x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The OptimalWork Podcast

Hosted by Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes, co-founders of OptimalWork, The OptimalWork Podcast will help you learn to challenge yourself in each hour of work according to your highest ideals. We discuss all aspects of Dr. Majeres"s approach to work, which he developed in his private practice and teaches at Harvard Medical School, and show how it applies to everyday situations like professional work, study, sleep, and relationships. For personalized plans to help you put the ideas into practice,

education self-improvement

All Episodes

00:32:08

288: Dynamics of Vitality VI: Friendship & Justice

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/02/23

#288: In this capstone episode, Sharif and Kevin explore a powerful question: Do you have to fix yourself before you can serve others? As they unpack the virtue of justice, Kevin challenges the common belief that relief from anxiety, depression, or anger must come first. Instead, he argues that vitality begins when attention shifts outward—toward real duties, real people, and real bonds. But they don’t stop there. Drawing from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Kevin makes a bold claim: friendship goes

en

00:31:49

[Rebroadcast] How to Navigate Inner Conflict

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/02/16

#287: Why do we sometimes feel like we're at war with ourselves? In this episode, Sharif and Dr. Kevin Majeres dive into a therapy approach called Internal Family Systems (IFS), exploring how our mind has various parts — protectors and exiles — which are sometimes in conflict. Approaching these parts with curiosity and compassion paves the way to resilience and growth. IFS offers valuable tools for everyday life and self-therapy. This discussion is geared toward empowering you to apply these

en

00:27:46

286. Dynamics of Vitality V: Centered on Justice

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/02/08

#286: In this episode, Sharif and Kevin continue their deep dive into the dynamics of vitality by tackling the most overlooked of the cardinal virtues: justice. Building on their framework linking anxiety, depression, and addiction to different “engines” of human behavior, Kevin explains why justice doesn’t merely fix one problem but reorders the entire system. Through vivid metaphors and clinical insight, they explore why true healing can’t happen in isolation, how serving something greater than

en

00:30:54

285. Dynamics of Vitality IV: The Cardinal Virtues

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/02/02

#285: In this episode, Sharif and Kevin map the ancient framework of the cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance—onto the modern “three engines” model of meaning, effort, and attention. Kevin argues that love sits at the core of both emotion and virtue, and shows how different “dark valleys” (anxiety, depression, addiction) have corresponding saddle points where a person can open to reality or close against it. The conversation turns practical as they translate each virtue into a

en

00:30:37

284. Dynamics of Vitality III: The Power of Saddle...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/01/26

#284: Sharif and Dr. Majeres return to unpack one of the most practical ideas in OptimalWork: valleys, vitality, and the “saddle points” where change actually happens. Kevin explains how anxiety, depression, and addiction are shaped by love misdirected toward relief, and why the moments in between—waking up, starting work, finishing a task—are where everything tilts. They explore how love functions as a kind of gravity, how predicted pain gets people trapped in their heads, and why opening willingly

en

00:30:42

[Rebroadcast] Getting Past Shame-Based Motivation

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/01/19

#283: What motivates you to get up in the morning? What motivates you to continue working on a challenging task? Learning how to motivate yourself is essential to true success, but so many people are motivated by a fear of failure, that is, by shame. In this episode, we discuss the relationship between shame and motivation, how to tap into deeper sources of motivation, and how to overcome shame using techniques from Internal Family Systems (IFS). In our next episode, we’ll discuss more in-depth how

en

00:29:33

[Rebroadcast] Overcoming Anxiety III: Incorporating...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/01/12

#282: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In the third and final installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage three: using adrenaline to achieve maximal growth. Stage one, bronze-work, centers on challenging yourself by engaging triggers head-on, and it has the effect of habituating the fear associated with that particular trigger. Stage two, silver-work, centers on being mindful of the alarm as it’s sounding, and it helps you accept the discomfort associated with

en

00:27:56

[Rebroadcast] How to Approach Every Challenge With a...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2026/01/05

#281: Whenever we do something repeatedly, we’ll tend eventually to do it in a rote, automatic way. This even applies to OptimalWork’s core practices: reframing, mindfulness, and challenge. In this episode we show how curiosity can help you overcome this tendency and bring a sense of newness to every challenge you face.Find more at https://www.OptimalWork.com.

en

00:26:08

[Rebroadcast] Beginning the Year with High Hopes

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/12/29

#280: The New Year provides a unique opportunity for a fresh start. To make the most of this opportunity, approach your resolutions with hope and creativity: hope so that you strive for the highest things (ideals, bonds) and creativity so that you can strategize how to achieve them. In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif Younes discuss a broad array of questions related to New Year’s resolutions.Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

en

00:23:08

[Rebroadcast] A Cheerful Giver

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/12/22

#279: In this episode, Dr. Kevin Majeres and Sharif discuss some questions received by email about service. Working with a spirit of service means shaping yourself so that you’re the kind of person who is ready to give cheerfully to all those around you. Although this requires that the actual work you’re doing is helpful, the essence lies instead in the way you do it: with a willingness to form and prioritize bonds with those closest to you.Find more at https://OptimalWork.com

