October 13, 2017

Tim Ferriss Interview on Tools of Titans

Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, podcast host of the popular Tim Ferriss Show, and author of the new book Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers. He is the author of past bestsellers including The 4-Hour Work Week and and The 4-Hour Body.

He recently spoke at the Commonwealth Club of California about his new book and his experiments as a “human guinea pig” for trying out new things to improve health, wealth, and many other areas of his life. He explains how he studies the outliers in different fields who achieve results that are often thought of as unthinkable. Ferriss provides insights into his writing process, his investing habits, and his experiments with psychedelic drugs. Enjoy this 80-minute chat with one of the leading voices in personal growth today.

September 16, 2017

100 Free Made For Success Audio Books on YouTube

We’ve been selling personal & professional development audio programs from the publisher Made for Success for many years now. In the past few years they’ve started distributing over 100 of their audio programs through YouTube. Most of these programs are shorter and usually run from 30 Min. to 1 Hr. You’ll find titles from popular authors and speakers like Mark Victor Hansen, Loral Langemeier, Sharon L. Lechter (co-author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad), and Zig Ziglar. It has been brought to our attention that many of these YouTube videos do not play outside of the United States. Sorry! Enjoy over 100 free audio programs to help you on your way to success!

The 12 Characteristics of Leadership by Chris Widener
The 3 Keys to Exceptional Achievement by Larry Iverson
5 Steps to Peak Performance by Larry Iverson
7 Years with Jim Rohn by Chris Widener
The 9 Secrets to Time Mastery by Larry Iverson
Awakening Significance: Firewall for the Mind by Warren Wandling
Be a Rip-Roaring Rich Kid by Mark Victor Hansen
Be a Star with Your Customers and Keep Them Forever by Shep Hyken
Becoming a Dreamer by Marcia Wieder
Becoming Indispensable at Work by Jeffrey Combs
Blogs and Marketing: Using Blog Marketing For Your Business by Liv Montgomery
Blood and Money: The Family Business by Sharon L. Lechter
Bringing Balance to a Chaotic Life by Chris Widener
Build a Personal Coping Strategy: Stay Grounded in the Midst of Change by Sheila Murray Bethel
Building a Healthy Self-Image by Zig Ziglar
Celebrating Christ-Centered Holidays by Jennifer Sedlock
A Change Master Leader’s Perspective Releases Future Potential by Sheila Murray Bethel
Checking Out Online: eCommerce, Cart Selection & Merchant Accounts by Liv Montgomery
A Clear Perspective about the Present Gives You Authenticity by Sheila Murray Bethel
The Colors of the Rainbow: Clearing and Balancing Your Chakra Energy by Crystal Dwyer
Communicating Beyond Your Own Style by Jennifer Sedlock
Communicating for Results from Conflict to Cooperation by Marilyn Sherman
Communication – Candor = Storyteller by Lonnie Pacelli
Communication, Sex and Money: The James Bond Strategy by Mike Schindler
Communication: The Master Skill to Powerful Relationships by Brian Tracy
Confidence & Self-Esteem in 30 Minutes by Larry Iverson
Connecting: High-Powered Strategies for Successful Communications by Elizabeth Jeffries
Consistent Peak Performance by Larry Iverson
Conversion Marketing: eCommerce Money Making Magic by Bryan Heathman
Courage – Predictability = Recklessness by Lonnie Pacelli
Creating a Wealth Cycle by Loral Langemeier
Creating Multiple Streams of Income by Robert G. Allen
Creating the Loyalty Mindset by Shep Hyken
Customer Driven Service by Tony Alessandra
Developing & Maintaining the Right Attitude by Zig Ziglar
Developing a Comic Vision for Life by Tim Gard
Developing Unshakeable Self-Confidence by Jeff Davidson
Effective Business Writing for Success by Jane Smith
Embracing Change by Larry Iverson
Energize Your Mind by Larry Iverson
Espresso Faith by Greg Surratt
Exploring Your Child’s Personality by Jennifer Sedlock
Find Your Gifts and Purpose and Get Moving on Your Path! by Jennifer Sedlock
Finding Your Dreams by Marcia Wieder
Fire Up Your Brain by Larry Iverson
Freedom From Anxiety by Crystal Dwyer
From Good to Great: 10 Little Techniques to Transform Your Speech by Patricia Fripp
From Success to Significance by Sheila Murray Bethel
Fundamental Qualities of a New Breed of Leader by Sheila Murray Bethel
Garden of New Beginnings by Crystal Dwyer
Getting to “Yes” In 10 Seconds or Less by Vanna Novak
Getting to the Heart of Your Life Purpose by Jennifer Sedlock
The Goals Program by Zig Ziglar
God is Transforming Your Wealth Now by Eddie Long
Going Back to Basics: 6 Steps to a Happier, Healthier You by Marcia Wieder
Healing Meditation by Crystal Dwyer
Help I’m In Debt by Eddie Long
High-Performance Selling by Don Hutson
Highlights of the Perfect Sales Process by Tom Hopkins
Hope: The Foundation for Successful Change by Zig Ziglar
How Did the Real Estate Financing Industry Go So Wrong? by Denny Andrews
How Over Eating Can Eat You Up by Crystal Dwyer
How to Get ‘YES’ with Your Investors by Sharon L. Lechter
How to Get More Done with Less Stress by Sarita Maybin
How To Get What You Want Out Of Life by Brad Worthley
How to Give a Persuasive Presentation by Kimberly Alyn
How To Mastermind Your Way To Success by Pegine Echevarria
How to Overcome Stress & Pressure by Larry Iverson
How to Prepare and Present Powerful, Persuasive Presentations by Patricia Fripp
Humor – Credibility = Doofus: 30-Minute Humor Lesson To Boost Your Leadership Skills by Lonnie Pacelli
I’ve Got One Nerve Left and You’re Standing On It by Karyn Buxman
Intentional Living: Reduce Your Stress & Achieve Your Dreams by Larry Iverson
Invest in Real Estate – ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ by Sharon L. Lechter
Invisible Profit System by Chris Widener
It’s What You Don’t Say That Counts by Vanna Novak
It’s Yours, Now Protect Your Wealth by Sharon L. Lechter
Jim Rohn’s 3 Philosophies for Network Marketing Success by Chris Widener
La Vida Es Una Serie De Presentaciones En Vivo by Tony Jeary
Leadership – Inspiration = Storyteller by Lonnie Pacelli
Leading Others Through the Barriers and Resistance to Change by Sheila Murray Bethel
Learn to Make Life Happen for You by Crystal Dwyer
Lease Option Your Way to Cash Flow by Loral Langemeier
Living Rich by Tim Richardson
Make More Money and How You Can Use the Tax Law to Your Advantage by Sharon L. Lechter
Mastering Influence: The Art and Skill of Using Power Wisely by Sheila Murray Bethel
A Message-Driven Life by Tim Elmore
Motivation: The Key to Accomplishments by Zig Ziglar
Networking: ‘It Factor’ Strategies to Make You Memorable by Colette Carlson
Pay Fewer Taxes Legally by Sharon L. Lechter
Personal Power Is the Key to Great Leadership by Sheila Murray Bethel
Planning Powerful Presentations that Persuade Buyers to Close by Dianna Booher
Position Power and Humility – The Greatest Force on Earth by Sheila Murray Bethel
Praying to Make a Difference by Dr. John Hull
Punchlines, Pitfalls and Powerful Programs by Scott Friedman
Results Oriented Communication Skills of a Pro by Nido Qubein
Right Now! Leadership by Chris Widener
Rip-Roaring Digital Wealth by Mark Victor Hansen
Rip-Roaring Giving by Mark Victor Hansen
Rip-Roaring Innovation by Mark Victor Hansen
Rip-Roaring Job Wealth by Mark Victor Hansen
Rip-Roaring Sustainable Wealth by Mark Victor Hansen
Rip-Roaring Wealth Creation by Mark Victor Hansen
Running Toward Your Dream by Jennifer Sedlock
The Science of Change Management by Larry Iverson
Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar
Social Optimization: Social Bookmarking SEO for Your Business by Liv Montgomery
Speak with Confidence by Dianna Booher
Stress Management for Better Life Balance by Kimberly Alyn
Teaching Beyond Your Own Style by Jennifer Sedlock
Ten Power Principles to Master Your Mind by Tom Haupt
Time Management Secrets of Successful Salespeople by Laura Stack
Twitter Mania: Following the World Online In Real Time by Liv Montgomery
Values Really Matter…Forging Strong Communities by Sheila Murray Bethel
What Makes the Great Ones Great by Don Yaeger
What You Don’t Know About Your Credit Score Could Hurt You by Sharon L. Lechter
Winning with Influence: Becoming a Person Others Want to Follow by Chris Widener
Words Matter: What to Say by Pamela Jett
The Worst Motivational Speaker in America by Joe Malarkey
Write It and They Will Pay… Not Necessarily by Patricia Fripp
Yikes! They Can See Me Naked: 7 Steps to Confident Presentations by Vanna Novak
You Tube Marketing: Social Marketing Media for Your Business by Liv Montgomery

