Mood: Scared

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A Nation of Wimps with Hara Estroff Marano May 15, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Hara Estroff Marano
Category: Family & Parenting, Personal Growth & Change

Overprotective parents are raising psychologically fragile children, and college counseling centers are overwhelmed with the fallout. Hara Estroff Marano, Author and Psychology Today Editor, joins Armand DiMele to argue that well-meaning parents who bubble-wrap their kids’ lives are producing adults who can’t tolerate failure, rejection, or uncertainty.

Depression Dementia and the Alzheimer’s Zone May 8, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Ronald Feevey, Giullian Gioiello
Category: Aging & Mortality, The Mind & Neuroscience

Late-life depression may double the risk of vascular dementia and raise Alzheimer’s risk by 65%. Armand DiMele surveys the research on cortisol, the hippocampus, and the toxic brain effects of chronic depression, then argues for a radical reframe: Alzheimer’s may be harder on caregivers than on those living it. Co-host Giullian Gioiello joins the conversation.

Warning Signs of Dangerous Relationships with Noel Nelson April 23, 2013

Category: Communication & Conflict, Trauma & Healing

Psychologist Dr. Noel Nelson, author of ‘Dangerous Relationships,’ walks Armand through seven early warning signs of abusive relationships, from whirlwind romance to possessiveness to boundary violations. The conversation covers why controlling behavior, not pathology or alcohol, is the clearest predictor of domestic violence.

Assertive Energy with Don Riso and Russ Hudson April 10, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Don Riso, Russ Hudson
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Don Riso and Russ Hudson join Armand DiMele to break down the three assertive Enneagram types: the blunt, life-force-driven Challenger, the endlessly striving Achiever, and the expansive Enthusiast. The conversation explores why assertive energy triggers defensive reactions, how it roots in fear and emptiness, and how it can be channeled into genuine leadership.

Anxiety as Friend and Foe with Dr. Sarah Denning March 26, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Sarah Denning
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Personal Growth & Change

Anxiety can motivate or paralyze, and the difference often comes down to catching it early. Dr. Sarah Denning, Founder of Adaptive Behavioral Therapy, joins Armand DiMele to map anxiety from low-grade nervousness to full panic attacks, introducing a stress scale and practical tools for identifying and lowering anxiety in the moment.

Phobias and Secondary Gain March 20, 2013

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Anxiety & Fear, Emotions & Inner Life

Phobias are never just about the feared object. Armand DiMele argues that every phobia carries a hidden secondary gain, an unconscious payoff such as withdrawal from adult responsibility, and that understanding this dynamic is the real key to treatment. The episode covers agoraphobia, paranoia, and a catalogue of named phobias.

The Physiology of Anxiety and Fear with Dr. William Astwood March 19, 2013

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. William Astwood
Category: Anxiety & Fear, The Mind & Neuroscience

Anxiety, excitement, and fear are physiologically identical. Armand DiMele and Dr. William Astwood break down the fight-or-flight response in plain language, explaining how the sympathetic nervous system drives panic, phobias, obsessions, and social anxiety, and how understanding the body’s mechanics can restore a sense of control.

Losing Your Mind to Find Resilience November 6, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Yo-Yo Ma
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Personal Growth & Change

Reality is hard, and humans escape it through sex, rage, drugs, romance, and lies. Armand DiMele argues this is understandable but costly, then pivots to Hurricane Sandy as a case study in forced clarity. Co-host Giullian Gioiello shares his firsthand experience as an NYU student in the East Village during the storm, grounding a practical discussion of how to build resilience through pain rather than around it.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves September 18, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: John Valerio, Lisa Arnone
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

We are all method actors in stories we invented, and the stories we tell others are shaped as much by what listeners want to hear as by what we want to say. Armand DiMele and Lisa Arnone, LCSW explore how anxiety, denial, and the compulsive need to “fix” others often trace back to unfinished business from childhood.

Magical Thinking and the Double Bind September 4, 2012

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Brian Jefferson, Dr. Annalisa Erba, Ilana Rubenfeld, Johnna Valerio
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Identity & The Self

Armand DiMele breaks down two foundational distortions in human thinking: magical thinking, the belief that we cause or control others’ feelings, and the double bind, the no-win trap that forces children to bend reality rather than expose a parent’s lie. Both patterns, rooted in childhood, quietly drive adult dysfunction.