We all have blind spots about ourselves. Today's story is about a group of siblings who shared a similar blind spot: their anonymous sperm donor. The ten of them grew up with questions that were hard to answer:   What’s your dad like? Do you look more like your mom or your dad? Do you have siblings? Are you going to be gay because your parents are? After half-a-lifetime exploring, creating, falling down and getting up, they discovered each other through DNA registries. They were surprised by...

It seems like we're all under more stress than ever before. This week Daniel Goleman and Richard  Davidson unpack Davidson's research about stress and the brain. They discuss our physiological reaction to stress and how meditation can help you develop lasting positive adaptations to these challenges. Support the show

On today’s episode, Daniel Goleman and Amy Gallo discuss Gallo’s new book, Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People). This is a must listen for anyone who has ever had a job. Gallo identifies eight types of difficult people and shares how you might deal with insecure managers, passive aggressive people and other folks who keep us up at night.  Support the show

Today we're looking at emotional balance for young people. Liz Solomon spoke with New York Times reporter Claire Kane Miller about an eye opening survey of school counselors across the country.  The survey described many students as developmentally frozen at their pre pandemic stage. We spoke with Gwen and Kim who work in elementary schools for first hand reports on the emotional state of children. Support the show

How many of us believe conflict should be avoided at all costs? Our guest, George Kohlreiser, shares how openly facing conflict helps us progress through our most difficult challenges. George Kohlrieser is an organizational and clinical psychologist, hostage negotiator, and international best-selling author. He is Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a consultant to a plethora of Fortune 500 companies around...

At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Karen Ziegler was senior pastor of an LGBTQ church in Greenwich Village. In this interview she shares how she led her congregation through a period of intense conflict. Karen led the church from 1978-1988 and then was a full-time organizer for several years in the AIDS community before becoming a nurse. Since retiring from work as a Nurse Practitioner 6 years ago she has been as a volunteer activist, serving as lead organizer for Democracy Out Loud...

In this episode, Hanuman and our guest, Aaron Wolf discuss conflict management. He's a water resources geographer at Oregon State University and a trained mediator. Wolf facilitates dialogue between groups to help them find a shared vision around some big issues. Faith that gets to the core of our identity and water rights, which govern our very survival.  First the hosts discuss Dan Goleman's own experience with conflict, sharing how he had to manage a conflict with his department at...

Athlete and entrepreneur, Sasha Dingle joins Liz Solomon to discuss her experience learning to live in harmony with her drive to excel.  Dingle is a high achiever in many facets of her life. She is the Founder and Director of Mountain Mind Project. She is a qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher by the UCSD School of Medicine MBPTI. As a meditation teacher she facilitates mindfulness programs to an international client audience in the areas of leadership development,...

This is the second conversation in our three part series on achievement, one of four self-management competencies in Dan Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence. Our guest, Peter Haberl, joined the United States Olympic Committee in 1998. In his current position as senior sport psychologist, he provides individual and team consultations and mental training sessions to various national team athletes with a specific specialization in team sports. Haberl has enjoyed the privilege of...

Ruth Malloy gives an insightful look into how leaders arouse the achievement motivation in others through feedback, affiliation and standards of excellence - and how that motivation can run amok. Focusing too much on achievement can diminish trust and erode morale. Ruth Malloy, Ph.D., is a leadership advisory consultant and Spencer Stuart’s global assessment solutions leader. She is based in Boston. For more than 25 years, Ruth has helped Fortune 500 companies, across multiple industries,...

Today, on First Person Plural, therapist Akhila Kolesar shares her awareness of multiple self identities and how her understanding of them has grown throughout her life. Kolesar is a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma, relationship dynamics, identity development, anxiety and depression and difficult transitions. With a doctorate from the Institute of transpersonal psychology, she takes a whole person approach to psychotherapy, addressing the physical, mental, and spiritual self of...