For over 400 audio programs by Made For Success (300 of which we sell on audio download), check out the Made For Success publisher page right here on LearnOutLoud.com:

Browse Over 400 Made for Success Audio Programs on LearnOutLoud.com

January 31, 2016

Our Month of Motivation

For many years now we’ve been featuring in the month of January a full month of motivation to boost you into the New Year. In case you missed any of these motivational free audio & video resources we featured, we’re putting them together in this blog post. Start your 2016 with some of these great free resources:

1. The Speaking Voice

Download and listen to this classic self development book for public speaking The Speaking Voice: Principles Of Training Simplified And Condensed by Katherine Jewell Everts. This audio book “contains practical directions accompanied by simple and fundamental exercises, first for the freeing of the voice and then for developing it when free”. Everts deals with speaking in terms of tone, pitch, inflection, and much more. The unabridged 5-hour audio book is read entirely by one of Librivox’s best narrators, Ruth Golding.

You can also listen to this audio book on our YouTube channel:

The Speaking Voice on our YouTube channel

2. Oprah Winfrey on Career, Life, and Leadership

Start your year off with this inspiring talk from Oprah Winfrey delivered at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Oprah tells her story as she went from radio to television news to talk shows, and how she chose in the 1990s to rise above the trashy confrontational TV of her time to create a show which she would use to raise the consciousness of herself and her audience. She then talks about how she moved on to create her own television network. Throughout the talk she sprinkles in life lessons she has learned along the way from the many people she has interviewed, and she gives inspiring advice to the students at Stanford for their life and career.

3. Bill McGowan on Pitch Perfect: How to Say it Right the First Time Every Time

Bill McGowan gives lots of good advice on public speaking and public presentations in this talk at Google. He gives tips from the use of body language to the choice of our words to where to look when giving a speech. He encourages public speakers to not be apologetic, to prepare & rehearse for a speech, and suggests ways to deal with difficult audience members. And he gives such wisdom as such as don’t eat yogurt before your speech or you’ll be clearing your throat a lot. McGowan gives many, many helpful suggestions for the public speaker in all of us.

4. Magic Lessons Podcast

Need some creative inspiration to start your new year!? Look no further than this new podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love and her latest work Big Magic.

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Magic Lessons Podcast expounds on ideas she has in her latest book Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. Gilbert talks about creativity with experts such as Brene Brown, John Hodgman, and Rob Bell, along with everyday creative people who are struggling in their creative lives and Gilbert mentors them along. In her podcast on creativity with Brene Brown, they talk candidly about creativity and fear of failure. They ask the essential question “What’s worth doing even if you fail? What do you love doing so much that the word failure doesn’t even have any meaning?” Some very good thoughts here to start your year!

5. Alzheimer’s Prevention Program: Keep Your Brain Healthy for the Rest of Your Life

Dr. Gary Small presents this lecture from UCTV on the latest findings to aid people in preventing Alzheimer’s disease. He shows viewers the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient which has plaque and inflammation build up. Dr. Small suggests ways to prevent Alzheimer’s including exercise, lifelong learning, a healthy diet (with Omega-3 fatty acids), socializing, reducing stress with deep breathing, and a glass of wine per day might not hurt either. He also covers some studies regarding vitamins and supplements which are not yet conclusive. Can we fully prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Not yet, but there are a lot of things we can do improve brain health and memory and reduce the odds of getting Alzheimer’s. This talk is available on MP3 download on the UCTV website and on video through their YouTube channel.

6. Alain de Botton on Art as Therapy

Philosopher Alain de Botton talks about how we can use art as therapy in the modern world in this talk from The School of Life which De Botton founded in 2008. With the decline in devotion to religion since the mid-19th century, artists and art critics since then have argued that we can use art and culture as ways to address issues previously confronted by religion. De Botton feels that museums are our contemporary cathedrals, but expresses his dismay in the chronological way museums are currently curated which are not particularly helpful to their devotees. He suggests a new way of ordering museums according to different life struggles such as anxiety, love, and more. It’s a humorous talk and De Botton includes many references to paintings throughout the talk so it might be best to watch this one.

7. The Neuroscience of Happiness

Dan Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness, hosts this talk on the neuroscience of happiness at The Aspen Institute. To start the talk, Professor of Neuroscience Kent Berridge talks about the hedonic circuits of the brain, and how they are often in deep regions of the brain and not in the cerebral cortex where many of the “higher-order” functions of the human brain take place. He also talks about the dopamine reward system which doesn’t necessarily produce happiness such as in the case of addiction. Next Richie Davidson talks about his findings in the areas of compassion and meditation, and how meditation can lead to changes in the brain that lead to greater resilience and happiness. They field a number of interesting questions from Dan Gilbert and the audience about brain science, such as the differences in the brains of liberals and conservatives.

8. Optimal Living Interviews

With the Optimal Living Interview series, PhilosophersNotes CEO Brian Johnson talks with various authors on the ways we can optimize and actualize our lives. Guests in the series have included Daniel G. Amen, Tal Ben-Shahar, Robin Sharma, Daniel Siegel, Kelly McGonigal, Robert Greene, Michael J. Gelb, David Allen, Mark Hyman, and many more. Topics include ways anyone can seek out and improve their overall nutrition, hone their daily focus, maintain mindfulness, and work towards a balanced life that is full of purpose. Browse over 75 interviews on this YouTube playlist and find one that interests you!

9. 15 Free Audio Books by James Allen

Self-help movement pioneer James Allen penned over 20 books in his lifetime all of which are in the public domain. You can now download 15 of these audio books through Librivox thanks in large part to volunteer narrator Andrea Fiore who has narrated most of them. You can download and listen to our version of his most popular work: As a Man Thinketh along with 14 others including:

Above Life’s Turmoil

All These Things Added

Byways to Blessedness

The Divine Companion

Eight Pillars of Prosperity

Foundation Stones to Happiness and Success

From Passion to Peace

The Heavenly Life

Light on Life’s Difficulties

Man: King of Mind, Body, and Circumstance

The Mastery of Destiny

Out from the Heart

The Path of Prosperity

The Way of Peace

Download one of these inspirational classics today!

15 Free Audio Books by James Allen

10. King: Man Of Peace In A Time Of War

This documentary available on Hulu starts out with the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights movement. The majority of the documentary centers on an interview with Dr. King in 1967 conducted on the popular television talk series “The Mike Douglas Show.” In this interview Dr. King addresses questions regarding his opposition to the U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam. He speaks eloquently about the need for the U.S. to stop the war, a position which he had held for some time and the majority of the U.S. population was coming to support as well. The documentary also features interviews with notable figures such as Rev. Jesse Jackson and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. It’s an interesting documentary that goes beyond King’s involvement in the Civil Rights Movement to his promotion of peace worldwide. Note: Hulu movies are only available to watch in the United States.

