, and why it’s effective in slowing cognitive decline
- The link between chronic sleep issues and Alzheimer’s disease
- How friends keep your memory sharp
- How heart health affects brain health
- The long-term effects of head injuries
- How learning a language sharpens your memory
Resources Mentioned:
- Harvard Study of Adult Development
- The MIND Diet
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #110 Protecting Your Memory and Keeping Your Brain Healthy with the MIND Diet appeared first on Mark Rowe.
DeDe Halfhill is a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator and executive coach certified through Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership Coaching Program. DeDe’s mission is to teach the critical skills today’s leaders need to navigate difficult conversations on hard topics to create a more purposeful, inclusive culture.
She has over 25 years of experience in command positions and currently helps others become effective leaders. Throughout her career, DeDe has held many pivotal roles: advisor to the top leader of the Department of Defense, commander of Air Force bases in Barksdale and Iraq, a national security fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, congressional fellow advising an Indiana senator, senior advisor to the Air Force chief of staff, and Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Thunderbirds. She has been a trusted influence for solutions to some of the military’s most pressing issues.
Dr. Brené Brown lauded DeDe as a “leadership hero and a total badass.” She holds a Master’s degree in Management from American Military University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of Iowa. Additionally, DeDe has completed several prestigious military programs, including Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School, and Defense Information School.
Today, DeDe describes her journey from military insider to emotional intelligence expert and how she learned a new way to support young leaders. She discusses the small steps you can take to encourage young people in your life. She talks about the value of looking inward and the importance of reflecting on your accomplishments to understand how you show up in the world. We deliberate on enhancing creativity using tools like stillness and spending time in nature. DeDe educates us about vulnerability and shares some stories about the resistance she faced when trying to get members of the United States military to be more vulnerable. She offers advice on healthily navigating vulnerability. DeDe also discusses different types of vulnerability and why it’s more important to put yourself out there than to be perfectly eloquent.
“By taking action, you’re actually building confidence.”
– DeDe Halfhill
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What a career in high-level government positions taught DeDe about emotional intelligence
- How DeDe transitioned from leadership development to leadership support
- The best ways to support young leaders
- The value of reflecting on your past accomplishments
- DeDe’s recommendations for reflecting on how you show up in the world
- What a force multiplier is and how it can help you look forward
- How time and space can help enhance your creativity
- DeDe’s gratitude practice
- How nature bolsters creativity
- The importance of vulnerability and navigating it in a healthy way
- The challenges DeDe faced when talking about vulnerability in US military culture
- Why vulnerabilities in security or communication systems are different from vulnerabilities in human relationships\
Connect with DeDe Halfhill:
- DeDe Halfhill Website
- DeDe Halfhill on LinkedIn
- DeDe Halfhill on Instagram
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #109 Force Multipliers and Questioning How You to Show Up in the World with DeDe Halfhill appeared first on Mark Rowe.
How can you strengthen and support your immune system? When it’s working well, we take our immune systems for granted. But when we’re laid low by a virus or battling an auto-immune disease like arthritis, we quickly realize just how amazing and important our immune system can be – and how fragile. The stress of daily life can have long-lasting effects on your immune health. Fortunately, there are easy, accessible things you can do to help yourself ward off diseases and continue to support your immune health.
Today, I discuss what the immune system is and how its optimal function is vital for living a good, healthy life. I share my top tips for boosting the health of your immune system, from simple, easy-to-adopt health measures and small lifestyle changes to changing your diet and exercise routines. I recommend a fun, colorful way to approach healthy eating and discuss what foods you should avoid. I investigate the role that stress plays on immunity and the awful, lingering effects stress has on our long-term health. I also explain the difference between your biological age and your immunological age and share my favourite doctor-approved ways to relieve stress in your life.
“Your immune system is really fundamental for survival – and it’s essential for good health.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why the immune system is so essential to life
- Simple ways you can minimize your risk of infections
- Lifestyle habits to adopt for better immune health
- How food can help boost your immune system
- Foods to avoid for better immunity
- The role of stress in immune system health
- The difference between biological age and immunological age
- Ways to relieve stress to boost your immunity
Resources Mentioned:
- Article: Kaiser Permanente More exercise linked to less severe Covid-19 outomes
- Pause: A 1-Minute Mindful Breathing Exercise
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #108 Lifestyle Changes You Can Make to Support Your Immune System appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Professor Luke O’Neill is one of the most influential international names in science who came to prominence through Covid-19. As one of the top 1% of immunologists in the world, he has studied the toll of inflammatory disease on the human body. He was a reassuring voice of reason, explaining the science behind the pandemic and helping the public navigate a trying and terrifying time. In 2008 Professor O’Neill was seated as the Chair of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin and appointed Chair of the Immunity and Infection panel of the European Research Council. Since then, he has published nearly 400 scientific papers as well as best-selling books, including Keep Calm and Trust the Science, Humanology, and Never Mind the B#llcks, Here’s the Science.*
Today, Luke joins me to discuss his work around immunity and how high-stress levels have catastrophic effects on your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to illness. We look back at the Covid-19 pandemic and the pathogen Luke thought may be responsible for the next pandemic. He shares his experience with depression, some of the tactics he used to feel joy again, and his mission to normalise mental health issues. We discuss how research has confirmed the benefits of ancient wellness practices like herbal medicine and meditation and how you can incorporate them into your wellness routine. We also discuss the importance of spending time in nature, how it’s an easy way to boost your immune system naturally, and the value of having a support system.
“Stress is the big modern crisis.” – Professor Luke O’Neill
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Encouraging young people’s interest in science
- The main takeaways from the COVID-19 pandemic
- How Luke was prepared for a pandemic and how he was surprised by the emergence of a coronavirus
- How the EU is preparing for the next pandemic
- Luke’s top tips for boosting your immune system
- My recommended weekly dose of nature for natural immunity
- Luke’s experience with depression and the treatments that worked for him
- Luke’s mission to normalise mental health issues and how he stays healthy
- Emerging scientific evidence for ancient practices
- How gratitude increases feel-good hormones
- The power of strong support systems
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Book: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Healthy Life
Connect with Professor Luke O’Neill:
- Professor Luke O’Neill’s Public Speaking Profile
- Professor Luke O’Neill’s Trinity College CV
- Book: Nevermind The B#llcks, Here’s The Science: A Scientist’s Guide to the Biggest Challenges Facing Our Species Today*
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #107 The Secret to Less Stress & Better Health with Professor Luke O’Neill appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Professor Patrick Murray is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University College Dublin and is board certified in nephrology, critical care medicine, and clinical pharmacology. He has practiced as an intensivist, a nephrologist, and a clinical pharmacologist at the University of Chicago Hospitals where he served as the fellowship training Programme Director in nephrology and directed the acute dialysis services. In addition to his teaching role at UCD, Patrick is a consulting physician and Chair of the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Drugs and Therapeutics Committee, the Clinical Director of the UCD Clinical Research Center, and the host of a special podcast series, MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast – Series 2.
Today I share part two of my interview as a guest of the University College Dublin MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast interview with Professor Patrick Murray. I reflect on some of the challenges in my early days as a young GP.
We discuss realising my dream of transforming a former Presentation Convent and Chapel cloister building into a 21st Century enhanced medical facility (0riginally designed by Augustus Pugin (1812-1852). Located just up the road from where I had grown up. I also discuss the best parts of my role as a family doctor and why I believe that lifestyle changes can be the best medicine for lasting wellbeing.
‘One of my all time favourite quotes is one attributed to Confucius who said ‘We all have two lives and our second life starts the day we realise we have only one life.’
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Realising my dream of converting a Pugin designed Convent into a state-of-the-art medical facility
- Taking time to step back care of my own health
- Why I believe challenging times helped me grow as a person
- The best part about my work as a general practitioner
- When I believe lifestyle changes may be the best option rather than writing a prescription (and when it isn’t)
- How I value taking care of my own health now & maintain a work/life balance
- My top book recommendations
- How I’d like to see the Irish health system evolve in the future
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Celtic Wisdom of Trees by Jane Gifford
- Book: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday
Connect with Professor Patrick Murray:
- University College Dublin Website
- MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast – Series 2
- UCD School of Medicine on Facebook
- UCD Medicine on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #106 Building A General Practice with Professor Patrick Murray – Part 2 appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Suzann Pileggi Pawelski, MAPP, is a writer, well-being consultant, and international speaker who studies and writes about the science of happiness and how it affects relationships and health. She wrote the book Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love that Lasts with her husband, James, which was named the best book of the year by Business Insider, Success Magazine, and the Greater Good Science Center. Suzann is also a columnist at Psychology Today, Live Happy, and the Newsletter of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). She’s been featured in publications like Time Magazine, INC Magazine, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Enquirer, and the London Times. Before becoming a relationship expert, Suzann was the VP of the public relations firm Weber Shandwick Worldwide and headed award-winning PR campaigns. Suzann currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and her son, Liam.
Today, Suzann shares the inspiration that led to her book, Happy Together, and how fairy tales have warped our expectations of relationships. She discusses her unique approach to strengthening relationships and how couples benefit from focusing more on positive emotions than negative ones. She describes how she approaches challenges in her own relationship, how she communicates with her husband, and the things she found adorable at the beginning of their relationship that is now a source of conflict. She also offers advice on why happiness is not the most important goal and how to recognize the other positive emotions we experience daily to redefine happiness.
“You don’t just meet a person, get in a relationship, get married, and that’s it. You have to build relational muscle.”
– Suzann Pileggi Pawelski
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Suzann’s inspiration for writing her book, Happy Together
- Why Suzann chose to focus on what can go right with relationships in her book
- The role of positive psychology in relationships
- Why it can be easier to notice the bad things in a relationship than the good
- What people get wrong about relationships
- What Suzann learned about communication through her relationship with her husband
- How traits you initially loved about your partner can become the source of conflict
- Why anger and sadness are just as important as happiness
- Why suppressing emotions can be counterproductive to being happily partnered
- How relationships are like your gym routine
- The skills and strategies couples can use to keep their relationship strong
- The importance of gratitude in relationships
- How couples can learn to listen to each other
- Why are people bad at receiving compliments
- Suzann’s most powerful piece of advice for couples
- Why the concept of soulmates is dangerous
- Why it’s difficult for people in relationships to stay together and remain happy
- How to redefine happiness
- Ten common positive emotions that aren’t happiness
- How to feel more serene in your day-to-day life
- What Aristotle can teach us about making our partners happy
- Suzann’s three takeaways for a resilient mind
Resources Mentioned:
- The Happy Couple article by Suzann Pileggi Pawelski
- Free Character Test from Via Character
Connect with Suzann Pileggi Pawelski:
- Suzann Pileggi Pawelski’s Website
- Happy Together Website
- Book: Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love that Lasts
- Suzann’s column in Psychology Today
- Happy Together on Facebook
- Happy Together on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #105 The Myth of Happily Ever After & Redefining Happiness with Suzann Pileggi Pawelski appeared first on Mark Rowe.
This week I share the first half of my conversation with Patrick from my interview on the MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast – Series 2. I relive my experience as a student of UCD and reminisce about the people who made my time there such a memorable experience. I discuss how my family inspired me to go into medicine, my early days as a student, and some of the cramped living situations that, in retrospect, led to some of the best days of my life. I remember the people, both the professors and fellow students, who taught me about more than just medicine. And I also discuss some of the most important things I learned about patient care and connecting with patients.
Professor Patrick Murray is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University College Dublin, a consultant physician at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, and a proud graduate of UCD. He is the leader of a special podcast series, MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast – Series 2, where he interviews UCD graduates about their time at the university and shares highlights from their careers. He specializes in kidney health, and throughout his career, he has studied the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of acute kidney injury and nephrotoxicity, as well as the pharmacotherapy of patients with kidney disease. He is board certified in nephrology, critical care medicine, and clinical pharmacology. Before his role at UCD, Patrick practiced medicine in the United States at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the University of Chicago Hospitals in Chicago, Illinois.
“I think artificial intelligence will replace a lot of our knowledge. But there’s a human bit that we probably aren’t gonna get from any software.”
– Professor Patrick Murray
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How I decided to become a doctor
- How my time at UCD helped me grow as a person
- The year I lived in a garden shed and loved it
- My favorite UCD professors
- What the tragic death of a dear friend taught me about life
- How I realized that family medicine was my calling
- Why I love being a general practitioner
- The importance of continuity of care
- Why technology will never replace the human touch in medicine
- Why Dublin was an exciting place to be in 1990
- My early career highlights
- The health practitioner who inspired me the most
- Why do patients and doctors measure the quality of care differently
- Why the best skill a new doctor can develop is the ability to listen
Connect with Professor Patrick Murray
- University College Dublin Website
- Patrick Murray UCD Profile
- MGA Clinical Influencers Podcast – Series 2
- UCD School of Medicine on Facebook
- UCD Medicine on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #104 AI vs. The Human Touch in Modern Medicine with Professor Patrick Murray – Part 1 appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Robb Kelly is an addiction expert, mental illness recovery specialist, author of Daddy, Daddy Please Stop Drinking, and the CEO of the Robb Kelly Recovery Group. For the past 20 years, he has helped addicts and alcoholics recover from addiction by treating the underlying problem, not just the symptoms. His direct, no-nonsense approach to treatment has earned him the nickname “The Gordon Ramsay of the Addiction World.” Dr. Kelly uses his clinical knowledge and his personal experiences with recovering from addiction to help thousands of people. He frequently gives lectures at universities and hospitals and is an accomplished musician who has played bass with Queen, David Bowie, and Elton John.
Today, Robb joins me to share the story of his history with addiction and how his personal experiences allow him to help others. He offers inspirational words of wisdom on overcoming setbacks, using adversity to become a stronger person, and achieving your goals. He discusses the root causes of addiction and how traditional approaches to addiction treatment fail to address the underlying issues. Robb describes the modalities he uses to help addicts recover from addiction, including NLP and somatic experiences. He also shares his routines for staying healthy and the three key things to focus on to keep your mind resilient.
“Once we visualize something strong enough, then we can hold that in our hand and that we are capable of much, much more than we think.”
– Dr. Robb Kelly
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Robb’s personal experience with addiction
- How spirituality played a huge part in Robb’s recovery
- Growing from adversity
- Why now is the best time to chase your dreams
- Why your support system is your most important resource
- The root causes of addiction
- How Robb uses somatic experience and neurolinguistic programming to help addicts recover from addiction
- Why traditional recovery programs only have a 4% success rate
- The daily routines that keep Robb healthy
- Three essentials for a resilient mind
Connect with Dr. Robb Kelly:
- Robb Kelly’s Website
- Book: Daddy, Daddy Please Stop Drinking
- Kelly on LinkedIn
- Kelly on Instagram
- Kelly on Facebook
- Kelly on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #103 Believe in Yourself, Help Others; Be that Leader in your own life with Dr. Robb Kelly appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Today, I talk about why everything in your life is interconnected. I note the importance of self-care and posit that you’re irreplaceable as a human being. I talk about the growth mindset, ask some key questions, and share my definition of well-being. I explain why your health is your greatest asset, define the ‘intention gap,’ and talk about gratitude’s power. Finally, I share how my’ Self-Development Club’ can help you, discussing what it is and is not! and explaining why change doesn’t necessarily require a 180-degree shift.
Everything is connected. When you develop yourself in one area, you affect others. This is why I’m launching the ‘Self-Development Club,’ and in this episode, I invite you to join.
My experience as a practicing doctor inspires me to host the ‘Self-Development Club,’ whose purpose is to inform and empower you to make positive lifestyle changes and become the person you want to become. On this monthly Live Webinar, I’ll teach ‘Lifestyle as Medicine’ concepts and practices to support your personal growth. In addition, we’ll explore Lifestyle strategies, Positive Psychology, and all things Well-being.
To learn more and to Sign-Up visit www.drmarkrowe.com.
My purpose is to encourage & guide you to Live with more Vitality – Your key is never to stop starting.
“Everything is connected.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
‘My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.’
– Maya Angelou
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of self-care and why it’s not selfish
- The power of growth mindset
- Why your health is your greatest asset
- The intention gap
- The power of gratitude
- The Self-Development Club
Resources Mentioned:
- Mark Rowe’s Self-Development Club
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post Encore Episode: Empowering You to Make Positive Lifestyle Changes appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Michael Kelly is a social entrepreneur, Ashoka fellow, and TV presenter. He is the founder and CEO of GIY, a leading global social enterprise that aims to help 100 million people grow their own food for a healthier, more sustainable world by 2030. He has co-presented and produced the series, Grow Cook Eat, on RTE and Amazon Prime. A member of the Irish Food Writers Guild, Michael has written food columns for The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, and Food & Wine Magazine. He is the author of The GIY Diaries: A Year of Growing and Cooking.
Michael joins me today to discuss the grow-it-yourself movement and why growing your own food is beneficial for your physical, emotional, and mental health. He shares how shopping for a bulb of garlic ignited his passion for food sustainability and led him to found GIY. He describes the gift of being present and the joy of being in nature. Michael also offers advice on building the skills necessary for resilience and highlights the importance of keeping your mission at the forefront of your mind when driving social change.
“If you can build the skills for resilience in your mind, you can power through the hard knocks and the dark nights of the soul and get to the promised land.”
– Michael Kelly
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Michael’s background, what sparked his passion for sustainability, and how growing food changed his life
- How growing food benefitted Michael’s physical, mental, and emotional health
- Michael’s vision for GIY’s growth as a social enterprise and movement
- How to deal with the slow pace of change
- Other health-enhancing habits in Michael’s lifestyle
- The importance of listening to ourselves and learning what soothes us
- Building the skills for a more resilient mind
- Connecting who you are to what you do
- What life means to Michael
Connect with Michael Kelly:
- GIY
- Book: The GIY Diaries: A Year of Growing and Cooking
- GIY on LinkedIn
- GIY on Instagram
- GIY on Facebook
- GIY on Twitter
- GIY on YouTube
- Michael Kelly on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons,
health habits, leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #101 The Joys of Growing Your Own Food with Michael Kelly appeared first on Mark Rowe.
In this episode, I discuss the value of choosing a strength-based approach to living our lives. I discuss how traditional psychological practices shifted from focusing on alleviating problems and weaknesses to embracing positive psychology practices. I discuss the six core characteristics that are present in every culture, civilization, and religious belief and how they sub-divide into what we now consider 24 different character strengths. I explain what signature strengths are and how our strengths can change over time. I also discuss the benefits of choosing a strength-based approach to living, how to identify and leverage the benefits of your signature strengths, and how using your strengths can support your vitality and well-being.
Do you tend to focus on your weaknesses instead of your strengths? Do you tend to focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s strong? As humans, our brain is hard-wired for fear detection, anxiety, and discomfort, which often leads us to focus on our faults and flaws instinctually. And while it might seem counterintuitive to focus on our strengths instead of our weaknesses, it can also be a tremendous way to feel better and bring more of the ‘real you’ into the world.
“It’s only by choosing your strengths that you will sail the ocean of possibility in life.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How psychological practices shifted from focusing on alleviating problems or weaknesses to embracing positive psychology practices
- The six core virtues in every culture, religious belief, and civilization
- The composition of your unique character profile
- Understanding your signature strengths and how your strengths can change over time
- How to identify and leverage the benefits of your signature strengths
- The benefits of choosing a strength-based approach to living
- Strengths that are closely linked to your emotional wellbeing
Resources Mentioned:
- VIA Character Strengths Questionnaire
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #100 Strengths appeared first on Mark Rowe.
I like the phrase “best year.” It is full of optimism, positivity, and the feeling that things can improve. I believe that our lives can be changed and improved through the power of our own effort; it’s about what we commit and recommit to every single day. So, in the spirit of recommitment and never stopping starting, I turned the phrase B.E.S.T. Y.E.A.R. into a mnemonic for a set of strategies that could help you make 2023 your best year yet.
In this episode, I outline the B.E.S.T. Y.E.A.R. mnemonic and explore ideas for living with more vitality in the new year. I discuss how accepting the totality of the human experience and practicing habits of kindness and gratitude can help us flourish. I describe how forging deeper connections and investing in the people around you can benefit your quality of life. I also highlight the importance of recommitting to live with more vitality every day and underscore the value of remembering to never stop starting.
“Every day is a learning day, an opportunity to recommit to live with more vitality, to never stop starting, and never stop growing.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Recommitment, realistic optimism, and how to have your B.E.S.T. Y.E.A.R. yet
- The gift of being more present
- Emotional agility and practicing acceptance
- Self-care, compassion, and the value of being curious about your emotions
- The value of taking care of your friends
- Choosing to become an active participant in your wellbeing
- The greatest health pill of all
- How awareness of your strengths can help you reconnect with your essence and live according to your values
- Remembering to never stop starting
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #99 How to Have Your B.E.S.T. Y.E.A.R. Yet appeared first on Mark Rowe.
The power of words and the emotions they evoke are well-discussed throughout history. For example, the Rig Veda considered the world’s oldest spiritual text, asserts that all sounds have vibrational energy that, when heard, triggers emotional experiences that make one respond in a certain way. Mahatma Gandhi noted the influence of thoughts over words, and words’ influence over destiny. At the same time, more contemporary thinkers such as Nicholas Christakis suggest how words can ripple through a network of people.
