The Middle Way with Dr. Matthew Goodman
by Matthew Goodman, PhD
The Middle Way is about bridging the divide between human beings. At a time when polarization continues to destabilize our world, The Middle Way emphasizes our interconnectedness and common humanity. It seeks to explore pragmatic solutions to global problems that transcend ideology. It encourages compassionate conversations that explore different perspectives in service of deeper truth and collective evolution. Join renowned authors, scientists, healers, and other cutting-edge thinkers in turning traditional thinking inside-out and upside-down to help us grow individually and collectively. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support
Episodes
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Caleb Crutchfield - What's Good? Casual Sex, Religion, Relationships, Technology, and Other Modern Moral Questions
What does it mean to do "good" as a human being? Is there such a thing as something that is fundamentally "good" or is that purely subjective? Should we follow our feelings and desires, or adhere to a set of rules or laws – like religion – that have been around for millennia? Today's episode...
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Dr. Zak Stein - First Principles of the Universe
Is there inherent meaning to the universe, or is it meaningless? Are ethics simply a matter of "matter"—the result of a bunch of firing neurons and the relativistic musings of the mind? Is our current paradigm of what is "true" beginning to be updated? In this episode, we are joined by…
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Sarah Climenhaga - Living in Reality: Doing "The Work" On Ourselves and the World
"The Work" of Byron Katie is a method of inquiry that helps us get in touch with reality instead getting caught up in the stories in our mind. It is a powerful practice for improving our relationship to ourselves, others, and the world. Sarah Climenhaga is a dedicated facilitator of The Work. She...
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Happy New Year / Updates / What Are You Working On?
Wishing you a peaceful, joyful, meaningful New Year : )
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Luis Mojica - The Somatics of Self-Empowerment & Interpersonal Peace in a Polarized World
Luis Mojica is a somatic therapist, trauma nutritionist, and founder of Holistic Life Navigation, where he teaches thousands of people around the world how to recover from stress and trauma. He uses whole foods, self-inquiry, and Somatic Experiencing as tools to find safety within yourself.…
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Vikram Mansharamani - How a Generalist Mindset Helps Us Navigate a Complex World
Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He is the author of "The Making of a Generalist," "Think For Yourself," and "Boombustology." He has been a frequent commentator on issues driving disruption in the...
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Why We Should Listen to Putin Even If He Is Lying: Pragmatism, Peace, & The New Multipolar World
Did you hear?! LOVE is "in." And hate... so 2000-and-late. That's my prediction, anyway, for the next 10-20 years. Or maybe it's simply a necessity. We are approaching the two year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. It seems like conflict in the world continues to ratchet up, the possibility…
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Dr. Renée Lertzman - "Yelling, Telling, and Selling": Is There Another Way to Inspire Climate Action?
The psychologist Carl Rogers famously wrote, "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself, just as I am, then I can change.” The same is often true on a collective level. The more we use shame, blame, and "othering" as tactics to inspire behavior change, the more resistant and defensive…
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Mary Lemmer - Improvising in Business and Life
There's one certainty in life: life is uncertain. Especially in our rapidly changing world, individuals and organizations are forced to adapt to constant challenges and change. The ability to improvise - the respond to each moment with openness, flexibility, and grace - is pivotal to thriving in…
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The Art of Conscious Communication (Reverse Interview - Rachael Bonetti)
Hello beautiful souls! In this episode, I flip the script and share an interview I did on my friend Rachael Bonetti's podcast, "What It Means To Be Well." In it, Rachael and I discuss the art of "conscious communication," including the power of deep listening, building trust, showing up...
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Kristen Ulmer - Becoming Intimate With Fear
Kristen Ulmer is a thought leader, master facilitator and fear/anxiety expert. Her education comes from practical, real- world experience, starting with being a mogul specialist on the US Ski Team. Kristen then became more notoriously recognized as the best female big mountain extreme skier in…
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Sarah Marshank - Selfistry: Holding Everything in Loving Awareness
Sarah Marshank has lived many lives: college student, lover, Orthodox Jew, escort, celibate monk, truth-seeker, recluse. As we all do in some fashion, Sarah embarked on a hero's journey to answer her deepest call: to be a teacher. Through these diverse and rich experiences, Sarah now shares what...