11. Greg McKeown on Essentialism

In this 40-minute talk from Google, author Greg McKeown lays out how to become an “essentialist” by having clarity of purpose and being able to use the power of no to say “no” to things that do not align with your purpose. He uses examples of people such as Rosa Parks and Gandhi as people who were “essentialists” in that they had clarity of purpose and they evaluated their priority and stuck to it. Because if you don’t prioritize your own life, someone else will do it for you. It’s a good talk for anyone that fields a bit scattered in their day-to-day operations.

12. David A. Kessler: The End of Overeating

David A. Kessler, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (and the man who helped bring us “Nutrition Facts” on food labeling), discusses his book The End of Overeating in this talk from the Forum Network. He tries to decipher why obesity rates have risen since the 1960s and focuses on salt, sugar, and fat. He argues that these three elements of food hijack the brains reward system and work much like addictive drugs which keep people eating more and more. He proposes public and personal initiatives to instill values of eating whole foods, and changing perceptions of eating foods with salt, sugar, and fat much like public perceptions of smoking have been changed.

And if you need some more encouragement to reduce your sugar consumption, watch this talk from Dr. Robert Lustig:

Robert Lustig on Sugar

Robert Lustig speaks at Google and gives us the history of the rise of the obesity epidemic as he attempts to debunk the idea that it is due to people being gluttonous and slothful. He goes into the history of the sugar and high fructose corn syrup industry, and how fat free processed foods have had sugar added to make them taste better and have longer shelf lives. He connects the rise of sugar consumption with the rise of obesity globally, and he shows that high sugar consumption has many of the same health effects as high alcohol consumption. He encourages political action in the face of a powerful sugar-based food industry, and on a personal level discourages eating foods high in sugar.

13. Jonah Berger on Contagious: Why Things Catch On

We all have ideas we want to share whether it be with friends or in business, and we would all we like these ideas to be influential and spread. In this talk at Google, Jonah Berger takes a look at why certain ideas spread and go viral either by word of mouth or by social media. Berger covers some internet phenomenon that have gone viral and why. He lists six things that make an idea contagious: 1. Their social currency that represents someone’s status, 2. Triggers in the environment, 3. Emotion (when we care we share), 4. Publicly visible (such as Apple’s white headphones), 5. Practical value (news you can use), and 6. Using stories that carry ideas in them. He then answers questions, such as why are cats so viral?!

14. The Republic

The Republic by Plato is one of the most influential works of philosophy in history. In the form of Socratic dialogue, Plato’s teacher and protagonist Socrates sets out to find an answer to the question: “What is justice?”. Along the way Socrates discusses the ideal city-state and his theory of forms, which includes his famous allegory of the cave. This audiobook is read by Librivox’s star narrator Bob Neufeld.

You can also listen to this version of The Republic via our YouTube channel:

The Republic (on our YouTube Channel)

And if you need some motivation for reading or listening to some of the classics this year, watch this lecture from Big Think:

Jeffrey Brenzel: The Essential Value of a Classic Education

Jeffrey Brenzel, Philosopher and Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University, argues why you should read old and outdated classics as opposed to just new books. First he lays out his criteria for what makes a work of literature a classic. He briefly delves into some of the classics such as Plato’s Republic and how the thought of Plato and Socrates influenced Western thought up to the present day. He explains that studying classic books helps us understand how we got to where we are now, but also provides us with alternative perspectives that we may not encounter in our daily life that can broaden and enrich our view of the World. Ultimately he argues that while the classics might take more effort to read than your latest bestseller, they produce richer rewards that can change your ideas and your life.

15. Dr. Mehmet Oz on Better Health, Healing, and Living Well

One of America’s most famous doctors gives a ton of health advice in this hour long talk at The 92nd Street Y. Dr. Oz provides his ideas on why people make lasting changes in their lives to live healthier. He goes on to suggest many ways we can all live healthier from diet to exercise to deep breathing to ways to get a better night sleep. It’s a very informative lecture from the enthusiastic health expert Dr. Oz!

16. Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are

Watch the second most popular TED Talk of all time! If you’re not one of the 30 million people who have viewed it thus far, then we highly recommend you watch this one. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy makes a strong case for faking it until you make it, or rather, fake it til you become it, in this inspiring talk. She focuses on the importance of posture and how our bodies can affect our minds which can then lead to better outcomes, and she references numerous studies where posture played an important role in outcomes. At the end of the talk she tells of her own moving experience with “faking it” until she had become the person who she doubted she could be. We recommend watching this TED talk as there are a lot of visual references in it. It’s a must see!

17. Hay House Meditations Podcast

The popular spiritual growth publisher Hay House is offering over 50 guided meditations on their meditation podcast from many of their top authors including Dr. Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Judith Orloff, Marianne Williamson, and many more of their bestselling authors. The podcasts vary in their theme and in their running time giving you many options to choose from. There are quick 3-minute meditations to 25-minute meditations, you can find a guided meditation that fits you schedule. Enjoy this podcast from Hay House.

If you like some guided imagery along with your meditation you can also check out Hay House’s Monday Meditation playlist on YouTube featuring over 60 meditations:

Monday Meditations from Hay House on YouTube

18. Top 100 Free Motivational Speeches, Lectures, & Podcasts

To give you a boost this year, we’ve updated our top 100 free motivational audio & video learning resources that we have featured on our site. For the past seven years we’ve featured a Monday Motivation email every week as part of our Free Resource of the Day Emails. From these resources we’ve selected the top 100 free motivational audio & video resources. You can check them all out by clicking the titles below. We’ve attempted to order them according the best of the best, but they are all highly motivational free resources to inspire you to greater health & wealth in all areas of your life.

June 25, 2014

Free Spiritual Growth Talks on Audio

If you are seeking spiritual nourishment, we invite you to listen to this list of free spiritual growth talks on audio & video. In this selection, we hear from Deepak Chopra on how to develop spiritual solutions to everyday problems, listen to Thomas Moore on the proper care of the soul, and learn timeless wisdom from the documentary The Secret. Whether you are looking for ways to find deeper communion with your inner self, or need tips on how to solve problems from a more spirit-centered place, this list offers insightful avenues for growth:

1. Oprah.com’s Spiritual Channel Podcast

In 2008 Oprah Winfrey launched a series of podcasts. Her first and most popular podcast featured Eckhart Tolle teaching a 10-part course on his book A New Earth. That podcast has since become Oprah.com’s Spiritual Channel Podcast and she continues to update it with interviews she conducted on her Soul Series on Oprah Radio and other spiritual audio programs from Oprah.com. Now on the podcast you’ll find hour-long Oprah interviews with spiritual teachers such as Wayne Dyer, Elizabeth Lesser, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Larry Dossey, Byron Katie, and many other teachers and bestselling authors in the field of spiritual growth. And of course the Eckhart Tolle 10-part course is still on the podcast. These podcasts are available on MPEG-4 audio & video and can be played through Quicktime or iTunes.

2. The Secret

You can now watch the 2006 film The Secret for free on Hulu.com. Produced by Rhonda Byrne, this self-help film focuses on the “Law of Attraction” and how it can be applied in one’s life. It features many popular self-help authors including Michael Beckwith, Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield, Joe Vitale, Lisa Nichols, and many more. Championed by Oprah Winfrey, beloved by many, criticized by some, see what may be the most successful self-help film of all time. 7 years later and it is the most popular documentary on Hulu.com. Note: It seems that only U.S. viewers can watch this for free. Sorry to our international audience. Also this movie has limited commercial interruption from Hulu.com.

3. Sounds True: Insights at the Edge Podcast

Listen to the best podcast yet from the publisher Sounds True! In this podcast Tami Simon, Founder of Sounds True, interviews spiritual teachers, visionary writers, and living luminaries about their newest work and current challenges of their inner inquiry and outer contribution to the world. In the podcast she interviews Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Tami asks him questions about his life as a peace activist. Other authors she interviews include Jack Kornfield, Geneen Roth, Dr. Ervin Laszlo, Peter Levine, Bruce H. Lipton, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Caroline Myss, Gary Renard, Ken Wilber, Bodhipaksa, Daniel J. Siegel, Judith Orloff, Michael Bernard Beckwith, and more. Subscribe to this great podcast today!

