LiveWell UCLA: Recent Episodes
Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
We are excited to re-release Dr. Emily Falk's podcast series which explores storytelling as a lever for deeper human connection & understanding and how we make decisions & form value sets. Her book, What We Value, is now out in paperback due to popular demand! We highly recommend purchasing a copy and hope you find our conversation with Dr. Falk deepens the reading experience. Happy listening!
Original air date: March 2026.
Our latest episode of LiveWell is a two-parter with guest Dr. Emily Falk and a preview to her upcoming book, What We Value.
An expert in the science of behavior change, Dr. Falk is a Professor of Communication, Psychology, Marketing, and Operations, Information, and Decisions at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Vice Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication. In episode 1, we discuss her research and collaborations exploring key brain systems that influence what we choose and why we choose, our behaviors and forming a value system, and the power of storytelling. In episode 2, we get a preview of her upcoming book, What We Value, and go deeper into her research in neuroscience, psychology and communication. Through personal stories and research studies, she examines what makes certain messages influential, how and why ideas spread, what makes an effective communicator and what are key ingredients for happiness and well-being.
For those curious about why we choose the things we do, how to explore ways to make more intentional and rewarding choices, and methods of changing behavior and opening perspectives – approaching daily decisions with a neuroscientist and storytelling lens – there’s much to ponder and put into practice.
Enjoy this first episode, part 2 will be re-releasing in two weeks!
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
What does it take for an athlete to make it to the Paralympic or Olympic games?
In our latest LiveWell Podcast episode, we explore the world of elite athleticism through the sport of fencing. As it turns out, training to compete in the most important sporting event of your life takes a lot more than simply achieving peak physical performance. Which is where Dr. Derek Plonka comes in. Physical therapist, acupuncturist, competitive fencer, and volunteer medical staff member for USA Fencing, Dr. Plonka provides medical care that supports these high-level athletes as they work to achieve their dreams.
He sits down with us to detail the ins and outs of the fast-paced sport and the logistical realities of providing medical care at large scale national athletic events. We learn what it takes to get these fencers and parafencers to the 2028 Games physically, mentally, and emotionally. We also glean a number of holistic lessons on competition itself that are applicable to just about everyone.
In this episode we discuss:
- Breaking down the target areas, movement speeds, and technical mechanics of foil, épée, and sabre fencing.
- How different personalities gravitate toward a specific fencing sword based on behavioral traits.
- How mindset, letting go of losses, and maintaining emotional equilibrium are the key for an athlete’s success.
- Why building a platform of physical self-sufficiency helps athletes achieve their goals for healing and succeeding.
Resources Mentioned:
- World Fencing League: A global fencing organization providing contemporary, viewer-friendly professional fencing events (available on YouTube).
- OPC (Olympic and Paralympic Committee): The U.S. National Olympic and Paralympic Committee headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
On this episode of the LiveWell podcast, we sit down with UCLA’s Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost (EVCP) Darnell Hunt. A proud UCLA alumnus and former Dean of Social Sciences, Dr. Hunt has spent three decades examining how the ways we see the world impact how we live. We explore his journey from a young journalism student with a secret passion for filmmaking to his role as the architect of the landmark Hollywood Diversity Report. We dive deep into the "sociological imagination", the economic necessity of representation, and how data can be a powerful tool for driving institutional and cultural change.
In this episode, we discuss:
· The Birth of the Hollywood Diversity Report: How a graduate student studying the 1992 LA uprisings became a leading voice in measuring representation in the entertainment industry.
· Diversity as an Economic Necessity: Why "diversity sells" and how tying representation to the bottom line became the most effective way to change industry behavior.
· The "Sociological Imagination": How stepping outside our own personal experiences allows us to see the larger social and historical patterns that shape our lives.
· The Streaming Revolution: How technological shifts in how we consume media created unprecedented opportunities for storytellers of color and women.
· From the Newsroom to Academia: A pivotal turning point at NBC News that prompted EVCP Hunt to trade a management career for a PhD in sociology.
· Leadership and Strategic Vision: How EVCP Hunt’s scholarly background informs his current role guiding UCLA through its five-year strategic plan.
This episode offers a fascinating look at the intersection of media, sociology, and leadership. It illustrates how inclusive excellence is not just a moral goal, but a vital part of a healthy, functioning community.
Resources:
· Report: UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report
· Website: UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
What if the key to healing our own trauma was held by a rescued cow or a rehabilitated horse?
On this episode of the LiveWell podcast, we speak with Ellie Laks, the visionary founder of The Gentle Barn. Ellie shares on her lifelong journey of connecting with animals, from a seven-year-old with a dream to an international leader on the power of animal sanctuaries. We dive deep into 'Cow Hug Therapy,' interspecies empathy, and how creating a haven for animals creates a parallel sanctuary for humans who may have forgotten what it feels like to be safe.
In this episode we discuss:
· The Origins of the Gentle Barn: Ellie’s childhood surrounded by animals and their companionship and how her upbringing birthed the dream of the Gentle Barn.
· The Potency of Non-Verbal Connection: Animals offer a unique form of therapy different from traditional talk therapy; they can mirror our emotions and provide a grounding presence.
· Mutual Healing: The trauma these animals have experienced followed by rehabilitation at the Gentle Barn allows them to accept human visitors who may arrive with trauma of their own.
· Lessons Learned: How different species living at the Gentle Barn have taught Ellie different lasting life lessons.
The episode gives a glimpse into how the animals are rehabilitated, how the Gentle Barn is structured, and the different therapy modalities they offer to the public.
