On Addiction, Recovery & Achieving Happiness Through Service

Addiction is tenacious. We're all craven animals, vulnerable to habits that don't serve us. Whether it’s a constantly checking social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, most of us fall prey to compulsions we feel powerless to arrest. Why is this? And what can neuroscience teach us about the nature of cravings and how to overcome them? Dr. Jud Brewer has devoted his career to answering these questions. His discoveries just might change your life. A psychiatrist, neuroscientist, thought leader and scientific researcher in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery”, Dr. Brewer is the founder of MindSciences and Director of Research and Innovation at the Brown University Mindfulness Center. Formerly, he served as an associate professor in Medicine and Psychiatry at UMass Medical School, an adjunct faculty member at Yale University, and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Brewer has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has trained U.S.A. Olympic coaches. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, Time magazine, Forbes, BBC, NPR, Businessweek and many other prominent media outlets. And his TED Talk, A Simple Way To Break A Bad Habit, is the 4th most viewed TED talk of 2016 with over 13 million views to date. As a long-time recovering alcoholic prone to a myriad of compulsive behaviors, it's fair to say that habit change is an obsession. Always on the hunt to extend my sobriety routine beyond 12-step, I came across Dr. Brewer's book, The Craving Mind. A scientific primer on the mechanisms of habit and addiction formation, it makes the case for how mindfulness can help us transcend cravings, reduce stress, and ultimately live a fuller life. I was compelled by Dr. Brewer's findings. I needed to know more. And so here we are. This is a powerful and potentially life altering conversation about the psychiatric and neurological nature of addiction. It's a deep dive into the science of habit change. And it's a master class on how meditation and mindfulness can help us finally overcome the unhealthy patterns that live between our reality and the best version of ourselves lurking within. Note: As a special thanks for listening, Dr. Brewer was gracious enough to offer my listeners a special discount on his evidence based habit change programs specifically designed to overcome anxiety and cravings. Visit drjud/richroll and enter code RICHROLL2019 and you will receive 20% off a subscription to any of his three apps for Android or iPhone (Unwinding Anxiety, Eat Right Now and Craving to Quit). As a disclaimer, I am not an affiliate and have no financial interest or otherwise with these programs – just sharing the good doctor's kind offer. The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube.  A companion piece to my recent podcast with Atomic Habits author James Clear, my hope is that this solution-based exchange assists you in overcoming the compulsions that don't serve you On a personal level, I learned a ton — and have already experienced positive results. Enjoy! Rich

7 Okt 20192h 11min

He's best known for popularizing Stoicism — an ancient philosophical yet highly practical operating system he pioneered to mainstream, modern adoption. In his latest turn, Ryan Holiday expands his lens East. In pursuit of shared wisdom across ancient Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Hebrew, Greek, Christian and Epicurean traditions, he discovered one essential truth — that inner peace is essential to a life of purpose, meaning and fulfillment. Ryan calls it stillness — to be steady while the world spins around you. A crucial characteristic of all great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes and visionaries, it's a practice to transcend the stress of everyday life. An antidote to the distractions of our fast-paced world. And the ultimate path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever. For those unfamiliar, Ryan is an autodidact who dropped out of college at 19, maturing into one of the most important thinkers of his generation. Now 32, he is a media strategist, prolific writer and public speaker with six perennial bestselling books to his name, including Ego Is The Enemy,The Obstacle Is The Way, and Conspiracy.  Making the digestible case for why slowing down is the secret weapon for charging ahead, Ryan's latest release — aptly titled Stillness Is The Key (hitting bookstores everywhere this week) — is your next must read and read again primer on living your best life. Returning for this third appearance on the podcast (check out RRP #168 and #239), today we explore the essential elements of stillness — and its limitless applications for profound personal self-improvement. Want to avoid distractions? Develop greater insight? Unlock creativity? Improve your decision making? Better your parenting skills? Enhance athletic performance? The incredible power and practicality of cultivating placidity in our increasingly turbulent, tumultuous, reactive, distraction monopolized lives simply cannot be overstated. Stillness is the key. You can watch it all go down on YouTube.  I have great fondness for this human. I absolutely love this exchange. And sincerely hope you do as well. Peace + Plants, Rich

