Eternal Optimism & Applying Psychology to Life with Kurt Malkoff, PhD

Today’s guest on the Gravity podcast gives us another fascinating look into the complex human mind and how it works. Kurt Malkoff was born in Youngstown, Ohio, to two restaurateur parents that he says gave him everything but limits. He has a BA, MA, and PhD from Ohio State University, is a clinical psychologist, and the founder of Matrix Psychological Services here in Columbus, one of the oldest, independently-owned psychological practices in the country..

We discuss how he went from being an uninspired student to a passionate special education teacher early in his life, a move that directly led to his long career as a practicing psychologist and successful entrepreneur. 

He explains how understanding even the basics of psychology can help people build and manage teams, thoughtfully comments on the state of social unrest we’ve landed in as a culture, and emphasizes the importance of work-life balance, especially as one gets further into their career.

Kurt’s the kind of person, as he explains, to print a line of good-natured smacktalk on the back of his Pelotonia jersey. Communicating with such warmth and authenticity, he’s a tangible source of real optimism – a quality I can’t ignore in the interview and one I know you’ll pick up on, too.

What we cover:

• Kurt’s loving childhood and restaurateur parents 
• Leaning into special education  
• Back to graduate school for psychology 
• Understanding human behavior 
• Melding psychology and entrepreneurship 
• Iterating yourself throughout life 
• Building efficient teams using psychological studies 
• Landing an ideal work-life balance
• Kurt’s POV on the current social landscape

Resources:

• LinkedIn: Kurt Malkoff, PhD
• Matrix Psychological Services