"Into the Magic Shop" with neurosurgeon Jim Doty

When he was 12 years old, Jim Doty met an unusual woman named Ruth in a magic shop in Lancaster, CA - the town where he grew up.  She would become a central figure in his life and teach him a series of exercises to ease his childhood angst and envision a world of possibilities. They were possibilities that a young teenager living in a chaotic family  - an alcoholic father and depressed mother - would never dream of achieving. Now, a Stanford professor, neurosurgeon, entrepreneur and philanthropist, he’s written a memoir – Into the Magic Shop – detailing his life’s journey from a hard scrabble upbringing to economic wealth that once seemed unimaginable. In this podcast, Doty discusses his new book – part memoir, part science, part inspiration and a lot of practical instruction. He is a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford and serves as director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at the School of Medicine, of which the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. 

Photo credit: The Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi