Seize the Moment Podcast

On episode 254, we welcome Aaron Poochigian to discuss his new translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Aaron's struggles with addiction and how the book helped him in recovery, suffering as stemming from interpretations of rather than facts about the world, meaning as stemming from virtue rather than reputation, learning to accept all of nature to manage suffering, applying the concept of 'strange beauty' to discover it everywhere, and the psychotherapeutic elements of Stoic philosophy. Aaron Poochigian is a poet, classics scholar, and translator who lives and writes in New York City. His work has appeared in such newspapers and journals as The Financial Times, The New York Review of Books, and Poetry Magazine. He's the author of Four Walks in Central Park: A Poetic Guide to the Park, and his translations include Stung with Love (Penguin UK). His new translation, available now, is Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. | Aaron Poochigian | ► Website | https://www.aaronpoochigian.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/Poochigian ► Meditations Book | https://amzn.to/4tO7Uyr Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 253, we welcome Christopher Mathias to discuss the meaning of fascism and what ANTIFA is, fascism's ideological roots in greed and domination, the Charlottesville protests, fascist masking and the threat of being charmed by appearances, whether we owe it to fascism to allow for open debates, whether fascists care about finding the truth, if it's possible to differentiate between conservatives and fascists at this point, and why members of ANTIFA would disagree with being labeled extremists. Christopher Mathias is a journalist covering the far right. Previously a senior reporter at HuffPost, he's done work for the Guardian, MSNBC, Zeteo, and WNYC. His reporting chronicled the rapid radicalization of the GOP, and has helped unmask white supremacist cops, soldiers, teachers, and politicians. Mathias was a Deadline Awards finalist for feature writing. His new book, available now, is called To Catch a Fascist: The Fight to Expose the Radical Right. | Christopher Mathias | ► Twitter | https://x.com/letsgomathias ► Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/letsgomathias.bsky.social ► To Catch a Fascist Book | https://amzn.to/3OaBNJj Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 252, welcome Benjamin Saltzman to discuss the gesture of turning away, the shame and grief behind it, how it became a moral topic, turning away in art and Timanthes's lost painting of Agamemnon, Plato's tripartite concept of the soul and turning away as a mark of confusion, rigidity and steadfastness as signs of courage and character, cognitive flexibility and knowing when to turn away, Hannah Arendt and misinterpreting averted gazes as the foundation of totalitarianism, and understanding aversion without its moral trappings. Benjamin A. Saltzman is associate professor of English at the University of Chicago, where he coedits the journal Modern Philology. Saltzman is the author of Bonds of Secrecy: Law, Spirituality, and the Literature of Concealment in Early Medieval England and the coeditor of Thinking of the Medieval: Midcentury Intellectuals and the Middle Ages. His new book, available April 6, 2026, is called Turning Away: The Poetics of an Ancient Gesture. | Benjamin A. Saltzman | ► Website | https://www.bsaltzman.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/b_a_saltzman ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/b_a_saltzman ► Turning Away Book | https://bit.ly/TurningAwayBook Use the code "UCPNEW" for a 30% discount on Turning Away when ordering from the link above! Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 251, we welcome Patricia Martin to discuss identity formation in the modern world, our preoccupation with external validation and why it's unsustainable in the internet age, Carl Jung's understanding of the persona and our tendency to perform, the persona and chronic self-doubt, socially prescribed perfectionism and the fog of self, physical practices to re-center oneself, and the importance of cultivating meaning for identity integration. Patricia Martin is the author of four books, a researcher, and speaker. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post, The New York Times, and Psyche Magazine. For over twenty-five years, influential brands and non-profits sought her insight as a consultant, including American Express, Oracle, and The New York Philharmonic, among others. She holds an MFA in nonfiction from Bennington College, with post-graduate work in medical narrative at Duke University, and Jungian theory at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago, where she gives workshops and hosts the popular podcast, Jung in the World. Her new book, available March 5, 2026, is called Will the Future Like You?: Reflections on the Age of Hyper-Reinvention. | Patricia Martin | ► Website | https://patricia-martin.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/PatriciaMartin ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/patriciamartin33 ► Substack | https://culturescout.substack.com ► Podcast | https://www.youtube.com/@JungInstituteChicago/videos ► Will the Future Like You? Book | https://amzn.to/3ZgU2in Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 250, we welcome Amy Nathan to discuss civil rights icon Sara Keyes Evans, her own decision to not move to the back of a bus, the decades long legal battle that followed, the battle between federal and state laws regarding interstate travel for minorities, Sara's more measured and less aggressive stance on social justice, the values and temperament that were the foundation of her brand of activism, why she was unrecognized for so long, and what inspired her tenancy to fight racism. Amy Nathan is the author of more than fifteen books, including Together: An Inspiring Response to the "Separate-but-Equal" Supreme Court Decision that Divided America, Making Time for Making Music, Round and Round Together, and A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story. Her new book, available March 24, 2026, is called Riding into History: The Surprising Story of Sarah Keys Evans and the Fight to Desegregate Bus Travel. | Amy Nathan | ► Website | https://www.amynathanbooks.