Resources:
- Books: Cow Hug Therapy: How the Animals at The Gentle Barn Taught Me about Life, Death, and Everything in Between and My Gentle Barn: Creating a Sanctuary Where Animals Heal and Children Learn to Hope
- Website: https://www.gentlebarn.org/
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
In our latest LiveWell podcast episode, we sit down with Lonnie Ali, a dedicated advocate for Parkinson’s research, a champion of compassion, and widow to Muhammad Ali.
Lonnie shares her personal journey from growing up across the street from the legendary boxer in Louisville to becoming his "rock" and care partner throughout his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Chair and co-founder of the Muhammad Ali Center, Lonnie details the importance of the Ali Compassion Index, the Center’s impressive measuring tool for compassion in cities across the U.S. With Lonnie’s help, we reframe compassion not just a soft sentiment, but a measurable "muscle" that can be flexed to bridge divides and foster civic engagement in our communities.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The Five Layers of Compassion, from self-compassion to the nation on a whole.
- Stories of Muhammad’s instinctive kindness, from talking a man off a ledge to bringing a family in need into his home.
- The Compassion Index: Why cities like Seattle, Louisville, and Atlanta are leading the way in civic engagement and volunteerism.
- Overcoming the guilt of prioritizing one's own health to avoid burnout.
- How small, daily acts, like letting someone in during traffic, can catalyze global change.
This episode offers actionable tools and powerful stories to help you flex your compassion muscle and live a fuller, more connected life.
Resources:
- Book: Soul of a Butterfly by Hana Ali
- Website: AliIndex.org
- Website: Ali Compassion Report
Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: healthy.ucla.edu/livewellpodcast
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu.
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @LiveWell_UCLA!
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Angus Fletcher, Professor of English at Ohio State University and a core member of Project Narrative.
Angus shares his personal journey from working in a neurophysiology lab studying live brain cells to pursuing a PhD in literature at Yale to understand the mechanics of story.
Drawing from his work with the US Army Special Forces and his latest book, Primal Intelligence, Angus explores how the human brain evolved to be smart in uncertainty—a capacity he fears we are losing in an age of computational logic.
He highlights the flaw in modern education that treats intelligence as a pattern-matching game and offers practical, hopeful pathways forward through the four pillars of primal intelligence.
In this episode, we discuss:
● Why AI is "lobotomizing" the human brain by ignoring narrative thinking
● The four pillars of Primal Intelligence: Intuition, Imagination, Emotion, and Common Sense
● How to train pediatric residents to trust their "feelings" as medical data
● Lessons from Shakespeare on starting stories in the middle to spark wonder
● The critical difference between being a manager and being a leader
● How to reform education to support early-career scholars and innovative thinkers
Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for a sense of purpose in a digital world, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more human future.
Resources:
Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740110/primal-intelligence-by-angus-fletcher/
Website: https://www.angusfletcher.co/
Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center.
It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform.
Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website at healthy.ucla.edu/livewellpodcast.
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu.
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @LiveWell_UCLA!
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Diana Winston, the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center (MARC). Diana shares her personal journey from being a young seeker traveling through Asia to spending a year as a Buddhist nun, a period that fundamentally shaped her understanding of the human mind. Drawing from her decades of teaching and her work at MARC, Diana explores how mindfulness is a practical, evidence-based tool that anyone can use to lower stress and enhance well-being. She highlights the growing crisis of "continuous partial attention" in our digital age and offers practical, hopeful pathways forward through the art of "natural awareness."
In this episode, we discuss:
● The difference between concentrated meditation and natural awareness
● How mindfulness can physically rewire the brain for better focus
● Techniques for "micro-moments" of peace during a hectic workday
● The role of mindfulness in promoting equity and social justice
● Overcoming common myths about meditation
● How students can use presence to combat academic burnout
Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for a sense of calm in a chaotic world, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more mindful society.
Resources:
Book: The Little Book of Being
Website:
https://www.dianawinston.com/
Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an inspiring and deeply insightful conversation with Kasley Killam, a leading expert in social health and author of The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier Lives. Kasley shares her personal journey from being a curious psychology student to becoming a nationally recognized voice on the power of human connection. Drawing from her work with Social Health Labs, global field research, and her own experiences as an empath and introvert, Kasley explores why social health is emerging as a critical pillar of well-being alongside physical and mental health.
Her insights are grounded in both research and lived experience—from her transformative “108 Days of Kindness” project to her work with cities like Barcelona and Paris to strengthen community connection. Throughout the episode, Kasley highlights the urgent need to rebuild social ties in a time of widespread loneliness, and she offers practical, hopeful pathways forward.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How Kasley discovered “social health” and why it is becoming a global movement
- Her four strategies for strengthening our “social muscles”
- The 5-3-1 guideline for building meaningful and sustainable relationships
- The influence of built environments—from LA to Bhutan—on our ability to connect
- How students and communities can create a culture of belonging
- The role of AI in modern connection, and why diversity of social ties matters
- The power of intentionality, kindness, and community-led initiatives in creating a thriving society
Whether you’re a student, educator, policymaker, or anyone searching for ways to strengthen your connections and improve well-being, this episode offers actionable tools, uplifting stories, and a powerful vision for a more connected world.
Resources:
Book: https://www.kasleykillam.com/social-health-book
Website: https://www.kasleykillam.com/
Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
“It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning… the twilight of the dawn.” – H.G. Wells
But how do we shape what comes next—and prepare for futures we can’t yet see?
