Our “Wellness Resources” series in Archways highlights outside initiatives supported by Rice ARCHES researchers.

Inside the Chrysalis

This month Dr. Michelle Quist is invited by Dr. Angie LeRoy, a post-doctoral Research Fellow on our team in the Department of Psychological Sciences, to discuss the mental wellness podcast that they are working on together. Dr. Quist is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology at Penn State University and Founder of the Inside the Chrysalis podcast.

Have you ever felt the urge to fundamentally change in positive ways? To outgrow bad habits and establish positive ones? We all have at one level or another, but we always run up against the same problem – growth is hard.

We learn in elementary school about the metamorphosis of the caterpillar; the ravenous insect that cocoons itself inside a chrysalis before eventually emerging as a beautiful butterfly. For us, this process becomes the symbol of the growth and transformation for which we all strive. The aspect we never discuss, however, is the magnitude of what is happening inside the chrysalis. The caterpillar has to break itself down to its most basic elements before reforming as an entirely new creature. That messy, chaotic process is the inspiration for our podcast, Inside the Chrysalis.

The creators of Inside the Chrysalis are four social psychologists, people who study humans and how they relate to each other. Our goal is to use our expertise to shed some light on the transformation process and to help people connect with each other in the context of shared experiences. Throughout our first season, we will discuss common issues such as achieving an important milestone and then feeling unexpected dissatisfaction or persistent imposter syndrome, or the anxiety that can arise from comparing yourselves to other people. We invite people from a variety of expertise and industry to candidly discuss what research has to say about our collective experience, establishing a place for pause, growth, reflection, and connection.

Beginning May 1, you can access our podcast directly through Buzzsprout at https://www.buzzsprout.com/972466, or through any popular podcast app. You can also connect with us via Facebook at Inside the Chrysalis Podcast or on Instagram at Inside the Chrysalis.