I've always been fascinated with comedians. I used to come home from junior high school and watch ComicView on BET or even many years later, memorizing Robin Williams' comedy special, Live on Broadway. It's always seemed like comics had a special eye for society and human behavior. I mean how else do they come up with their jokes, mostly geared towards many of the societal norms we take for granted?

There have been studies trying to quantify the psychology of comics and better understand what both motivates them to do what they do and also what gives them their special talents. Famous comics such as Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, and Ellen Degeneres are often referred to when talking about this special kind of intelligence. They are also often put in the Mental Health/Illness category as well; to which correlations have also been explored. Though most studies find that they are not necessarily more "sick" than non-comedians, most often their personalities come with a high drive for acceptance.

To better understand if anything of this has merit, or to at least attempt to hear it from the horse's mouth; I sat down with my friend, Jojo White to talk about his passion for sharing the connection between Comedy and Depression in what might be the show's most heartfelt episode yet.

Buckle in, this one is going to take you for a ride. I hope you enjoy - Steven.

For show notes, visit: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/the-dark-side-of-comedy/

I always thought you had to be in the military to get PTSD. Clearly, I didn't understand what trauma really is...

But PTSD, or trauma is so much more than being exposed to war. I've often wondered about the idea of "micro-trauma"; almost getting hit by a car, losing a job, being betrayed by a loved one... anything that causes us to question our reality in an instant. How do these events change our lives, how does our behavior change, our outlook on ideals like trust, family, and hard work?

If you're just as curious as I am, give this episode a chance. I sit down with my friend Taryn Greene who is currently seeking her PhD in Health Psychology from UNC with a focus on Post Traumatic Growth. This is a very candid interview with some surprises.

To see the video and show notes, visit, https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/understanding-ptsd-and-post-traumatic-growth/

Have you ever felt like there is an untapped artist within you waiting to be let free? Have you lost years of your life not being as creative as you feel you're capable of?

I sit down with my friend Arman Assadi to discuss his experience and journey with a book/course called The Artist's Way and how that changed his view of self, of starting a podcast, and how he is able to stoke FLOW better and faster because of it.

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/journey-through-the-artists-way/

From Movies, Commercials, Your Family and Friends; they're all telling you stories about themselves to either convince you of an idea or to control your world.

We're also doing this to ourselves, all, the, time. The stories we were told from an early age turn into the stories we continue to tell ourselves, sometimes our entire lives.

We unpack the idea of story, how and why we tell ourselves the stories we do, and what we can do to tell ourselves better, more empowering stories.

Join me and Dawn Fraser as we travel down this rabbit hole, you may find yourself on the other side.

In this episode, we cover:

2. Establishing your “life's work”, logging entries of life events, memories, and feelings
5. How lucky we are to have social media to use as an archive for looking back on our lives from an introspective perspective
8. Acknowledging what you are good at, what you are ok at, and what you are not so good at, make the stories based on reality not on what's been given (or told to you)
11. The 5 Love Languages and how they relate to our state of mind when we're telling ourselves how our stories are going
14. How to recognize the signs when things are off, and you keep telling yourself the same negative things, over and over
17. How to navigate media consumption and all the stories being fed to us online
20. Being mindful of the source of stories and wether it is a dialogue or one-way communication
23. Change is inevitable, growth is optional
26. Gratituding (its a new word)
29. Defining your micro-stories in place of relying on one big macro story
32. Learning to build in flexibility and detours into your vision/story to prevent discouragement that leads to quitting
35. Knowing the difference between the FACTS and the TRUTH
38. Learning to tell stories from our scars, and not our wounds…
41. How studying story and telling stories can teach you to tap into yours and make better connections between memories and events that have happened in your life

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/storytelling-and-the-stories-we-tell-ourselves/

Imagine a life where everyone is against you, including yourself. Often times we experience events (trauma) or relationships that train our mind to blame the outside world instead of taking accountability for ourselves.

Often times this happens as the result of losing your power. Your sense of self-perception and choice to set boundaries and make a new start.

Join me and Sukdev as we travel down this rabbit hole, you may find yourself on the other side.

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/to-be-or-not-to-be-a-victim/

Learn how to practice free association to exercise and stretch your brain and release your ego. Improv is a special kind of medicine, one that can lead to a more courageous life. 

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/the-psychology-of-improv/

What does living vicariously mean and what I learned from the passing of another celebrity and why it's ok to be upset when someone you don't know, dies.

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/the-power-of-living-vicariously/

Learn how to know when to Quit; your job, an idea, or your broken relationship. It's time. A conversation with Clint Bertucci

Full show notes and video: https://stevenfage.com/podcast/episode/know-when-to-quit/