Join us for a compelling episode of the UCLA LiveWell podcast featuring Dr. Andy Hines — futurist, professor at the University of Houston, and expert in strategic foresight.
Andy guides us through:
- 🔭 How to scan for signals and build stories about the future.
- 🧠 Why vision is the antidote to chaos and uncertainty.
- 🐸 The role of “frogs”—those who bridge foresight and organizational reality.
- 🧩 How stealth strategies can embed future thinking in resistant cultures.
Whether you're navigating change or dreaming big, this episode will help you think ahead with clarity and purpose.
🎧 Tune in and explore how strategic foresight can help you live—and lead—with intention
Dr. Andy Hines' Website
Imagining After Capitalism
University of Houston Foresight Program
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiatives Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website: https://healthy.ucla.edu/
If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @healthyucla
Our latest LiveWell podcast episode features an enlightening conversation with Dr. Dan Wildcat, a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University and a profound thinker on Indigenous perspectives of ecology, technology, and community. Dr. Wildcat shares his transformative journey from Sociology to Environmental studies, deeply influenced by his mentor, Vine Deloria Jr.
In his book co-authored with Vine Deloria Jr., Power and Place (2001), covers the challenges that Native American students experience throughout educational systems and professions. Additionally, in his most recent book, Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge (2009), Dr. Wildcat uses Native American wisdom and a perspective that is centered in nature for modern solutions to global warming.
In this episode, we discuss:
· His unique approach to understanding the relationship between nature and culture through an Indigenous lens
· The concept of eco-kinship and moving beyond anthropocentric thinking
· His experience writing "Red Alert" and finding hope in the face of climate change challenges
· The power of storytelling, gratitude, and generosity in creating resilient communities
· The importance of reframing technology to enhance life for all living beings, not just human convenience
Whether you're an environmentalist, educator, or anyone interested in Indigenous wisdom and sustainable living, this episode offers profound insights into reimagining our relationship with the natural world.
Listen now and subscribe for more stories that challenge conventional thinking and inspire holistic well-being.
Today’s podcast was brought to you by UCLA’s Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center. It really means a lot to our team when you rate and review LiveWell on your preferred listening platform. Thank you so much for supporting our storytelling.
We also have links in the show notes on our website at healthy.ucla.edu/livewellpodcast. If you have any questions or want to suggest a guest to be interviewed, please reach out at: livewell@ucla.edu.
To stay up to date with our latest podcasts, make sure to follow us on Instagram @LiveWell_UCLA!
Original air date: May 2023.
You don’t want to miss today’s episode--mainly because Wendy and Elizabeth reveal their reigning favorite salt! How’d we get there? Because Elizabeth shares how she guides her students through a mindful salt tasting--an exercise that embodies her research at the intersection of food and performance. A PhD candidate at UCLA in Theater and Performance Studies with a graduate certificate in Food Studies, Elizabeth discusses how she approaches food experiences and food justice through an artistic research lens.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Elizabeth’s Recent Newsroom article
- Sustainable LA Grand Challenge
- Donna Haraway, Staying with the Trouble
- UCLA REC Teaching Kitchen
- Common Threads Non-Profit
- Black Panther Movement + Breakfast Program
Original air date: March 2023
Coffee, community, and connection are the ways that Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace advocate for their South Central LA community. As founders of the South LA Cafe and the South LA community nonprofit, this dynamic duo is paving the path toward food justice and community health. Learn how Celia, with her coaching and consulting background, and Joe, with his firefighting background, came together to create a place of gathering.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast! Podcast Resources:
- South LA website
Original air date: May 2022.
Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy and Professor at the UCLA School of Law, Michael Roberts, joins us to explain the complexities of governing food and why he always makes sure to check the labels before buying olive oil.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy
Original air date: July 2023.
Join us today for a lesson in environmental storytelling with Tamar Christensen. Everything about Tamar’s story is fascinating-- she is a writing instructor at UCLA, a Veteran, a composter, a chicken mom, and a zero-waste lifestyle icon. We hear about how she sold her car after a transformative trip to Europe, how she gave food nonprofit Nourish LA a home at UCLA, and how she structures her creative writing classes around navigating eco-anxiety and knowing one’s place in the climate crisis.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Nourish LA
- Daily Bruin Article
- Tamar Christensen Writing Programs
Original air date: March 1st, 2023
Why is controversy a good thing? What does it mean to have five eyes? Why is there no such thing as spectatorship?
This is what we set out to uncover in Part 2 of our Special Series with Peter Sellars, world-renowned theater and opera director. Join us as we discuss imagining new and revolutionary solutions to issues and injustices by centering art and community care.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Original release date: February 16, 2023.
Why were snakes at the original Olympics? How are the arts and sports intimately connected? How did the Greek tragedy come to be? We cover all of these questions in Part 1 of our Special 2 Part Interview with Peter Sellars.
