“All societies have drugs that they’re okay with and they draw these lines and they draw them in ways that can seem very arbitrary,” says Michael Pollan, New York Times–bestselling author of This Is Your Mind on Your Plants and host of the new Netflix series, How to Change Your Mind. GP interviewed Pollan about the relationship between humans and plants and how he initially became interested in psychoactive plants as an avid gardener. They talk about the value of caffeine, what surprised Pollan while studying opium, what was unearthed for him during a powerful psilocybin experience, and why he believes MDMA is useful for couple's therapy. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“No one ever asked me if I was happy,” says Selma Blair. “And it’s such a big question.” The actress and author of the new memoir Mean Baby joins GP to talk about the journey that led to Blair’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis and how she’s come to embrace change at fifty. Blair explains how she found healing through books and writing, how she’s learned to be kinder to her younger self, and the forces that have shaped her as a mother. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“We don’t talk about this stage of life as being an exquisitely vulnerable time,” says psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock, author of Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood. She joins Erica Chidi to talk about why society tends to overlook people in their early twenties and thirties and how to better support the transition into adulthood. They discuss historical examples of the quarterlife experience, and Byock shares her roadmap for navigating this period. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The reason that I get so excited about future thinking and helping people play with future scenarios is that those are the habits that keep our mind unstuck,” says future forecaster, game designer, and author Jane McGonigal. In her book, Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything, McGonigal shares tools—and games—for envisioning the future before it arrives. She and GP talk about the signals that shape change (and how to spot them yourself) and why video games have the potential to help us heal. Toward the end, McGonigal shares what gives her hope for the future and her predictions on what we should be paying attention to in the next ten years. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Erica Chidi is joined by comedian Catherine Cohen, author of God I Feel Modern Tonight. Cohen’s debut Netflix comedy special, The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous, is a cabaret-inspired performance exploring the often cringe-worthy millennial experience. In this episode, Chidi and Cohen talk about how Cohen learned to get comfortable making fun of herself. They also discuss wellness routines, what makes Cohen feel most vulnerable, and why it’s okay to be bored sometimes.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices