Wise Elders

Wise Elders is a Podcast dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom. Matt Ditty has been a social work practitioner, educator, trainer, and consultant with over 20 years of experience building lives worth living on micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Gazing through his lens colored by social work, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Aikido, mindfulness, and more, the listener will hear from wise people to bring you the secret sauce so we all can live more wisely.

The Sensing Samurai: On Wisdom and Mindfulness of Emotion 11/05/2022

The Sensing Samurai: On Wisdom and Mindfulness of Emotion Wise Elders Podcast is a search for the secret sauce of wisdom with your host, Matt Ditty. Matt is a DBT therapist, trainer, teacher, and consultant who specializes in building lives worth living with those experiencing suicidality, self harm, and PTSD. Today’s guest features Kell Julliard, an experienced mindfulness practitioner who is a retired professor and a current instructor with Tergar (www.tergar.org). Matt and Kell discuss wisdom, summarizing many of the themes from the entire Wise Elders Podcast series so far (14:41). They then compare notes on their understanding of mindfulness of emotion from two different lenses – DBT and Tergar (46:57). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/24916374

Wisdom, Humor, Brain Ketchup 09/23/2022

Wisdom, Humor, Brain Ketchup Today’s guest is Doogie Horner, a comedian, author, and graphic designer. Matt and Doogie have been lifelong friends, and they sit down to discuss the elements of wisdom identified by the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS), exploring the relationship between humor and wisdom. Please know that the purpose of this episode is not to be funny, but to discuss how humor can be used wisely. If you’re looking for laughs, search for Doogie Horner and listen to his comedy album "A Delicate Man" on the same platforms you listen to this Podcast. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/24447699

DBT, Wisdom, and The Cloud of Unknowing 08/19/2022

DBT, Wisdom, and The Cloud of Unknowing Today’s episode features a colleague of mine who practices with me on the same DBT consultation team, and someone who happens to also be my business partner, John Bickel. I talk with John about how this podcast does and does not overlap with DBT. John has already identified some themes from his clinical work on how to be wise, the exact thing I’m trying to do on the wise Elders podcast. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/24109428

Matt Meets a Life Worth Living Goal 06/17/2022

Matt Meets a Life Worth Living Goal On today's episode, Matt travels to Costa Rica to see the guy he wanted to be when he grew up, Max Perez. And in doing so, he meets a life worth living goal: to play with monkeys in their natural habitat. In typical Max style, many others joined us on the journey, particularly Fabian Jimenez. The three of them sit down to discuss Matt's life worth living goal (5:10), share stories of their trip, and explore Webster's five elements of wisdom suggested by the SAWS (29:25). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23462264

Wisely Approaching Hard Conversations, Part II: Heavy Meta 06/09/2022

Wisely Approaching Hard Conversations, Part II: Heavy Meta Matt continues exploring how to have hard conversations with Kiki, a professor, yoga instructor, Vipassana practitioner, and family member. They’re joined by Kyle, a meditation practioner, massage therapist, practitioner of Tibetan medicine, and family member of Kiki and Matt. This episode is a follow up to Episode 18, when they explored hard conversations by having a hard conversation in the moments when the mass shooting in Uvalde, Tx was still fresh. This time, they focus less on guns and mass shootings, and more on how to actually have a hard conversation (ie. heavy meta). They begin by defining a hard conversation (9:54). Then they explore the connection between hard conversations and wisdom (23:35). Then they explore how to have a hard conversation (40:00) and end by tying up loose ends on their previous hard conversation about guns (57:24). *Sidenote: we touch on validation in today’s episode. You’ll hear Kiki and I briefly mention an article she wrote (and in more depth if you somehow got our entire, unedited released-by-mistake and then quickly deleted episode). I had heard she wrote about abortion online. Turns out, I wasn’t correct and I did the very invalidation she speaks about. Whisper-down-the-ally is a great way to invalidate! But the article she wrote is super powerful and a great example of the importance validation. If you want more of Kiki’s thoughts on validation and invalidation, here’s an article she wrote after three pregnancy losses: /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23380835

Instarerelease!! Wisely Approaching Hard Conversations: A Discussion of Mass Shootings, Guns, and Mental Health After Uvalde, Texas 05/29/2022

