Today's Personal Growth Pulse
NYT launches ‘Ask the Therapist’ column to bring mental‑health advice to the masses
The New York Times introduced a weekly column called “Ask the Therapist,” written by psychotherapist and best‑selling author Lori Gottlieb. The feature invites readers to submit personal dilemmas, which Gottlieb answers with clinical insight and narrative flair. The newspaper aims to make professional mental‑health guidance accessible to a broad audience.
I'm a Retirement Psychologist: This Is the Identity Crisis That High Achievers Don't Plan For (and What to Do About...
Retirement planning often stops at the numbers—savings, income, and longevity—yet many high‑achieving retirees replace their career identity with a relentless focus on investment performance. This outside‑in identity creates a feedback loop that isolates them socially and strains relationships, as illustrated by Vince’s marriage. Psychological research shows that relationship quality, not portfolio size, drives health and happiness in later life. The article argues that advisors must help retirees shift to an inside‑out identity grounded in purpose and connection, not just financial metrics.
Ex-Military Leadership Trainer Who Hit Mental Health Crisis Launches Programme to Transform Team Performance
Former RAF warrant officer Andy Nisevic, now a Master Trainer, has launched the Team Performance Improvement Programme for construction, engineering and manufacturing firms with more than 50 employees. Drawing on his own battle with depression and a 23‑year military career,...
Becoming a Mentally Healthy Leader
The article illustrates mentally healthy leadership by describing how a manager can stay grounded during a mass‑layoff announcement. It highlights recognizing physiological stress signals, distinguishing anxiety from reality, and using breath and present‑moment focus to support oneself and the team....
Stop Adding Energy, Start Removing Its Drains
Most people spend a lot of time chasing more energy. But often the better question is: What’s draining it? We focus on productivity hacks, supplements, and morning routines. Yet many of the biggest energy drains are surprisingly simple: too much screen time, overthinking, constant stress, poor sleep, lack of...
The Loneliness No One Warns CEOs About
First‑time CEOs often confront an unexpected form of isolation that can erode confidence despite strong performance metrics. A newly appointed CEO described feeling unsure about her suitability for the role within months, even though her team, board, and financial results...
When the Fog Rolls In, Do Leaders Need a Map or a Compass?
Julio Ottino of Kellogg likens business planning to a map and leadership vision to a compass, arguing that both tools are essential but often mis‑balanced. He warns that over‑reliance on detailed plans—"clock thinking"—leaves firms vulnerable in volatile environments, while an...
How to Handle Difficult People: 7 Psychological Tricks to Read Anyone, Spot a Liar & Stay in Control
In this episode, Mel Robbins talks with former U.S. Secret Service agent and elite polygraph specialist Evie Pompouris about practical psychological tactics for reading people, spotting lies, and maintaining control around difficult individuals. Evie shares seven concrete tricks—including body‑language cues,...
785: Make Your Task List Work for You, with Liane Davey
In this episode, organizational psychologist Liane Davey explains how traditional to‑do lists can increase our "thought load"—the invisible tax of cognitive demands, emotional burdens, and limited energy—by forcing us to juggle endless tasks. She proposes a three‑list system that separates...
Turn Paralyzing Fear Into Small Steps, Embrace Healthy Caution
“Scared” as in “frozen, cannot do it,” is something to overcome. Take small steps, start with something not-scary, ask “what’s the worst that could happen” and realize it’s not that bad. “Scared” as in “unsure, guarded, aware,” is healthy. Use that.
Therapist’s AI Recording Sparks Patient‑Trust Crisis in Mental‑Health Care
When therapist in New York introduced an AI‑powered recording tool during a session, 31‑year‑old Molly Quinn felt violated and left the practice. The incident spotlights a widening trust gap as only a single‑digit percentage of Americans feel comfortable with AI...
16 Ways Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Mind (P)
The Spring article outlines 16 ways sleep deprivation impairs mental function, from impaired planning to heightened paranoia. It references Randy Gardner’s 1964 record of staying awake for 264.4 hours, which proved severe psychological effects such as hallucinations and mood swings. Psychologist...
California’s First Partner Leads Statewide "Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind" Day
First Partner Siebel Newsom celebrated the annual Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day in Sacramento, anchoring a statewide series of nine events that combined soccer, yoga, meditation and service activities. The celebration underscores California’s push to link physical activity...
Kate Ceberano Finds Creative Renewal in Embroidery as She Prepares for ARIA Hall of Fame
Australian music icon Kate Ceberano has swapped the microphone for needle and thread, dedicating daily hours to embroidery and quilting. Her year‑long “Gaudi” piece and other textile works are helping her regain focus and personal drive as she nears induction...
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How To Harness Your Experiential Intelligence
Soren Kaplan’s new book "Experiential Intelligence" introduces XQ, a framework that blends mindsets, abilities and know‑how derived from personal experiences. Kaplan argues that XQ complements traditional IQ and EQ, offering a deeper predictor of success in today’s disruptive environment. He...
Bed‑Bound 'Groundhog Day' Test Pushes Survivor’s Mental Fortitude to Limit
A long‑time cancer survivor and former athlete has spent the past week confined to bed, living a real‑life 'Groundhog Day' to gauge mental resilience. The self‑imposed experiment highlights how relentless routine can become psychological warfare, reshaping ideas about coping with...
Nir Eyal Calls Traditional Habit‑Building a Myth in New Interview
Behavior‑design author Nir Eyal, featured in a Facebook‑posted interview titled “Stop trying to build habits,” challenges the efficacy of classic habit‑forming frameworks. The 18‑hour‑old video, posted by Scott D. Clary, has already drawn 1.4K views, signaling strong interest among motivation...
Lea Waters Launches Western Australia Tour on Happiness and Resilience
Professor Lea Waters, a leading figure in positive psychology, kicked off a statewide tour in Western Australia with a launch event in Yallingup. The tour will bring her research on happiness, resilience and post‑traumatic growth to schools, workplaces and community...
Prepare for the Inevitable While Others Chase Sunshine
Warren Buffett said: "It took Noah 20 years to build an ark. And people said he was being silly because the skies were beautiful. And of course, the whole time, he looked stupid - until it started raining. You can...
Stop Overthinking: Step Outside, Breathe, Let Worries Fade
The more you think about your problems, the bigger they become. Go outside, look up at the sky, take a deep breath and walk a bit to clear your mind. Worrying does not change the outcome. https://t.co/MuLD1WzXEi
Your Workforce Doesn’t Need More AI. It Needs Play
Professionals estimate 60‑80% of their day is improvised, yet few have improv training. The article argues that AI has made work more unpredictable, demanding the very improvisational skills stripped from employees by traditional productivity cultures. Research shows improv boosts brain...
Sunday Guardian Live Unveils 10 Science‑Backed Books on Human Behavior and Habits
Sunday Guardian Live published a curated list of ten science‑backed books that decode human behavior, habits and decision‑making. The roundup includes works by Nobel laureates, behavioral economists and neuroscientists, offering readers evidence‑based tools for personal development. The guide aims to...
Damian Creamer: The Leadership Failure Nobody Talks About — Giving Your Power Away
Damian Creamer reveals a subtle but costly leadership flaw: repeatedly deferring decisions and surrendering authority. He explains how this habit erodes momentum, dilutes ownership, and leaves the organization without a clear decision‑maker. By confronting his own lack of self‑trust, Creamer...
Study Finds Low Grip Strength Raises Depression Risk by 42%
Researchers pooled data from 14 countries and nearly half a million participants to show that lower grip strength is associated with a 42% increase in odds of developing depression. The finding fuels discussion about whether simple physical measures can become...
George Lucas Says Perseverance After Hopelessness Leads to Breakthroughs
Filmmaker George Lucas reminds audiences that “the secret is not to give up hope; it’s very hard not.” The Economic Times highlights his view that moments of hopelessness can precede breakthroughs, linking the insight to his own career and philanthropic...