In this episode, I discuss how your words can impact you and the people around you. I describe the contagiousness of positive and negative emotions and the presence of energy in words. I explain how toxic positivity sets you up for more feelings of distress, discomfort, and disease. I also discuss how the practice of being more mindful and present enables you to let go of the past and anxiety of the future and share wisdom from the brilliant minds of Maya Angelou, Confucius, St. Francis of Assisi, and others.
“Where your words go, your emotional energy flows.”
– Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The Rig Veda and how the presence of energy in sounds helps you experience emotion
- The impact of positive and negative feedback
- The power of the spoken and written word
- Mahatma Gandhi on thoughts, words, and destiny
- Rumi and the three gates that words must pass through
- The etymology of ‘encourage’ and how the quality of our conversations impacts the quality of our lives
- Inner self-talk and the ‘merry-go-mind’ of anxious thoughts
- The difference between toxic positivity and self-compassion
- Turning down your inner critic and tuning in to your inner coach
- The power of the written word and applying the inspiring words of others to your life
- Reading biographies to understand the greatest minds and thinkers
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons,
health habits, leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #98 Using Inspiring Words to Uplift Lives appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Welcome back to Part 2 of my conversation with Bernie Keogh on her Podcast YayCanDo. YayCanDo is a podcast about possibility, embracing our humanity and letting go of limiting beliefs in our lives. Today we discuss the science behind adopting a gratitude practice, why there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits all’ approach and why it’s important for each individual to find their own recipe for inner contentment. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!”
Bernie Keogh is the co-founder and co-host of the YayCanDo Podcast. She is also the Managing Director of A Lust For Life, a multi-award-winning charity on a mission to empower future generations to be effective guardians of their mental health and well-being. Additionally, Bernie is also the Founding Director of We Love People. This Dublin, Ireland-based organisation offers a combination of HR Management Services and Executive Coaching on a per-project or long-term basis to CEOs and their executive teams. With over two decades of business experience, Bernie is committed to empowering others to believe in their potential, become leaders of their own lives, and build exciting sustainable careers.
As we talk about the science behind adopting a gratitude practice, we discuss the difference between objective and subjective evidence and why they’re both important. We discuss the benefits of adopting a gratitude practice, why there isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to developing a gratitude practice, and why it’s important for each individual to find their own recipe for inner contentment. We share our own daily gratitude practices and how they got us through some of the most challenging times in our lives. We also discuss the difference between taking life’s challenges in stride and what true resilience is, and why taking care of ourselves first is critical to better care for others.
“Resilience is being able to meet life’s challenges and process them, ideally, in a healthy way.
That means meeting the pain of them, accepting that, and still finding the will to go on.”
– Bernie Keogh
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The benefits of adopting a gratitude practice
- Objective vs. subjective evidence
- Finding your own recipe for inner contentment
- Our daily gratitude practices
- How people often normalize and minimize major life challenges
- Understanding what resilience truly means
- The importance of taking care of ourselves so we can take better care of others
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Mattew Walker, PhD
Connect with Bernie Keogh:
- Website: A Lust For Life
- Podcast: YayCanDo
- YayCanDo on LinkedIn
- Bernie Keogh on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #97 Finding Your Recipe for Inner Contentment with Bernie Keogh appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Undoubtedly, one of the keys to a life of meaning and rich fulfillment is to have a clear sense of purpose and a strong sense of who you are. But what’s the difference between the people struggling with toxic stress and feelings of anxiety and those living a rich life filled with purpose and a clear sense of vitality?
In my experience: flow.
So what does it mean to live your life ‘in flow’? How do you create more flow in your life? And how is it the key to unlocking your inner happiness, well-being, and deep fulfillment?
In this episode, I discuss the lessons we can learn about the concept of flow from the Russian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I discuss what ‘being in flow’ truly means and how it impacts your emotional health, well-being, and feelings of joy and fulfillment. I discuss how Mihaly explored the concept of flow by studying artists’ work habits and practices and how we can create more flow in our lives by doing more of the things we enjoy. I share how being in a state of flow impacts your creativity, playfulness, and authenticity. I also share tips on how you can begin finding new ways to create more flow so you can live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilling life.
“The essence of flow is being in the moment, the present moment, where action and awareness are merged.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding what ‘flow’ and ‘being in flow’ means
- How Mihaly explored the concept of flow by studying artists’ work practices
- How being ‘in flow’ impacts your inner happiness, fulfillment, and wellbeing
- How ‘flow’ is a universal psychological experience
- Achieving peak experience through peak performance
- How performing at or near your best can impact your overall sense of wellbeing
- How being in a state of flow impacts your creativity, playfulness, and authenticity
- Everyday strategies to create more flow
- Finding the optimal balance between your perceived abilities and a perceived challenge
- How creating flow experiences helps you develop realistic optimism
- Why flow creates even more flow
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #96 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Lessons on the Essense of Being In Flow appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Bernie Keogh is the Managing Director of A Lust For Life, the Founder of We Love People and the Co-Founder and co-host of the YayCanDo Podcast. With over 20 years of business experience, Bernie has extensive knowledge in general management, P&L management, client relationship management, team management, B2B sales, and marketing and human resources. As a career and life coach, Bernie is committed to empowering people to believe in their potential, become leaders of their own lives, and commit to building exciting, fulfilling, and sustainable careers.
Bernie joins me in the doctor’s chair this week to discuss the choices we can make each day that enables us to embrace well-being and live life with more vitality. We discuss my perspective on dealing with other people’s criticism and ridicule and the value of having the courage to embrace and push through your fears and inner critic. We discuss why living a life of vitality, graciousness, and mindfulness isn’t about striving for perfection or reaching the end of the journey but continuously recommitting to ourselves, our values, and our purpose. We also discuss the importance of self-compassion and emotional sobriety and the value of choosing where you dedicate your energy each day.
“Gratitude brings perspective to the past, peace to the present, and hope for the future.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- My journey into positive psychology and lifestyle medicine
- My views on dealing with other people’s criticism and ridicule
- Having the courage to embrace and push past your fears and inner criticism
- Continuously recommitting to yourself
- How your heart, body, spirit, and mind are interconnected
- Appreciating that life is lived in different moments
- The importance of self-compassion
- Understanding emotional sobriety
- Why I believe the best practice of all is the gratitude practice
- Choosing to let go of negativity
- Deciding where you dedicate your energy
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day by Mark Rowe
- Book: The Big Book – Alcoholics Anonymous by Inc. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services
Connect with Bernie Keogh:
- Website: A Lust For Life
- Podcast: YayCanDo
- YayCanDo on LinkedIn
- Bernie Keogh on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #95 Practicing Courage, Appreciation & Gratitude with YayCanDo’s Bernie Koegh Part 1 appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Many people suffer from toxic stress. With so many external stressors in our lives, it’s critical that we find a way to balance our positive and negative thoughts by practicing mindful self-compassion. Compassion generally consists of three key components: awareness, action, and a sense of all-togetherness. So why does it seem easy to feel compassion and empathy for others but much more difficult to be compassionate toward ourselves?
Today, I discuss the importance of living our lives through the lens of mindful self-compassion. I explain how compassion for others is similar to being compassionate to ourselves and how being aware of your thoughts and feelings is the first step toward improving your self-compassion skills. I explain how challenges, failures, and suffering are an inevitable part of being human and how accepting this inevitability puts us on a path toward growth. I discuss the difference between Western and Eastern Philosophy regarding challenges and obstacles. I also explain how being mindful and compassionate with yourself can impact your health and well-being and share tips to help you boost your self-compassion skills.
“Self-compassion is all about being an encourager.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The similarities between self-compassion and having compassion for others
- Understanding what self-compassion is
- Reallocating respect back toward yourself
- Balancing positivity and negativity to flourish
- How paying attention to your feelings helps you take better care of yourself
- The value of living your life to love yourself instead of trying to make other people like you
- Accepting the inevitability of tough times and how it leads toward a path to growth
- Understanding what Post-Traumatic Growth is
- The difference between Western Philosophy and Eastern Philosophy on dealing with challenges and struggles
- The merry-go-mind of anxious, negative thoughts
- Becoming your own best friend when you struggle, make mistakes, or fail
- Learning to be curious about your negative emotions
- How being mindful and self-compassionate impacts your health and well-being
- How to boost your self-compassion skills
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #94 Self-Compassion appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Liana Lianov is the President of Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI), a nonprofit organization committed to advancing the integration of positive psychology in the healthcare industry. As an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine, Dr. Liana has led the development of its core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals, including positive psychology-based knowledge and skills. She is the Chairwoman of the Happiness Science and Positive Health Committee at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the Vice Chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, and a consultant with the American College of Preventative Medicine and the College of Lifestyle Medicine. Dr. Liana is also the author of Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow, as well as her upcoming book: Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish.
Dr. Liana joins me again this week to discuss adopting a strength-based approach to living our lives. We explain what individual character strengths are and discuss why we need to pay attention to and savor the moments when we’re at our best. We discuss how routinely using our character strengths to our advantage helps contribute to our overall sense of well-being and why many people are hesitant about embracing their character strengths. We discuss the importance of balancing our focus between our strengths and weaknesses and how focusing your strengths can be more beneficial than focusing on your weaknesses. Dr. Liana also shares strategies for adopting a strength-based approach to living your life and how it helps us boost our engagement, satisfaction, and resilience.
“We actually can focus on what’s going well and achieve our best life and our best selves.” – Dr. Liana Lianov
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding your character strengths and the importance of paying attention to the moments we are at our best
- The correlation between routinely using our character strengths and our sense of well-being
- Why many people are hesitant to use their character strengths to their advantage
- Compensating for your weaknesses by focusing on your strengths
- Strategies for adopting a strength-based approach to living
- Being aware of your strengths
- How a strength-based approach to living impacts every aspect of our lives
- The difference between innate strengths and cultivated strengths
Resources Mentioned:
- VIA Institute on Character
- My Happy Avatar App
Connect with Dr. Liana Lianov:
- Global Positive Health Institute
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish (coming soon!)
- Global Positive Health Institute on LinkedIn
- Global Positive Health Institute on Instagram
- Global Positive Health Institute on Facebook
- Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #93 Character Strengths & Self-Awareness Whats strong rather than what’s Wrong appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher that was born into slavery. After being banished from Rome, he moved to northwestern Greece, where he lived for the rest of his life. His life was about making progress instead of mastering perfection; because of this, we can learn many great life lessons from him. These lessons provide us with a practical path to resilience, growth, fulfillment, and wisdom.
This week, I discuss some of the life lessons we can learn from the great minds of ancient philosophers like Epictetus. I share how he learned by choosing how he responded to different situations, it gave him an inner sense of freedom despite his circumstances. I share how Epictetus teaches us to use adversity as a means to develop our sense of freedom and the importance of taking responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs. I discuss why he believed our actions speak louder than words, his thoughts on receiving criticism from others, and why he taught his students to cultivate good habits. I also discuss the value of being mindful of how we spend our time and making light of life’s challenges.
“Use adversity as an opportunity to develop your inner sense of freedom. The robber of your free will does not exist. Some things are in your control, others are not.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Choosing how we respond to different situations
- Epictetus’ manual for living
- What Epictetus believed about blaming others for your own bad circumstances
- Accurately identifying what’s within your control and what is not
- Using adversity as an opportunity to develop your sense of freedom
- How Epictetus describes suffering
- Taking responsibility for our thoughts and beliefs
- Making light of life’s challenges
- Why your actions speak louder than your words
- Epictetus’ views on receiving criticism from others
- Cultivating good habits
- Being mindful of how we spend our time
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Enchiridion by Epictetus
- Book: Discourses by Epictetus
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #92 Life Lessons from Epictetus appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Liana Lianov is an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine, leading the development of its core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals. She is the President of Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI) and serves as the Chair of the Happiness Science and positive Health Committee at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine as well as the Vice Chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Additionally, she also serves as a consultant with the American College of Preventative Medicine and is the author of Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow, as well as her soon-to-be-published book, Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish.
Dr. Liana joins me this week to discuss the difference between feeling grateful and expressing gratitude and how to avoid habituation in your gratitude journal. We explain what the Grateful Comparison Exercise is and how it helps keep you become humble and appreciate the things and people you have in your life. We explain the difference between Upward Comparison versus Downward Comparison and why it’s critical to avoid the downward spiral of comparing yourself to others. We discuss the science behind practicing gratitude and how it helps you embrace heart-based abundance. We also explain how practicing gratitude on a regular basis can positively change the molecular structure of your brainand share techniques for practicing gratitude, even if it doesn’t come naturally to you.
“As we experience those positive emotions associated with gratitude, and many other positive psychology practices, we’re boosting our para-sympathetic nervous system.” – Dr. Liana Lianov
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The difference between feeling grateful and expressing gratitude
- The value of writing down three things you’re grateful for each day
- How to avoid habitually listing the same things in your daily gratitude journal
- Understanding the Grateful Comparison exercise
- Upward Comparison vs Downward Comparison and the importance of avoiding the downward spiral of comparing yourself to others
- How gratitude helps you embrace heart-based abundance
- How practicing gratitude impacts your brain on a molecular level
- Reframing setbacks and life challenges through the lens of growth, meaning, connection, and gratitude
- The correlation between a gratitude practice and overall improved health
- The upward spiral of lifestyle, behavioral, and emotional change
Connect with Dr. Liana Lianov:
- Global Positive Health Institute
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish (coming soon!)
- Global Positive Health Institute on LinkedIn
- Global Positive Health Institute on Instagram
- Global Positive Health Institute on Facebook
- Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #91 The Upward Spiral of a Gratitude Practice with Dr. Liana Lianov appeared first on Mark Rowe.
If you were asked to determine what you truly want from life when everything else is stripped away, you would likely say that you want happiness, contentment, inner peace, and fulfillment. Happiness is a fundamental key to the human experience. But one of the paradoxes of happiness is that it can be difficult to define. People define happiness in a variety of ways – for me, it’s about making the best of the good times while having the resilience to deal with the tough times.
What does happiness mean to you? And is it true, sustainable happiness or something more fleeting?
This week I discuss the paradoxes of happiness and why the definition of happiness is different for each individual. I explain the Buddist philosophy on happiness and why they believe there can be no real happiness without also experiencing pain and suffering. I discuss why it’s critical to avoid the illusion of creating the perfect, idealistic future and instead, learn to embrace your flaws, make peace with your past, and choose to find happiness in the present moment. I explain what sustainable happiness is and how it boosts your health and wellbeing. I also explain how your moment-to-moment experiences of happiness differ from your feelings of overall life satisfaction, the three fundamental aspects of happiness, and how using a gratitude journal can help you boost your inner happiness and wellbeing.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, finding happiness becomes a choice – your everyday choice to find more balance, harmony, contentment, and fulfillment.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why the concept of happiness is different for everyone
- The Buddist philosophy on happiness
- Healthy vs Toxic Positivity
- Why negative emotions ‘stick’ longer than positive emotions
- The illusion of a perfect, idealistic future
- Choosing to find happiness in the present moment
- The science of positive psychology
- Understanding sustainable happiness
- How boosting your happiness impacts your productivity, creativity, energy, and performance
- The difference between your moment-to-moment happiness experiences and your overall life satisfaction
- 3 fundamental aspects of happiness
- How 50% of your potential happiness is inherited, 10% by circumstance, and 40% by your choices
- Using a gratitude journal to boost your happiness
- Answering the 3 Ws of happiness: What Went Well
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Book: A Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #90 Happiness appeared first on Mark Rowe.
If you were asked to determine what you truly want from life when everything else is stripped away, you would likely say that you want happiness, contentment, inner peace, and fulfillment. Happiness is a fundamental key to the human experience. But one of the paradoxes of happiness is that it can be difficult to define. People define happiness in a variety of ways – for me, it’s about making the best of the good times while having the resilience to deal with the tough times.
What does happiness mean to you? And is it true, sustainable happiness or something more fleeting?
This week I discuss the paradoxes of happiness and why the definition of happiness is different for each individual. I explain the Buddist philosophy on happiness and why they believe there can be no real happiness without also experiencing pain and suffering. I discuss why it’s critical to avoid the illusion of creating the perfect, idealistic future and instead, learn to embrace your flaws, make peace with your past, and choose to find happiness in the present moment. I explain what sustainable happiness is and how it boosts your health and wellbeing. I also explain how your moment-to-moment experiences of happiness differ from your feelings of overall life satisfaction, the three fundamental aspects of happiness, and how using a gratitude journal can help you boost your inner happiness and wellbeing.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, finding happiness becomes a choice – your everyday choice to find more balance, harmony, contentment, and fulfillment.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Why the concept of happiness is different for everyone
- The Buddist philosophy on happiness
- Healthy vs Toxic Positivity
- Why negative emotions ‘stick’ longer than positive emotions
- The illusion of a perfect, idealistic future
- Choosing to find happiness in the present moment
- The science of positive psychology
- Understanding sustainable happiness
- How boosting your happiness impacts your productivity, creativity, energy, and performance
- The difference between your moment-to-moment happiness experiences and your overall life satisfaction
- 3 fundamental aspects of happiness
- How 50% of your potential happiness is inherited, 10% by circumstance, and 40% by your choices
- Using a gratitude journal to boost your happiness
- Answering the 3 Ws of happiness: What Went Well
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- Book: A Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #90 Happiness appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Excess visceral fat is very different from weight. Your weight has many potential variables, including how hydrated you are and, for women, your menstrual cycle. Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is the comparison between your weight and your height. It was designed by the insurance industry during the 1850s as a way to calculate a person’s risk of developing a serious health condition. And while measuring your BMI certainly has its benefits, it is also a flawed metric since it doesn’t take into account many important factors like your muscle mass or body frame. However, it is not uncommon for people to have normal BMIs alongside excess visceral fat stores. And that’s not healthy.
So, what is excessive visceral fat, and what can you do to lower your visceral fat stores to a healthier level?
In today’s episode, I explain what visceral fat is and why having extra visceral fat can negatively impact your overall health and well-being. I explain the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fats, how to measure your fat stores, and the various factors influencing your visceral fat stores. I discuss how excess visceral fat can impact your long-term health, often increasing your risk of heart disease and insulin resistance. I also explain the F.E.A.S.T method and how it can help you reduce belly fat and visceral fat to improve your overall health.
“The more you move, the more calories you burn, and the more likely that over time you’ll lose more of that visceral fat.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding the difference between visceral fat and BMI
- Why your weight and BMI is not a good indicator of your overall health
- Understanding subcutaneous fats and visceral fats
- How to measure your fat stores
- Factors that impact your visceral fat stores
- How excessive visceral fat stores can impact your long-term health
- Why smoking cigarettes makes you more likely to store excess visceral fat
- Using the F.E.A.S.T method to reduce belly fat and visceral fat stores
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #89 Extra Visceral Fat & What You Can Do appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Excess visceral fat is very different from weight. Your weight has many potential variables, including how hydrated you are and, for women, your menstrual cycle. Your Body Mass Index (BMI) is the comparison between your weight and your height. It was designed by the insurance industry during the 1850s as a way to calculate a person’s risk of developing a serious health condition. And while measuring your BMI certainly has its benefits, it is also a flawed metric since it doesn’t take into account many important factors like your muscle mass or body frame. However, it is not uncommon for people to have normal BMIs alongside excess visceral fat stores. And that’s not healthy.
So, what is excessive visceral fat, and what can you do to lower your visceral fat stores to a healthier level?
In today’s episode, I explain what visceral fat is and why having extra visceral fat can negatively impact your overall health and well-being. I explain the difference between subcutaneous and visceral fats, how to measure your fat stores, and the various factors influencing your visceral fat stores. I discuss how excess visceral fat can impact your long-term health, often increasing your risk of heart disease and insulin resistance. I also explain the F.E.A.S.T method and how it can help you reduce belly fat and visceral fat to improve your overall health.
“The more you move, the more calories you burn, and the more likely that over time you’ll lose more of that visceral fat.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding the difference between visceral fat and BMI
- Why your weight and BMI is not a good indicator of your overall health
- Understanding subcutaneous fats and visceral fats
- How to measure your fat stores
- Factors that impact your visceral fat stores
- How excessive visceral fat stores can impact your long-term health
- Why smoking cigarettes makes you more likely to store excess visceral fat
- Using the F.E.A.S.T method to reduce belly fat and visceral fat stores
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #89 Extra Visceral Fat & What You Can Do appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher that lived between 551 to 479 B.C. and taught educational and ethical values. His Latinized name means ‘a respected master of calm.’ He dedicated his life to education and learning, and although he was largely ignored throughout his lifetime, his values and teachings became those that have been embedded and entwined in the cultural identity of China and East Asia following his death.
There are many lessons and values that Confucius taught throughout his lifetime. Many of which I deeply resonate with and have deepened my interest in learning more about him and his life teachings.
In today’s episode, I take a deeper look at some of Confucius’ wisdom, teachings, and quotes. I discuss the common themes found in his book, The Analects of Confucius, and how he lived his life by the Golden Rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated. I explain why Confucius’ followers were referred to as “The Rule School” and how they lived their life by committing themselves to learn and living in peace. I also share some of my favorite Confucius quotes and why they deeply resonate with me.
“The Golden Rule is the essence of kindness, compassion, and mutual respect.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The history of Confucius and how he lived his life
- Followers of Confucius
- Confucius’s value of education and life-long learning
- Reflecting on our own past experiences to make better, more positive decisions
- The power of effort and gritty persistence
- The importance of possibility, hope, realistic optimism, and resilience
- Embracing silence, stillness, and solitude
- Bringing a sense of passion and purpose to what you do and who you are
- Embracing your flaws and individuality
- Embracing simplicity and authenticity
- Transforming resentment into forgiveness
- The fallacy and illusion of invincibility
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Analects of Confucius by Confucius
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #88 Confucius – I Do & I understand appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher that lived between 551 to 479 B.C. and taught educational and ethical values. His Latinized name means ‘a respected master of calm.’ He dedicated his life to education and learning, and although he was largely ignored throughout his lifetime, his values and teachings became those that have been embedded and entwined in the cultural identity of China and East Asia following his death.
There are many lessons and values that Confucius taught throughout his lifetime. Many of which I deeply resonate with and have deepened my interest in learning more about him and his life teachings.
In today’s episode, I take a deeper look at some of Confucius’ wisdom, teachings, and quotes. I discuss the common themes found in his book, The Analects of Confucius, and how he lived his life by the Golden Rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated. I explain why Confucius’ followers were referred to as “The Rule School” and how they lived their life by committing themselves to learn and living in peace. I also share some of my favorite Confucius quotes and why they deeply resonate with me.
“The Golden Rule is the essence of kindness, compassion, and mutual respect.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The history of Confucius and how he lived his life
- Followers of Confucius
- Confucius’s value of education and life-long learning
- Reflecting on our own past experiences to make better, more positive decisions
- The power of effort and gritty persistence
- The importance of possibility, hope, realistic optimism, and resilience
- Embracing silence, stillness, and solitude
- Bringing a sense of passion and purpose to what you do and who you are
- Embracing your flaws and individuality
- Embracing simplicity and authenticity
- Transforming resentment into forgiveness
- The fallacy and illusion of invincibility
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Analects of Confucius by Confucius
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #88 Confucius – I Do & I understand appeared first on Mark Rowe.
David Clancy and Ciaran Dunne are the hosts of the Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat podcast, a show that shares unique insight into high-performing individuals in elite sports, the arts, the military, and business. As an experienced chartered physiotherapist with clinical, consultation, and research experience, David has worked with some of the world’s most elite athletes in a wide variety of sports, including professional soccer and rugby. He is also the founder and director of Hauora LTD; a Dublin-based company focused on optimizing whole-person well-being for businesses.
Ciaran is a creative and critical-thinking well-being consultant for corporate, public, and private health organizations. Utilizing his extensive clinical experience in physiotherapy, public health, and sports medicine, Ciaran focuses on providing and modeling healthy, evidence-based cultures, behavior changes, and healthy living habits that promote a culture of collaboration, humility, and well-being with individual clients and within organizations.
This week, I sit in the physiotherapist’s chair with David and Ciaran to share how I discovered my calling for lifestyle medicine. We discuss how happiness impacts your overall health and well-being and highlight strategies you can use to boost happiness in your day-to-day life. We explain the Leadership Triangle, the importance of getting crystal clear on your values, and how it helps you build resilience and improve your well-being. We highlight why getting enough sleep is critical and how not getting enough can often lead to negative health issues. We explain the burnout epidemic, the difference between burnout and depression, and the three key features of burnout. We also discuss what stoicism is, the benefits of focusing on what you can change instead of what you can’t, and what the term ‘high-performance’ means to me.
“Happiness is that emotional wellbeing – having that ratio of positivity that creates that tipping point that enables you to flourish in your personal life, work life, and relationships.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What vitality means to me
- Discovering my calling for lifestyle medicine
- Common misconceptions around health and wellness
- My advice for improving your health and wellbeing
- Dealing with negative emotions through healthy foundational habits
- Understanding happiness and why it’s important for your overall health and wellbeing
- Ways to boost your happiness
- The Leadership Triangle
- Practices to promote your vitality
- Impacts of sleep deprivation
- Understanding and acknowledging burnout and strategies for avoiding it
- Understanding the difference between burnout and depression
- The benefits of Stoicism
- What the term ‘high-performance’ means to me
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life by Dr. Mark Rowe
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day by Dr. Mark Rowe
Connect with David Clancy and Ciaran Dunne:
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat Website
- Podcast: Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat on Instagram
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #87 The Pursuit of Happiness: Boosting Your Happiness to Improve Your Health with David Clancy & Ciaran Dunne appeared first on Mark Rowe.
David Clancy and Ciaran Dunne are the hosts of the Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat podcast, a show that shares unique insight into high-performing individuals in elite sports, the arts, the military, and business. As an experienced chartered physiotherapist with clinical, consultation, and research experience, David has worked with some of the world’s most elite athletes in a wide variety of sports, including professional soccer and rugby. He is also the founder and director of Hauora LTD; a Dublin-based company focused on optimizing whole-person well-being for businesses.
Ciaran is a creative and critical-thinking well-being consultant for corporate, public, and private health organizations. Utilizing his extensive clinical experience in physiotherapy, public health, and sports medicine, Ciaran focuses on providing and modeling healthy, evidence-based cultures, behavior changes, and healthy living habits that promote a culture of collaboration, humility, and well-being with individual clients and within organizations.
This week, I sit in the physiotherapist’s chair with David and Ciaran to share how I discovered my calling for lifestyle medicine. We discuss how happiness impacts your overall health and well-being and highlight strategies you can use to boost happiness in your day-to-day life. We explain the Leadership Triangle, the importance of getting crystal clear on your values, and how it helps you build resilience and improve your well-being. We highlight why getting enough sleep is critical and how not getting enough can often lead to negative health issues. We explain the burnout epidemic, the difference between burnout and depression, and the three key features of burnout. We also discuss what stoicism is, the benefits of focusing on what you can change instead of what you can’t, and what the term ‘high-performance’ means to me.
“Happiness is that emotional wellbeing – having that ratio of positivity that creates that tipping point that enables you to flourish in your personal life, work life, and relationships.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What vitality means to me
- Discovering my calling for lifestyle medicine
- Common misconceptions around health and wellness
- My advice for improving your health and wellbeing
- Dealing with negative emotions through healthy foundational habits
- Understanding happiness and why it’s important for your overall health and wellbeing
- Ways to boost your happiness
- The Leadership Triangle
- Practices to promote your vitality
- Impacts of sleep deprivation
- Understanding and acknowledging burnout and strategies for avoiding it
- Understanding the difference between burnout and depression
- The benefits of Stoicism
- What the term ‘high-performance’ means to me
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life by Dr. Mark Rowe
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day by Dr. Mark Rowe
Connect with David Clancy and Ciaran Dunne:
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat Website
- Podcast: Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat on Instagram
- Sleep, Eat, Perform, Repeat on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #87 The Pursuit of Happiness: Boosting Your Happiness to Improve Your Health with David Clancy & Ciaran Dunne appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Jane Abernethy is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Humanscale, an industry-leading designer, and manufacturer of sustainable, high-performance ergonomic workplace products. Since 1983, Humanscale’s award-winning ergonomic products have helped improve the health, efficiency, and quality of work life for millions of professionals. At Humanscale, Jane leads the company’s efforts to create a net-positive impact on the company’s products and operations by closely collaborating with the company’s executives, designers, and engineers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and Industrial and Product Design from Carleton University and multiple green business certifications. She regularly volunteers her time to various committee boards, including BIFMA and the American Society of Interior Designers.
Jane joins me today to share what drove her to focus her career on sustainability and climate-friendly products. We discuss how taking care of our planet is an extended form of self-care and how Humanscale defines the term ‘sustainability.’ We discuss what it means to be a net-positive organization and the impact of ‘green-washing.’ We discuss the primary issues that often prevent people and organizations from creating a net-positive change and how making small changes can lead to creating a bigger impact on the environment. Jane also shares how she cultivates gratitude in her daily life, the benefits of regularly expressing gratitude, and her top three tips for developing a resilient mind.
“You can’t be there for the planet and actually make a difference if you’re not actually taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle.” – Jane Abernethy
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The pragmatic aspects of sustainability
- The connection between taking care of the planet and taking care of ourselves
- How Humanscale perceives sustainability
- Understanding what it means to be a ‘net positive’ organization
- How ‘green-washing’ leads to confusion
- The key issues that often prevent individuals from making a net-positive change
- Small steps you can take to create a big impact on the environment
- Jane’s personal self-care practices and the advice she’d give to her younger self
- How Jane actively cultivates gratitude and the benefits of expressing it
- Jane’s top 3 tips for developing a resilient mind
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Connect with Jane Abernethy:
- Humanscale
- Humanscale on LinkedIn
- Humanscale on Instagram
- Humanscale on Facebook
- Humanscale on Twitter
- Jane Abernethy on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #86 Creating a Sustainable Future with Jane Abernethy CSO Humanscale appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Jane Abernethy is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Humanscale, an industry-leading designer, and manufacturer of sustainable, high-performance ergonomic workplace products. Since 1983, Humanscale’s award-winning ergonomic products have helped improve the health, efficiency, and quality of work life for millions of professionals. At Humanscale, Jane leads the company’s efforts to create a net-positive impact on the company’s products and operations by closely collaborating with the company’s executives, designers, and engineers. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design and Industrial and Product Design from Carleton University and multiple green business certifications. She regularly volunteers her time to various committee boards, including BIFMA and the American Society of Interior Designers.
Jane joins me today to share what drove her to focus her career on sustainability and climate-friendly products. We discuss how taking care of our planet is an extended form of self-care and how Humanscale defines the term ‘sustainability.’ We discuss what it means to be a net-positive organization and the impact of ‘green-washing.’ We discuss the primary issues that often prevent people and organizations from creating a net-positive change and how making small changes can lead to creating a bigger impact on the environment. Jane also shares how she cultivates gratitude in her daily life, the benefits of regularly expressing gratitude, and her top three tips for developing a resilient mind.
“You can’t be there for the planet and actually make a difference if you’re not actually taking care of yourself and living a healthy lifestyle.” – Jane Abernethy
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The pragmatic aspects of sustainability
- The connection between taking care of the planet and taking care of ourselves
- How Humanscale perceives sustainability
- Understanding what it means to be a ‘net positive’ organization
- How ‘green-washing’ leads to confusion
- The key issues that often prevent individuals from making a net-positive change
- Small steps you can take to create a big impact on the environment
- Jane’s personal self-care practices and the advice she’d give to her younger self
- How Jane actively cultivates gratitude and the benefits of expressing it
- Jane’s top 3 tips for developing a resilient mind
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Connect with Jane Abernethy:
- Humanscale
- Humanscale on LinkedIn
- Humanscale on Instagram
- Humanscale on Facebook
- Humanscale on Twitter
- Jane Abernethy on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #86 Creating a Sustainable Future with Jane Abernethy CSO Humanscale appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Simon Matthews is a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional and the CEO of Wellcoaches Australia and Wellcoaches Singapore, the premier school of evidence-based health coaching. Simon is committed to helping people achieve their goals of living healthier, purposeful lives. As a psychologist and fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Simon writes and consults widely in the areas of health coaching, behavior change, positive psychology, and lifestyle medicine. In addition to his work at Wellcoaches, Simon serves as an adjunct lecturer at Avondale University College.
Simon joins me today to discuss how relationships impact behavioral change. He explores the fundamental principles of health coaching and describes why it’s important to approach people’s values, motivation, and beliefs with openness and curiosity. He outlines the main barriers to behavior change and explains why fear and shame are not good external motivators of change. Simon also highlights the power of sleep and underscores how building relationships is central to a resilient mind and effective coaching.
“Relationships are the essence of coaching—it’s a deeply, deeply human pursuit. Tech can enhance and support behavioral change, but at the bottom of it all sits the relationship between one human being and another.” – Simon Matthews
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The definition of health coaching
- The essential tenets of effective coaching
- How humans value autonomy
- Bringing lifestyle medicine and positive psychology into a medical consultation
- Why health coaching isn’t about getting people to do something
- The relationship between values, identity, and behavior change
- The wheel of change and how people’s perceptions of health behaviors change in different moments of time
- Heraclitus’s wisdom and what makes health coaching interventions likely to succeed
- Why relationships are the essence of coaching
- How technology can support behavioral change
- Emotional agility and the main barriers to success for change
- Why external motivation based on fear and shame doesn’t create lasting behavioral change
- The importance of feedback in coaching
- Diet as a way of life and sleep as an elixir to vitality
- Simon’s advice for a resilient mind
Connect with Simon Matthews:
- Simon Matthews Consulting
- Wellcoaches Australia
- Wellcoaches Australia on LinkedIn
- Wellcoaches Australia on Facebook
- Simon Matthews on LinkedIn
- Email: simon@simonmatthewsconsulting.com
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #85 How Relationships Drive Behavioral Change with Simon Matthews appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Acne is the most common skin condition that most family physicians encounter in their medical practice – particularly in teens and young adults. It affects the majority of young people between the ages of 12 and 24. While acne typically begins during puberty, it’s not uncommon to notice acne breakouts at any stage of life. Although acne isn’t typically considered a serious condition, it can sometimes impact a person’s quality of life and happiness.
Today, I explain what acne is, some of the most common causes for acne breakouts, and the most common areas you may find blemishes develop. I highlight how chronic acne can sometimes lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and even depression for some people. I explain the difference between white-head and black-head pimples and how squeezing pimples can ultimately create scar tissue. I also discuss treatment options currently available, including home remedies, over-the-counter medications, and prescription medications, to treat acne breakouts and share a few basic skin care tips you can do each day to keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.
“The good news is – while acne may not be preventable, it’s really treatable. There are so many effective options out there.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- General statistics on the commonality of acne in teens and young adults
- How chronic acne can impact your health, well-being, and quality of life
- Understanding what sebum is and how it helps keep your skin soft and healthy
- What causes acne to develop and common areas where acne blemishes are commonly found
- The two main types of pimples
- Why you should never squeeze pimples
- Common causes of acne breakouts
- Types of food that can cause acne breakouts
- Treatment options for acne breakouts
- Basic self-care tips for your skin
- The impact on your skin from using tanning beds
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #84 Acne, What You Need to Know appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Maria McCann is a broadcaster and presenter on Waterford Local Radio’s (WLR) Sunday afternoon show, The Week. Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Maria’s broadcasting career initially began by presenting the news at East Coast Radio and FM104 until she found her niche as a presenter of current affairs and human-interest interviews.
This week, I share my conversation with Maria about depression. We discuss why it’s important for people to talk about their thoughts, feelings, and problems and why men are less likely to discuss their concerns with others. We explain why stress is neither good nor bad and the impact of allowing chronic stress to build over long periods of time. We discuss the difference between the ‘Circle of Control,’ and the ‘Circle of Concern’ and why staying within your Circle of Control is more beneficial to your health. We explain how depression is diagnosed, its symptoms and treatment options, and why there’s not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to treating depression. We also explore other ways to treat depression beyond taking medication and utilizing talk therapy.
“No matter what’s going on in your life, no matter what’s going on in your head, there’s always somebody you can talk to. A problem shared really is a problem halved.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The importance of talking about your thoughts, feelings, and problems
- Why men are less likely to talk about their concerns with others
- Dealing with chronic stress and anxiety
- The ‘Circle of Control’ versus the ‘Circle of Concern’
- The benefits of practicing mindfulness
- How doctors diagnose depression
- How talk therapy can help treat depression
- Addressing the misconceptions around depression and anti-depressant medications
- Determining which treatment method is appropriate for you
- Healthy ways to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day by Dr. Mark Rowe
Connect with Maria McCann:
- Waterford Local Radio
- Waterford Local Radio on YouTube
- Waterford Local Radio on Instagram
- Waterford Local Radio on Facebook
- Waterford Local Radio on Twitter
- Maria McCann on Twitter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | Google Play | Stitcher | Spotify
The post #83 Depression with WLR Maria McCann appeared first on Mark Rowe.
In the world of Irish television, Clare McKenna is a TV and radio presenter with years of experience in broadcasting and journalism. She has presented a wide range of live Irish TV and radio shows, including co-presenting Spin 1038’s talk show for 7 years, which was nominated for the prestigious PPI Award three times and won gold for Best Speech Best Programme in 2010. She has presented RTE’s The Liffey Laugh and worked as a reporter on then TV3’s Midweek as well as their flagship breakfast programme, Ireland AM and The Elaine Show. More recently, Clare works at Newstalk presenting their health and wellness show, Alive and Kicking, and covering Lunchtime Live.
This week, I share my conversation on Clare’s show, Alive, and Kicking. We discuss what Lifestyle Medicine is and how it can help support, or even reverse chronic health conditions. We discuss why it’s important to use lifestyle medicine techniques as an additional ‘tool in your toolkit for achieving optimal health. We discuss how improving your health starts with small, incremental baby steps and share a few tips on how you can take those first steps toward improving your health. We discuss the challenges of managing stress and anxiety and why stress should be considered neither good nor bad, but as a mechanism to help us survive and thrive. We also discuss how you can recharge from stressful situations – even before the stress begins – and explain the G.L.A.D technique for overcoming stress and anxiety.
“Lifestyle medicine is not only a very effective way to support people who have chronic health conditions, it can become an effective treatment in its own right.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding what Lifestyle Medicine is
- How Lifestyle Medicine can help support – or even reverse – certain chronic health conditions
- Taking baby steps toward improving your health
- Tips for taking the first step to improving your health
- Where positive health changes truly begin
- The challenges of managing stress and anxiety
- Finding ways to recharge from stress
- The G.L.A.D. technique to recharge from stress
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day by Dr. Mark Rowe
- Alive and Kicking Podcast Episode: The Vitality Mark with Mark Rowe & Helen Mort on Mountains & Motherhood
Connect with Clare McKenna:
- Newstalk
- Podcast: Newstalk’s Alive and Kicking with Clare McKenna
- Newstalk on LinkedIn
- Newstalk on Instagram
- Newstalk on Facebook
- Newstalk on Twitter
- Newstalk on YouTube
- Clare McKenna on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #82 Achieving Optimal Health Through Lifestyle Medicine with Clare McKenna appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Liana Lianov is the President of Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the integration of positive psychology in the healthcare setting. She is an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine who has led the development of its core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals which, most recently, has been expanded to include positive psychology-based knowledge and skills. She serves as the Vice Chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, a consultant with the American College of Preventative Medicine and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, as well as the Chair of the Happiness Science and Positive Health Committee at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Additionally, she is the author of Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow, as well as her newly published book, Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish.
This week, Dr. Liana interviews me to discuss my journey toward discovering the idea of positive psychology. We discuss what my “Happiness Prescription” is and why movement is the most important commitment you can make to living a happier, healthier life. We discuss why I believe living a happier, healthier lifestyle is a personal choice and how medical professionals can incorporate the Prescription for Happiness principles into their personal and professional lives. We discuss the balancing act between taking care of ourselves on a personal level and our professional responsibilities as healthcare providers to promote cultures of well-being in our practices. We highlight how positive psychology practices can have a significant impact on our health and well-being. We also discuss how we can harness positive psychology and well-being science principles into our daily lives, even during times of crisis, and what inspired me to write The Vitality Mark book.
“We all have the potential to choose how we respond and how we live our lives in terms of our purpose and our mission interconnected to our values.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How I became fascinated with positive psychology, happiness and well-being
- Understanding the Happiness Prescription
- How medical professionals can incorporate the Prescription for Happiness principles into their personal and professional lives
- My advice to medical professionals currently feeling overwhelmed
- The balancing act between self-care and professional responsibility as healthcare providers
- The impact of a positive mindset and positive psychology
- Making time to move your body regularly
- My favorite health and wellness habit
- How to harness positive psychology and wellbeing science principles, even during times of crisis and turmoil
- What inspired me to write The Vitality Mark book
- What the ‘meaning of life’ means to me
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: A Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life by Dr. Mark Rowe
- Book: The Vitality Mark by Dr. Mark Rowe
Connect with Dr. Liana Lianov:
- Global Positive Health Institute
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish (coming soon!)
- Global Positive Health Institute on LinkedIn
- Global Positive Health Institute on Instagram
- Global Positive Health Institute on Facebook
- Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #81 Positive Psychology & the Prescription for Happiness with Dr. Liana Lianov appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Liana Lianov is the President of Global Positive Health Institute (GPHI), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the integration of positive psychology in the healthcare setting. She is an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine who has led the development of its core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals which, most recently, has been expanded to include positive psychology-based knowledge and skills. She serves as the Vice Chair of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, a consultant with the American College of Preventative Medicine and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, as well as the Chair of the Happiness Science and Positive Health Committee at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Additionally, she is the author of Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow, as well as her newly published book, Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish.
This week, Dr. Liana interviews me to discuss my journey toward discovering the idea of positive psychology. We discuss what my “Happiness Prescription” is and why movement is the most important commitment you can make to living a happier, healthier life. We discuss why I believe living a happier, healthier lifestyle is a personal choice and how medical professionals can incorporate the Prescription for Happiness principles into their personal and professional lives. We discuss the balancing act between taking care of ourselves on a personal level and our professional responsibilities as healthcare providers to promote cultures of well-being in our practices. We highlight how positive psychology practices can have a significant impact on our health and well-being. We also discuss how we can harness positive psychology and well-being science principles into our daily lives, even during times of crisis, and what inspired me to write The Vitality Mark book.
