
Today I get to talk with Todd Kashdan, a renowned psychologist and professor at George Mason University. He’s published over 220 peer-reviewed articles and has received many accolades related to his work. Todd’s message is that questioning the group/status quo can actually be a good thing and helps us all to be more creative and successful.
As a parent I’ve (successfully!) made it a point to never tell my kids “I told you so” as an answer to anything. I also encourage my kids to ask hard questions and question everything, even me. What Todd has to say today ties right in with this and encourages all of us to ask the hard questions in a way that’s beneficial and respectful. I learned a lot from our conversation today and I hope you will too!
Episode Highlights With Todd Kashdan
- Why he wrote a book on insubordination and all the connotations attached to that word
- The reason we are seeing a higher percentage than we’ve ever seen of people questioning societal norms
- What makes people want to cling to the status quo
- How understanding this affects his parenting style and his relationships
- Why disagreeing can be extremely beneficial to a group and why it can be the most caring thing to do
- What minority influence is and why it is important to understand
- Strategies we can use to have more effective groups, friendships, and work environments
- Stories of dissenters who have changed history
- Ways to nurture our kid’s curiosity
- Why play is a virtue and how curiosity and play are the antidotes to many of our current problems
- How to increase resilience and well being
- His strategy for microtransitions that can help overwhelm
Resources We Mention
- The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively by Todd Kashdan
- Todd Kashdan – Website
- Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff
- The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
- Shadow Syndromes: The Mild Forms of Major Mental Disorders That Sabotage Us by John J. Ratey
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- 448: Mike Bayer on Creating a Strong Mindset in Ourselves and Our Kids
- 390: How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kids for Success With Julie Lythcott-Haims
- 382: World Renowned Mindset Expert on High Performance and Setting Our Kids Up for Success With Elliot Roe
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