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/AmyNathanBooks ► Riding into History Book | https://amzn.to/49ULzGC Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 249, we welcome Jack El-Hai to discuss the Nuremberg trials and the recent film about them, the psychiatrist who analyzed Hermann Göring, Dr. Douglas Kelley's motivations for doing so, whether Nazis were monsters and if being human makes them scarier, how the results of Göring's Rorschach test reveled a narcissistic personality, the foundation of evil, Kelley's stifled ambitions and why his social contributions make his work meaningful, and the warnings in 'Nuremberg' about our political future. Jack El-Hai is an acclaimed author and journalist whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Smithsonian, GQ, Wired, Scientific American, Discover, and many other publications. He has written several acclaimed books — including The Lobotomist, The Lost Brothers, and Face in the Mirror — translated into more than twenty languages worldwide. His book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist inspired the major motion picture Nuremberg, which explores the psychological dimensions of the Nuremberg Trials. | Jack El-Hai | ► Website | https://www.el-hai.com ► Twitter | https://x.com/Jack_ElHai ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jackelhai1 ► Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/jackelhai.bsky.social ► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackelhai ► The Nazi and the Psychiatrist Book | https://amzn.to/4bBoBqf Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 248, we welcome Dorothy Roberts to discuss the history of interracial marriage in the US, how it was used to help sustain Black slavery, Dorothy's resistance to and eventual acceptance of being biracial, her disagreements with her father (a fellow researcher) on the benefits of interracial marriages, defining race and why Nazis and white supremacists both struggled to define whiteness, whether love can overcome social injustice on its own, the Black Belt being populated with whites, and how culture and power influence whom we feel attracted to and love. Dorothy Roberts is the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she directs the Penn Program on Race, Science, and Society. The author of five books, including Killing the Black Body, a MacArthur Fellow, and member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her newest book is called, The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family. | Dorothy Roberts | ► Website | https://www.dorothyeroberts.com/ ► Website 2 | https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/roberts1 ► Twitter | https://x.com/dorothyeroberts ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/dorothyeroberts ► The Mixed Marriage Project Book | https://bit.ly/TheMixedMarriageProject Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 247, we welcome Lybi Ma to discuss the thought patterns we get trapped in, the differences between ruminating and deliberating, why avoiding and suppressing our emotions can make them feel more intense, challenging the negative narratives we create about our lives, why our brains are programmed for survival rather than happiness, why Freud was right, spotting cognitive distortions, the importance of mindfulness and gratitude, Lybi's divorce and how she overcame resentment and bitterness, how anxiety affects our bodies, and the importance of perceiving satisfaction as stemming from within. Lybi Ma is the executive editor of Psychology Today. In addition to producing the print magazine, she also guides its website and blog platform, which hosts more than nine hundred authors, academic researchers, and journalists. She edited a Psychology Today book series covering topics such as anger, food addiction, and bipolar disorder. Her new book, available now, is called How to Be Less Miserable: End the Negative Mind Loops and Find Joy. | Lybi Ma | ► Website | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us ► Twitter | https://x.com/lybima ► Linkedin | https://www.linkedin.com/in/lybi-ma-b982941 ► How to Be Less Miserable Book | https://amzn.to/4hZkG7M Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 246, we welcome David Bather Woods to discuss the life and philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, how his father's suicide shaped his beliefs about suicide, suffering as the source of compassion, happiness as the negation of pain, Schopenhauer's anti-slavery sentiment, his difficult relationship with Marxist thought and its thinkers, whether writing about changing the world for the better can be enough, why he believed life was worth living, and whether it's fair to judge his philosophy by his life and choices. David Bather Woods is associate professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is coeditor with Timothy Stoll of The Schopenhauerian Mind. He has contributed chapters to The Proustian Mind, Schopenhauer's Moral Philosophy, and The Palgrave Schopenhauer Handbook. His new book, available November 18, 2025, is called Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy's Greatest Pessimist. | David Bather Woods | ► Website | https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/philosophy/people/woods ► Twitter | https://x.com/dbatherwoods ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/all_academic ► Bluesky| https://bsky.app/profile/davidbatherwoods.bsky.social ► Arthur Schopenhauer Book | https://bit.ly/ArthurSchopenhauerBiography Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast

On episode 245, we welcome Michael Uebel to discuss the practice of equanimity, its similarities and differences from mindfulness practices, how perspective taking helps mitigate difficult feelings as in PTSD, how it can be used to help bridge political divides, shifting goals to less ambitious ones for greater equanimity, perspective taking and its influence on self-esteem, and psychoanalysis as a foundation for increased humility and curiosity. Michael Uebel, PhD, LCSW, studies intellectual history. He has taught theory and literature at the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, and the University of Kentucky. Currently an Affiliate of the Office for the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Texas-Austin, and an International Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Council, his research focuses on the intersection of philosophy and psychology as it bears on the nature of self and ethical life. His new book, available October 31, 2025, is called Seeds of Equanimity: Knowing and Being. | Michael Uebel | ► Website | https://utexas.academia.edu/MichaelUebel ► Psychology Today | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/michael-uebel-austin-tx/46379 ► Seeds of Equanimity Book | https://amzn.to/42BsUNa Where you can find us: | Seize The Moment Podcast | ► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/SeizeTheMoment ► Twitter | https://twitter.com/seize_podcast ► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seizethemoment ► TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@seizethemomentpodcast ► Patreon | https://bit.ly/3xLHTIa