The goop Podcast

For three decades, Rick Doblin, PhD, has been working in human connection. Doblin is the founder and executive director of the legendary Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). And he’s known for pushing forward critical research to explore the therapeutic potential of psychedelic experiences. But that’s only a piece of it. In this conversation with Elise, Doblin shares his profound perspective on our potential to heal ourselves and on the different pathways that we can open up to process traumas and wrongs done to us—and by us. He explains the significance of changing our relationship to our memories, getting in touch with our unconscious, and learning to forgive ourselves when it’s hardest. (For more, check out hub.)

For Three Women , her first (highly anticipated) book, journalist Lisa Taddeo immersed herself in the lives of three American women, in different parts of the country, for the better part of ten years. The result is an absorbing true story about sex and desire, trauma and longing, power and vulnerability, and the invisible forces that shape our sexuality. In this conversation with Elise from In goop Health Los Angeles, Taddeo takes us behind her extraordinary reporting. But we fell for Taddeo because of what’s ordinary about Three Women , because we saw ourselves in these women, and because we were reminded that of course we’re all normal. (For more, check out hub.)

Uma Naidoo is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and professional chef. And she’s married the two: Naidoo practices nutritional and integrative psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and in her private practice. In other words, she’s curious about which foods impact our mood and how. Today, Elise asks her about the ingredients that can trigger anxiety and panic and how we can better steer clear of them. They talk about the foods that can support our mental health. How we can make (or keep) cooking, eating, and gathering around the kitchen table fun. And how we can help our children develop their own healthy relationship to food. Naidoo’s most important takeaway might be this: Start small. (For more, check out hub.)

Psychiatrist Steven Levine was drawn into his profession because he loves the human story. But as a doctor, he found himself dissatisfied with the options being offered to patients struggling with depression and other forms of mental dis-ease. “People aren’t just a big bag of chemicals,” he says. And there could not be a successful one-size-fits-all approach. He spent a long time looking for innovative treatments for his patients. And he found something unlikely: a drug—ketamine—that’s historically been used as an anesthetic and that seemed to have antidepressant effects. Levine, who now runs clinics (called Actify) that offer ketamine infusions (and other support), is quick to point out that ketamine is not a cure. But for a growing number of people it could be a tool that allows them to break through what has previously felt like impenetrable darkness. Beyond ketamine, Levine believes we are on the cusp of more major frontiers that will change the way we think of and address depression. His work and perspective carry much-deserved hope for us all. (For more, check out hub.)

Across the board, people tend to be terrible at answering the question “What do I want to do with my life?” Dave Evans, a coauthor of Designing Your Life , is one of the two masterminds behind the popular Stanford program that teaches students how to figure this out. With Bill Burnett, he’s created a playbook that anyone can follow to design a life that’s meaningful to them. Evans reminds us that there isn’t one best version of our life—there are a lot of good versions. He shows us how to prototype and pick from these different realities, and he convinces us not to bother with predictions. He tells us why the current career model is broken, why we sometimes get stuck in jobs we don’t like, and how we can more effectively navigate the hiring process. Get curious, talk to people, try stuff, tell your story, Evans says. And whatever you do: Start where you are. (For more, check out hub.)