School for Good Living Podcasts

200. John Philip Newell – The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home

School for Good Living Podcasts — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 21:32:26 -0500

In this episode, John Philip Newell returns to the School for Good Living Podcast to discuss his latest book, The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Search for Healing and Home. John Philip, a leading Celtic teacher and spiritual guide, offers deep insights into the spiritual longings of the modern world, especially in light of the growing sense of religious exile experienced by many today.

John Philip speaks on the urgent need for healing in our relationship with the Earth and one another, as well as the quest for a deeper sense of home—not just in a physical sense, but in a profound spiritual connection with both the Earth and the human soul. His reflections on spiritual exile, the deep yearning for divine experience, and the wisdom of past teachers are woven throughout this thoughtful conversation.

In this interview, John Philip and Brilliant discuss:

The Great Search and its focus on spiritual yearnings during times of transition
The concept of “religious exile” and how many people are spiritually disaffected, either by leaving or by staying in religious traditions that no longer resonate
The role of psychedelics in modern spiritual exploration and how they fit into the broader quest for a direct experience of the divine
Healing and Home as the central themes of John Philip's book and how they address humanity’s brokenness and longing for rootedness
The teachers who shaped John Philip's journey and how they continue to transmit wisdom for today's spiritual seekers

John Philip also shares personal reflections on his own spiritual journey, including his decision to "give back" his ordination as a Christian minister, and how this decision relates to the spiritual reawakening he sees happening worldwide.

Resources Mentioned:

John Philip Newell’s The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Search for Healing and Home

Connect with the Guest:

earthandsoul.org

Social media handles or other ways to follow John Philip:

John Philip Newell on Facebook

John Philip Newell on Instagram

Sacred Earth Sacred Soul on Facebook

Sacred Earth Sacred Soul on Instagram

Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the School for Good Living Podcast!

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe and sign up for our email list at [goodliving.com] for exclusive content and special updates. Explore our website to learn more about the transformative programs we offer, including our Transformation Coaching Program, Coach Training Program, and our collection of inspirational quotes to help you live a good life!

198. Neal Allen – Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic

School for Good Living Podcasts — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0500

Neal Allen is a spiritual coach and a speaker whose chief concern is removing obstacles of the ego. Neal has written a book called Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic, the subject of most of our conversation here today. This is Neal’s second time on the School for Good Living podcast after our first conversation about his book called Shapes of Truth: Discover God Inside You.

In this interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Neal joins me to talk about our inner critic. Sometimes Neal refers to it as a parasite. You might call it your conscience or your superego. But Neal distinguishes that it is not you. It's a part of you. He talks about how it forms, what its purpose is, and how we can live healthier, happier lives when we learn to manage our inner critic and make space for our authentic self. We also talk about how we can live with less anxiety, have more fulfilling relationships, and be more content more often. In this conversation, Neal also shares what he learned from a six-month experiment he conducted in his own life where he said yes to every opportunity, invitation, and request that was made to him and what he learned from it.

“It’s not necessary to seek for love, only to find and remove the obstacles we’ve built against it.”

– Neal Allen

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

· Neal’s belief and practice that people are naturally respectful

· Saying yes to everything for 6 months and its lasting impact on Neal

· Defining and overcoming “the parasite”, “the gremlin”, and the superego

· Turning Win, Lose, or Draw into Yes, No, or Maybe

Resources Mentioned:

· Shapesoftruth.com

· goodliving.com

Connect With The Guest:

· Neal Allen

Subscribe and sign up for more!

Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of the School For Good Living Podcast, I hope you found it as insightful as I did! If you enjoyed this episode, then be sure to head over to goodliving.com and sign up for our email list to receive special reminders and exclusive content sent right to your inbox. Explore our website to learn more about the many services I offer, like my Transformation Coaching Program, Coach Training Program, and my catalog of quotations to help you live a good life!

197. Colin Campbell – Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose

School for Good Living Podcasts — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 15:12:09 -0400

Colin Campbell is an author who knows a lot about grief. When Colin and his family were hit by a drunk and high driver that killed his two children, his life was sent into a whirlwind of grief, pain, and isolation. This grief led him to write “Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose” to help us understand what it takes to accompany people in their grieving process. His personal experiences has helped him to navigate the human tendencies that we all face when we experience loss or in our efforts to accompany others through their pain and grief.

In this Interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Colin joins me to talk about confronting pain to help us have good living. In this interview, we discuss the profound losses that we face in life and some techniques we can use more quickly and fully get to places of peace, joy, and love. We also discuss some of the hardest parts of helping others who are grieving and finding the words to help them through it. Colin believes that we can all find common ground in the ways that we grieve despite the individual ways that we all find to avoid it. Ultimately, this conversation with Colin can help us to navigate being with others who are grieving and how to open ourselves to others when we are the ones in that position.

“A lot of the trouble in the world comes from avoiding pain.” – Colin Campbell

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Understanding profound loss
Colin’s motivation to write Finding the Words and the crash that killed his children
Accompanying people in their grief
Deciding to say yes when our pain guides us to say no
How to be a friend to someone in grief
Taking action on pain and grief

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

colincampbellauthor.com/contact/

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 197. Colin Campbell – Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

196. The Sprout Book: Tap into the Power of the Planet’s Most Nutritious Food

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 10:44:09 -0400

Doug Evans has been a prominent figure in the natural food industry for over three decades, dedicating his life to promoting healthy eating habits and sustainable agriculture practices. As a devoted advocate of sprouting, he has inspired countless individuals to embrace a plant-based diet and lead a healthier lifestyle. Evans’ latest book, The Sprout Book: Tap into the Power of the Planet’s Most Nutritious Food, is a culmination of his lifelong passion for sprouts, and provides readers with a comprehensive guide to growing and consuming these tiny but mighty superfoods. In this book, he shares his knowledge and experience on the benefits of sprouts and how they can help us lead healthier, happier lives.

In this special episode on the School for Good Living Podcast, Doug joins me in the studio in person today. In this interview, we talk about all kinds of things related to sprouting. Why to do it, how to do it, and even some insight into his favorite recipes. We also dive into what Doug’s health journey has been like and why he has made the health decisions he’s made. If you’re looking to improve the quality of your life, if you’re looking to feel better, if you’re looking to have more energy, or if you’re looking to have the capacity to give more of the gifts that are perhaps latent within you, join us in this conversation to find some help ways that sprouts can help you find good living.

“Not everyone can be a farmer, not everyone could be a gardener, not everyone has a green thumb, But everyone can be a sprouter.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

The health risks involved in the 21-century American diet
How Doug found veganism and how it has helped him find good living
The well-being that can come through veganism
What on earth is “sprouting?”
The benefits of sprouting as a lifestyle or simply an addition to your diet

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 196. The Sprout Book: Tap into the Power of the Planet’s Most Nutritious Food first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

195. 2022 School for Good Living Podcast Highlights

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 18:37:48 -0500

What is life about? What is something about which you have changed your mind in recent years? What have you started or stopped doing to live or age well?

These are some of the questions that I have asked many of my guests this year and their responses have been both insightful and entertaining. Join me for this final episode of 2022 as we look back at many of the guests I have interviewed and their take on many things including getting creative work done and living a good life.

This year on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Resources Mentioned:

http://goodliving.com

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 195. 2022 School for Good Living Podcast Highlights first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

194. Ryland Engelhart – Kiss the Ground

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 13:04:32 -0500

Ryland Engelhart is a philanthropist. He’s a lover of people and of life. Ryland co-founded Kiss the Ground in his living room with a friend ten years ago. It’s a nonprofit organization that he leads today as executive director. Ryland is also the producer of The Kiss the Ground documentary and the co-creator of the documentary film “May I Be Frank?” He’s also co-owner and formerly served as Mission Fulfillment Officer of the nationally recognized plant-based restaurants Café Gratitude and Gracias Madre, located in Southern California.

In this interview, Ryland joins me to discuss sacred commerce, using business as a force for good, the possibility of restoration and regeneration, and gaining a sense of optimism toward the future of the Earth and humanity. We also discuss one of Ryland’s strategies to deal with challenging moments and to avoid closing down or shrinking from difficulties. We talk about finding our thing, whatever it may be, and creating ways to express what we value. We also talk about building and solidifying habits related to creativity and writing, and a lot about Ryland’s sustainability efforts.

“Regeneration is playing a role in reversing or balancing the climate.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Gaining a sense of optimism towards the future of the Earth and of humanity
Finding our thing and creating ways to express what we value
Striking inspiration and turning it into something that can grow
Ryland’s sustainability efforts through “Regenerate America”
Building and solidifying writing habits

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Ryland Engelhart

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 194. Ryland Engelhart – Kiss the Ground first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

193. Diane Dreher – The Tao of Inner Peace

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Diane Dreher is the writer of The Tao of Inner Peace as well as other nonfiction books, and her work has been translated into ten languages. She is an award-winning positive psychology researcher and her work blends wisdom from the past with contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Her work combines knowledge of the western world with traditions of the eastern world including many insights from the Tao Te Ching. Her work helps teach people to live with the pains of life without also suffering.

In this interview, Diane joins me to discuss how to better understand and cultivate your unique strengths, how to understand and cultivate a relationship to your intuition, and the power of stillness. We also discuss the four stages of discovering your purpose or calling, recognizing, and resolving false dilemmas, and finding paths through “either / or” situations that seem unwinnable. Another interesting thing we talk about is the wisdom of bamboo, what we can learn from it about strength, flexibility, and resilience; How we can use our differences to help us work together to find solutions.

“There are times when to be strong is to be flexible.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Being aware of and using our strengths
Combining eastern and western philosophy
The false dilemma and Seeing through “either / or” situations
The wisdom of bamboo, learning to be flexible
Allowing our differences to help us work together to find solutions

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

DianeDreher.com/contact

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 193. Diane Dreher – The Tao of Inner Peace first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

192. David Bradford – Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 22:00:00 -0400

David Bradford is the author of Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues. He has taught at the Stanford Graduate School of Business for over 50 years and helped to cultivate a course affectionately known as “touchy-feely” where he has coached and consulted with hundreds of people to help them cultivate excellent relationships.

Join us in this interview on the School for Good Living Podcast as David and I discuss how we can better deal with conflict, the three realities in any situation and how to leverage them to strengthen relationships, and how to differentiate between thoughts and feelings. We also discuss how we can give better feedback and productively address pain points in relationships.

“Emotions are important because they give meaning to facts.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

The “Touchy-feely” course David helped develop at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
The keys to exceptional relationships
The tennis court model and the three realities in any interaction
Feedback as information rather than a requirement for change
Breaking away from feedback sandwiches to create more actionable feedback
How to correctly identify feelings and cognitions
Breaking through fear by understanding their limitations
Feeling pinched rather than hurt

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

David Bradford

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 192. David Bradford – Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

191. David Kadavy – Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 22:00:00 -0400

David Kadavy is the author of multiple books, including Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity when Creativity Matters and The Heart to Start: Stop Procrastinating and Start Creating, and a book called Design for Hackers. David has spoken at South by Southwest, TEDx and his writings have been featured in The Observer, The Huffington Post, Ink Magazine, Quartz, McSweeney’s, Upworthy, Lifehacker, and many other places. In addition to his writing and publications, he is also the creator and host of the Love Your Work podcast.

In this episode on the School for Good Living Podcast, David joins me to discuss creativity, productivity, and living a meaningful life. We discuss creating something David calls a curiosity management system and how he uses “crumb time” to learn and to create more than you otherwise might. We explore how David escaped being born in the wrong place, a suburban area in Nebraska, surrounded by people who didn’t understand him and with whom he didn’t really connect, and how he managed to create a fulfilling life of creativity and contribution and create a life in Columbia where he lives now. We also discussed the struggle that many artists and creators have of figuring out what their unique message is, exactly what their voice is, who their audience is, and how David has approached these things. Join us to explore these ideas of writing as a process of teaching ourselves and learning what we need to know and the fact that writing is often not a linear process and how to use that fact to your advantage.

“That’s kind of the secret of anything, being okay at being bad at it.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Looking past money, knowledge, and experiences to find meaning
Using “crumb time” as a curiosity management system
David’s “beige period” and how he found his way out of it
How to finally just get started
What happens if the human race goes extinct – and is it really a bad thing?

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

David Kadavy

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 191. David Kadavy – Mind Management, Not Time Management: Productivity When Creativity Matters first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

190. Coaches Commonplace Book – #5

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 22:00:00 -0400

The Coaches Commonplace Book is a candid extention to the School for Good Living Podcast. My co-host and fellow member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches group, Dean Miles, joins me to dive deeper into what it means to be a coach, find fulfillment, and ultimately to live good lives. This series includes several fun thinking activities where we explore quotations and news articles.

Join me this week as Dean and I discuss our recent information diet and what it takes to be a coach. In this discussion, we talk a lot about where we find out motivation, our purpose, and ultimately how we seek for good living.

“On the other side of any emotion felt fully is peace.” – John Wineland

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Brilliant and Dean’s information diet
Training versus fight training; what it takes to really be great
Masculine and feminine energy
The wisdom of the pages
- Dean’s article: Six Signs You’re Lying to Yourself: How to Recognize When Your Confidence is Covering up Your Self-Deception – Dr. Evan Parks
- Building a Personal Brand – Success Magazine
Finding and following your purpose

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guests:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 190. Coaches Commonplace Book – #5 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

189. Sam Carpenter – Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Sam Carpenter is the author of Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less. Sam is an author, an entrepreneur, and has extensive experience in a variety of fields, including engineering, journalism, publishing, surveying, forestry, construction management, telecommunications, and a myriad of other blue- and white-collar enterprises and jobs. Sam has owned and operated Centratel, the leading telephone answering service in the United States, for nearly 40 years.

In this Interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Sam joins me to discuss how we can find good living through the good results of managing our systems. We all deal with systems and processes and Sam is someone who helps us learn to deal with recurring systems and processes to make our lives easier, free ourselves up, reduce our stress levels, earn more money, and have more free time.

“Unhappy people’s lives are out of control because they spend their days coping with the random bad results of their unmanaged systems.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Which way should the toilet paper roll face?
How we can avoid ‘fire fighting’ against our tasks and challenges
Finding the organic processes in a business and making them mechanical
The documents required to guide a business’s goals and principles
Sam’s systems for writing books that make a difference

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Sam Carpenter

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 189. Sam Carpenter – Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

188. AJ Jacobs – The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0400

My guest today, AJ Jacobs, is a man who’s in the puzzle business. He can help you solve puzzles. He can help you live a more meaningful, happier, healthier life by cultivating something he calls the puzzle mindset. His most recent book is called The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from crosswords to jigsaw puzzles to the meaning of life. AJ sees his life as a series of experiments in which he immerses himself in a project or lifestyle, for better or for worse. And then he writes about what he’s learned. The puzzler helps us to live with more curiosity, and more flexibility.

In this interview, AJ joins me to talk about how we can become more curious and less furious. We talk a lot about riddles, questions, puzzles, and new ways of looking at things in our lives that can help us not be so frustrated by them. We also talk about his work before The Puzzler. When he was a guest on this show back in 2019, he had written a book called Thanks A Thousand, in which he wanted to thank, and he embarked on a quest to thank every person who had a hand in making his morning cup of coffee, from the barista to the roaster to the truck driver to the warehouse operators to the grower.

“Curiosity is the only thing that can save the human species.”

Bonus Riddle From the Interview:

What is greater than God, but worse than the devil? Poor men have it, and rich men need it. Dead men eat it, but if you eat it, you will die.

Watch the full interview to find the answer!

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

How puzzles can help us to live better lives
Keeping an open mind and remaining curious
The benefits of pattern finding and the dangers of apophenia
How puzzle games can help us overcome some of the damage in society

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

AJ Jacobs

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 188. AJ Jacobs – The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

187. Ralph De La Rosa – Don’t Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak-Outs

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Ralph De La Rosa teaches about two things, the suffering that comes from emotional confusion and the freedom that comes from emotional intelligence. Ralph began practicing meditation in 1996 and has taught meditation since 2008. He was a student of Amma’s, the hugging saint, for 16 years. He began studying Buddhism in 2005. Ralph’s work has been featured in the New York Post, CNN, Tricycle, GQ, Women’s Health, and many other publications and podcasts. Ralph is a PTSD, depression, and opioid addiction survivor, and their work is inspired by the tremendous transformation he’s experienced through meditation, yoga, and therapy.

In this interview, Ralph joins me to discuss how we can live a better life, understand ourselves, and make the contribution we would make if only we could get out of our own ways. We also talk a good bit about Ralph’s books. The first is Monkey is the Messenger: Meditation and What Your Busy Mind is Trying to Tell You. Ralph offers an insightful perspective here that the mind, the monkey, is both an agitator and an ally. It’s not something to wish it would go away or shut up, it actually has some incredible messages for us of growth and healing. Ralph’s second book is called Don’t Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak-Outs, a book that’s very timely, even still as it was published a couple of years ago.

“Life is like an exploding train wreck of beautiful possibilities.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Music and the role it has played in Ralphs’ journey
Neurodivergence and how it has helped Ralph understand himself
How our suffering can teach us compassion
Ralph’s new learning interest called “attachment styles”
Ralph’s writing journey

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Ralph De La Rosa
Ralph@ralphdelarosa.com

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 187. Ralph De La Rosa – Don’t Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak-Outs first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

186. Coaches Commonplace Book – #4

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Dean Miles is a fellow member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches group. Dean joins me in this special series where we dive into some of our philosophies about coaching and good living.

Join us in this episode of the Coaches Commonplace Book where we dive into the information that we have been consuming recently, what things we have been learning from that information, emotional fitness, emotional resiliency, and a bit about making money and influencing others as a coach.

“There’s what you achieve and then there’s being happy. Don’t blend those two together.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

An update on Dean and Brilliant’s information Diet
Spending time and learning from Marshall Goldsmith
Wisdom of the Pages
- Brilliants magazine article “Damn Good Advice for Fathers”
- Dean’s magazine article “Six Ways to Spend a Mental Health Day”
How to be a coach

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Dean Miles Linkedin
Brilliant@goodliving.com

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 186. Coaches Commonplace Book – #4 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

185. Tamar Haspel – To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Tamar Haspel coined the term first-hand food. Food that you grow, you cultivate, you forage for, you fish for, or you hunt for so that you get yourself. Tamar writes the James Beard Award-winning Washington Post column “Unearthed,” which covers the intersection of food and science, exploring how what we eat affects us and our planet. She’s also written for Discovery, Slate, Fortune Eater, Edible, Cape Cod, and other magazines and publications.

For this week’s interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Tamar joins me to talk about her book “To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard.” Join us as we discuss the structure of gardening, chickens, fishing, foraging, turkeys hunting, and many others, including the ethics of eating animals. We get into first-hand food, what it is, why it matters, and why it could matter to you. Relationships are another recurring theme in this interview and I think Tamar’s take on what it takes to create and sustain a lasting and fulfilling relationship is pretty cool, and I hope you like it too.

“You do your best and hope for the best, that’s all you can do.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What is firsthand food and how it differs from our typical diets
What is non-overlapping magisterial and how accepting it can benefit relationships
How to determine what plants are edible
The ethics of raising, hunting, and eating animals
Tips for staying open-minded

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Tamar Haspel

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 185. Tamar Haspel – To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

184. Leah Weiss – How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0400

Leah Weiss, Ph.D. is an author and a speaker who helps leaders be better humans. Leah has taught and spoken in more than 100 organizations worldwide, including Goldman Sachs, Nasser, the European Commission, Google Intuit and more. Her work has been covered by outlets including the New York Times, BBC TEDx, The Financial Times, A Harvard Business Review, and on and on. Leah co-founded Skylyte, a company that specializes in using the latest neuroscience and behavior change to empower high-performing leaders and managers to prevent burnout for themselves and their teams.

In this interview, Leah joins me to explore a lot of things that can help you not only be a better leader, but also a better human. We talk a lot about her first book “How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind.” that was also endorsed by the Dalai Lama. One interesting thing we talk about is purpose, not just as a concept, but how we can incorporate it into our day to day lives. We talk about mindfulness, compassion, and balance. Leah has a particularly interesting perspective of balance that I think you might find useful. If you work in a professional environment, or if you’ve experienced Sunday dread, overwhelm, burnout, mom guilt, inertia, or a struggle for balance, then this interview is for you.

“Maybe there are external changes to make, but the first step is to do the internal work.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Becoming a better leader and a better human
What truly matters to us and how we can incorporate it into our lives
Finding balance in our increasingly busy lives
Staying motivated and productive
Marketing and promoting books

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Leah Weiss Linkedin

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 184. Leah Weiss – How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

183. Gary Ferguson – The Eight Master Lessons of Nature: What Nature Teaches Us About Living Well in the World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0400

My guest today is Gary Ferguson. Gary has written 27 books on Science and Nature, including a book called “The Eight Master Lessons of Nature: What Nature Teaches us About Living Well in the World.” Gary’s most recent book is called “Full Ecology: Repairing Our Relationship with the Natural World.” Garry has created an organization called Full Ecology with a cultural psychologist named Mary Clare, who is not only has co-founder and partner, but also his wife. Gary describes full ecology as an idea and an organization dedicated to breaking down the walls between the human psyche and the natural world. Together, he and Mary Clare offer workshops, retreats, keynotes and continuing professional development to help individuals, families and or organizations traverse life’s changes with integrity and vision.

In this interview, we discuss how to renew your relationship with nature and how to deepen it. We also talk about things like the many, many hundreds and thousands of miles that Gary has spent in Yellowstone National Park. We discuss what he has learned in that including beauty, community, relationships, grief, and mystery.

“It is no wonder that we are starving to rediscover a connection with the natural world.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What is the objective case and what does it teach us about the world?
What Gary has learned in his thousands of miles walked in Yellowstone National Park.
What Gary has learned about grief and how it helps him to empathize with others.
How things in nature, including humans, react to the forces of trauma.
How we can make space for grief in our lives and what that can do for us.
What is full ecology and what does it teach us about what’s inside us and between one another.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Gary Ferguson

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 183. Gary Ferguson – The Eight Master Lessons of Nature: What Nature Teaches Us About Living Well in the World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

182. Coaches Commonplace Book – Episode #3

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0400

182. Coaches Commonplace Book – Episode #3

Dean Miles is a fellow member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches group. Dean joins me in this special series where we dive into some of our philosophies about coaching and good living.

“As things grow, they become more complex, but they don’t need to become more complicated.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

How humans are “infovores”
What are Brilliant and Dean currently reading?
The information diet of a coach
What Brilliant and Dean would include if they wrote the Men’s Health article “Are You Mentally Fit? 31 Ways to Power up Your Brain”
- Da Vinci’s work and philosophies
- Brilliant’s habits for mental fitness
- Dean’s habits for mental fitness
Embrace failure in your life without letting yourself fall too far
Becoming space holders for other people and for things we care about

Resources Mentioned

Connect With The Hosts:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 182. Coaches Commonplace Book – Episode #3 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

181. Steven Kotler – The Devil’s Dictionary

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. He is the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, as well as the co-host of a podcast by the same name. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance and has appeared in over 100 publications. In addition, he has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes. In his latest book, The Devil’s Dictionary, he writes about what the world could look like in 15 years if we manage to solve some of the biggest problems we face as a species and what adjustments we would see in society.

In this interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Steven shares about his latest book, The Devil’s Dictionary. It’s a near-future thriller about the evolution of empathy in the tradition of William Gibson and Neal Stephenson. In this interview, we talk about empathy and why it’s critical for us as humans to cultivate at this time to expand our sphere of caring and how we can do so. Steven shares personally from his life about his loving-kindness practice, the skepticism he had coming into that, and the benefits he’s found from doing it. We also talk about a conservation technique called mega linkages, how we can connect more nature for very specific reasons.

“If we’re going to solve the environmental challenges that we’re up against, we are going to have to start caring for forests and oceans the way that we care about friends and family.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What is happening with the world and what hope to have for the future
How “empathy for all” could be the key to solving the big environmental challenges we face
What are mega linkages and how they could help us save the natural environment around us
What is loving-kindness meditation and how it can bless our lives
How we can cultivate empathy and its role in us performing at our peak
What difficulties writers face when writing both fiction and non-fiction books

Resources Mentioned

Connect With The Guest:

Steven Kotler

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 181. Steven Kotler – The Devil’s Dictionary first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

180. David McRaney – How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 10:00:00 -0400

David McRaney is a science journalist fascinated with brains, minds, and culture. David is the creator of the blog, the book, and the podcast called “You Are Not So Smart.” His most recent book is “How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion and Persuasion.” In this book, David writes “You are about to gain a superpower. A step-by-step script of how to change people’s minds on any topic without coercion, by simply asking the right kinds of questions in the right order.” That’s a pretty bold claim, but David has traveled the world to learn from experts in communication and human behavior such as scientists and psychologists. He’s also talked to 911 truther cult members, flat earthers, all kinds of people who believe just about everything to find out why they believe what they believe and when they stop believing it, what caused them to stop believing it and to believe something else instead. It’s not exaggerating to say that it very well could change your life.

In this conversation, we explore disagreements, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, and how they’re different. We talk about the fact that humans are ultra-social creatures and how the groups we belong to influence what we believe. We talk about identity and about the potential that each of us has to change the world. I love this book and I’m super grateful to David for being a guest on The School for Good Living.

“What if instead of trying to win an argument as to whether or not one of us is seeing this properly and the other is not… we enter into a conversation of why you think we see this differently?”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Why we disagree
How our brains lie to us to try and disambiguate new things
How we think differently alone versus in a group
How cognitive empathy can help us to change our minds
How we can change who we know ourselves to be
What is a threshold to conformity and what does it say about our natural ways of finding community

Resources Mentioned

Connect With The Guest:

David McRaney

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 180. David McRaney – How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

179. Coaches Commonplace Book #2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Dean Miles is a fellow member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 coaches group. Dean joins me in this special series where we dive into some of our philosophies about coaching and good living.

Join us in this unique podcast episode with my co-host, Dean Miles, and I explore a new thought activity where we read the headline of a magazine cover and share what things we would include if we were to write the articles ourselves.

“Our behavior always follows who we know ourselves to be.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What is a commonplace book and why this series is named after it
Brilliant’s magazine headline – 18 Ways to Overhaul Your Life Starting Today
- Brilliant’s ideas for overhauling your life
- Dean’s ideas on overhauling your life
- Stories of people who have overhauled their lives
Dean’s magazine headline – The science of inspirational quotes
- Some of Dean’s favorite aphorisms and proverbs – as well as some of his own
The uplifting way of making amends
Attitudes that help in overcoming challenges
How quotes can help you have good living

Resources Mentioned:

Brilliant’s Favorite Quotations

Connect With The Hosts:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 179. Coaches Commonplace Book #2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

178. Britt Frank – The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Britt Frank is the writer of “The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward.” Britt’s upbringing exposed her to a lot of the things she now studies and the things that she helps others to understand about themselves. Her approach to therapy focuses on the physical reality of mental health by targeting the physiological processes that drive our sometimes illogical or unwanted decisions. She uses this knowledge to help others understand their different parts and how to effectively interact with them as an effective method of self-care.

In this Interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Britt joins me to talk about some important things that I believe really have the potential to help you live the life you want to live, be the person you want to be, and make the contribution you want to make. We talked about why mental health is a physical process, all the different aspects of ourselves, and why self-care maybe ought to be called parts care. We talked about why your browser history and transactional history might actually be the greatest entry points into shadow work. We also talk about things related to making your intimate relationships work, making them last, making them a rich and fulfilling why and making amends is so much more satisfying than apologizing.

“Mental health is not a mental process—mental health is a physical process.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

How Britt became aware of mental health and what she has done to embrace it
Understanding the physical realities of mental health
How “parts-care” can help us understand self-care
Understanding that our thoughts aren’t crazy
Turning your inner monologue into an inner dialogue
Empowering people to figure things out for themselves
Creating a conflicting contract
Understanding boundaries
The uplifting way of making amends

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Britt Frank

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 178. Britt Frank – The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

177. Bernd Heinrich – Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Bernd Heinrich is the author of more than 12 books and 100 scientific papers. His most recent book is “Racing the Clock, Running Across a Lifetime.” Bernd holds many records as a runner. He ran a sub two-minute half mile, at one point he set the American national records for any age in ultramarathon distances of 100 kilometers, 200 kilometers, 100 miles, and the longest distance ran in 24 hours, totaling 156.8 miles. For many years Bernd’s work focused on the comparative physiological of insects, where he studied bumblebee behavior. He studied moths. He studied caterpillars very closely and their ecology and their pollination. He later shifted to studying ravens and other birds. For many years, Bernd has lived in a cabin in the woods of Maine, one that he built himself by hand. He lives without running water, phone service, or refrigerator, and he eats solely with wood and relies on a solar panel to power his laptop and his wifi router. He’s just about to turn 82 years old and he’s still running about four miles a day.

In this interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Bernd joins Brilliant to discuss many things, including having a plan versus enjoying life, love and its role in our lives, and balancing it with accomplishment. Bernd talks about finding our own path and figuring out who we are. Bernd shares about running, aging, and about writing. A theme that kept coming back was this one of just beginning. In running, as they say, the hardest and most important step is always the first one out the door. Everyone can do it and it counts.

“The hardest and most important step is always the first one out the door.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Bernd’s unorthodox upbringing
How Bernd became a runner and what impact running had on his life
Love and its role in our lives
Bernd’s scientific breakthroughs
How Bernd responded to his work being stolen
Overcoming injury and adversary
How roadkill can help enhance our life view

Resources Mentioned:

TheNaturalistsNotebook

Connect With The Guest:

Bernd Heinrich

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 177. Bernd Heinrich – Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

176. Coaches Commonplace Book #1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 30 May 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Coaching and writing are two very powerful tools that can be used to help and benefit others. Today my co-host Dean Miles joins me for a candid interview about coaching, writing fulfillment, and our objectives for this new podcast series. Stay tuned for this unique and engaging series where we dive deep into some creative thinking exercises that help us to learn more, understand deeper, and live better.

“I truly believe that anyone in this world can benefit from coaching.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Who are the hosts Brilliant Miller and Dean Miles?
How the Coaches Commonplace came to be
How coaching can make a difference
What makes quotations so special and what are the caveats of using others’ words
Gaining client trust
Productivity tools
What it means to find fulfillment and how to do it

Connect With The Hosts:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 176. Coaches Commonplace Book #1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

175. Raymond Moody – Life After Life: The Original Investigation Revealing Near Death Experiences

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 23 May 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Raymond Moody has a Ph.D., he’s also a medical doctor, a world-renowned scholar, lecturer, and researcher. And he’s widely recognized as the leading authority on near-death experiences, as he coined the term. He’s the bestselling author, the bestselling author of many books, including Life After Life, Glimpses of Eternity, The Light Beyond Coming Back, and more. His work profoundly illuminates our understanding of death, dying, and grief, and offers compelling answers to the question Is there an afterlife? Dr. Moody has several books including My Life in Pursuit of the Afterlife and his latest book called God Is Bigger Than the Bible.

In this conversation for the School for Good Living, Raymond Joins Brilliant to discuss philosophy and nonsense. Raymond shares commonly reported experiences of those who have died and returned to life. Dr. Moody is a skeptic, as he says. He draws no particular conclusion, although he does have his own experiences, including his own near-death experience. If you are a seeker, if you’re curious, if you want to understand the universe or life more fully, you might enjoy this conversation.

“Philosophy is a rehearsal for dying.” – Plato

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Why death is the key component of philosophy
Why the chicken really crossed the road
How near-death experiences came to light with the development of resuscitation
Commonalities in reported near-death experiences
What we can learn from death without dying

Resources Mentioned:

LifeAfterLife.com

Connect With The Guest:

Raymond Moody

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 175. Raymond Moody – Life After Life: The Original Investigation Revealing Near Death Experiences first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

174. David J Helfand – A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age: Scientific Habits of Mind

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 09 May 2022 22:00:00 -0400

David J Helfand is the chairman of the American Institute of Physics, past President of the American Astronomical Society, and has been a faculty member at Columbia University for 45 years. He’s authored nearly 200 scientific publications and mentored 22 Ph.D. students. But most of his teaching has involved teaching science to non-science majors. David instituted the first change in Columbia’s core curriculum in 50 years by introducing science to all first-year students. David’s book is A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age: Scientific Habits of Mind.

In this interview on the School for Good Living podcast, David joins Brilliant to discuss how living a bit more skeptically with scientific habits of mind can help you improve the quality of your thinking, your life, and even the world. With all the information that we’re producing every single day, it’s hard to know what to pay attention to, what to make it mean, and what to do as a result. Our challenge today is not the scarcity of information, but the overabundance of it. But David helps navigate a course that hopefully will result in our survival and our thriving for not only us as humans but all of life.

“Throughout human history, information has been limited, difficult to access, and expensive.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Why accurate information has devolved over time
What is the difference between truth, meaning, and understanding
How to approach verifying and qualifying facts
Why astronomy can be considered a good use of taxpayer money
What are dark matter and dark energy and why are they so hard to define
How to be skeptical without being negative

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

David J Helfand

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 174. David J Helfand – A Survival Guide to the Misinformation Age: Scientific Habits of Mind first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

173. Kim Scott – Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 22:00:00 -0400

Kim Scott is the author of several very impactful books, some of which you may have heard of, such as “Radical Candor,” that give some very useful perspectives on how to give feedback, and how to receive feedback. Her latest book is called “Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kickass Culture of Inclusivity.” Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led teams at Google, including AdSense. She also managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond-cutting factory in Moscow. Kim is especially admirable because she’s not just writing from theory, but from deep experience.

In this interview on the School for Good Living Podcast, Kim joins Brilliant to discuss some of the different roles that we play as we go through life and in the workplace. She talks about the workplace, what to do when we are a person being harmed, or when we are the person who causes harm, when we’re in a leadership position, when we are someone who just observes this, and what our responsibility is or might be and how to effectively handle situations. Throughout the interview, Kim shares how effectively handling potentially difficult situations can be a key to good living.

“Bias is a pattern – and we as humans are pattern makers; but we’re also pattern changers, and we can change those patterns.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

How to celebrate failures and successes
What you can gain from weeding out the bias in the words you choose
How to stand up to bias, prejudice, and bullying in the workplace
Designing management systems around fairness and safety
Using writing to rejuvenate
Making a difference through editing

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Kim Scott

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 173. Kim Scott – Just Work: How to Root Out Bias, Prejudice, and Bullying to Build a Kick-Ass Culture of Inclusivity first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

172. John Philip Newell – Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What our Souls Know and Healing the World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 22:00:00 -0400

John Philip Newell is a Celtic teacher and author of spirituality, who calls the modern world to reawaken to the sacredness of the Earth and every human being. John Philip’s most recent book is called “Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What Our Souls Know and Healing the World.” John Philip began the School of Earth and Soul, which was originally called the School of Celtic Consciousness. Reading John Philip’s book and talking to him today has inspired me in so many ways. John Philip’s writing and his teaching offers the possibility of leaving others living and being and relating in new ways that are healthy, that are sustainable, and that are fulfilling. It’s a big promise, and it’s not a simple algorithm, but there is inspiration.

In this interview on the School for Good Living podcast, John joins Brilliant to discuss Celtic spirituality and the divinity that can be found in all things. John provides lots of insight on understanding the sacredness of the Earth and the people around us. Throughout this discussion, John also provides a lot of insight on how this knowledge can be a key to good living and how these perspectives open us to new possibilities of healing and overcoming the difficulties this world has to offer.

“The crises that we are in the midst of today stem from the fact that we treat the Earth and one another as less than sacred.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Who the Celts are
How to make prayer a way of living
What is “Anam Cara” (a soul friend)
Panentheism – there is divinity in all things
How divinity flows and how we can set it free
Writing with your audience in mind

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

John Philip Newell

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 172. John Philip Newell – Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening to What our Souls Know and Healing the World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

171. Phil M Jones – Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 22:38:51 -0500

Phil Jones is the author of seven Best-Selling Business Books, and he is the creator of the Exactly series, including “Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact.” Phil is an entrepreneurial success story who has founded five multi-million-dollar companies. Phil is a dual citizen of the United States and England, which comes with a lot of great perspectives. Phil is one of less than 200 living members of the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame and the youngest winner of the British Excellence of Sales and Marketing Award.

In this interview on the School for Good Living podcast, Phil joins Brilliant to discuss becoming a decision catalyst — someone who can effectively change “maybe” to “yes” by using effectively choosing their words. Phil has a variety of “magic words” with a certain purpose that can have an incredible impact. Along with sharing some of his magic words and their meaning, he also explains how they can help people make up their minds. He also shares several ways to serve others through your work and through your writing. Phil is passionate about words, and he shares a lot of ways choosing the right ones can be a key to good living.

“Change your words, change your world.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Using magic words to help people make up their mind
Asking questions with empathy and curiosity
Being a decision catalyst
Understanding how the enemy of “yes” isn’t “no”, it’s “maybe
Overcoming rejection and setbacks
Writing with a purpose

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Phil M Jones

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 171. Phil M Jones – Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

170. Ron Lieber – Priceless Advice on Parenting, Money, and College Admissions

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 02:39:06 -0500

Ron Lieber is the author of the “Your Money” column for The New York Times and the author or co-author of five books. His most recent book is called “The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make.” He’s also written for Fast Company for The Wall Street Journal and for Fortune Magazine. Ron is a three-time winner of the Gerald Loeb Award, which is the most prestigious award in business journalism. Part of that is because his writing is not only enjoyable to read, but it’s also practical.

In this interview on the School For Good Living Podcast, Ron joins Brilliant Miller to discuss his book “The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money,” which if you are raising kids, you probably hope they’ll turn out that way, not spoiled. This interview includes a lot about money and parenting, including allowance, whether we should pay it, what its relationship to chores should be, how to approach it, and even what should be off-limits for kids, if anything, when it comes to how they spend their own money. Ron also shares his thoughts on how much the tooth fairy should pay for a tooth, which he answers in a very interesting way, and how to answer kids’ questions about money. Throughout Ron’s book, and in this interview, he shares many ways to approach talking about and using money to use it as a key for good living.

“Spoiled is a passive verb. Kids aren’t born that way, they are made. So I think that would be a pretty bad sin to commit unto them.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Finding happiness in serving others
Raising kids who aren’t spoiled
Writing for others – “Service Journalism”
Coming up with writing ideas
Making money a key to good living without relying on it for happiness

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Ron Lieber

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 170. Ron Lieber – Priceless Advice on Parenting, Money, and College Admissions first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

169. David Henkin – The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 21:30:00 -0500

David Henkin is a life-long historian specializing in uncovering the ancestral events that are the roots to many of the social norms of today. He has published many of his findings in books that are available nationwide. I invited David onto the show today because I read his latest book “The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are” and found it incredibly insightful. In the book David explains the events that led to the phenomenon of the entire world unanimously adopting the structure of the seven-day week, and the many revisions that structure has gone through over the years that made it what it is today.

In this interview I am joined by David to talk about his book, the origins of the modern week, and the implications of his claims for the average person. We dig into the likelihood that the week may face another revision in our lifetimes, as well as the chance that the week could become obsolete all together. Our discussion also explores the way that the modern week has become engrained in society, religious practice, and our identities.

“You can call it different names. You can disagree about where it starts. You can disagree about what it means, but no one disagrees with the structure of the week!”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

The origin of the modern week.
How the seven-day week has influenced modern society.
Our dependency on structure.
The likelihood of the week experiencing another major change.
How the week could be better.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

David Henkin

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 169. David Henkin – The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

168. Suzanne McConnell – Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 02:16:00 -0500

168. Suzanne McConnell – Pity The Reader: On Writing With Style

Suzanne McConnell is the author of “Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style”. Suzanne was a student and a friend of Kurt Vonnegut’s, and she was asked to write this book by Kurt’s Trust. Kurt is the author of Slaughterhouse-five and several other works of primary fiction, but also nonfiction. He shares many stories from his life in ways that were sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, but almost always entertaining. In this book, Suzanne includes Kurt Vonnegut’s instructions and advice about writing, work and family balance, and sharing our talents.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Suzanne joins Brilliant Miller to discuss what Suzanne learned from Kurt Vonnegut and how to earn a living as a creative, those financial considerations as a writer, love, finding a community, or building one. Suzanne talks about how Kurt dealt with depression as so many creatives do, and how he thought about love and sharing our talents. Throughout the interview, Suzanne and Brilliant uncover many of the Keys to Good Living that can be learned from Kurt Vonnegut, his life, his family life, and especially his writing.

“The most meaningful aspect of our styles, which is what we choose to write about, is utterly unlimited”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Who is Kurt Vonnegut and what is his work about?
Meeting Kurt Vonnegut and Suzanne’s relationship with him.
Why Suzanne wrote “Pity the Reader”
How to write with style.
Sharing our talents.
Balancing work and family.
Finding a community and building one.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Suzanne McConnell

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 168. Suzanne McConnell – Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

167. Adam Stern – Committed: Dispatches From a Psychiatrist in Training

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:00:00 -0500

Adam Stern, M.D is the author of “Committed: Dispatches From a Psychiatrist in Training.” It’s a memoir Adam wrote about his time learning to become a psychiatrist, which involved overcoming imposter syndrome and learning the value of human connection. Adam is well studied in psychology, medicine, psychiatry, clinical neurosciences, all kinds of smart, academic scientific stuff. But he’s a very approachable human being. He’s currently an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard, and he has won several awards for psychiatry, for writing, and excellence in medical education, and he’s also published more than two dozen scholarly publications.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Adam joins Brilliant Miller to discuss overcoming doubts, the difference between being empathic and being empathetic, how those things differ, and how we can become more empathic. Adam shares his thoughts about individuality, knowing what we want, breaking through to the next level for us, and helping others do the same thing. Adam shares a bit about his creative process and what he feels it means to be a writer and follow your passion, doing what you love for yourself, and the serendipity that often happens in the process.

“Whatever it is that you want to do, take the chance and do it.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What lead Adam to the world of medicine and Psychiatry
Overcoming Doubts and Imposter Syndrome
Empathic versus Empathetic and becoming more Empathic
Practicing Gratitude: The antidote to a lot of negative feelings
Actively participating in your own life.
The power of questions
The power of silence and accepting it

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Adam Stern

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 167. Adam Stern – Committed: Dispatches From a Psychiatrist in Training first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

166. Matt Alt – Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 21:00:00 -0500

Matt Alt is a Tokyo-based translator, writer, and speaker. He has written for or writes for The New Yorker, CNN, Wired, Slate, The Japan Times, Newsweek Japan, Vice, and more. Matt’s curiosity and love for Japanese culture and inventions have led him to find the creators of what he calls “Fantasy Delivery Devices”; gadgets that changed our lives, things like the karaoke machine, the Walkman, the Nintendo entertainment system, the Gameboy characters like Hello Kitty and the Pokémon. He’s also tracked the roots of strange new forms of digital expression like the Tamagotchi, Emoji, anonymous imageboards, and he discovered how a wild bunch of Japanese creatives has shaped modern life, forging new tools for navigating the weirdness of late-stage capitalist societies. For nearly the last two decades, Matt has worked successfully alongside his wife for a company they started called Alt Japan.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Matt joins Brilliant Miller to discuss his latest book called “Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World”. Japanese culture and inventions are what Matt is passionate about and he’s good at sharing them with the world. In this interview, Matt shares how his 24 years in Japan have helped him understand how language shapes our thoughts and how we see and experience the world. He discusses his take on Japanese spirituality, and how deep-down humans really are the same in some fundamental ways. This interview helps us to grasp how, for Matt, Japanese pop culture has been a key to good living.

“Japanese pop culture and the ways that it is made and consumed, both in Japan and abroad is more than my hobby or my reporting, but it is my lifeblood.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Alt Japan – The company Matt created and operates with his wife
How Matt became curious and passionate about Japan
Japanese culture and it’s influenced on the world
Japanese spirituality
What we can learn from translation and interpretation
Keys to Good Living found in Japanese culture

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Matt Alt

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 166. Matt Alt – Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

165. Scott O’Neil – Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Scott O’Neil is not only a successful person, but also very good at articulating the principles that he has used to achieve his success. Professionally, he’s a best-selling author, an award-winning sports business executive and leader. He’s the former CEO of Harris-Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, a 25-year tenured NBA, NFL, and NHL senior executive and a Harvard Business School alum. He was a straight-A student, president of the student body, captain of three sports teams, and even president of the local National Honor Society, so he has been on a path of success for a very, very long time.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Scott joins Brilliant Miller to talk about his book called “Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving”. These are not necessarily the conversations that executives in corporate America are having, but Scott is. And for that reason, he very interesting. In this conversation, they cover many things related to not only achieving success but also living well. Scott is a great storyteller. As a heads up, there’s one challenge related to gratitude that Scott issues you in this interview that Scott has found to help him live a good life. This interview lays the groundwork for how we can live mindfully, have meaningful connections with others, and balance our time in order to help us have good living.

“Phone down, head up. Be where your feet are.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Using sports to drive positive change
Making gratitude a constant in our lives ***BONUS INVITATION***
Phone down, head up – creating meaningful time and being more present
Living mindfully
Balancing time
What it took to get the book published
“Be where your feet are”; an essential key to good living.

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Scott O’Neil

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 165. Scott O’Neil – Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

164. Pamela Seelig – Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave Into Your Practice

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 22:30:00 -0400

Pamela Seelig is the author of “Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave into Your Practice.” It’s a guide for students and teachers inspired by the yoga sutras. Pam is someone who began her yoga journey more than twenty-five years ago when an illness interrupted her Wall Street career. She began meditating as a complementary therapy with startling results. Along with speeding up her recovery, the impact of her meditation led to a lifelong pursuit of perceiving and sharing yoga wisdom. Pam eventually trained at Integral Yoga Institute in New York and began teaching to friends at a local convent in New Jersey until 2009 when she opened her own studio called Lotus Mind and Body. After a rewarding nine years, she sold the studio to focus on writing this book.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Pam joins Brilliant Miller to talk about a lot of things related to living well, yogic philosophy, and energy. We talk about the witness, cultivating a deeper relationship with the observer, quieting the mind, meditation, prana, kundalini, and the chakras. Pam also explains a bit about her writing, creative process, and how she got the book written and published. Pam explains how she has lived a better life by incorporating things both in her book and in this interview and how they can be keys to our own good living.

“That’s what yoga is really about… living a more full life.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Pam’s Journey from a successful career on Wall Street to yogic philosophy
How Pam and many others have used yoga as a key to good living
The “witness” and other yogic philosophies uncovered in the book
How we can regain the energy we spend on holding onto negative feelings
The power and purpose of breath
How and why Pam decided to publish with Shambhala
Cultivating a relationship with Prana
The Yamas and Niyamas: Guides for good living

Resources Mentioned:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 164. Pamela Seelig – Threads of Yoga: Themes, Reflections, and Meditations to Weave Into Your Practice first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

163. Dawson Church – Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 22:00:00 -0400

163. Dawson Church – Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy

Dr. Dawson Church is the author of “Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy”. Dawson decided to shift from his successful publishing career because of the great impact that meditation had on his ability to be happy despite some of the catastrophic events he has lived through. Dawson’s many scientific clinical trials have also helped him find many astonishing results in the techniques he uses. Dawson’s work comes from a place of first healing trauma, and then beyond that, achieving elevated states of consciousness, which, of course, is why he’s named his book Bliss Brain. He’s founded the National Institute for Integrative Health Care to promote groundbreaking new treatments. And he’s also founded something called the Veterans Stress Project, which has offered free treatment to over twenty thousand veterans with PTSD over the last 10 years.

In this interview for the School for Good Living Podcast, Dawson joins Brilliant Miller to talk about what’s going on inside our brains and our bodies when we meditate, helping to demystify, make it comprehensible and actionable, and explain some of the benefits of meditation, taking it out of the realm of mysticism and making it very relatable, understandable, and doable. In this interview, Dawson explains and shares many of the ways that he has been able to enhance his own meditation and ultimately how it has become one of his greatest keys to good living.

“By healing yourself, you heal the world.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Healing Trauma: The initial step to reaching elevated states
Creating oneness with the nonlocal mind
How Dawson was happy and prosperous despite losing his home, business, and life savings.
Understanding problems and remaining happy anyway
Diminishing our negative thinking

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With the Guest:

Dawson Church

Subscribe and sign up for more!

Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, I hope you found it as insightful as I did! If you enjoyed this episode, then be sure to head over to goodliving.com and sign up for our email list to receive special reminders and exclusive content sent right to your inbox. Explore our website to learn more about the many services I offer, like my Transformation Coaching Program, Coach Training Program, and my catalog of quotations to help you live a good life!

The post 163. Dawson Church – Bliss Brain: The Neuroscience of Remodeling Your Brain for Resilience, Creativity, and Joy first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

162. Keys to Good Living

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 22:30:00 -0400

What does it mean to live a good life? Over the past few years, I have tried to answer that question by interviewing nearly 200 guests from all walks of life. Each week I invite an author with a unique perspective to share their thoughts on what it means to live a good life. Each guest shares a bit about themselves, the work they do and have done, and most importantly, their Keys to Good Living. These keys not only help us to live better lives, but also to understand ourselves better, to know what we really want, and to become the people we want to be. Despite the great differences in each guest, they are all highly intelligent people who have found what it means personally for them to live a good life and they openly share how we can do the same.

This week on the School For Good Living podcast, we get an inside look at Brilliant Miller, the work he does, why he does it, and the benefits that it could have on your life. If you want to be, do, have, and give more then this podcast is for you. Video podcast interviews are released weekly on YouTube and audio recordings can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. Subscribe for weekly tips, tricks, and ideas that could help you to unlock your potential and give you some insight on how you can achieve it.

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

What is life about?
A Showcase of a few of my guests
Why do I do what I do?
How could it help you discover what you want and how to reach it?

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 162. Keys to Good Living first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

161. 2021 Podcast Highlights

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 22:00:00 -0400

What does it mean to live a good life? Over the past few years I have tried to answer that question by interviewing nearly 200 guests from all walks of life. Each week I invite an author with a unique perspective to talk about the subject of their book and share their thoughts on what it means to live a good life, as well as their tips for getting books written and published! I also run each guest through my Enlightening Lightning Round, a series of 9 quick questions regarding all aspects of life, from travel and finances, to health and relationships.

This video is designed to celebrate the diversity of my guests, as well as to showcase the new video format of my interviews. I hope that this short video will help to introduce you to my mission here at the School for Good Living, and get you excited for my upcoming episodes! Be sure to subscribe as well so you can be the first to know when my new episodes launch!

The post 161. 2021 Podcast Highlights first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

160. Dennis Rebelo – Story Like You Mean It: How to Build and Use Your Personal Narrative to Illustrate Who You Really Are

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Dr. Dennis Rebelo is the author of a book called “Story Like You Mean It: How to Build and Use Your Personal Narrative to Illustrate Who You Really Are”. Dr. D is a professor, speaker, a career coach. He’s the creator of the peak storytelling model, a research-based method for crafting the narrative of who you are, what drives you, and why. His method has been used by not only former professional athletes, guidance professionals, and advisors, but also nonprofit leaders, as well as entrepreneurs and CEOs around the world. This book and this approach provide structure to really identifying what are those key moments of your life that you can share when you meet others, whether it’s for an interview, making a first impression, or simply running into somebody you haven’t seen in a long time.

