Pandit Dasa spent fifteen years living as a monk – not in a remote retreat but in the heart of New York City. When he emerged from his monastic life, he became a speaker instead, inspiring others to live more mindfully. He gives us some tips on how to re-emerge into the busy world, including ‘closing the apps’ in our minds to quieten busy thoughts, and accepting that the world and what it throws at us are constantly changing.

Closing the apps in our minds with Pandit Dasa

While working in stressful jobs, Anastasia Dedyukhina realised that smartphones, and the pressure to be ‘always on’, were doing her harm. She tried an experiment: giving up her smartphone altogether and going back to a more offline way of life. The experience inspired her to found Consciously Digital, a network of coaches who help others to find a better balance between their online and offline lives. Anastasia describes what the constant switching of tasks does to our brains, and gives us some helpful advice for those who would like their families to spend less time on screens.

Anastasia Dedyukhina

Facing the future with John Sanei

Lisane Basquiat, the founder of Shaping Freedom, grew up in an immigrant Haitian family in Brooklyn. She and her siblings — including the artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat — were expected to succeed in conventional ways. Her brother took his own creative path. Lisane, who is an entrepreneur and a life strategist, followed a conventional corporate route for a while but now also helps others to define what they want from their lives. She says that families and their legacies to us are central. She tells us we need to work out how to be accountable to ourselves and not to put the responsibility for our own happiness onto others, whether that means members of our family or those outside.

Family Matters with Lisane Basquiat

Arnaud Collery: bringing happiness to work

Hear some of the inspiring people who've spoken to Head Talks:
Lisane Basquiat, life strategist
John Sanei, author, speaker, strategist
Keri-Anne Payne, Olympic swimmer
Dasho Tshering Tobgay, former Prime Minister of Bhutan
Mark & Maddy Austin, journalist and daughter recovered from eating disorder
Sir Ian Cheshire, senior businessman
Kristin Neff, psychologist

Head Talks Greatest Hits

Dasho Tshering Tobgay is the former Prime Minister of Bhutan, the Himalayan country once isolated from the rest of the world, but which in recent decades has been pursuing the idea of measuring ‘gross national happiness’. This idea goes beyond the traditional pursuit of economic growth and takes into account the country’s environment and culture. Dasho Tshering talks to us about how his country has changed and how he himself has coped with the ups and downs of political life, learning to question the nature of both failures and successes along the way.

Tshering Tobgay Podcast

Richard Layard is an Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics where he is also Director of the Wellbeing Programme, as well as a member of the House of Lords and the co-founder of Action for Happiness. His books include Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, and Thrive. Lord Layard began his career as an economist and was one of the first to study the economic and social importance of happiness. Once we measure what makes people happy, he argues, we can develop policies to improve the happiness of our society. Our first priority should be to improve mental health services, particularly those from children. He says he’s seen profound cultural change in recent years as we have learned to talk more about these issues, but warns of the risks that social media can pose to our happiness.

The Value of Happiness by Richard Layard

Head Talks is a home for informative and inspiring talks on mental wellbeing and the mind.

The Value of Happiness by Richard Layard

Head Talks

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