30 Sep 20192h 31min

How do you find your path in the vast shadow cast by one of history's most accomplished and beloved humans? For Laila Ali, the daughter of late global icon and humanitarian Muhammad Ali (the 8th of his 9 children), it wasn't easy. It wasn't always pretty. But over time, she found her voice. Staked her claim in very the ring that propelled her father to god-like status. And transcended that shadow as a multi-faceted talent that honors her father and yet is hers alone. Although she was never an athlete growing up — and didn't take to the pugilistic arts until she was 18 — Laila would become the most successful female in the history of women’s boxing. A 4-time undefeated world champion, she racked up 24 wins, 21 knockouts and zero losses over the course of her storied career. Retirement was just the beginning. Today the mother of two is a fitness & wellness advocate, TV host, home chef, cookbook author, and founder of the Laila Ali Lifestyle Brand. A cultural icon in her own right, Laila currently hosts the Emmy Award Winning show Home Made Simple (which airs every Saturday on the Oprah Winfrey Network) and has appeared on everything from Celebrity Apprentice to Dancing With The Stars as well as Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America and many other national media outlets. This is a conversation about the interior experience of growing up as a daughter of ‘The Greatest' — and the pressures and expectations that held. It's about growing up in a broken household. The troubled youth that followed. Getting arrested. Meeting her bottom in a juvenile detention home. And the journey that followed to recreate herself. It's about her often misunderstood career as a professional boxer. The entrepreneurism that propels her success. And the legacy she is dedicated to emulating. But more than anything, this is a conversation about mindset. The cultivation of self-belief required to become a champion. Letting go of other's expectations. Developing the courage to fail. And the tools required to make your unique impact on the world. You can watch it all go down on YouTube.  I had a ton of fun with Laila. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange! Peace + Plants, Rich

23 Sep 20191h 49min

Newly rebranded from Guru Corner to Guru Multiverse — because after all the infinite has no sharp edges — today marks yet another deep dive with Guru Singh, my treasured friend and favorite wizard of all things mystical. For those newer to the show, imagine a modern-day Gandalf who rocks like Hendrix while dropping pearls of wisdom that beautifully fuse Eastern mysticism with Western pragmatism. A celebrated third-generation Sikh yogi, master spiritual teacher, author, and family man, for the past 40 years Guru Singh has been studying and teaching Kundalini Yoga. He is the author of several books, a powerful lecturer, and behind-the-scenes guide to many a luminary, including Fortune 500 CEOs, athletes, and artists. A peer of rock legends like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, Guru Singh is also a talented musician who began his recording career on Warner Bros’ Reprise label in the 1960s. When he isn’t recording tracks with people like Seal, he’s bringing down the house on the daily at Yoga West, his Los Angeles home base. Marking his 7th appearance on the show, today’s discourse is an adventure into the very nature of consciousness. It’s vast potential. And the potency it contains to both create and destroy. Because everything that exists in the physical realm is but a manifestation of consciousness, it is this unseen force that is the truth of reality itself. Born as a seed, with the same potential to flower and proliferate. Serving as an ethereal bookend to my recent and more scientific exploration of this subject with Annaka Harris (RRP #460), this discussion explores the spiritual nature, limitless mystery and interconnected design of that which defines everything. Consciousness — human, botanical, animal, elemental and universal. But more than anything, infinite. In addition, we take the liberty of pulling on a few tangential threads, including the power of journaling, the explosion of cancel culture, the importance of maintaining a strong center point, and the transformative power of focusing on human commonalities over the differences that divide us. As always, Guru Singh takes us out with a song, so make sure to stick around to the end. You can watch it all go down on YouTube. Enjoy! Peace + Plants, Rich

19 Sep 20191h 14min

Love. Connection. Pain. Finding the universal in the specific. And beauty in the mundane. This is but a few of the themes explored today with the woman dubbed ‘the voice of her generation' by Oprah magazine and ‘the poet laureate of the ordinary' by HuffPost. Meet Kelly Corrigan. Best known for her insightful, candid takes on the too-often overlooked moments that define our lives, Kelly's writing spills over with warmth, courage, vulnerability and humor — rendering her many books beloved by millions. A Today Show regular, Kelly has authored a stack of New York Times bestsellers including, The Middle Place,Lift, and Glitter and Glue.Tell Me More, her most recent offering, is a deeply personal and very funny story-driven collection of essays on the twelve powerful phrases we use to sustain our relationships and make love and connection possible. Named one of the best books of 2019 by Real Simple and Bustle, Tell Me More is both a high-recommend and the backdrop for today's dive into how we can cultivate more meaningful connection and deeper understanding with the people in our lives. I met Kelly exactly a year ago at The Nantucket Project. In addition to being an extraordinary writer, she serves as the creative director of TNP — the right hand to organization founder Tom Scott, who shared his story on the podcast in April, 2018 (episode #360). The latest in my series of guests sourced from this extraordinary event, I was immediately taken by her fun and fearless stage presence. Her curiosity. Her unique insights. And her unmistakeable charm. I knew she would make an amazing guest for the show. Today she delivers. We begin by traversing Kelly's arc as a writer — how she developed her voice — and her role in shaping TNP. Then we broaden the aperture, exploring her observations and insights into how we relate to the people in our lives — from our loved ones and children, to co-workers and strangers. This is about finding beauty and poetry in the simple things. And why saying things like, ‘I don't know' or ‘I was wrong' or ‘tell me more' can provide a bedrock for the emotional experiences we seek most, yet too often elude us. Better understanding. Greater empathy. Deeper intimacy. True connection. You can watch it all go down on YouTube. Enjoy! Rich

16 Sep 20192h 15min

Conventional wisdom dictates that mastery demands an early start. Relentless focus at the exclusion of other pursuits. And as many hours of deliberate practice as humanly possible. Be it violin, painting, basketball or boat building, there’s simply no substitute for a life wholly devoted to developing that narrowly defined skill. Hence the “10,000 hour rule” zeitgeist embrace — an edict divined by psychologist Anders Ericcson and made famous by Malcolm Gladwell. But is this actually true? Today’s guest put this theory to the test, researching the world’s top performers across a wide variety of disciplines to discover a most counter-intuitive truth — that early specialization is actually the exception to the rule. It turns out that the most successful among us are those who developed broad interests and skills while everyone else was rushing to specialize. Today we explore why breadth is the ally of depth – not the opposite. And why generalists are the ones most primed to excel. Enter journalist and multiple New York Times bestselling author, David Epstein. In addition to being an exceptional runner (he set the Columbia University record for 800 meters), David is a former investigative reporter for both ProPublica and Sports Illustrated with master's degrees in environmental science and journalism. Three of his stories have been optioned for films. And his TED Talk, Are Athletes Really Getting Better, Faster, Stronger? has been viewed over 8 million times (and even shared by Bill Gates). David is currently best known for his two smash-hit bestsellers, The Sports Gene: Inside The Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance and Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. A #1 New York Times bestseller, Range is arguably the must-read breakout hit of 2019 — a book as much about parenting as it is about performance. This is an insanely informative and engrossing conversation about the benefits of being a generalist — in career, sports, science, art, and life. In a world that heavily favors early specialization, we discuss why it’s often the late bloomers who prevail. Why it's the jacks-of-all-traders rather than the nose-to-the-grindstoners who ultimately blaze a path to greater success, happiness and fulfillment in both career and life. We discuss David's infamous debate with Malcolm Gladwell that changed the famous thinker's mind — and spawned David’s groundbreaking books. We talk about the benefits of inefficiency. Why frequent quitters end up with the most fulfilling careers. And why failing isn’t just good, but the best way to learn. Our greatest masters — professional athletes, Nobel laureates, musicians, inventors, and scientists — all resist siloing themselves in a single field. Instead they think broadly. Embrace diverse experiences. And constantly cultivate new interests. My hope is that David’s message will inspire you to do the same. And if you’re a late bloomer like myself, this exchange is certain to reassure and delight. Enjoy! Rich

