I’m so excited to welcome psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock to the podcast this month! Satya is the author of Quarterlife, a book I read in early 2023 and haven’t been able to stop thinking about (or recommending!).
Satya defines quarterlife as the period between adolescence and midlife — roughly ages 16 to 40. Most of you reading this either are in quarterlife — or have children who are in it or about to enter it.
Quarterlife is the period of life where the most life happens (education! relationships! children! loss!), this age group is often unsupported and enduring high levels of stress that leaves many quarterlifers feeling unmoored, lost, and frustrated.
Tune in to the episode to learn more about navigating quarterlife. We’ll discuss:
What Quarterlife is and the age group it impacts
The definitions of “Stability Seeking” and “Meaning Seeking”
How the experience of Quarterlifers has changed throughout history and how it varies country to country
The role that Stability/Meaning play in Midlife Crises and why people are having midlife crises earlier
How parents can encourage a balance between Stability and Meaning in their children
Connect with Satya:
Order her book, Quarterlife on Bookshop.org or Amazon
Subscribe to her Substack: Self & Society
Find her on Instagram
Visit her website
Additional Resources:
If you find yourself struggling to identify whether you are a Stability Type or Meaning Type, you can try this exercise:
Journal for 5 minutes about the type of people you most often find yourself passing judgement on or being critical of.
Oftentimes, we are most critical of people who are different from us — so if you find yourself frustrated with people who adhere to societal expectations and pursue traditional goals — you might be a Meaning Type.
If you’re critical of those who are more free-spirited and don’t seem highly concerned with what society expects of them — you might be a Stability Type.
Satya’s Recommendations:
📚 READ: Satya still finds herself thinking about the book Shakespeare was a Woman by Elizabeth Winkler.
📺 WATCH: The tagline “this has all happened before” drew Satya back to the series Battlestar Galactica.
🎧 LISTEN: As a relaxing and entertaining escape from real life, Satya enjoys food podcasts and recommends the show Food Friends Podcast.
🧡 ENJOY: This recommendation made me sit up in my seat! I can’t wait to try it. As summer arrives, Satya recommends sipping on a combination of Lemonade and Iced Coffee. Sounds weird….but she says we’ll have to trust her on this one. I thought this version from Tasting Table featuring a sprig of rosemary looked fun!
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#045: Navigating Quarterlife with Psychotherapist Satya Doyle Byock 🧠