“We all have the potential to choose how we respond and how we live our lives in terms of our purpose and our mission interconnected to our values.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How I became fascinated with positive psychology, happiness and well-being
- Understanding the Happiness Prescription
- How medical professionals can incorporate the Prescription for Happiness principles into their personal and professional lives
- My advice to medical professionals currently feeling overwhelmed
- The balancing act between self-care and professional responsibility as healthcare providers
- The impact of a positive mindset and positive psychology
- Making time to move your body regularly
- My favorite health and wellness habit
- How to harness positive psychology and wellbeing science principles, even during times of crisis and turmoil
- What inspired me to write The Vitality Mark book
- What the ‘meaning of life’ means to me
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: A Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life by Dr. Mark Rowe
- Book: The Vitality Mark by Dr. Mark Rowe
Connect with Dr. Liana Lianov:
- Global Positive Health Institute
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow
- Book: Strengths in the Mirror: Using Your Character Strengths, Personality and Lifestyle to Flourish (coming soon!)
- Global Positive Health Institute on LinkedIn
- Global Positive Health Institute on Instagram
- Global Positive Health Institute on Facebook
- Liana Lianov on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #81 Positive Psychology & the Prescription for Happiness with Dr. Liana Lianov appeared first on Mark Rowe.
What can you do to support your brain health to ward off cognitive decline as you age?
It’s known that brain conditions as you age become increasingly common. Research has found that cognitive impairment, when your brain does not function as well as it once did, affects approximately 5-20% of people over the age of 65. On average, dementia can affect approximately 7% of people within that age range.
This week, I discuss the M.I.N.D. Diet, what it is, and how it helps support brain health and brain function. I discuss how your nutrition can impact brain health and help protect your brain as you age. I discuss how the M.I.N.D. Diet was developed, and how it focuses on eating nutrient-dense foods that are not only good for your body but also support your brain health. I highlight the 10 nutrient-dense foods that support brain health and how often you should eat these foods each week. I also discuss the 5 foods you should minimize or avoid consuming to help improve your cognitive function and better support your brain health.
“If you’re interested in maintaining brain health as you age – mind your mind. Live with more vitality.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The connection between your health and wellness in your 30s, 40s, and 50s with your cognitive health after the age of 65
- Understanding the M.I.N.D. Diet and its origins
- 10 foods that support brain health
- 5 foods you should minimize or avoid to support your brain’s health
- How the M.I.N.D Diet can help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and memory loss
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post #80 The M.I.N.D. Diet appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Dr. Akil Taher is a practicing physician based in Gadsden, Alabama. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Akil moved to Sylvania, Ohio, to train as a family physician at the Flower Hospital. After undergoing open-heart surgery in August 2009, Dr. Akil made it his mission to spread the message of a heart-healthy lifestyle. He is the author of Open Heart, a book detailing his experiences leading up to and following his open-heart surgery and his lifestyle choices to reclaim his health. Today, he is a heart-health speaker, resurgent physician, mountaineer marathoner, septuagenarian athlete, and a whole-food, plant-based diet proponent.
Dr. Akil joins me today to share his life before undergoing open-heart surgery and why he didn’t believe heart disease could happen to him. We discuss his experience with depression and how those negative thoughts and behaviors manifested into physical symptoms. We discuss how undergoing open-heart surgery became the pivotal moment he finally decided to transform his life and make healthier lifestyle choices. We discuss his physical, mental, and emotional state immediately following open-heart surgery and why he chose to avoid taking medication to reduce his post-surgery pain. We discuss the moment he realized his diet was impacting his health and why he decided to adopt a whole-food, plant-based diet. We also discuss why paying attention to the areas your body retains fat is often a better indicator of the state your health is in, despite what your BMI levels show, and why it’s important for doctors to ‘practice what they preach’ about making healthy lifestyle choices.
“I had it in my mind that I had only two choices left now: either to continue this horrific, painfully slow end-of-life journey…or to turn my life around, eat better, and move myself more.” – Dr. Akil Taher
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What Akil’s life was like before undergoing open-heart surgery
- Falling into the trap of believing you’re invincibility
- Battling depression and how Akil’s negative thoughts and behaviors impacted his health
- Akil’s physical, mental, and emotional state after surgery
- Akil’s drive to run in a marathon after open-heart surgery
- How Akil realized his diet was impacting his health
- What a whole-food, plant-based diet is…and what it is not
- Why your BMI is less important than where your body is retaining fats
- Why Akil considers COVID-19 as a blessing in disguise
- Why doctors should follow their own health advice
- Akil’s tips for developing a resilient mind
Connect with Dr. Akil Taher:
- Akil Taher’s Website
- Book: Open Heart: The Transformational Journey of a Doctor Who, After Bypass Surgery at 61, Ran Marathons and Climbed Mountains
- Akil Taher on LinkedIn
- Akil Taher on Instagram
- Akil Taher on Facebook
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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The post The Myth of Invincibility & Undergoing Open-Heart Surgery with Dr. Akil Taher appeared first on Mark Rowe.
Tony Kelly is a comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker from Waterford, Ireland. As a graduate and noted alumnus of the New York Film Academy, his debut standup album P.S. I hate You was released in 2012. Tony’s credits as an actor to date include Netflix’s The Alienist and BBC’s Primeval, as well as his starring role and debut as director in the feature film The Hurler – A Campion’s Tale, which is based on his multi-award-winning web series and play. Most recently, Tony has written, directed, and voiced multiple characters in the 10-part radio comedy series, Busy Tonight? and will soon release his first documentary film, Plastic Paddy – which he both wrote and directed.
Tony joins me today to share his story of battling drug and alcohol abuse. We discuss the misunderstandings and misconceptions society typically has around drug and alcohol addiction and why medical professionals and health organizations view addiction as a mental health issue. We discuss the struggles of trying to break addiction and what ‘emotional sobriety’ means. We discuss Tony’s challenges while recovering from addiction and his experiences with relapsing. Tony also shares his advice to others struggling with substance abuse and addiction, gratitude’s role in his road to recovery and sobriety, and his top 3 tips for developing peace of mind and creating a resilient mindset.
“You can be chemically sober if you want, but the disease is in the mind. It’s the thinking; it’s trying to almost get you from the inside.”– Tony Kelly
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Tony’s battle with drug and alcohol addiction
- Why society typically doesn’t understand substance abuse
- The challenges associated with trying to break an addiction and relapsing
- The journey of chaos that is addiction
- Understanding ‘emotional sobriety’ and why sobriety is about more than breaking an addiction
- Why doctors are often at risk of developing an addiction
- Tony’s decision to enter addiction rehabilitation
- Tony’s advice to other people struggling with substance abuse and addiction
- How gratitude impacts sobriety
- Tony’s top 3 tips for developing peace of mind and creating a resilient mindset
- Why the meaning of life for Tony is to simply be happy
Resources Mentioned:
- Me Head is Wrecked Podcast Episode: Mark Rowe: Coping With Christmas
- Me Head is Wrecked Podcast Episode: Tony Evans: Hillsborough
- Book: Recovery: Freedom from Our Addictions by Russell Brand
Connect with Tony Kelly:
- Podcast: Me Head is Wrecked with Tony Kelly
- Tony Kelly on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #78 The Journey to Emotional & Chemical Sobriety with Tony Kelly appeared first on Mark Rowe.
We’ve all heard that exercise helps keep your body healthy. From aiding your digestion and immune system to keeping your joints, muscles, and bones in top condition and helping with mood swings, anxiety, and depression – brisk walking and exercise is the key to preventing health issues. But many people believe they simply don’t have the time in their busy schedule to squeeze in regular exercise. However, if you don’t make time to move your body, it’s far more likely that illness and health conditions will show up in your life.
In this episode, I discuss why it’s important to make time to keep your body moving, whether it’s through walking, yoga, or following an exercise routine. I discuss the benefits of walking and how all movement can be considered beneficial. I explain what brisk walking is and how it helps you maintain optimal health. I discuss how walking in nature helps boost your creativity and problem-solving skills and how walking with others improves your relationships. I also share a few simple ways you can add more healthy movement to your daily routine.
“Moving is medicine. Moving more can transform your health over time.” – Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
● How long should you walk each week briskly to obtain optimal health benefits
● Understanding what brisk walking is and how it helps your health and wellness
● What your pulse should be after brisk, intense walking
● The benefits of brisk walking
● How walking in nature encourages creativity and boosts problem-solving skills
● Tips for building a habit of walking into your daily routine
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The post #77 Keeping Your Body Moving: Let Your Footsteps Do the Talking appeared first on Mark Rowe.
We’ve all heard that exercise helps keep your body healthy. From aiding your digestion and immune system to keeping your joints, muscles, and bones in top condition and helping with mood swings, anxiety, and depression - brisk walking and exercise is the key to preventing health issues. But many people believe they simply don’t have the time in their busy schedule to squeeze in regular exercise. However, if you don’t make time to move your body, it’s far more likely that illness and health conditions will show up in your life.
In this episode, I discuss why it’s important to make time to keep your body moving, whether it’s through walking, yoga, or following an exercise routine. I discuss the benefits of walking and how all movement can be considered beneficial. I explain what brisk walking is and how it helps you maintain optimal health. I discuss how walking in nature helps boost your creativity and problem-solving skills and how walking with others improves your relationships. I also share a few simple ways you can add more healthy movement to your daily routine.
“Moving is medicine. Moving more can transform your health over time.” - Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
● How long should you walk each week briskly to obtain optimal health benefits
● Understanding what brisk walking is and how it helps your health and wellness
● What your pulse should be after brisk, intense walking
● The benefits of brisk walking
● How walking in nature encourages creativity and boosts problem-solving skills
● Tips for building a habit of walking into your daily routine
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Please visit my website for more resources to help you live with more vitality.
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Do you consider yourself to be an overthinker? Overthinking is a very common trait among most adults today. In fact, over 70% of people between the ages of 25 and 35, and over half of people aged 45-55, are considered to be chronic overthinkers. But overthinking can often lead to more severe health impairments like depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and chronic health conditions.
So what can we do to calm our overactive minds? To stop the worrying brain and finally begin to live the life we were meant to live?
This week, I discuss the opportunity cost associated with an overthinking mind. I explain what the amygdala is, how it works, and how high worry and stress levels can impact your health and wellbeing. I explain how overthinking affects your ability to process emotions properly. I discuss the merry-go-round of anxious, negative thoughts and the power of giving yourself permission to choose which thoughts you give attention to. I highlight how overthinking often leads to feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and deepening depression, as well as puts strains on your existing relationships. I also discuss when you should seek medical help and share strategies to help you calm your overthinking mind.
“You can’t always control your thoughts – nobody can. But you can control what thoughts you pay attention to.” - Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
● The ‘default position’ of the human mind
● Understanding the amygdala and its primary function
● How stress and worry can impact your overall health and wellbeing
● How overthinking can affect your ability to process emotions
● The merry-go-round of anxious, negative thoughts and emotions
● Giving yourself permission to choose which thoughts you pay attention to
● The importance of learning from the past – without living there
● How overthinking can lead to anxiety, deepening depression, and feelings of self-doubt
● How overthinking can prevent you from making decisions
● When to seek medical help
● Strategies to calm your overthinking mind
● The value of self-compassion
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The power of a written journal wasn’t lost on our ancestors. In fact, since ancient times, powerful leaders have kept a daily written journal, documenting their thoughts, beliefs, and ideals. But over time, as countries have matured, as our way of life has evolved, and as we entered a more modern society, the act of keeping a written journal has slowly faded – especially in the digital age.
But the physical act of writing down your thoughts, beliefs, goals, and aspirations is an incredibly powerful way to get to know yourself, identify ways to continually improve, and achieve the goals you want to achieve.
This week, I discuss the benefits of keeping a written journal. I discuss how keeping a written journal helps unlock the secrets of who you are, where you are, and who you are becoming. I explain how it enables you become more intentional and the scientific proof that keeping a written journal helps give you a cognitive edge on personal growth and development. I explain how it helps you build awareness and clarity around specific problems and situations and keeps you accountable to your overarching goals. I also discuss how it can help you improve decision-making skills by removing the emotion factor from the equation.
“The best time to change is today. We can either have the pain of discipline in life – or the pain of regret. Keeping a written journal can help keep you accountable to your goals.” - Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- How keeping a written journal provides insight into who you are, where you are in your life, and who you are becoming
- Why neuroscience supports the habit of keeping a daily journal
- How keeping a journal helps you build awareness and clarity around specific thoughts, events, and ideas
- Daily journaling to hold yourself accountable to your goals
- How journaling helps minimize the negative impact of stress and reframe your beliefs
- Stanford University’s research on the effect of keeping a written journal about your values
- How journaling helps bridge the intention gap between what you want to do each day and what you actually do
- How journaling helps improve decision-making skills
- The importance of keeping a written gratitude journal
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr. Wayne Ruga joins me for part 2 of our conversation today. Wayne is President and Founder of The CARITAS Project, a U.S.-based non-profit organisation committed to creating transformational environments that enhance human health. As cited in part 1 Wayne is on a mission to create and support the development of spaces that inspire the advancement of human potential.
In this Part 2 episode, we discuss how we can cultivate better health in our daily lives and how his perspective on health and healthcare has evolved over the years.
We discuss the importance of being in-tune with yourself, how you feel, and how you are in the world. We discuss how striving for and maintaining optimal health is an individualized process and why there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to achieve optimal health.
We discuss how the evolution of our society has conditioned us to think and how we can reawaken our own uniqueness and individuality to live a more enjoyable and meaningful life. We also discuss why it’s essential for each individual to realize they are the CEO of their own life and how Wayne believes we can cultivate a more resilient life.
“It’s crucial to remember the unique individuality of every single human being and to respect that. This is one of the core ideas behind generative space”
-Dr. Wayne Ruga
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Wayne’s perspective on how to cultivate better health
- The importance of ‘knowing thyself’ when questing for better health
- Why Wayne believes there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for improving health
- Why Wayne believes we are the product of a system
- Rediscovering your own unique voice, your own way of creating meaning, and your own way of building the life you want to live
- YOU are the CEO of your own life
- Wayne’s perspective on how we can cultivate a more resilient mind
- What Wayne believes is the meaning of life
Connect with Dr. Wayne Ruga: The CARITAS Project Website
https://www.thecaritasproject.info/
Connect with Dr. Wayne Ruga:
- The CARITAS Project Website
- Wayne Ruga on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr. Wayne Ruga is the President and Founder of The CARITAS Project, a U.S.-based non-profit organisation committed to creating transformational environments that enhance human health. Wayne is a world-renowned architect, scholar, and visionary on a mission to create and support the development of spaces that inspire the advancement of human potential. His primary focus is demonstrating the the environment’s role in enhancing human health and well-being, particularly in the healthcare setting. His goal for The CARITAS project is to provide the research, resources, techniques, and real-world opportunities to bring The CARITAS philosophy into the mainstream as part of everyday practice. He envisions a world that demonstrates the value of respect for human dignity in terms of the business culture and lived experience of the environment.
Wayne joins me today to discuss how we can enhance human potential by cultivating generative spaces. We discuss how this concept can help rebuild the idea of healthcare from the ground up while creating beacons of extraordinary health in the community. We discuss the environment’s role in human potential and our health and well-being. We discuss the inception of The CARITAS Project and how it has transformed the healthcare industry and impacted human potential. We discuss the evidence around us supporting the idea that the environment affects human health. Wayne also shares how he determines whether a space or environment is considered ‘generative’ and how we can cultivate more generative spaces to create flourishing environments.
“The metric as to whether or not a space is generative is that it’s a place to flourish” - Dr. Wayne Ruga
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding the concept of ‘generative space’
- How the environment impacts human potential
- Wayne’s mission to create a meaningful impact on the human potential and the healthcare industry
- How The CARITAS Project began and how it has transformed the healthcare industry and human potential
- Supporting evidence on how your environment impacts your health and well-being
- Wayne’s center for healthcare design research
- How Wayne discovered that the answer to every health problem is the physical environment
- The metric to determine whether a space or environment is ‘generative’
- How to cultivate a generative space to create flourishing environments
Connect with Dr. Wayne Ruga:
- The CARITAS Project Website
- Wayne Ruga on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Marcus Aurelius is described as one of the 5 good Emperors of the Roman Empire. During the Roman Times, Marcus led his people during a time of immense turmoil within the Roman Empire. As one of the last Roman rulers and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, he led his people through an age of relative peace and stability. He used Stoic philosophy and stoic principles to provide a rich framework for leading with integrity and insightful wisdom.
Marcus’s work – and his life – is exemplified in his personal diary: Meditations.
In today’s episode, I discuss how meditation can provide continuous reminders of key ideas that can enable you to live your life according to your values. I discuss Marcus Aurelius’s perspective on the character traits of a good stoic and the importance of gratitude and appreciation of the people around you. I explain how meditation and mindfulness helps you embrace the consistency of change and enjoy life too the fullest. I highlight the importance of resilience, the power of having a rational mind, and the value of living according to nature. I also discuss Marcus’ stance on focusing on your strengths instead of dwelling on your doubts and weaknesses, the benefits of keeping a written journal, and the questions we should ask ourselves during our meditation practices.
“Being a good person and doing good things is simply part of the job of being human and not something requiring validation or praise or flattery.” - Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The connection between meditation, self-discipline, humility, and living according to your values
- The character traits of a good stoic
- The essence of mindful presence and mindful choice
- The consistency of change and brevity of life
- The importance of resilience and the power of the rational mind
- Realizing you have the potential to change an outcome simply by changing the way you respond to a situation
- The value of living according to nature
- The downside of fame and desire and why they’re not worth pursuing
- How stoics believe that all people – both good and bad – are part of the interconnected universe
- Letting go of regrets, ruminations, and unnecessary worry and anxiety about the future
- The importance of focusing on your strengths instead of your doubts and weaknesses
- The benefits of keeping a written journal
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Father Harry Bohan, an Irish Catholic Priest, is locally recognised in the West of Ireland as a man ahead of his time. Harry is a sociologist, an author, a social entrepreneur, and the former manager of the Clare hurling team, winning two National Leagues. Having set up the Rural Resource Center, Fr. Harry was involved in building over 2,000 homes in rural Ireland. Harry continues to be a strong rural advocate & campaigner, responsible for setting up the Ceilfin Centre an innovative thought center to discuss the changes in Ireland in the late 20th & 21st Century.
Harry joins me this week on the Podcast to share & discuss his views on seeking out your purpose and meaning of life in the 21st Century. We discuss the four connections Fr. Harry believes can help shape our future, both socially and spiritually, and how they summarise what ‘spirituality’ truly means.
“The training of the body for whatever we do is important, but the training of the mind and the spirit are vital.” - Father Harry Bohan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What Ireland was like during the 1940s, 50s, and 60s
- The three key Irish Revolutions: the Industrial Revolution, the Communications Revolution, and the Education Revolution
- Harry’s perspective on searching for your purpose and meaning in the 21st Century
- Why Fr. Harry believes we need to dig deep to find a new direction socially and spiritually
- How parents are the shape and future of society, and why they need more support
- The importance of being an active participant in your own wellbeing and your own health journey
- How Harry defines leadership and why he believes a resilient mind needs to be trained and nourished
- What Harry believes is the meaning of life.
Connect with Father Harry Bohan:
- Book: Rearing the Future: Is the Future Our Responsibility
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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This week is International Men’s Health Week, a week-long annual celebration honoring, educating, supporting, and advocating for male health issues and providing encouragement for boys, men, and their families around the world. In honor of International Men’s Health Week, I’m discussing an issue that is important for men as well as their partners. This is the topic of Erectile Dysfunction.
In this episode, I discuss what Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is and why it’s not as uncommon as society typically believes. I discuss the connection between frequent erectile dysfunction issues and other, sometimes more serious, health concerns. I explain the common physical and psychological causes of ED and the connection between your psychological health and your physical wellbeing. I explain how certain health issues like diabetes, chronic pain, and anxiety as well as certain prescription medications can often lead to erectile dysfunction. I also discuss when you should consider talking with your doctor about ED, treatment options currently available on the market, and how your diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices can affect your sexual health.
“If you’re experiencing Erectile Dysfunction, remember: You are not alone. This is a common condition, but it can very effectively be treated.” - Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- How frequent erectile dysfunction issues can indicate other health issues
- How common it is for men to experience erectile dysfunction
- How ED can often present itself in young men under the age of 40
- The physical and psychological causes Erectile Dysfunction
- Understanding atherosclerosis
- Common medications and prescriptions that can lead to ED
- When you should consult your doctor about ED concerns
- Treatment options currently available for ED
- Understanding how your lifestyle choices can affect your sexual health
- How diet and regular exercise can prevent and treat ED
- The connection between belly fat and adverse health conditions for men, including ED
- How Kegel exercises can help improve pelvis health in men.
