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What do you do when you know something needs to end, but you can't quite let go? This episode gives you the psychological science behind why endings are so hard, plus a six-step practice for moving through them with more ease. Drawing on the concept of the "action crisis" — that push-pull of doubt, confusion, and rumination we feel when we're clinging to something past its time — Diana walks through what she learned by ending something in her life, and the concrete steps that helped her let go and begin again. Listen and Learn:Why endings feel so hard — and the four signs you're stuck in an "action crisis"A six-step practice for letting go: from "so be it, and so it is" to honoring what continues, to giving yourself permission to begin anewWhy getting the "kitten" doesn't mean replacing the "cat" — and why that's okayHow a simple ritual can turn a hard ending into an honored one Listen to the full episode now — and if you're moving through an ending of your own, share it with someone who needs the reminder that beginnings always follow. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Have you hit a wall in midlife and started wondering if it's too late to build something bigger? This episode gives you concrete, science-backed practices for answering that question and reclaiming the life you actually want. Diana talks with NPR health correspondent Allison Aubrey, author of Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love, about what it took for her to move from decades of striving and burnout toward something freer and more her own — from parts work that names the "striver" running the show, to turning a big dream into a realistic plan, to the strength training that keeps you capable and free as you age. Listen and learn:How IFS (parts work) can help you find the striver part driving your burnout — and make room for who you were before the world had expectations of youThe WOOP method for turning a big wish into a workable plan by naming the real obstacles in your wayWhy dream incubation is backed by real science, not superstition — and how to try it tonightThe "nine lives" exercise: a two-minute writing prompt that reveals what you actually want, underneath what you think you should want Listen to the full conversation now — and if it speaks to you, share it with someone standing at the edge of their own larger life. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

After a client checked in on her wellbeing following a newsletter that said she felt overwhelmed, Diana reflects on how modern life collapses the space we need to know what fuels us versus drains us. She shares creating space through an “energy audit,” moving commitments, stepping back from Instagram, and hiring help, alongside preparing for an emotionally significant talk at her son’s prestigious prep school where her eating disorder and perfectionism began. In her Sangha/Dharma talk, she reframes “space between stimulus and response” into space within, between, and around us, emphasizing psychological distancing—relating to thoughts and feelings rather than being inside them. Drawing from time in the ER with a close friend recovering from extensive cancer surgery, she explores interbehavioral fields, brain “syncing” research, and the idea that what holds everything is consciousness. Listen and learn:How space is not between stimulus and response but within, between, and around us. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Dr. Diana Hill shares how retreat helps clarify where your energy is aligned or depleted, drawing on her family’s annual week at Plum Village, a Buddhist Monastery founded by Thich Nhat Hahn. When you go on retreat, you come back to yourself and things become more clear for you about how you want to use your energy, about where you're off track, where you're out of alignment. Listen to this episode to hear five lessons she learned from Plum Village that you can apply to your daily life right now. Listen and learn:Lesson One Let Yourself CryLesson Two Sometimes HappensLesson Three Missing InstrumentLesson Four Disease PurifiesLesson Five Movement Has Life If this episode helps, share it with someone whose energy is misaligned and drained. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Do you get grippy, anxious, or self-critical when life doesn’t go the way you planned? In this Secret Sangha episode, I explore the paradox and dark side of control—sparked by what happened at a private dinner after my Tell the Truth Salon event with Dan Siegel. Drawing on Dan’s ABC motivational systems (agency, belonging, certainty), we unpack how control spirals show up as rumination, self-blame, people-pleasing, or criticism. I also share how one question at dinner revealed that many pivotal moments in our lives come when control is ripped away. Listen and learn:The ABC systems behind your control habits: agency, belonging, and certaintyCommon “dark side” control strategies (inner focus, outer focus, and push-pull)What’s not up to you (others’ actions, happiness, thoughts/feelings, outcomes) and what is (your actions and response)The Wise Effort method: get curious, sort what you can/can’t control, and focus your energy If this episode helps, share it with someone who’s stuck in a control loop. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