4. A Spiritually Inspired Future: Chopra, Cohen & Huffington

This talk from the Urban Zen Foundation, features author Deepak Chopra, EnlightenNext magazine founder Andrew Cohen, and political activist Arianna Huffington discussing the role of spirituality in our current global situation. Chopra & Cohen describe how to bring together spiritual practice with active participation in working to create the change in the world that one envisions. Huffington adds her practical and political insights into how spirituality can be applied towards bringing about positive change. They also discuss the role of technology and its potential to connect people throughout the globe in uniting for common causes. This talk is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

5. Ram Dass Here And Now Podcast

Listen to classic recordings of author and spiritual teacher Ram Dass (also known as Dr. Richard Alpert) on his “Ram Dass Here And Now Podcast”. Each 30 minute podcast is introduced by Raghvindra Das (Raghu Markus) of the Love Serve Remember Foundation who has long been a follower of Ram Dass. After the intro we hear one of Ram Dass’ unique talks about his discoveries as a psychologist at Harvard, his psychedelic research with Timothy Leary, and his travels to India where he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba. The podcasts are delivered in the form of a narrative of Ram Dass’ life, so start out with the first podcast (located at the bottom of the podcast feed) in which Ram Dass discusses his frustrations with being an “empire builder” during his professorship at Harvard, and the psychedelic trip which changed his state of consciousness.

6. Dr. Martha Beck on The Four Technologies of Magic

Dr. Martha Beck is a sociologist, life coach, and best-selling author of books like the The Four-Day Win and Steering by Starlight. In this TEDx talk from San Diego, Dr. Beck discusses some of the human technologies that connect us with the natural world and how our rational minds have tuned out some of the “magic” that they used to perform. She tells some interesting stories of individuals she encountered in her travels to traditional cultures all over the world. The abilities of these people were like magic in the same way that our technologies like smart phones and the internet seems like magic to those who don’t understand their inner workings. This “magic” that Dr. Beck discovered were skills developed over many years and they required four steps that these people of traditional cultures practiced: Wordlessness, Oneness, Imagination, and Forming. Listen to these four steps and think about how you can tap into the natural technologies that much of modern society has left behind. This 18-minute talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

7. Thomas Moore on Care of the Soul

Thomas Moore is the author of numerous books on the soul, most notably Care of the Soul. In this talk that he delivered at Marlboro College, Moore argues for the consideration of the soul in everyday life including education, medicine, and many other areas. He talks about the importance of a liberal arts education where students are free to reflect on the big questions of life. Moore discusses the limitations of the modern worldview which often ignores spirituality and the mystery of human life. He also reads some of his favorite soul-nuturing passages. This talk is available on streaming video on YouTube. Note: The audio isn’t great on this on, but it’s understandable and the content is worth a close listen!

8. Dr. Deepak Chopra on Spiritual Solutions

Author Deepak Chopra recently stopped by at Google and gave this talk on his latest book Spiritual Solutions. The thesis of his book is that no problem can be solved at the level of awareness in which it was created. In this hour-long talk he discusses some of the ways we can overcome contracted awareness and enter the realm of spiritual solutions. The last half of the talk he answers questions about being overwhelmed with global problems, remote viewing, and near-death experiences.

9. Spiritual Classics Podcast

We have a podcast at LearnOutLoud.com entitled Spiritual Classics. It feature passages of classics texts from a variety of spiritual traditions. We’ve started the podcast off with an excerpt from William James’ classic work The Varieties of Religious Experience in which he lectures on mystical experience. You’ll also find selections from The Bhagavad Gita, The Talmud, The Koran, The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and much more.

10. 18 Self-Healing Exercises from Sounds True

Listen to 18 Self-Healing Exercises from Sounds True with their Guide to Energy Healing. In these exercises you’ll hear teachers such as Andrew Weil, Cyndi Dale, Caroline Myss, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and many more. Listen to Andrew Weil teaches his most powerful breathing technique for relaxation or to Shiva Rea as she leads a 20-minute yoga relaxation exercise covering the entire body.

11. OSHO International Podcast

OSHO International features a podcast that has the teachings of the Indian mystic and spiritual teacher Osho. They only have one talk on the podcast feed currently but it is definitely worth listening to. The talk is entitled “The Attachment to Misery” and in the talk Osho expresses that people are attached to misery because it encourages other people to care for them and allows them to cling to their egos. He relates this to saints and ascetics who pursue suffering as a means of gaining respect. Osho thinks happiness and bliss are often unknown territory and that they often can lead to others being jealous of a happy person. Osho feels that creativity is happiness and in creativity a person breaks free from conformity of society. It’s a radical and amusing talk from this unique spiritual teacher.

June 18, 2014

Talks on Stress Management and Relief

With these audio & video lectures, LearnOutLoud showcases 6 of our best talks on stress management and relief. Taken from the pages of our Free Audio & Video Resource Emails, this list gives you clear tips on how to relax and de-stress and cope with the daily pressures we face in a fast-paced modern world. Among the resources below, Kelly McGonigal talks about how to make the stresses of life your friend, Andrew Bernstein takes on the myths we’ve surrounded around stress and tries to dispel them, and you will also learn why worrying may not be such a bad thing. Learn how to deal with stress and relax amid the storm by clicking any of the links below:

1. Herbert Benson: The Relaxation Revolution

Learn about the science behind the beneficial effects of mind/body relaxation! Dr. Herbert Benson is an American cardiologist, a bestselling author on health and well-being, and the founder of the Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In this talk Dr. Benson discusses his latest book Relaxation Revolution which details the science behind the benefits of relaxation practices such as meditation, yoga, and repetitive prayer. While traditional medicine focuses on surgery and medication, Dr. Benson explains that more and more studies are showing the significance of stress and the importance of relaxation when it comes to holistic mind/body health. This talk is available on the Forum Network on streaming video and MP3 download.

2. Worrying Well: How Your Brain Can Turn Anxiety and Stress Into Calmness and Confidence

In this audio & video presentation from UCTV Martin L. Rossman, MD takes a look at good worry and bad worry and the stress and anxiety bad worry can cause. He examines what is going on in the brain with these emotions and how we can use the power of the healing mind to reduce stress and anxiety. At the end he leads the group on a guided imagery meditation for reducing stress. This talk is available on MP3 download from the UCTV website and on streaming video from YouTube.

3. Andrew Bernstein on The Myth of Stress

Andrew Bernstein is the author of the book The Myth of Stress: Where Stress Really Comes From and How to Live a Happier and Healthier Life. In this talk he delivered at Google, Bernstein takes listeners through 7-step process he calls ActivInsight which analyzes the thoughts that cause us stress and turns them on their head. In the end he hopes we can cognitively shift our focus from the stressful fantasy world of the way things should be to a more accepting approach which provides stimulation without the negative stressful thoughts that wear us down.

4. Kelly McGonigal: How to Make Stress Your Friend

Learn about stress in this 15-minute TED talk. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal looks at good stress and bad stress and how perception can influence the effect of stress on individuals. She discusses the stress of reaching out to others for help or the stress of helping others and how this kind of stress can be beneficial to your health. She uses the “stress” hormone oxytocin as an example of this kind of positive stress. This talk is available on streaming video and video download through the TED website.

5. Balance, Stress, and Optimal Health

Dr. Emmett Miller is known as one of the pioneers of holistic mind/body medicine. In this Google Talk he describes how he came to study holistic medicine and get beyond the specialization of most doctors. He eventually looked at stress and the far reaching implications it has on a variety of diseases. Dr. Miller dynamically demonstrates how humans have maladapted to the stresses of modern civilization and he suggests ways that we can release and relax from the ongoing stresses we face. He ends the talk with an excellent guided relaxation complete with music. Learn to maintain balance and reduce stress in your own life. This talk is available on streaming video on YouTube.