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: The Men’s Health Book: A Guide for the Irish Man
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Stephen Frampton is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer based in Waterford, Ireland where he focuses on helping people improve their mobility and fitness while maximizing their physical and mental health as well as their overall wellbeing. He is passionate about helping people discover the best and healthiest versions of themselves and realize their true potential through exercise and movement. Stephen has had a dual career in Banking & Finance for almost twenty years alongside an extensive career in the world of sports and personal fitness. Stephen played for the Waterford hurling inter-county team from 1988-2002 and serving as their Captain in 1988 where he led the team to the National League Finals. He has won 7 county finals for his club, Ballygunner, and one club title. Stephen joins me today to discuss why it’s important to have the courage to embrace change and adopt a growth mindset. We discuss Stephen’s definition of success and why he believes it’s more about enjoying the journey than reaching the destination. We discuss how the focus for youth sports has evolved over the years and why many young athletes focus more on winning and ‘being the best’ than simply enjoying the sport they’re playing. We discuss the concept of ‘Grateful Reframing’ and how Stephen uses it to overcome challenges. We also discuss the value of honesty, Stephen’s definition of leadership, and the importance of strength training for older adults.
“The growth mindset and the learning – it’s vital to keep your brain moving and keep your body moving.” - Stephen Frampton
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Pivoting his career from banking to mobility and fitness training
- The importance of staying curious, asking questions, and embracing a growth mindset
- Embracing change and getting comfortable with the unknown
- How the world of youth sports has changed over the years
- Why rest and sleep are crucial for physical recovery
- Understanding the concept of ‘Grateful Reframing’ and the health benefits of giving and being grateful
- How Stephen defines success and leadership
- The importance of strength training for older adults
- Stephen’s daily routine for staying fit and healthy
- Stephen’s tips for maintaining a resilient mindset
Resources Mentioned:
- Book: Prescription for Happiness: The Ten Commitments to a Happier, Healthier Life
- Book: The Vitality Mark: Your prescription for feeling energised, invigorated, enthusiastic and optimistic each day
- Book: Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life by Professor Rose Anne Kenny
Connect with Stephen Frampton:
- Stephen Frampton on LinkedIn
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Do you consider yourself to be a perfectionist? Do you expect nothing less than perfect in your performance at work, school, in the sports you play, or even the tidiness of your spaces and social media profile? Perfectionitis is when your inner critic, self-doubt, and self-sabotaging thoughts tend to run rampant – where ‘good enough’ simply isn’t perfect enough. While it’s important to have high standards for yourself, the old Irish proverb: “There’s no wise man without a flaw” still rings true.
No one is perfect. And yet, perhaps we’re all still perfect in our imperfections.
Today, I discuss what perfectionitis is and explain why it’s important to celebrate our inner perfections, despite our flaws. I explain why perfectionism is an unhealthy way of thinking and how the pursuit of perfection often creates a fear of failure, self-criticism, and self-sabotaging behaviors. I explain how you can determine if you’re suffering from perfectionitis and why perfectionishm often goes hand-in-hand with procrastination. I also share tips on how to address your perfectionist tendencies, the value of celebrating your strengths and achievements, and the importance of developing a growth mindset.
“Don’t let your flaws – don’t let your imperfections – weigh you down in a sea of needless negativity.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Understanding perfectionitis
- Why perfectionism is an unhealthy trait
- How perfectionism often leads to feeling ‘stuck’ and a false sense of inadequacy
- Clues you may be suffering from perfectionitis
- The difference between perfectionists and high achievers
- Why perfectionism often goes hand-in-hand with procrastination
- Tips for dealing with perfectionism
- The importance of celebrating your own strengths, achievements, and accomplishments
- Developing a growth mindset
- Focusing on what you have to be grateful for and asking yourself: ‘What went well?”
- Embracing imperfection, change, and progress
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Liana Lianov MD MPH is an innovative global leader in lifestyle medicine, not just in terms of leading the development of the original lifestyle medicine core competencies for physicians and healthcare professionals, but also in terms of advancing the movement for integrating positive psychology - that strengths-based approach to life - into healthcare. Her latest book is titled Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow. It shares inspirational stories of colleagues and sums up how we can all flourish through healthy lifestyles, positive activities, and personal strengths. In 2018, Liana convened the first ever summit on Happiness Science and Healthcare, and she was co-sponsored by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and Dell Medical School, where I was also an invited speaker and where we first met. Today, Liana joins me to talk about what makes a resilient mind. She shares her favorite books and what she’s learned from them, and she explores the 5 core strengths: self-care, positive actions, social connections, character strengths, and brain strengths. We talk about the power of thinking small and of focusing on encouraging the positive rather than reversing the negative. She talks about the Global Positive Health Institute and explains why medicine should start with lifestyle and work outward from there. She discusses the strong and undeniable link between lifestyle medicine and positive psychology, she defines success, and she shares three takehomes for a resilient mind.
“A resilient mind sets goals and pursues them and celebrates the small successes along the way--even if we don’t fully achieve that goal. Anything along the way is worth celebrating.”
- Liana Lianov
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Liana’s favorite books and what she’s learned from them
- The 5 core strengths
- The power of thinking small
- Maintaining the positive rather than changing the negative
- All about the Global Positive Health Institute
- Why medicine should start with lifestyle and work from there
- The link between lifestyle medicine and positive psychology
- The importance of trusting yourself
Resources Mentioned:
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward L. Deci
- Love and Survival: 8 Pathways to Intimacy and Health by Dean Ornish
- Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin E. P. Seligman
- Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment by Martin E. P. Seligman
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
- Strengths in the Mirror: Thriving Now and Tomorrow by Liana Lianov
- viacharacter.org
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Fiona Brennan is an acclaimed clinical hypnotherapist, two-time best selling author, mental health expert, and ambassador for positivity and wellbeing.
Today, Fiona joins me to talk about her work. She shares where her love of it came from and talks about the power of “allowing”. She notes that a wish to take care of yourself is a good enough reason to do a thing, and we discuss the four A’s of self-care. She notes the power of being comfortable with suffering and talks about why drinking your problems away isn’t doing you any favors. She talks about why you should honor your commitments to yourself just as you would your commitments to another person, and she discusses the power of a journal. She discusses compassion-based resilience, notes the need to slow your mind down to create space between thoughts, and emphasises the power of non-attachment and non-judgment. She explains the difference between compassion and empathy, and she notes that purpose is everywhere.
“If we can allow ourselves to be as we are, allow ourselves to feel something, then that is what actually transforms [us].”
- Fiona Brennan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- The power of “allow”
- Why you can’t give what you don’t have
- The four A’s of self-care
- Why happiness and suffering are both parts of the same story
- Being comfortable with suffering
- Finding what works for you
- Compassion-based resilience
- Slowing your mind down
- Why you don’t need to be striving into the future
- The power of non-attachment
- The power of non-judgment
- The meaning of compassion
Resources Mentioned:
- New online course: Light Up Your World
- Retreat in Greece on the island of Crete
- The Vitality Mark: Your Prescription for Feeling Energised, Invigorated, Enthusiastic and Optimistic Each Day by Dr Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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No one is bulletproof. Eventually, everyone will need to confront burnout. The question is, then, how do you do so productively and healthily? Today, I talk about recovering from burnout. I note the power of small steps and explain why keeping a journal is so helpful. I emphasize the importance of keeping good habits, perhaps especially when you don’t think you need to. I talk about the power of micro-moments of self-care, and I call on you to treat yourself as you would your best friend. I explain how to react to negative emotions, I note that you’re not the only one who struggles, and I discuss the twofold power of staying connected to others and taking personal time. I note the importance of avoiding toxic negativity, and I explain why you should let yourself say no.
“No one is bulletproof. No one is immune to the flames of burnout.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
“Burnout is not final or fatal.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Recovering from burnout
- The power of small steps
- The power of a journal
- The importance of good habits
- The power of micro-moments of self-care
- How to be an encourager
- Avoiding toxic negativity
Resources Mentioned:
- The Vitality Mark: Your Prescription for Feeling Energised, Invigorated, Enthusiastic and Optimistic Each Day by Dr Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Tom Corley is an expert on the role of financial wealth and health in overall wellbeing. He has extensively studied the habits of the rich and has much to say on the overlap between these habits and the habits of generally happy, healthy people.
Today, Tom joins me to talk about that link. He shares where his passion for financial health and wellbeing came from, and he notes the need to emotionalise smart money habits. He emphasises the importance of self-awareness, explaining why it’s the most crucial habit of the rich. He shares the story of his positive outlook, and he distinguishes between expectation and destination. He explains why mirror neurons are important, he shares the story of a setback from which he grew, and he urges you to take advantage of the surge in emotional energy that comes from the sad times in life. He notes that there are many different types of success, and he emphasises the importance of love.
“When things go wrong in your life, you really have two choices: you can surrender, or you can improve yourself.”
- Tom Corley
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Emotionalising smart money habits
- The importance of self-awareness
- Why about 60% of smart money habits have nothing to do with money
- Gratitude as the gateway to positivity
- Expectation vs destination
- The power of writing it down
- Taking advantage of emotional energy
- Choosing the type of success you want
- The importance of love
Resources Mentioned:
- The Ashley Lauren Foundation
- Rich Habits
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Burnout is a widespread problem, but it’s more preventable than many people think. In Part 1 of my two-part series on burnout, I talk about what burnout is and how to think about it.
Today, I talk about burnout. I give a preview of what to expect from this episode and its counterpart. I share the three characteristics of burnout, and I talk about the risk factors of burnout both in and out of the workplace. I also share a helpful analogy to help you visualize the concepts I discuss.
“Awareness precedes change.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- What is burnout?
- The three characteristics of burnout
- Risk factors of burnout
- Why burnout affects you in and out of the workplace
- The car analogy
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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John Brennan is an entrepreneur and hotelier whose innovation, resilience, and commitment to never stop growing and improving has struck me. He is the author of My Name is Jhon: An Atypical Story of Success. Today, John joins me to talk about his book, sharing its purpose and its message. He shares his story and how it impacted him. He shares the power of realistic optimism and honest failure. He talks about how his cancer diagnosis has affected his life and shares his insight on how most people view death. He explains why it never helps to dwell on the negative, and he shares his definition of the meaning of life. “You don’t have to be successful in anything but in your own life.”
- John Brennan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- John’s story
- The power of realistic optimism
- The benefits of failure
- The importance of enjoying life
Resources Mentioned:
- My Name is Jhon: An Atypical Story of Success by John Brennan
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Kayleen Asbo has been described as a cultural historian who has weaved together mythology, psychology, music, literature, and poetry all as different expressions of the quest for what it means to be really human.
Today, Kayleen joins me to share her story. She shares what’s behind her love for learning and she notes that you can transform your pain into something beautiful. She emphasises the power of gratitude, offering practices to cultivate it, and she points out that beauty is always woven into the darkness; you just have to shift your way of seeing. She talks about her heroes, sharing why each one makes the list, and she notes that goodness, truth, and beauty are all united. She talks about the power of pilgrimage and emphasises the importance of cultivating habits that contribute to your vitality.
“Don’t squander your pain.”
- Kayleen Asbo
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Courage and resilience in Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, and why Beethoven was Kayleen’s first hero
- Simplicity, surrender, and acceptance of our own failings
- Why you shouldn’t squander your pain
- Practices for transforming your pain into something beautiful
- The power of gratitude
- Mary Magdalene as fully human
- Our interconnectedness
- The power of pilgrimage
- The importance of cultivating habits that add to your vitality
Resources Mentioned:
- Poetry of Kayleen Asbo
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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If you can’t explain something simply enough, then you simply don’t know it enough. It’s because of this principle that I’ve developed the Hand of Vitality, an analogy for well being that presents its different elements in a straightforward way.
Today, I share the Hand of Vitality with you. I talk about why your hand is a symbol for the interconnectedness of your different elements: emotion, body, spirit, and mind. I share which finger stands for which and explain how each finger’s digits represent different aspects of that element. I explain why your thumb symbolises the need for self-care. I note the importance of a healthy environment, point out that your energy is not static, and define the intention gap.
“Your fingerprint is an opportunity to appreciate just how unique and special you are.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair:
- Leonardo da Vinci on interconnectedness
- Why your hand represents your well being
- The four elements of your well being
- The importance of self care
- Bringing positive energy to the world
- The intention gap
Resources Mentioned:
- Vitality Mark
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Declan Fitzgerald is EMEA Recruitment Director at Facebook, but before that, he grew up alongside me, my neighbour in Waterford, Ireland.
Today, Declan joins me to share his story. He talks about his background in soccer and while it ended earlier than planned how much he values the experiences. He notes the importance of finding out what’s precious to you and making choices based on it, and he emphasises the power of education, travel, and a mentor. He advises to live life as if you know things will go right, he explores how traveling has changed his perspective and identity, and he shares his wisdom on discovering and navigating your best self in each stage of life. He distinguishes between healthspan and lifespan, he notes the importance of good systems, he discusses time as a resource, and he points out the power of looking towards the light.
“We fall to the level of our systems rather than rise to the level of our goals.”
- Declan Fitzgerald
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of making choices
- The importance of education & a mentor
- How traveling changes perspectives and identity
- Navigating each new stage of life
- Healthspan vs lifespan
- Creating good systems
- Viewing and using time as a resource
- Looking towards the light
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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With everything going on in the world today, it’s no wonder that many suffer from headline stress. Between the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and many other things, even just keeping up with the news can be a major source of stress.
Today, I talk about how to navigate this situation. I note that we’re hardwired for fear and that it doesn’t take much to trigger stress in us. I talk about how to be mindful of how you consume media, noting that you don’t need to unnecessarily stress yourself to stay informed. I note the power of differentiating between the things you can control and the things you can’t. I discuss the importance of self-care, pointing out that every environment you spend time in can be health-depleting or health-enhancing. I posit that you can control your level of stress to an extent and offer practical tips on how to do so.
“You have the power to choose how to respond in any given situation.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Overcoming headline stress
- Striking the balance between staying informed and stressing yourself unnecessarily
- Focusing on the things you can control without ignoring everything else
- The importance of self-care
- The power of exercise and journaling
- Why you shouldn’t go to bed with your phone
- Creating distance between yourself and your emotional state
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Tammy Darcy is an award-winning social entrepreneur. She founded the Shona Project to provide a safe place for girls to seek guidance and advice on all the challenges associated with growing up in Ireland. Backed by a team of professional advisors, the website also provides girls with an opportunity to share their own stories and learn from each other. The Shona Project has also delivered workshops to almost 13,000 girls in schools across Ireland.
Today, Tammy joins me to share her story and mission. She explains why the teenage years are stressful and shares her personal experience. She notes the power of acknowledging that what you’re going through is hard and discusses what teenage girls really need. She talks about the benefits of therapy, discusses why she decided to go back to college, and explores the interconnectedness of the various elements of our well-being. She explains that she’s giving teenage girls what she needed when she was their age. She defines the E+R=O formula, noting the importance of how you respond to events.
“Mistakes don’t define you, and you’re deserving of good things.”
- Tammy Darcy
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why the teenage years are stressful ones
- Giving yourself space to grieve
- What teenage girls need
- The importance of acknowledgment
- The benefits of therapy
- The interconnectedness of the various elements of our well being
- The E+R=0 formula
Resources mentioned:
- You've Got This: Learn to love yourself and truly shine - in your teens and beyond by Tammy D’Arcy
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Aesop was an ancient Greek slave and storyteller who taught many lessons through his short children’s fables. One of the most famous is “The Goose Who Laid the Golden Egg”.
Today, I tell the story and explain what it has to do with taking care of your health. I note the importance of being wary of entitlement, I tell another story that reminds me of this fable, and I call on you to take care of your goose.
“If you want the golden egg of great health…then you need to take care of the goose.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Aesop
- The story of the goose who laid the golden egg
- Why you should beware of entitlement
- The importance of valuing your health through everyday decisions
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Greg Wells is a scientist and physiologist who has dedicated his career to making the science of human limits understandable and actionable. Dr Wells has spoken to audiences all over the world at events such as TEDx and has shared the stage at other events with Richard Branson, Steve Wozniak, and Deepak Chopra. For over 25 years, Dr Wells has worked with some of the highest-performing individuals on the planet, including Olympic and World champions, and with organisations including but not limited to General Electric, BMO, Deloitte, KPMG, BMW, and Audi. He is also committed to inspiring children and young adults through his close working relationship with school boards and independent schools. A veteran endurance athlete, Dr Wells has participated in the grueling Nanisivik Marathon 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Ironman Canada, and the 11,000 km Tour D’Afrique, which is the longest cycling race in the world. He is also a travel and expedition adventurer who has journeyed through all imaginable terrain and conditions in over 50 countries around the world. Dr Wells is author of three best-selling books – Superbodies, The Ripple Effect, and The Focus Effect – and hosted the award-winning Superbodies series, which aired on Olympic broadcasts worldwide in 2010 and 2012. Dr Wells has a PhD in Physiology, served as an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto, and is an exercise medicine researcher at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is the CEO and founder of Wells Performance Inc., a global consulting firm committed to achieving the moonshot of helping teams, schools, and businesses become places where people get healthy, perform optimally, and, ultimately, reach their potential.
Today, Dr Wells joins me to share his story. He tells where his interest in human physiology began and notes the power of focusing on the process instead of the outcome. He explains why he is optimistic about the future of the world, offers some concrete tactics we can use to change our lives and make them better, and discusses the power of exercise as medicine. He urges his audience to be world-class at whatever they choose to focus on, noting that it’s okay to go in 100% on the things you care about. He shares tips for positivity and resilience, and he distinguishes between hopefulness and hope-filled-ness.
“When we call [exercise] the magic pill, that’s exactly what it is. Imagine if there was a medicine that was invented that did [what exercise can do]. It would be generally hailed as the greatest achievement medically in human history. The reality is, we have access to that today by going for a 15 minute walk.”
- Dr Greg Wells
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Greg’s story
- The power of focusing on the process
- Why Greg is optimistic about the future
- The power of exercise as medicine
- The importance of avoiding judgment
- Giving yourself permission to go all in
- Hopeful vs hope-filled
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Lisa Cunningham is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine and HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) physician in Ireland. Lisa thrives under pressure and has learned to enjoy even talking and sharing about peak performance under challenging environments. A mother of three and wife to Bernard, Lisa believes that family is also very important. She credits the support from family and friends to help achieve a less stressful balance between working and family life. Her grá for Gaelic football cannot go unmentioned! Last year saw her appointed to the Mayo senior LGFA (Ladies Gaelic Football Association) as team doctor. A lifelong dream was fulfilled last year for Lisa when she got to walk on Croke Park with the Co. Mayo ladies!
Today, Lisa joins me to share why she loves her job. She notes that we never stop learning, growing, or starting, and she talks about the satisfaction she gets from helping people. She offers some concrete tips for handling stress and emphasises the power of gratitude. She discusses the strong, supportive relationships in her life and notes their importance. She shares her thoughts on Imposter Syndrome, notes that it’s good for children to see their parents supporting each other, and observes that what we say to others can have a huge impact. She offers her thoughts on gaining the confidence to pursue a certain field, shares her experience with her first panic attack and what she took from the experience, and emphasises the power of positivity.
“Positivity just breeds positivity.”
- Dr. Lisa Cunningham
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why Lisa loves her job
- The satisfaction of helping people
- Tips and techniques for handling stress
- The power of gratitude
- The importance of strong, supportive relationships
- Lisa’s thoughts on Imposter Syndrome
- The impact of our words
- The power of positivity
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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A GAA hurling All-Star, my lifelong friend, and a man with a lot to say on parenthood, faith, and the key to happiness.
Today, John joins me to share his story, his lessons, and his key to happiness.
He notes how everyone makes mistakes and he discusses how becoming a parent changes your outlook on life. He stresses the importance of being true and ‘staying yourself’ through the years. He explains why it’s okay to say no sometimes and notes that it’s crucial to have some time to yourself. He shares his thoughts on the future of our home-town Waterford, as well as the future of Ireland, and he posits that it doesn’t take much to be nice.
“The best of people have made many, many mistakes. And look, I’ve made mistakes. But I’d like to think that I’ve learned from the mistakes and pushed on and become a better person.”
- John Mullane
“The day you think you know everything is the day it’s all over.”
- John Mullane
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of reacting well to the lows in life
- John’s spirituality
- The power of a walk
- The importance of being yourself
Resources Mentioned:
- Mark Rowe's Self-Development Club
We’re creatures of habit, and whether we like it or not, we’re building them all the time. Why not build the right ones? Of course, it’s not always that simple, but it’s simpler than you might think. Today, I talk about building positive habits. I explore why we often fail to build or break the right habits and why we have trouble making them stick. I note that your habits and actions define you and I go into the neural science behind habit building. I observe that building habits isn’t about willpower; it’s about automating. I talk about the importance of knowing your why, framing it positively, and having a supportive tribe. I explain why you should get rid of needless negativity, track your progress, and keep temptations out of sight and out of mind. I note that we’re very bad at predicting how we’ll feel in the future and that we should therefore predesign our environments to encourage us in weak moments.