Peter, with his gift of storytelling, takes us on a journey to the Olympics in ancient Greece, where health, theater, and the arts were of equal importance in this celebration of togetherness. Fast forward to today, we look at how arts and sports are both lifelong commitments to navigating struggle in thrilling, liberating, and uniting ways.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
This is the story of how noticing the abundant produce on citrus trees turned into what is now a 15 year old nonprofit, Food Forward, that transports nearly 90 million pounds of food to communities in need. Join us today as Rick Nahmias, founder and CEO of Food Forward, tells us that story and gives us insider tips to starting your own nonprofit, growing a team, and building meaningful relationships that help bring food where it belongs.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Food Forward
- Food Forward is Recognized by the White House For Its Commitment to End Hunger
If you’re even the slightest bit curious about community movement building, look no further. In today’s episode, Olivia Farr, nonprofit and environmental activist extraordinaire leading the Bedford 2030 campaign, tells us the why and how of meeting people where they’re at, and ultimately, creating ripple effects when it comes to making change in your community.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Hannah Richie’s “Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet”
- Bedford’s Recyclopedia
- Bedford 2030
While so much has changed in the food world, much has stayed the same -- we are making bread the same way Egyptians did thousands of years ago, according to today’s guest, Bill Yosses. In this episode, Bill Yosses, former White House Pastry Chef, teaches us how cooking has transcended language, and how innovative chefs and food leaders across the globe are using simple, ancient practices -- like harvesting heirloom seeds, eating locally and culturally, and using every part of an ingredient -- to make food more nutrient-dense and delicious.
If you liked this episode, you’d also like Episode #70 with Homa Dashtaki and Episode #53 with Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Blue Hill Restaurant
- Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
- Wish4Life Foundation
- Bill Yosses Books
This episode is abundant in resources for anyone and everyone interested in food equity, health, community activism, or journalism. Corby Kummer is more than a renowned journalist and food writer, he is a changemaker working to break down the barriers to nutrient-rich and culturally-appropriate food.
He asks the sort of perspective-shifting questions, as a writer and as the Executive Director of the Food and Society Program and the Aspen Institute, that can reframe our understanding of food access and food justice and, as he says, can help shine light where it’s not been shined before. This episode really dives into the importance of building community trust between researchers and communities and most importantly, bringing different groups together with cross-sector knowledge to create meaningful change in the food equity world.
If you liked this episode, you may also like Episode #61 about the Fresh Food Farmacy with Dr. Andrea Feinberg, or #68 Why Study Food?
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Food Leaders at Aspen Institute (Applications through February 20, 2024)
- UCLA Teaching Kitchen
- Food as Medicine Research Action Plan
- Coalition of Immokalee Farm Workers
- Foundations Mentioned: Marshall Project, Newmark Foundation, Knight Foundation
- Food Fix
- Food Politics
- Beyond Meat
How is pain different from suffering? Why is community a spiritual practice? In this episode, you’ll not only learn the answers to these questions, but uncover the story of Dr. Bill Resnick’s journey as a clinical psychiatrist, and mindfulness teacher. AND we’re gifted a ten-minute mindfulness meditation, a poem read aloud, and a sprinkling of Buddhist parables.
Dr. Bill Resnick is a clinical psychiatrist with an MD from University of Pennsylvania, working as a clinical psychiatrist for over 20 years. He now teaches residents Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, along with being an avid proponent of mindfulness, meditation, and community-gathering as the founder of the Big Bear Retreat Center.
If you liked this episode, you’d also like Episode #55 with Bob Thurman.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Big Bear Retreat Center
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris
- Insight LA
- Headspace
- Marc UCLA
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
See last episode for Dr. Bill Resnick's full-length interview!
How is pain different from suffering? Why is community a spiritual practice? In this episode, you’ll not only learn the answers to these questions, but uncover the story of Dr. Bill Resnick’s journey as a clinical psychiatrist, and mindfulness teacher. AND we’re gifted a ten-minute mindfulness meditation, a poem read aloud, and a sprinkling of Buddhist parables.
Dr. Bill Resnick is a clinical psychiatrist with an MD from University of Pennsylvania, working as a clinical psychiatrist for over 20 years. He now teaches residents Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, along with being an avid proponent of mindfulness, meditation, and community-gathering as the founder of the Big Bear Retreat Center.
If you liked this episode, you’d also like Episode #55 with Bob Thurman.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Big Bear Retreat Center
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris
- Insight LA
- Headspace
- Marc UCLA
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Today, we’re learning why yogurt is more than just protein and probiotics, but is the final result of an intricate and ancient yogurt-making practice that creates ease and cultiavtes belonging. Homa Dashtaki founded The White Moustache, a yogurt company that honors traditional Persian techniques and her Iranian descent. After a law career, Homa has published Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life and her yogurt has garnered acclaim from the New York Times, Vogue, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life
- The White Moustache
- Hudson Valley Fresh Co-Op
- Fast Company Article Mentioned: How One Woman Survived A Bad Career Break, Then Launched A Life-Changing Business
Feeling generous? It makes a real difference to us when you rate and review our podcast. Thank you!
Join us (again) for a conversation with the former NBA World Champion and one of the premier NBA defenders of his era, Metta Sandiford-Artest, previously known as Metta World Peace. Metta has been a leader in de-stigmatizing mental health in the world of professional sports and beyond by embracing vulnerability and sharing his life story.
Episode Resources:This re-release comes at a perefct time as we enter into colder, darker months. There are resources to support you.
Here are some at UCLA:
- UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services
- RISE Center at UCLA
- Stress and Resilience Wellness Check
National Mental Health Resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
- Phone: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- Website: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Crisis Text Line:
- Text "HELLO" to 741741
- Website: Crisis Text Line
- National Alliance on Mental Illness:
- Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (1-800-950-6264)
- Website: NAMI
- Mental Health America:
- Helpline: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
- Website: Mental Health America
3 guests. 2 hosts. And one big question: why study food? Join Dr. Amy Rowat, Chef Julia Rhoton, Laila Adarkar, and guest host, Kayleigh Ruller, on this exploration.