6. Stress and Health: From Molecules to Societies

Get down to the nuts and bolts of the stress response with this talk from neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky. Sapolsky’s research has focused on stress, neuronal degeneration, and the many stress-related diseases that afflict our chronically stressed Western societies. In this talk he focuses on the stress-induced hormone glucocorticoids and their disabling effects on the brain, specifically on the region known as the hippocampus that is vital to memory. At the end of the talk Sapolsky looks at the potential of gene therapy to protect neurons from the damaging effects of glucocorticoids. Sapolsky uses many real life examples of how our maladapted stress responses wreak havoc on our health.

June 16, 2014

How to Change Your Life with Audio & Video from the Experts

Feeling like you need to chart a new course? Learn how to change your life with these audio & video titles delivered by the experts. In this collection of free audio and video resources, you’ll find advice from popular life coaches, such as Mark Victor Hansen, Cheryl Richardson, Steve Pavlina, and many more. You’ll also get access to regular tips from the Daily Boost Podcast, learn how to readjust your routine with the Life Habits Podcast, and gain insight from Oprah’s Spirit Channel. Contemplating a major life change starts with small steps. Start the next phase of your journey by clicking any of the links below:

1. Joseph Grenny on Change Anything

Joseph Grenny is the co-author of the book Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success. In this talk delivered at Google, Grenny discusses many of the findings of their research on change and presents a new way of thinking about how to change habits in one’s life. While many people assume that the inability to change is due to lack of willpower and that most people have to hit rock bottom with their bad habits before they can change, Grenny gives us a different perspective. He posits that we don’t have to work harder at change but that we have to be smarter at learning about all of the factors contributing to our bad habits. By recognizing six different factors that contribute the most to one’s habits, we can then come to a better understanding of our habits and come up with creative ways to change our environment or our state or mind in order to enable lasting change. He gives many great examples and shows video clips of people who successfully changed their personal and professional life for the better. If you’re making some New Year’s resolutions this year, then this talk can help you with coming up with new ideas on how to accomplish those goals. This 50-minute talk is available on streaming video from YouTube.

2. The Best of Steve Pavlina’s Blog

Steve Pavlina’s popular blog “Personal Growth for Smart People” gets over 2 million visitors per month. Writing on topics as diverse as sleep optimization, natural food diets, relationships, and time management, Pavlina has displayed a fascinating willingness to adjust his lifestyle for the better. We’ve been avid readers of his blog for years and are excited to present his ideas on audio for the first time! Our free audio book for May features six of his most popular blog posts of all time. Download this free 1-hour audio book as an introduction to his unique take on personal growth. Included in this free sampler program are audio renditions of these classic Pavlina blog postings:
How to Discover Your Life Purpose, 30 Days to Success, How to Become an Early Riser, Ten Reasons Not to Get a Job, How to Decide When to End a Long-Term Relationship, and The Law of Attraction. Be sure to download this great audio book!

3. Richard Thaler on Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

In this Authors@Google talk, notable behavioral economist Richard Thaler talks about his book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness . He explains behavioral economics and how behavioral economists often have different ideas about the way humans act than other economists. He then goes into the basics of Nudge by demonstrating that through little changes in the environment individuals and organizations can create dramatically different outcomes through what he calls “paternal libertarianism”. He gives many examples of ways that this works in everyday life and it will certainly get you thinking of little changes you can make in your own life or in your workplace for influencing behavior. This program is available on streaming video through YouTube.

4. Dan Ariely: The Upside of Irrationality

Use irrationality to help you overcome bad habits and achieve your goals. Behavioral economist Dan Ariely’s bestselling book Predictably Irrational showed how people frequently make irrational decisions regarding their health, their spending habits, and much more. In this lecture Ariely talks about his latest book The Upside of Irrationality where he shows the negative and positive effects of irrationality and how we can use irrational means towards our own rational objectives. He tells of experiments and examples where irrational incentives were used to help fight global warming, to motivate people to take care of their health, and to prevent people from texting while they’re driving. It’s one of the most fun lectures we’ve listened to all year. This lecture is available on streaming video from the Forum Network through YouTube.

5. Change Nation Podcast

The Change Nation Podcast features interviews with leading experts and inspirational speakers about ways individuals can make positive changes in their personal and professional lives. Host Ariane De Bonvoisin talks with authors and speakers such as Les Brown, Gay Hendricks, Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson, Tim Ferriss, Jack Canfield, Mike Dooley, David Bach, and dozens of other great teachers of change. Topics covered include getting orgranized, starting a business, finding a job, nurturing a relationship, getting fit, eating right, and much, much more. Ariane is an excellent host and many recent interviews are available as both audio & video podcasts. Definitely check out this podcast and you might also want to check out Ariane De Bonvoisin’s site: www.first30days.com.

6. Oprah.com’s Spiritual Channel Podcast

In 2008 Oprah Winfrey launched a series of podcasts. Her first and most popular podcast featured Eckhart Tolle teaching a 10-part course on his book A New Earth. That podcast has since become Oprah.com’s Spiritual Channel Podcast and she continues to update it with interviews she conducted on her Soul Series on Oprah Radio and other spiritual audio programs from Oprah.com. Now on the podcast you’ll find hour-long Oprah interviews with spiritual teachers such as Wayne Dyer, Elizabeth Lesser, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Larry Dossey, Byron Katie, and many other teachers and bestselling authors in the field of spiritual growth. And of course the Eckhart Tolle 10-part course is still on the podcast. These podcasts are available on MPEG-4 audio & video and can be played through Quicktime or iTunes.

7. Alain de Botton: A Kinder, Gentler Philosophy of Success

In this talk at TEDGlobal philosopher Alain de Botton looks at the contemporary notion of success and why he feels it is such a source of anxiety for so many people. He finds that in today’s world the appearance of equality, such as Bill Gates dressing just like everybody else, makes most people feel they too can be rich & successful. He also relates contemporary success to the meritocracy that exists today when people are made to feel that they own their successes and failures. And he looks at how failure is treated today by referencing the tabloids that often portray failures without any empathy, whereas in past societies tragedy was often used to encourage empathy of people that might’ve failed at something. Ultimately Alain de Botton encourages you to try to not live according to the models of success around you, but to instead make success your own! An excellent TED talk available on streaming video and MP3 download.

8. Change Your Life with Cheryl Richardson Podcast

Listen to these podcasts hosted by inspiring author and life skills coach Cheryl Richardson as she talks with other personal growth experts on ways to change your life for the better. In more recent podcasts (which are on the bottom of the podcast feed on our page) she talks with Iyanla Vanzant about her remarkable life, Julia Cameron about the challenge of creativity and writing, and Geneen Roth about the new outlook on food which she conveys in her bestselling book Women Food and God. In past episodes you can listen to, she interviews Dr. Joan Borysenko, Gregg Braden, Dr. Bruce Lipton, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Louise Hay, Debbie Ford, Natalie Goldberg, Harville Hendrix, and many others. Listen to some of these great interviews on how to change your life.

9. Personal Development for Smart People Podcast

One of our favorite personal development bloggers is Steve Pavlina. His popular blog at www.stevepavlina.com attracts over two million monthly readers. He also has a podcast featuring over 20 episodes which address many different areas of personal growth. Pavlina does not believe in any quick solutions to personal growth and knows that it takes a lot of time and hard work to improve in any area of your life. In his first podcast he presents his own story of personal growth which began over 15 years ago in a jail cell when he was 19 years old. These early podcasts can be played at www.stevepavlina.com/audio. In recent podcasts that are on the podcast feed he talks about finding your purpose, achieving your goals, nurturing loving relationships, and more. Enjoy these free podcasts from www.stevepavlina.com.