“Nothing works unless you do the work. Nothing changes until you change.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why we have trouble building or breaking the right habits
- Why our habits make you
- The neural science behind habit building
- Why building a habit isn’t about willpower
- Tricks for habit building
- The importance of celebrating your wins
Resources Mentioned:
- Mark Rowe's Self-Development Club
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Zara King is a News Correspondent with Virgin Media Television, Ireland. The 33-year-old has been at the forefront of the channel’s coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic for the past two years, with thousands of viewers welcoming Zara into their home every evening as she reports live from the Department of Health. Her style of storytelling is focused on how Government policy affects people’s lives. For that reason, Zara has become a trusted voice during an uncertain time, probing key decision-makers on issues that matter most to individuals and families nationwide. With more than a hundred thousand online followers, Zara is among a new generation of News Journalists who are readily available and easily accessible to viewers to hear their questions and find them answers. Her journalism expands beyond the evening news, with two documentaries and a no.1 podcast series released in the last twelve months. Born in Cork and raised in Waterford, Zara now lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Today, Zara joins me to talk about talk about what drew her into journalism. She explains how she makes peace with the things that don’t work out for her and shares what makes her happy. She speaks on turning off the inner critic, noting that, if you spoke to others the way you speak to yourself, you probably wouldn’t have many friends. She shares how she sees leadership and explains why she avoids putting anyone on a pedestal. She talks about how she performs best under pressure, and she notes the power of taking Sundays off. We talk about the difference between acute and chronic stress, discuss sleep hygiene, and emphasize the power of 5-minute walking breaks. She shares advice for aspiring journalists, urges you to choose happiness right now, and notes that, when you create positivity, you get it back.
“Say yes to opportunities and figure out later how you’re actually gonna do them.”
- Zara King
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Accepting things that don’t work out
- Turning down the inner critic
- How Zara sees leadership
- Why it’s not fair to put people on pedestals
- Using Sunday to relax
- Sleep hygiene
- Advice for aspiring young journalists
- The power of phone calls over messaging
- Optimism as the oxygen of opportunity
Resources Mentioned:
- Mark Rowe's Self-Development Club
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Trudy Meehan PhD is a positive health lecturer and psychologist based at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In this episode, she puts me in the Doctor’s Chair to ask me some questions about self-development and my new Self-Development Club.
Today, I talk about my Self-Development Club, explaining what started it, what it is, and why it’s needed. I explain why pursuing health out of fear isn’t effective, citing an old African proverb. I talk about who my club is for, and I note that, just like a sailboat in the middle of the ocean, you’ll find yourself in a completely different place if you shift just one degree. I note that the past is fixed and explain why that’s okay, and I talk about what it means to learn by doing
“Fear is not a good motivator of long-term change. People need to be inspired and supported to make long-term changes for themselves.”
- Dr Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The Self-Development Club
- Why fear isn’t a good motivator
- Why you don’t need to turn around completely to improve yourself
- Learning by doing
Resources Mentioned
- Mark Rowe's Self-Development Club
- Dr Trudy Meehan
Join my Self-Development Club
My experience as a practicing doctor inspires me to host my ‘Self-Development Club’, where the purpose is to Educate and Empower you to make positive lifestyle changes, becoming the person that you decide you want to become.
On a monthly Live Webinar, I’ll teach ‘Lifestyle as Medicine’ concepts and practices to support your personal growth. We’ll explore Lifestyle strategies, Positive Psychology and all things Wellbeing.
To learn more, and to Sign-Up, visit www.drmarkrowe.com.
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Trudy Meehan* PhD is a Senior Clinical Psychologist and a lecturer at the RCSI Centre for Positive Psychology and Health. Trudy has experience working in the HSE and as a Clinical Director for 50808, a new 24/7 text based mental health service aimed at supporting youth and young adults. Trudy has also worked with communities and young people in Cape Town when she was Director of Stanford University’s Community Engaged Overseas Study Program in South Africa
Irish Health Service E**xecutive
Health and wellbeing are the greatest assets you have, they are priceless. Unfortunately many people can take them for granted.
Now, more than ever, can be a great opportunity to revitalise your wellbeing, reconnect with the essence of who you are, rediscover your purpose and embrace a mindset of growth and possibility. This is why I’m launching the ‘Self-Development Club’, and in this episode, I invite you to join. Empowering you to make positive lifestyle changes. Learning by doing. Appreciating the potential of small positive changes to compound and make a big difference over time.
Today, I talk about why, when it comes to your wellbeing, everything in your life is interconnected. Mind, body, emotion, spirit, environments all impacting who you are and who you become.
Just as you can’t pour from an empty cup, self-care gives you the energy and capacity to give more to others. Of course selfcare is not a narcissistic, egotistical form of selfish self-centered care. Neither is it a quest for perfectionism, simply being ‘good enough’, including to yourself. For me it’s a foundation stone to not just take good care of yourself but everyone else that matters.
My experience as a pioneer in the field of positive health and lifestyle medicine inspires me to host the ‘Self-Development Club’ where the purpose is to inform, encourage and empower you to make positive lifestyle changes, that stick. During each monthly Live Webinar, which can also be watched back, I’ll teach a variety of ‘Lifestyle as Medicine’ concepts, all evidence based and backed up with practical tips, and strategies to support your personal growth. There will be mindful practices and optional reflective exercises between sessions, all to support your ‘self-development. ‘To explore wellbeing, live with more vitality and to never stop starting. What are you waiting for?
To learn more, and to Sign-Up visit www.drmarkrowe.com
My purpose is to encourage & guide you to Live with more Vitality - Your key is to never stop starting.
“Everything is connected.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
'My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.'
- Maya Angelou
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of self-care and why it’s not selfish
- The power of growth mindset
- Why your health is your greatest asset
- The intention gap
- The power of gratitude
- The Self-Development Club
Resources Mentioned
- Mark Rowe's Self-Development Club
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Sue Stuart-Smith is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author of The Well-Gardened Mind, the British Sunday Times Bestseller 2020 and Gardening book of the year. In it, she analyses the relationship between gardening and mental health. Wonderfully, Sue reads this book herself as an audiobook, sharing, amongst so many other things, the importance and benefits of cultivating robust relationships in life; and how, like gardening, cultivating relationships requires much care and attention. Join us today to hear how the positive anticipation of gardening is such a benefit for our mental and physical health.
Today, Sue joins me to talk about why she’s passionate about nature and gardens. We discuss the idea of nature as medicine, and Sue presents nature as the antithesis of daily distractions. We talk about the benefits of exercising in nature instead of indoors. Sue discusses the left and right hemispheres of the brain, explaining why outdoor activity is so beneficial for overall brain functioning. She talks about the power of indoor plants, we talk about the need for self-kindness, and we discuss the fact that, like life, every garden has weeds, and that’s okay. Sue emphasises the change that takes place in a garden, explaining why this brings novelty into life, and she notes a garden’s ability to provide positive anticipation of the future, something that everyone needs.
“That’s terribly important for our mental health, being able to have a sense of positive anticipation about things in life.”
- Dr Sue Stuart-Smith
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Nature as medicine
- Nature as the antithesis of distractions
- The benefits of exercising in nature instead of indoors
- The left and right hemispheres of the brain
- Self-kindness
- The power of future anticipation
- The power of patience
Resources Mentioned:
- The Well-Gardened Mind by Dr Sue Stuart-Smith
- The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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This is the time of year when people are thinking about making lifestyle changes. For me, it’s a great time to recommit to simply being better to yourself and others. In this episode, I share a mnemonic to help you make this year your best year yet, even if it just means making one small change that sticks.
Today, I break down the mnemonic BEST YEAR. I note the importance of breathing deeply and slowly from time to time; eating healthily, but not beginning an overly ambitious diet that you won’t stick with; simplifying your life; using your time well; discovering who you really are and what you want, and asking yourself if you’re living your life on purpose; exercising; appreciating everything through the power of gratitude; and reducing your carbon footprint, because the earth needs care too.
“Time is so important. I call it the marker of the past, the keeper of the present, and the key to your future.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair I use the mnemonic BEST YEAR
- Breathe - take some time sometimes to slow down to four or five deep breaths a minute
- Eat - make positive lifestyle changes in your diet
- Simplify - simplify your life
- Time - ask yourself what you should be doing with your time, and take time for what matters
- You - take some time to discover who you are and what you want, and ask yourself if you’re living your life on purpose or passively
- Exercise - exercise is the greatest pill of all
- Appreciation - gratitude is the best attitude
- Reduce your carbon footprint - the earth needs care just as you do
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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'Microbiome' is the term given to one of the most exciting recent biological discoveries: the trillions of tiny bugs that live in your gut. We’re still learning about the microbiome, but what we know so far has incredible potential in the realm of lifestyle medicine and physical and mental health.
'Let food be your medicine & Let medicine be your food' - Hippocrates.
Today, I talk about your microbiome. I explain what it is, I share information about it from research, and I explore the potential implications of this research. I note that your microbiome interacts with the foods you eat and the proper functioning of your brain. I talk about the lifestyle choices you can make to ensure that you have a healthy microbiome.
“Food for thought: do your current food and lifestyle choices nurture your microbiome, protect your physical and mental health, and enhance your overall vitality?”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is your microbiome?
- Implications of microbiome discoveries
- Enhance your Lifestyle health by nurturing your microbiome.
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Today, during this time running up to Christmas 2021, I take the opportunity share with you about a habit fundamental to a resilient mind, a rich emotional bank account of positive energy, robust relationships, and physical energy: the habit of gratitude.
I talk about what true gratitude is and explore its benefits. I offer a definition of gratitude, I note that it moves you from your head--the centre of anxiety--to your heart. I define what I call Gratitude Deficiency Syndrome, and I introduce the What Went Well (WWW) practice. I note the impact that writing down what you’re grateful for can have, and I note the positive effects of gratitude.
“Gratitude can bring hope in the face of despair, light in the face of darkness, and healing in the face of brokenness.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Forming the habit of gratitude
- The definition of true gratitude
- Why gratitude is effective in combating anxiety
- The benefits of gratitude
- The WWW practice
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Christmas can be a wonderful time of year. But of course, it can be a time of great pressure of many kinds as well, which can lead to anxiety, which in turn has consequences of its own. All of this tends to lead to holiday weight gain.
Today, I talk about why the holidays don’t need to be synonymous with weight gain. I note the power of choosing gratitude over scarcity and negativity in any situation. I discuss the importance of avoiding an all-or-nothing mindset when it comes to dieting. I define mindful eating and explain why it’s so impactful, note the power of sleep and tell you why you should lighten up and not worry too much about perfection. I explain why the antidote to perfectionism is self-compassion and I note the power of generosity, kindness and connecting with family or your tribe.
“Being generous, being kind, and connecting with your tribe or family are the most important attributes to having a happier Christmas and holiday season.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why the holidays don’t need to be synonymous with weight gain
- Why you should avoid an all-or-nothing dieting mindset
- The importance of self-compassion
- The power of generosity
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Loneliness has become common in recent times, with more people than ever feeling disconnected and isolated. A problem even before COVID-19, loneliness has been exacerbated over the past 18 months of the pandemic.
Today, I talk about this problem. I share research on how common loneliness is, explain all of the reasons this matters, and talk about what we can do about it. I note the effects on young people in particular, I make a distinction between loneliness and being alone, and I list the health consequences of loneliness. I note the power of fostering quality relationships (as opposed to simply being around a lot of people), I explain why it’s effective to focus on others, and I address the need to destigmatise loneliness. Finally, if you’re in a good place mentally and emotionally, I call on you to reach out to one person this week that you’re concerned about.
“There’s another pandemic brewing in the wake of COVID-19: I’m talking about the pandemic of loneliness, triggered by factors like working from home, social isolation, feeling disconnected, feeling left out.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Research on loneliness
- The effects of COVID-19 on loneliness
- Loneliness vs being alone
- The mental and physical health consequences of loneliness
- The power of quality relationships
- The power of focusing on others
- Destigmatising and de-shaming loneliness
Resources Mentioned:
- Loneliness: Human Nature, and the Need for Social Connection by John T. Cacioppo
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Irish Prime Minister An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has served as An Taoiseach in the Republic of Ireland since June 2020 and as leader of the Fianna Fáil political party since 2011. As a member of the Irish Parliament, he has been the Teachtaí Dála (TD) (member of parliament) for Cork City South Central since 1989. Prior to this, he was elected to Cork City Council in 1985 and served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 1992 to 1993. Previous to being An Taoiseach, he served as Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2020 and held previous ministries including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment, Minister for Health and Children, and Minister for Education and Science. During his time as Minister for Health, Micheál Martin exhibited tremendous leadership and delivered unprecedented health impacts by introducing a ban on tobacco smoking in all Irish workplaces. This made Ireland the first country in the world to introduce a full workplace smoking ban. Born in Cork City, Martin initially worked as a schoolteacher before entering politics. Today, he leads in an era of an unprecedented global challenge. We hear how influences in his own life have prepared him for such leadership governance.
Today, Micheál joins us to share his story and discuss how it has impacted him. He talks about what was behind his ban on smoking in workplaces, noting the power of prevention and the importance of thinking long-term. He discusses the experience of leading during the COVID crisis and talks about his parents, sharing the important ways they influenced him. He notes the importance of enjoying yourself and discusses the power of self-confidence, talking about why it’s different from arrogance. He emphasises the value of a broad perspective and talks about the importance of family, community, and leaving the world a better place than you found it.
“I’m big on prevention. It’s just something that’s in me. If you can avoid something happening, well, why not take the steps to avoid that happening?”
- An Taoiseach Micheál Martin
“The immediate crisis is just that: it’s an immediate crisis. It’s something that, in the fullness of time, you will get over.”
- An Taoiseach Micheál Martin
“The reading, the walking, the music are very important: to lose yourself in some other space from your workspace[.]”
- An Taoiseach Micheál Martin
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The workplace smoking ban
- The power of thinking long-term
- Leading during the COVID Crisis
- The importance of enjoying yourself
- The importance of self-confidence
- Confidence vs arrogance
- Thoughts on parenting
- The power of taking a walk
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Helen Brophy is Director of University College Dublin (UCD) Smurfit Executive Development at UCD Smurfit Business School. Helen holds responsibility for the management & strategic development of UCD Smurfit Executive Development, as well as being on the Smurfit School’s Irish Advisory Board. Prior to joining Smurfit, UCD’s graduate business school, Helen spent almost 20 years working in international business roles in the private & public sectors. While Helen leads the Smurfit Executive Development team, she also specialises in programme design & delivers across the programme portfolio in areas of Leadership, Change Management, & Organisational Effectiveness. She holds an Executive Masters in Consulting & Coaching for Change from Insead Business School, as well as an MBS from UCD Smurfit School.
Today, Helen joins me to share her story. She shares how the past 18 months have affected how she leads. She shares the three guiding principles that helped her to manage through a crisis and notes the power of team unity. She offers her advice on handling the heavy weight of responsibility, noting that it’s okay not to be okay. She discusses work-home balance and shares how she practices self-care. We discuss the idea of post traumatic growth, noting that we tend to come closer together through adversity. She talks about the power of a sense of humor and the power of social connections.
“[There's] a real need for empathy, understanding, active listening, and giving people a sense that, you know, what’s going on around us is not okay, but we’re gonna be okay, and we’re gonna get through this together.”
- Helen Brophy
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The three guiding principles of working through a crisis
- The power of unity as a team
- Work-home balance
- Handling the heavy weight of responsibility
- Post-traumatic growth and how we come closer together with adversity
- Creating a psychologically safe culture
- The power of a sense of humor
Resources Mentioned:
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Many people feel sluggish, tired, and even a little more down during the winter months. If this is you, you may be suffering from Winter Blues, which is also known as SAD Syndrome or Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is a common problem, and it manifests in many different ways and with varying levels of severity.
Today, I talk about the Winter Blues. I explain what it is, share some statistics on it, and list its symptoms. I share some lifestyle changes you can make to counteract the effects of winter. I note the need for natural daylight, I share some guidance for a healthy diet, and I stress the power of exercise. I note the power of focusing on others and I emphasize the importance of self-care.
“If you can get a talk-and-walk meeting going--I call it twalking-- that has significant benefits, because the outdoor light is always stronger, brighter, and simply so much better for you than indoor, artificial light.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is SAD Syndrome?
- Lifestyle changes to help you counteract the negative effects of winter
- The need for natural daylight
- The power of exercise
- The power of focusing on others
- The need for self-care
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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David McRedmond was appointed CEO of An Post in October 2016. He has driven the Company’s Transformation programme and return to financial stability and revenue growth, delivering a third successive year of profit by taking big steps to fix the Company’s economics; by restructuring the Mails & Parcels and Retail business in line with a rapidly changing, digital marketplace and by putting a highly skilled management team in place to drive the business forward.
This has been demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 crisis with An Post supporting the Government, citizens and businesses by keeping the essential supply lines running through Post Offices, Digital, and Mails and Parcels deliveries, while ensuring the safety of staff, postmasters and customers.
David is personally driving An Post’s Sustainability Charter, having positioned Climate Action, Decent Work, Sustainable Cities & Communities and Innovation & Partnerships – four of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals most pertinent to the global postal industry – at the centre of An Post’s business transformation strategy.
He was previously CEO of TV3 which he transformed into a major Irish broadcaster, concluding with its sale to Liberty Global in December 2015. David was previously Commercial Director of Eircom and Managing Director of Eircom Enterprises. During his early career as a retail industry executive in the UK and USA, he held roles such as Operations Director of Waterstones and CEO of WH Smith Inc.
David was appointed chairman of Eir in 2018; he is a director of Premier Lotteries Ireland (the National Lottery) and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. A native of Dublin, he holds a Masters Degree in Modern Irish History from University College Dublin.
Today, David joins me to discuss the effects of COVID-19 on An Post, both bad and good. He talks about how the pandemic provided clarity about the company’s mission to serve the common good, and he explains what sustainability means to him. He shares how the company cares for its employees, especially during the pandemic, and he stresses the importance of trust. He shares why postal workers further the common good and notes the importance of minimising and preventing burnout, sharing his input on how to accomplish this. He emphasises the power of optimism, notes the importance of thanking people, and explains why it’s crucial to interact with others. Finally, he notes the power of perspective and shares what the meaning of life is for him.
“It sounds cliché to be optimistic: it’s hard, and it can be a struggle at times. But it’s so, so worth it, because the world is full of goodness.”
- David McRedmond
“I think it’s important to be aware of the outside world. It makes our issues seem a bit smaller...we find our own relevance if we look around and meet and listen.”
- David McRedmond
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- How COVID-19 provided clarity about the mission of An Post
- What sustainability means to David
- The importance of trust
- Why postal workers are important to the common good
- Minimising and preventing burnout
- The power of optimism
- How to gain perspective
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Mary Buckley is the Executive Director of IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland, also known as the Industrial Development Authority, was founded in 1949 and is the Irish agency responsible for the attraction and retention of inward foreign direct investment into Ireland. Mary has been the Executive Director of the IDA since 2015 and is a member of the executive leadership team in Ireland, based in Dublin. Prior to this, Mary held a number of leadership roles across the IDA organization, including Director of North America based in New York. A key priority for Mary is the successful execution of IDA Ireland’s recently launched strategy, Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024.
Today, Mary joins me to talk about how her team responded to COVID-19. She shares the two specific areas they targeted and mentions the power of listening. She discusses her role in bringing certainty into an uncertain world through openness and frankness, and she talks about the process of formulating a hybrid working strategy. She notes that a hybrid workplace affects different people in different ways, and she stresses the importance of equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability throughout the transition. She talks about the culture of Ireland and discusses what she hopes post-covid health and well-being will look like. She defines leadership and notes that, for personal well-being, healthy eating, exercise, and laughter are key.
“Culture is the organization’s behavior. It tells us how things are done.”
- Mary Buckley
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of listening
- The power of openness in bringing certainty to uncertain situations
- Formulating a hybrid working strategy
- The importance of equality, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability
- The culture of Ireland
- Mary’s definition of leadership
- The power of laughter
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Breeda Bermingham is a former practicing midwife and public health nurse who has most recently been working with women in menopause, emphasising the interconnected dimensions of this universal midlife stage. Her Master’s research has resulted in the Midlife Women Rock Project, including her recently published book of the same title. I was delighted to be asked to write a piece for the book on mindfulness, entitled “Midlife - Crisis or Opportunity?” The book, as well as her public engagements, inform and educate women to acknowledge the tremendous skill set they have developed by midlife. She encourages women to transition consciously during menopause, empowering society to change the age-old negative narrative around this life stage, reframing, and moving the dial towards an enlightened, empowered future.
Today, Breeda joins me to talk about her mission to challenge the taboo surrounding menopause and midlife. She notes the overwhelmingly negative tone of talk and literature about menopause, explaining why this needs to change. She notes the importance of self-care, and we talk about why it’s not selfish. She says that taboos come from shame, and she discusses the positive aspects of menopause. Finally, she offers three takehomes for a resilient mindset.
‘We’re only here once, and I think we should make the most of it.”
- Breeda Bermingham
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of educating women about menopause
- Challenging the negative narrative of menopause
- The importance of self-care
- The positive aspects of menopause
- The interconnectedness of mind, body, heart, and spirit
- The power of gratitude
Resources Mentioned
- Midlife Women Rock: A Menopause Story for a New Generation by Breeda Bermingham
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The search for happiness is age-old. Numerous answers have been given over the years and in my research I’ve come across many of them. Today, I compile them for you.
