Tracy Dennis’ 5 Top Personal Sources Of Motivation And Clarity

Yesterday we brought you Tracy Dennis, a psychologist at Hunter College. Tracy spoke in-depth about anxiety and how everyone, from business professionals to the general public, can help themselves relax. (If you missed Tracy, go back and listen here.)

Even highly educated psychologists need a helping hand, though. Tracy turns to her colleagues (and someone special) to help inform her own work and life.

1. Vivek Tiwary

I’m not just Vivek’s wife; I’m also a huge fan of his. He’s highly accomplished in the entertainment industry and I often look to him for inspiration in motivating people to follow their dreams.

2. Scott Parazynski

Scott has worn many illustrious hats: astronaut, doctor, scientist, and dedicated educator. I consider him a real American hero and had the pleasure of speaking with him last year at the Rubin Brainwave Festival. His work motivates me to be a better scientist.

3. Dona Matthews

Dona is a colleague of mine who recently wrote a wonderful book called Beyond Intelligence. It’s about raising children who are happy and productive, a topic I think is deserves great attention. There’s no one better for the topic than Dona.

4. George Bonanno

George is a tremendous thinker and gadfly. As a psychologist at Columbia University, he studies how people stay resilient in the face of loss and adversity. It’s great out-of-the-box thinking and it gets me thinking more creatively about my own work.

5. Wray Herbert

Wray Herbert’s work as a science writer is, for me, a unique take on a field that can get bogged down in fuzzy data and complicated brain processes. His book about habits, On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind’s Hard-Wired Habits, is one of my favorites.