Here it is – the worldwide release of the much-anticipated interview of anger management expert, Dr. John Schinnerer, by Paul Averill of the ManBits Podcast. Just click below to listen!

 

Dr. John Schinnerer coaches men to perform at their peak from the boardroom to the bedroom. Over the past 10 years, his online courses in anger management, anxiety management, and positive psychology have taught over 10,000 people to turn down the volume on anger and anxiety and to become calmer, happier and more successful. Dr. John graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in educational psychology. He was an expert consultant for Pixar’s Inside Out.

Paul and Dr. John discuss anger in depth and provide some key takeaways on how to recognize the signs of anger and reduce the symptoms before they take over.

  • Dr. John strived for success following in his parent’s footsteps.
  • Internally he was challenged with depression and anxiety
  • Started investigating and researching the nature of emotion
  • Dr. John tends to see himself as an emotional receiver – empathetic
  • He would pick up the negativity from his patients and this affected him mentally and physically
  • Dr. John ended up on a major radio station. Consumed with fear he went for it and it took a lot of prep, fear, and uncertainty to get it out there.
  • Most of Dr. John’s successes come from facing his fears
  • Visualisation helps release negative emotion
  • Anger only seeks to sustain and defend itself

The Middle Bits 

What’s your number one tip for kick-ass mind health?  

1) Mindfulness – Allow things that arise to arise non-judgementally.  Don’t fight it.  That which you resist persists.

2) Loving Kindness – project kind thoughts on people who are angry and annoyed.

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

1) Be less competitive and more cooperative

2) There’s no relationship between the college you go to and how successful or happy you are in life.  Zero.

Please share a recommended book or resource.

Michael Singer – The Untethered Soul

Whats your word of intention for the next 12 months?

Courageous – this doesn’t mean a lack of fear and anxiety – it means getting over it and getting done what you want to get done.

 

Episode Takeaways:

  • Most success comes from facing our fears
  • The voice in your head is not always right
  • Anger only seeks to sustain and defend itself
  • That which you resist persists.
  • Victor Frankl – between stimulus and response there’s a space – in that space is our power to choose our response.  in our response lies our growth and freedom.
  • One of the most common areas of anger is in the car. Anger comes up in the car more often than anywhere else as there exists a number of anger triggers (discussed in Douglas Fields book – Why We Snap).
  • Pixar was an amazing experience – John met with the producers and consulted on the character of anger.
  • How does someone start to interpret their anger?  There’s a physical, emotional and cognitive aspect.  John reminds his clients to recognize the distraction of anger.  Anger can feel good at some level (even addictive).  It’s our own responsibility to manage our own anger – no one will do it for you.

Mentioned Resources:

  • Paul Kivel – Men’s Work
  • Michael Singer – The Untethered Soul
  • Patterson/Grenny/McMillan/Switzler – Crucial Conversations
  • Douglas Fields – Why We SnapHow