Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Today I'm delighted to welcome one of the world's leading neurosurgeons, Dr Rahul Jandial back onto the podcast. I first spoke to Rahul back on episode 76 about the simple things that we can all do to improve and optimise our brain health. I decided to invite Rahul back onto the show after taking a look at his latest book, Life on a Knife's Edge: A Brain Surgeon’s Reflections on Life, Loss and Survival, which is a beautifully written account of the resilience, courage and belief he has witnessed in his patients, and the lessons about human nature he has learned from them. At this point in his career, Rahul has operated on several thousand skulls and brains. He is the last hope for patients with extreme forms of cancer. And in treating them, he's observed humanity at its most raw, but also at its most robust. He has journeyed to unimaginable extremes with his patients, guiding them through the darkest moments of their lives and in today's conversation, he shares some of the powerful lessons that he's learned that are applicable to us all. In our conversation, we cover a wide range of different topics such as Rahul’s own practices and rituals to get him ready for high pressure surgery. We also talk about what specific breathing technique he uses when stressful situations come up whilst he is in the middle of an operation. We discuss what Rahul has learned about the brain, our minds and our sense of self and what cancer patients at the ends of their lives have taught him about living. He explains the importance of balancing times of stress with time for rest, the importance of connection and compassion and we chat about resilience. This really was a fabulous conversation that I myself got a lot out of. I really hope you enjoyed listening. Thanks to our sponsors: - http://blublox.com/livemore - http://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/livemore - http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/185 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How do we improve our relationships with our children? And what should we do when we make mistakes? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 75 of the podcast with psychotherapist and author of ‘The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read’, Philippa Perry. In this clip, she explains why being authentic with our children is important and why we all need time alone. Even when we get things wrong, learning how to repair our mistakes is key to building closer connections. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/75 Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that the path to success is paved with relentless work. The more important the goal, the harder we have to grind. That if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. Now, working hard is more exhausting than ever and many of us are stuck in an endless loop of “Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat” and we’re often working twice as hard to achieve half as much. This week, I’m joined by writer, speaker and podcast host, Greg McKeown who believes that getting ahead doesn’t have to be as hard as we make it. In his new book, Effortless: Make It Easier To Do What Matters Most, Greg explains that no matter what challenges or obstacles we face, there is a better way: instead of pushing ourselves harder, we can find an easier path. And that it's absolutely vital that we find it so that we can fulfil the most important missions of our lives. This conversation is full of relatable anecdotes and actionable advice for making the most essential activities in your life the easiest ones, so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out. There is so much freedom to be gained from Greg’s advice and I’m sure your life will be better for hearing it. Thanks to our sponsors: - http://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/livemore - http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/183 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There are many health benefits associated with a consistent practice of meditation, and the benefits of a regular practice can extend beyond the meditation itself into daily life, increasing our awareness and reducing stress responses.  Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 23 of the podcast with meditation teacher, international speaker and author, Light Watkins In this clip, he describes the many incredible ways meditation can improve our lives and explains how we can all make meditation an enjoyable daily habit. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/23 Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today I talk to one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on the subjects of happiness, habits and human nature. Gretchen Rubin has sold over 3 million books worldwide and also hosts the Happier with Gretchen podcast. We begin the conversation discussing what happiness really means and why so many of us struggle with it. Happiness is such an elusive concept and Gretchen believes that it’s more helpful to think about being happier – to ask ourselves things like ‘if I do this, will I be happier next month or next year?’ or ‘will this bring me more love and less things like guilt, anger, resentment?’ These are simple questions that can actually make a profound difference to our lives. We also talk about the fact that happiness does not mean that we will feel good all of the time. Sometimes we do things because they're meaningful, or because they serve a higher value even though they don’t make us feel good in that moment. If you are stuck in your life and feel as though you are not getting nourished by either your work or life situation but don’t know what to do, Gretchen shares some brilliant strategies to help guide you onto the right path. We also discuss how we can encourage our kids to find the right path for them. We move on to talk about Gretchen’s insightful book, The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People's Lives Better, Too). When researching human nature, Gretchen realised that by asking the simple question 'How do I respond to expectations?', we can gain life changing self-knowledge. She discovered that based on their answer to this question, people fit into Four Tendencies: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. I think you will love discovering what tendency you and those around you have. We discuss exactly what those tendencies are and how knowing them gives us six key benefits - we’re more likely to achieve our aims, make better decisions, meet deadlines, meet promises to ourselves, suffer less stress, and engage more deeply with others. The wonderful thing about understanding these tendencies is that not only do we get the best from ourselves, we get the best out of other people as well. I really think that everyone will see themselves (and those around them) in one of these tendencies and that understanding them will improve the way you interact with yourself and others. Thanks to our sponsors: - http://blublox.com/livemore - http://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/livemore - http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/181 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s easy to go through the motions every day and let life happen to us, but if we want to get the most out of life, we need a strategy. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 58 of the podcast with Dr. Tara Swart – neuroscientist, executive coach, and author of the best-selling book ‘The Source’. In this clip, she explains how we can take back control of our lives by training our brains to create the life we want to live. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/58 Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains mild swearing and themes of an adult nature. Today's conversation is all about our emotions and my guest is Professor Marc Brackett, the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. He's published over 100 research articles over the course of his career, and has dedicated his life to studying and teaching emotional literacy. But why are our emotions so important? Marc explains the profound benefits of being better able to express and regulate our emotions on multiple aspects of our lives. Our emotions affect our creativity, learning and problem solving, but also our physical health and our mental health. Yet so many of us struggle to express and regulate our emotions. It's not something that is taught in schools or even modelled by much of society. Marc aims to help change this through his work and research. He has developed something called the ‘RULER’ approach to social and emotional learning, which is used in over 2000 schools across the world and is detailed in his brilliant book, Permission to Feel: Unlock the power of emotions to help yourself and your children. The ‘RULER’ approach sets out the five underlying skills of emotional intelligence and stands for Recognising, Understanding, Labelling, Expressing and Regulating emotions. The RUL, says Marc, is about our experience – whether of our own emotions or someone else’s. The ER is about what we do with the feelings. And I think it’s an invaluable tool for children and adults alike. Marc explains why he wants us all to become what he calls ‘emotion scientists’, rather than being ‘emotion judges’, and he wants us all to be able to better understand our own and each other's feelings. This episode is packed with personal insights, practical examples and brilliant tips to put his advice into practice in your life and perhaps that of your children. I hope you find it as useful and meaningful as I did. Thanks to our sponsors: - http://www.calm.com/livemore - http://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/livemore - http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/179 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Despite our cultural differences, we have a very similar view of happiness across the world. So, what can we learn from the world’s happiest countries? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 32 of the podcast with founder and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute - Meik Wiking. Meik has travelled the globe interviewing some of the world’s happiest people to discover the key components of happiness, and in this clip, he explains some of his fascinating findings. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/32 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I believe that in many ways, the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives. Good quality relationships help us with our physical health, our mental health and our happiness. Today, I’m delighted to welcome two fantastic guests who are experts on how we can all build exceptional relationships. David Bradford and Carole Robin taught interpersonal skills to MBA students for a combined seventy-five years in their legendary Stanford course, Interpersonal Dynamics (affectionately known to students as “Touchy-Feely”). They have also coached and consulted with hundreds of executives all over the globe. Now, they’ve brought their invaluable lessons to all of us, in their fabulous book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues. We begin the conversation by defining what exceptional relationships are and why it is so important for us to have them in our lives. We talk about the concept of being ‘over the net’, which is a brilliant tool that you can use in interactions with others to make sure that you’re only ever owning your reality – not telling other people how they’re feeling or what they’re doing wrong. We talk about the risk involved in raising issues in a relationship and how we might prefer to avoid confrontation. But while there’s a risk in expressing your feelings, there is a cost to silence. David and Carole share a powerful example of a major setback in their own friendship, and how they managed to overcome it. There’s much more to discover in this conversation, including thoughts on parent-child relationships, friendships that are no longer nourishing, and how we can improve our digital interactions. David and Carole’s world-famous course may be taught around leadership, but their wisdom is relevant to us all. I thoroughly enjoyed having this conversation and I hope you enjoy listening. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/177 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CAUTION ADVISED: this podcast contains swearing and themes of an adult nature. ‘When individuals see themselves as part of a connected tapestry of wider meaning, they feel much better about their lives.’ Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 94 of the podcast with Johann Hari. Johann went on a forty-thousand-mile journey around the world to interview leading experts about what causes depression and anxiety. However, he learnt the most, not from those experts, but from the incredible people on a council estate in Berlin called Kotti. In this clip he shares the heart-warming story of how the residents of this small district of Berlin formed an unlikely community and the profound effects this had on everyone involved. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/94 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gut health is a hot topic these days, with more and more research showing that our gut health impacts so much more than simply our digestive system. The gut is now being implicated in a host of different conditions, including joint pain, brain fog, insomnia and depression. Over the past few years on the podcast, I have had the pleasure of speaking about the importance of gut health with some incredible experts, including neuroscientists, immunologists, nutritionists, and clinical researchers and in this week’s special episode, I have pulled together some of the very best clips from these conversations to give you a detailed overview on the science of gut health as well as practical steps you can take to improve it. On this week's show, I speak to my guests about a variety of different gut-related topics. We discuss how the health of our guts is closely related to our physical health, our mental health, our immune systems and can impact how we respond to stress. We delve into what we should eat to improve our gut health and how restricting when we eat can also play a significant role as well. We talk about the role probiotics may play in improving our response to stressful events as well as their potential role in improving a variety of different health conditions. You will also hear advice for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and we discuss the low FODMAP diet and so much more. This episode really is full of actionable tips that you can put into practice straight away. I've seen time and time again with my patients that taking simple steps to improve their gut health can have a profound impact on their overall health. I hope this episode helps you improve yours. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/175 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Compassion, friendships and strong community connections don’t just make us feel good, they can have powerful effects on our health and longevity. Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 138 of the podcast with Dr Julian Abel - a recently retired consultant in palliative care. Julian is joint leader of a project which aimed to end loneliness and improve health in the town of Frome in Somerset. In this episode, he describes the incredible results and explains why social relationships, compassion and a sense of community are so important for our quality of life, our health and wellbeing. If we choose to be compassionate, not only is it good for us, but it’s also good for everyone around us. Compassion is more powerful than many of the medicines we have, so let’s help it spread. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/138 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CAUTION ADVISED: Themes of an adult nature. Do you have a voice inside your head? For most of us, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. And we often turn to this voice for guidance, ideas and wisdom. But sometimes this voice can lead us down a rabbit hole of negative self-talk and endless rumination. So, is it possible to take back control and harness the power of this so called ‘inner chatter’? This is the question the award-winning psychologist and guest on today’s podcast, Dr Ethan Kross set out to answer 20 years ago, when he began to study the conversations that we have with ourselves. In his brand-new book, Chatter: The Voice In Our Head and How to Harness It, Ethan combines groundbreaking research with real life examples to illustrate how our inner voice controls our life. The language we use about ourselves, he says can be incredibly powerful. Yes, there is negative self-talk. But that same voice can also help us innovate, problem, solve, fantasize, rationalize, and in many ways, help us to shape our identity. It's our inner voice that makes us unique as humans, so rather than silencing the chatter, we need to learn how to harness it. If this all sounds intriguing, but too good to be true, rest assured, this conversation is packed with super-practical advice. You’ll find out: ·      Why it's not always good to talk ·      That sometimes ‘in the moment’ is not the best place to be ·      What distance self-talk is and how it can help us ·      How to harness the placebo effect ·      How to support others through their chatter ·      When social media is helpful, and when it's not ·      How rituals and awe create control and perspective ·      Why you might want to consider putting together your own ‘board of advisors’ This episode really is full of actionable tips that will help you redirect your inner chatter away from rumination and self-criticism towards reflection and self-improvement. I think this is a powerful conversation and I hope you enjoy listening.  Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/173 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How we eat, sleep and exercise in January should be different to how we do those things in July. We intuitively know this, but have we lost touch with the natural rhythms and cycles of our lives? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my new weekly podcast for your mind, body and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 102 of the podcast with nutritionist and author, Dallas Hartwig. In this clip he explains why, instead of sticking to the same habits and behaviours year-round, we can learn to live more in sync with the seasons, which has benefits for our health and our happiness. Dallas believe that we are becoming more and more disconnected from our natural cycles, and that this is at the core of the modern-day stress epidemic and most chronic disease. Dallas gives some great practical tips we can follow to live more in harmony with the seasons. He believes that listening to our own bodies is key – we intuitively know what is good for us if we just take the time to listen. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/102 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

CAUTION ADVISED: This podcast contains swearing. Today's conversation takes a deep dive into an ancient philosophy and comes out with some practical strategies that really couldn't be more useful for these uncertain times. My guest is Ryan Holiday, someone who I've been really keen to speak with, ever since a close friend of mine gifted me his incredible book, The Obstacle Is The Way. Ryan is someone who's making timeless ancient wisdom accessible to millions of people all over the world through his books and blogs. And he's making a strong case that stoicism, the ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, is a viable life hack for our busy 21st century lives. Whether you are familiar with stoic philosophy or not, I think you'll get a lot of value from today's conversation. Ryan explains that it's not what happens to us in life that really matters, it's how we react to it. We can all learn from unwelcome challenges and, more often than not, become better as a result of them. He also explains how these ancient ideas can be applied to our busy modern lives and how we can use them to build resilience and humility, and how we can use simple tools such as journaling, to help us find more stillness. I think you'll find this conversation full of powerful advice and my hope is that you find it engaging, accessible and inspiring. Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/171 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee/ Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.