The Release Podcast

Frederic Luskin, Director of Stanford's 'Forgiveness Project,' and Author of 'Forgive For Good'

Forgiving someone who apologizes and changes their behavior is one thing. Or forgiving someone you can remove from your life. But how do you forgive someone who keeps hurting you? As the Director of Stanford University’s Forgiveness Project, and Author of Forgive for Good, Frederic Luskin has dedicated himself to answering these questions. Frederic has his Phd, is the Department Chair for Clinical Psych at Sofia University, and is one of the world’s leading researchers and speakers on the topic of forgiveness. He came by the topic honestly, as you’ll hear on today’s podcast, when he puzzled through difficult relationship situations with a friend, as well as with his mother in law. It was Fred’s wife who gets the credit for ultimately waking him up to how his own unforgiveness was a choice.  On today’s episode we define forgiveness, identify how we know when we have forgiven…and look at the 9 stages of forgiveness which Fred identifies. Nobody wants to hold on to the stress of the past. Nobody wants to admit they are unforgiving of others, or of themselves. But according to Fred, we are all to blame for how refusing to forgive hurts us. And in every single moment of our lives, if we can accept what forgiveness really means about accepting reality…we have the power to be free.

Carlos Andres Gomez, Author of MAN UP, Student of Modern Masculinity

What is the correct way to do modern masculinity…and how can we teach our sons to get it right? CARLOS ANDRÉS GÓMEZ is the author of the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood. On today’s episode we talk about why the phrase toxic masculinity is so triggering, how to guide our sons towards healthy masculinity without overcorrecting…and how loneliness could be the root of most of humanity’s problems.

Julia Hotz, Author of THE CONNECTION CURE: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging

Julia Hotz, Author of THE CONNECTION CURE: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging How over-medicated are we? How much of what ails us could be healed by going back to the ways we evolved to live? Julia Hotz is the author of a book looking to answer questions like these. "The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging" is the very first book to make the case for social prescribing. Hotz is a solutions focused journalist whose stories have appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Scientific American, The Boston Globe, Time, and more. In The Connection Cure, she presents the history of how we came to rely on medical intervention for mental health challenges in the first place, and outlines how we are neglecting ourselves deeper into unrest nearly every day. Without discounting the validity of pharmaceutical medicine in some cases, she is making a case for a much more complete picture of what the cure for our collectively rising anxiety and depression might actually look like, and how much of it we may actually be able to control. On today’s episode we are talking about the origins of SSRIs, the definition of social prescribing, and the perils of isolation, in all its forms. From directed attention fatigue to quiet fascination, Hotz is full of suggestions for how we can better manage our minds, with and without medication. To hear her tell it…there may just be hope for all of us…yet. Subscribe today! www.TheReleasePodcast.com

Mark Bowden, Voted The World’s #1 Body Language Expert, on The Presidential Election

How many repetitions of a targeted new body language gesture does it take to win over a swing voter? Mark Bowden has been voted the #1 Body Language Professional in the world. Born in England and building off an early career as an actor on screen and stage, Mark pioneered nonverbal analysis of human behaviors intended to persuade. His techniques are trusted by business leaders, Fortune 500 companies, politicians, and G7 prime ministers, as well as the millions who have watched his TEDx talk, his Youtube Channel, his media commentary and his appearances with Dr Phil, or read his bestselling books including Winning Body Language, Tame the Primitive Brain, or TRUTH & LIES: What People are Really Thinking. On today’s podcast we’re talking about body language in the election, and in particular with regards to winning over so-called swing voters. How can Kamala Harris set her self up for success? And what misperceptions specifically is she trying to outrun? Similarly for Trump, what’s the best strategy for winning over swing voters who might be won over…as long as they’re not subconsciously turned off? What is the impact of voice register on voters when coming from a woman versus a man? How powerful can a candidate’s hand gestures really be? What was Mark’s impression of Trump’s body language following the assassination attempt? And how many repetitions of a carefully constructed new gesture does it take to change a voter’s perception? Listen to the end for insight into how Mark manages to win over thousands of people at once while giving his keynotes…because their results, and his business, depend on it.

Pete Earley, Pulitzer Finalist and Author of NO HUMAN CONTACT: Based on personal access to Terrible Tom Silverstein (the most isolated prisoner in US ...

Pete Earley is a Pulitzer-finalist, a mental health advocate, a Washington Post journalist turned bestselling author of 15 books including Family of Spies (inside the John walker spy ring), The Hot House (Life inside Leavenworth prison), and Crazy (A father’s search through americas mental health madness). Earley also wrote a series of novels including Duplicity, Treason, and Vengeance along with Newt Gingrich. Diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 cancer, Earley has become a little philosophical about “whether being with each other is what makes us human”, among other things. Early's latest and accordion to him, final book, is NO HUMAN CONTACT: SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, MAXIMUM SECURITY AND TWO INMATES WHO CHANGED THE SYSTEM. The book was based on the rare access Earlery was granted to notorious inmate Terrible Tom Silverstein. Silverstein was convicted of armed robbery among other things and sentenced to life, rose to become a leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang, and then brutally murdered a CO, stabbing him 40 times inside of a federal prison. Convinced that he and another inmate who’d killed a CO on the same day were beyond redemption….the bureau of prisons sentenced Sivlerstein to NO HUMAN CONTACT, which began his stay as the most isolated prisoner in US history. No TV, no magazines, no letters, no phone calls, no window, no hot water, no paper, no pencils, and no darkness to indicate whether it was day or night. Inside of a cell as wide as a king-sized bed, where Silverstein would touch the ceiling. Pete Earley was the only journalist ever granted personal access to Terrible Tom, and the two developed a friendship which lasted for three decades. That kind of experience could draw the philosopher out of any man. On today’s podcast we dig in to the motivations of a journalist, the heart of a murderer, and the nature of humanity. Without ever excusing his actions….Peter and I talk about how Silversteins childhood might have trained the humanity out of him, and whether Earley thinks he ever had a chance at functioning in society at all. The through line in Earley’s work is that he wants to see how other people live, and that has flowed from his work with inmates through his battle to support his bipolar son, to his insights into America’s homeless. Together we consider whether it is the need to connect that is most core to the human condition…or whether it is the need to believe we can be seen. The most surprising part of our interview is not that Early spoke with a mass murderer who reached the same conclusion about love as the late great Elie Weisel. The most surprising part of our interview, for me…is how easy it was to believe that Terrible Tom Silverstein…leader of the Aryan Brotherhood…famed murderer…lifelong criminal…and America’s most isolated prisoner….could turn into a divorce counselor for his visitor, biographer…and eventual friend…Pete Early. You’ve really gotta read NO HUMAN CONTACT.