Legendary alto saxophonist Sonny Fortune joins Armand DiMele and Dr. Kent Robertshaw, MD, Psychiatrist, to trace how Fortune went from corrugated box factory worker and teenage father in Philadelphia to one of jazz’s most celebrated voices. The conversation moves through early perseverance, the power of mentors, and what separates artists who endure from those who walk away.
Everyone is born an artist, but what keeps that alive? Artist and teacher Patricia Miranda joins Armand to explore creativity as a daily act, the physical intimacy of egg tempera painting, gold leaf, and why children need unstructured boredom to let their inner lives flourish.
Cold weather does far more than chill the body. Armand DiMele and co-host Roberta Maria Atti trace how dropping temperatures raise blood pressure, suppress serotonin, trigger overeating, and historically fueled human violence and territoriality, while also arguing that cold is the unlikely cradle of creativity, intimacy, and art.
High energy, little sleep, relentless drive: Dr. Ronald Fieve, Psychiatrist and Author, argues that bipolar II is often a hidden asset rather than a pure liability. Armand DiMele and Fieve trace the spectrum from bipolar I to hypomania, exploring creativity, relationships, psychopathy, and why so many high achievers carry this diagnosis.
Creativity may be the defining trait that separates humans from other animals, and modern research suggests it has been actively selected for through both natural and sexual selection. Armand DiMele and Roberta Maria Ante argue that suppressed creativity could be a root cause of depression, and that beauty and artistic expression hold untapped healing potential.
What does it mean to think for yourself in a culture built on surface habits and borrowed certainties? Marilyn Ferguson, Author of “The Aquarian Conspiracy” and the new “Aquarius Now,” joins Armand DiMele to argue that true radicalism means going to the roots, that creativity is simply making stuff up, and that today’s political turbulence may be exactly the wake-up call humanity needed.
Limiting beliefs keep talented people stuck, and therapist Armand DiMele unpacks them with Dr. Kenneth Christian, author of “Your Own Worst Enemy.” They map the traps: distaste for order, compulsive giving for love, the need to control, and fear of rocking the boat, arguing the problem is never the person, only the pattern.
What does it mean to be fully alive in the present moment? Armand DiMele and co-host Lisa Arnone, LCSW, dig into Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow and the autotelic personality, arguing that real positivity comes from seeing reality clearly, not from manufactured optimism.
What do Einstein and Picasso have in common? Historian of science Arthur I. Miller argues both geniuses solved the same problem of simultaneity, and that true creative focus demands emotional shutdown. Armand and Miller explore whether genius is built on admiration, isolation, or something deeper.
Most people think of obsessions as disorders, but Dr. Eric Mizell argues they can be powerful engines of creative and personal achievement. He and co-host Stephanie D’Ambra, LCSW, join Armand DiMele to discuss how productive obsessions differ from anxiety-driven ones, why showing up daily matters, and what Beethoven reveals about the creative process.