Mindfulness Therapy Cuts Self‑Injury and Shifts proBDNF in Bipolar Teens
Researchers reported that a mindfulness‑based therapeutic program lowered rates of non‑suicidal self‑injury and decreased serum proBDNF levels in adolescents diagnosed with bipolar depression. The findings, published this week, suggest a measurable biological impact of meditation‑derived interventions in a high‑risk youth...
You’ve Been Thinking About ‘Impossible’ All Wrong
Graduate student George Dantzig walked into Jerzy Neyman’s statistics class, mistook two famous unsolved problems for homework, and solved them—demonstrating that perceived impossibility often stems from unexamined assumptions. The article extends this lesson to modern science, noting that the KRAS...
Listen: How to Deal with Your Work Stress
University at Buffalo associate professor Min‑Hsuan Tu discussed her research on workplace stress in a Driven to Discover podcast. She highlighted how AI, Gen Z, and flexible schedules are reshaping employee expectations and contributing to stress. Tu offered practical tactics...
Global Employee Engagement Plummets to 20%, $10 Trillion Lost; Experts Call for System Overhaul
A Gallup 2026 report shows global employee engagement has fallen to a decade low of 20%, draining roughly $10 trillion in productivity each year. Organizational psychologist Aoife O'Brien argues the decline stems from broken systems, urging leaders to rebuild workplace structures...
Take Small High‑Agency Actions Now, No Permission Needed
5 high-agency moves you can make this week without permission from anyone: 1. Email one person whose work you admire with a specific question (not a generic "pick your brain") 2. Ship one thing publicly that isn't ready 3. Kill one project that's...
Gurgaon CEO Urges Parents to Embrace Risk, Says Shame Stifles Potential
Jasveer Singh, co‑founder and CEO of dating app KnotDating, posted on X urging Indian parents to let children fail and take risks, warning that shame kills more potential. His message targets fathers and mothers who still cling to survival‑mode parenting,...
Mental‑Game Coach Julie Elion Guides Wyndham Clark to CJ Cup Victory
Julie Elion, a leading mental‑game coach, helped Wyndham Clark post a final‑round 60 to win the CJ Cup Byron Nelson by three shots. The win underscores the growing role of mindset training in elite golf, and Elion’s new book “Mastering Your...
Change Happens When Cost Shifts, Not Willpower
5 truths about how people change. Most behavior-change advice is built on a fantasy: that if you just want it badly enough, you'll do the thing. The research says otherwise. After two decades reading the literature and writing three books on...
Remember to Celebrate How Far You’ve Already Come
We spend so much time focusing on the distance between where we are and where we want to be that we forget to appreciate the distance we've already traveled. https://t.co/G5j4HYv39B
Online Mentions of Burnout Jumped 65 Percent Earlier This Year—And Gen-Z Has a New Rule for Coping With It
Mentions of burnout in Glassdoor job reviews jumped 65% year‑over‑year in Q1 2026, reaching two‑and‑a‑half times pre‑pandemic levels. A Future Snoops × Spate report shows monthly burnout searches peaked at 24.8 million, while searches for burnout recovery exploded 1,000% YoY. The data reflects...
Why Some People Refuse to Admit They're Wrong
In the upcoming edition of The Psychology Lab, I unpack the psychology that makes some people incapable of admitting they were wrong, no matter how clearly the facts indicate they were. The article drops this Tuesday on my free newsletter...
Show Up, Work Harder—Inspiration Is Overrated
“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.” https://t.co/vRpw726Lra
Laura Vanderkam’s Five Tactics to Cut Busyness and Reclaim Time
Time‑management expert Laura Vanderkam unveiled a five‑step framework for becoming less busy, arguing that the feeling of overload is largely a mindset. Her advice blends psychological reframing with concrete calendar tweaks, offering readers a clear path to more intentional living.