Food--accessing it, cooking it, gathering around it--is a powerful tool for inciting change on both an individual and community level. It’s a lens for understanding environmental, social, and political issues, near and far. How do we leverage the power of food? What does it mean to prioritize Food Studies in a large university setting?
UCLA is exploring these very questions through its educational programs, like the Food Studies Minor and the Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies, and the plethora of on-campus resources, the Teaching Kitchen, Bruin Dining, Community Programs Office, and beyond.
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Food Day 2023: Food & Country Screening, December 7th 2023, 7:00-9:00 pm, James Bridges Theater
- Register here: tinyurl.com/foodandcountryucla
- Teaching Kitchen
- Jane b semel HCI Community Garden
- UCLA CPO
- Food Studies Minor
- UCLA Extension Food Studies Certificate
- Westwood Food Co-Op
- UCLA Farmers Market
- EatWell Pod
This conversation with Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW'S Good Food, is a breath of fresh air, covering the practices and perspectives that sustain Evan’s regenerative, equitable, and of course, delicious approach to preparing a meal. The perspectives offered honor the transformative role that food can play in a complex social landscape, honoring each and every part of the food system.
Resources:
- The Teaching Kitchen
- Cook This Kit
- UCLA Farmers Market
- The Rothman Institute for Food Studies
- KCRW Good Food (Evan's podcast!)
Superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy tell a much more complex story than what meets the eye. Dr. Drea Letamendi, clinical psychologist, media consultant, TEDx Speaker, and former Interim Director of UCLA’s RISE center, talks with us today about the power of storytelling in the fictional media landscape-- how storytelling accelerates empathy and helps audiences navigate their own personal experiences of joy, grief, resilience, and healing.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Podcast Resources:
- UCLA Rise Center
- Dr. Drea’s website full of resources
- Dr. Drea’s The Arkham Sessions Podcast!
- UCLA Caps
Turns out, we need more wonder in our lives, beauty is a survival tool, and mushrooms are the greatest carbon-sequester solution for climate change. Learn about this and more through the words and wisdom of our guest today, Louie Schwartzberg. Louie Schwartzberg is an environmental activist, UCLA graduate, and award-winning artist, director, cinematographer. In this episode, Louie says that the messaging of the environmental movement has failed. Why? Because instead of just laying facts on the table, you have to tell a really good story to move people. And Louie tells the story of nature by capturing its abundant beauty in his breathtaking photography and videography seen on Netflix and Disney.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Louie Channel
- Moving Art by Louie Schwartzberg
- Louie’s Ted Talks
- NYT article about Dacher Keltner’s research on awe
- The Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center is partnering with Louie’s Moving Art for a research project on UCLA campus. If you would like to install Moving Art in your campus building or department, please email kruller@conet.ucla.edu.
Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides us through getting onboarded, choosing recommendations, bridging evidence to make preventive services more accessible for everyone.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- US Preventive Services Task Force
- UCLA Health
Why can preventive health services be covered by health insurance? Why should we be prioritizing research and screenings that close the evidence gaps in health research? And who can help shift these priorities? That’s the US Preventive Services Task Force. Today, our guest, Dr. Carol Mangione, past appointed chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and UCLA professor and physician, guides us through onboarding, choosing recommendations, and bridging evidence to make preventive services more accessible for everyone.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- US Preventive Services Task Force
- UCLA Health
What are the little things we can do to create ritual, reflection, and reduce stress as we navigate new transitions? As we enter into this upcoming school year and a new season, this re-released episode with Dr. Brenda Bursch will walk us through resilience tools -- from setting boundaries to putting plants in your office -- to navigate change with a bit more calm. Dr. Bursch, an expert in mental health and resilience, is a professor and clinical psychologist in the UCLA Departments Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences and Pediatrics. This re-released episode was originally our 36th episode in September 2021.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Part 1: Finding the Path Back to Meaning and Joy
- Part 2: Finding the Path Back to Meaning and Joy
- Mindful Awareness Research Center
Find Transcripts under each episode page on our website.
Join us today for a deep dive into how social determinants of health, the non-medical influences that contribute to someone’s health outcomes, can be addressed with a preventive, population-based approach, like Geisinger’s Fresh Food Farmacy. Dr. Andrea Feinberg guides us through this topic, outlining her work as a critical care ICU doctor, a population health leader, and as the lead doctor addressing chronic diabetes and food insecurity in Pennsylvania's communities through free meal programs and food education. The subsequent diabetes control results are striking, and serve as an example for further community-based approaches to healthcare.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, offer feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Harvard Business Review Article
- Geisinger Health
- Fresh Food Farmacy
Join us today for a lesson in environmental storytelling with Tamar Christensen. Everything about Tamar’s story is fascinating-- she is a writing instructor at UCLA, a Veteran, a composter, a chicken mom, and a zero-waste lifestyle icon. We hear about how she sold her car after a transformative trip to Europe, how she gave food nonprofit Nourish LA a home at UCLA, and how she structures her creative writing classes around navigating eco-anxiety and knowing one’s place in the climate crisis.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Nourish LA
- Daily Bruin Article
- Tamar Christensen Writing Programs
In this special “Behind the Mic” episode, podcast producer Kayleigh Ruller interviews Dr. Wendy Slusser to learn more about her career, her inspirations, her mentors, and how the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center came to be. Dr. Wendy Slusser has been leading the Semel HCI center for nearly a decade to advance health research, host summits, gather leaders, and embed health equity across campus.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Venice Family Clinic
- Eatwell Pod
- School Salad Bar Research
Today, Wendy chats with Matt St.Clair to learn about his advocacy work, starting with the ground-breaking UC Go Solar Campaign in 2003 to his current position as the UC’s Chief Sustainability officer. We learn about cross-department collaboration, effective communication for change, and staying grounded in mission. Enjoy!