Instarerelease!! Wisely Approaching Hard Conversations: A Discussion of Mass Shootings, Guns, and Mental Health After Uvalde, Texas !!This episode is being re-released because Matt accidentally released the wrong file for Spotify Users. So extra listen for some of you and a fixing of an error for the rest! Sorry if it was an extra something but ultimately a yada yada yawn yawn for those Spotify Users who tried!! Matt sits down with Kiki, a professor, yoga instructor, Vipassana practitioner, and family member. We seek to explore the intersection of wisdom, relationships, and hard conversations about sensitive topics. We begin by framing the conversation by discussing some skills useful to such conversations – Walking the Middle Path, Validation, and Mindfulness of Emotion. Then we actually have a radically genuine, hard conversation as we rdiscuss the horrors of Uvalde, Texas just 24 hours after the shooting took place (15:37). We end the episode by discussing wisdom using the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS; 61:36). Please take care while listening. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23262449

Could Painting Cows Be the Secret to Lifelong Friendships? 05/20/2022

Could Painting Cows Be the Secret to Lifelong Friendships? Matt continues exploring how to make friends and expands on the theme from Episode 16 with his longest tenured friend, Oreste Jimenez (OJ). The two speak candidly about how two “ordinary” kids sustained their friendship for over 30 years, in the hopes that their story can illuminate the process for any and all people interested in building relationships of their own. Then, OJ and Matt explore wisdom more broadly using the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) in search of a new recipe for wisdom (24:40). Matt is a clinical social worker with 20 years of experience practicing, teaching, training, and consulting. He is currently a Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) practitioner, Aikido student, and a dabbling musician. Subscribe to this Podcast to follow his search for wisdom as he consults with wise people. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23174315

An Itchy Sweater is Better with a Friend 05/13/2022

An Itchy Sweater is Better with a Friend Welcome to the Wise Elders Podcast, the place where I seek the secret sauce of wisdom. I’m your host, Matt Ditty, a clinical social worker with 20 years of experience building lives worth living with high risk, difficult to treat mental health issues. I’m joined today by Nat Jungbluth, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of anxiety, PTSD, and other issues facing children and families. We use our own friendship to explore how to make friends (1:30) and then explore wisdom using the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS; 16:30). Enjoy! /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23094623

Grasshopper Tacos and the Model of Emotions 05/06/2022

Grasshopper Tacos and the Model of Emotions Dorian Hunter of Episode 6 fame rejoins Wise Elders with her husband Jeremy to discuss what an emotion is using the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Model of Emotions (8:00). Dorian and Matt are two LBC Certified DBT Clinicians, as well as DBT trainers and consultants. Be prepared for them to nerd out and informally speak the language of DBT as they explore wisdom, emotions, and emotion regulation. Then, using the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) as a guide, they further explore wisdom more broadly (48:30). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/23032064

The Depths of Breath 04/29/2022

The Depths of Breath Welcome to the Wise Elders podcast, the place where I seek the secret sauce of wisdom. Today’s guest is Ryan Fisher, who Matt knows through Aikido. Ryan is a great Aikido practitioner and teacher. He also manages the dojo, is a professional masseuse, and has developed Kokyudo, which is system for training the breath. For the first half of the episode, Matt and Ryan discuss the importance of breathing in the pursuit of wisdom. Then they discuss wisdom using the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) to frame a discussion on wisdom more broadly (25:15). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22854791

Home is Where the Wisdom Is 04/22/2022

Home is Where the Wisdom Is On today’s episode of the Wise Elders podcast, Matt continues his quest for wisdom by sitting down with Karen Hudson, a mentor of his and a social worker with over 40 years of experience working with homelessness. First, Karen fills us in on what’s been going on in the world of homelessness these past couple years (1:30). Then, we explore how Karen’s professional social work experience can inform wisdom (18:00). Finally, the Self Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) guides a conversation about wisdom (35:30). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22852433

Season 2 Teaser 03/25/2022

Season 2 Teaser After Season 1's finale, Episode 11's Recipe for Wisdom, Matt is turning the page to a new chapter for the Podcast. Today's teaser sets the stage. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22560371

A RECIPE FOR WISDOM: The DBT Mindfulness Skills 03/18/2022

A RECIPE FOR WISDOM: The DBT Mindfulness Skills Of all the episodes so far, this is the one to listen to, re-listen to, and share with others. On the Wise Elders podcast series, Matt seeks the secret sauce of wisdom so he can know it and share it with the world. He is already discovering he may not need one recipe, but a whole cookbook. Here’s the first recipe/ how-to-guide for wisdom, and it’s based on the six Mindfulness Skills of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Matt teaches all six skills to his two dogs, Stevie and Billie, using clips from the first ten episodes of Wise Elders. The skills are so simple even a puppy can do them. The more we practice these simple skills over time, the more we can all become wise elders. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22484390

