In this episode, we sit down with the brilliant and surprisingly candid Dr. James Doty, author, Stanford professor, and founder of Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research. We dive into his transformative journey from a traumatic childhood marked by poverty to his encounter with a mentor who inspired his NY Times Bestselling book “Into the Magic Shop” and also changed the trajectory of his life. With his new book, “Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything” James takes learnings from his own wildly fascinating life and distills them down into systems that can help us all find a little more magic in our everyday lives. 

We talk about:

• How childhood trauma can affect future success and well-being
• The profound impact of mentors in shaping one's self-worth and resilience
• How to hone your intuition and use it to build an authentic life
• Redefining "magic" as the potential for extraordinary events to manifest when we shift our outlook
• The importance of self-acceptance and finding joy in the journey, regardless of external measures of success
• Compassion and altruism as the ultimate signs of a strong character 
• How to see setbacks as opportunities for growth and self-discovery
• How to find awe and gratitude in everyday experiences
• Why Atheists (like Dr. Doty) can also be spiritual

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