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- UC Go Solar Campaign
- LEED Certification
- Sustainability Action Research
Hi listeners! We want to extend to you an invitation to our annual Semel HCI Celebration: Cultivating Community. Please RSVP (free) here. There will be food, music, performances, speeches, teaching demonstrations, and more. We will be honoring Louie Schwartzberg with the Eudaimonia Lifetime Achievement Award.
Come join us for an evening of gathering and celebration!
You don’t want to miss today’s episode--mainly because Wendy and Elizabeth reveal their reigning favorite salt! How’d we get there? Because Elizabeth shares how she guides her students through a mindful salt tasting--an exercise that embodies her research at the intersection of food and performance. A PhD candidate at UCLA in Theater and Performance Studies with a graduate certificate in Food Studies, Elizabeth discusses how she approaches food experiences and food justice through an artistic research lens.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Episode Resources + Mentions:
- Elizabeth’s Recent Newsroom article
- Sustainable LA Grand Challenge
- Donna Haraway, Staying with the Trouble
- UCLA REC Teaching Kitchen
- Common Threads Non-Profit
- Black Panther Movement + Breakfast Program
If you have ever visited UCLA, you have likely seen and heard piano melodies around campus. We have today’s guest, Jeremy Barrett, to thank for that. In this conversation, we hear how Jeremy’s Piano Project was sparked by a desire for community engagement. We learn how he pitched the concept to UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, and how eventually, he landed a job with music legend Quincy Jones. All of his outward success is guided by preparation, courage, and a desire to connect through the universal language of music.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Bob Thurman, longtime Professor of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, believes education is one of the most important aspects of being human, but not education in the way academics typically refer to. A Tibetan Buddhist writer, student, and teacher, Bob believes in the education of the soul---cultivating character, not simply mind, and revolutionizing culture toward equanimity, harmony, and justice.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Former UCLA gymnast, Anna Glenn, shares with us how she translated athleticism into advocacy during her time at UCLA and beyond. We found out how Anna is a masterful transitioner, so to speak--moving to LA from North Carolina, facing career-pausing injuries, being adopted, graduating in the pandemic, and embracing her Asian American identity.
Check out Anna’s Bruin Brave campaign here.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Coffee, community, and connection are the ways that Joe and Celia Ward-Wallace advocate for their South Central LA community. As founders of the South LA Cafe and the South LA community nonprofit, this dynamic duo is paving the path toward food justice and community health. Learn how Celia, with her coaching and consulting background, and Joe, with his firefighting background, came together to create a place of gathering in their neighborhood.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
How is controversy a good thing? What does it mean to have five eyes? Why is there no such thing as spectatorship?
This is what we set out to uncover in Part 2 of our Special Series with Peter Sellars, world-renowned theater and opera director. Join us as we discuss imagining new and revolutionary solutions to issues and injustices by centering art and community care.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Why were snakes at the original Olympics? How are the arts and sports intimately connected? How did the Greek tragedy come to be? We cover all of these questions in Part 1 of our Special 2 Part Interview with Peter Sellars.
Peter, with his gift of storytelling, takes us on a journey to the Olympics in ancient Greece, where health, theater, and the arts were of equal importance in this celebration of togetherness. Fast forward to today, we look at how arts and sports are both lifelong commitments to navigating struggle in thrilling, liberating, and uniting ways.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
Superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy tell a much more complex story than what meets the eye. Dr. Drea Letamendi, clinical psychologist, media consultant, TEDx Speaker, and former Interim Director of UCLA’s RISE center, talks with us today about the power of storytelling in the fictional media landscape-- how storytelling accelerates empathy and helps audiences navigate their own personal experiences of joy, grief, resilience, and healing.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
There is no better person to tell us how to acquire and enjoy traditional Japanese shiso leaves or the modern honeynut squash than Dr. James Bassett--a Master Gardener, beloved UCLA lecturer, and sustainability non-profit founder. An advocate for urban agriculture, James shares with us resources and tools regarding the practice of seed-saving. We learn how seed saving is a path to improving crop diversity, preserving food culture, and promoting soil and human health for the future.
Visit our website to explore other episodes, suggest guests, provide feedback, or invite Wendy to be a guest on your podcast!
This conversation with Evan Kleiman is a breath of fresh air, covering the practices and perspectives that sustain Evan’s regenerative, equitable, and of course, delicious approach to preparing a meal. The perspectives offered honor the transformative role that food can play in a complex social landscape, honoring each and every part of the food system.
KCRW's Good Food Podcast
Substack: Evan's Food Thoughts
Today, we’re getting the inside scoop on what it takes to lead empathetically and inclusively from UCLA’s very own Mick Deluca, Associate Vice Chancellor of Campus Life for over 30 years. In his work, Mick strives to create an environment that everyone has access to--from students and staff to future Olympians.
Talking with Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza is such a gift that I figured I would share our conversation with you again! The last time he and I chatted on the podcast was in 2018. While much has changed since then including his new role as the Executive Director of Racial Equity in Los Angeles County, this conversation about community empowerment remains as relevant as ever. Join us in revisiting D'Art's experiences in a variety of communities--from the military to leading the Social Justice Learning Institute-- in this LiveWell favorite.
Visit https://www.healthy.ucla.edu/media/livewellpodcast/ or @healthyucla on Instagram for more information. Thanks for listening!