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Tell Us What You Want (What You Really, Really Want): Why Won't the Left Just Ask for More Compassion?
Welcome to Season 3! Thank you for being a listener over the last two years 🙏. Your support is deeply appreciated! Polarization continues to grow on issues such gender-affirming care, abortion rights, anti-racism, climate solutions, and other political topics. It seems as though the more one…
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Dr. Karin Tamerius - How to Have Political Conversations With People You Disagree With
Dr. Karin Tamerius is a political psychiatrist and the founder of Smart Politics, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching progressives how to communicate more persuasively with people who hold different views. Since the 2016 election, she has worked to introduce psychotherapy skills to the political...
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Stephen Kinzer - Russia-Ukraine: Countering Narratives and the Costs of War
Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has covered more than 50 countries on five continents. His articles and books have led the Washington Post to place him “among the best in popular foreign policy storytelling.” Kinzer spent more than 20 years working for the New York...
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The Paradox of Progress: Technological Addiction and the Illusion of a Better Tomorrow
Technology has propelled society forward in so many ways. We have cured diseases, reduced famine, and increased access to education for billions. Yet, despite the growing list of scientific and technological achievements and the material benefits these have afforded, there is one question that is...
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Dr. Nick Fadoir - Mindfulness, Friendship, & Parenthood
My guest today is Dr. Nick Fadoir. Aside from being a talented psychotherapist and all around wonderful human, Nick has been one of my best friends since we were 5 years old! I am joined by Nick on this special episode to discuss therapy, mindfulness, friendship, parenthood, and more. Dr. Nick...
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Christin Chong - The Promises and Pitfalls of Buddhism in the Modern World
Mindfulness has grown increasingly popular over the past two decades. Yet there are legitimate questions about how, and whether, this practice is appropriate for the modern Western mind. Can mindfulness be extracted from its original Buddhist cultural/philosophical context? How can this practice...
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Thomas Legrand - A Politics of Being
What does a politics of "being" look like? My guest on this episode, Thomas Legrand, spent the last 10 years researching and writing on this vision of humanity's future —a future that seems almost inevitable given the unsustainability of our faltering social, economic, and ecological systems. A...
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Rachael Bonetti - Talking Burnout and Taking Care
There has been an epidemic of burnout unfolding over the last few years. Rates of burnout and job dissatisfaction have skyrocketed; employees report exhaustion, lower motivation, and feeling a lack of purpose in their work. This has pervaded more than just the workplace: people broadly report...
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MM: Cold Exposure
Cold exposure helps to reset our autonomic nervous system. It can enhance our physiological resilience and ability to deal with stress. These practices have been popularized by Wim Hoff and have become somewhat of a global sensation. I was skeptical initially... but now cold exposure is an almost...
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The Middle Way to Racial Equality: The Psychology of Polarization and a More Compassionate Path Forward
We have, and continue, to make strides towards racial equality in the U.S. and beyond. Yet a debate has been growing in recent years - especially since 2020 in the wake of protests sparked by George Floyd's death - about how to best achieve the equality, justice, and equanimity we long for. Are…
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MM: Meditation on Soles of the Feet
This is a super simple but powerful practice to ground us in the present moment! Helpful for dealing with intense emotions such as anger. 1. Feel your feet on the floor. Notice sensations of being connected to the ground. 2. Let you attention hang out there for a few seconds! Use this in moments…
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Kwame Christian - How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race
Kwame Christian is the founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute, where he conducts training that helps make difficult conversations easier. He’s the host of the world’s most popular negotiation podcast, Negotiate Anything. The show has over 5 million downloads and listeners in +180...