On The Wise Effort show, Diana Hill talks with Dr. Joseph Ciarrochi, a researcher in process-based therapy and ACT, about self-righteous anger and how to stay honest and kind when others aren’t. They explore the psychology of getting “hijacked” in conflict, describing outrage and being right as an addiction (experiential attachment) distinct from experiential avoidance, with different intervention implications. Using examples like a conflict with neighbors, online outrage, and relationship fights, they discuss wise distance, not adding fuel to the fire, asserting boundaries when effective, and directing core human yearnings (competence, connection, purpose, meaning, orientation, and feeling) toward what truly satisfies rather than empty status pursuits. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Dr. Diana Hill interviews contemplative social scientist and emotion researcher Dr. Eve Ekman, senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and co-creator (with her father Paul Ekman) of The Atlas of Emotions, a tool requested by the Dalai Lama to help people understand how emotions arise and are experienced. They discuss why “emotion regulation” can miss the larger richness of emotions, and how the Atlas emphasizes triggers, physiology, personal history, and—most importantly—our responses, which can be constructive or destructive. Ekman describes building awareness over time rather than relying on quick fixes, the costs of suppression, and the role of sangha and relationships in working with emotions. The conversation also explores grief, caregiving, Father’s Day, impermanence, and Ekman’s experience losing her 91-year-old father after dementia, including relief, tenderness, and the social nature of emotions. Listen and Learn:Emotions are more than something to regulate.Emotional awareness is built through practice.Making room for grief can deepen love and connection. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Are you feeling disconnected from what you know is true for you—and overriding it anyway? In this live-recorded Wise Effort episode, Diana Hill explores “truth” (personal, collective, spiritual, and scientific) and how it’s often simple, close, profound, or even hard to accept. She shares ways truth emerges through rough initiations, deep listening to the body and intuition, unexpected states of consciousness, solitude, real conversation with epistemic humility, and connection to nature as a resilience factor. She closes with a “truth or dare” invitation to name a truth and take one action to live it this week. Listen and Learn:There are overlapping truths from science and spirituality, including that we’re not separate selves, the mind extends beyond the brain, attention shapes the brainAvenues to finding your truthsHow awareness is different from thoughts and feelings. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Do you feel stuck in worry loops that drain your energy and pull you out of the present moment? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill talks with neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer about “inside information” on the brain—especially the default mode network and how self-focused rumination and worry activate the posterior cingulate cortex. They explore new, encouraging research showing that experienced meditators don’t show the same activation during worry recall, and that even beginners can deactivate this brain region quickly using a simple mindfulness “noting” practice (labeling seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking). Diana and Jud also discuss using technology to interrupt addictive habit loops (like compulsive checking) and how moving beyond anxiety can open the door to integrity, kindness, and flourishing—grounded in the reminder that “your actions are your only belongings.” Listen and learn:Your brain has a “me network” that can drain your energy.Noticing changes your relationship to experience.The goal is not just less anxiety, but more integrity, energy, and flourishing.“My actions are my only belongings.” Suggested Next Episode:Busting Brain Myths With Dr. Judson Brewer Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Dr. Diana Hill welcomes author and Idea Architects founder Doug Abrams live from Blue Spirit Costa Rica to explore how to stay grounded, joyful, and hopeful in uncertain times. Abrams shares lessons from working with leaders like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Jane Goodall, including Tutu’s guidance to “never surrender your joy,” taking the wider perspective, and resisting without “othering” opponents. He describes his in-progress book inspired by his daughter’s question, “Are we gonna be okay?” Abrams discusses living with ADHD, shame, and vulnerability in relationships, and highlights Goodall’s four reasons for hope—human intellect, nature’s resilience, young people, and the indomitable human spirit—emphasizing that hope is an action. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Do you keep trying to make big changes, only to burn out or get stuck at the choice point? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Eric Zimmer, host of The One You Feed and author of How a Little Becomes a Lot, about why lasting transformation happens through small, consistent actions—shaped by clear values, a “middle way” mindset, supportive structure, and compassionate self-talk. Drawing from Eric’s recovery from heroin addiction, Diana’s pushup challenge, and everyday examples like food choices and pain language, they explore how to navigate motivation, self-doubt, autopilot, and other traps, and why meaningful change requires both inner skills and connection with others. Listen and learn:How “little by little” creates real change over timeHow to decide what is worth wanting and work with values conflictsHow the middle way and self-compassion help you move through setbacks Share this episode with someone who needs a steadier, more sustainable approach to change. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Are you doing “all the right things” and still feeling like happiness keeps slipping through your fingers? In this episode, Dr. Diana Hill talks with Yale psychology professor and The Happiness Lab host Dr. Laurie Santos about the biggest mind traps that block joy—and the small, research-backed shifts that help you feel better in real life. Together, Diana and Laurie unpack why mind-wandering, hedonic adaptation (getting used to the good), and comparison quietly drain wellbeing—and how practices like mindfulness/savoring, treating negative emotions as helpful signals, radical acceptance, and “time affluence” can bring you back to what matters most. Key takeaways you’ll learn in this episode: The three biggest “happiness traps” (mind-wandering, adaptation, and comparison) and how to work with them.Why chasing “good vibes only” can backfire—and how to redefine happiness as flourishing.How to use negative emotions as signals (like a dashboard light) instead of problems to eliminate.Why more money and achievement often don’t move happiness much—and what tends to help more (sleep, friends, free time, and presence). Press play, then share this episode with a high-achiever friend (or anyone feeling stuck in the comparison spiral) who could use a science-backed reset on what actually creates joy. Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