Executive Director of the Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy and Professor at the UCLA School of Law, Michael Roberts, joins us to explain the complexities of governing food and why he makes always checks the labels before buying olive oil.
On the menu for dinner tonight at Bruin Plate at UCLA is a kale hummus, winter greens, and red quinoa flat bread. This is just another typical day at UCLA- dining colorfully, and enjoying vibrant, delicious and well-balanced meals.
How does UCLA serve gourmet meals everyday to its residents living on campus? Pete Angelis, the Assistant Vice Chancellor of UCLA Housing and Hospitality will tell you its all made possible through the care for and from his remarkable team. Keep listening to find out how UCLA has earned its No. 1 spot in the “2021 Best College Food in America” rankings for four years in a row.
Today we explore food through stories and folklore. The stories we tell, and the stories we hear have the ability to transport us to a different time and place. Join us for a conversation with UCLA Emeritus professor and expert in Irish Folklore, Dr. Joseph Nagy, about the symbolisms of food in folklore.
42: Pain Management and How to #HacktheVax with Dr. Jody Thomas by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
Join us today for a discussion about the relationship between planetary and human health with Former Director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health and Professor Emeritus at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA, Dr. Richard Jackson.
With over 1.4 million Kindergarten through grade 12 students, Los Angeles County schools had the enormous task of protecting the health and safety of its children when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Teachers and administrators quickly became experts in online education and environmental health and safety.
UCLA Pediatrician and Medical Epidemiologist for the LA County Department of Public Health, Dr. Nava Yeganeh, joins us today to address concerns for our children and discuss how schools continue to respond to the pandemic to ensure the safety of their students.
When is the best time to nap and what is the ideal length? How can you rethink your diet to help you get a better night’s sleep? Today, sleep neurologist and the Director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center Dr. Alon Avidan, explains the impact of COVID-19 on our sleep behavior and shares strategies to get a better nights sleep.
38: Part 3- Finding the Path Back to Meaning & Joy with Dr. Brenda Bursch by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
37: Part 2- Finding the Path Back to Meaning & Joy with Dr. Brenda Bursch by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
36: Part 1- Finding the Path Back to Meaning & Joy with Dr. Brenda Bursch by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
Dr. Peter Katona joins us today to talk about lessons learned from our country’s response to the pandemic. Tune in to learn about what our greatest public health challenges will be moving forward and how the COVID-19 pandemic fits in with the larger historical narrative of public health.
Is eating organic better for you? Today, we unpack this question and many more with Dr. Hilary Godwin as she discusses the relationship between climate change and our food systems.
Tune in to learn about what happens behind the scenes at a university with over 80,000 community members when faced with a pandemic.
Join us for a conversation with with the former NBA World Champion and one of the premier NBA defenders of his era, Metta Sandiford-Artest previously known as Metta World Peace. Metta has been a leader in de-stigmatizing mental health in the world of professional sports and beyond by opening up and sharing his life story.
31: Science and Food with Dr. Amy Rowat by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
Expert in resilience training and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Dr. Brenda Bursch shares tips on how we can boost our own resilience and reveals the science behind storytelling as a way to process trauma and integrate our emotions with our memories.
A panel discussion with three UCLA public health experts on translating COVID-19 research to our everyday lives.
Culture writer, DJ, sociology professor, and co-host of the album appreciation podcast “Heat Rocks”, Dr. Oliver Wang joins us to share his research on the ways in which Asian Americans participate in different forms of popular culture. Oliver has made it his mission and work to share the stories that have yet to be told--like the story of Filipino American Mobile DJs in the Bay Area or the story behind the travel patterns of the Kogi food trucks. Keep listening to hear some of these untold stories.
Moderated by Dr. Wendy Slusser and Dr. Amy Rowat, our panelists will discuss food apartheid, its impact on the health of marginalized groups, and how we can work towards a transformative and healthy future for all. Panelists: Karen Washington, Roy Choi, Dr. May Wang, Dr. Goetz Wolff.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS examines the importance of play and downtime for all of us – children, adults, seniors and animals. It is a tapestry of interwoven characters that takes a look at the health benefits of the play state as well as its recent decline in our lives.
Tune in now to panel discussion on the relationship between play and health equity led by Executive Director of UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Dr. Nicole Green.
Join Dr. Wendy Slusser in a two-part conversation with with UCLA Public Health Doctoral student, Hannah Malan, about how she has applied her background in communication and research in food insecurity to a social cause that she is passionate about—feeding our planet sustainably and equitably.
Join Dr. Wendy Slusser in a two-part conversation with with UCLA Public Health Doctoral student, Hannah Malan, about how she has applied her background in communication and research in food insecurity to a social cause that she is passionate about—feeding our planet sustainably and equitably.
25: Being a Changemaker with Savannah Gardner by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
Dr. Wendy Slusser chats with Fielding School of Public Health Professor and medical sociologist Michael Goldstein about the origins of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center and what it takes to create long-lasting culture change. Keep listening to hear about how social change begins not with rationality but through social movements.
Tune in to hear about how Carolanne Link and Michael Garafola have been leaders at UCLA to create a more accessible and empathetic campus and to learn about their life stories that have brought them together under the Eudaimonia umbrella.
Join Dr. Wendy Slusser as she travels back in time with UCLA Dr. Amr Shahat to discover what ancient Egyptians ate and learn about how the scientific analysis of food remnants can tell us the stories of how ancient Egyptians lived.