In this episode we train our awareness on systems. Like individuals, systems have an unconscious reality. Constellation theory  is a tool for helping us to understand that unconscious space. Our guest is Rev. Leslie Nipps, MDiv, is the founder of Convivium Constellations. She is a Systemic Constellations and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner and trainer. She has also been an Episcopal minister for over twenty years. She is a regular contributor to the professional journal of...

An author, podcaster and entrepreneur Dan Harris (@danbharris) spent 21 years as an anchor and correspondent for ABC News, hosting such shows as Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America. Dan has reported from all over the world covering wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti,Cambodia, and the Amazon. After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan discovered meditation and he went on to write the best selling...

For the last act in our series on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we hear from Britna Bennett who shares the challenges she has faced as a Black woman, first-generation immigrant, and first generation college graduate navigating discrimination in corporate America. She also shares the importance of finding internal champions who will go up to bat for underrepresented employees and emphasizes the need for finding a workplace that authentically celebrates your identity and fosters...

To continue our conversation on the importance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), we met with two folks from the Great Place to Work Institute—the consultancy and research institute behind Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work. Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Tony Bond, and their Head of Data Science and Innovation, Marcus Erb, shed light on the connection between DEIB (what they call 4ALL culture) and companies that are more innovative, creative, and are...

Daniel Goleman speaks to Modupe Akinola, Associate Professor of Management and Director of the Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia Business School. Professor Akinola shares some of the research on workforce diversity and the biases that affect the recruitment and retention of women and people of color in organizations. FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership content. If you’re...

What can co-ops teach us about how to live and work outside of the capitalistic structure? Two Western-Massachusetts based Co-op Worker/ Owners, Ruthy Woodring and Trenda Loftin, reflect on how cooperatives and community-based initiatives can massively reframe the structures of capitalism to support social justice, housing equality, economic opportunity, and human dignity. FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership...

What if the positive effects of development—better schools, infrastructure, and culture— celebrated and supported the communities of color that have long called spaces home? Social Entrepreneur, Ismail Samad, tells us about his initiatives to reinvent a system that can empower his hometown of East Cleveland to build generational wealth for Black and Brown folks.  FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership content. If...

Harvard Business School professor and author of "Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire," Rebecca Henderson reflects on where capitalism has failed us and her vision for a new model for a more sustainable, equitable, and just future.  FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership content. If you’re drawn to learning more about emotional intelligence, you might be interested in the Building Blocks of Emotional...

What is it like navigating attention and focus in an emergency situation? Nurse of 40 years and Emergency Response Coordinator at Mass General Hospital Clinic, Patricia Simpson, talks about the complexities that arose as the city of Chelsea, MA addressed diverse and urgent needs at the height of the COVID19 pandemic. She shares that the success of their response team stemmed from having Emotionally Intelligent leaders who supported complex teams through kindness and empathy.  FPP is brought...

What detracts from a staying focused on a cohesive organizational mission? Retired Consultant, George Pitagorsky, reflects on his more than 40 years of experience working within wide-ranging industries. He shares the ways in which large or growing organizations can prioritize mindfulness and self-awareness to work towards a collective goal. FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership content. If you’re drawn to learning...

What does it take to find and maintain focus in a world of distractions? Neuroscientist, Amishi Jha and Daniel Goleman discuss the Key Attention Systems and expands the key activities that individuals can do to strengthen their overall focus and attention.  FPP is brought to you by Key Step Media, a media publisher of Emotional Intelligence, Mindfulness & Leadership content. If you’re drawn to learning more about emotional intelligence, you might be interested in the Building Blocks of...

Stress can have significant damage to our overall wellbeing including on a physical, mental and spiritual level. It can decrease our ability to fight illness, reduce our creative thinking, and deplete our energies. But according to research, not only can you find ways to reduce stress through renewal activities, but you can also foster improved wellbeing overall. Today,  Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis discuss the science behind renewal as well as their latest assessment, the Personal...

What does Spirituality and Faith have to do with happiness? Pastor and community organizer in Greensboro, NC, Wesley Morris, shares how faith helps him and his community seeking peace, joy, and fulfillment—not despite the darkness, but through it and because of it.  Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/firstpersonplural)