Special Guest: Ben Lawrence-Farhi. Do you have a favorite self-care activity? How do you measure your self-worth? In this special episode, Aya and Josh continue their discussion with Ben on the nature and merits of self-care, including their go-to self-care activities, defining success, building self-worth, diverging from one’s parents, overcoming negative criticism and judgment, and finding one’s own path in life.

Special Guest: Ben Lawrence-Farhi. Do you live a balanced lifestyle? What are the consequences of neglecting your self-care? In this special episode, Ben joins Aya and Josh to discuss the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of self care, including sleep, diet, exercise, social life, finding the right work-life balance, and coping with parental expectations.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? Is feminism as a movement still necessary today? In this episode, Aya and Josh explore what it means to be a feminist as they discuss the foundations of feminism (e.g., the “three waves”), women’s suffrage, obstacles to gender equality, sexism, reproductive rights, gender roles, “mansplaining,” and toxic masculinity.

Are you a good loser? Is competitiveness a helpful or harmful trait? In this episode, Aya and Josh dissect healthy vs. unhealthy competition, jealousy vs. envy, feelings of insecurity, fear of failure, attitudes of mindfulness (e.g., the practice of “non-striving”), and the value of having a collaborative mindset.

Is it possible to be completely selfless? Is acting in one’s self-interest inherently a bad thing? In this episode, Aya and Josh attempt to differentiate between selfishness and self-interest, psychological egoism and ethical egoism, and competing definitions of altruism, while also reflecting on the role of empathy in our (intended) actions, the existence of altruism, and the lengths we go to justify morally questionable behavior in order to feel good — or avoid feeling bad.

Do you have a hard time saying no? How honest are you about what you want? In this episode, Aya and Josh discuss boundary setting, building resentment, internal vs. external validation, conflict avoidance, self-respect vs. self-destructive behavior, and responding to manipulative people.

What keeps you motivated? When is the right time, if any, to give up? In this episode, Aya and Josh discuss laziness and the feelings and circumstances that lead us to mental and physical exhaustion, the pros and cons of commitment, passion vs. obligation, emotion regulation skills (e.g., opposite action), and the need to believe that what we're doing has both meaning and purpose.

Are you easily offended? Is the road to hell paved with good intentions? In this episode, Aya and Josh discuss whether one's intentions truly matter compared to their actions, the importance of context, intention vs. impact, criminal negligence, how someone's power affects the impact of their actions (J.K. Rowling, Demi Lovato, police officers, Donald Trump), and whether it's more important to be kind or right. 

Special Guest: Daniel Bottner. What types of experiences trigger self-awareness? Do we ever stop growing? In this episode, lifelong friend Daniel Bottner joins Aya and Josh to talk about their social, mental, and physical development through the years; active vs. passive growth; shifts in maturity, popularity, and social standing; empathizing with parents; the neuroscience of learning; the dawning of existential dread; and building awareness through self-reflection and meditation vs. interacting with diverse groups of people and empathizing with their struggles.

How do you manage your anger and where do those feelings stem from? Are there times when you should get angry? In this episode, Josh helps Aya work through her anger as they discuss conflicts arising from the pandemic, feelings of powerlessness, losing control, primary vs. secondary emotions, action urges, healthy vs. unhealthy expressions of emotion, and the potential utility of anger when channeled correctly.