We often have the chance to answer the question, “Tell me about yourself”, which can be one of the simplest yet most difficult questions to answer. In this interview, Dennis joins Brilliant to discuss why that’s so hard, how to do it well, and why it really matters. Dennis has made the connection between understanding our personal identity with our ability to tell our own story accurately and mindfully. Through this interview, we learn not only how to tell our own stories but also how it is essential to good living.

“Put the work in and your story works out.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

How understanding your story is an essential Key to Good Living
Answering the age old question “Tell me about yourself”
Why is it so hard to tell our own life stories
Our hero side, our collaborating side, and our virtuous side
Identity and telling your story
How to make sure your writing is conveying your story
Deciding what message to give to the world

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Dennis Rebelo

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 160. Dennis Rebelo – Story Like You Mean It: How to Build and Use Your Personal Narrative to Illustrate Who You Really Are first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

159. Rachel Harris – Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Anxiety

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 22:30:00 -0400

I’ve traveled many places around this globe and talked to many people, some of whom have very interesting views. Today’s guest is one of those people. Rachel Harris has written a book called “Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction and Anxiety”. Over her thirty-five years of experience as a psychologist and 10 years of scientific research, she’s received multiple awards from the National Institutes of Health and published more than 40 scientific studies in peer reviewed journals.

Rachel joins Brilliant to talk about her book and about ayahuasca, the benefits that it might have for humanity and what the potential risks are. As a disclaimer for this interview, this substance is currently illegal in the United States. While this subject may not appeal to everyone, there is a lot to be learned from Rachel and her perspective on how this substance has helped her and others on their quest to good living.

“You know, this is outside the Western world view and it’s very threatening.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

What Ayahuasca is, where it comes from, and how for some people it is a Key to Good Living
Rachel’s background in Psychology and Research
Rachel’s expansion from psychological work to both psychological and spiritual work
The potential benefits of Ayahuasca
Why Ayahuasca is currently illegal in the United States, what the potential associated risks of using it are, and whether it has addictive qualities
Rachel’s journey to becoming a writer and publishing her book

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Rachel Harris

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 159. Rachel Harris – Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and Anxiety first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

158. Adii Pienaar – Life Profitability: The New Measure of Entrepreneurial Success

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Adii Pienaar is someone who uses his strengths, gifts, and talents in a variety of ways to solve real problems for others. He has been able to implement self-expression into his career of building successful companies. He’s a family man, a seeker, and a learner. He’s also a founder of Cogsy, Conversio, and WooCommerce; which shows he knows a thing or two about building and growing a successful business from the ground up. One of the things that sets Adii apart is his ability to balance creating these successful businesses with the things he values most in life.

In addition to his success in the business and tech worlds, he is also a writer. His latest book is called “Life Profitability: The New Measure of Entrepreneurial Success”. He’s also written a book called “Rockstar Business”, another called “Branding”, and even a book of poetry. He’s been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Startups.com. He’s a native of South Africa, where he lives in Cape Town with his wife Jeanne and their two children. You can learn more about him and the work he does at Adii.me.

“Like the age-old question, what is the meaning of life? We should answer that question. And I don’t think you find those answers exclusively by building a business.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Being the best versions of ourselves
Using labels positively to define our focus
Finding the true meaning of the work we do
Privilege and how we should approach it
Being successful as an entrepreneur – both in business and in life
How to create a community for building a business or a following

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Adii Pienaar

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 158. Adii Pienaar – Life Profitability: The New Measure of Entrepreneurial Success first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

157. Sadhguru – Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Creating Your Destiny

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Sadhguru is a yogi, a mystic, and an author of many books. His most recent book, as mentioned in this interview, is A Yogi’s Guide to Creating Your Destiny. He is no stranger to public speaking, having been an invited guest to the United Nations, Harvard, MIT, World Economic Forum, and so many more. In his work, Sadhguru has devoted himself to the betterment of mankind and this planet as both a humanitarian and environmentalist.

For today’s short interview, we focus in on Sadhguru’s new Green Earth Initiative; a group focused on informing the world of the facts regarding environmental decline, and it’s hopeful reversal. We discuss the importance of this planet, it’s fragile ecology, and the surprising cause of it’s decline. We also talk about the importance of soil, and how it is the root of all life. Lastly, we discuss his tips to writing a book and where to look for inspiration.

“Everything that’s happening to you…is entirely your making because human experience comes from within”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

The purpose of life here on this planet
The human experience
Action over inspiration
The degradation of our soil
The next steps

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With the Guest:

Sadhguru

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 157. Sadhguru – Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Creating Your Destiny first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

156. Neal Allen – Shapes of Truth: Discover God Inside You

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Neal Allen describes himself as pink, fluffy, love. He’s written a book called Shapes of Truth: Discover God Inside You, which is an interesting book to write for someone who declared himself an atheist at the age of 14. In this conversation and in the book, he lays out some interesting ideas about how we can really get in touch with what’s truly inside us and what’s not. Neal worked for many years as a journalist, and he entered the corporate world where he worked as an executive. Ultimately, he left that to explore a life of coaching and service. A lot of his work has involved looking at the identities we live, how we can dissolve those, and how we can create new and more empowering ones.

In this interview, Neal describes two of the most shaping periods in his life – the “stop believing my story” period and the “burning down the house” period. We get a taste of his transformation process as he takes Brilliant through one that he describes in his book, where we can go deep into an aspect inside ourselves. Neal also takes Brilliant through the enlightening lightning round with him. So not only will you hear his answers in this interview, but Brilliant’s as well. This captivating interview provides techniques to discover ourselves and make the best of who we are.

“When you give yourself the right to look at something like deficient emptiness… it feels like it has actually been seen through… it waves goodbye and disappears.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

Bridging the gap from atheism
Bob and the work he did with Neal – The “Stop believing my story” period of life
Dissolving self identities – The “Burning down the house” period of life
Brilliant “discovering God” inside himself
The “I don’t know” approach
Brilliant joins Neal for the enlightening lightning round

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With the Guest:

Neal Allen

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 156. Neal Allen – Shapes of Truth: Discover God Inside You first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

155. Steven C. Hayes – A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Steven C. Hayes is an amazing thinker. He has written nearly 50 books, and hundreds of articles. He is an originator of ACT therapy and RFT (Relational Frame Therapy). Google scholar data ranks him among the top fifteen hundred most cited scholars in all areas of study, living and dead. His career has focused on human nature, language, cognition, and the application of this to an understanding and alleviation of human suffering. His latest book, and topic of our interview, is called “A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters”.

In this episode, Steven C. Hayes talks about psychological flexibility, what it is, how we can cultivate it, why it matters, and how it can change our lives. We talk about something in this interview called “The Dictator within”; how to give distance to and how to get distance from it, to not let it run our lives or ruin our lives. We talk about awareness and attention. We talk about the idea of evolving on purpose, and so much more. Finally, we get into a little bit about writing and how Steven has written over a million words. We also talk about how Steven’s large volume of content has quite literally changed our world.

“Love isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”

This week on the School for Good Living Podcast:

The dictator within
Evolution and being ‘average’
Diffusion from our own mind
Psychological flexibility, emotional openness, and mindfulness
Authoritarian Distancing

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Steven C Hayes

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 155. Steven C. Hayes – A Liberated Mind: How to Pivot Toward What Matters first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

154. Todd Rose – Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through The Pursuit of Fulfillment

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 12 Jul 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Todd Rose is an extraordinary man. Convinced we has a bad student, he performed poorly in school and even dropped out of college. Little did he know he would later gain a PHD and become a professor at Harvard University. Todd has since been fascinated with the idea of motivation, and has founded the nonprofit Populace to help transform how we learn, work, and live to help us live more fulfilling lives.

Todd joins us today to discuss the relationship between motivation, and the pursuit of happiness. We talk about the phenomenon of the Dark Horse, a person who finds fulfillment in going against the system. We also discuss the definition of fulfillment, as well as the power and productivity that comes when we prioritize fulfillment over other daily motivations. Lastly, we talk about the writing process and how Todd has written his books.

“There is nothing to be had for you achieving on someone else’s view of a good life.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Motivations, what are they?
Dark Horses and what drives them
How to understand your micro motivations
The key to finding fulfillment
Society is positive-sum
Ignoring society’s definition of a good life

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Todd Rose

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 154. Todd Rose – Dark Horse: Achieving Success Through The Pursuit of Fulfillment first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

153. David McRaney – You Are Not So Smart

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 22:00:00 -0400

David McRaney has worked as an editor, a photographer, a voiceover artist, a television host, a public speaker, a TV producer, and a journalist. David, being a deeply intelligent and thoughtful man, has focused his work on revealing the self-delusions and cognitive biases by which we live our lives. He has written a book called You Are Not So Smart and also runs a blog and podcast by the same name to help provide the world with his findings.

David joins me today to discuss this phenomenon of self-delusion, and how each of us sees the world differently. We talk about how our experiences can change the way we view the world, and his deep desire to better understand and know himself. We also touch on how we managed to write his last book while his house was hit by a tornado, and other challenges he faced while writing his books.

“You will find a place in your life where you can extract value from the chaos.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Our understanding of the world is always changing
Writing through a tornado
The powerful influence of PTSD
How a mindset can help you lose weight
The wrong way to influence people
Always challenge your assumptions

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

David McRaney

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 153. David McRaney – You Are Not So Smart first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

152. Aaron Berkowitz – One by One by One: Making A Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Dr. Aaron Berkowitz is a leading voice in neurology, global health and medical education. He’s also concerned and involved with issues of social justice. Aaron has written a book called One by One by One: Making a Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems, to inspire others to see the world differently and get involved in making a positive change.

Aaron joins me today to discuss the immense comforts we take for granted in this country, and in particular, modern medicine. We discuss his trips to Haiti and the immense poverty he witnessed in a place that was only a four-hour flight from his home in Boston. Lastly, we touch on his writing process and his message to us all about how we can help change the world.

“There are no failures, only failures of imagination.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

The value of not knowing
An unstructured path into a very structured career
Haiti and its rich history
Voluntourism: does it actually help?
How to become a powerful storyteller

Resources Mentioned:

Connect With The Guest:

Aaron Berkowitz

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 152. Aaron Berkowitz – One by One by One: Making A Small Difference Amid a Billion Problems first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

151. Shirley Hager – The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 21:30:00 -0400

Shirley Hager is an advocate and activist for social and racial equality. From a young age she has had an eye for spotting discrepancies in the way we treat each other. Recently, she joined a group of thirteen indigenous and non-indigenous people who banded together to gain a deeper understanding of each other’s lives and culture. This group recently co-authored a book, The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations.

Shirley joins me today to discuss her first encounter with racial inequality as an elementary school student, her lifelong pursuit of equality, and how she gained a particular interest in Native American culture. We talk about the early years of this great nation and settle some little-understood facts about how it got it’s start. Finally, we discuss what it was like writing a book as a group and the unique creative process that they used.

“We all have the truth, we are just looking for someone to confirm it.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Shirley’s first encounter with racism
The real first acts of racism in America
Why Indian children were being removed from their homes
The only solution to racial inequality
Writing a book as a group

Resources Mentioned:

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 151. Shirley Hager – The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

150: Mike Finkel – Lessons from 27 years Alone in the Woods and other Incredible True Tales

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 01:21:56 -0400

Mike Finkel’s bio reads more like Indiana Jones than a Journalist. He has traveled the world in his work for various magazines including climbing volcanos, delving into caves, meeting with native tribes in Tanzania, ascending the mountains of Afghanistan, hunting for extremely rare mushrooms in Tibet, and even investigating the black market human organ trade. He has written various, nonfiction books across a wide range of topics and has another on the way.

Mike joins me this week to discuss his latest book, A Stranger In the Woods, which revolves around a man who spent 27 years in the woods of Maine without ever coming in contact with a single person or even lighting a fire. We talk about Mike’s unique creative process and how he chooses the topics for his books. We also talk about how unique and valuable ever person’s story is.

“I believe that everybody has a fascinating story to tell, and nobody, if you ask the right questions, is really boring”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

The life of a writer
Studying the world’s last hermit
How to develop crucial interviewing skills
No story is boring
Pursuing what interests you

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Mike:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 150: Mike Finkel – Lessons from 27 years Alone in the Woods and other Incredible True Tales first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

149. Tony Bartelme – A Surgeon in the Village: The Impact One Person Can Have

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 00:39:42 -0400

Tony Bartelme is a Three-Time Pulitzer Prize nominee, narrative storyteller, and investigative journalist. He has recently spent five months in Tanzania in order to capture and tell the story of brilliant brain surgeon Dilan Ellegala, which began with a post-residency vacation and ended with a revolution of Tanzania’s medical training programs. Tony documented Dilan’s story in a book which he titled A Surgeon in the Village: An American Doctor Teaches Brain Surgery in Africa.

Tony joins me today to discuss the impact that a single individual can have, especially the amazing change wrought out by surgeon Dilan Ellagala in Tanzania. We talk about the global shortage of doctors and the immense number of lives that could be saved each year if they only had access to proper surgical care. We also touch on the importance of teaching, and the passing on of our knowledge for the betterment of others. Lastly, we discuss Tony’s unique writing and reporting process.

“Failure is a gift, as long as you learn from it”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

The story of a Surgeon in the Village
The power of teaching
The gift of failure
Standstill – the craziest surgery imaginable
Clear intentions and their value
The writing process

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Tony:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 149. Tony Bartelme – A Surgeon in the Village: The Impact One Person Can Have first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

148. Oren Jay Sofer – Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach To Nonviolent Communication

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 01:09:57 -0400

Oren Jay Sofer is a long-time mindfulness teacher, coach, and author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach To Nonviolent Communication. Oren has spent many years studying and practicing Buddhism, Yoga, and Mindfulness. He has since used those skills to lead trainings in various companies on a wide range of mindfulness topics.

Oren joins me today to discuss communication and the significant power that our words can have. We talk about the techniques we can use to keep our communication nonviolent and effective. We also touch on the obstacles and challenges that can make communication more difficult, and how to overcome them.

“Presence is our natural state.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Presence
The power of breath
Buddhist tradition
The impact of proper communication
Writing skills
The power of habit

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Oren:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 148. Oren Jay Sofer – Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach To Nonviolent Communication first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

147. Don Miguel Ruiz Jr – The Seven Secrets To Healthy Happy Relationships

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 25 May 2021 00:50:11 -0400

Don Miguel Ruiz Jr is the author of five books, including his latest publication The Seven Secrets To Healthy Happy Relationships. Don belongs to a family with a rich heritage in the Mexican Toltec tradition. Having learned the tradition from the teachings and preachings of his grandmother, Don now dedicates his life to helping others heal from the wounds that conditional love inflicted upon them.

Don joins me today to discuss the importance and power of unconditional love, a mission that he and his family have been dedicated to for generations. We talk about domestication, and how we can influence the person we become. We discuss the idea of commitment and love, and how you can better love others unconditionally. We talk about the difference between guilt and remorse and how it relates to forgiveness. We also touch on the definition of love, and it’s wide array of applications. Lastly, he shares with me his insights on the creative process and what it takes to get a book written.

“Whenever I judge someone, I’m punishing them for an agreement they never made.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Toltec traditions
Domestication
Living into your potential
What love is
Condition vs unconditional love
Difference between guilt and remorse
Commitment

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Don:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 147. Don Miguel Ruiz Jr – The Seven Secrets To Healthy Happy Relationships first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

146. Michael Moss – Hooked: How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 17 May 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Michael Moss is a Pulitzer prize winning reporter and author of Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Michael is known for his work as an investigative reporter and his time spent digging into the food industry and their questionable tactics. He has been a reporter for the Wall Street Journal before joining the New York Times in 2000. He has been a guest on various talk shows, including The Daily Show and CBS This Morning.

Michael joins me today to discuss the life of an investigative reporter. We talk about some of his greatest discoveries and how he dug them up. We also talk at length about the food industry and how they have adapted their products to play to our natural inclination towards sugar. He details to me a dilemma between the “go” brain and the “stop” brain; and how sugar can confuse the two. We finish by talking about the creative process and how it differs for investigative reporters.

“You can’t jog off junk food.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Addiction, what is it?
Memory’s influence on addiction
The faster the substance is processed, the greater the impact
How fat impacts our ability to process information
How to tell good stories

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Michael:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 146. Michael Moss – Hooked: How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

145 Boyd Varty – The Lion Tracker’s Guide To Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 10 May 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Boyd Varty is an experienced tracker, a skill he gained from a growing up on the Londolozi Wild Game Reserve in South Africa. He spent his early years exploring the terrain and learning the trade of a tracker, before taking over the reserve that his grandfather started. It was there that he met a particular woman who opened his eyes to the more important things in life. He has since ventured to do the same for others, striving to help them “track” their lives and discover their true purposes. He has written two books in this effort, The Lion Tracker’s Guide To Life, and Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home.

Boyd joins me today to talk about his unique journey through life, including what it was like to grow up on an African game reserve, and a higher calling he found that urged him to leave. We talk about the skills that an experienced tracker must gain, and how they apply to coaching. He also sheds a very unique and naturalistic perspective on what it means to live a good life.

“Let go of the outcome and just do the next thing that feels good.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Finding your inner harmony
Life on the Londolozi Game Reserve
A change in life paths
Skills of a tracker
Finding your path
Clean fear versus dirty fear
How to become a good storyteller

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Boyd:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 145 Boyd Varty – The Lion Tracker’s Guide To Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

144. Edward Creagan – Farewell: End-of-Life Lessons From 40,000 Patients

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 03 May 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Edward Creagan is a two-time author, and the Mayo Clinic’s first provider to be board certified in hospice and palliative medicine. He has written over 500 scientific papers and has spoken at more than 1000 presentations around the world. Doctor Ed began his interest and journey toward hospice care at the early age of eight years old. He has since grown in his passion for end-of-life care and is determined to help caregivers do their job without burning out.

Doctor Ed joins me today to discuss the importance of making other’s days better, how to properly care for others, and how to do so healthily. We also talk about the dying process, and the best way to help others through it. We talk about the role of the caregiver, and the immense toll it can have on a person who does it full time. Lastly, we discuss the importance of thorough end-of-life financial planning.

“If you don’t take care of yourself, there’s no backup. There’s nobody left to take care of your spouse, your neighbor, your friend or your partner.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

The importance of helping others
The importance of proper financial planning
Exploration of the dying process
Honoring the dying person’s preferences
Why dying individuals have a tendency to hang on
The strain of being a full-time caregiver
How to prolong your life

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Dr. Ed:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 144. Edward Creagan – Farewell: End-of-Life Lessons From 40,000 Patients first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

143. Pam Mandel – The Same River Twice

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:00:00 -0400

Pam as worn many hats in her time, but above all she is a traveler and a writer. Pam has lived a very eventful life, starting with her senior year trip to Israel just as they entered a war. She has hiked across the Middle East, relying heavily on the help and kindness of strangers. She has survived abusive relationships and talks heavily to the value of being listened to. She shares all these lessons and more in her new book The Same River Twice.

Pam joins me today to discuss the various powerful experiences she has been through in her life, and the wide range of life lessons she gained along the way. We discuss the many amazing strangers she met along her journeys, and why she trusted them so much. She tells me about her history in writing, how she got started and why she still writes today, as well as how her writing has evolved over time. We also talk about what inspired her to write it these lessons and experiences down in her new book The Same River Twice.

“I know why you are silent. I know why you stayed. It is never too late to tell your story. You deserve so much better. I believe you.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

The power of breakfast
What it is like being a teenager in the middle of a war
Understanding and getting away from bad relationships
The influence of kind strangers
Friends have powerful influence
The evolution of a writer

Resources Mentioned:

The Same River Twice: A Memoir of Dirtbag Backpackers, Bomb Shelters, and Bad Travel

Connect with Pam:

Professional Page

The post 143. Pam Mandel – The Same River Twice first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

142. Jim Davidson – The Next Everest

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 02:07:36 -0400

Jim Davidson is a lifetime climber and expedition leader, spending over thirty years of his life pursuing the tallest peaks this Earth has to offer. Jim has summited Mount Everest, where he survived earthquakes, avalanches, and he’s even escaped alone from an 80 foot deep glacial crevasse. He was hiking Everest in 2015, when a record-setting earthquake shook the mountain, trapping dozens of hikers in the snow. After miraculously surviving that day, he returned in 2017 and summitted the mountain. This experience, and what he learned from it, has been the main inspiration for Jim’s recent book The Next Everest.

Jim joins me this week to talk about his life-long interest in hiking, and his endless search for “awe”. We also discuss Jim’s fascinating view on time and how he uses it help maintain a healthy lifestyle. We talk about the physical and mental strain that affected his body as he hiked Everest, and the methods he used to combat both. Jim is especially good at goal setting, which we dig into a little bit as well. I hope you enjoy my interview with my new friend, Jim Davidson, and appreciate his unique views on what it means to live a good life!

“Pick something that speaks to you and strive for it.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

Doing the best with what is handed to you
Surviving the deadliest day on Everest
Rebuilding Nepal
Making sacrifices to experience life while you’re young
The power of leading by example

Resources Mentioned:

The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again

goodliving.com

Connect with Jim:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 142. Jim Davidson – The Next Everest first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

141. Avi Loeb – Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 01:00:00 -0400

As the TIME’s magazine “most influential person in space”, Avi Loeb is at the forefront of all things interstellar. Avi is the longest standing chairman over the Harvard Black Hole Initiative, and has served as the lead advisor for space at the White House. Avi has spent the vast majority of his life studying the stars and pioneered research into the first stars that came into existence in our universe. Avi’s latest efforts have been focused on the young people, trying to motivate them to pursue their interests in the field of science and continue the ongoing research into the mystery of space.

Avi joins me this week to discuss his latest book, Extraterrestrial, and the amazing interstellar discovery that formed the foundation for it’s climb to number one on the New York Times Bestseller list. We discuss the possibility of alien life, and the possible source of the remarkable space anomaly Avi and his team discovered in 2017. Avi shares with me his passion for the sciences and his disagreement with the current trend of the community. He hopes to reshape the future of science, and has been focusing his recent efforts on motivating youth to pursue an interest in the universe around us.

“The study of science is meant to be a discussion with nature, not a monologue.”

This week on the School For Good Living Podcast:

We should all be focusing on furthering the human race as a whole
How they first identified the asteroid Oumuamua
The vast array of implications of such a discovery
The future of the science community
Inspiring a love of science in children
The enlightening lighting round from an interstellar perspective

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Avi Loeb:

Professional Page

Subscribe and sign up for more!

The post 141. Avi Loeb – Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

140. Roman Krznaric – The Good Ancestor: Long Term vs. Short Term Worlds

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 01:00:45 -0400

Roman Krznaric is the author of the book The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking, which shares six practical ways we can retrain our brains to be future-focused. He guides us on how we might shift our priorities to saving our planet and the quality of humanity beyond ourselves now. Roman is also the founder of the world’s first Empathy Museum, a founding faculty member at School of Life in London, and an empathy advisor to organizations including Oxfam and the United Nations. Both his book and life experiences offer advice on how to live in a way that impacts future generations for the better.

In this podcast, Roman shares his own life story and journey to discover the true importance of what it means to be a good ancestor and to think of future generations rather than only yourself. Listen as he shares his own personal experience and advice on how to live this out, how to set goals with the future in mind, and how to be a good ancestor.

“We discover ourselves through looking outside ourselves; through outrospection as much as introspection.” –Roman Krznaric

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The purpose of life and how to live to the fullest
How Roman’s role as a gardener has taught him new things
The most important question of our time
Thoughts on being a good ancestor and what it means to look to the future
The importance of asking yourself what legacy you are leaving
The inspiration behind Roman’s book and what he wants people to get out of it
What it means and looks like to colonize the future
Different ways to think long-term
How one person can make a difference
Chalk festivals and cultivating important rituals
How to incorporate younger generations into politics and citizen assemblies
The role of empathy in looking to the future
The importance of being interested in others and not just yourself
Roman’s favorite books and biggest influences
Some of Roman’s best travel hacks
How to build relationships
How to connect with Roman
Roman’s journey into writing and his current writing routine
Challenging and rewarding aspects of writing
Advice and encouragement for other writers
Roman talks about his TED Talk
Roman Gives some of his best writing tips

Resources Mentioned:

World’s first Empathy Museum
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric
Learn more about the Future Design movement in Japan
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
A Man of Parts by David Lodge
How Should We Live by Roman Krznaric
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg
Learn more about the Long Now Foundation
An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Listen to Roman Krznaric’s TED Talk

Connect with Roman Krznaric:

Visit his website – www.romankrznaric.com
Twitter – @romankrznaric
Instagram – @romankrznaric

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

The post 140. Roman Krznaric – The Good Ancestor: Long Term vs. Short Term Worlds first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

139. Héctor García – Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Healthy Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 01:00:45 -0400

I lived in Japan for a period and love the country, culture, and language. It is what drew me to read Héctor García’s book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, co-authored with Francesc Miralles. In my conversation with Héctor, we discuss how the book takes some Japanese concepts and combines them with other Eastern thought, Western philosophy, and practical philosophy. Perhaps this melding of ideas is why the book has sold so well. Its influence has been far-reaching and remarkable – translated into at least 58 world languages and is the most translated book to have originally been written in Spanish.

As Héctor explains, the term “ikigai” roughly indicates one’s purpose in life (technically translating as “a reason for being”). To use Héctor’s own vivid explanation, it is what wakes you up with excitement in the morning. Héctor’s insightful exploration of this profound theme shapes not just the book bearing its name, but also Héctor’s other works. He is the author of The Book of Ichigo Ichie, Forest Bathing, and A Geek in Japan (which shares a title with his long-running blog). His most recent book, The Ikigai Journey, offers action steps to accompany the philosophical ideas in Ikigai, and his soon-to-be-released Ikigai for Teens offers to help younger readers navigate questions of purpose.

Héctor is a thoughtful person whose life experience spans countries and cultures – from his Spanish hometown to his many years in Japan – as well as fields of study and engagement. He was training in computer science when he realized his affinity for writing, and even now he combines working in IT with his ventures as a writer and self-styled aspiring philosopher. I find his ideas to be inclusive and compelling. Any listener can learn from Héctor about living deeply and well, and aspiring writers are sure to be intrigued by his unique writing process.

“I’m aspiring to become a better thinker, . . . to have clear thoughts about what all this is about.” – Héctor García

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How the purpose of life can be conceived of in terms of a two-fold search – plus having fun!
How Héctor believes people can learn about themselves
Héctor’s tendency to become obsessed with things and the new interest he wants to pursue
Héctor’s photography and why he considers himself an aspiring philosopher
Thoughts on why Ikigai resonates with so many Indian readers
How Héctor and his co-author arrived at the model on the back of their book
What ikigai is, what holds people back from living it and whether or not it changes over time
Why compasses are to be preferred over maps and what makes for a bad ikigai declaration
Thoughts on action steps, laying aside expectations and universal realities
What life is like and the fact that people can achieve greatness in most areas with effort
Hêctor’s “Do It” shirt and accompanying advice to would-be writers
Who to read and why travel is better with a physical book
Héctor’s story of how writing brought healing and of finding himself by removing things
His reflections on the US culture’s sense of being the center of the world
What four pieces of insight Héctor has found to help his relationships work
How to think about emotions tied to money
When Héctor first realized he was a writer and how he persisted in the face of rejection
The way in which Héctor thinks about and has used personal connections
The place of proto-ideas, ongoing books, green tea and more in his writing process
How co-writing has worked and the persona being developed now
Remembering that great authors were once children can be helpful to new writers

Resources Mentioned:

Héctor’s own work:
- Ikigai (written with Francesc Miralles)
- A Geek in Japan (book and blog)
- The Book of Ichigo Ichie
- Forest Bathing
- The Ikigai Journey
- Ikigai for Teens
Ken Robinson TED Talks
Mark Winn blog, specifically regarding ikigai
Haruki Murakami
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
- Norwegian Wood
- Kafka on the Shore
Kiva.org
The persona Nobuo Suzuki and book Wabi Sabi

Connect with Héctor García:

Visit his website – hectorgarcia.org
Hector on Twitter
Hector on Instagram

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 139. Héctor García – Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Healthy Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

138. Bernard Roth – The Achievement Habit: Take Command of Your Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 01:00:49 -0400

My guest today joined the Stanford Design Division faculty in 1962. He was the youngest member of the university faculty and now decades later, he’s the oldest faculty member. His name is Bernard (Bernie) Roth and he is the author of The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life. As one of the founders of Stanford’s d.school, he remains active in the d.school’s development and currently serves as the Academic Director. Bernie’s primary intention as both an educator and a person, is to empower his students, family and friends to have fulfilling lives. He’s the kind of teacher we all want, and some are fortunate to have in their academic careers.

In 2003, Bernie joined a group of colleagues looking to bring more cross-disciplinary collaboration into education. This was the genesis of the d.school, and it represents the sense of well-roundedness and personal integration that Bernie exudes. He is a person whose philosophy and commitments mark all he does, from the classroom to the home and whose consistency in denying fallacious crutches in our beliefs, is rivaled only by his consistency in trying to live and be as best he can. Bernie’s work is perhaps epitomized in the way he encourages his students and others to take concrete action to either produce a result that matters to them – something they have always wanted to do but haven’t done – or resolve a problem in their life.

Bernie’s insight is fascinating and counterintuitive. His ways of conceptualizing the world and the ways people and events engage in it made me think. I have no doubt they will make you think as well. I found myself challenged by Bernie’s differentiation between trying and doing, along with his charge to trade contemplation for action. I was grateful to be able to speak with Bernie and I hope that the conversation, and Bernie’s work, are useful and inspiring to you.

“The best thing in life is to just say what you do or what you don’t do without worrying about why.” – Bernie Roth

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Bernie’s belief that life is about itself and that the rest is all made up
What Bernie means when he says he’s dedicated to living
How two improbable and unplanned events led Bernie to work at Stanford
Why Bernie thinks our behavior is automatic and our so-called reasons are excuses
The complexity of our motivation and the driving force of self-image
How we should focus on what we do and don’t do, not on the question of why
How we can change our attitude and self-image and Bernie’s story about timeliness
We can change things and life is basically a problem-solving activity
How we impart meaning to our lives by where we start and stop a story
What Bernie’s class called “The Designer in Society”
How a course project has led to concrete change and stories Bernie is proud of
How this course and the d.school have changed over time
Why Bernie believes people need to differentiate between trying and doing
Life is like a crap shoot and most big things happen accidentally
Bernie’s thoughts on presence, living day by day and being able to say, “I am here”
Thoughts on traveling light, spending sabbaticals abroad and shedding a critical outlook
How Bernie thinks Americans can best think about American “specialism”
Don’t over-rate or under-rate money and know some of our money-mindset is inherited
How Bernie’s two books differ and what his most recent book writing process looked like
How writing the book and connecting with his agent involved accidental happenings
Why Bernie says writing a book is a living process and his advice to aspiring writers

Resources Mentioned:

The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life by Bernard Roth
Theoretical Kinematics by Bernard Roth
Stanford University
Stanford d.school
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Adjusted American by Gail and Snell Putney
West with the Night by Beryl Markham
Kiva.org

Connect with Bernard Roth:

Visit his website – achievementhabit.com
Stanford faculty profile
Email – broth@stanford.edu
Bernie on LinkedIn

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 138. Bernard Roth – The Achievement Habit: Take Command of Your Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

137. Jeff Speck – Walkable City: Building Better Places

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 01:00:02 -0400

This week my guest is Jeff Speck, a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. His book, Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time was written not just for designers, but to also convert generalists to his cause. Walkability doesn’t just impact city planning; it has huge effects on economics, health, and the environment. Jeff’s TEDtalks on the subject has been viewed over 4 million times.

We built our cities to accommodate pedestrians for centuries and they worked well. Now we’re building our cities structured around the idea of everyone driving cars and they are significantly less efficient. Separating the work, home, and hobby aspects of our lives through city planning has created less livable, less equitable environments. Jeff shares the ways our government and laws have made walkability more difficult and how he and other city planners have been working to change those laws and add value to communities. This is a slow process, but Jeff says every city across the US could benefit from a walkability report.

We remind listeners that there are sacrifices to be made by living in a more walkable environment, but the benefits can significantly outweigh them.

“You should have as good a time you can while you’re alive, while giving as good a time to as many others as you can.” – Jeff Speck

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Life is about having as good a time as you can
Jeff’s skill in collecting and communicating ideas
Why sprawl is the worth thing we’ve ever invented
The economic argument for walkability
The health argument for walkability
The environmental argument for walkability
How millennials living priorities have changed now that they’re having children
Why is America like this?
Focus as a commodity and writing in Italy
Who is the reader Jeff has in mind when writing
Getting your ideas out into the world – public speaking vs. writing books

Resources Mentioned:

Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America One Step at a Time
Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places
Suburban Nation (co-authored with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk)
TED Talks
Color of Law

Connect with Dr. Antonio Zadra:

Visit his website – jeffspeck.com
Twitter @JeffSpeckFAICP

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 137. Jeff Speck – Walkable City: Building Better Places first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

136. Antonio Zadra – When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Dr. Antonio Zadra is the author of When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep alongside co-author Robert Strickgold, they detail a new theory on why we dream and call it the NEXTUP model. Antonio is a researcher who focuses on the scientific study of dreams, including everyday dreams, nightmares, lucid dreams, sleep terrors, and sleep walking. Together with his students and collaborators, Antonio has published over one hundred research articles and collected thousands of firsthand dream reports.

Antonio is committed to balance – balance between a sense of presence and an ability to plan for the future and balance between soaking all he can out of life’s moments without becoming too caught up in things either good or bad. As a college student, a dream turned him to psychology, which led him to fulfill his ultimate aim of studying dreams and becoming, as he styles it, an oneironaut. Through his many roles as a professor, author and speaker, Antonio has approached dreams with both scientific rigor and childlike curiosity. He grounds himself in objective study while losing himself in explorations of the mysterious worlds our sleeping selves create.

If you’re interested in understanding yourself, the world, life on a deeper level, if you’re intrigued by dreams – what they are, where they come from, how we use them, why they even happen, then you’ll like today’s guest.

“Dreams are really any kind of subjective experience we have while asleep.” – Dr. Antonio Zadra

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What is an oneironaut?
How Dr. Zadra became a student of dreams
How frustration with misconceptions about dreams eventually produced a book
How the idea for When Brains Dream expanded and came to include a new theory
What this new theory behind dreaming entails
Dreaming is not equivalent to REM sleep
How Dr. Zadra defines a dream and thinks about different valuations of dreams
Why “Dreaming is Like Taking LSD” and what the Grateful Dead have to do with telepathy
How to (not) explain the dreams of Mendeleev and a woman who won the lottery
The science of the brain at play in some seemingly miraculous dreams
How dreaming, neural integration, monitoring, and evolution interrelate
How the scientific and academic communities are responding to this new theory
Why Dr. Zadra is fascinated by dream characters
Whether anyone can learn how to navigate lucid dreams with proficiency
How dreams shape Dr. Zadra’s worldview
Thoughts on headlamps, smoking, igloos, listening, patience, and not wasting money
Why Dr. Zadra has mixed feelings on whether or not to call himself a writer
Why he considers fiction writing very enjoyable but harder than scientific writing
The value of enjoying the journey rather than fixating on the endpoint
How marketing and promotion are difficult and in many ways out of our hands
The value of coherence and enjoyment in a work of fiction
Final thoughts on sleep, paying attention to dreams and the appreciation of books

Resources Mentioned:

When Brains Dream, by Antonio Zadra and Robert Strickgold
THE DREAMKEEPERS: An Invictus Mystery Thriller, by Dr. Zadra
“Dreaming is Like Taking LSD” by Dr. Zadra
Works by Carlos Castaneda
“A Pilot Study in Dream Telepathy with the Grateful Dead,” by Stanley Krippner
Mendeleev’s Periodic Table dream
CNN article about a woman’s lottery win and her husband’s dream
Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming, by Stephen LaBerge
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig
Kiva.org

Connect with Dr. Antonio Zadra:

Visit his website, antoniozadra.com
Twitter @DrZdreams
email at antonio.zadra@gmail.com

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 136. Antonio Zadra – When Brains Dream: Exploring the Science and Mystery of Sleep first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

135. Eve Joseph – In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Dying

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:42 -0500

One of the questions I always ask guests is, “What does it mean to live a good life?” For the first time, however, a guest has left me thinking about changing that question to, “What does it mean to die a good death?” This guest is Eve Joseph, an award-winning poet, incredible storyteller, and the author of a book about death and dying (which also happens to be her memoir) entitled In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying. The book flows out of Eve’s lessons and insights from working with and serving people at the end of their lives as a hospice care provider and represents the two central themes of the conversation: death and writing.

Eve’s life has been marked by distinct seasons. She fell in love with writing in fifth grade, but for about thirty years stopped writing. In that intervening period, Eve got married, had children and became a social worker within the hospice care system of her native Canada. Profound family events shaped her cessation from writing and later resumption of the practice, and the writing of her later years is shaped by the cumulative impact of her decades of remarkable experience. She has experienced indigenous culture, faced illness and tragedy, and spent herself in service to others.

Eve is an insightful and creative person committed to drawing as much as she can out of both life and death. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with her. In this conversation, Eve and I talk about our society’s relation to and (limited) understanding of death, what it means to have a good death, lessons in metaphor, the creative process and the role of solitude in it, what Eve learned from having a stroke, and what is common in different cultures’ understandings of death.

“Poetry knows more than I do.” – Eve Joseph

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Eve doesn’t have an answer to the question of what life is about
What sets her memoir apart from her previous books
When Eve started writing, why she stopped, and what she did while not writing
The intersection between the drive to be creative and the drive to be helpful
The family events that have shaped Eve and her writing
How all factors of life come to bear in writing and in being with a dying person
Can you be a poet and not write? What does it mean to be a poet?
Eve’s sense of self and authenticity is related to poetry
How society denies and is frightened by death
What the significance is of death kits and not dying at home
Why a too-firm concept of a good death is problematic, and how Eve wants to die
What Eve has seen different cultures share in their approaches to death
Why Eve named her book as she did
What Eve has to say about outsourcing, community, rituals, and even gardening
Living poetically and why young writers should follow what they love
Eve’s thoughts on metaphor and how her stroke shaped her
A wild ride, living generously, avoiding slogans, the value of books, and care for others
Give money away and it comes back
Why Eve values solitude as a writer, but doesn’t call herself a writer
Eve’s perspective on technology and audience as a writer
Why Eve suggests writers start with a passion, send their work out, and try different forms

Resources Mentioned:

In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Death and Dying, by Eve Joseph
Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl
The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion
Five stages of grief (from On Death and Dying, by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross)
“Gravy,” by Raymond Carver
Kiva.org

Connect with Eve Joseph:

To connect with Eve Joseph and learn more about her and her work visit her website

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 135. Eve Joseph – In the Slender Margin: The Intimate Strangeness of Dying first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

134. Matthew Gavin Frank – Passion, Travel, Diamond Smuggling & The Writing Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0500

All people have passion and curiosity, but Matthew Gavin Frank is notable for pushing these to the point of obsession – a creative, productive, compelling obsession. He is the author of Preparing the Ghost and Flight of the Diamond Smugglers, among other works, and is a creative writing professor in the MFA program at Northern Michigan University. Matthew’s work has appeared widely in journals and magazines around the world. His writing has a personal tone to it, and it reflects Matthew’s own navigation of such influences on his life as travel, food, and even personal grief.

Matthew Gavin Frank’s life has been filled with remarkable experiences. He has lived in Alaska, worked as a sommelier and grape harvester in Italy, spent time on the orange farm in South Africa where his wife is from, lived out of a Coleman Cimmaron in New Mexico, and held dozens of different jobs. He’s an accomplished cook and a travel addict, has learned through the past two decades how to live well in close relationship with another person, and is committed to fixating on and losing himself in all aspects of life – the simple, the complex, and the mystifying.

I have been fascinated reading Matthew’s work and learning about his life and am excited for him to share about everything from the story behind his latest book, to his interest in birds, to the way he thinks about the world and living well in it. This episode, in its breadth and manner of weaving through thoughts and ideas, also represents an exploration of my own creativity. I hope it will inspire and motivate those who hear to put their own creativity to work.

“Life is about making a mess.” – Matthew Gavin Frank

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What it might look like to put your creativity to work
Why Matthew thinks life is about making a mess and like an unlocked envelope
The reasons for Matthew’s high esteem of a very cold climate
Matthew’s advice to not skip breakfast and practice of writing on barf bags
When traveling, say yes to everything and pack rain gear
How bewilderment can help a marriage, and the need for engaging the affirmative
A sugar packet can change a life, and cold water can force a cry
Why Matthew doesn’t think making a career of a passion is necessarily a good idea
Why travel, exposure to diverse voices, and art are important
Why using money for experience is to be preferred overusing for material things
How Matthew’s writing process is like walking through a meadow
Questing after something is more compelling than the presumption of certainty
How grief spurred Matthew’s interest in carrier pigeons and diamond smuggling
Why Matthew isn’t sure what to call himself
Unexpected facts and words from his recent project, and how grief is beautifully small
Why Matthew is impressed by nuanced levels of human ingenuity bordering on desperation
How Matthew would advise people on writing a book or completing a creative project

Resources Mentioned:

Preparing the Ghost, by Matthew Gavin Frank
Flight of the Diamond Smugglers, by Matthew Gavin Frank
Sidewalks, by Valeria Luiselli
Kiva

Connect with Matthew Gavin Frank:

Matthew Gavin Frank’s website
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
YouTube

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 134. Matthew Gavin Frank – Passion, Travel, Diamond Smuggling & The Writing Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

133. Stephan Aarstol – The Five Hour Workday: Live Differently

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:00:40 -0500

Stephan Aarstol is the author of the book Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness, which gives advice on how to live life to the fullest by cultivating more efficiency in fewer work hours. Stephan’s ideas have been shared in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and he’s also presented at Harvard Business School. Stephan holds an MBA in New Venture Management, was a guest on the television series ‘Shark Tank’, won an investment from Mark Cuban, and is now founder and CEO of Tower Paddleboards and Tower Beach Club.

In this podcast, Stephan shares the origins of the 8-hour workday and his experience shifting his own employees to practicing the 5-hour workday. He dives into how the experiment came to be, the percentage increase in productivity, the people who influenced Stephan’s career, and the importance of company culture. Listen as Stephan brings you along on his journey of how he shifted his views on life and work.

“Time is the new money.” –Stephan Aarstol

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The purpose of life and how to live to the fullest
The adventures that life can hold
How to look past the chaos and hardships of life
People who influenced Stephan’s life, career, and book
His experience on Shark Tank- the beginning idea, his pitch, and his career now
How to use your business to help people rather than to only make money
How Stephan helped grow his company
How the 5-hour workday increases productivity and creativity
The history of the 8-hour workday
Benefits of the 5-hour workday for employers and employees
How to rethink and innovate businesses to increase efficiency
How the 5-hour workday experiment unfolded
The impact of company culture
The biggest influencers and lessons learned on this 5-hour workday experiment
Stephan shares some of the daily routines his company practices
Stephan shares some book and travel recommendations
Stephan talks about developing habits, making relationships, and the truth about money
His routine in writing and the importance of good marketing
The process of Stephen’s book becoming a reality
Stephan shares advice and encouragement on finishing creative projects

Resources Mentioned:

Five-Hour Workday
Tower Paddle Boards
Tower Electric Bikes
Tower Beach Club
Book What Great Brands Do by Denise Lee Yohn
Book Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Adam Carolla Show
Book Finding My Virginity by Richard Branson
Book The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
The Five Minute Journal
Book Atomic Habits by James Clear
https://www.nomiddleman.com
https://goodliving.com

Connect with Stephan:

Stephan Aarstol’s business
Stephan Aarstol Facebook
Tower Beach Club Instagram
Tower Beach Club Facebook

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 133. Stephan Aarstol – The Five Hour Workday: Live Differently first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

132. Marcus Whitney – Create and Orchestrate: The Path to Claiming Your Creative Power

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Marcus Whitney is the author of Amazon bestseller Create and Orchestrate: The Path to Claiming Your Creative Power from an Unlikely Entrepreneur. Early in his professional career, Marcus was a college dropout waiting tables seven days a week, but he taught himself to code, became an entrepreneur, and eventually became a venture capitalist. He is co-founder and partner at Jumpstart Health Investors and he more recently launched Jumpstart Nova. His work has been covered by The Atlantic, Fast Company and TechCrunch. Marcus is also a co-founder and minority owner of the Nashville Soccer Club, Nashville’s MLS team, and the producer and host of The Creative Power Podcast.

I connected with Marcus through Nexus and I’m so glad I did! He joins me today to share openly about the challenges he has faced, overcome and to explain his inspiring life journey. Marcus talks about his experience becoming and being an entrepreneur and author; offers thoughts on how he thinks about the world, himself and the concept of story; and comments on the power that entrepreneurship, words and healthy self-care all hold.

“If there is anything I’ve learned through the process of writing a book, it is that words matter, and semantics matter… [T]he world operates on precision.” – Marcus Whitney

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How showing up for others and doing meaningful work are essential to life
Why it may be better to hold purpose statements loosely
How Marcus defines himself and what he’s passionate about
Why it is valuable to come to terms with challenges overcome and every version of yourself
How Marcus’ insight arises from personal experience and stories
Why prisons are dehumanizing and mentoring inmates brought concrete results
The power of reflecting on our lives and sharing our stories to inspire others
It’s Marcus’ job to spread the word about the power of entrepreneurship to others
How Marcus applies the four burners theory
How his eight core concepts, the concept of frameworks and inheritability, operate
Entrepreneurship is a sport and life involves a time budget
Words and semantics matter and the world operates on precision
What life is like, what t-shirt Marcus wears, and why he gave up alcohol
Insight regarding change, race, money and making relationships work
Marcus began his book five years ago as a Kickstarter project
How calling, Claire, a TEDx talk and leaving town helped with writing and editing
What resources may be helpful for a writer and ideas for marketing a new book
Marcus’ final advice for listeners to understand themselves and their lives

Resources Mentioned:

Create and Orchestrate: The Path to Claiming Your Creative Power from an Unlikely Entrepreneur by Marcus Whitney
The four burners theory
Ruby on Rails
The thought of Peter Thiel
Marcus’ “Create” shirts
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
A Native American saying (potentially credited to Chief Seattle)
Kiva.org
Kickstarter
Scrivener
ProWritingAid
Grammarly
Atomic Habits by James Clear

Connect with Stephen:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 132. Marcus Whitney – Create and Orchestrate: The Path to Claiming Your Creative Power first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

130. Stephen Cope – Dharma and Deep Human Connection

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Stephen Cope’s training, career, and beliefs have gone through a vast array of changes: he was a psychotherapist, pianist, and professional dancer. He was at different times a Protestant, a Presbyterian, a Quaker, and a Buddhist. When he took what he had planned to be a three-month sabbatical from his psychotherapy practice to immerse himself in yoga, he discovered that he wanted to stay. Less than a year later, he closed his psychotherapy practice to teach Yoga at Kripalu. For decades now, he has immersed himself in yoga and in teaching it to others through classes, conferences, and books as well. His most recent book is Deep Human Connection: Why We Need It More Than Anything Else.

Today Stephen joins me to talk about his journey. He discusses the concept of Dharma, going into both how to recognize it and how to know when you have it. He talks about the importance of becoming fully awake and alive in this lifetime and notes that it often takes a leap of faith. He talks about the three “hunting grounds” that help you to find your Dharma. He expands on his notion of letting go of the outcome and letting your skills lead you. He ends by delving into the topic of relationships in the context of his latest book.

“Everybody has a true calling.”

“When you investigate anything that’s fascinating you or calling you, you discover that there’s something about you in there that you need to know.”

This week on The School For Good Living:

The search for meaning and community
Finding and recognizing Dharma
The three hunting grounds for finding Dharma
Stephen’s definition of duty
Letting go of the outcome and following your skills
Relationships

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Stephen:

Website contact page

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 130. Stephen Cope – Dharma and Deep Human Connection first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

129. Steven Kotler – The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. He is the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, as well as the co-host of a podcast by the same name. He is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance and has appeared in over 100 publications. In addition, he has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes. In his latest book, The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer, which he calls “a practical playbook for impractical people,” he reveals the secret to his productivity: to lean into the challenge before you realize you’ve even done it.

Today, Steven joins me to expand on this principle. He discusses how stopping to think about the prospect of completing a task is the greatest obstacle to doing it. He talks about how beginning is the hardest part. He discusses curiosity, passion, and purpose, noting that with these most tasks don’t take more than twenty seconds of grit: the grit it takes to start. He mentions the three most important aspects of feedback on his writing, what defines a peak performer, and the importance of knowing where you’re going instead of just where you’re starting.

“Whenever the impossible becomes possible, there’s always a formula.”

“Flow follows focus.”

“If it goes on the clear goals list, that’s a promise to get it done.”

This week on The School For Good Living:

Keeping your mission to yourself
Doing it instead of talking about it
The importance of integrity
How five-minute breaks break your flow
Knowing where you’re going
Avoiding arrogance

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Steven:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 129. Steven Kotler – The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

128. Peter McGraw – Shtick to Business: The Role of Humor in Business and Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Peter McGraw is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, but he’s also been a stand-up comedian, humorist, adventurer, game show host, and author. All this came about when he developed an itch to solve the age-old question: Why is comedy funny? He found the age-old answers problematic, and so embarked on a journey to discover the true answer that entailed traveling 91,000 miles, trying his hand at stand-up comedy, and hosting his own game show Funny or True. He’s written two books about the experience: The Humor Code, in which he and Joel Warner document the journey, and Shtick to Business, in which he presents the value of his findings in a business context.

Today Peter joins me to talk about his journey and what he’s learned from it. He talks about the common denominator of all comedy, what makes a good comic, and the “benign violation” theory. He discusses the previously accepted theories of comedy and expands on his own. He presents comedy as a universal art form, notes its link to both confidence and intelligence, and talks about the comedic tactic called the “Reversal.” He explains his practice of “shitstorming” as preparation for brainstorming, answers a lightning round of questions about himself, and talks extensively about both of his books. He also discusses the applicability of these comedic principles to other parts of life, particularly noting the usefulness of bad ideas and the Reversal. He ends on the importance of writing.

Quotes from Peter McGraw

“The best comics are kind of misfits.”

“Comedy is just like play fighting with words.”

