Kelly Wilson is the reason why I am an ACT therapist. In this episode, co-founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Kelly Wilson offers his wisdom on how to be with uncertainty, the messiness of recovery, the secrets of marriage, and how to forgive the unforgivable. This episode is raw, vulnerable, and inspiring. Give yourself time and space to listen.

About Dr. Kelly Wilson

Kelly G. Wilson, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University at Mississippi and the founder of OneLife Education & Training, LLC. He was the Founding President of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science and was among the first cohort of ACBS Fellows. Dr. Wilson has devoted himself to the development and dissemination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and its underlying theory and philosophy for more than 30 years. He has published more than 100 articles and chapters, as well as 11 books including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change, Mindfulness for Two, and Things Might Go Terribly, Horribly wrong. He has central interests in the application of behavioral principles to understanding topics such as purpose, meaning, values, and therapeutic alliance.

Dr. Wilson’s love of teaching resulted in his winning multiple teaching awards at his home institution, including the Elsie M. Hood Award for Undergraduate Teaching and also the University of Mississippi Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring. Dr. Wilson has presented workshops and provided consultancy in 34 countries.

Key Takeaways

• We all should get a Sprinter van
• An hour can change the course of someone’s life if you are fully present for them
• Other people see things in you that you don’t believe are possible. Let them
• Stop treating yourself as a problem to be solved or something to cover up
• Forgive others, and let yourself be forgiven
• Attend to the needs of the day
• Make friends with uncertainty

Related Resources

• Download Your Daily Practice for this episode
• Find out what kind of Striver you are and get your free Skillful Striving Toolkit
• Mindfulness For Two
• Things May Go Horribly Wrong
• Kelly’s Course: Exploring Values in ACT at Praxis CE

Diana’s Events

• Reserve your spot in Diana’s Reset and Restore Retreat in Costa Rica in 2023!
• Sign up for Diana’s From Striving to Thriving Summit!
• See Diana at an upcoming event

Connecting With Diana

Thank you for listening to Your Life in Process! Subscribe to the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts. If you have any questions or feedback you can contact Diana by email podcast at yourlifeinprocess dot com or leave Diana an audio message at (805) 457-2776. Follow Diana at YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana’s website.

Thank you to the team Craig, Angela Stubbs, and Ashley Hiatt. Thank you to Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music.

Remember when you become psychologically flexible, you become free.

Episode Segments

• [00:00] Introduction
• [03:18] From Striving to Thriving Summit 2.0
• [11:37] Uncertainty
• [14:42] An Hour That Changes The Trajectory Of Your Life
• [20:41] On 43 Years Of Marriage
• [29:45] What Sustains You When All Else Falls Away?
• [33:49] The Link Between Vulnerability And Caring
• [36:34] Opening To Unpredictability
• [42:00] Choosing Possibility Over Probability
• [43:41] Living A Valued Life
• [48:56] Being A Father
• [55:35] Forgiveness
• [59:43] Lucky To Have Another Chance
• [01:01:40] Carry And Be Carried
• [01:06:20] To Be Attentive And Faithful To The Needs Of The Day
• [01:10:13] Workshops And Books By Kelly
• [01:14:26] Diana’s Summary
• [01:17:19] Connect With The Podcast