In this episode, I list 15 ways to boost your happiness, emphasising the power of gratitude, kindness, physical health, purpose, and simplicity. I tell a Chinese proverb and a story from Buddha to underscore the power of these elements, and I share the name of the book I wrote on the subject.
“What can you subtract from your life right now that can enhance your wellbeing?”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of gratitude
- The power of kindness
- The power of relationships
- The power of a why
- The power of exercise
- The power of silence
- The power of spending time with happy people
- The power of simplicity
- The power of lightening up
- The power of setting goals that are consistent with your values
- The power of a healthy diet
- The power of meditation
- The power of restorative sleep
- The power of volunteering
- The power of focusing on your strengths
Resources Mentioned
- A Prescription for Happiness by Dr. Mark Rowe
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Feargal O’Rourke is Managing Partner of PwC Ireland. He has served in various leadership roles in PwC EMEA and PwC Ireland since his admission as a partner in 1996. He has been appointed by several Irish Governments to various roles. He served for 7 years on the board of Forfás, the Irish State body responsible for the development of Industrial policy and of science and technology in Ireland. Feargal was appointed in 2008 to the Commission on Taxation. From 2014 to 2020, Feargal was a member of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, the leading representative body at both Government and Industry level for the 700 US companies based in Ireland. Feargal holds a First-Class Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Diploma in Professional Accounting, both from University College Dublin. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland and an Associate of the Irish Taxation Institute, having obtained 1st place nationally in the final exam. He has lectured and written extensively on taxation and business and is regularly sought after by Irish politicians and officials on a wide variety of commercial matters.
Today, Feargal joins me to talk about leadership, resilience, agile work practices and the power of culture in the workplace. He talks about the effects of COVID-19 on his leadership style, and he notes the importance of honesty, transparency, and humility. He highlights the power of commonly held values and of a willingness to admit your mistakes. We discuss the relationship between physical and mental health and note the importance of health in general. We discuss the hybrid work model and its potential success once it suits team-mates, suits clients and suits the business.
We look forward to hybrid work models resulting in happier employees, attracting people back to the workforce, and geographic location ceasing to be important.
As a leader, Feargal knows that physicality is the bedrock for mental & emotional resilience. He advises on the importance of staying active, fit & supple.
He notes the power of staying grounded and explains why he believes you shouldn’t look back and ask, “what if?”
“Culture is what gets you there. Culture is the glue that binds. Culture is what differentiates one organisation from another.”
- Feargal O’Rourke
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The meaning and power of culture
- The power of transparency
- Why you should recognise and admit your mistakes
- The pricelessness of physical and mental health
- Why even the wrong decisions have a purpose
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Frank O’Keeffe is Managing Partner of EY in Ireland. Prior to his current role, Frank held a position on the Irish leadership team as Head of Assurance, where he was responsible for leading the fastest-growing Assurance service on the island of Ireland. Additionally, he was the Lead Audit and Client Services Partner for Ireland. Frank’s experience includes serving a range of large national and multinational clients across the manufacturing, retail, technology, and supply chain sectors. Frank was the Partner for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ program in Ireland between 2009 and 2014. He has also held the position of Diversity & Inclusion Partner Sponsor and continues to preside over the EY Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee in Ireland. Frank holds a Certificate in Authentic Leadership from Harvard Business School and is a Chartered Certified Accountant by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
Today, Frank joins me to continue my series of conversations with Managing Partners & CEOs about Leadership and Organisation Health & Wellbeing, while tapping into the future of work as we navigate the return to the office post-Covid-19. He talks about the ways that Covid-19 has impacted how he leads and shares the three priorities he chose to focus on when the pandemic hit. He emphasizes the importance of recognising the humanity of each employee and discusses how that recognition translates into better service for clients. He discusses his People First agenda and notes the importance of a good and strong workplace culture. He offers his take on hybrid work, laying out his three-pronged approach. He notes the power of trust and discusses the importance of confidence in yourself and your abilities.
‘Challenges can be a privilege for you to solve for others. This mindset change
completely reduces (my) stress levels.’
- Frank O’Keeffe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The impact of Covid-19 on Frank’s leadership practices
- The importance of a good workplace culture
- Frank’s three-pronged approach to hybrid working
- The importance of openness to advice
- The power of trust
- Embracing opportunity
- Life is a journey, not a sprint
- Being yourself and trusting yourself to be the best that you can be
- Keeping your physical and mental balance in check
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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Mary Lou McDonald is a TD Teachta Dála (Member of the Irish Parliament) for the Dublin Central Constituency. She was elected leader of Sinn Féin by the political party membership in 2018 and is the first woman to lead the opposition in the Dáil (Irish Parliament).
Following her election to the Dáil in 2011 Mary Lou was Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson for Public Expenditure and Reform and on her re-election in 2016 Sinn Féin’s All-Ireland Spokesperson for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. She was a member of the Public Accounts Committee between 2011 and 2017.
She was an MEP for Dublin from 2004 to 2009 and during her time in the European Parliament Mary Lou was a prominent member of the Employment and Social Affairs committee and Civil Liberties committee.
Educated in Trinity College, Dublin, the University of Limerick and Dublin City University she studied English Literature, European Integration Studies and Human Resource Management.
Today, Mary Lou joins me to discuss managing stress and the importance of self-care in a dynamic political life. We talk about the importance of movement, mindful practice, and meditation. We discuss how changing the world starts with changing yourself on the inside, and we note the importance of investing in yourself today for a better long-term future, thus enabling yourself to live with more vitality.
“You cannot be thrown from the highs to the lows in accordance with what people think about you.”
- Mary Lou McDonald
“[A new day is] not a dress rehearsal. Live it. Go for it. Grasp it. Enjoy it.”
- Mary Lou McDonald
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power and possibility of the future
- The need for self-care
- The importance of perspective
- The benefits of meditation
- Mary Lou’s take on women in leadership
- Why you don’t have to be perfect
- Mary Lou’s three keys to resilience
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Paul Kelly has been the Chief Executive of Fáilte Ireland since 2017. Paul is leading Fáilte Ireland, the Irish National Tourism Development Authority, through the deepest crisis ever for our country’s tourism industry.
This work is to ensure the industry’s survival, enable reopening and re-imagine a different future post-Covid. The future will build on Fáilte Ireland's previous successes including the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s Ancient East, Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, the Dublin brand refresh and The Gathering.
Today, I speak with Paul about health and wellbeing in the tourism industry, and how Fáilte Ireland has helped tourism businesses navigate Covid 19. We clarify who is a tourist and why it's not always international visitors, but rather Irish people exploring their own country.
Paul explains how Fáilte Ireland is currently working through hybrid work models and why trust is so important while developing this new model. He explains how Fáilte Ireland is promoting health and wellness in the workplace, and what potential employees are looking for when considering a job. Paul also shares why he thinks offering remote working will provide a competitive advantage in the future.
“The value of tourism is massive in terms of sustainable communities all around the country.”
-Paul Kelly
This week on In the Doctor's Chair
- How Covid-19 affected the tourism industry, and how Fáilte Ireland pivoted to face it
- Why tourism is so important for creating sustainable communities
- How hybrid working could impact the tourism industry
- The role culture plays in the workplace
- What Fáilte Ireland does to care for employee wellness
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Elizabeth (Beth) Frates MD is a pioneer in Lifestyle Medicine education and an award-winning teacher at Harvard Medical School, as well as at the Harvard Extension School. At Harvard Medical School, Dr. Frates's passionate teaching style has earned her several Excellence in Teaching awards for work in multiple pre-clinical courses. She specialises in connecting one-on-one with her clients.
Today, Beth joins me to talk about the power of a healthy body, peaceful mind, and joyful heart. She shares how her story began and talks about the impact of her father’s heart attack and stroke on his life and hers. She notes that exercise can often act as an internal motivator and discusses the power of a growth mindset. She shares her own lifestyle health practices and discusses the power of movement. She notes the power of self-care and its effects on both a person’s health and that person’s ability to take care of others well. She discusses the six pillars of lifestyle health and notes that they work best as a combination. Finally, she emphasises the power of a growth mindset, gratitude, and the ability to see beauty in everything.
“It’s a new day. It’s a new chance.”
- Elizabeth Frates
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of knowing you have control
- Exercise as an internal motivator
- The power of movement
- The importance of self-care
- The six pillars of lifestyle health
- Why the six pillars work best together
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr Barbara Ryan specialises in gut health. She is a clinical professor at Trinity College Dublin and a consultant gastroenterologist. Her mission, along with clinical dietitian Elaine McGowan, is to digest the science of gut health so that women and men can learn all they need to know for a healthier, happier gut. The gut experts want to cut through the noise; share expert, science-based information; and reduce the stigma that surrounds gut health by using the three E’s: Education, Empowerment, and Eating healthily.
Today, she joins me to talk about functional dyspepsia, the lesser-known and more common sibling of irritable bowel syndrome. She explains why gut problems are so common and talks about gut-brain interaction. She shares her input on the role of non-expert influencers in the world of medicine, and she talks about the threefold goal of her mission. She explains why she thinks that medicine is a wonderfully rewarding career despite its challenges, and she talks about how to address burnout. She discusses the importance of contributing to the training of future doctors, and she shares her best tips for promoting resilience in yourself including how burnout can be a great learning opportunity to do things differently.
“If you know, fantastic. But if you don’t know, just say you don’t know, and let’s try and find out.”
- Dr. Barbara Ryan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The relationship between the gut and the brain
- Countering misinformation
- The benefits of the Mediterranean diet
- Medicine as a career
- Why challenges don’t have to be permanent setbacks
- The importance of self-compassion
Resources Mentioned:
- thegutexperts.com
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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The world of work has changed. For the past 18 months, COVID-19 has brought a blurring of the boundaries between “at work” and “away from work.” It’s now harder to switch off the business of life mentally, physically, or emotionally. The employee experience is now a key to decision-making more than ever before. All people are unique, and their needs will change depending on the person, project, and time. The hybrid model of working has the potential to optimize flexibility and choice, especially when enabled by technology to support a more holistic and inclusive experience regardless of whether you are in or out of the office.
Today, I talk about how you can optimize the hybrid model. I discuss what your job is as an employer and share four tips for how to be an effective leader for your employees. I share some research and studies on the subject, and I offer some tips for everyone working in a hybrid workspace, as well as some specifically for employees.
“The Chinese symbol for crisis also means opportunity, and I believe now there’s a tremendous opportunity for organizations to build on what they’ve learned already about remote working and to leverage that for the benefit of their people and for their organization.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of authentic values
- The importance of listening to and learning from your people
- Why the hybrid workspace is an opportunity to redesign and reimagine the status quo of work
- The importance of creating psychological safety and building confidence in your team members
- The value of self-care
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Daniel Mulhall is the Irish Ambassador to the United States of America. He joined the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs in 1978, with early diplomatic assignments in New Delhi, Vienna, Brussels, and Edinburgh, where he was Ireland’s first consul general from 1998 to 2001. He served as Ireland’s Ambassador to Malaysia from 2001 to 2005, where he was also accredited to Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. In 2005, he was conferred with an honorary fellowship by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland for his work in connection with the Asian tsunami. From 2009 to 2013, he was Ireland’s Ambassador to Germany, and before departing for Washington in 2017, he served as Ireland’s ambassador in London.
As a passionate historian and author, and a prolific social media communicator, Ambassador Mulhall joins me today to talk about his reflections on a 43-year diplomatic career in-service and the importance of lifelong learning. He talks about his experience responding to the Asian tsunami and shares why it was meaningful for him as an ambassador to be able to help people in the here-and-now. He also notes that we rarely change and grow in leaps and bounds, but rather as a result of every small thing we do. He speaks about the power of poetry and the importance of a mental frame of satisfaction. He also shares his hopes for the future.
“Everything that you do in life ought to change you a little bit.”
- Ambassador Daniel Mulhall
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The patience required for a job in diplomacy
- Why life is a lifelong learning project
- The most defining moments of Daniel’s life
- Daniel’s tips for clear communication
- The power of repetition
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Tama Duffy Day works at Gensler as a firmwide leader within the health sector. Gensler is a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 49 locations across the world. In a career in design that spans more than three decades, Tama’s expertise in health ranges from projects in academic medical centers to community hospitals and senior living. As a frequent advocate for the benefits of generative space, Tama is dedicated to raising awareness of the impact that design has on health and longevity, and she is a global advocate for older adults. Tama is focused on representing the positive side of aging in her work and is looking to eliminate bias in every industry.
Today, Tama joins me on the podcast to talk about healthy design, generative spaces, aging with grace, and the importance of finding your purpose at every stage and age in life. She shares her input on the power of inclusion, notes the benefits of aging, and talks about her fears and her plan to overcome them.
“The more I learn, the more I recognize I really don’t know much.”
- Tama Duffy Day
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Aging in place
- The benefits of aging
- What is a fifteen-minute community?
- Conquering fear
- The power of constant curiosity
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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It’s a well-known fact that people living in many Mediterranean countries--as well as a few other parts of the world--tend to have relatively few health problems and relatively long, healthy lifespans. As a result of research on this fact, scientists have called the Mediterranean Diet and lifestyle one of the healthiest lifestyles out there.
Today, I talk about the Mediterranean lifestyle and diet. I explain why I don’t like the term “diet” for its connotations, and I note that, over the course of ten years, you make 11,000 food choices. I explain what blue zones are and list the four healthy lifestyle factors. I note the importance of consistency and color in your food, and I explain what is included in the Mediterranean diet. I also note that it supports better telomeres.
“None of us can go back to the beginning and start again, but starting today, you can create a brand new ending.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The Mediterranean diet and lifestyle
- Blue zones
- The four healthy lifestyle factors
- The impact of small lifestyle changes
- Research on the Mediterranean diet
- The benefits of the Mediterranean diet
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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“Sitting is the new smoking.” Though this may be an exaggeration in some respects, it’s not in others. The dangers of prolonged sitting are numerous and very real.
Today, I talk about these dangers. I share research on the subject and I explain why it’s so bad for your body to sit for prolonged periods of time. I note that these dangers exist independently of how much you exercise, and I note the positive effects of movement on your mental and physical health, as well as your emotional wellbeing.
“There’s nothing wrong with sitting down. Just don’t sit down for too long.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The dangers of prolonged sitting
- The benefits of movement
- The importance of regular stretching
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Ibrahim Halawa, a now 25-year-old Irishman, spent more than four years of his life in prison in Egypt after he was arrested while on a family holiday in 2013. Then aged 17, Ibrahim was detained by the Egyptian security forces after he and three of his sisters were caught up in a siege at a mosque in Cairo in August 2013. The women were allowed to return home to Ireland within three months, but their teenage brother was kept in Wadi el-Natrun prison outside Cairo. The teenager was accused, along with nearly 500 others, of inciting violence, riot, and sabotage and faced a mass trial under threat of the death penalty. 1497 days/4 years later, Ibrahim Halawa was acquitted of all charges. He was released from Wadi el-Natrun on 20 October 2017, returning home to Dublin and his family. In March 2017, as a Medical Doctor, I was asked by the Irish Government to visit Ibrahim in the bleak, stark Wadi el-Natrun prison to establish his level of health and wellbeing. Ibrahim, then 21 was physically frail and fragile.
Today, I’m delighted to be joined by Ibrahim Halawa, now an undergraduate law student at University College Dublin, Sutherland School of Law. We talk about his experiences in Wadi el-Natrun and how, while you may not be able to change your circumstances, you can change how you respond to them. We explore Ibrahim’s inner resolve at such a young age, how his resilience grew, and how he derived strength from Victor Frankl’s Man’s search for Meaning and Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom during his incarceration. We talk about the Power of Forgiveness and letting go for a better future alongside the importance of never forgetting.
“If you’re ever put into such a condition, believe in something. Whatever it is, you have to believe in something, because it will pull you through.
- Ibrahim Halawa
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Ibrahim’s experience in Wadi el-Natrun
- The cruciality of belief and the need for meaning
- The power of resilience
- The power of forgiveness
- The importance of memory
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” These words from Benjamin Franklin couldn’t be more true. Today, so many of us don’t get enough sleep, and as a result, we’re left to deal with reduced life expectancy, less energy, more anxiety, and numerous other negative health effects.
Today, I talk about the importance of sleep. I list the many health hazards of not getting enough sleep, and I talk about the four stages of sleep. I share how much sleep you should be getting per night to avoid shortchanging your short- and long-term health and life expectancy. I go into the science behind your body’s need for and response to sleep, and I offer tips to get a better night’s sleep. I note that your daytime habits affect your sleep quality, and I mention the power of gratitude. I note the negative effects of alcohol and the positive effects of early exercise on your sleep.
“If you want to live with more vitality, value your sleep.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The health hazards of not getting enough sleep
- The fours stages of sleep
- How much sleep should you get per night?
- How long should your naps be?
- Tips for better sleep
- The power of gratitude
- The power of exercise
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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David Fryburg, M.D., is the President and co-founder of Envision Kindness, a nonprofit organization that promotes kindness, compassion, joy, and love through kindness media. Dr. Fryburg is also the author of a blog series entitled “The Science of Kindness,” which is distributed by Psychology Today and other outlets. In his previous work, David led teams of scientists from academia, government, and industry to solve problems in how we measure or diagnose disease for the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium. Fryburg was previously a faculty member of the University of Virginia as well as global head of translational medicine for cardiovascular, metabolic, and endocrine diseases at Pfizer. He is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and trained at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and Yale University.
Today, David joins me to share his story and talk about the power of kindness. We discuss a doctor’s duty to know patients intimately, and we note that patients sometimes come for a listening ear more than for medical expertise. We talk about the power of the news and the contagious nature of emotion, and David introduces the concept of the visual diet. We talk about why and how we can transcend language in spreading kindness and good news. David explore the question of why we are kind to one another and posits that kindness is necessary for the survival of our species. We talk about dangers of toxic stress and the threefold benefits of kindness. We talk about the need for kindness to oneself, and we discuss the importance of dispelling with the ego.
“Everybody needs to feel like they matter.”
- Dr. David Fryburg
“Just as you are what you eat, you are what you see.”
- Dr. David Fryburg
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The visual diet
- Transcending language in the spread of kindness and good news
- Why the good news you take in should outweigh the bad
- Why we’re kind to each other
- Kindness to oneself
- Dispelling with the ego
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Having a Health IQ is important. A great way to start building it up is to keep track of your cholesterol numbers. This can seem like a daunting task, so today I talk all about cholesterol: what it is, why it matters, how to keep track of it and how to leverage lifestyle changes to keep it at healthy levels thereby reducing your risk of chronic illnesses.
In this episode, I talk about the different types of cholesterol, and I explain why some are good and some aren’t. I talk about what your numbers should look like in each category, and I talk about how to improve these numbers when they’re not where they should be. I talk about the different ways you can help and hurt your cholesterol numbers, and I go into specific diet changes you can make to improve these levels or keep them healthy.
“I call exercise the greatest pill of all.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is cholesterol and why does it matter?
- The yo-yo diet and why you should avoid it
- The different types of cholesterol
- The power of exercise
- What you should be eating to keep your cholesterol levels healthy
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Elaine O’Brien, Ph.D., MAPP is one of the most informed academics on the intersection of Science of Happiness and Human Movement Science. Elaine is a speaker, writer, and Certified Health Coach. She is one of the first people in the world to earn a Master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology, under Dr. Martin Seligman. Dr. O’Brien then earned a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Human Movement in 2015. She also studied Positive Psychology Across Cultures at the University of Oslo. In addition to decades of pioneering work in the power of positive movement, fitness science, and well-being, Dr. O’Brien has led organizations and helped tens of thousands of people move toward vibrant health, greater fitness, and resilience. Dr. O'Brien leads people to manage stress and post-traumatic growth, and she is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) Leader Team. She will present “Transcendent Movement: SHAPES” at the IPPA Evidence in Action Conference, and she is writing a new book about “Positive Movement, Flourishing Lives.”
Today, Elaine joins me to talk about positive movement. We talk about what it is and why it’s powerful. We discuss the positive contagion uplift effect of positive movement and note that even a small amount of regular movement can build up and make a difference. Elaine shares the power of a supportive community and the importance of love and understanding.
“There’s an aspect of fitness that has a protective factor.”- Dr. Elaine O’Brien
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Why actions speak louder than words
- Why even a small amount of regular movement makes a difference
- The concept of pre-silience
- The power of love
- SHAPES
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Broadcaster, entrepreneur and human rights campaigner Norah Casey was formerly a Dragon in the popular television series Dragons’ Den and is a well-known radio and TV personality. She is the author of Spark!, the presenter of several TEDx talks, and the creator of Planet Woman, a digital learning platform that seeks to empower women. She serves on the European Board and is a Global Ambassador for Vital Voices, as well as the founder of the Women’s Irish Network and a member of the International Women’s Forum. In addition to owning Harmonia Publishing Ltd., the journalist and former nurse holds many awards including but not limited to the Woman of the Decade Award, the Publisher of the Year award (five times), and the Lord Mayor of Dublin Award. Her work can be viewed at norahcasey.com.
