Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews author Jack El-Hai about his book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, adapted into the film Nuremberg starring Rami Malek and Russell Crowe. El-Hai explains how he discovered psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley through earlier research, then located Kelley’s son Doug, who shared 15 banker boxes of Nuremberg materials, including defendant records and artifacts such as a vial labeled “Herman Göring’s Paracodeine.” El-Hai describes Kelley’s doctor-patient, transactional relationship with Göring, his role as a military psychiatrist working without precedent, and the ethical conflicts involved. He discusses Kelley’s conclusion that the Nazi leaders were “normal” and that this shook his faith in psychiatry, plus parallels between Göring’s cyanide suicide and Kelley’s later death the same way. El-Hai says his key insight is rejecting “monsters” as categories while still supporting justice.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Nazi Minds at Nuremberg

03:34 Why Jack Wrote It

04:19 Unearthing Kelly's Archives

10:41 Shaping the Story

14:01 Evil Without Madness

18:45 Doug Kelly the Survivor

20:05 Göring and Kelly Dynamic

27:57 Ethics in Uncharted Territory

30:21 Leon Goldensohn Connection

32:30 From Book to Film

38:22 Living With Dark Stories

48:38 No Monsters Just People

51:57 Closing and Subscribe

Helpful Links:

Jack El-Hai

The Nazi and the Psychiatrist Book

The Nuremberg Interviews Book

Dr. Adam Dorsay, Silicon Valley psychologist and host of the SuperPsyched podcast, reflects on reaching episode 300 and how the show began during COVID when he suddenly had extra time. He explains that “SuperPsyched” is about being deeply connected to one’s psyche, not toxic positivity, and shares that he books guests largely by simply asking, citing the Franklin Effect. He highlights the show’s wide-ranging catalog—from athletes, musicians, and Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz to a Holocaust survivor, an undertaker, a cat psychologist, and Daryl Davis—along with milestone episodes featuring his father (episode 150) and mother (episode 300). Key takeaways include intimacy as “vulnerability well met” (Dr. James Cordova), the importance of psychological safety (Dr. Amy Edmondson), and evidence-backed self-compassion (Chris Germer), plus research suggesting luck increases with the number of people you meet.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:29 Episode 300 milestone

00:38 Starting during COVID

01:32 Meaning of SuperPsyched

02:53 Asking for guests

03:26 Franklin Effect explained

04:36 Favorite guests and range

06:59 Standout episodes and heroes

10:32 Top downloads and animal minds

11:12 Three key gleanings

14:18 Miracle question themes

15:17 Active luck through people

16:00 Thanks and subscribe

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews ADHD coach and author Dr. Tamara Rosier about ADHD, emotions, and daily strategies for healthier functioning. They discuss how people with ADHD are criticized far more than peers, may feel “broken,” and often have impulse-control challenges, heightened emotional intensity, high sensitivity, and sensory issues tied to a sensitive nervous system, making environmental fit and nervous-system regulation important. Rosier argues ADHD isn’t inherently a “gift,” but benefits can emerge when energy and emotions are managed, including choosing where attention goes and treating feelings as informants rather than facts. They emphasize sleep as foundational, covering difficulties with sleep onset, maintenance, and desire, the importance of deep sleep for the brain’s glymphatic “cleaning” system, and how time blindness and “rabbit holes” interfere with routines. Rosier closes with a wish that people understand human interconnectedness and accept themselves without constant proving.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:26 ADHD and Emotional Bruises

01:11 Meet Dr Tamara Rosier

02:48 Why ADHD People Click

04:21 Not a Gift Managing Energy

05:45 High Sensitivity and Nervous System

08:12 Sensory Overload and Regulation

08:41 Behavioral Basics Beyond Meds

09:50 Sleep Struggles with ADHD

11:47 Glymphatic System Brain Cleaning

12:19 Beliefs About Sleep Drive

14:50 Reframing Sleep with Clients

15:01 Sleep as Necessary Evil

15:26 Bedtime Sabotage Habits

16:19 Time Blind Rabbit Holes

17:55 Why Sleep Runs Everything

18:33 ADHD Emotional Engine

20:34 Feelings Aren't Facts

24:04 Curious Not Furious

24:41 Default Mode Network Explained

26:16 One Skill for Humanity

27:31 Connection Story and Farewell

Helpful Links:

Tamara Rosier, PhD

Tamara Rosier, PhD LinkedIn

Tamara Rosier, PhD Books

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews six-time US Memory Champion Nelson Dellis about why memory is central to identity and why cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s are so devastating. Dellis describes memory championships as timed, full-day events involving feats such as memorizing a deck of cards, hundreds of digits in five minutes, and large sets of names and faces, emphasizing that success comes from a trained—not “naturally good”—memory. In the age of AI, he argues that continuing to use memory supports cognitive health, may help prevent atrophy, and preserves a core human element tied to lived experience. They discuss how Alzheimer’s may impair retrieval rather than erase memories, and highlight Dellis’s activity-based book, "Everyday Genius," which trains memory and other skills like calculation, creativity, and faster reading, alongside lessons learned from painful competitive losses.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Why Memory Matters

00:48 Meet Nelson Dellis

03:04 Trained Not Gifted

05:12 Inside Memory Championships

06:38 Memory in the AI Age

09:03 Alzheimers and Identity

11:19 Everyday Genius Challenge

14:28 Curiosity as Cross Training

19:18 Learning Through Failure

20:21 Closing and Subscribe

Helpful Links:

Nelson Dellis

Everyday Genius: Hacks to Boost Your Memory, Focus, Problem-Solving, and Much More Book

Nelson Dellis Instagram

Nelson Dellis YouTube

Nelson Dellis LinkedIn

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews neurologist and Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Majid Fotuhi about keeping the brain resilient and reducing Alzheimer’s risk. Fotuhi describes the brain’s capacity to recover and adapt, citing cases of major brain injury and hemispherectomy, and challenges the myth that Alzheimer’s is inevitable with age, noting “super agers” and emphasizing “use it or lose it.” He outlines five key pillars for brain health: exercise, 7–8 hours of sleep, a Mediterranean/heart-healthy diet, stress reduction, and daily cognitive challenge. He reports a 12-week program in which 84% of patients improved on cognitive tests and many increased hippocampal volume by 1–3%. They discuss sleep apnea as a serious risk, cortisol’s harmful effects from chronic stress, managing repetitive negative thoughts, adopting growth mindset and broader views of intelligence, and choosing daily practices that build happiness.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Why Brain Health Matters

01:02 Meet Dr Majid Fotuhi

02:51 The Invincible Brain Stories

05:16 How the Brain Compensates

06:48 Alzheimers Myths and Super Agers

11:06 Use It or Lose It Mindset

13:21 Beyond IQ Multiple Intelligences

18:01 Growth Mindset Builds the Brain

20:56 Reversing Aging in 12 Weeks

23:12 Five Pillars of Brain Health

25:36 Sleep Apnea and Brain Damage

28:02 Exercise Is Nonnegotiable

29:59 A Neurology Insider Story

30:33 Three Pillar Basics

31:20 Lifestyle Intelligence

32:43 Teeth And Brain Care

34:36 Culture And Identity Habits

36:01 Stress Shrinks Hippocampus

39:44 Reframing Stress Mindset

41:18 Stop Negative Loops

45:42 Morning Gratitude Practice

49:44 Challenge Your Brain

52:12 Happiness Is A Choice

55:15 Small Things Compound

56:41 Closing Thanks And Subscribe

Helpful Links:

Dr. Mahid Fotuhi

Dr. Mahid Fotuhi Johns Hopkins

Dr. Mahid Fotuhi YouTube

The Invincible Brain: The Clinically Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life Book

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces SuperPsyched and interviews psychiatrist, professor, and author Dr. Gianpiero “GP” Petriglieri about how work shapes identity amid modern job insecurity, mobility, and AI-driven ambiguity. GP describes a historical shift from inheriting bundled identities to identifying with organizations after WWII, and now to “nomadic professionals” who identify with the work itself, seeking meaning, mastery, learning, and legacy. He argues leaders should measure and provide latitude for job crafting so people can both perform and learn, avoiding the evils of getting lost or stuck. GP advises parents and young workers to think of themselves as artists, have faith in the work rather than organizations or approval, and cultivate friends who “imagine” them. He warns against being labeled a “future leader,” urging people to lead now by bringing ideas to life.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:28 Work and Identity Trap

01:54 GP Joins the Show

02:43 From Companies to Craft

05:27 Nomadic Professionals Today

07:15 Leaders and Job Crafting

09:14 Lost vs Stuck Paradox

11:02 Meaning Beyond Work

12:21 Advice for Parents

12:53 Work as Art Mindset

14:14 Faith in the Work

17:15 Friends Who Imagine You

20:26 Authenticity Under Pressure

23:42 Lead Now Not Later

26:27 Closing and Takeaways

27:48 Subscribe and Share

Helpful Links:

Dr. Gianpiero Petriglieri

Psychologist and SuperPsyched host Dr. Adam Dorsay interviews novelist Andrew Davidson about Davidson’s debut novel The Gargoyle and the role fiction can play in empathy and mental health. Davidson summarizes the book as a burn-ward patient approached by a woman who claims they were lovers 700 years ago, highlighting the tension between the narrator’s atheism and Maryanne Engel’s faith. He discusses his research-driven writing process, including firsthand outreach to a burn survivor, extensive historical sourcing, and deliberate choices balancing accuracy with emotional truth. Davidson explains cutting a much longer manuscript, securing representation from agent Eric Simonoff, and how the book’s global publication—including translations and a reported $1.25 million advance—led to an overwhelming publicity tour that altered his relationship with writing. He describes later work in theater and ends by naming empathy as the key insight to improve society.