Wisely Responding to Unwise Behavior 03/11/2022

Wisely Responding to Unwise Behavior Alex McLean is an esteemed psychiatrist, mentor, and friend, and the first repeat guest on the Wise Elders Podcast. First, Matt updates her on his quest to discover the secret sauce of wisdom (3:54). Then they discuss how to wisely respond to unwise behavior in the world, particularly human cruelty (15:55). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22413254

The Effective Epidemiologists 03/04/2022

The Effective Epidemiologists We are all exhausted by the pandemic, including unproductive conversations about COVID. Yet wise dialogue about effectiveness has been hard to find. Using the concepts of wisdom and effectiveness as his frame, Matt talks with Neil and Mike, two professors of epidemiology. What insights about wisdom has the pandemic given us? And how can we use those insights to remain effective as society reopens and beyond? I’ll let you, the listener decide how well we pulled off the mission. Feel free to give your feedback and join the discussion! /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22331141

Living One-Mindfully 02/25/2022

Living One-Mindfully According to Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, “One should be prepared… to stare death right in the face in order to illuminate the Path.” Today’s episode of Wise Elders features Allison Gonzalez, a peer of Matt’s in their social work doctoral program, and an expert in end-of-life care. She is a perfect person to talk to about living and dying wisely (5:47), as well as living each moment One-mindfully (53:11). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22229045

The Non-judgmental Judge 02/18/2022

The Non-judgmental Judge Today’s episode features Nick Nichols Sensei, a 5th Dan in Aikido and a retired judge. Having just explored wisdom through the lens of each What mindfulness skill in DBT (Observe, Describe, Participate), Matt turns his attention to the How mindfulness skills in DBT (Non-judgmentally, One-mindfully, Effectively). Who better to conversationally explore non-judgmental aspects of wisdom with than a guy whose job it was to literally judge? /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22176908

Participate Like a Wing Walker 02/11/2022

Participate Like a Wing Walker Dorian Hunter joins forces with Matt to discuss experience as a vehicle for wisdom. As two DBT therapists, trainers, and consultants, they use their own skills to discuss wisdom, dialectics (6:48), and the DBT skill of Participate (27:50). /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22095503

Describe Like a Musical Scientist 02/04/2022

Describe Like a Musical Scientist Today’s episode features two incredible musicians, Brett Kull (Rise Twain, Echolyn, Grey Eye Glances) and Katie Barbato. After gushing about one another in our introductions, Matt, Brett, and Katie explore the definition of wisdom, honing in on the importance of ethics as one of its ingredients (starting at 14:57). Then, they discuss the Describe skill in DBT, focusing on the words we use and the musical tone in which we use them as vehicles for comprehending wisdom (45:41). Matt chose Brett and Katie for this topic because of their love of words as cohosts of the Read It Twice Podcast, as well as their expertise in communication through music, an artform that so often expresses what words fail to capture. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/22026503

Observe Like a Martial Artist 01/30/2022

Observe Like a Martial Artist Matt's Aikido instructor, Rick Berry Sensei, joins today's episode to discuss wisdom. Then, the discussion narrows its focus on the importance of Observation in life, Aikido, DBT, meditation, critical thinking, and beyond. Rick Berry Sensei has been practicing the martial arts since 1966, and he holds the rank of 7th Dan in Aikido and Jujutsu. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/21833402

Ep. 3 What is Wisdom? 01/21/2022

Ep. 3 What is Wisdom? On today's episode, Matt summons a special council of Wise Elders. First, two members of the council facilitate a meditation in the Vipassana mindfulness tradition. Second, Matt submits his current understanding of wisdom to the elders, drawing on concepts from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Vipassana, Aikido, and more. Third, the council shares their words of wisdom for future generations. Time will tell how wise they are. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/21749243

Wise Elders Ep. 2 01/14/2022

Wise Elders Ep. 2 On today's episode, Matt (a clinical social worker and DBT therapist) interviews his buddy Alex (a psychiatrist) about the wisdom of seeking wisdom. Content warning: this episode discusses potentially challenging topics such as suicide and trauma. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/21708665

Wise Elders Ep. 1 01/04/2022

Wise Elders Ep. 1 Welcome to Wise Elders, the place where wisdom is explored with wise people. What is wisdom and how do we embody it? Drawing on social work, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Aikido, mindfulness, and more, this episode introduces you to the Podcast, its host, and what is in store moving forward. /episode/index/show/wiseelders/id/21676073

Wise Elders

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