Hi and welcome to the savvy psychologist. I'm Dr. Ellen Hendrickson, your

host and I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a

sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

This week on the savvy psychologist, I am delighted to welcome my first ever guest Dr. Lisa Miller and what a first guest to snag.

Dr Miller is a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University Teachers College and the Director of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute.

Next month she'll release a fantastic new book called The Spiritual Child, The New Science on Parenting for health and lifelong thriving.

So as a researcher, Dr Miller has accomplished an extraordinary feat.

She studies spirituality and she's taken this undefined and elusive topic and made it not only understandable but applicable.

It's spirituality ready for action.

So today we're in for a treat.

We'll ask Dr. Miller six questions about encouraging and supporting spirituality in our kids.

So Dr Miller, thank you so much for being on the show today.

Oh, it's terrific to be here with you, Dr. Hendrickson.

Fantastic. Okay, so let's get right into it.

So to start off, so we often hear spirituality defined simply as not religion, as in I'm not religious, but

I'm spiritual.

So if you can, let's get everyone on the same page.

How do you define spirituality?

That is really the cornerstone of the spiritual child.

Spirituality is in our birthright.

It is a natural capacity in every single one of us,

just like we have a natural cognitive endowment,

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