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MM: Alternate Nostril Breathing
This is a great practice to support parasympathetic activity; balance left/right hemisphere activity in the brain; and is my go-to practice for supporting sleep! 1. Take your left thumb and cover your left nostril. Breathe in deeply through your right nostril. Briefly hold your breath at the top…
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Dr. Omid Naim - Empowered Health: The Role of Community, Purpose, and Story in Healing
"Your symptoms make sense." This is what Dr. Omid Naim tells his patients, many of whom have struggled with chronic mental or physical health issues for years. He also tells them that he thinks they can "get fully better." Dr. Naim's approach to psychiatry turns the medical model inside out by...
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MM: Focusing (Checking In with the Body)
There is often so much happening for us in our lives that things get pushed into the background of our awareness. These experiences live in the cells of our body. "Focusing" is a technique that helps us get in touch with "what is going on" for us on a somatic level. Accessing this bodily...
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Hi, I'm Matt, and I'm Addicted to Ego
This episode is a bit different. Here, I explore the nature of being "addicted to ego" from my own personal experience. When working on the "Addiction to Separation" episode about addiction to separateness in the world, I started thinking more about how this manifests in the individual ego.…
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MM: Metta (Loving-Kindness)
Monday Mini: Metta (Loving-Kindness) 1. Think about someone close to you (who you have a positive relationship with). Bring the image of that person to mind as clearly as possible. 2. Extend wishes of loving-kindness and goodwill towards that person. For example (use your own authentic...
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B. Lorraine Smith - An Economy That Works in Service of Life
B. Lorraine Smith is a writer, speaker, consultant, and coach whose vision is an economy that works in service of life. Through her decades of experience as a corporate sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) consultant across multiple industries worldwide, Lorraine began...
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MM: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
1. Squeeze all the muscles in your face (really tight!). Hold for 2-4 seconds. Release. 2. Notice what it feels like to have relaxed muscles in the face. 3. Repeat for every part of the body: neck, shoulders, arms, hands, chest, back, stomach, groin, upper legs, lower legs, feet. Follow Dr....
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Jessica Baum, LMHC - Anxiously Attached: Healing Relationships in Self and Society
Jessica Baum, LMHC is a Psychotherapist, Author, Thought Leader, Relationship Coach, and Founder of the Self-full® Method. Her book, Anxiously Attached: Becoming More Secure in Life and Love is a practical guide to understanding core patterns in relationships, namely anxious and avoidant…
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MM: Warming Up Awareness
Monday Mini: Warming Up Awareness. By bringing a hand or two to the heart, we can "warm up" awareness before or during meditation (or in everyday life). This helps us bring a gentle and compassionate element that can sometimes be missing. Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book:...
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Addiction to Separation: The State of the World and the Story of the Future
The story of separation—between human beings, and between humans and the planet—is growing stale. Is there another story waiting for us? Perhaps one of connection and unity? If we are indeed being called into a new story, the invitation is coming through the symptoms of the world. The sense of...
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MM: How to Open Your Heart
Monday Mini: How to Open Your Heart (a poem by Jeff Foster). Jeff Foster, "The Way of Rest: Finding the Courage to Hold Everything in Love." Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd Book: Simple Stress-Reduction: Easy and Effective Practices for Kids, Teens, and Adults (Amazon) The…
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Dr. Corey Wilks - Finding Purpose and Authenticity in Work and Life
Dr. Corey Wilks is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Executive Coach, writer, and entrepreneur with over 15 years of psychological experience. After seeing so many people—patients, friends, and family—struggle to build their life around doing meaningful, purpose-driven work that fulfilled them…
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MM: Crisis Precedes Transformation
Monday Mini: Change comes in cycles. Preceding any sort of change is typically crisis. When we put ourself back together, we can re-integrate with the nuggets of wisdom we discovered while we were dis-integrated. This cycle is true both individually and collectively. 🙏🏻 Follow Dr. Goodman:...
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The Revolution of Rest: Balancing Divine Masculine & Feminine in the World
The world is exhausted. This fatigue has manifested in different ways, individually and collectively: burnout at work, anxiety, hopelessness, and the ailments of our political, economic, and ecological systems. COVID brought on many of these changes; our collective fatigue is a symptom of the...