This week on The School for Good Living:

Comedy as an art form
Benign violations
Comedy, confidence, and intelligence
Being funny vs. thinking funny
The Reversal
The importance of bad ideas.
The importance of writing

Resources Mentioned:

The Humor Code by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner
Shtick to Business by Peter McGraw
The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz

Connect with Peter:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 128. Peter McGraw – Shtick to Business: The Role of Humor in Business and Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

127. Max Frenzel – Time Off: Building a Rest Ethic

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:00:27 -0500

Max Frenzel is the Co-founder of Time Off, a platform to help people and companies deliberately practice time off so they can be their most successful and creative self. He is an AI researcher with Bespoke Inc, an AI Engagement Platform based in Tokyo providing multilingual solutions to hotels, airports and train stations. He earned a PhD in Quantum Information Theory from the Imperial College of London before becoming a Research Scientist with Japanese company Cogent Labs. Max has been involved with several start-ups focusing especially on the intersection of theoretical AI research and product design. As well as co-writing the international #1 Amazon Bestseller Time Off: A Practical Guide to Building Your Rest Ethic and Finding Success Without the Stress, he is also an active writer online and has been featured as Top Writer on medium.com in categories including Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, Writing, Productivity, and Leadership. Max also produces and performs his own electronic music under the name Taketile.

Max joins me today to discuss his book Time Off and explain his philosophy on the importance of rest and downtime in relation to keeping healthy and sustainable productivity levels. Max remembers his days as PhD physics student in London and how the freedom to spend his time outside of his thesis allowed him to expand his ideas and thoughts while travelling, marathon training, and investing in start-ups. He describes what his own rest ethic looks like, including the morning and evening rituals he observes, his meditation practices, and his inspiration from Twitter’s Jack Dorsey on how to allocate focus on work activities. He gives a quick lesson on the history of leisure time and holidaying and explains why an active physical holiday will leave you invigorated and awake, while the passive activity of slouching in front of Netflix for a few hours can leave you drained.

Quotables from Max Frenzel

“I’d say life is all about this search for meaning, whatever that means. I guess the whole point is everyone has to define this meaning for themselves”

“You should really see rest and time off as an investment into your productivity and getting things done and really finding this meaning in your life”

“Essentially creativity to me is about connecting the distant dots”

“We really don’t think that there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to your rest ethic. Like, that should look different for everyone, and normal leisure should look different for everyone. And you have to find out what that means to you”

“If you take good care of your body your mind will be so much clearer and sharp, and also stay sharp for a long time”

“Think about taking time off as an investment into your creativity and into your productivity”

This week on The School For Good Living:

How a relaxed studying schedule gave Max time to formulate new ideas in his leisure time without it feeling like work
Why being busier than ever made Max feel he was at his least productive
How Max formulated a working friendship with his co-author in a Tokyo to Texas communication
Why rest and time off should be viewed as an investment into your productivity
Why you should be very conscious of how you use your time and the kinds of rest you invest in
Why spending time on social media apps is papering over the cracks of an absence of meaning
Why the most productive rest is usually of the very active kind
How exercise can achieve a ‘flow state’ where ideas can flourish more readily
Max’s 4 phases of the creative process
Why ‘visible business’ is not as productive as it looks

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Max Frenzel:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 127. Max Frenzel – Time Off: Building a Rest Ethic first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

126. Chris Bailey – Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 00:00:30 -0500

Chris Bailey is the creator of the blog, A Life of Productivity, a platform he launched straight out of graduating from business school. He was on a mission to follow his passion and devour everything he could get his hands on the subject of productivity. By the time he finished his yearlong experiment, his work had been read over one million times by people from almost every country around the world. He’s written two books on productivity which have been published in 20 languages – Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction, and The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy. Chris Bailey has been featured in several media publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Harvard Business Review.

In today’s episode Chris joins me to discuss the subject of productivity and the various ways we can savour and squander it. He explains why focusing on one task all day long could be the worst thing you can do for your productivity. He reveals how the activity of knitting, for him, personally releases his thoughts and helps problem solving in a tactic he calls, the ‘scatter focus approach’. He also has some suggestions on what other simple, enjoyable tasks you can do to allow your mind to wander and think. Chris explains how our brains have a ‘novelty bias’, where we can’t help but direct our attention to every new novel thing, and how the answer to that can begin by taking a break from your mobile phone.

Quotables from Chris Bailey

“Life is about extracting meaning out of things that on the surface don’t appear meaningful”

“If you want something done, give it to a busy person”

“The hyper-focus – it’s one of the most valuable ingredients in not only getting things done – but also living a good life”

“If we can process 40% more in every moment because we have a consistent meditation practice? That will make us back hours”

“The more you rely on your mind to do good work, the more you need meditation and mindfulness to be in the arsenal of productivity strategies you deploy”

This week on The School For Good Living:

How you can increase your available time NINE-FOLD by meditating
Why the idea of limited attentional space is powerful
What productivity means to Chris and his philosophy on life
How being intentional will increase your productivity
Why a plan helps when you’re unmotivated to complete a task
How a scatter focus approach to tasks works
Why we tend to over focus on the short run in achieving our goals
Why our need for novelty is a dopamine time sap

Resources Mentioned:

Daily Mail ‘Adele’ article
Book: Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a Word of Distraction
Book: The Productivity Project: Accomplishing More by Managing Your Time, Attention, and Energy
Book: Love For Imperfect Things
Book: Invisible Women
Book: Factfulness
Book: Different Seasons: Four Novellas
Podcast: Becoming Better

Connect with Chris Bailey:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 126. Chris Bailey – Hyperfocus: How to Manage Your Attention in a World of Distraction first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

125. Captain Charles Moore – Plastic Ocean: The Sea Captain Who Discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Captain Charles Moore is an oceanographer and captain of the research vessel Algalita. He is known for articles that recently brought attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – an area of the Pacific Ocean strewn with floating plastic debris caught in a gyre. Charles is the founder of Algalita Marine Research Institute where he currently works, and the founder of Long Beach Organic, a non-profit organization operating eight organic community gardens within the city limits of Long Beach, California. Charles is also the co-author of Plastic Ocean, a book recounting his ominous findings in the ocean and unveiling the secret life and hidden properties of plastics; from milk jugs to polymer molecules small enough to penetrate human skin or be unknowingly inhaled.

Charles joins me today to share the story of his journey from seafaring adventurer to oceanic environmentalist whistle blower. He describes the moment he first discovered the overwhelming sight of the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean. He also explains how it led him to meet Ricky Grigg, a ‘surfer scientist’ who was the first such scientist to live in an underwater environment. Charles talks about how our relationship with consumerism and need for pristine goods and disposable packaging is one of the main contributors to plastic waste in our oceans. Charles breaks down the hard facts of this pollution, explaining there is no single ‘bad guy’ to blame because the world’s population is collectively at fault, and therefore the solution will have to be “a world historical revolution in the consciousness of the individual to stop polluting plastic.”

Quotables from Captain Charles Moore

“Life is about liberating oneself from those things that constrain it.” – Captain Charles Moore

“What life is increasingly about today is extricating oneself from those forces, which have invaded our mind space and created a kind of moronization of the populace as a whole.”

“For me what life is about is the struggle to become free from the society that is so oppressive at this time in history.”

“The importance of being different is the importance of being able to see a new world, a better world.”

“A citizen of the stone age knew more about what to do with a stone than a citizen of the plastic age knows what to do with plastic.”

“You can’t give a hurricane a higher wage and make it go away.”

This week on The School For Good Living:

How encouragement from his parents made Charles understand it was good to be different
Why umbrellas are Charles’ waste collectors’ item of choice
Why it’s important to have hands on experience conducting experiments
Why plastic is not a clean, sterile, harmless material
Why we need to be radical in the retooling of production methods for the future
How planned obsolescence and the world of advertising encouraged people to define themselves by the products and brands they invest in
How hyperproductivity creates hyper waste
Why Charles thinks there is no difference between Chinese communists and American capitalists when it comes to production and consumption
Why pollution data was pitted against impact evidence
Why Charles has appointed himself Ambassador of the world’s garbage patches
The terrifying statistic of the oceans’ garbage patch coverage

Resources Mentioned:

Book: Plastic Ocean

Connect with Captain Charles Moore:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 125. Captain Charles Moore – Plastic Ocean: The Sea Captain Who Discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

124. Brian C. Wilson – New Age Tycoon: The Life and Legacy of John E. Fetzer

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Brian C. Wilson is a Professor of American Religious History in the Department of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University. He has a BSc in Medical Microbiology from Stanford University, an MA in Hispanic Studies from Monterey Institute of International Studies, and an MA and a PhD in Religious Studies with the University of California. Brian is also the award-winning author of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and the Religion of Biologic Living. His most recent book is John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age following the spiritual sojourn of a 20th Century Michigan business tycoon.

Brian joins me today to discuss the path he has traveled, powered by a curiosity for the metaphysical questions in life and a desire to serve in a spiritual role. He shares his experience of joining the Peace Corps, where an initial posting to Honduras led him to spend several years traveling Central America and the Caribbean where he was introduced to a host of religious cultures. Brian discusses his links with the Fetzer Institute, located in his neighborhood, and how he eventually came to write John E. Fetzer’s autobiography, a story of an unconventional businessman with New Age beliefs. We also discuss reincarnation, spiritual camps for mediums and psychics, and the history of the Ouija board with the positive and negative associations to it.

Quotables from Brian C. Wilson

“World religions are so rich and there’s such interesting history and theology and philosophy people have developed, that if you take a deep dive it really does help you to better understand not only the world around you and the way people have perceived it, but also your own ideas of the world.”

This week on The School For Good Living:

Why differing religions should be compared for understanding rather than rank
How Brian’s time in the Peace Corps opened up new ways of looking at his own religion
Why John E. Fetzer was not your typical American business tycoon
Why the Ouija board gets a bad rap
What Brian discovered about his own beliefs researching his latest book
How Fetzer gave up his business interests to create a legacy in the Fetzer Institute before his death
Why you should keep a journal when you travel
Brian’s tips on finding a story worth writing about and his own creative process

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Brian C. Wilson:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 124. Brian C. Wilson – New Age Tycoon: The Life and Legacy of John E. Fetzer first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

123. Donald Rattner – My Creative Space: Design Your Home for Ideas and Innovation

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Donald Rattner is an Architect who helps individuals and organizations optimize creative performance by applying scientific research to the design of physical space. A widely published author, his third and most recent book My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation, has won three awards to date and was an Amazon #1 Bestseller. He has also written for numerous print and online channels including Work Design Magazine, Better Humans, and The Writer’s Cooperative. Donald’s work has been featured on CNN and in such publications as The New York Times, Houzz, and Architectural Digest. Donald also has an impressive teaching resume, having taught at the University of Illinois, New York University School of Real Estate Studies, Parsons School of Design, and the New York Academy of Art.

Donald joins me today to discuss the origins of My Creative Space and who he felt the book was written for: the architects, design professionals, interior designers, and the people who are simply passionate about shaping their home or workspaces. He explains why he likes to link his creative philosophies to science backed theories in an effort to be as truthful and supported in his instruction as possible. We discuss how the act of creating can be considered a risky endeavor, creating our need for a safe space to produce creative output. We also discuss how the natural environment influences our mood and behaviors, how colors can affect where we direct our concentration, and how the shape of the ceiling you work under can have an enormous effect on your mood and sense of well-being.

Quotables by Donald Rattner

“The word creativity has a long history and that the meanings do change over the millennia.”

“Creativity is the development of novel and useful ideas for products services and systems.”

“Creativity, health and happiness tend to fall on the same spectrum with respect to the surrounding environment, meaning that whatever cues or triggers or inputs in your environment improve creativity, tend to boost the other two as well.”

“Social norms to a great degree do kind of discourage us from being creative. So, it takes a certain amount of courage. Courage requires the sense of safe space -that I have the space to do this creative act.”

“It’s all about what we perceive, not necessarily what literally IS.”

This week on The School for Good Living:

Why Donald prefers to link his creative processes to science backed theory
How our environments influence health, happiness, and creativity
Why open spaces are conducive to open thinking
Why there is a discouragement of creativity in the general working world
The 3 main groups of Donald’s tactics that can contribute to unlocking a creative block
The book Donald has recommended more than any other
Donald’s writing process and the pivots of direction that led to the completion of My Creative Space
Why you should take breaks when undertaking a creative problem

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Donald Rattner:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 123. Donald Rattner – My Creative Space: Design Your Home for Ideas and Innovation first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

122. Rebecca Henderson – Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Rebecca Henderson, FBA, is an economist and author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire. She is a professor at Harvard Business School, where she teaches Reimagine Capitalism, the most successful MBA elective course at HBS in the last five years. In addition to her authorship and work at Harvard, Rebecca also serves as Research Fellow at the National Bureau for Economic Research and as a sustainability advisor to the world’s largest companies. Rebecca is a leading authority in organizational and strategic change whose work focuses on purpose-driven capitalism and the role that businesses and individuals can play in making change happen.

Rebecca joins me today to share her ideas on Reimagining Capitalism and contemplate how we can contribute as individuals to social, political, and economic change. She illustrates how the idea of shareholder value maximization is destructive to the environment and society and reveals the two foremost causes of the world’s enduring predicaments. She also describes how working with others can act as an antidote to despair and highlights the need to reimagine democracy as a means to reimagine – and change – capitalism.

“We will only be able to reimagine capitalism if we bring our personal purpose to work.” – Rebecca Henderson

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The roots of the world’s problems and why Rebecca wrote Reimagining Capitalism
The destructive nature of maximizing shareholder value
Our illusion of separateness and what makes it difficult for us to think about others and the future
Finding our paths to changing the world and how we give up our power by believing we don’t have any
Working with others to drive change as an antidote to despair
Self-care as a radical act of political resistance and the importance of finding joy
How writing and publishing Reimagining Capitalism has changed Rebecca’s life
Why we need to reimagine our democracy
Rebecca’s writing routine and how it has evolved over the years
The challenge of cultivating discipline in writing and the role of caffeine in Rebecca’s work as a writer
How Rebecca identified stories to include in Reimagining Capitalism
The most challenging part of writing and Rebecca’s advice for writers

Resources Mentioned:

Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire by Rebecca Henderson

Connect with Rebecca Henderson:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 122. Rebecca Henderson – Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

121. Darlene Green – In Service to Love: Discovering Our Divinity

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:00:48 -0500

Darlene Green is the author of In Service to Love: A Dynamic Experience of Consciousness, Transformation, and Enlightenment, a series of three books written in 366 days. Darlene is an empath, healer, teacher, and scribe who dedicates her life to pursuing work and studies that delve deeper into experiencing the sacred and divine. Following a car accident in 2017, Darlene began a profound healing process that eventually led her to write In Service to Love, a work that contemplates what becomes possible when we live from our soul’s vision.

Darlene joins me today to share her healing journey towards wholeness and what she has learned from overcoming trauma caused by the car accident she experienced. She illustrates humanity as divine beings and defines what it means to be a spiritual being living a human experience. She describes her spiritual life as a young girl and how she met the Council of Light. She also discusses how we can align with our divinity for creative inspiration and connect with our highest creative potential.

“Your divinity is closer to you than religion. Being in service to love and connecting with divinity are the “I am” of us.” – Darlene Green

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Seeing the whole of humanity as love and divine beings
How In Service to Love came to Darlene and “requested” to be written
The healing modalities Darlene studied and practiced
The difference between living life as a human being with a spiritual experience and living life as a heavenly being with a human experience
Life as a process of understanding and Darlene’s struggle with being broken
Choosing who you are and how you act in the face of difficult circumstances
Darlene’s relationship with writing before she wrote In Service to Love
Experiencing spirituality as a young girl and how Darlene discovered her spiritual Council of Light
Our inner critic, the cacophony of voices inside of us, and listening to the “I Am”
The clarity we feel when we’re young and how we lose it as we age
The power of conscious choice and holding an intention for your wholeness
The declarative nature of perspectives and how they create reality
Where creativity comes from and what gets in the way of our greatest creative potential
The hand and the glove and looking at our divinity for creative inspiration
How we can connect more fully with creativity
Meditation as a tool to move our awareness towards unknown realms and invite a different level of creativity
The remarkable power of intention and aligning with our divine knowing
Becoming aware of your creative process that honors who you are and doing your best work
Learning ourselves as part of the creative process

Related Content:

Resources Mentioned:

In Service to Love, Book 1: Love Remembered – A Dynamic Experience of Consciousness, Transformation, and Enlightenment by Darlene Green
In Service to Love, Book 2: Love Elevated – In a Chaotic that Demands a New Way, A New Path is Illuminated by Darlene Green
In Service to Love, Book 3: Love Now
The Council of Light: Divine Transmissions for Manifesting the Deepest Desires of the Soul by Danielle Rama Hoffman
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo

Connect with Darlene Green:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 121. Darlene Green – In Service to Love: Discovering Our Divinity first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

120. Beth Kempton – Wabi Sabi: The Beauty of a Simple Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Beth Kempton is the author of four books, including Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life, an international bestseller that has been recommended by TIME Magazine and translated into 24 languages. A dedicated student of Japanese culture, language, and life, Beth earned an undergraduate and a master’s degree in Japanese studies and has extensively traveled and lived in the country. In addition to her writing, Beth is the founder of Do What You Love, through which she inspires people to live well and do what they love.

Beth joins me today to share perspectives and ideas from Japan. She describes wabi-sabi as a mode of how we experience beauty in the world and how shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, can deliver the healing potential of nature. She highlights strategies to become a more mindful gift-giver and how to get through the holiday season to have a fantastic new year. She also shares her insights on writing and illustrates the writer’s role as a conduit for manifesting ideas into a book.

“Wabi-sabi is an intuitive response to a particular kind of beauty that reminds us of the impermanence of everything.” – Beth Kempton

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Experiencing the dance of nature as active, conscious creators and passive witnesses
Beth’s background in Japanology and experience with shinrin-yoku
Forest bathing as a meditative practice and its potential to heal
Japanese aesthetics and how it has been impacted by industrialization
What wabi-sabi means, how it’s been misused in the West, and why Beth wrote a book on the subject
The dangers of social media’s conversation on image, achievement, and perfection
Why wabi-sabi is less about what we see and more about how we see
The collective yearning for beauty and a simple life
The heart-mind and how different decisions are made in different parts of the body
The tendency of writers to only write about a single topic forever and the underlying theme in Beth’s books
Helping people explore the values of stillness through her book, We Are In This Together
The relationship between mental health and the holiday season
The Five Stories of Christmas and how finding your Christmas Constellation can change your experience of the holiday season
The historical roots of holiday traditions
Writing what you want to know and letting your books become your mentors
Being unsure of whether the world needs your book and how writing a book is about clarity and confidence
How writing a book proposal can help you push past the inner critic
Podcasting as an effective platform to build authority
Why writers need to think of marketing their books as a service to their prospective readers

Related Content:

Resources Mentioned:

Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton
Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year: A Little Book of Festive Joy by Beth Kempton
Freedom Seeker: Live More. Worry Less. Do What You Love by Beth Kempton
We Are In This Together: Finding Hope and Opportunity in the Depths of Adversity by Beth Kempton
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney
Create and Orchestrate: the Path to Claiming Your Creative Power from an Unlikely Entrepreneur by Marcus Whitney
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Connect with Beth Kempton:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 120. Beth Kempton – Wabi Sabi: The Beauty of a Simple Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

119. Barbara Waxman – The Middlescence Manifesto: Rethinking Middle Age

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Barbara Waxman is a Life Stage Expert, coach, and author of The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife. As a Gerontologist-coach, Barbara founded the Odyssey Group Coaching, where she offers her unique coaching model, Entrepreneurship Turned Inward, to help people in their midlife develop professionally and personally. Barbara is a next-level thinker on a mission to advocate for a thriving midlife and to shift cultural norms around aging.

Barbara joins me today to share her ideas about “middlescence” and shares powerful tools we can utilize to age well. She discusses finding your life purpose, differentiates between the little ‘p’ purpose from big ‘P’ Purpose, and illustrates how the former can lead to the latter. She shares her “Five to Thrive” quiz and enumerates the five essential elements everybody needs to live an exuberant and vibrant life. She also rethinks the narrative that midlife is a crisis and emphasizes how we all can find happiness and fulfillment throughout the years until the end of our life.

“Middlescent people have the energy and wisdom from lived experiences to become great leaders. Our world needs us now more than ever.” – Barbara Waxman

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The power of language and semantics
Stanley Hall, the creation of adolescence, and how our ideas about the different stages of life evolved through time
What ‘middlescence’is and its similarities and differences with adolescence
The identity shifts involved in both adolescence and middlescence
David Brooks’ “Resume” and “Eulogy” virtues
Writing a letter from your hundred-year-old self and why Barbara enjoys reading obituaries
Barbara’s thoughts on the prevalence of mental health issues in the country
Contemplating on joy and passion and the difference between the “big P” and “little p” purpose
Preparing for the One Great Act and why people seem depleted when they’re looking for their life’s purpose
Self-care as a revolutionary act and how it becomes even more important as we age
Barbara’s “Five to Thrive” quiz and the five essential elements and practical tools in living and aging well
The myth of the midlife crisis
The U-curve of happiness and how happiness dips and comes back
Why Barbara wrote the Middlescence Manifesto
Why the world needs people in their middlescence now more than ever
Barbara’s pre-COVID leadership work in India
Why Barbara doesn’t consider herself as a writer
My love-hate relationship with writing and how Barbara got the Middlescence Manifesto completed
The writers’ challenge of cultivating a social media following
The power of celebrating your life’s greatest failures

Related Content:

Resources Mentioned:

The Middlescence Manifesto: Igniting the Passion of Midlife by Barbara Waxman
It’s Easier Than You Think by Sylvia Boorstein
Becoming by Michelle Obama

Connect with Barbara Waxman:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 119. Barbara Waxman – The Middlescence Manifesto: Rethinking Middle Age first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

118. Dr. Joshua Mezrich – When Death Becomes Life: Lessons from a Transplant Surgeon

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 00:00:58 -0500

Dr. Joshua Mezrich is the author of When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon, a book where he shares insights that he derived from his life as a surgeon. Joshua is a graduate of Princeton University and completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at Cornell University. In addition to his profession as a transplant surgeon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Joshua is the co-founder and inventor of MezLight, the sterile surgical headlamp that he conceptualized in his quest to find alternatives to wearing a headlight during surgical procedures.

Joshua joins me today to discuss the act of organ donation as a gift of life that can help families cope with death. He illustrates his beginnings as a doctor, from the first patient who died on his watch to meeting the family of an organ donor for the first time. He shares a brief history of surgery and transplanting and imparts his love of reading literature. He also underscores the value of empathy and humility not only in the medical field but also in life and the power of choosing to be kind.

“The ability to donate organs is a beautiful thing. It is a gift and legacy; a reminder of how you can help people, even in your final hours.” – Joshua Mezrich

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

A patient who died in Joshua’s care and how his values changed throughout his career
How stress can make it difficult to keep your humanity and sense of purpose
Missing a critical phone call and the importance of humility
A brief history of organ transplants
Why a pharmaceutical company wanted its executives to collect soil samples whenever they traveled
Why Joshua wrote When Death Becomes Life and how writing the book changed his life
The “driven beasts” and the incredible weight on the shoulders of pioneering surgeons
Why the way we think of death as a society matters
Forming the concept of brain death
Challenging the definition of brain death and the case of Jahi McMath
How organ donation has helped families cope with death and the first time Joshua met a donor family
The power of emotional awareness and mastery
What compelled Joshua to become a surgeon after majoring in Russian Language & Literature
How his practice as a surgeon transformed his awareness and appreciation of the spiritual
The first time Joshua performed a transplant and why surgeons need to be humble
Living donations, pair exchanges, and other innovations in organ transplantation
Choosing to be kind in a challenging world
What was it like to draft a manuscript worth 300,000 words
Why writers shouldn’t stop their writing session at the end of a chapter and other advice on writing a book

Related Content:

The Essential Essentialist with Greg McKeown

Resources Mentioned:

When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon by Joshua Mezrich
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman by Richard Feynman and Jeffrey Robbins
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Connect with Joshua Mezrich:

Joshua Mezrich on LinkedIn
EMAIL: mezrich@surgery.wisc.edu

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 118. Dr. Joshua Mezrich – When Death Becomes Life: Lessons from a Transplant Surgeon first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

117. BJ Fogg – Tiny Habits: Small Changes Change Everything

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

BJ Fogg is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. BJ is the Founder & Director of the Stanford University Behavior Design Lab and has dedicated his life to teaching and sharing his insights about behavior change. Using his Fogg Behavior Model and methods in behavior design, BJ trains Fortune 500 companies and guides industry innovators in creating products that help people become healthier and happier.

BJ joins me today to share his insights on behavior design and habit formation. He emphasizes the role of emotions in creating habits and explains the power of simplicity in cultivating behaviors. He reveals some of the biggest myths about habit formation and describes some factors that make it difficult for people to change their behavior. He also shares the Fogg Behavioral Model and discusses how self-confidence can help individuals form new habits.