Do you keep getting stuck in the same fights or feeling rejected in your relationship? In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill shares an evidence-based talk on the science of “wise and fierce” relationships, then follows with a conversation with athlete and entrepreneur Gabby Reece about what helps partnerships last. Diana draws on relationship research and her clinical experience to explain why conflict isn’t the main problem—repair is—and on what predicts relationship satisfaction: commitment, appreciation, responsiveness, and sexual satisfaction. She also discusses research on sexual frequency and how motivation matters more than frequency (“getting it on” vs. “getting it over with”). Diana offers a practical exercise to help listeners “put down the broom” of rigid stories: write your story about your partner and their story about you, identify the “negative truth,” then (1) create disconfirming evidence by noticing what contradicts your story about them, and (2) do something that proves their story about you wrong. In the conversation, Gabby describes how respect, emotional honesty, daily connection rituals, and sustaining momentum—along with supporting each partner’s individual passions—strengthen her decades-long marriage to Laird, and they discuss reframing intimacy bids and avoiding complacency. Listen and share this episode with someone you want to strengthen a relationship with. Listen and learn:Why repair after disharmony matters more than avoiding conflictThe key relationship ingredients identified across 43 studies: commitment, appreciation, responsiveness, and sexual satisfactionWhat the research suggests about sex frequency and why “getting it on” vs. “getting it over with” changes satisfaction Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

How can we use our imagination to transform individually and our collective consciousness? Clinical psychologist Dr. Diana Hill explores this question with Dr. Cassandra Vieten on The Wise Effort Show. Dr. Vieten, a clinical professor and director of research at multiple institutions, shares her extensive research on the subject, emphasizing the profound impact transformative spiritual experiences can have on changing our worldview and behaviors. Listeners will learn about the conditions that support transformation, the importance of imagination in altering future outcomes, and practical approaches to fostering a shift in consciousness. Vieten's compelling personal anecdotes and scientific insights provide a roadmap for understanding and achieving deep, lasting change. Listen and learn:Scientific Approach to TransformationThe Power of Imagination in TransformationImagination and Worldview TransformationImagination in Practice and TherapyImagining a Better Future Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series

How can we practice the power of the pause? In this week's episode of the Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill sits down with meditation and yoga teacher Jillian Pransky to explore this profound concept. They dive into the bardo, a transitional state perfect for reflection, and share practical steps from Jillian's LAR LAR method (Land, Arrive, Relax, Listen, Attend, Respond, Repeat) designed to help you cultivate a calmer and more intentional life. Jillian also highlights ways to infuse these practices into your daily routine for a smoother transition into the new year. You'll also get a preview of Diana's new weekly saga Dharma talks and meditations. Join them in learning to pause, reflect, and enter 2026 with wise effort. Listen and learn:An in-depth look at Jillian Pransky's LAR LAR method and how it can transform your lifeThe importance of grounding and breath in calming the nervous systemHow to create space for your emotions and respond more wisely Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episode>>>Join Diana live October 1 for a free Sangha talk and meditationJoin the Wise Effort Community to access the live Sangha event and previous recordings.Get your ticket (in-person and streaming) to Diana’s Tell the Truth Salon Series, a live gathering in Santa Barbara, California.Sign up for Diana's newsletterOrder Diana's book, Wise Effort: How to Focus Your Genius Energy on What Matters Most, and receive special bonus gifts. Diana's EventsSee Diana at an upcoming event Connecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Follow Diana on Psychology Today, Insight Timer, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter. Thanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music. Mentioned in this episode: Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series Come to the Tell the Truth Salon on October 1 See Diana Hill and Rosemerry Trommer during this special live event. Join in-person and live stream. Tell the Truth Salon Series