00:00 Welcome to SuperPsyched

00:26 Why Fiction Matters

00:49 Introducing The Gargoyle

02:28 Meet Andrew Davidson

03:24 What The Book Is About

06:44 Characters and The Author

09:09 Researching Worlds and Trauma

13:59 Accuracy vs Emotional Truth

19:02 Trusting Intuition and Editing

21:12 Loving the Writing Process

22:26 Why Only One Novel

24:39 Writing for Love

25:40 Japan and The Gargoyle

26:30 Fame and Touring Burnout

29:11 Reset in Paris

30:26 Theater and New Writing

31:57 Writer Identity and Intrinsic Drive

33:48 Landing a Top Agent

36:07 Editing Down the Manuscript

40:11 Luck Preparation and Gratitude

42:35 Movie or Limited Series

45:34 Winnipeg Theater Mission

47:54 Empathy and Farewell

Helpful Links:

Andrew Davidson Facebook

The Gargoyle Book

Dr. Adam Dorsay introduces his podcast episode featuring Melissa Orlov, a Harvard-educated expert on ADHD and marriage and author of “The ADHD Effect on Marriage” and “The Couple’s Guide to Thriving with ADHD.” They discuss what adult ADHD is and is not, emphasizing attention dysregulation, distractibility, impulsivity, planning and working-memory difficulties, and emotional dysregulation, along with the hereditary and neurochemical basis (notably low dopamine) and why stimulants can be calming by increasing dopamine availability. Dorsay shares his own late ADHD diagnosis, his first experience taking Ritalin, and how medication helped him build habits and identity-based changes he later maintained without medication.

Orlov describes common, predictable relationship patterns in ADHD-impacted couples, including the “hyperfocus courtship” phase driven by elevated dopamine and the shift after 24–28 months when symptoms become more visible. She outlines the experiences of both partners: the ADHD partner often carries lifelong shame and sensitivity to criticism, while the non-ADHD partner can feel lonely, resentful, and overwhelmed by chaos and perceived lack of follow-through. They explore distractibility and how “new or shiny” can override what is important, and they highlight strengths often associated with ADHD such as creativity, energy, passion, and effective performance in high-stimulation contexts.

Orlov presents a three-stage framework for healing: moving out of denial and learning how ADHD impacts relationships, both partners taking responsibility for their own work, and breaking entrenched patterns such as parent-child dynamics and “symptom-response-response” cycles by reframing symptoms and changing reactions. They address sleep hygiene as foundational, noting sleep deprivation can worsen or mimic ADHD symptoms, and discuss strategies like consistent bedtime routines, “sacred bedtime,” and limiting electronics and blue-light exposure. They also discuss how parent-child dynamics harm sexual connection, the importance of lowering pressure when restarting sex, and improving communication about sex. Orlov closes with the importance of rebuilding trust through transparency and ownership rather than equating trust solely with perfect follow-through, and she names self-compassion and compassion for others as the key skill she would give to everyone.

00:00 Welcome to Dorsay

00:28 ADHD and Marriage Stakes

01:00 Meet Melissa Orlov

03:00 Why ADHD Feels Familiar

04:17 What ADHD Is and Isnt

06:23 Why Stimulants Help

07:38 Adams Diagnosis Story

09:36 Medication Targets and Hope

12:14 Habits and Identity Shifts

13:15 Empathy for Both Partners

14:50 ADHD Partner Childhood Shame

20:13 Non ADHD Partner Experience

22:19 Hyperfocus Courtship Chemistry

24:46 Distractibility in Relationships

26:49 Main Thing Mantra

27:24 Medication to Structure

28:39 ADHD Strengths Kept

30:17 Three Stages Healing

31:29 Breaking Bad Patterns

34:57 Sleep Hygiene Fixes

40:36 Electronics at Bedtime

42:14 Sex and Reconnection

49:06 Rebuilding Trust

54:21 Compassion Magic Skill

55:22 Closing Thanks

Helpful Links:

Melissa Orlov

Melissa Orlov The Couple's Guide to Thriving with ADHD Book