In this conversation we discuss how to frame what it means to have some type of mental illness, and how much power we have to transform our own mind, using our mind. You will hear how refreshing it is to hear such an esteemed doctor talk so humbly and so HOPE-fully about our ability to live a healthy, integrated life.

Dan’s work & teachings are the single biggest influence to the way Heart On My Sleeve approaches mental health. That’s a BIG call, and it’s true. His unique ability to make complicated scientific concepts not only accessible to everyday people, but bring such a human approach to the work he does, is second to none.

Dan Siegel is one of the most well-known and influential psychiatrists in the world. He isn’t your traditional doctor, by any means. Dan received his medical degree from Harvard University and completed his postgraduate medical education at UCLA where he is currently a clinical professor of psychiatry and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. An award-winning educator, he is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and recipient of several honorary fellowships. Dr. Siegel is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which is an education facility for therapists – training them in his approach to treatment.

His life’s work has been around championing how our ability to form healthy relationships significantly influences emotions, behaviour, and your life narrative. He has pioneered a field of psychology called ‘Interpersonal Neurobiology’. He pretty much came up with the first singular mutually agreed definition of what the ‘mind’ is across all the different industries. He has published a ton of books, and we’d encourage you to read all of them. His most recent book is called “Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence”. If you are a parent, you must read his books. It is the closest thing you can get to a manual for raising healthy and happy children, such as “Parenting from the Inside Out”. 

He has lectured for the King of Thailand, Pope John Paul II, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Google University, and London's Royal Society of Arts (RSA). He lives in Southern California with his family.

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