en

00:30:10

[Rebroadcast] Overcoming Anxiety II: Develop Daring

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/12/15

#278: Overcoming anxiety occurs in three successive stages. In the second installment of a three episode series, we discuss stage two: using mindfulness to experience the alarm of anxiety. When you focus on the alarm of anxiety, rather than the trigger only, the learning generalizes to all triggers. It also flips the feeling of fear into one of daring, an eagerness to approach the trigger. This sets the stage for you to use your anxiety and adrenaline to achieve peak performance, which is the topic

en

00:36:22

277. Dynamics of Vitality II: Valleys and Vortexes

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/12/08

#277: In this conversation, Sharif and Kevin delve deeper into the dynamics of human growth and why progress often feels nonlinear. Drawing from chaos theory, they explore the idea of “valleys” and “vortexes” of anxiety, depression, and addiction—and how a single loving, willing action in the present moment can reverse even the strongest downward momentum. Kevin explains how vitality emerges from embracing challenges rather than seeking relief, and how the same simple move sustains resilience

en

00:29:19

276. Dynamics of Vitality I: Tipping Points

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/12/01

#276: In this conversation, Sharif Younes and Dr. Kevin Majeres introduce the idea of “strange attractors” as a framework for understanding why people can abruptly shift between vitality and states like anxiety, depression, or addiction. Drawing from chaos theory, Kevin explains how meaning, effort, and attention can lock into recognizable behavioral patterns—some virtuous, some vicious—that scale from a moment to an entire life. Sharif and Kevin explore how “signature moves” define each valley, why

en

00:27:33

275. Engines of Enthusiasm III: Attention and the Cortex

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/11/24

#275: In this episode, Sharif and Kevin explore how the cortex and attention form the capstone of motivation and enthusiasm. Together, they trace how meaning (the septum), willingness (the striatum), and focused presence (the cortex) work in harmony to create clarity, silence, and smoothness: the hallmarks of deep attention and flow. Kevin explains why distractions arise, what inner “friction” really signals, and how love and service fuel the brain’s attentional systems. This conversation offers a

en

00:29:55

274. Engines of Enthusiasm II: Effort and the Striatum

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/11/17

#274: In this follow-up to their discussion on meaning and the septum, Sharif and Kevin turn to the striatum—the brain’s engine of effort and challenge. Kevin explains how our willingness to act depends on dopamine, and how love, purpose, and embracing discomfort transform drudgery into freedom and flow. They contrast this neuroscience-based approach with Stoicism, showing how the key to persistence isn’t suppressing emotion but letting meaningful motivation drive every action.Find more at

en

00:33:54

273. Engines of Enthusiasm I: Motivation and the Septum

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/11/10

#273: In this conversation, Sharif Younes and Dr. Kevin Majeres explore the brain’s septum—the hidden center where love, meaning, and motivation converge. Kevin explains how “septal resonance” connects our sense of purpose to our relationships, and how practices like sincerity, gratitude, and loving-kindness can reawaken zeal in our daily work. Together, they unpack how reframing and genuine affection can shift us from threat mode into vitality mode, bringing new depth to both work and spiritual

en

00:32:30

272. Understanding Depression VI: Ancient Wisdom and...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/11/03

#272: In this episode, Sharif and Kevin continue their exploration of depression, burnout, and low energy—this time uncovering a remarkable bridge between neuroscience and classical wisdom. Kevin reveals how adenosine’s “good tired” and “bad tired” states map directly onto Aquinas’ ideas of tristitia and acedia, showing that what medieval thinkers called “weariness of soul” may be the same state modern science calls burnout or depression. Together, they unpack Aquinas’ five treatments for

en

00:30:04

271. Understanding Depression V: Good Tired and Good...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/10/27

#271: In this episode, Kevin and Sharif explore one of the most elegant parallels in psychiatry — the deep connection between anxiety and depression. Kevin explains how panic disorder can be seen as a phobia of adrenaline, while depression mirrors it as a phobia of adenosine, the brain’s “tiredness” signal. Together, they explore how unwillingness to feel these sensations fuels both disorders, and why willingness—even love—toward the very sensations we resist becomes the key to healing. With

en

00:29:33

270. Understanding Depression IV: The Root Cause

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/10/20

#270: In this episode, Kevin and Sharif explore a bold new way to understand depression—not as a simple chemical imbalance, but as what Kevin calls a “phobia of adenosine.” Drawing on neuroscience and behavioral psychology, Kevin explains how our brains rely on a natural rhythm of intensity and rest, and how losing that rhythm leads to burnout, lethargy, and despair. The discussion connects deep biological mechanisms—adenosine, dopamine, cortisol, and dynorphins—to everyday experiences of tiredness,

en

00:33:46

269. Understanding Depression III: The Truth about...

The OptimalWork Podcast ·

2025/10/13

#269: Kevin and Sharif dive deep into the true biology and psychology of burnout — not as mere exhaustion, but as “bad tired on steroids.” Kevin explains how chronic threat mode floods the brain with cortisol, amplifying the “type two” tiredness that crushes motivation, focus, and connection. Together, they explore the three engines of vitality — meaning, effort, and attention — showing how burnout arises when these engines fall out of sync. Sharif presses on the dilemma of working hard without

en

288 results

Similar Podcasts

Science Talk

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

五分钟心理学

柠檬心理

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Veterinary Clinical Podcasts

The Royal Veterinary College