10. Mark Victor Hansen at the Spirit of Service Awards

Mark Victor Hansen is the founder and co-creator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series, along with his business partner, Jack Canfield. To date they’ve sold over 140 million copies of the book series. He has also shared his business leadership and wealth building ideas in books like The One Minute Millionaire and Cracking the Millionaire Code which he has co-authored with Robert G. Allen. In this video from C-SPAN, Hansen delivers a rapid fire speech of motivation on giving and serving others at the Spirit of Service Awards. He starts with a few stories from the “Chicken Soup” series and then provides the crowd with gems of wisdom on volunteering, service, and being charitable. He provides examples from his own life of how he made millions of dollars, and then how he donated millions to charitable causes. Enjoy this motivational speech from one of the leading voices in personal and professional growth. Note: The speech starts at about the 30-minute point in the video so you can skip to that point if you just want to hear Mark.

11. The Daily Boost Podcast

Scott Smith from MotivationtoMove.com has been podcasting motivational messages daily since back in 2006 when podcasting first started! He now offers three daily motivational podcasts that are available as a subscription through his website: “The Daily Boost”, “The Business Boost”, and “The Fitness Boost”. Each Monday he offers his 9-minute “Daily Boost” podcast for free. Scott is professionally trained for radio and his voice carries an enthusiasm that is contagious. In the podcast he provides quick tips for self help, exercising, eating, and more. He’s always high on energy and he certainly sounds like he’s practicing what he preaches. Listen to a half dozen episodes of “The Daily Boost” for free to get the week started right!

12. Life Habits Podcast

Listen to one of the most highly rated and popular personal development podcasts in iTunes, as host Karel Vredenburg delivers the Life Habits Podcast. Karel has been podcasting since back in 2008, and he now has over 80 podcasts episodes you can choose from covering a vast amount of topics related to good and bad habits in all aspects of our lives. Drawing ideas from some of the best personal growth teachers, Karel delivers knowledge on life habits in a brief amount of time. Browse this podcast and find some topics that interest you.

June 15, 2014

Free Videos on the Benefits of Positive Thinking

For years LearnOutLoud.com has placed huge importance on showcasing audio & video titles that foster positive living. With this list of free videos on the benefits of positive thinking, we’ve collected our lectures and programs from our favorite self-help thinkers dedicated to keeping a positive mental attitude. Below you’ll find titles from Martin Seligman on positive psychology, Brian Johnson on learned optimism, and Matt Ridley on being a rational optimist. Escape self-absorption and change your negative train of thought starting with any of the links below:

1. Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology

In this TED talk Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology and the author Authentic Happiness and Learned Optimism, looks at ways healthy people can lead happier, more engaged, and more meaningful lives. While Seligman acknowledges that psychology has done a pretty good job over the past 50 years of making miserable people feel less miserable, he shows that there is a whole other realm of positive psychology which he and a group of other psychologists are only beginning to study. Seligman tells some of his findings on what contributes to healthy states of mind and what fosters genius. Going beyond the conventional, pleasure-seeking form of happiness, Seligman points to practices that truly give life meaning. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 audio download from TED.com.

2. Escape Self-Absorption through Positive Emotions

Barbara Fredrickson is a social psychologist and researcher on positive emotions. Her recent book Positivity details her research in the area of positive emotions and in this talk Fredrickson defines and describes the positive emotions which she studies and the greater impact they have on health and social relations. Moving past the fight or flight psychology of negative emotions such as anxiety, she discusses her broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions which broaden one’s awareness and encourage novel, varied, and exploratory thoughts and actions. This talk is available on streaming video Boston University’s BUniverse website and if you like it there are a number of other videos on the site with Professor Fredrickson.

3. Tony Robbins Asks Why We Do What We Do

Self development expert Anthony Robbins speaks at the TED Conference on what motivates people. Robbins insists that he isn’t a motivator, but instead he is out to find what motivates people and what it is that makes the difference in the quality of people’s lives. He discusses briefly the core human needs that drive people. This talk is available on streaming video from TED.com.

4. Shawn Achor on The Happiness Advantage

In this rapid fire talk from TEDxBloomington, Shawn Achor pushes for more focus on research into positive psychology and what makes a person better than average. He looks at the disease model of psychology which sets out to get people feeling normal or average, and pushes us to shift our focus to a positive psychology model which sets out to change the mind and the brain to be better than average. He provides some quick tips on ways to alter your psychology in a positive manner.

5. Matt Ridley on The Rational Optimist

Put yourself in an optimistic mindset about the future of our species and the world, with the facts presented by author Matt Ridley from his book The Rational Optimist. Matt Ridley applies ideas about evolution to the sort of sharing of ideas and technologies that occur in contemporary society, and feels that this trading of information and goods has led to a cumulative benefit for almost everyone. He then goes down the list of predicted catastrophes like population growth and climate change, and he attempts to debunk the evidence that these issues spell doom for humanity. Learn to think rationally positive about our future with author Matt Ridley.

6. Zaadz Notes: Learned Optimism

In this piece of motivation, Brian Johnson (CEO of Zaadz.com) looks at Dr. Martin Seligman’s book Learned Optimism. We find that optimism is much more than repeating positive mantras. It’s about how we inwardly interpret the external events that we continually face. Does our internal dialogue react to negative outcomes as permanent conditions or temporary setbacks? It’s an interesting concept and worth learning about. This talk is available from LearnOutLoud.com on MP3 Download.

7. The Maslow Podcast

Listen to this podcast featuring samples of lectures by the founder of humanistic psychology Abraham Maslow. Maslow developed the hierarchy of human needs and he has since been influential among the leaders of the positive psychology movement such as Martin Seligman. In these talks delivered at the Esalen Institute in the 1960s Maslow covers “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature”, “Eupsychian Ethic”, and more. These podcasts aren’t the full lectures but rather samples from the lectures which provide a smattering of ideas from Maslow. For audio downloads of the full lectures visit our Abraham Maslow Author Page. Enjoy these brief bits of wisdom from this highly influential American psychologist.

June 15, 2014

What is Creativity?: 9 Talks on Creativity

Is creativity something you are born with, or something you can learn through practices? With this list of free audio & video resources, we ask “What is Creativity?” and present 9 talks from speakers dedicated to creative cultivation. Here you listen to Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert on how she fostered her own creative talent, and learn from Joy Luck Club author Amy Tan on her creative ups and downs. We also include titles exploring how people like Albert Einstein tended to their genius, and what Malcolm Gladwell found when he explored creative leadership. Find much more by clicking any of the links below:

1. Elizabeth Gilbert: A Different Way to Think About Creative Genius

Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert examines the way society looks at artists and the way artists look at themselves in this TED talk. She feels that the creative people should view their work as channeling God’s creative gift to them rather than as their own personal creative genius. And she hopes such a shift might prevent some of the madness and self-destruction that occurs in so many of our modern artists. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

2. The Art of Original Thinking

Author Jan Phillips is currently offering her audio book The Art of Original Thinking: The Making of a Thought Leader for free on MP3 audio download directly through LearnOutLoud.com. This unabridged 6-hour audio book sets out to inspire new thought leaders for the new global paradigm we are entering. She provides many insights from her own life and quotes other unique thought leaders to aid us in creatively thinking outside of the box. She also explores the new thinking that is emerging in the areas of business, politics, religion, the environment, and more. Download this free audio book generously offered by author Jan Phillips and feel free to check out her website: www.janphillips.com.

3. Beyond Genre: Making Space for Greatness

Rick Rubin has produced an unbelievable number of hit records with talented artists ranging from LL Cool J and The Beastie Boys to Johnny Cash and Tom Petty. What’s his secret? Ken Wilber tries to get to the bottom of it in this interview from Integral Naked. Rubin provides some great insights into creativity that can be applied to artists in any medium. This title is being offered for free on MP3 download through our partnership with Integral Naked.