9 Sep 20192h 19min

Has it really been a full year since Julie appeared on the podcast? Well that's just not right. So today marks the latest installment in my ongoing series of ponderous mind melds with my wife and in-house spiritual guru, the wise and ethereal Julie Piatt, aka SriMati. Longtime listeners are well acquainted with my better half. For those newer to the show, Julie is many things — the bestselling author of three vegan cookbooks. An accomplished yogi, healer, musician, and mom to four children. The host of the For The Life of Me podcast. And the master of Water Tiger, her online spiritual community where she muses on all matters metaphysical. Julie has a lot to say. And this time it's personal. This conversation opens with a wide-ranging discussion wherein we take stock of our marriage. Discuss the next evolution of our two-decade relationship. And share our collective experiences to explore relationship fulfillment in general. We talk about low moments – my relapse (almost 8 years ago), grief, rebirth, and divorce. We discuss creativity and taking responsibility for our personal connections. We recap our recent retreat in Italy. And we conclude by diving into Julie’s current obsessions — her For The Life of Me podcast and quickly growing online spiritual community, Water Tiger. And we conclude with a very big announcement. Let me set the stage. As many of you know, Julie spent years devoted to mastering the art of plant-based cheese. That journey birthed This Cheese Is Nuts, her groundbreaking cookbook primer on all things non-dairy. In the years since that book's publication, she continued to iterate on her recipes, taking her creations next level. The privileged few who have tested her achievements know very well just how insanely delicious it is. People literally freak out. Chances are you've even heard a few on mic raves from many a former podcast guest — Julie's favorite taste testers. The response has been so unanimously positive, she spent the last year assembling the pieces to create her very own direct-to-consumer artisanal plant-based cheese line. It's called SriMu. It's launching in mid-November 2019. And she is proud to announce that she is currently taking pre-orders. Unlike anything else in the current marketplace, SriMu artisanal “not cheese” is the next evolution of non-dairy delights. Vegan, paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free and made with mostly organic ingredients, it's a super-charged, divine offering beautifully packaged in a subscription box. When you sign up, you’ll get three different tiers of extraordinary, next-level plant-based cheese delivered directly to your home on a monthly basis. I am super proud of Julie's manifestation. It's going to be huge. I know you're going to love it. And I wanted my podcast tribe to have the very first opportunity to try what I've been (semi-secretly) enjoying for the last year. To learn more and place your order, visit SriMu.com. Now, on to the podcast. The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. Peace + Plants, Rich

5 Sep 20191h 40min

Let's talk about talking to someone. Personally, I've been in and out of therapy for more than two decades. Over the last couple years, I've been deeply immersed in a weekly therapist-led men's group — intimate game-changing sessions that have helped me work through deep-seated stuff that lives and breathes beyond 12-step. We're only as sick as our secrets. The path to healing and personal growth requires openly sharing our hidden struggles. Bearing our vulnerabilities. And allowing others to identify the blind spots that elude us. My point is that we all need help. And as today's guest will openly admit, even therapists benefit from therapy. A Los Angeles-based psychotherapist, journalist and author, Lori Gottlieb writes the weekly ‘Dear Therapist’ column for The Atlantic. She contributes to several prominent publications including The New York Times. And she recurs as a mental health expert on a variety of national television and radio outlets including, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, Dr. Phil, CNN, and NPR’s ‘Fresh Air.' In addition, Lori is the author of three books: Marry Him,Stick Figure and her latest, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, a fun and highly relatable romp behind the scenes of a therapist’s world. What it’s like to be a therapist. And what it’s like to be a therapist in therapy. A hit that spent many weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, the book was listed as People magazine’s ‘Book of the Week.' O magazine named it one of the ‘Best Nonfiction Books of 2019.' And it's currently being developed into a TV series with Eva Longoria. This is a conversation about what happens when a therapist — someone specifically trained to understand what makes people do what they do — experiences her own personal crisis. But it’s also a broader conversation about mental well-being in general. About the benefits of therapy. And why we can all better ourselves by talking to a professional. In addition, we discuss the psychological impact of comparing ourselves to others. Healthy and unhealthy parenting practices. Repairing ruptured relationships. And many other topics. I should note that I did my very best to resist making this a personal therapy session (not easy!). As a final thought: if you are struggling in the darkness, don't wait to talk to someone. If you're afraid to shed light on that thing — whether it be anger, shame, addiction, resentment, depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts — don't wait to talk to someone. Don't wait until it's a crisis. Find the courage. Reach out. raise your hand. Help awaits you. You can watch our entire conversation on YouTube. Enjoy! Rich

2 Sep 20191h 48min