” Emotions create habits, not repetition. Design for positive emotions: you change best when you’re feeling good.” – BJ Fogg

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

A life of helping and serving other people
Designing habits through positive emotions
Leveraging operant conditioning to change behavior
The power of taking small steps in habit formation
Teaching the Tiny Habits method and how a dream compelled BJ to write his book
BJ’s tips and hacks on writing a book
What is a habit and how it differs from ‘general guidelines’
Faulty ways to change and why it’s so difficult to change behavior
The biggest myths about habit creation
How culture and environment influence the creation of habits
What ‘golden behaviors’ are and the importance of picking a habit that you want instead of habits that you should have
Distinguishing ‘outcomes’ from ‘aspirations’ and why you need to focus on specific, concrete behaviors
The Fogg Behavior Model and the impact of teaching it to others
Designing effective prompts in the creation of habits
How belief and self-confidence can help you change your behaviors easier
Using the Fogg Behavioral Model in leadership and management

Resources Mentioned:

Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything by BJ Fogg
Don’t Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey

Connect with BJ Fogg:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 117. BJ Fogg – Tiny Habits: Small Changes Change Everything first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

116. Martha Alderson – Boundless Creativity: Unveiling the Universal Story

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Martha Alderson is the best-selling author of Boundless Creativity: A Spiritual Workbook for Overcoming Self-Doubt, Emotional Traps, and Other Creative Blocks and Writing Blockbuster Plots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Plot, Structure, and Scene. She is a plot and transformational consultant whose clients include best-selling authors, editors, and Hollywood movie directors. Martha, widely known as the “Plot Whisperer,” has written several books, led workshops, and created an award-winning blog to help creatives express themselves and tell their stories.

Martha joins me today to explore the creative process and define what the universal story is. She discusses the ubiquity of opposition in all artistic pursuits and outlines how creatives can overcome them. She reveals the three major emotions with which all creatives face and explains how we are all in the world to heal. She also emphasizes the importance of forgiveness, its relationship with creative endeavor, and how we can give it to ourselves and extend it to others.

” Creativity is fraught with obstacles – that’s what the universal story is all about. Writing a story will change you.” – Martha Alderson

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How taking risks helps you stretch, grow, and expand who you are
Why Martha wrote Boundless Creativity and how brilliant writers get tangled in fear and insecurity
The reason Martha dedicated her life to helping others express themselves
Our tendencies to re-traumatize ourselves
The universal story and its similarities and differences with the Hero’s Journey
The elements that create a compelling narrative
The stages of the universal story and how to travel it well
Unveiling the universal stories in our lives
Strategies in overcoming the Dark Night of the Soul
The three major emotions that stop creatives from moving forward
The importance of meaning and purpose in life and how we can find it
The Wounded Healer archetype and why forgiveness is key to the creative process
Why writers should start with the end of their stories
The power of plot and structure in developing a story

Related Content:

Kindness and Wonder: The Fred Rogers Philosophy with Gavin Edwards

Resources Mentioned:

Boundless Creativity: A Spiritual Workbook for Overcoming Self-Doubt, Emotional Traps, and Other Creative Blocks by Martha Alderson
Writing Blockbuster Plots: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Plot, Structure, and Scene by Martha Alderson
The Universal Tone: Bringing My Story to Light by Carlos Santana
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman’s Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine by Sue Monk Kidd
Goddesses in Older Women: Archetypes in Women by Jean Shinoda Bolen

Connect with Martha Alderson:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 116. Martha Alderson – Boundless Creativity: Unveiling the Universal Story first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

115. Annie Duke – How to Decide: Better Choices, Better Life

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 13 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Annie Duke is the author of How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices and Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts. As a decision strategist and consultant, Annie coaches on the behavior of decision making, decision fitness, and emotional control. She is also Co-Founder and Board Member of the Alliance for Decision Education, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering students with essential decision-making skills. Before her work as an author and consultant, Annie was a professional poker player who won more than $4 million in tournament poker before retiring in 2012.

Annie joins me today to explain why making a pros and cons list is an ineffective method to make decisions and outlines her six-step process for powerful decision-making. She discusses why people get stuck in analysis paralysis, describes how we can move past it, and defines the “resulting phenomenon.” She also emphasizes using happiness as a tool to measure the value of the choices we’re weighing and illustrates how the quality of our decisions impact the quality of our lives.

“There are two things that determine the quality of life: luck and decisions. Focus on the quality of your decisions; they’re the only ones you have control over.” – Annie Duke

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How setting and following finite goals lead to existential disappointment
Why most people are bad at making decisions
How biases play into the decision-making process
The reason social media is a fertile breeding ground for misinformation and fake news
How long the average person decides what to eat, watch, and wear
The relationship between our quality of life and the decisions we make
Increasing the frequency of luck through decision-making
The resulting phenomenon and the importance of being aware of it
What the “resulting phenomenon” means
Annie’s six-step process for making better decisions
The two dimensions a pros and cons list lack that make it an ineffective decision-making tool
What motivated reasoning is and its relationship with assessing a decision
Using the happiness test to weigh decisions
The importance of teaching decision skills in schools
Annie’s weakness as a writer, how she overcomes them, and her writing process
Her advice for people who want to write

Resources Mentioned:

How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices by Annie Duke
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke
The Dynamics of Faith by Paul Tillich
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction by Philip Tetlock
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win by Maria Konnikova
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Connect with Annie Duke:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 115. Annie Duke – How to Decide: Better Choices, Better Life first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

114. Tyson Yunkaporta – Sand Talk: Changing the World Through Indigenous Knowledge

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Tyson Yunkaporta is the author of Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World. He is an academic, art critic, poet, and researcher who belongs to the Apalech clan in Queensland, Australia. A senior lecturer in Indigenous Knowledges at Deakin University, Tyson looks at global systems through an Indigenous lens. Much of society’s problems stem from our worldview, from how we think and relate to how we behave. Through Sand Talk, Tyson offers a template for living and perspectives on how we can make better sense of the world.

Tyson joins me today to discuss how Indigenous knowledge and ideas can help change the world for the better and describes what makes a person or knowledge Indigenous. He explains why we need to have an agency in violence and describes how western civilization has subjugated women and femininity. He also highlights the importance of cultivating a connection with the land, defines Indigenous concepts – such as the Dreaming, totemic relationships, and songlines – and discusses how books should increase what can be known.

“Receive those signals from the land and let them shape you. Let them move you forward. When you accept those messages, they start to change you.” – Tyson Yunkaporta

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The network of reality
Forming a group mind and what it means to yarn
Tyson’s definition of an Indigenous person and Indigenous knowledge
Why books should increase what can be known
How the language of separation informs our worldview
The role of the land in spiritual seeking
Receiving signals and messages from the land around us
The defining feature of a civilization and how western culture has subjugated femininity
What it means to distribute violence throughout the society
Intergenerational equity and reidentification within four generations
What the Dreaming and songline mean
The importance of acknowledging the First Peoples of the land
Why we’re all from a common origin and ancestry
How creativity is part of being human

Resources Mentioned:

Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World by Tyson Yunkaporta
Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge by Vandana Shiva

Connect with Tyson Yunkaporta:

Tyson Yunkaporta on LinkedIn

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 114. Tyson Yunkaporta – Sand Talk: Changing the World Through Indigenous Knowledge first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

113. Houston Kraft – Deep Kindness: Practices for a Compassionate World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Houston Kraft is the author of Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness. He has spent the last decade visiting more than 600 schools and events worldwide to speak about empathy, compassion, and kindness. Houston is the Founder of CharacterStrong, an organization that teaches leadership through the lens of compassion. Together with his team at CharacterStrong, Houston has created curriculums and training that serve more than 2,500 schools across 50 states, nine countries, and over a million students.

Houston joins me today to explore the skills we need to develop to create a more compassionate world. He discusses the factors that hinder us from being kind and how we can overcome them. He highlights the importance of bringing empathy into acts of kindness and shares his “To Be List.” He also defines what deep kindness is, differentiates it from what he calls “confetti kindness,” explains why the distinction matters, and discusses how we can develop deep kindness for others and ourselves.

” The practice of deep kindness is a disciplined pursuit. It must become part of our rituals, routines, and habits.” – Houston Kraft

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Building human connection through physical touch
Why deep kindness is an urgent priority in the world
Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project and what the rhetoric-reality gap is
Weakness of the will and its relationship with our lack of kindness in the world
The difference between “confetti kindness” and “deep kindness”
The challenges of deep kindness and how we can cultivate it more
The pitfalls of doing acts of kindness without empathy
The three major things that prevent us from being kind
The power of emotional regulation and transforming anger
How emotional intelligence and skills shape human behavior
Houston’s “To Be” List and the qualities that make deep kindness unconditional
How shame and fear of embarrassment prevent us from connection and kindness
How we can be more kind to ourselves
How Houston conceptualized Deep Kindness and the approach he took to complete it

Resources Mentioned:

Deep Kindness: A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness by Houston Kraft
On Being Nice by the School of Life
The Making Caring Common Project
BrainPickings

Connect with Houston Kraft:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 113. Houston Kraft – Deep Kindness: Practices for a Compassionate World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

112. Mark Gober – An End to Upside Down Living: Living Life in Elevated Consciousness

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 01:00:47 -0400

Mark Gober is an international speaker and author of An End to Upside Down Living: Reorienting Our Consciousness to Live Better and Save the Human Species. Mark is the host of the Where is My Mind?Podcast, where he interviews leading researchers on consciousness, such as the physicist and Nobel laureate Brian Josephson. Through his work, Mark explores areas that are not currently accepted by the scientific community, including psychic phenomena, near-death experiences, and, ultimately, elevating humanity’s consciousness.

Mark joins me today to share the concept of how matter and the biology of the universe arises from consciousness and explain why understanding this idea matters. He defines what the materialism or physicalism philosophy is and its implications on how we live our lives. He differentiates non-attachment from detachment and discusses how we can be more aligned with the stream of consciousness. He also explains how leaders, educators, and mentors can help elevate the world’s consciousness and why it’s essential to bring authenticity to our creative endeavors.

“By elevating ourselves as individuals and cleaning our impurities we begin to radiate a positivity that has an impact on others just by being.” – Mark Gober

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The need to reframe reality and to live a life in service
Why consciousness is fundamental to our everyday experiences
What materialism and physicalism mean and their implications on how we live life
Why people think consciousness comes from the brain
Transforming our worldview from materialism to interconnectivity
How leaders can help elevate humanity’s consciousness
What synchronicity is and what we can do to experience it more in our lives
Living a self-determined life and Einstein’s question on free will
The notion of intellectual and radical humility and why we need to practice it
Non-attachment versus detachment and why the distinction matters
Different approaches to the “right-side-up living”
Surrendering and being a vessel for the broader Stream of Consciousness
Bringing compassion and discernment into our relationships
What stewardship means and how we can think of money in a metaphysical sense
The impact of authenticity on the creative process

Related Content:

Resources Mentioned:

An End to Upside Down Living: Reorienting Our Consciousness to Live Better and Save the Human Species by Mark Gober
Where is My Mind? With Mark Gober
The Sacred Promise: How Science Is Discovering Spirit’s Collaboration with Us in Our Daily Lives by Gary Schwartz
I am That: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj by Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman

Connect with Mark Gober:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Brilliant Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review. Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

The post 112. Mark Gober – An End to Upside Down Living: Living Life in Elevated Consciousness first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

111. Morgan Housel – The Psychology of Money: Building Wealth by Minding the Ego

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Morgan Housel is a Partner at the Collaborative Fund and author of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. He is a former columnist for The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal and has received several accolades, including the New York Times Sidney Award. In addition to his authorship, Morgan has presented at over 100 conferences in different countries, using storytelling to explore behavioral finance and history, how investors deal with risk, and how we can think about risk in a more productive way.

Morgan joins me today to explore the highest form of wealth and the psychology that drives how we spend our money. He defines what a savings rate means and explains how one can build wealth without having a high income. He differentiates making reasonable financial decisions from making rational ones and describes our emotional relationship with money. He also illustrates the economic and social dynamics that occur underneath challenging events in the United States and reveals some surprising facts about money and financial trends in the country.

“Your savings rate is the gap between your income and your ego: how much you’re making and how much you’re able to suppress your desire to impress other people.” – Morgan Housel

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The “end of history” illusion and how the things we consider as meaningful change over time
The definition of savings rate and creating wealth by being mindful of the ego
The highest form of wealth and what the FIRE movement misses
How independence and freedom exist on a spectrum
The power of writing for yourself instead of writing for an audience
Underestimating the role of luck in life and the importance of introspecting about greed
How our economic and social standing in life affects our notions of money and spending habits
The psychology behind Americans’ massive spending on lottery tickets
Why people can’t be totally rational with their money and what it means to be reasonable with our finances
The secrets of Warren Buffet and the impact of time on investments and building wealth
How 2020 exacerbated the widening income inequality in the United States
The worst and best money decision Morgan and his wife ever made

Resources Mentioned:

The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel
The Big Change by Frederick Lewis Allen

Connect with Morgan Housel:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 111. Morgan Housel – The Psychology of Money: Building Wealth by Minding the Ego first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

110. Jan Jones – The CEO’s Secret Weapon: A Dynamic Partnership with an Assistant

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Jan Jones is the author of The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness, a book regarded as ‘the Bible’ for executives and assistants worldwide. Over her 20 years of experience working as an executive assistant, Jan has represented high-level leaders and executives such as Tony Robbins and Michael Gerber. In addition to championing the high-performing executive assistant – a role for which she advocates through her writing – Jan is also a consultant and Founder & President of Jan Jones Worldwide Speakers Bureau, an international speakers bureau that connects inspirational speakers to their worldwide audience.

Jan joins me today to discuss what it takes to be an extraordinary executive assistant. She shares ideas she learned from renowned leaders such as Elon Musk on finding, interviewing, and hiring the right executive assistant. She underscores the monumental role executive assistants play in supporting executives, leaders, and businesses and explains why the job is widely misunderstood. She also illustrates what it’s like to work for author and coach Tony Robbins and explains why she believes everyone should write a book.

“There has to be constant communication between the executive and the assistant. If you don’t trust them, an executive assistant won’t be able to do their job.” – Jan Jones

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Enjoying the gift of life despite its challenges
Why Jan still identifies as an executive assistant and how her experience in the role guides her life and business
How to determine if it’s time to hire an executive assistant
Why Jan doesn’t recommend using virtual assistants as a long-term solution to businesses
The time and effort required in finding the right executive assistant
The relationship between a high degree of self-awareness and hiring the perfect executive assistant
A lesson from Elon Musk on interviewing and assessing a candidate for an executive assistant role
The core competencies and characteristics of an exceptional executive assistant
How an executive assistant made a difference in the discovery of Elvis Presley
Figuring out the right compensation for executive assistants
Jan’s experience working as an executive assistant for Tony Robbins
An executive assistant’s fight for recognition and why the role is maligned today
The impetus behind Jan’s book, The CEO’s Secret Weapon and the challenges she faced in writing it
The labor that comes in organizing a book’s ideas, the importance of choosing a great editor, and why everyone should write a book

Resources Mentioned:

The CEO’s Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness by Jan Jones
The E-Myth: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber
Meetings with Remarkable Men by G. Gurdjieff
What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence by Stephen A. Schwarzman
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Connect with Jan Jones:

Jan Jones Website
Jan Jones on LinkedIn
Email: jan@janjonesworldwide.com

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 110. Jan Jones – The CEO’s Secret Weapon: A Dynamic Partnership with an Assistant first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

109. Philip Goldberg – Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Developing Wisdom and Compassion

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Philip Goldberg is a public speaker, spiritual counselor, and the author of Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Clarity, Calm, and Courage and The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru, among numerous others. Philip is a meditation teacher and ordained interfaith minister who has spent over 50 years studying Transcendental Meditation. In addition to his books, Philip also regularly contributes writing to the Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health and co-hosts the Spirits Matters Podcast.

Philip joins me in this episode to share his spiritual journey. He illustrates the turning point in life that set him off in his spiritual path to find truth and wisdom. He imparts some of the lessons he learned from practicing Eastern spiritual traditions and explains what turiya, or the Fourth Mode of Consciousness, means. He also shares the practical benefits of spiritual practice and highlights the relevance of cultivating spirituality in today’s world of uncertainty.

“Spiritual practice creates a good foundation for more effective action in the world and equips you to act in a wise, creative, and compassionate way.” – Philip Goldberg

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Spirituality as the foundation of living a meaningful and powerful life
The illusion of separation and what life is about for Philip
The relevance of bringing spiritual practices to everyday life
The meaning of sadhana in Hindu traditions and the importance of regular practice
The practical benefits of a spiritual practice and how people think of spirituality as a luxury
The impetus behind Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times and for whom he wrote it
Searching for truth and wisdom and the experience that launched Philip on his spiritual path
Developing equanimity and why we shouldn’t deny our humanity
The meaning of turiya in Hinduism and the three aspects of consciousness
Why you can’t force meditative states into happening
Being deep in spirituality while engaged in the affairs of the world
What Philip learned from writing The Life of Yogananda
How Philip realized he’s a writer and the challenges he faced as an independent writer
Philip’s writing process for creating a book, from concept to completion
Mindsets and characteristics that will help you succeed in writing
Getting unstuck in the creative process and the writer’s block
Philip’s advice and encouragement for writers

Resources Mentioned:

Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Powerful Tools to Cultivate Clarity, Calm, and Courage by Philip Goldberg
The Life of Yogananda: The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru by Philip Goldberg
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda

Connect with Philip Goldberg:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 109. Philip Goldberg – Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times: Developing Wisdom and Compassion first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

108. Jennifer Louden – Why Bother?: Remaining Open to Life’s Possibilities

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Jennifer Louden is a coach, speaker, and best-selling author of Why Bother: Discover the Desire for What’s Next. Jennifer is a pioneer in personal growth and development who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book: A Self-Nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life. For over 26 years, Jennifer has helped millions of creative women create extraordinary lives through her books, communities, and writing retreats. She has appeared on several television, radio, and podcast shows, and has been cited in Brene Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead.

Jennifer joins me today to explore our fear of being undefended and explain what an emotional immune system is. She shares her experience with depression and loss and the lessons she learned from them. She explains what “why bothers” are, how they work, how we can use them, and the role that desire plays in it. She defines the difference between signature themes and life purpose and explains how the latter can harm us. She also shares her ideas and processes on writing and explores how a teacher’s highest calling is to live her lessons.

“Life wants to carry you down the river with no forcing or holding back. You need to open yourself up to it.” – Jennifer Louden

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The experience of being alive and what is life about for Jennifer
Why it took 12 years to write Why Bother and for whom Jennifer wrote it
What our emotional immune system is and how we can expand it
How we impart meanings to our circumstances and our “why bother” periods
Desire as the flow of life and how it plays into our “why bothers”
What a signature theme is and how it’s different from a life purpose
How the idea of a life purpose can stop and hurt people
Shadow comforts, time monsters, and how we close off ourselves to the feeling of aliveness
Jennifer’s definition of self-improvement and how they may not help us find what we want most out of life
The Four Conditions of Enoughness and learning to stop in the gaps of life
Why Jennifer chose to work with the publisher, Page Two
The most significant influences on Jennifer’s writing
Writing in the morning with a latte in hand and other writing routines
How to avoid procrastinating as a writer
The importance of planning a writing project and how Jennifer organizes ideas for her books
How Jennifer deals with self-doubt when writing
Why we’re all great writers and how we can develop great sentences

Resources Mentioned:

Why Bother: Discover the Desire for What’s Next by Jennifer Louden
The Woman’s Comfort Book: A Self-Nurturing Guide for Restoring Balance in Your Life by Jennifer Louden
The Life Organizer: A Woman’s Guide to a Mindful Year by Jennifer Louden
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer
The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life by Priscilla Long
Daring Greatly: How the Courage Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
Dare to Live: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown
Scrivener

Connect with Jennifer Louden:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 108. Jennifer Louden – Why Bother?: Remaining Open to Life’s Possibilities first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

107. Gavin Edwards – Kindness and Wonder: The Fred Rogers Philosophy

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Gavin Edwards is a journalist, nonfiction writer, and New York Times best-selling author of 12 books, including Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever and The World According to Tom Hanks. Gavin is a veteran writer who has penned magazine cover stories on celebrities such as Jared Leto and Travis Barker and has written for several publications, including The New York Times, Wired, and Rolling Stone. In addition to his work as a writer, Gavin is also a public speaker who has appeared on NBC’s Today, NPR’s All Things Considered, and VH1’s Behind the Music.

Gavin joins me today to discuss the life and philosophy of Fred Rogers. He explains what led him to write about Mr. Rogers and shares some of his favorite stories about him. He describes his process of selecting personalities, icons, and topics and how he approaches the people he writes about. He also underscores the power of research in making interviews engaging and explains why the act of writing is valuable unto itself.

“If people spent their days being 3% more like Fred Rogers, we’d all be in a much better place.” – Gavin Edwards

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Writing an oral history of Bill Murray and how Gavin approaches an icon he wants to write about
Writing about people who have a philosophy of life and how they’re manifesting it in the world
What led Gavin to write about Mr. Rogers and how he wanted his book to impact readers
Asking a child for a prayer and Gavin’s favorite stories about Fred Rogers
How Mr. Rogers lived a life of congruence and direction
How Gavin’s life was touched by delving into Mr. Roger’s life
The willingness to look at the world through another person’s eyes
How spirituality informed Mr. Roger’s work and his connection with other people
The fundamental lesson from Mr. Roger and what he thought about death and dying
The power of presence and attentiveness in giving interviews
Asking the right questions to bring an interviewee away from a routine response
A writing lesson that has served Gavin well and why he writes in long-hand
The impact of anecdotes and using writing tools to bring life to a story

Resources Mentioned:

Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin Edwards
The World According to Tom Hanks by Gavin Edwards
The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing by Gavin Edwards
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Red Plenty by Francis Spufford
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
The Artificial Silk Girl by Keun Irmgard
Deep Human Connection: Why We Need It More Than Anything Else by Stephen Cope
Loose Ball: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association by Terry Pluto

Connect with Gavin Edwards:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 107. Gavin Edwards – Kindness and Wonder: The Fred Rogers Philosophy first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

106. Nicholas Webb – What Customers Crave: Driving Disruption & Innovation

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Nicholas Webb is the author of What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint and The Innovation Mandate: The Growth Secrets of the Best Organizations in the World. Nick, widely regarded as an innovation evangelist, is a speaker and entrepreneur who founded LeaderLogic Management Consultants, an organization dedicated to driving strategic excellence, innovation, and customer experience design. He was honored with a Doctorate in Humane Letters by the Western University of Health and Sciences, where he also serves as an adjunct professor and Chief Innovation Officer.

Nicholas joins me today to discuss how to foster innovation in companies. He reveals the three key trends that drive disruption as well as the critical risks to companies. He explores the idea of improving and evolving yourself every day, serving a mission that matters, and the importance of living life consciously. He also explains why legacy is an insidious problem in an organization, why spoken communication is the future, and how a post-COVID-19 economy will require individuals and organizations to be innovators.

“Consumers want an Apple-like experience: they want it friction-free, customized, and relevant.” – Nicholas Webb

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What Nicholas believes are the three things that create an amazing life
Finding joy and fulfillment in the service of a mission
Nicholas’s journey from growing up in poverty with an educational handicap to adjunct professor and innovator
What meaningful consequences are and why pain may be the universe’s way of taking us to our purpose
Nicholas’s three principles for finding your innate form of genius
The meaning of developmental stasis and the role of conscientiousness in improvement and change
The three trends that drive disruption and what it means to innovate
The five touchpoints of an organization and the necessity to architect them
The power of future casting and its impact on the future of organizations
What asynchronous communication is and why spoken language is the future
How to develop effective communication and the characteristics that make a compelling communicator
Nicholas’s process and approach to writing and the stage-gate analysis for books

Resources Mentioned:

What Customers Crave: How to Create Relevant and Memorable Experiences at Every Touchpoint by Nicholas Webb
Surviving the Healthcare Meltdown by Nicholas Webb
The Innovation Mandate: The Growth Secrets of the Best Organizations in the World by Nicholas Webb
God Wants You to Be Rich: How and Why Everyone Can Enjoy Material and Spiritual Wealth in Our Abundant World by Paul Zane Pilzer
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz
The Science of Getting Rich: How to Make Money and Get the Life You Want by Wallace Wattles

Connect with Nicholas Webb:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 106. Nicholas Webb – What Customers Crave: Driving Disruption & Innovation first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

105. Gary Taubes – The Case for Keto: Rethinking Obesity & Weight Loss

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Gary Taubes is the author of five books, including The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating and The Case Against Sugar. He is the co-founder of the Nutrition Science Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of nutrition research. As an unconventional thinker and investigative & science journalist, Gary questions established thought and prevailing wisdom on obesity, nutrition, and how scientists do their work. Gary has been awarded numerous recognitions for his journalism, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research, among many others.

Gary joins me to explore the history of obesity research and the dangers of dogmatic thinking in the scientific community. He describes the physiology of obesity, including the roles of hormones and enzymes in the body’s ability to accumulate and store fat. He explains how carbohydrates can lead to obesity and how a low-carb, high-fat diet can address it. He also delves into the moral implications in the view that obesity is the result of energy imbalance and describes the interplay of assumptions and terminologies in science and writing.

“A ketogenic diet minimizes insulin, reducing the fat stored in your tissue and burns them as fuel.” – Gary Taubes

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The fundamental laws of obesity research
How the view that energy imbalance causes obesity leads to fat-shaming
Obesity as a fat-trapping disorder and the physiology of fat accumulation
The role of insulin and its secretion in obesity and diabetes
Using ketogenic and low-carb, high-fat diets in response to obesity
The history of obesity research and how dogmatic belief systems perpetuate themselves
Why Gary devoted his life to his work as an investigative journalist and how he transitioned to journalism from physics
What pathological science means and the dangers of groupthink
The importance of accuracy of terminologies in science and writing and how assumptions get embedded in terminology
Adopting the ketogenic approach in vegan, vegetarian, and other plant-based diets
The appearance of Western diseases in people who transition from their traditional eating habits to the Western diet
The presence of obesity in impoverished populations
Why Gary writes in the morning and what his writing process looks like
The value of writing with a specific reader in mind and Gary’s advice for people who want to be writers

Resources Mentioned:

The Case for Keto: Rethinking Weight Control and the Science and Practice of Low-Carb/High-Fat Eating by Gary Taubes
The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes
Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes
Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
The Sweet Science by AJ Liebling
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins
KeHo Foods

Connect with Gary Taubes:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 105. Gary Taubes – The Case for Keto: Rethinking Obesity & Weight Loss first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

104. Jill Heinerth – Into the Planet: Lessons from 30 Years of Cave Diving

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 01:00:15 -0400

Jill Heinerth is a cave diver, underwater explorer, filmmaker, author of the memoir, Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver, and producer of the documentary, We Are Water. She is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and for over 30 years, she has worked in film, photography, and exploration. As an explorer, Jill documents deep ocean environments and other places where humans have never been, making fascinating contributions to climate change and geology. Jill is a recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration, granted by the RCGS for her lifetime achievement.

