A wonderful encore episode. I loved talking to today’s guest, Kieran Setiya, an Author and Professor of philosophy at MIT. I’ve always loved philosophy, but I was especially taken with the way Kieran applies it to our most challenging events, as well as to our day to day lives. In his book Life Is Hard, How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way — he offers us a roadmap for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to loneliness to grief to failure and the myth of the ideal life to injustice and even the absurdity of the world. It’s hard to summarize this discussion because there’s so much here, but his wisdom is rich with guidance on how we can face suffering and life’s inevitable hardships. He’s so eloquent in how he shares his insights on life >> from his rich archive of philosophy to his own personal journey. Life is a collection of small successes and small failures. And A good life, he says, is a way of living every day, DESPITE the hard stuff. He inspired me to reflect on quite a bit here. How do I live well, what makes a life meaningful, how do I face regret, aging, uncertainty…even what should I hope for given where I am in my own life. 

He was originally inspired to philosophy by his own sense of wonder and undertow of worry at 7 yrs old. I love that…a blend of worry and wonder, anxiety and awe. How perfectly true!!

Kieran is also the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times,the Boston Review,the London Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The Yale Review.

As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential. Check out choosemuse.com and use code untangle15 for your discount. 

Resource: ksetiya.net

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Today's meditation is by Melli O'Brien and was created to inspire you to connect with what matters most. It can also be found on the Muse and Meditation Studio apps.

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Today, we’re exploring this question…What does it mean to feel truly worthy? Our guest is Psychologist, relationship expert and best selling author Dr. Marisa G. Franco. You may know her from her previous book, Platonic, which completely transformed how we think about friendship. In this discussion, We explore her groundbreaking new book, Worth, The New Science of Self Esteem and Secure Attachment. She begins by sharing her own vulnerable personal story of how her relationship's collapse revealed what she calls a "secure facade"—a protective play-acting of security that masked deep unworthiness and self-abandonment.

She unpacks why our culture’s obsession with secure attachment has turned it into an exhausting status symbol. Marisa explains why the path to genuine healing isn't pretending we are perfectly secure, but embracing a "secure-ish" life where we acknowledge our anxieties and avoidances instead of shaming them. From the neuroscience of repressed emotions to practical exercises like memory reconsolidation, tapping, and present-moment reparenting, this conversation offers a powerful, science-backed roadmap to restoring your attachment to yourself. This is an episode about, letting go of the need to prove ourselves, and finding the freedom to to be exactly who you need to be. 

Resources: drmarisagfranco.com

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Welcome to a special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationships stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 75 of the world’s top meditation experts.

And best of all…Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

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Today we have the absolute joy of welcoming back a very dear friend and brilliant author, Anese Cavanaugh.

We all experience endings—relationships, jobs, friendships, identities, and chapters of life we never expected to leave behind. But what if the way we navigate an ending can truly shape the quality of what comes next? Can help us become more of who we were always meant to be. 

Today we discuss her newest book, Excellent Endings. Anese shares how her own divorce—an experience she describes as the “completion” of a chapter—inspired a guide to moving through life’s hardest transitions with greater intention, self-compassion, and care.

We talk about her Intentional Energetic Presence methodology which you may recall from her previous interview, why confidence is an inside job, and how to stay aligned with yourself when emotions are running high. Anese also explains why gratitude isn’t about pretending everything is fine, how to recognize when you’re holding on too tightly, and why moving from grief to curiosity can open the door to learning and renewal.

This is a compassionate, honest conversation about giving yourself permission to pause, honor what hurts, and become more fully yourself through every ending and new beginning.

Resource: Anesecavanaugh.com

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A Soothing meditation to guide you to a peaceful sleep.

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Everyone once in a while…life changes. Unexpectedly. One day you’re going about your business as if things will always be as they are, and the next, it feels like the furniture of your future has been completely rearranged. 

In this deeply moving conversation, bestselling author and Obama White House alum, Marisa Renee Lee shares how a devastating battle with long COVID, layered on top of profound family loss and caregiving, transformed her understanding of grief, identity, resilience, and hope. Marisa is known for her groundbreaking books, Waiting For Dawn, Living with Uncertainty and Grief Is Love, She shares some of the unexpected lessons from living with chronic illness and why joy isn't something we find after suffering—it's something we can intentionally cultivate alongside it.

She also shares her coping strategies to help us stay connected to joy. 

Together, we explore self-compassion, the courage to accept help, resilience, and the small moments that can sustain us through life's darkest seasons.

And…one of her biggest joys at the moment is her 4 month old Portuguese water dog Luna…and you will hear her little squeals in the background. She clearly wanted to play while we were chatting. it made me smile. 

Resource:  marisareneelee.com 

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Welcome to a weekly special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationship stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 70 of the world’s top meditation experts.

And best of all, you can now unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

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Todays encore episode is with Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald, Trauma researcher and Author of the book, "The Joy Reset: Six Ways Trauma Steals Happiness and How to Get It Back.” Her book isn’t just about finding joy; it’s about rewiring our brains and rediscovering our power to cultivate joy EVEN in the darkest moments of life. 

She describes the barriers that keep us from accessing joy—hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame—and then defines ways to tap into positive emotions that can become the very foundation of psychological resilience.

 In our interview she shares some exercises that make joy, hope and gratitude both bite-sized and accessible and how they can show up even in our toughest moments.

I love how she weaves neuroscience into her exploration of trauma and joy, explaining how our brains are biologically wired to both adapt to trauma and heal from it. And…good news…we ARE always biologically capable of joy. 

Quote from her website: "Joy does not exist only in the moments that are free of pain. In fact, the brightest, tiniest, most important pieces can only be found in the dark. I want to teach you how to harness and amplify the power of that glinting magic–because this sustainable, endless light source will do more than help you get through your darkest, scariest, loneliest times."

As always, we’re untangle, the podcast from Muse the brain sensing headband that helps to transform your brain. Use promo code untangle 15 at choosemuse.com for your discount. 

Resource: https://www.drmcmcdonald.com/

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Welcome to a weekly special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationship stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 70 of the world’s top meditation experts.

And best of all, you can now unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When you hear the word retreat, you probably imagine an expensive getaway, a yoga retreat in Bali, or a silent meditation center tucked away in the mountains. But what if retreating was something you could do for an hour in your own home—and what if those small moments could transform your sense of wellbeing, creativity, relationships, and overall peace of mind? Sounds pretty good, right? 

Today's guest is Caroline Sylge, a poet, author and journalist and a trusted expert on retreats and retreating. She is the founder of the retreat platform queenofretreats.com, powered by The Global Retreat Company. And she's the author of the book we discuss today, How to Retreat, a Guide to Stepping Away from the Everyday to Find Space for Your Self.

Retreating, she says, isn't about escaping your life—it's about stepping away just long enough to return with more clarity, energy, and purpose.

We explore how anyone can create meaningful "micro-retreats," why doing nothing can actually be deeply restorative, the surprising connection between retreating and creativity, and practical ways to build moments of reflection into everyday life—without spending a fortune or leaving home.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or simply craving more peace, this episode offers practical tools to help you reconnect with yourself and create space for what matters most.

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