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Ben Rea and the Stories We Tell Ourselves


Hey everybody,

It’s a big day. We’re launching this new podcast. If you haven’t ever launched a podcast, it takes a mix of audacity and ego and good old fashioned spirit to get the job done. But who are we kidding… of course you’ve launched a podcast. Everyone has a podcast now.

My name is Pete Wright and I’m your chaperone. As such, I write little letters to you, like this one, giving you a sense of what you’re going to experience on the show. As a subscriber, you’ll hear my voice from time to time. Pray, don’t get sick of me.

But this is Dodge’s show. That’s Dr. Dodge Rea, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist of many, many years (which I like to think he’ll hate because I’m not-so-subtlely indicating that he’s quite a bit older than me), and one of my best friends for nearly three decades.

In our grand episode one, we’re going to introduce you to Ben Rea. Ben is a Licensed Clinical Social worker and co-founder of Healthy Minds, his practice in San Luis Obispo, California. He’s also Dodge’s younger brother, which makes our first episode that much more special for all of us. Ben joins Dodge for a conversation on ACT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, plus a round of “where was that painting” and other lessons learned from their childhood home.

A few notes on the episode. First, we recorded the thing without the intention of releasing it to the public. It was a test. But in the same way that you can’t return all the feathers to a pillow in a windstorm, we just couldn’t figure out a way to recreate what Dodge and Ben captured in their first conversation. I’m positive I put my hand on the scale to get Dodge to agree to release it as episode one. We’ll see if my power extends to episode two and beyond.

Second, this episode is chock full of gems that have branded themselves on my psyche in the months since we recorded. On reflection, they all revolve around a central question that I encourage you to embrace as you listen: How do we confront the boundaries that we have each erected to avoid feeling embarrassment, loss, grief, disappointment, sadness…? This is something the brothers weave their way through in the course of their conversation and the lessons — at least for me — have been powerful. I hope they are as powerful to you.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. We’re so deeply gratified that you’re here.

— Pete

Links & Notes
* Ben Rea, LCSW
* About ACT — PsychologyToday.com

Also in :

Change is a given of life, perhaps even the point of it. And now more than ever, it’s everywhere we look. But how well do we understand it? Psychologist Dr. Dodge Rea and guests explore the mysterious, paradoxical nature of successful change.

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