Host Helen Lee interviews Dr. James Doty, a successful neurosurgeon, Stanford professor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who shares his extraordinary life journey, from growing up in challenging circumstances to finding hope and transformation through a chance encounter at a magic shop.

In this first part of the interview, Dr Doty discusses the profound impact of mindfulness and self-affirmation on his personal growth and how it led him to meet spiritual leaders such ad the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Eckhart Tolle. Dr. Doty emphasises the power of being of service to others and the importance of non-attachment and unconditional love in finding true happiness and fulfilment. 

Dr Doty is also the founder and director of CCARE, the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford, of which the Dalai Lama is the founding benefactor. 

He is also the author of two books: 1) Into The Magic Shop - A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart and 2) Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything. Into The Magic Shop is his award-winning New York Times bestseller about the extraordinary things that can happen when we harness the power of both the brain and the heart, originally published in 2016. And Mind Magic will be out in 2024. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Overcoming adversity: Dr. James Doty's life story is a testament to the power of overcoming challenging circumstances. Despite growing up in a difficult environment, he was able to rise above his circumstances and achieve success.
• The power of mindfulness: Dr. Doty's encounter with a woman in a magic shop introduced him to mindfulness practices that helped him relax, focus, and change his negative self-dialogue. This mindfulness practice had a profound impact on his life and allowed him to see the world in a different way.
• The importance of service to others: Dr. Doty emphasizes the significance of being of service to others. He believes that true happiness and fulfillment come from helping and caring for others. This belief has guided his life and led him to establish the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford.
• Non-attachment and acceptance: Influenced by Buddhist thought, Dr. Doty embraces the concept of non-attachment and acceptance. He believes that true happiness comes from living in the present moment and being open to all possibilities. He also emphasises the importance of non-judgment, unconditional love, and compassion.

BEST MOMENTS

"And ultimately I did show up every day for six weeks and she offered something that ultimately was quite extraordinary because this was in the late 60s." ~ Dr James Doty

"The reality is that the only way, because of our evolution as a species, the only way we can fill that void is by being of service to others." ~ Dr James Doty

"The challenge for all of us is to overcome our attachment, our craving and our ego, to be able to look at the other as ourselves." ~ Dr James Doty

"I think of Einstein, who also does not believe in a personal God. But to me, there is a godliness within us." ~ Helen Lee

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ABOUT THE HOST HELEN LEE

Founder & Principal Coach of Lee Heiss Coaching, Helen Lee coached thousands of clients worldwide and multinationals in Asia-Pacific in the last three decades. She created a powerful ontological coaching methodology that ignites the true greatness or invincibility in people. Thoroughly tested and honed over 20 years, this methodology consistently and rapidly produces desired results.

Helen was also a journalist who later ran her own communications consultancies in Australia and Asia. The Business Times listed her in its “Who’s Who of Women Shaping Singapore” while The Straits Times named her “The Leader Prodder” in a feature on Singapore’s top coaches.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr James R Doty - American neurosurgeon, inventor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist

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• Clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, an affiliate of the Stanford Neurosciences Institute

• Works with both the Stanford Institute for Neuro-Innovation and Translational Neurosciences and a variety of scientists from a number of disciplines examining the neural bases for compassion and altruism