Jill joins me today to explore the role of cave divers as the hands and eyes of scientists. She shares some of the biggest fears she faced in her life and explains how fear can be transformative experiences. She illustrates the experience of cave diving and how she prepares for a diving mission. She underscores the importance of water and describes how we’re already fighting wars over water supply, and what we can contribute as individuals in response to climate change. She also shares her writing process, reveals the most challenging part about having her book written, and explains why it’s essential that we run towards, not away from, fear.

“Fear is genuine, no matter the source or expression. Whether it’s a dark cave we’re swimming or of our own making, there are strategies to employ to deal with that fear.” – Jill Heinerth

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How Jill’s relationship with water began and how she transitioned from her career in advertising to become a cave diving explorer
What sump diving is and why it’s the most dangerous form of diving
What it’s like to cave dive, why it’s not for amateurs, and exploring “The Pit” in Mexico
Photographing the cover of Into the Planet and surviving a near-death experience while diving in The Pit
What discovery learning means and how failures can become gifts
How a terrifying night became a transformative experience for Jill and why experience is the best teacher
How Jill prepares for an exploration mission and why she chooses people who have fear to become part of her team
Jill’s contributions to science as a cave diving explorer
Climate refugees in the US and why we’ll start fighting wars for water
The differences a person could make for climate change
Shooting Under Thin Ice and consulting for James Cameron
The most challenging part of writing, publishing, and marketing Into the Planet
What it’s like to write vulnerable and emotional experiences into a book
The power of running towards fear

Resources Mentioned:

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver by Jill Heinerth
Against All Odds: The Inside Account of the Thai Cave Rescue by Craig Challen and Richard Harris
The SAS Survival Handbook by John Lofty Wiseman
Jill Heinerth: The Mysterious World of Underwater Caves, TEDYouth 2015

Connect with Jill Heinerth

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 104. Jill Heinerth – Into the Planet: Lessons from 30 Years of Cave Diving first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

103. Mark Charles – Unsettling Truths

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Mark Charles, the author of Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery, is a dual citizen of the United States and the Navajo Nation running as an Independent candidate for the U.S. presidency. Mark is a thought-provoking writer and public speaker whose mission is to create a country where the words “We the People” means “all the people.” Together with his family and supporters, Mark advocates for a path of common memory and healing for the nation through a Truth + Conciliation Commission.

Mark joins me today to share his experience living in the Navajo Nation and what he realized about the marginalized and disenfranchised. He explores how the enduring social issues of today are institutionalized and deeply rooted in history. He explains what the Doctrine of Discovery is and how it perpetuates white supremacy. He also reveals how trauma and the lack of knowledge on American history hinders racial dialogue and emphasizes the importance of agreeing as a nation on the meaning of life.

“The way we live and who we are has to reflect our value for life. We have to agree that ‘we the people’ means ‘all the people.’” – Mark Charles

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Mark’s background, ancestry, and what life is about for him
What it means to ‘walk in duty’ for the Navajo people
The practice of walking and praying with the sun and its benefits
How Mark maintains his connection with Creation and the world despite living in urban cities
Growing up disconnected from his ancestry and the reason Mark decided to move from Denver, CO to live in the Navajo Nation
The need to create a common memory and to look at issues from an intersectional perspective
How ‘We the People’ are the most misunderstood words in American history
What the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ is, its institutionalization, and how it perpetuates social issues and racial injustice
The different levels of trauma and how they make it difficult to have conversations about social issues
Perpetrator-induced trauma and why people disrupt the racial dialogue
Exposing an “apology” buried in the 2010 Defense Appropriations Act
Mark’s First 100 Day Plans and his proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution
The importance of writing a collective value for life in the Constitution

Resources Mentioned:

Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery by Steven Newcomb
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress: The Psychological Consequences of Killing by Rachel Macnair
‘We the People’ – The Three Most Misunderstood Words in U.S. History
Native Land

Connect with Mark Charles:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

The post 103. Mark Charles – Unsettling Truths first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

102. Adam Ward – Brick by Brick with

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Adam Ward is a visual artist whose forthcoming book, Brick x Brick, will be available in 2021. As an artist and master builder, Adam works with LEGO pieces as his medium. He is the creator and host of Brick x Brick, a YouTube video series for which he was dubbed the “Bob Ross of LEGO” and where teaches his audience how to unleash their creativity through building with LEGOs. Through his studio, Peace + Bricks, Adam has worked with and created major LEGO builds and installations for organizations such as Zappos, Tumblr, and many others.

Adam joins me today to share how his love of LEGO began, why he set it aside during his teenage years before picking it back up, and how he started a business around his passion for LEGOs. He shares the lessons he learned about earning money, residual income, and sharing your creativity with the world. He highlights the importance of taking action when it comes to starting a business and illustrates the path he is treading in writing his book. He also explores the intersection between creativity and commerce and reiterates his belief in how everybody can earn money by doing what they love.

“Every single person out there can make a living out of doing something they love. It takes a lot of effort and skill but it’s possible for everybody.” – Adam Ward

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Adam believes life is about creativity and connection
Adam’s background and why he studied psychology instead of the arts in college
Building a food truck business with friends and the most important lesson Adam learned from the experience
Receiving commissions for LEGO builds and the most challenging part about working with clients as a LEGO artist
Getting gigs on Craigslist to supplement income as an artist and what working in events production taught Adam about building with LEGOs
Why Adam wrote his book, Brick x Brick
Finding his passion for LEGO for the first time as a child and why space sets are Adam’s favorite
How the unknown makes more room for creativity
Rekindling his passion for LEGOs, blending art and commerce, and how Adam started his LEGO business through a Kickstarter campaign
Making a living out of something we are passionate about
How Adam organizes plans, and structures his time as an artist
Adam’s path in publishing and how he conceptualized, structured, and wrote his book
Knowing your audience and how constraints can aid creativity
Writing evergreen books and Adam’s strategies in promoting his book

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Adam Ward:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 102. Adam Ward – Brick by Brick with first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

101. Mark Silverman – Only 10s

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Mark Silverman is a speaker, leadership coach, and the Amazon #1 best selling author of Only 10s: Using Distraction to Get the Right Things Done and the upcoming book, Mastering Midlife: How to Thrive When the World Asks the Most of You. He is also the host of the Mastering Midlife podcast, where he speaks with high-performance leaders of all walks of life and discuss their secrets for mastering the stress, burnout, and hardships they have faced throughout their life and career.Prior to becoming the resiliency expert that he is today, Mark built a successful 15-year career at fast-moving, fast-growing companies in the tech world where he generated over 90 million dollars in sales and garnered numerous awards.

Mark joins me today to share his journey from using drugs at the age of 13 and being homeless to getting sober and building a successful career. He defines what Only 10 means and discusses what inspired him to write his book. He shares his morning routine and describes how meditating consistently over the years has benefitted him. He shares his writing process, how accountability partners help him get things done, and his advice for creatives and artists. He also explores how he was able to figure out who he is, his soul’s purpose, and what he wants to achieve in the world.

” That’s where midlife comes in: it’s unsustainable to be successful from fear. Success needs to come from something authentic and organic.” – Mark J. Silverman

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why life is about what you make of it and how Mark found his life purpose
Discovering Mark’s calling to coach and connect with people
Mark’s morning routine and how setting routines is an experimentation
Why Mark wrote his book, Only 10s, and the power of having deadlines
How being motivated by fear brings the midlife crisis into our lives
The three biggest decisions Mark made and what inspired him to run a marathon
What Mark means by Only 10, how we can evaluate if something in our life is a 10, and why Mark is the “anti-list” guy
Letting go of things that no longer serve us
How Mark chooses to be honest with himself over being disciplined
The impact of consistently meditating and maintaining morning pages
The negative effects of the hustle and grind culture and of people trying to be in the top 1%
Mark’s advice for creatives who want to start, continue, or complete their projects
The benefits of having accountability partners and the best way to work with them
How to promote your book and rank it on Amazon

Resources Mentioned:

Only 10s: Using Distraction to Get the Right Things Done by Mark Silverman
The Coaching Habit: Stay Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Way of Mastery by Shanti Christo
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Only 10s Free Video Course
Leadership Resiliency Course

Connect with Mark J. Silverman

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 101. Mark Silverman – Only 10s first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

100. Karla McLaren – Embracing Anxiety

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 30 Jun 2020 01:00:01 -0400

Karla McLaren is a social science researcher and award-winning author of Embracing Anxiety: How to Access the Genius of This Vital Emotion and The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You. Karla is a pioneer in the study of empathy whose trailblazing approaches and unifying theory of emotions – including the Dynamic Emotional Integration and Six Essential Aspects of Empathy – open new pathways to self-awareness, communication, and empathy. In addition to her research on empathy, Karla is also the CEO and Founder of Emotion Dynamics and developer of the Empathy Academy online learning community.

Karla joins me today to discuss the genius that comes with emotions, the lessons they try to teach us, and how to work with them. She explores how we can embrace anxiety and illustrates how we can treat it as our friend instead of a problem. She discusses the 17 emotions and the four families they belong to and explains how the belief that there are positive and negative emotions impact our emotional skills. She also shares mindfulness practices to work with emotions, such as conscious complaining and resourcing, and describes society’s tendency to “veilance” emotions.

“Anxiety is the emotion that helps you complete your tasks and get things done. It has a lot of energy and a lot of work to do.” – Karla McLaren

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Emotions as skills for survival
Karla’s beginnings in emotion research and how childhood abuse can turn-up empathy
What emotions are, why we have them, and their role in humanity’s survival
Why the idea that there are only four emotions hampers people’s emotional skills
The anger family of emotions and how it helps a person to work with boundaries
Emotions related to the sadness family and what it means to have suicidal urges
What the emotions of the fear family teach us about intuition and instinct
What it means to “unveilance” emotions
The definition of fundamental attribution error and how to channel emotions
Accessing and working the intelligence and genius behind emotions
How anxiety works with other emotions and why they feel so negative
The difference between task-oriented and deadline oriented-people
The backlash effect of positive affirmations on people with lower self-esteem
The art of conscious complaining and resourcing
Karla’s writing process, routines, habits, and the biggest influences on her writing

Resources Mentioned:

Embracing Anxiety: How to Access the Genius of This Vital Emotion by Karla McLaren
The Language of Emotions: What Your Feelings Are Trying to Tell You by Karla McLaren
The Art of Empathy: A Complete Guide to Life’s Most Essential Skill by Karla McLaren
Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature by Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams
The Heart of Addiction: A New Approach to Understanding and Managing Alcoholism and Other Addictive Behaviours by Lance Dodes
On the Clock: What Low-Wage Work Did to Me and How It Drives America Insane by Emily Guendelsberger
The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Humble Consulting: How to Provide Real Help Faster by Edgar Schein
Shogun by James Clavell

Connect with Karla McLaren:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 100. Karla McLaren – Embracing Anxiety first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

99. John Perkins – Touching the Jaguar

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0400

John Perkins is a speaker, activist, and author of Touching the Jaguar: Transforming Fear Into Action to Change Your Life and the World and Confessions of an Economic Hitman. In addition to having worked as Chief Economist who advised the IMF, World Bank, and the United Nations, John worked with many shamans from six different continents, studying with them as their apprentice. John draws from this diverse experience in economics and shamanistic work to build the foundations of his writing. He is also the Founder and Board Member of Dream Change and Co-Founder of Pachamama Alliance, two non-profit organizations dedicated to creating a better world for the next generation.

John joins me today to share the wisdom and the lessons he learned from his journey in shamanism and his work in economics. He defines what the death economy is and differentiates it from the life economy and explains how we can help the world move toward the latter. He shares his experience as a shaman’s apprentice and illustrates how shamans are similar to psychotherapists. He also explains how our perception creates the world around us and demonstrates how we can confront the fears that hinder us from becoming the people we want to be.

“The jaguar represents fear. If you run away, it hounds you. But if you touch it, you can take its energy, courage, and wisdom.” – John Perkins

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

John’s background in economics and his experience as a shaman’s apprentice
How Touching the Jaguar bridges John’s work in economics and shamanism
What the death economy is and how it contrasts to the life economy
How perception molds our reality as human beings
What John learned in his journey in shamanism and being a shaman’s apprentice
Why GDP is a lousy measure of a nation’s wealth and prosperity
Humanity’s indigenous roots and why we lost our connection to nature
How shamans are similar to the psychotherapists of western culture
What ayahuasca is and how people tend to abuse it
John’s advice to people who want to meaningfully contribute to the planet
What we can learn from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth
The challenges and difficulties John finds in writing and what he learned from working with editors
How 39 publishers declined Confession of an Economic Hitman and how John persisted through the rejections
John’s writing process and his words of encouragement for people who are pursuing, or want to pursue, their creative projects

Resources Mentioned:

Touching the Jaguar: Transforming Fear Into Action to Change Your Life and the World by John Perkins
Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins
Shapeshifting: Shamanic Techniques for Global and Personal Transformation by John Perkins

Connect with John Perkins:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 99. John Perkins – Touching the Jaguar first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

98. Tal Ben-Shahar – Happier

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Tal Ben-Shahar is the best-selling author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment, Being Happy: You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life, and other books which have been translated to 25 languages. He is also the Co-founder and Chief Learning Officer of the Happiness Studies Academy. Tal is a leading expert in happiness studies who taught two of the most popular classes in Harvard University’s history: Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership. As a speaker, lecturer, and consultant, Tal delivers lectures worldwide to people of all walks of life, from the executives of multi-national corporations to vulnerable populations.

Tal joins me today to discuss the lessons he learned about happiness and how we can be happier. He shares his experiences as a squash player and illustrates how winning the Israeli National Championship led him to pursue happiness studies. He describes how we can grow and learn from traumatic experiences and explains why anxiety and depression continue to rise in today’s society. He also shares his “hamburger model” of happiness and reveals the five elements that constitute true and sustainable happiness.

” Happiness is not binary; it resides in a continuum. It’s not about reaching a finite point but a lifelong journey.” – Tal Ben-Shahar

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The importance of playing squash in Tal’s life and how it helped him develop his philosophy
How Tal learned the importance of hard work, failure, and teamwork from playing squash
How winning his first Israeli National Championships led Tal to find lasting happiness
What ‘learned helplessness’ is and why anxiety, depression, and suicide are on the rise
The arrival fallacy and why successful people are not necessarily the happiest
Tal’s ‘hamburger model’ and why happiness is not binary
The five elements of happiness and how to cultivate them
The two levels of suffering and how embracing unhappiness can lead to true happiness
How to stop procrastinating and using the ABCs of psychology to create lasting and sustainable behavioral change
Cultivating writing habits and why good writers are good readers
Tal’s process in finding, using, and organizing quotations and research for his books
Tal’s advice on marketing and selling books

Resources Mentioned:

Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar
Being Happy: You Don’t Have to Be Perfect to Lead a Richer, Happier Life by Tal Ben-Shahar
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
Passionate Marriage: Keeping Love and Intimacy Alive in Committed Relationships by David Schnarch
The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden

Connect with Tal Ben-Shahar:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 98. Tal Ben-Shahar – Happier first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

97. Beth Comstock – Imagine It Forward

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Beth Comstock is the author of Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change. Beth served as NBC Universal’s President for Integrated Media as well as the General Electric Company’s Vice-Chair and Chief Marketing Officer, where she led efforts to promote growth and innovation. In her book, Imagine it Forward, Beth draws lessons from her 30-year career as a change-maker and offers her wisdom on cultivating courage, resilience, and creativity to spark innovation.

Beth joins me today to share her insights and wisdom on fostering creativity, innovation, and connection in an organization. She explains why she wrote her book and illustrate the process and challenges she experienced while writing it. She defines what social courage means and describes how she cultivated it. She explains what an agitated inquiry is and how you can use conflict and opposing perspectives to nurture innovation. She also discusses how fear prevents people from writing a book and shares her advice on promoting your work.

“People want to take different paths. To innovate, use that tension to get better ideas and a better view of the future.” – Beth Comstock

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The inspiration behind her book, Imagine it Forward, and the challenges she encountered in writing it
Why Beth turned down Steve Jobs twice
The impact of drafting press releases as if they had already been announced
What social courage is and the micro-challenges Beth made to cultivate it
The risks Beth took in her career and why she invited herself to meetings she wasn’t part of
The meaning of agitated inquiry and how conflict can be leveraged to spark innovation
How Beth has always had coaches and the qualities of an effective coach
The importance of giving ourselves permission
What stops people from starting their book and the importance of knowing why you want to write a book
Beth’s writing rituals and how she planned the structure of her book
Beth’s advice on book promotions and why she recommends reading your book out loud before getting it published

Resources Mentioned:

Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change by Beth Comstock
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression by Mark Nepo

Connect with Beth Comstock:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 97. Beth Comstock – Imagine It Forward first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

96. Steve Pavlina – Personal Development for Smart People

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:15:50 -0400

Steve Pavlina is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and the author of Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth. After an arrest on charges of grand theft auto in 1991, Steve made a conscious decision to turn his life around. He founded Dexterity Software, a computer game development company that focused on nonviolent puzzle games. He has served as Vice President and later President, of the Association of Software Professionals. Seeing himself as an explorer and perpetual student, Steve closed his software company and started a personal development blog and website to create more meaningful ripples in the world. Steve has blogged over 2 million words of content and released the copyright encouraging people to take his work and merge it with their own. As a result he is co-author of at least 200 books.

Steve joins me today to talk about how he gets his ideas for his blog posts. We talk about his many personal experiments and passions including polyphasic sleep, vegetarianism, veganism, even 30 consecutive days at Disneyland, and a 40-day water fast. We also talk about a conscious growth club he runs and a time when he realized he could work fewer hours and get better results. A free thinker testing the conventional paths, he says the smarter we are, the faster we grow.

“I decided what I really wanted to do was create a bigger growth-oriented community. And the goal is we all come together and we encourage the heck out of each other. We all help each other grow. We work together as a team. We actually get to know each other and we care about each other. We cooperate.” – Steve Pavlina

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Twelve years in Catholic school where all the answers were given to you
A seminar with speaker Wayne Dyer changes Steve’s life
A dream for his twenties ran its course but it wasn’t meaningful enough
2 million words on Steve’s blog and it’s all in the public domain
Writing for specific people
A long history of being connected with customers and readers of his blog
Steve’s process of asking the universe for writing inspiration, where it feels like a meditation
The accidental vegetarian (then vegan) – a 30-day experiment that just kept going
30-day trial: Spending 30 consecutive days at Disneyland…voluntarily. What would it do to a person?
Steve created a group called Conscious Growth Club in 2017 and has now over 150 members
Find out how to connect to people – your tribe – of like-minded people aligned and interested in personal growth
What Steve finds many people struggle with is consistency and what that means
Finding that purpose you want to invest in for 20 years or more
40-day trial: Water fasting
The toughest part of fasting is longer for women than men
Steve records every day of his fasting experience on his YouTube channel along with a personal growth lesson
The risks in fasting for long periods of time – it’s not what you might imagine
Experiments that are not worth doing
The benefits of group challenges
What there may be not-to-like about the personal growth field
Steven’s travel tips and why
The exercise that Americans don’t get enough of
What are you willing to say ‘Yes’ to?
Can you be wealthy without money? Holding wealth in the form of social goodwill
Steve’s favorite TV show and what it’s taught him
Social goals vs. Individual goals
The benefits of not holding grudges
The downfalls to focusing on individual success vs. investing in social bonds
Blocks to our more heart-centered paths
How being broke is an invitation to thinking about life differently

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Steve Pavlina:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 96. Steve Pavlina – Personal Development for Smart People first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

95. Isaac Bentwich – Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 26 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Isaac Bentwich is a practitioner and teacher of yoga and meditation, and the author of Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time, a poetic translation of the Bhagavad Gita. A medical doctor by training and entrepreneur by profession, Isaac has founded several tech companies, including Quris Technologies, Ripples Technologies, and CropX LTD, each leading disruptive revolutions in the fields of medicine, genomics, and environmental conservation. At the core of Isaac’s life work is his inner spiritual journey – touched by the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita’s wisdom and his mission to share it with people.

Isaac joins me today to share his journey in writing Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time. He explains what the Bhagavad Gita is and illustrates how it’s a guide to help us define the meaning of life. He discusses the poetic nature of the Bhagavad Gita and shares some verses that impacted him. He also shares his thoughts on the creative process of writing a book as well as the joys he finds in meditation retreats.

“The Bhagavad Gita beckons you to listen to the inner wisdom of your soul.” – Isaac Bentwich

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What’s life about for Isaac and how his spiritual journey underpins his profession
Isaac’s first encounter with the Bhagavad Gita and what compelled him to write a translation
How Isaac has made his translation of the Bhagavad Gita accessible while preserving its poetic and meditative nature
What the Bhagavad Gita is, its history, its teachings, and how it defines the meaning of life
Isaac’s journey through yoga and the interconnection between his practice as a medical doctor and the Bhagavad Gita
The use of battle as a setting in the Bhagavad Gita and an excerpt that completely drew Isaac in
The people the Bhagavad Gita has impacted and how it inspired them
Why the Bhagavad Gita is a handbook on mindfulness and a guide on everyday living
How mastering the mind can help us create and write a book
Isaac’s experiences with months-long meditative retreats

Resources Mentioned:

Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time by Isaac Bentwich
Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of God by Christopher Isherwood
Passage Meditation – A Complete Spiritual Practice by Eknath Easwaran

Connect with Isaac Bentwich:

New Gita Website
Isaac Bentwich on LinkedIn
Email: Bentwich@newgita.com

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 95. Isaac Bentwich – Gita: A Timeless Guide For Our Time first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

94. Dandapani – Unwavering Focus

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 19 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Dandapani is a Hindu priest and creator of the Unwavering Focus and Introduction to Meditation courses, as well as the Dandapani: Learn to Focus app. Before spending ten years of his life as a monk under the tutelage of the guru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Dandapani graduated from university with a degree in Electrical Engineering. In addition to his priesthood, Dandapani is an entrepreneur who has worked with athletes and organizations such as the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Nike. Additionally, he is also a speaker whose TEDx Talk, Unwavering Focus, has garnered over 3 million views on YouTube. Dandapani empowers people all over the world by teaching them how to cultivate focus and concentration through the techniques that have been used by Hindu monks for thousands of years.

Dandapani joins me today to discuss the power of focus and concentration. He explains how concentration is something everyone is told to do but not taught how to do and underscores the importance of understanding the mind. He shares the story of how he became a monk and describes his mission to build a botanical garden in Costa Rica. He also enumerates the differences between the mind and awareness, as well as reveals how you can experience the divinity within yourself through the act of writing.

“Concentration is the first fundamental step to change.” – Dandapani

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Dandapani has dedicated his life to teaching people to develop their focus and concentration
The importance of understanding the mind, how concentration can be taught, and why concentration comes before meditation
The guru that inspired Dandapani to live ten years in a monastery as a monk
The purpose of Dandapani’s botanical garden project in Costa Rica
Finding a philosophy you can commit to, and the fear of people over getting associated with a religion or spirituality
Why Dandapani recommends reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
The difference between the mind and awareness, and how learning to control your awareness impacts the mind
The path of the householder and why there’s nothing wrong with making money
The power of writing as a creative tool to eradicate unresolved emotions

Resources Mentioned:

Dandapani: Learn to Focus
Unwavering Focus
Introduction to Meditation
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda

Connect with Dandapani:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 94. Dandapani – Unwavering Focus first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

93. Maryanne Wolf – The Reading Brain

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 12 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Maryanne Wolf is the author of Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain, Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century, Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain as well as over 160 scientific articles. She is a scholar, teacher, and Director of the newly-created Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at UCLA. Maryanne began her work in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psycholinguistics at the Department of Human Development and Psychology at Harvard University, where she also completed her doctorate. A staunch advocate for children and global literacy, Maryanne designed the Rave-O, reading intervention for children with dyslexia and co-founded Curious Learning, a global literacy initiative.

Maryanne joins me today to discuss the neuroscience of reading. She explains how the act of reading creates circuits in our brains and allow us to gain a deeper perspective and cultivate empathy. She illustrates how the modern reader’s tendency to skim through reading mediums impacts their memory and democracy. She also underscores the need for every teacher to understand the science of reading and how reading helps children realize their fullest potential as human beings.