Today, Norah talks with me about courage and the willingness to face your fears. We talk about how adversity can deliver post-traumatic growth with new perspectives, and we discuss how resilience can come from taking risks, once you’re less afraid of failing than you are of succeeding. We also explore the positive contagion impact and the power of giving your time and energy.
“It’s not really what I’ve done in life--it’s what life has done to me that has defined me. Some of the events devastated me, but it didn’t destroy me.”
- Norah Casey
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of Norah’s background as a nurse
- Norah’s experience of leaving her abusive first husband
- The power of adverse experiences
- The power of kindness
- Growing in resilience
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Today, we live in a society where kindness is often looked down on as weakness. But in reality, kindness--which stems from the Golden Rule--has benefits that are spiritual, physical, and mental.
In this episode, I talk about why kindness is an essential part of a lifestyle of vitality. I share the concrete benefits of being kind and compassionate toward others, benefits which are mental, physical, and spiritual. I share research on why, when you’re kind, you actually make the world a better place. I explain why, contrary to being a sign of weakness, kindness increases your resilience. Finally, I share a poem on kindness.
“When you seek to find the best in others, you also bring out the best in yourself.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The concrete benefits of cultivating kindness and compassion in your everyday life
- The benefits of kindness
- Why kindness is good for your heart
- How kindness can change your worldview
- The contagiousness of kindness
- Kindness on social media
- Kindness as a choice
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dylan Moran boxed for Ireland as an amateur, becoming a kick-boxer for a few years where he won Irish, European, and World titles before turning to professional boxing in 2017. Born in 1994, Moran started boxing at age five. The Waterford native earned his first professional victory in his debut against Chris Jenkinson in Manchester, England. In just over a year, Moran stepped into the boxing ring on six different occasions, winning all of his outings. By March of 2019, Dylan Moran boasted an impressive record of 10-0. This earned him an American contract including a fight against Dennis Okoth. This resulted in a loss by TKO for Moran in the third round. It was a tough loss for Dylan to swallow. He noted that boxing is the loneliest sport in the world, and he almost decided to quit. Eventually, he found the motivation to continue. Now, with a Pro record of 16-1 and driven by personal conviction, Dylan believes he’s on the verge of the big title fights.
Today, Dylan joins me to share his story. He talks about the effect of COVID on his boxing career and shares a life-changing experience. He stresses the importance of both a great team and a mindset of constant learning. We discuss the power of grit, and Dylan opens up about his struggles with mental health. We talk about the power of positivity and of living in the now, and Dylan notes that he’s found happiness in the small things rather than the big, material ones. He shares his passion for boxing and notes the value of being mentally prepared for the downs in life so they don’t hit you as hard. Dylan also notes that he doesn’t think he’ll ever have it all figured out, and that’s okay because having more to learn is part of what it means to be human.
“My attitude is, these guys can be better than me, they can be more talented than me--but they’re not going to work harder than me.”
- Dylan Moran
“The day you think you know it all is the day you start to lose.”
- Dylan Moran
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of an amazing team
- The value of a constantly learning mindset
- Why the small things, not the big material things, are what make you happy
- The power of positivity and living in the now
- The value of letting yourself be happy easily
- Why resilience is something you learn on the job
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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After a busy day of work, it’s important to take time to de-stress for your health. That’s why I’ve recently started to prescribe walks as a therapeutic tool because it is so effective at helping people destress. Spending time in nature is important for everyone. As we spend more and more time in front of a computer screen, we need to remember that sometimes we need to disconnect. Being in nature is a great way to relax, but it also has many different health benefits.
Today, I discuss the importance of spending time out in nature, and how it can have a positive impact on your general health. I share recent studies that demonstrate how having nature close by can help reduce anxiety and depression. I talk about how having 30 minutes of natural light a day can help reset your internal clock and help you get better sleep. I also talk about how spending time in nature can help your curiosity and help boost your creativity.
“So it really turns out that the environment you spend your time in can have such a health-enhancing our health depleting impact on your wellbeing. And I really want to make this case for spending more time in nature.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- How therapeutic walks can help reduce stress
- Why having green space in your life can help reduce mental health issues
- The growing body of research that shows why being in nature is good for your health
- What happens to our brain when we spend time in nature
- How much natural light does your body need per day?
- What parts of your brain react to being in nature
- How being in nature can boost your creativity
- Building a more mindful presence while in nature
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr. Rhonda Cornum holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Nutrition. She is a surgeon and urologist. A distinguished war veteran holding the rank of brigadier general, she has earned honors including the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, and the Army Service Medal. She served in the Army during the Gulf War, when she was captured by Iraqi forces. She is a pioneer for resilience training.
Today, Rhonda shares her story. She emphasizes the importance of gratitude and of finding the good news in every bad story. She shares her grandfather’s influence on her and why he is her biggest hero. She explains why she does not think that her experience as a POW was traumatic for her, despite being adverse. She notes that to give a failure permanent influence on your life is a choice. She discusses why a victim-centered culture fails to cultivate self-sufficient, stoic people with strong coping skills. She points out that cognitive behavioral therapy should be practiced preventatively as well as reactively, and she talks about her comprehensive soldier fitness training program. She re-emphasizes the importance of gratitude, and she shares her three greatest life lessons. We also talk about the interaction between habits and choices, as well as the difference between inability and unsuccessfulness.
“You may not be successful, but that’s a different thing than you’re unable, and it’s a sure bet if you don’t try you’re unable.”
- Dr. Rhonda Cornum
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The experience of believing you’re about to die
- Why failure isn’t determinative
- The power to choose in every given situation
- The dangers of a victim-centered approach
- Why you shouldn’t judge people’s reactions to things based on your own potential reaction
- Why every choice forms a habit, and every habit forms the person
- The power of gratitude
- The importance of reflecting before acting
- Using negative emotions to drive positive change
- Realistic optimism
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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High blood pressure, or hypertension, is incredibly common in the western world. Huge percentages of people suffer from it, and many don’t know they have it or don’t get help. This is a pity, because hypertension is, in many cases, highly preventable through a positive lifestyle.
Today, I talk about what high blood pressure is, scientifically. I talk about different possible variances in blood pressure and how we can tell when to be worried. I offer statistics about people who suffer from high blood pressure, and I note that, despite the fact that it’s often without symptoms, it can have disastrous consequences. I discuss these consequences, and I talk about the link between high blood pressure and being overweight. I give several suggestions for lifestyle changes that can help you avoid or lower high blood pressure, such as the Dash Diet, an increase in potassium, and exercise. I also note the importance of good sleep and of knowing your blood pressure numbers.
“Make sure you know what your blood pressure is, because knowledge is power, health is wealth, and lifestyle can be your best possible medicine.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The commonness of high blood pressure in the western world
- What is blood pressure?
- Statistics of people with high blood pressure and how they react
- The importance of keeping up to date with your numbers
- White Coat Syndrome
- Causes and consequences of high blood pressure
- Lifestyle changes to avoid high blood pressure
- Potential devastating effects of high blood pressure
- The Dash Diet
- The importance of potassium
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Professor James Pennebaker is a renowned psychologist and the region centennial chair of psychology at the University of Texas. Professor Pennebaker has done extensive research on the benefits of expressive writing, and in this episode he joins me to talk about his findings.
Today, James shares how he got into his research. He discusses the science behind how writing things down can have a positive impact on both mental and physical health. He explains why he believes that most people can benefit from just three or four days at a time of this type of writing, and he explains its goal. We talk about what expressive writing is, and what it isn’t. He shares what boredom in your writing can tell you about yourself and your situation. We discuss the different scientific health benefits
of expressive writing, and James shares some practical tips for starting out. He emphasizes that there is no right or wrong way to do it, and he explains why it is particularly powerful for people undergoing transition.
“The writing is for you, and you alone.”
- Professor James Pennebaker
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The positive impact of writing things down
- The link between keeping quiet about upsetting experiences and negative physical health
- Why most people can benefit from expressive writing
- Why expressive journaling is short term, not long term
- The difference between expressive writing and blowing off steam
- How an expressive writer is like a good cook
- Why expressive writing is powerful for anyone in a stage of transition
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Nowadays, anxiety is an epidemic. It’s one of the most common conditions around, and many people who suffer from it suffer in silence. Today, I talk about why you should take it seriously.
In this episode, I talk about the science behind anxiety. I offer guidance on how to distinguish between a healthy level of anxiety and an anxiety disorder by looking out for specific symptoms. I note that you should seek guidance from your doctor if you think you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, and I talk about the importance of self-care. I talk about different types of anxiety and I note the importance of good sleep and of seeking support. I talk about the value of mindfulness and my PAUSE technique. Finally, I note that you are not your anxious feelings
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is anxiety, and what are its symptoms?
- Different types of anxiety
- How to treat yourself well
- The value of a journal
- The PAUSE technique
Nowadays, anxiety is an epidemic. It’s one of the most common conditions around, and many people who suffer from it suffer in silence. Today, I talk about why you should take it seriously.
In this episode, I talk about the science behind anxiety. I offer guidance on how to distinguish between a healthy level of anxiety and an anxiety disorder by looking out for specific symptoms. I note that you should seek guidance from your doctor if you think you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder, and I talk about the importance of self care. I talk about different types of anxiety and I note the importance of good sleep and of seeking support. I talk about the value of mindfulness and my PAUSE technique. Finally, I note that you are not your anxious feelings
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is anxiety, and what are its symptoms?
- Different types of anxiety
- How to treat yourself well
- The value of a journal
- The PAUSE technique
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Tom Brennan co-founded EirGen Pharma in 2005. The company has since successfully completed the development and commercialization of many drugs in the oncology area from its US FDA-approved facility in Waterford. The company was acquired in May 2015 by Miami-based NASDAQ listed OPKO Health Inc. for $135 Million. Tom has been nominated for, and won, numerous awards.
Today, Tom joins me to talk about how he lives with a glass-half-full attitude. He talks about how changes in perspective have led to changes in his motivations and interests. We discuss the importance of health and the value of small steps. We talk about why, to build grit, you need to become comfortable being uncomfortable. Tom shares how he copes with negative thoughts and offers the strategy of becoming the observer of your thoughts instead of letting them envelop you as feelings. We talk about habits, and why they can be more powerful even than your DNA in determining your health. Tom discusses his ongoing research on the benefits of intermittent fasting, and we talk about the value of pets. Finally, Tom shares his three main takeaways from our conversation.
“I take time to stand back and label thoughts, especially negative ones, and try and compartmentalize them and stand back from them. And it works well because I find then, more times than not, the glass is certainly half full.”
- Tom Brennan
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Adding life to your years, not years to your life
- Focusing on progress over perfection
- The value of being uncomfortable
- Building grit through resilience
- What is success
- Coping with negative thoughts
- The value of good habits
- Intermittent fasting and pets
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Men’s lifespans are, on average, shorter than women’s. While there are many potential reasons for this, one is undoubtedly men’s tendency to neglect their health.
Today, I discuss why you shouldn’t neglect yours. I note the importance of trusting your doctor and give tips on how to get the best from him or her. I explain why you need to stay informed about your body. I give a list of the aspects of your health you should be keeping track of, and I offer guidelines of when to be concerned. I note the basic lifestyle practices you should keep to stay healthy. Finally, I note that men’s health affects everyone, not just men.
“The best patient is an informed patient.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The importance of looking after your health
- How to get the best from your doctor
- What to keep track of and what numbers should set off red flags
- Basic lifestyle practices
- Why men’s health doesn’t just affect men
- Overcoming fear, apathy, denial, and the belief that you’re too busy when it comes to your health
- Protecting your health like you protect your car
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Roy F. Baumeister is one of the world’s most prolific and influential psychologists. He has published well over 500 scientific articles and more than 30 books. In 2013, he received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science, the William James Fellow Award, in recognition of his lifetime achievements. He is currently the Eppes Eminent Scholar and a professor of psychology at Florida State University, and he holds distinguished visiting professorships at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and VU University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. His 2011 book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (with John Tierney) was a New York Times bestseller, and he has appeared on several television shows.
In Part 2 of this episode, Roy and I discuss overcoming the power of Bad, negativity bias, and negative impact on wellbeing. We talk about why, while we live better today than ever before in history, we’re full of more anxiety and worry than ever. To respond to the power of Bad, Roy suggests that we look for the positive things in life. He shares the power of living a low-Bad diet, not trying to be perfect, and focusing instead on being good enough. We also discuss the importance of focusing on the big picture.
“Don’t try to be perfect. Perfection is associated with all sorts of even mental illness and anxieties and problems. Focus on being good enough.”
- Roy F. Baumeister
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of Bad
- Overcoming anxiety and worry
- The power of looking for the positive things
- Being good enough vs being perfect
- Focusing on the big picture
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Roy F. Baumeister is one of the world’s most prolific and influential psychologists. He has published well over 500 scientific articles and more than 30 books. In 2013, he received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science, the William James Fellow Award, in recognition of his lifetime achievements. He is currently the Eppes Eminent Scholar and a professor of psychology at Florida State University, and he holds distinguished visiting professorships at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia and VU University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. His 2011 book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (with John Tierney) was a New York Times bestseller, and he has appeared on several television shows.
Today, Roy joins me to talk about willpower. We explore willpower, what it is, and why it matters. We discuss how we can strengthen our self-control, and we note the impact of stress on decision-making. We discuss how, when we use self-control to establish good habits and routines, our lives can run smoothly on autopilot, which manages the depletion of energy. We note the importance of sleep for the body, mind, and self-control. We also talk about how to live in the present while respecting the future.
“The people who go through life just trying to improve a little bit, they often do the best.”
- Roy F. Baumeister
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- What is willpower
- The importance of self-control
- How to strengthen your self-control
- The benefits of routine
- The importance of sleep
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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We live in a culture that promotes a pill for every ill. Increasingly, we’ve been made to become passive consumers of healthcare instead of taking an empowered, active role in our health. Today, I look at the role of lifestyle medicine in increasing your agency when it comes to your health and improving your wellbeing.
In this episode, I share why wellbeing is concrete as opposed to abstract. I talk about the needed change in our health culture and I discuss the importance of looking back before you look forward. I talk about what wellbeing really is and note its five aspects. I discuss the cruciality of relationships and the concept of eudaimonia, or human flourishing. I also note that our health is our greatest asset and that our environments play a huge role in our wellbeing.
“Wellbeing isn’t just something that exists in your head; it’s an objective, measurable construct.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The meaning of wellbeing
- Empowerment in healthcare
- Why health isn’t just the absence of disease
- The five aspects of wellbeing
- Flourishing as a person
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Traditional psychology is incredibly important and helpful, but it’s focused on turning negative mindsets into better mindsets. Positive psychology, on the other hand, is focused primarily on the positive. Instead of asking how you can move away from a negative mindset, it asks how you can move towards a positive one.
Today, I share insights from patients and research on the power of positive psychology. I discuss why, even when you can’t change your experience, you can change the explanation. I note that positive psychology takes a strength-based approach instead of a weakness-based one. I share the five aspects of positive psychology. I talk about the benefits of journaling and the power of gratitude. I discuss the importance of focusing less on having more and focusing more on being more. I talk about the ripple effect of happiness and the effect of feelings and thoughts on behavior and action. Finally, I note the physical benefits of a positive mindset.
“Gratitude is all about wanting what you have, as opposed to having what you want.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Positive psychology vs traditional psychology
- The five aspects of positive psychology
- Three ways to use a journal
- The ripple effect of a positive mindset
- The physical effects of a positive mindset
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Heather Fennimore has been an owner and partner at Humanscale since 1986. Ms. Fennimore has established a successful sales organization of over 300 sales professionals and managers in the Americas. She created the Humanscale University Program, the Recruiting Division, Humanscale Consulting, and Customer Service. Currently, Ms. Fennimore oversees Humanscale Global Healthcare and the Global IT distribution organizations, along with expanding Humanscale Consulting globally. She’s the first chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Cornell University’s Atkinson Center for Sustainable Futures. She also sits on several boards and is a member of the Hoover Council at Stanford University. Ms. Fennimore is an avid environmentalist and animal advocate. She resides in Colorado with her husband.
Today, Ms. Fennimore joins me to share her story. She shares what prompted her to found Humanscale and discusses the importance of motivation to want to make things better. She talks at length about her parents and their influence, and she shares her definition of leadership. She also offers her views on women in leadership, and she notes that good leaders know they have more to learn. She talks about the importance of caring in whatever you do, and she shares what she’s learned and accomplished in a year of COVID-19. She expounds on her love for the environment and animals and notes the importance of our physical aspect as human beings.
“Caring is the difference between success and failure.”
- Heather Fennimore
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The story behind Humanscale
- Why “not bad” isn’t good enough when it comes to the environment
- Speculations on the source of burnout in a job or career
- What is leadership
- Women in leadership
- Why believing you have nothing left to learn isn’t conducive to leadership
- The importance of constant growth in leadership
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Chronic health conditions are running rampant right now in the western world, and most medicine is aimed at treating the symptoms rather than the root causes. Today, I talk about lifestyle medicine and the power of small, incremental lifestyle changes.
In this episode, I share the four aims of lifestyle medicine and its six interconnected areas. I discuss why it seeks to knock out the root causes of many illnesses instead of just subduing their symptoms. I share the story of one of my patients, whose lifestyle changes turned his life around. I explain what a health IQ is, and I go into the specific biological effects that can come from positive lifestyle changes. Finally, I note that lifestyle medicine is fundamentally about education and empowerment.
“It’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to start to recommit to living a healthier lifestyle. I call it the power of thinking small.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of small, incremental lifestyle changes
- Lifestyle medicine defined
- Looking at root causes rather than just symptoms
- The effects of positive lifestyle medicine
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Dr. Doireann O’Leary is a practicing medical doctor, health advocate, blogger, and social media influencer. She is passionate about health education and empowering her patients and social media followers to look after their health and wellbeing. Dr. O’Leary has overcome many adversities in her life and her story is an inspiration to others. Her medical practice is based in Co. Cork, Ireland.
Today, Dr. O’Leary joins me to share her story. She shares why she decided to become a doctor and why she loves it. She speaks about the experience of losing her big sister and the effect the event had on her life. We discuss her cervical cancer diagnosis and how it has helped her to grow and instilled a strong sense of gratitude in her. We talk about the importance of having a support system of friends and family around you, as well as why you need to make time for them. She also talks about the importance of following your passions while simultaneously recognizing their tendency to change.
“You never feel bad after a walk.”
- Dr. Doireann O’Leary
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- The power of gratitude
- Being a doctor vs. studying medicine
- Why Dr. O’Leary loves being a doctor
- The growth that comes from challenging times
- Balanced grit and determination
- The importance of going with your gut
Connect with Dr. O’Leary
- O'Leary's Instagram
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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We all face fires in our lives, whether in relationships, careers, ourselves, or a number of other places. Today, in my first short solo episode, I talk about how to respond to these setbacks and move forward through acceptance and resilience.
In this episode, I discuss the concept of post-traumatic growth in the context of a personal story of setback in my practice. I share how, early in my practice, I literally watched my life’s work and livelihood go up in flames. I discuss the importance of embracing the fires in your life and define Realistic Optimism. I note the power of a positive mindset shift and share what Victor Frankl has to say on the subject of coping with situations outside of our control. Finally, I share why, many years later, I’m thankful for the event.
“More than pills and Prozac, people really needed a new sense of hope and purpose and the sense of new possibilities.”
- Dr. Mark Rowe
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Lifestyle as medicine
- Why feeling sorry for yourself is counterproductive
- Letting go of the need to know why
- Accepting and embracing the fires in your life
- Realistic Optimism and the power of a positive mindset
- Post-traumatic growth
Resources Mentioned
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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Leo Cullen has a history as a prolific rugby player. He won 32 caps for Ireland and 221 for Leinster, and he has won titles at Blackrock College, Leinster Rugby, and Leicester Tigers. His success as a player has followed him to management: he became Leinster Rugby head coach in August 2015, and in 2018 he became the first man to win a Champion’s Cup title as both a player and a head coach. He presided over the first-ever Guinness PRO14 and Champion’s Cup double for Leinster, and in February 2021 he was voted the inaugural winner of Guinness PRO14 Coach of the Month.
Today Leo joins me to talk about what resilience means to him. We speak about leadership and values, and how to overcome obstacles. We talk about the value of focusing your attention where it matters at each moment in time. He gives his thoughts on burnout prevention and talks about the importance of doing what you love. We discuss professionalism in sports and talk about commitment to continuous improvement. We also discuss the power of purpose on and off the field.
“When you’re doing something you really enjoy, it never seems like particularly hard work, does it?”
This week on In the Doctor’s Chair
- Carving your career around what you love
- The importance of gratitude
- Recognizing when you’ve reached your peak in an area of your life and weathering the transition
- Understanding your blind spots so that, when the pressure comes on, you can think clearly to overcome them
- Coping with success
- Reviewing the result vs. reviewing the performance
- The importance of quality time with your loved ones
- Taking time to be able to think before making a decision
In the Doctor’s Chair
Thanks for listening to In the Doctor’s Chair, the show where you’ll hear conversations that share life lessons, health habits, and leadership practices that focus on positive psychology, lifestyle medicine, and ways for you to live with more vitality.
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and leave a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.
For more resources to help you to live with more vitality, please visit my website.
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