4. Malcolm Gladwell on Outliers

With the his bestselling book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell offers a compelling argument for why success happens to certain people and why more times than not, it isn’t due to talent. In this short series of interviews conducted through City Arts & Lectures in San Francisco, Gladwell discusses why people like the Beatles or Mozart have mythologized the idea that great talent arrives suddenly and fully formed. Using these examples of prodigious ability as a template, he illustrates that apart from talent, there is usually a period of many years where luck, training, discipline and timeliness all play a part in making one person stand out from the crowd. This talk is available on streaming video through FORA.tv.

5. Amy Tan on Creativity

In this TED Talk author Amy Tan probes into the roots of creativity or how “out of nothing comes something”. She examines her own life and the many influences that have fed into her novels. She also tells of the many fascinating coincidences that have happened to her over the years at key moments of creativity. It’s an intriguing and often humorous talk from a beloved author. This talk is available on streaming video and audio & video download.

6. Creativity, Leadership, and Divine Compensation

Marianne Williamson speaks with a purpose in this talk she recently delivered at Google headquarters. She talks about the need for the folks at Google and technologically-advanced people everywhere to shift their consciousness into a service-minded role when using technology. In our wealthy country of the United States, Marianne reminds us that there are more African Americans imprisoned today than there were slaves in 1850 and that one in every five children in the U.S. struggles with hunger. She speaks with urgency for the fortunate employees at Google (and the rest of us who are living comfortably) to take massive action towards alleviating suffering in our country and around the World. At the end of the talk she fields a number of good questions from Google employees. This talk is available on streaming video on YouTube.

7. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow

Check out this TED talk from psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who authored the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi talks about how he became interested in psychology after World War II when he heard a lecture by Carl Jung. Csikszentmihalyi eventually began his psychological study of how average people become extraordinary which he attributes to the idea of “flow” when one become completely involved in an activity for its own sake. Csikszentmihalyi provides many examples of individuals who have tapped into this “flow” state. This talk is available on streaming video and MP3 download from the TED.com website.

8. Tom and David Kelley on Creative Confidence

Authors Tom and David Kelley discuss their recent book Creative Confidence in this talk which they gave at Google. They describe ways to bring out creativity in organizations and individuals. Both Tom and David tell their own creative journeys and give suggestions as to how parents can foster creativity in their kids. They also talk about blocks to creativity and ways individuals can overcome their own fears of failure. Watch this enlightening talk about fostering creative confidence.

9. Einstein’s Creativity

Author Walter Isaacson summarizes the life of Albert Einstein in this 1-hour talk from the Aspen Ideas Festival. Isaacson’s book Einstein: His Life and Universe focuses on the creativity of Einstein which went far beyond the dry experiments we often associate with scientific practice. Isaacson attempts to present Einstein’s life and ideas in a way that is accessible to the layperson, and in this talk he comes very close to doing just that. It’s a great intro to Einstein. This talk is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

June 14, 2014

Learn How to Increase Brain Power from Free Audio & Videos

Do you sometimes wonder if you are using your mind to its fullest capacity? Learn how to increase your brain power with this list of 8 free audio and video titles. Here you’ll find “Flow” author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explain how to fully immerse yourself in a task, hear Daniel Goleman on how to keep focus, and find a Sounds True program chock full of helpful intuitive development exercises. In addition to these lectures, this collection offers training tips to help you retain memory, a guide for self-hypnosis, and other strategies to help you optimize mental efficiency. Boost your brain by clicking below:

1. Boosting the Brain’s Power Into Old Age

In this lecture delivered at the Chautauqua Institution, author Dharma Singh Khalsa talks about “Boosting the Brain’s Power Into Old Age”. He provides methods for preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other brain related illnesses, and how to boost your memory and to become more mentally energetic. Dr. Dharma provides some nutrition and supplement suggestions. He claims that the days of declining mental activity during old age are over with, if people will make a conscious effort to maintain their healthy brain. This title is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

2. Mental Efficiency

Listen to this audio book on how to exercise one’s mind for maximum efficiency. English novelist Arnold Bennett uses his wit to convey how we work hard at the up keep of our physical bodies, while we often do little to workout our minds. He gives examples of ways to give the mind a workout. He also features essays that explore the presentation of self, breaking free from the past, relationships and marriage, and how to achieve success. This audio book is well narrated by Ruth Golding at Librivox who has a lovely British accent. It has a running time of 3 Hrs. and is available on MP3 download.

3. 23 Intuitive Development Exercises from Sounds True

Listen to 23 Intuitive Development Exercises from Sounds True. In these exercises you’ll hear teachers such as Judith Orloff, Caroline Myss, Cyndi Dale, Laura Alden Kamm, and many more. These teachers cover what intuition is and how you can further develop it. Here are the 23 exercises:

Healing and Intuition

* 1. What Is Intuition?
* 2. Becoming an Intuitive Healer
* 3. Three Levels of Intuition
* 4. Awakening Second Sight
* 5. Matrix Energetics
* 6. Intuition and the Body
* 7. Your Natural Intuition
* 8. Color Intuition

Chakras, Dreams, and Intuition

* 9. The Sixth Chakra
* 10. Intuition, Chakras, and Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts
* 11. Lucid Dreaming
* 12. Conscious Dreaming
* 13. Tibetan Dream Yoga
* 14. Discovering Your Archetypes
* 15. Purify and Balance
* 16. Chakras and the Planes of Light

Divination, Past Lives, and Shamanism

* 17. Becoming an Oracle
* 18. Remote Viewing
* 19. Healing Your Past Lives
* 20. Determine Your Soul Type
* 21. Shamanic Journeying
* 22. Shamanic Shapeshifting
* 23. Read the Akashic Records

4. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on Flow

Check out this TED talk from psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who authored the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Csikszentmihalyi talks about how he became interested in psychology after World War II when he heard a lecture by Carl Jung. Csikszentmihalyi eventually began his psychological study of how average people become extraordinary which he attributes to the idea of “flow” when one become completely involved in an activity for its own sake. Csikszentmihalyi provides many examples of individuals who have tapped into this “flow” state.

5. A Practical Guide to Self-Hypnosis

If you’ve ever been interested in hypnotizing yourself, this audio book might be a good place to start. This book by Melvin Powers covers the history and applications of self-hypnosis. The book purports to explain how self-hypnosis can alleviate distressing symptoms, substitute strong responses for weak responses, help overcome bad habits, create good habits, and help one’s power of concentration. Find out for yourself how effective self-hypnosis is. This book is adequately narrated by Andrea Fiore and is available on MP3 download from LibriVox.org.

6. The Compassionate Brain: Activating the Neural Circuits of Kindness, Caring, and Love – Practical Neuroscience for Transformation

Starting today Monday, October 8, 2012, from 8-9 pm Eastern Time (GMT -4), the publisher Sounds True is offering a free live streaming video event series entitled “The Compassionate Brain”. The 7-part series is conducted by Dr. Rick Hanson, as he talks with world-class scholars and teachers, including Richie Davidson, Dan Siegel, Tara Brach, Dacher Keltner, Kelly McGonigal, Kristin Neff, and Jean Houston. The series looks at different ways to use the power of neuroplasticity to open the heart, build courage, find compassion, forgive oneself and others, and heal the world. The first session features Dr. Richard J. Davidson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison as he joins Dr. Hanson to discuss “How the Mind Changes the Brain”. Richie Davidson is a pioneering researcher on the plasticity of the brain and the ability of the mind to rewire the brain for happiness and compassion.

7. Daniel Goleman on Focus: The Secret to High Performance and Fulfillment

Daniel Goleman is the author of the bestselling books Emotional Intelligence and Social Intelligence, and he now has a new book out: Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. He recently gave a talk on this book at Intelligence Squared in London. In this talk Goleman speaks about our digital age and the ability of technology to continually distract us and steal our attention. He goes into the psychology of paying attention to ourselves and others, and how the ability to focus and pay attention is essential to success in our personal and professional lives. He speaks briefly on mindfulness and the importance of practicing paying attention, particularly among the technologically-obsessed youth. After his talk Goleman fields tough questions from the British audience. This talk is available on the Intelligence Squared YouTube channel.

8. Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It

From the author of Thought Vibration: Or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World comes another great book called Memory: How to Develop, Train, and Use It. This book by William Walker Atkinson examines what memory is and how you can use it to your benefit. There are specific chapters on how to remember names, faces, places, numbers, words, and much more. This unabridged 4-hour audio book is well narrated by Roger Melin at Librivox.

June 14, 2014

Get Health and Fitness Tips with 11 Free Audio & Video Resources

Get health and fitness tips with this list of 11 free audio & video resources. Optimize your health plan with a talk from Tim Ferriss on the 4-Hour Body, recharge your exercise goals with ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes, or get regular health advice from the Jillian Michaels Show. We also include lectures designed to help educate you on your road to wellness, including an Intro to Human Anatomy, Mini Medical school of lectures from UC-San Francisco, excerpts from Oprah’s Health Channel, and commentary from the author of You: the Owner’s Manual. Sometimes it’s hard to start a new health exercise routine. Let this list be your gateway to a new, healthier, happier lifestyle:

1. Nutrition and Physical Activity for a Lifetime

Start your week off with some sound health advice from professor Christina Economos of Tufts University as she delivers this hour-long lecture at the Chautauqua Institution. First she addresses some of the health issues facing the United States focusing primarily on obesity and the improper balance of bone, muscle, and fat as people age. She then talks about actions individuals can take in regards to their nutrition and physical activity that can lead to dramatic improvements in all areas of one’s health. Professor Economos references many studies and provides specific recommendations for the human body’s need of exercise and nutrition. She recommends strength training, fruits & vegetables, and many other natural ways for people to live healthy into old age. This lecture is available on streaming video and MP3 download from FORA.tv.

2. The Jillian Michaels Show Podcast

Personal trainer Jillian Michaels is best known for being a trainer on the TV show The Biggest Loser where she pushes obese people to lose a significant amount of weight. This is a podcast of Jillian’s radio show where she talks about a number of topics related to diet & nutrition along with health & fitness. She also provides some personal growth and motivational advice. In these 45-minute shows she talks off the cuff with another host named Janice and the shows are entertaining and informative. The last 15 minutes of the show she answers questions from callers. Enjoy these podcasts from this popular personal trainer.

3. Tim Ferriss: The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Workweek

Tim Ferriss presents some of the findings in his latest book The 4-Hour Body in which he used himself as a guinea pig to find out the fastest way to the best results when it comes to the human body. He talks about his diet & nutrition as well as his fitness best practices. He also covers how he dealt with insomnia and the impact of cell phone use on male sperm count (which generates a lot of questions in the Q&A). Ferriss also addresses some of the skeptics when it came to his first bestselling book The 4-Hour Workweek. This talk is available on streaming video from FORA.tv.

4. Oprah.com’s Health and Wellness Channel Podcast

Oprah has always been a tireless champion of personal growth and in this audio & video podcast she talks to some of her most trusted health experts as they field questions from viewers of the webcast. She has a 90-minute talk with one of her personal trainers Bob Greene with whom Oprah co-authored the book Make the Connection. Greene provides weight loss advice and healthy meal plans. In the next podcast Oprah has a 90-minute talk with Dr. Mehmet Oz who lays out a health checklist covering everything from vitamins to probiotics to soy milk. And the last podcast on the feed is an hour long Q&A for women on hormones and menopause with Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. All the podcasts are available on audio and video.

5. Authors@Google: Dean Karnazes on Running 50 Marathons in 50 Days

In this inspirational talk ultramarathon man Dean Karnazes speaks about his book 50/50 in which he writes about his experience of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 consecutive days. Karnazes tells motivational stories from his experience and the ups and downs that he faced. In the Q&A he gives info about his weekly running and workout routine, what he eats on a daily basis, and many other fascinating tidbits about his mega endurance. Asked what he does while he’s running for so long, he responds that he listens to music, dictates his writings into a voice recorder, and listens to audio books! For anyone pursuing goals, this is a great motivational talk that will help you to seek to defy your limitations. The 45-minute talk was delivered at Google and is available on streaming video from YouTube.

6. Introduction to Human Anatomy

Learn about your body with this lecture delivered by Professor John K. Young on the axial skeleton of the human. Professor Young starts the lecture with some definitions of basic human anatomy terms. He then proceeds to cover the axial skeleton of a human starting with the cranium and proceeding down the spinal cord with many interesting tidbits along the way. Professor Young proves that studying human anatomy doesn’t require diagrams as we have our own human anatomical specimen right at our fingertips. He points out many of the bones along the way which you can touch while listening (just keep one hand on the wheel if you’re driving!).

7. Dr. John Ratey on Spark

We all know exercise is great for the body, but in this lecture Dr. John Ratey talks about the many ways neuroscience is discovering how great exercise is for the brain. His book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain lays out the research and amazing case studies that show how exercise can improve brain function. In this 50-minute talk at Google Dr. Ratey summarizes his findings showing how exercise improves performance in schools and the workplace and its effectiveness at overcoming disorders like ADHD, depression, Alzheimer’s, and more. Learn the latest findings on exercise and the brain with bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey.

8. Fitness Workout – Twin Peaks

Jump start your week with this free 20-minute workout from iDownloads2go.com. This workout features short bursts of exercises, including power walking, jogging, shuttle runs and star jumps. A motivational personal trainer guides you through the exercises with nice Latin music in the background. This excellent free MP3 download was published through our TeachOutLoud service.

9. UCSF Mini Medical School Audio Podcast
UCSF Mini Medical School Video Podcast

In this series from the University of California, San Francisco, faculty members and other nationally-recognized experts give the latest findings on a variety of health and medical related topics. Topics include “Fad Diets: Do They Really Work?”, “Nutrition in a Bottle: A Scientific Review of Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements”, “The Biology of Depression: How Stress Affects the Brain and the Body”, “Staying in the Now: Maintaining Mental Health Through Mindfulness”, “The Science of Healthy Aging: Living Better Not Just Longer”, “Back Pain and its Management: Myths and Misconceptions”, and many more interesting lectures. Learn the latest in medical research from the University of California, San Francisco with these audio & video podcasts.

10. You: The Owner’s Manual with Dr. Michael Roizen Podcast

Start your week off with health advice from Dr. Michael Roizen, co-author with Dr. Mehmet C. Oz of YOU: The Owner’s Manual. These 40-minute podcasts are radio shows featuring Dr. Michael Roizen along with a few other doctors, discussing a variety of health issues. They also call doctors from around the country to discuss topics ranging from diet to disease to weight loss, and much more. The weekly podcast is a 2-hour radio show that they’ve split up into each hour for the podcast. They’ve cut out the commercials and usually announce at the top of the hour what topics they’ll be discussing and when they are going to be discussing each topic. Scroll down their list of over 150 podcasts from 2009 to 2012. They haven’t posted podcasts since a year ago but the information is still very up-to-date. Find a topic that interests you and learn from this bestselling author and health expert. Note: It might take a moment to load the page as the podcast feed is very long.

11. Healthy Living Radio Podcast

Browse over 400 podcasts covering just about every imaginable aspect of health! This podcast from the Cooper Aerobics Center and Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas features over 400 healthy living podcasts going to back to 2005. Many of them feature Dr. Ken Cooper, also known as the “father of aerobics”, who introduced the world to the concept of aerobics with his 1968 book Aerobics. Since that time he’s authored dozens of books and created the Cooper Aerobics Center and Cooper Institute for health and wellness research. This podcast features numerous members of the Cooper Institute including Dr. Cooper, Dr. Tedd Mitchell, Dr. Abram Eisenstein, and Dr. Nina Radford talking about a wide variety of topics including cancer prevention, vitamins, exercise, weight loss, heart disease, depression, and many, many more health topics. They also interview a lot of experts on health. For example on Oct. 8, 2007 they interviewed Dr. John J. Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. And on Feb. 27, 2006 they interviewed Dr. Daniel G. Amen on brain health. Dr. Amen authored the bestselling book Making a Good Brain Great.