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MM: Recording and Listening
"Recording and Listening is, hands down, the most powerful tool for ending suffering I’ve found." - Cheri Huber, Zen Teacher Recording and Listening practice:* 1. Grab a recorder (usually, your phone will have a recording app). 2. Think about something that is bothering you. Hold your recorder in...
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Dr. Mona Sobhani - Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist's Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe
Once a self-described hard-nosed neuroscientist, Dr. Mona Sobhani aggressively defended the dogma of scientific beliefs--until a series of life-altering events caused her to reconsider spirituality and psi concepts and launched her into a two-year investigation into the ineffable mysteries of our...
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MM: Five Finger Mindfulness
Monday Mini: Five Finger Mindfulness. 1. Open one of your hands wide. 2. Take the pointer finger of your other hand and trace the outside of your open hand (like you were outlining a Thanksgiving turkey). 3. Notice the sensations. 4. Inhale as you trace up, exhale as you trace down. Follow Dr....
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Judy Wilkins-Smith - Elevating Your Family System: From Victimhood to Empowered Evolution
Judy Wilkins-Smith is a highly regarded, international organizational, individual and family patterns expert. A systemic executive coach, trainer, facilitator, thought partner, and leadership conference and motivational speaker, Judy has 18 years of expertise in assisting high-performance...
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MM: Grit in Tough Times
How do we cultivate a sense of resilience and grit in the midst of challenges? What if we are going through a "dark night," where we can't quite see the light on the other side of the challenging situation? Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd The Middle Way Consulting and Classes:...
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Friendly Debate: Gun Policy - Mark Beckwith and Paul Norris
In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting a conversation between Mark Beckwith and Paul Norris on the topic of gun policy. Mark Beckwith is a graduate of Amherst College and Yale Divinity School. He is the retired Bishop of Newark (of the Episcopal Church) and currently does coaching,...
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MM: Breath Counting
Monday Mini: Breath Counting. This is a great way to anchor our attention in the present moment when the mind is especially busy. -Find a comfortable posture. Close the eyes if it feels safe. -Notice your breathing. Maybe find a spot where you can feel the breath most vividly (e.g., tips of...
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Conspiracy, Truth, and the Emergence of a New Worldview
Conspiracy theories have been on the rise over the past several years. This has been particularly true in the context of COVID. Why is this happening? What function do they serve? What happens when we ignore or suppress them? What role do they play in initiating us into a new worldview and…
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MM: Body Scan
Monday Mini: Body Scan Practice. Body scans help strengthen the mind-body connection and enhance our capacity to "just sit with" emotions and sensations (positive, negative, or neutral). We can practice bringing nonjudgmental, kind awareness to whatever we notice. 1. Get comfortable. 2. Bring...
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Lex Amore - What is Biomimicry?
Nature has produced some magnificent designs... including the beautiful and brilliant YOU! Are there lessons we can learn from nature when designing higher performing and more sustainable products, companies, communities, and other systems? In this episode I speak with Lex Amore of the Biomimicry...
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MM: Square Breathing
Monday Mini: Square Breathing. Instructions: 1) Breathe in for a count of 4 (through the nose, if possible) 2) Hold for a count of 4 3) Breathe out for a count of 4 (through the nose or mouth) 4) Hold for a count of 4 Go through a few rounds : ) Follow Dr. Goodman: Instagram: @matthewgoodmanphd…
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Louis Weinstock - How the World is Making Our Children Mad and What to Do About It
Louis Weinstock is a psychotherapist who works with children and the child inside us all. He helps people find a light in the darkness – in the things that are unseen, unheard and unspoken. For over 20 years, Louis has guided children and grown-ups through some of the toughest challenges life can...
About this show
The Middle Way is about bridging the divide between human beings. At a time when polarization continues to destabilize our world, The Middle Way emphasizes our interconnectedness and common humanity. It seeks to explore pragmatic solutions to global problems that transcend ideology. It encourages compassionate conversations that explore different perspectives in service of deeper truth and collective evolution. Join renowned authors, scientists, healers, and other cutting-edge thinkers in turning traditional thinking inside-out and upside-down to help us grow individually and collectively. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/matthewgoodmanphd/support
Hosted by
Matthew Goodman, PhD