21: Part 2 - The Circuitry behind our Social World with Ted Robles by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
In the United States, almost 8/10 members of the Gen Z generation and 7/10 of Millennials reported being lonely in 2019. As if it could get any worse, many experts say even more people are lonely since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Today, UCLA social well-being expert, Dr. Ted Robles will discuss with Dr. Wendy Slusser how stress, social support and close intimate relationships can impact our health.
Join Wendy and Ted in the first of a two part episode as they dive into Ted’s research. In this first part, they will explore how each of us can build stronger and more resilient social networks and prevent loneliness.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in the United States, the existing inequities and vulnerabilities of our food systems were starkly exposed. Join Dr. Wendy Slusser as she chats with co-founder and "Chief of What’s Next" at the Center for Good Food Purchasing, Paula Daniels, about how we can meet this moment to make transformative progress in our food systems.
Join Dr. Wendy Slusser as she chats with President and Chief Operating Officer of San Jose Water, Andy Gere, about the ins and outs of running a water company. What does it take to provide affordable, clean and safe water to drink? How does running a water company relate to environmental stewardship?
The pandemic and the nationwide uprising against racism have starkly exposed deep disparities and inequities in the quality of and access to basic needs like education and health care. Join Dr. Wendy Slusser as she chats with D’Artagnan Scorza about the compensatory role of education and what we can do to address our nation’s inequities.
Join Dr. Wendy Slusser as she chats with Renee Fortier, the Executive Director of UCLA Events and Transportation, about how UCLA has responded to ensure safe transportation during these uncertain times.
Dr. Wendy Slusser chats with Professor Dr. Dawn Upchurch from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health about the health benefits of mindfulness and meditation and how we can incorporate this into our lives now.
14: Cultural Determinants of Design with Dr. Anastasia Lukaitou-Sideris by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
With the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of us are paying more attention to our food supply chains. This present moment is bringing issues in our food systems to the forefront. Today, I’ll be chatting with Galen McCleary from Patagonia Provisions about how this current moment presents an opportunity to shift our perspective of food towards a more sustainable and healthful one, and how Patagonia Provisions is “rethinking our food chain.”
In the United States, every other person over the age of 20 either has prediabetes or diabetes. What exactly is diabetes and what are the risk factors for it? What can you do if you are at risk or have diabetes? Join us today as Dr. Moin unpacks these questions and shares what a successful diabetes prevention intervention looks like.
During these uncertain and rapidly changing times, many of us may find ourselves constantly checking the news and social media. However, prolonged and repeated exposure to such media may actually be harmful to our health. Today, I chat with Dr. Roxane Cohen Silver, Professor of Psychological Science, Medicine and Public Health at UC Irvine and the Associate Director of the UCI ADVANCE Program in the Office of Inclusive Excellence, about the public health consequences of media exposure.
Today, I will be chatting with Ayesha Dixon, the Director of UCLA’s Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center, about the effects of COVID-19 on the lives of seniors and what we can all do to help reduce this isolation and loneliness.
Today, I chat with Dr. Emeran Mayer, Director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress & Resilience and UCLA Distinguished Professor of Medicine, about the bidirectional communication between our mind, brain and gut. We'll talk about what the mind-gut connection is, how it may be affected during these unique times and how we can improve our diet to foster a healthier microbiome.
There’s no doubt that we are all being challenged in our adjustment into a new way of life; however, as Dr. Chris Dunkel Schetter puts it, building resilience in this moment will make us all more adept to face the rest of life’s challenges. Join me as I chat with UCLA Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and co-leader of the EngageWell Pod, Dr. Chris Dunkel Schetter about building resilience in this moment.
Join us for a conversation with the Founding Dean of the National University of Singapore School of Public Health about how we can "accept, define and delight" in the new "normal".
Join us for a conversation with UCLA's Chief of Medical Psychology, Dr. Bob Bilder and Executive Director of UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services, Dr. Nicole Green about how to take care of your mental health during these uncertain times. As the co-leaders of the Semel HCI Center MindWell Pod, Nicole and Bob will also share actionable tips and available resources for you to help manage stress and anxiety in our transition into this new way of life.
In just a short time, our lives have changed dramatically. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has challenged us all in different ways to cope, adapt, and grow. As we face this global challenge together, we are reminded that health is not an individual experience, but a collective one. As UCLA transitions to an online and virtual format, the Semel Healthy Initiative Center Continues to think outside the box and rely on science as our ally to create a culture of health.
In this special series of the LiveWell podcast, we will be interviewing leaders around the world about how we can transition into this new way of life while taking care of our mental health and social well-being. We hope you enjoy!
To kick off this special series,"6 feet apart," UCLA’s Professor of Psychology and co-leader of the EngageWell Pod, Dr. Ted Robles, talks about how we can stay socially engaged and support each other while we practice social distancing.
Join me as I talk to D’Artagnan about his life journey and the meaningful work that he is doing in own backyard and across the country to empower people and communities to thrive.
3: How can we Save Patient Planet Earth? - Dr. Jonathan Fielding by Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA
Why do we crave brownies instead of fruit when we are stressed? Why are mashed potatoes and mac and cheese comfort foods instead of roasted veggies and refreshing salads? Today, Janet will answer these questions as well as unpack stress and weight stigma. She will even share tips to creating long-lasting habits for a healthy lifestyle.
What are the origins of hearing? What is the evolutionary benefit of music? And why do we get chills when we listen to certain songs? Today, we will talk to UCLA neuropsychology expert Dr. Bob Bilder about the neuroscience behind music and its benefit for our health and wellness.