Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan: #1 Podcast for Inspiring Conversations to Live and Lead On Purpose

Navigating Grief Part 1: Grief as a Full-Body Experience – Tools for Healing, Leadership, and Life with Dr. Korie Leigh

Today’s episode is part one of a special two-episode series on grief on Make It a Great One with Dr. Dan. Dr. Dan interviews Dr. Korie Leigh [https://www.korieleighphd.com/], author, speaker, and thanatologist (a specialist who studies death, dying, and bereavement) to discuss her book  When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief [https://www.amazon.com/When-Everything-Changes-Parenting-ParentingTM/dp/B0FDZTZDQD] and to unpack myths about grief. Dr. Korie shares her compassionate and realistic framework that grief is a full-body, lifelong experience that integrates into who we are –it touches our emotions, our identity, our relationships, our work, and our leadership. She introduces the concept of grief-informed leadership and explores how to lead through challenging times with compassion and insight. Dr. Dan and Dr. Leigh also discuss how children process loss and how families can navigate loss. Today’s episode reminds us that grief is a universal human experience to honor, integrate, explore, and grow around -- regardless of age.  For more information, visit www.korieleighphd.com [https://www.korieleighphd.com] and follow @drkorieleigh [https://www.instagram.com/drkorieleigh/] on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com [http://www.drdanpeters.com] and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one.– Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Timeless Vision: Redefining Aging with Purpose, Growth & Empowerment with Dr. Durga Larkin

Dr. Dan sits down with ophthalmic surgeon and internationally bestselling author Dr. Durga Larkin [https://durgalarkinmd.com/] to explore a powerful topic that affects us all: aging. In this eye-opening conversation, Dr. Durga reframes aging not as a period of decline, but as a time of expansion. Together, Dr. Dan and Dr. Durga examine why some of our most meaningful and fulfilling years may still lie ahead. Drawing from her book Timeless Vision: Empowered Aging Redefined [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1774823810], Dr. Durga shares insights that invite us to reconsider what it truly means to grow older—with purpose, courage, and greater self-awareness. Dr. Durga shares how a life-altering injury forced her to confront her own identity and resilience. When she fractured her dominant surgical arm, she was faced with a profound question: Who am I if I can’t do the thing that has defined me for decades? This experience transformed Dr. Durga, and she emerged with clarity, empowerment, and an expanded vision for her next chapter.  Today’s episode explores the scarcity vs. abundance mindset, the power of vision and visualization, and why it’s never too late to expand, evolve, and become who you’re meant to be personally and professionally. Dr. Durga’s awakening is one we can all experience. Her journey and her book prove we can live vibrantly, intentionally, and with deep authenticity at any age – and especially as we age. For more information, please visit www.durgalarkinmd.com [https://durgalarkinmd.com/] and follow @drdurgalarkin on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com [http://www.drdanpeters.com] and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one.– Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Teachers as First Responders: Resilience, Regulation, and the Future of Education with Larry Davis

Dr. Dan reconnects with his very first podcast guest(!) veteran educator and special education advocate Larry Davis to explore what it truly means to teach—and lead—in today’s world. Drawing from more than four decades in education across 11 school districts, Larry shares insights from his new book, The Happy Camper Classroom [https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Camper-Classroom-Contention-Contentment/dp/B0G6T3R7VQ], and reframes teaching as one of the most demanding leadership roles in our society. Today’s educators are not simply delivering curriculum—they are first responders, social workers, emotional anchors, and architects of belonging. At the heart of this episode is a powerful truth: learning cannot happen without safety, connection, and regulation. Larry explains why compliance is no longer the glue that holds classrooms together—and what must replace it. Through resilience, self-awareness, compassion, and authentic connection, teachers can create environments where students feel safe, valued, and empowered. This conversation extends beyond education and is for every age and every stage of life. Dr. Dan and Larry’s discussion about leadership, personal growth, and the courage to look inward will inspire and enlighten listeners.  When we shift from a reactive mindset to a resilient one we can embrace discomfort as a pathway to growth.  For more information please visit www.thehappycamperclassroom.com [https://www.thehappycamperclassroom.com/] and www.specialeducationadvocacy.org [https://www.specialeducationadvocacy.org/].  Contact Larry ldavissped at gmail dot com. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com [http://www.drdanpeters.com] and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one.– Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Practice of Attention: Reclaiming Presence in a Distracted World with Cody Cook-Parrott

Dr. Dan sits down with Cody Cook-Parrott, author of The Practice of Attention: Cultivating Presence in a Distracted World [https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-practice-of-attention-cultivating-presence-in-a-distracted-world-cody-cook-parrott/a90f7db40fef836e?ean=9781649634146&next=t&next=t&affiliate=5140], to explore what happens when we reclaim our focus from technology, perfectionism, and fear. Drawing from nearly 15 years of sobriety, lived experience with ADHD, creative practice, and stepping away from social media, Cody shares how attention is not just about productivity — it’s about presence, integrity, and self-trust.  An artist, writer, teacher, and dancer, Cody teaches us attention is the currency of our lives  – and that most of us are spending it without realizing it. Dr. Dan and Cody urge listeners to remember that attention shapes not just what we see but who we become. They challenge us to reclaim our time and focus so life feels like it belongs to us again. Cody Cook-Parrott is the author of six books, including the new The Practice of Attention [https://www.codycookparrott.com/home]. For more information visit www.codycookparrott.com [https://www.codycookparrott.com/]. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com [http://www.drdanpeters.com] and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one.– Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The Curiosity Curve: Why Great Leaders Ask Better Questions with Dr. Debra Clary

In this powerful conversation, Dr. Dan sits down with leadership strategist, researcher, and executive coach and author Dr. Debra Clary [https://debraclary.com/] to explore why curiosity may be the most overlooked—and most essential—leadership skill of our time. Deb shares her remarkable journey from driving a Frito-Lay delivery truck after earning her MBA to advising Fortune 500 executives and the publication of her book The Curiosity Curve: A Leader’s Guide to Growth and Transformation Through Bold Question [https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-Curve-Leaders-Transformation-Questions/dp/1639081380]. Along the way, she reveals how resilience, humility, and bold questions shaped her leadership philosophy and helped spark transformational change inside some of the world’s most iconic organizations. Together, Dr. Dan and Debra explore why certainty can hinder growth, how curiosity fuels engagement and performance, and why fear and curiosity cannot coexist in the brain. They explore the role curiosity plays not just in leadership and business, but in parenting, relationships, creativity, and human connection. This episode is a compelling reminder that asking better questions—without an agenda—can unlock innovation, strengthen relationships, and create cultures where people feel seen, heard, and valued. For more information visit www.debraclary.com [http://www.debraclary.com] and follow @the_curiosity_curve on Instagram. Please listen, follow, rate, and review Make It a Great One on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow @drdanpeters on social media. Visit www.drdanpeters.com [http://www.drdanpeters.com/] and send your questions or guest pitches to podcast@drdanpeters.com. We have this moment, this day, and this life—let’s make it a great one. – Dr. Dan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]