Savvy Psychologist

9. When all that’s left of the fa-la-las is rock-hard fruitcake, the winter blahs creep up, settle in, and hang around until spring. In this episode from the very early days of the podcast (2014!), Dr. Ellen Hendriksen offers 8 tips to deal with the blahs and their more serious cousin, Seasonal Affective Disorder. This classic feels as timely as ever. We hope you enjoy!

200. In this fan-favorite episode from 2018, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen celebrates her 200th episode by giving us a much-needed makeover using five pieces of classic happiness advice.

550. Continuing our two-part series on speaking up at work, this week's episode tackles how to talk with someone intimidating—a boss, professor, or anyone who makes your adrenaline spike. You’ll learn how to recognize dominance signals, mentally humanize scary people, use your own body language to project calm confidence, and prepare for tough conversations without overpreparing. Regardless of your intimidating situation, these four practical tools will help you use your voice with more clarity and self-respect.

549. Meetings are everywhere—from work and faculty meetings to HOAs and book clubs. But speaking up can feel intimidating, especially if you struggle with social anxiety, perfectionism, or power dynamics. In this episode, we unpack why staying silent feels safer and why it rarely feels good afterward. Then we walk through six practical, low-pressure strategies to help you participate without needing the “perfect” comment.

113. This week, Savvy Psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen channels her best Talking Heads and asks, on behalf of every middle-aged adult: "How did I get here?" Plus, Dr. Hendriksen explains why time seems to fly as we get older.