For episode 267, Deb Dana makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour for our ongoing Anxiety Series.

In this series, Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers and different researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. This is the seventh episode in the series.

Deb Dana, LCSW, is a clinician, consultant, author, and international lecturer on polyvagal theory-informed work with trauma survivors and is the leading translator of this scientific work to the public and mental health professionals. A founding member of the Polyvagal Institute, Deb developed the signature Rhythm of Regulation® Clinical Training Series: The Science of Feeling Safe Enough To Fall in Love with Life and Take the Risks of Living. She is also the author of many books, her most recent 2025 release, Glimmers Journal: Reflect on the Small Moments That Bring You Joy, Safety, and Connection.

In this conversation, Deb and Sharon speak about:

• Overview of Polyvagal Theory
• How Deb came to her work
• Understanding our nervous system
• How Polyvagal Theory impacts anxiety
• Being with anxiety vs being hijacked by it
• The spaciousness of Ventral Regulation
• Sympathetic versus parasympathetic
• The biological imperative of connection
• History of co-regulation in PVT
• The Autonomic Ladder
• Impact of a clinician’s compassion
• Transmitting cues of safety to others
• Savoring the practice of 30 seconds
• The difference between inconvenience and danger
• The Rhythm of Regulation
• Breath as a regulatory tool
• Gathering Glimmers
• Building the capacity to face suffering differently
• Breakdown of a glimmer practice
• Having a sensitivity to our trauma

Deb closes the conversation with a guided practice on the Story of the Three States.

To learn more about Deb’s work, you can visit her website right here and checkout her latest books: the Glimmers Journal and the Nervous System Workbook.

Check out the first episode in the Anxiety Podcast Series with Dr. Jud Brewer on Ep .260 of the Metta Hour Podcast

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For episode 266, Amishi Jha returns to the Metta Hour for our ongoing Anxiety Series.

In this series, Sharon is speaking with Mental Health experts, providers and different researchers for tools to work with anxiety in increasingly challenging times. This is the sixth episode in the series.

Amishi is Director of Contemplative Neuroscience and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami. She studies the brain’s attention system and the effects of mindfulness training on resilience and performance in high-demand professions, including the military, emergency services, and medicine. Her research has been supported by the Dept. of Defense and featured by TED, NATO, the World Economic Forum, The New York Times, and NPR. She led the first large-scale study of mindfulness training with active-duty service members. She is the author of the national bestseller Peak Mind and creator of the Pushups for the Mind app.

In this episode, Amishi and Sharon speak about:

• Mindfulness in mental health

• Cognitive resilience

• Eustress and how it serves us

• Mismatch between capacity and challenge

• Attention as resilience

• Flashlight attention for clarification & focus

• Floodlight attention for situation awareness

• Executive Functioning

• How to begin attention training

• Myths about stress and anxiety

• The participatory nature of the brain

• The attentional decline of burnout

• Compassion Fatigue

• Cognitive versus emotional empathy

• Amishi’s new app, Pushups for the Mind

• The minimum effective dose of meditation

To learn more about Amishi’s work, you can visit her website right here and download her new app right here. Please note that the Pushups for the Mind app is free for all U.S. active service military members.

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For episode 265, Sharon speaks with and activist and author, Shanon Watts about her new book, Fired Up.

Shannon is the founder of Moms Demand Action, the largest grassroots group fighting gun violence in the U.S. Known as the ‘summoner of women’s audacity,’ she has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, a Forbes 50 over 50 Changemaker, and a Glamour Woman of the Year. Shannon is also an active board member of Emerge America, one of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. Helping to redefine what’s possible when audacious women unite to drive change, she writes regularly about culture, politics and women’s issues for her Substack, Playing with Fire, and outlets like The Washington Post, Elle, Time, The 19th. Her new book, Fired Up: How to Turn Your Spark Into a Flame and Come Alive at Any Age, is coming out on June 17th, 2025. To learn more about Shannon’s work, or get a copy of Fired Up you can visit her website here.

In this conversation, Shannon and Sharon speak about:

• The impetus for Shannon’s book
• How to live a life on fire
• Shannon’s personal story
• Marrying our abilities, values & desires
• Being burned up by our anger
• Survivors of gun violence
• What holds us back
• Sharon’s fear of public speaking
• The firestarter triangle
• How we find our desires & aspirations
• Sharon and Sharon’s top values
• Living with a sense of what you care about
• How do we sustain our fire?
• Community Building
• Firestarter University

Shannon closes the conversation with a short reading from her book, Fired Up.

Join Sharon for her new online course, Intro to Meditation, starting June 21st. With meditation becoming increasingly popular, it can be hard to know where to begin. This four-day introductory course is designed to teach you the fundamentals of meditation. This course is ideal for beginners who want to establish a practice, as well as experienced students seeking a refresher course. Learn more: Intro to Meditation

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