Stanford Researchers Reveal Five Tactics to Rewire Willpower and Boost Focus
Stanford Medicine scientists presented five research‑backed methods to restore concentration, arguing that willpower alone depletes attention. The team highlights proactive control, structured bio‑breaks and self‑hypnosis as practical tools for anyone seeking sustained focus.
New Coverage Highlights Mindfulness Meditation’s Boost to Mental Health and Physiology
A May 29, 2026 feature in The Good Men Project, authored by Carnegie Mellon psychologists Yuval Hadash and J. David Creswell, summarizes recent studies showing mindfulness meditation cuts anxiety and depression risk while enhancing heart‑rate variability and blood‑pressure regulation. The...
Invest in Self‑Reflection
The most valuable investment a trader can make is in consistent self-reflection of weaknesses and self-correction of errors in thinking. This will help you move in the direction of profitability.
I Learned More About Leadership Dealing Cards to the Ultra Wealthy Than in Any Boardroom
Karolina Pelc recounts how a teenage stint as a high‑stakes casino dealer taught her leadership fundamentals that outpace traditional boardroom training. She describes the relentless pressure of making split‑second bets, maintaining composure, and executing flawlessly, drawing direct parallels to corporate...
Jewish Nonprofits Accelerate Leadership Succession Planning After 2014 Crisis Alert
Jewish nonprofit leaders are fast‑tracking formal succession plans after a 2014 study projected that three‑quarters of executives would leave within five to seven years. The move aims to build internal talent pipelines, reduce leadership gaps, and strengthen organizational resilience.
Dr. Becky Kennedy's Parenting Playbook Promises a Boost in Workplace Motivation
Dr. Becky Kennedy, the psychologist behind the Good Inside app, is urging managers to apply her "authority without aggression" parenting model to the workplace. The Marie Claire feature explains how the approach can create more motivated, resilient teams by balancing...
Study Links Boredom‑Busting Phone Use to Lower Mood in 750+ Adults
Researchers at the University of Essex, led by Dr. Wijnand van Tilburg, found that people who habitually reach for their phones to escape boredom experience poorer mood. Analyzing data from more than 750 participants, the study suggests that the habit...
Tom's Guide Reveals ChatGPT “Circus” Prompt that Slashes Multitasking Chaos
Tom's Guide writer Amanda Caswell reports that using a custom ChatGPT “circus” prompt helped her organize a day that felt like 14 open browser tabs, delivering clearer task prioritization and faster completion. The technique, which she calls a “secret” for...
AI Automation Study Finds 80% of Tasks Replaceable, 20% Skill Set Remains Irreplaceable
A recent study and industry commentary reveal that AI can automate roughly 80% of routine work, while the remaining 20%—domain expertise, judgment and relationships—remains uniquely human. Leaders from Box, Canva, OpenAI and Anthropic are urging workers to focus on building...
Canva’s 5,000‑Employee AI Sprint Exposes Human Mindset as Biggest Adoption Barrier
Canva cleared calendars for 5,000 employees to spend a full week learning AI, only to discover that human mindset blockers—not the technology—were the primary obstacle. The experiment sparked a 90% weekly AI‑assistant usage rate and produced workflow automations that saved...
IC vs Leadership: Control, Earnings, and Impact Trade‑offs
If you followed me in 2022, you know I finished #2 to Jc Pollard. It's his birthday today, so figured I'd be nice and remind him. We had a healthy rivalry and it both pushed us to sell more. Since...
A Psychologist’s Top 5 Signs Your Cognitive Load Is Too High
The article outlines five paradoxical signals that a leader’s cognitive load has exceeded a sustainable threshold, citing a 2011 Israeli judges study that showed decision quality plummets as mental resources wane. Overload creates a false sense of sharpness, heightened confidence,...
Inclusive Leadership Is Not a Trend, It Is How Resilient Industries Are Built
At Solar & Storage Live España 2026, WiSEu highlighted inclusive leadership as a strategic imperative for the energy transition. Executives from Ibersyd, GALP, Ekon Strategy, and ENGIE stressed that psychological safety and diverse perspectives accelerate innovation and resilience. The panel...