“Deep reading is the ability to bear all of our best and most sophisticated intellectual processes: the discernment and evaluation of truth, beauty, and ‘other’.” – Maryanne Wolf

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Maryanne’s experience while teaching in Hawaii and how she was inspired to study neuroscience
How reading helps children achieve their fullest potential as human beings
The evolution and neuroscience of reading, and how we create circuits in our brain through the act of reading
The brain on processing different languages and how reading on a screen affects neuroplasticity
The definition of deep reading and how it helps us widen our perspectives and cultivate empathy
Linda Stone’s ‘continuous partial attention,’ and the sharp decline of empathy in our generation
How distraction affects memory, empathy, and democracy
Reading as a form of magic and how language helps create a bridge to the highest aspect of our being

Resources Mentioned:

Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf
Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century, Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain by Maryanne Wolf
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker
The House of Wisdom: A Pilgrimage of the Heart by John S. Dunne
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Connect with Maryanne Wolf:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 93. Maryanne Wolf – The Reading Brain first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

92. Dr. Bob Nelson – Improving Employee Recognition

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 05 May 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Dr. Bob Nelson is the bestselling author of multiple business management and employee engagement books, including 1,001 Ways to Engage Employees, Recognizing & Engaging Employees for Dummies, and 1,001 Ways to Reward Employees. He is the world’s leading expert on employee recognition, motivation, and engagement and has sold over 5-Million copies of his books, which have been translated into over 30 languages. Bob is a long-time collaborator and confidante of Dr. Ken Blanchard, the co-author of The One Minute Manager. He has earned notable recognition and awards, including the 2019 Top 20 Global Management Guru Award by Global Gurus. He has presented keynote speeches, webinars, and presentations on topics related to employee recognition, management, motivation, and engagement and has been featured in mainstream media publications, including The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes, Inc. Magazine, Fortune Magazine, and BusinessWeek.

Dr. Bob Nelson joins me today to discuss what it was like having Peter Drucker as a mentor and teacher. He explains what it really means to recognize your employees and shares tips and ideas on how employers can make employee recognition and engagement part of their daily management routine. We discuss what is required to create a great workplace culture and why accountability matters. We discuss strategies for giving effective feedback to your team and how to effectively acknowledge our colleagues, co-workers, and employees. We also discuss what ‘management’ truly means in the workplace and strategies managers can use to become more effective leaders.

“Don’t do stuff just to be nice. Do stuff to rally around performance that matters at the individual and group basis and organizational basis.” – Dr. Bob Nelson

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Dr. Bob’s upbringing and his journey to becoming the world’s leading authority on employee recognition, motivation, and engagement
Dr. Bob’s experiences and the lessons he learned from Peter Drucker
How he helps organizations improve employee engagement and recognition
The importance of making employee recognition and engagement a top priority within your organization
Effective strategies you can use to increase their employee engagement
How to hire, train, and evaluate leaders and employees
The characteristics of a great leader and the importance of being a good role model for future leaders within your organization
How to address poor-performing employees, the concept of a ‘human relations bank account,’ and strategies to reward good performance
Managing employee expectations by being straight-forward and sincere
The importance of focusing employee recognition on their performance instead of their presence

Resources Mentioned:

1,001 Ways to Reward Employees by Dr. Bob Nelson
1,001 Ways to Engage Employees by Dr. Bob Nelson
Recognizing & Engaging Employees for Dummies by Dr. Bob Nelson
The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
The Power of Ethical Management by Norman Vincent Peale and Ken Blanchard

Connect with Dr. Bob Nelson:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 92. Dr. Bob Nelson – Improving Employee Recognition first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

91. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 02:00:51 -0400

John Leland is the author of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old, Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think). John is also a public speaker and an award-winning journalist for the New York Times, where he writes features for the Sunday Metropolitan section. Before his work at the New York Times, John served as a senior editor for Newsweek and worked at other publications, including Details, Newsday, and Spin.

John joins me today to discuss why older people may be happier than younger people and the benefit of being selective with who you surround yourself with. He shares what it truly means to be storyteller, how to know if your story is worth telling, and how to bring your work to completion. John also highlights where the strength of a sentence lies and the power of truth-telling as a writer.

“Getting older is another way of living. Aging and living are the same thing.” – John Leland

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why there may be a relationship between happiness and age
How John has shifted his perspective on aging to live a better life
The two people who have had the most notable influence on John as a writer
Why John sees a significant distinction between his work as a journalist and as an author
How John defines storytelling and how he knows when a book is worth writing
John’s experiences with writer’s block and how to effectively address it
A peek into John’s writing process and aspects of his routine
How distancing yourself from your stories can provide a useful perspective
John’s insight into effectively pitching and selling a book and the importance of connecting with your audience

Resources Mentioned:

Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old by John Leland
Hip: The History by John Leland
Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think) by John Leland
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman
The Russian Debutante’s Handbook by Gary Shteyngart
The Undying by Anne Boyer
“Real Estate Thought It Was Invincible in New York. It Wasn’t.” by John Leland
Bang the Keys by Jill Dearman
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Stanford Center on Longevity
Kiva

Connect with John Leland:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 91. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

90. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 01:00:11 -0400

John Leland is the author of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old. He is also a public speaker and an award-winning journalist for the New York Times where he writes features for the Sunday Metropolitan section. Before his work at the New York Times, John served as a senior editor for Newsweek and worked at other publications, including Details, Newsday, and Spin. In addition to his latest book, John has authored two other books entitled Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think).

John joins me today to discuss the renewed perspective on aging he has gained in the process of researching for his latest book. He shares the importance of living a full life rather than just a long one and how the way we frame our lives impacts our mindset and emotional experience, especially as we age. John also highlights the limiting perspectives that many of us who haven’t aged have developed about getting older and whether it is possible to live a full life when faced with loss.

“That sense that we are living for the things that matter to us is available to us all the time.” – John Leland

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Common themes with the things that truly matter to most of us
What Happiness Is a Choice You Make is about and why John wrote it
John’s shift in perspective on aging as he wrote and researched for his book
How John approached the task of following six elderly individuals for a year
How John chose which six people to highlight and a sneak peek into some of their stories
The impact that purpose-driven mindset can have on someone’s older years
A major failure in John’s life and what he learned from the experience
The difference in how John approaches his articles and his book and the feedback he has received
The story of how John changed a lightbulb for one of his interview subjects, and why this was so significant for John as a journalist
John’s thoughts on the science of longevity and what matters more than how long we live

Resources Mentioned:

Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old by John Leland
Hip: The History by John Leland
Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think) by John Leland

Connect with John Leland:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 90. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

89. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 02:00:27 -0400

Deemed “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times, Chip Conley is an award-winning hospitality entrepreneur, business and psychology thought leader and New York Times best-selling author. Chip is the Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership for Airbnb, and formerly served as the company’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. He is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, as well as Joie de Vivre Hospitality, where he served as CEO for 24 years. Chip is on the Stanford Center for Longevity’s advisory board and has written five books, including Wisdom@Work, Emotional Equations, and PEAK.

Chip joins me today to discuss retirement, purpose, and how your mindset on aging can add years to your life. He explains the difference between getting older and becoming an elder as well as the common feelings that often accompany transitions. He shares insights into his writing process, how he shapes and structures his books, and his ideal chapter length. Chip also highlights how book marketing has changed from what it used to be and what makes people more likely to buy a book in the moment.

“Wisdom is not taught; it’s shared.” – Chip Conley

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How retirement relates to mortality rate and why
Three things that people tend to lose when they retire and the relationship many people have between work and purpose
The difference between getting older and getting elder
Common feelings that accompany transitions and how embracing a growth mindset can move you into a state of flow
Chips insights for effectively dealing with jet lag
Questions to ask yourself to become more aware of your relationship with money
Chip’s creative process for daily blogging and his process for book writing
How Chip organizes his time and sets himself up for success in the writing process
The importance of building your own community and platform when it comes to marketing and promoting your book
What liminal means and how people tend to relate to the possibility of changes ahead of them

Resources Mentioned:

Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley
Emotional Equations: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness + Success by Chip Conley
“Mihaly and Carol’s Love Child” by Chip Conley
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Awakening the Soul by Michael Meade
The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Steven Covey
TED Talks – Dan Gilbert
Kiva

Connect with Chip Conley:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 89. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

88. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Chip Conley is an award-winning hospitality entrepreneur, business and psychology thought leader and New York Times best-selling author, deemed “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times. Chip is the Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership for Airbnb, and formerly served as the company’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. He is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, as well as Joie de Vivre Hospitality, where he served as CEO for 24 years. Chip is on the Stanford Center for Longevity’s advisory board and has written five books, including Wisdom@Work, Emotional Equations, and PEAK.

Chip joins me today to share his insights on embracing elderhood, aging, and life satisfaction. He highlights the distinction between elders and the elderly, when adolescence became coined as a term and life stage, and the more recent concept of “middlescence.” He explains how our perspectives change as we age and how he defines the ‘u-curve of happiness.’ Chip also shares the strengths that different age groups bring to the table and why embracing age diversity is so effective.

“The more digital we get, the more ritual we need.” – Chip Conley

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Characteristics of the first and second half of life and realizations people tend to have in midlife
Chip’s encounters with death and the perspective he gained through his experiences
What the u-curve of happiness is and how life satisfaction and happiness shift over time
The difference between attainment and attunement
Chip’s love of festivals, his insight into the festival world, and trends he has noticed
How our perspectives change as we get older and how our brains change and evolve as we age
The power of embracing age diversity by working together across generations
What elderhood truly means and what prepares people for elderhood
How society regards the elder of the past versus the modern elder
The importance of human-to-human interaction no matter what type of company you run
What psychological safety looks and how it helps build effective teams

Resources Mentioned:

Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley
Emotional Equations: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness + Success by Chip Conley
PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow by Chip Conley
The Enneagram Institute
Google’s Project Aristotle

Connect with Chip Conley:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 88. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

87. Mark Divine – Staring Down the Wolf

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:00:07 -0400

Mark Divine is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of USCrossFit, SEALFIT, Unbeatable Mind, and NavySEALs.com. Mark spent twenty years with the Navy SEALS as an officer and commander. He is an expert in the human performance arena and has tested his training techniques on special operations candidates with a 90 percent success rate. Mark is a New York Times bestselling author and has written books including The Way of the SEAL, 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, Kokoro Yoga, Unbeatable Mind, SEALFIT Training Guide, and most recently, Staring Down the Wolf.

Mark joins me today to discuss the contents of Staring Down the Wolf and the importance of self-awareness and facing your fears and shadows. He shares the distinction between principles and commitments and how committing to excellence and embracing a growth mindset as a leader can help your team experience accelerated growth. Mark also highlights how relationships play a role in our lives and why you should lead with togetherness and heart rather than ego.

“Nothing happens to us without us impacting how it happened.” – Mark Divine

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Mark wrote Staring Down the Wolf, who he wrote it for, and the structure of the book
The seven commitments outlined in Mark’s book and the two primary aspects of every commitment
Why it is essential to look at the ‘shadow side’ of your commitments
What you need to do as an entrepreneurial leader to build an elite team, and its benefits
Whether everyone has the potential to be an effective leader
Why no one is exempt from the need to lead and the earliest relationships and leadership roles we all have
How the nature of our minds can impact our perception of experience and the responsibility we have to acknowledge our role in our reality
Why you should find and fight for your calling rather than merely getting by
The opportunities we have during this time of crisis and uncertainty

Resources Mentioned:

The Way of the SEAL: Think Like an Elite Warrior to Lead and Succeed by Mark Divine
8 Weeks to SEALFIT: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to Unconventional Training for Physical and Mental Toughness by Mark Divine
Kokoro Yoga: Maximize Your Human Potential and Develop the Spirit by Mark Divine
Unbeatable Mind: Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Level by Mark Divine
SEALFIT Training Guide by Mark Divine
Staring Down the Wolf: 7 Leadership Commitments That Forge Elite Teams by Mark Divine
Bhagavad Gita
Kiva

Connect with Mark Divine:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 87. Mark Divine – Staring Down the Wolf first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

86. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 02:00:21 -0400

Established in the field of philanthropy and passionate about the topic of giving, Jenny Santi is the author of The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving and the founder of philanthropic advisory firm, Saint & Partners. Before this role, Jenny served as the head of Philanthropy Services for UBS in Southeast Asia. In addition to her work in the philanthropic sector, Jenny is a painter who believes in art’s ability to heal and has studied at the Art Students League of New York and the Florence Academy of Art.

Jenny joins me today to discuss how to find greater fulfillment in giving and the power of self-reflection and gratitude. She describes her struggles with mental health and her journey to allowing her truth to co-exist with her brand as an author. Jenny also highlights the importance of understanding why you are giving and how saying no can open us up to say yes to the things that truly matter.

“Don’t give until it hurts but give until it feels great.” – Jenny Santi

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Insight into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and what the highest level of human need is
Jenny’s struggles with clinical depression and what went into her decision to include her experience in her book
The importance of self-care and the role of nature in Jenny’s healing
What Jenny learned by participating in a ten-day silent retreat
Why most people give and how to give in a way that feels more rewarding
Jenny’s thoughts on Deepak Chopra writing the forward to her book and Deepak’s definition of selfless
The concept of family philanthropy and the right and wrong way to go about it
How to more effectively use philanthropy to instill values in our children
Jenny’s feelings about the writing process and her perspectives on how to approach book promotion
Why it is essential to find strength in others as you engage in philanthropic efforts

Resources Mentioned:**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving by Jenny Santi
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Kiva

Connect with Jenny Santi:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 86. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

85. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 01:00:22 -0400

Jenny Santi is an established professional in the field of philanthropy and the author of The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving. She is the founder of philanthropic advisory firm Saint & Partners and formerly served as the head of Philanthropy Services for UBS in Southeast Asia. Jenny is a painter who believes in art’s ability to heal and has studied at the Art Students League of New York and the Florence Academy of Art.

Jenny joins me today to discuss the power of giving and the impact that giving can have on the giver. She shares the importance of giving in ways that resonate with our genuine interests and passions and how it can allow us to experience more purpose, joy, and fulfillment. Jenny also highlights her work in the philanthropic sector and the insights she gained through the process of interviewing people for her book.

“We all have the same amount of time. It is up to us to decide how much or how little of that time we devote in service.” – Jenny Santi

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Who Jenny wrote The Giving Way to Happiness for and why
A question you should ask people instead of “what do you do?”
Jenny’s upbringing in the Philippines and what her “lucky break” was
How giving and happiness are related and why it is something we can all engage in regardless of how much we have
Why we can feel exhausted and burnt out from giving
Questions to ask yourself to become more intentional with your giving
Jenny’s experience with interviewing Muhammad Yunus for her book and insights she gained in the process
Selflessness, selfishness, and the mentality people tend to hold surrounding scarcity and giving
Five things that you get from giving and the interplay between giving and healing
The definition of philanthropy and what it is truly about

Resources Mentioned:**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving by Jenny Santi

Connect with Jenny Santi:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 85. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

84. Mark Nepo – Creating Your Own Destiny Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 11:41:57 -0400

Mark Nepo, deemed one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit, is a poet, teacher, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, which sold over one million copies. Mark has written twenty-two books translated into over twenty languages and also writes regularly for Spirituality & Health Magazine. He has been featured on OWN TV’s Super Soul Sunday and interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. His work focuses on helping others through inner transformation.

Mark joins me today to discuss his relationship with feelings and how he allows fear to exist without drowning in it. He shares why we can’t be all things to all people, and why we need to take the time to intentionally clear our minds and not give in to a “fill it up” world. Mark also highlights his relationship with poetry and how poems are his teachers and the building blocks of his work.

“Great love and great suffering bring us to the edge of authenticity, and when we are there, we often discover what we didn’t know we know.” – Mark Nepo

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What Mark believes is our strongest muscle and window to everything
The concept of clearing out our personal and collective “acequia”
How Mark stopped allowing fear to run his life and how he approaches emotions
The mental tendency towards assumptions and conclusions and what is needed to combat this
Why it is essential to recognize and accept our limitations in relationships
The real reason why we often don’t keep our promises
Mark’s perspective on what real wealth is
Mark’s guide and inspiration
The interplay between effort and grace and how letting go of intent fits into the picture

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression by Mark Nepo
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Into English: Poems, Translations, Commentaries by Martha Collins and Kevin Prufer
The Mermaid by W.B. Yeats
Furbo
Kiva

Connect with Mark Nepo:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 84. Mark Nepo – Creating Your Own Destiny Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

83. Special Release – Covidcast 7 – Outcomes

School for Good Living Podcasts — Wed, 01 Apr 2020 21:14:33 -0400

In this final episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Outcomes, and how writing down what we want to accomplish in the future will lead us to our best selves.

As part of the episode, Bryan walks you through why this is the beginning step in his program and why it’s not a selfish process. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what your goals are, or ask him any other questions on your mind, by emailing him at bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices Medical staff flying to New York to fight Covid-19 QuarARTine All-Ages Art Show

Subscribe, Rate & Share!Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

The post 83. Special Release – Covidcast 7 – Outcomes first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

82. Special Release – Covidcast 6 – Perspective

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 20:11:03 -0400

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Perspective, and how understanding our position in the universe can help us live a better life.

As part of the episode, Bryan talks shares details on the cosmic calendar and how small humanities footprint actually is in it, as well as what brings him hope on this day. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope, or ask him any other questions on your mind, by emailing him at bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices Cosmic Calendar

The post 82. Special Release – Covidcast 6 – Perspective first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

81. Mark Nepo – Creating Your Own Destiny Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Mark Nepo is a poet, teacher, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, which sold over one million copies. Mark, who has written twenty-two books translated into over twenty languages, was deemed one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit and writes regularly for Spirituality & Health Magazine. His work focuses on topics surrounding inner transformation, and his accomplishments include being interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America and being featured on OWN TV’s Super Soul Sunday.

Mark joins me today to discuss how nearly dying of cancer opened him up to the miraculous aspects of life. He shares the role of inner discovery in book writing, and why you should be open to receive, rather than merely “making use” of writing material. Mark also highlights the power of expression, creativity, artistry, staying close to the pulse of life, and why what you perceive as artistic failure may be something to lean into.

“Always ask the heart to absorb and integrate, not sort and choose.” – Mark Nepo

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How Mark’s cancer survivorship has impacted his perspectives on life and destiny
The necessity of expression and different ways that it can present itself
The “two noble intentions” of all expression and the role of metaphor in human expression
Mark’s philosophy on how the heart inhales and exhales
How to approach both seeable and unseeable truths and the importance of bearing witness
Mark’s inspiration for Drinking from the River of Light
The moment Mark realized he is a poet and how he defines poetry
The concepts of getting attention versus giving attention and celebrity versus celebration
Changing your focus when met with insecurities and lack of self-worth
The mass shooting epidemic and how we can help heal the “social body”
The importance of distinguishing between tools and codes to live by
Mark’s perspective on the gift of teaching

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo
Drinking from the River of Light: The Life of Expression by Mark Nepo
I’m Explaining a Few Things by Pablo Neruda

Connect with Mark Nepo:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 81. Mark Nepo – Creating Your Own Destiny Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

80. Special Release – Covidcast 5 – Move, Breathe

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 19:22:23 -0400

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Move, Breathe, and how pausing to properly breathe can improve every aspect of your day.

As part of the episode, Bryan talks about his current feelings on the current situation and being ready for this season of quarantine to conclude. Bryan also walks you through a simple example of how to breathe. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope, or ask him any other questions on your mind, by emailing him at bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices Extending social distancing guidelines.Olympics being held in 2021

The post 80. Special Release – Covidcast 5 – Move, Breathe first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

79. Special Release – Covidcast 4 – Energy

School for Good Living Podcasts — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 18:50:33 -0400

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Energy, and how to gain the motivation to live a healthy and rewarding life.

As part of the episode, Bryan talks about how his father’s death gave him a new perspective on what a fulfilling life should look like, and he also shares his hope after hearing of a new Covid-19 test that purports to just take five minutes for a result. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope, by emailing him at bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices 5-minute Covid Test

The post 79. Special Release – Covidcast 4 – Energy first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

78. Special Release – Covidcast 3 – Time

School for Good Living Podcasts — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 19:40:14 -0400

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Time, and how to visualize the ideal day that brings us a sense of joy and satisfaction.

As part of the episode, Bryan shares his hope upon hearing about the government’s financial plan for our current challenges. If you find yourself lacking hope during the Covid-19 pandemic (or any time for that matter), and you want to live each day to its fullest, this is the podcast for you. Please reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope. bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices Ventec Life Systems and GM

The post 78. Special Release – Covidcast 3 – Time first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

77. Special Release – Covidcast 2 – Love

School for Good Living Podcasts — Fri, 27 Mar 2020 14:29:31 -0400

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Love, and a better understanding of what it is and how we can apply these days where many of us are learning greater insights into our relationships.

As part of the episode, Bryan shares the hope he received while waiting in line and his Apple watch notified him to sobering news. If you find yourself lacking in love or hope during the Covid-19 pandemic (or any time for that matter), this is the podcast for you. Please reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope. bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life’s Best Practices How the Pandemic Will End by Ed YongDyson Covent Ventilator

The post 77. Special Release – Covidcast 2 – Love first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

76. Special Release – Covidcast 1 – Presence

School for Good Living Podcasts — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:43:00 -0400

In this special podcast release, Bryan introduces Life’s Best Practices – Presence, and how implementing it can give us the hope necessary to overcome turbulent situations. If you find yourself lacking in hope during the Covid-19 pandemic (or any time for that matter), this is the podcast for you. Please reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope. bryan@bryaniller.com

Resources Mentioned:Life ‘s Best Practices Governor Herbert’s Economic Response Plan

The post 76. Special Release – Covidcast 1 – Presence first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

75. Sydney Campos – Experiencing & Embodying Empathy Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 02:00:34 -0400

Working with visionary leaders to help them truly embody their purpose, Sydney Campos is a speaker, business strategy advisor, certified holistic health coach, founder of Odyssey, and the author of The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything. Sydney embraces and integrates spiritual insights into her work and also serves as a registered yoga teacher and Reiki energy healer. She also hosts the Visionary Souls podcast and has been featured in Forbes, Refinery29, Bustle, MindBodyGreen, PureWow, and New York Magazine.

Sydney joins me today to discuss her work with energy and crystals and our power as individuals to create the energetic experiences we wish to have. She shares her journey to becoming an author, what her creative process for writing looks like, and how she views her book in terms of energetic currency. Sydney also highlights her upcoming book and how she intends to share it with an energy of celebration.

“We have an invitation to share – to share our story, to share our wisdom, to share our revelation.” – Sydney Campos

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Sydney’s life philosophy and something she wishes she was better at
How Sydney incorporates crystals into her life to support her energetically
Personal changes Sydney has made to live a better life
What kind of energy Sydney views money as and what it represents for her
Who supports Sydney in her writing process and where she draws her inspiration from
How the universe met Sydney halfway in the process of writing her book
The impact of your unique message and insight and why you should follow your impulse to share
How long it took Sydney to write The Empath Experience and how she approaches her writing to ensure that her energy is in the right place despite external stressors
The relationship between embodying truth and writing good sentences
Sydney’s goals for her upcoming book and how she plans to approach the promotional process

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything by Sydney Campos
The Consciousness Code: 8 Steps to Awakening Your Higher Self by Sydney Campos
The Untethered Soul: the Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael Singer
The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection by Michael Singer
Crystals: A Guide to Using the Crystal Compass for Energy, Healing, and Reclaiming Your Power by Aisha Amarfio
Mt Chasta Naturals Aromatherapy
Kiva

Connect with Sydney Campos:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 75. Sydney Campos – Experiencing & Embodying Empathy Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

74. Sydney Campos – Experiencing & Embodying Empathy Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 01:00:39 -0400

Sydney Campos is a speaker, business strategy advisor, certified holistic health coach, and the author of The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything. As the founder and CEO of Odyssey, a global strategic council, Sydney works to help visionary leaders truly embody their purpose. Sydney embraces and integrates spiritual insights in her work, and also serves as a registered yoga teacher and Reiki energy healer. Sydney hosts the Visionary Souls podcast and has been featured in Forbes, Refinery29, Bustle, MindBodyGreen, PureWow, and New York Magazine.

Sydney joins me today to discuss the concept of empathy, what it means to be an empath, and what you may experience if you are unaware that you are an empath. She discusses her journey with drug and alcohol abuse, the underlying factors that contributed to her decade-long battle, and insights for those who might be going through similar issues. Sydney also highlights why you shouldn’t try to rescue people who exhibit destructive behavior and how prioritizing your energy can help others stand in their power as well.

“Presence is our power.” – Sydney Campos

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What an empath is, why it is essential to identify your empathic tendencies, and whether Sydney believes all humans have the capacity for empathy
The distinction between being empathetic and being an empath
Why Sydney felt isolated growing up and how her life and self-perception has transformed since discovering that she is an empath
The role that drinking played in Sydney’s life and why she stopped drinking
The “double life” Sydney lived while struggling to recover from drug and alcohol abuse and some scary wake-up calls she experienced
The importance of truth-telling and liberating yourself from the shadows of shame and secrecy
Sydney’s advice for those who are going through similar struggles and the deeper, universal feelings that drugs and alcohol can be symptomatic of
The power of presence, asking for help, and being seen by others
The best thing you can do to show up for a loved one who is struggling
The difference between unconditional love and dependent love and service versus servitude

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Empath Experience: What to Do When You Feel Everything by Sydney Campos
The Consciousness Code: 8 Steps to Awakening Your Higher Self by Sydney Campos

Connect with Sydney Campos:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 74. Sydney Campos – Experiencing & Embodying Empathy Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

73. Stephen G. Post – Synchronicity & Spirituality Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 02:00:00 -0400

Stephen G. Post is a public speaker, opinion leader, and the bestselling author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People and God and Love on Route 80: The Hidden Mystery of Human Connectedness. Deemed one of the “stars of positive psychology,” Stephen is the Founder of the Center for Medical Humanities at Stony Brook University as well as a professor of Preventive Medicine and Bioethics. His work emphasizes giving and compassion in the medical field and has been featured on The Daily Show and in publications including “O” Magazine and US News & World Report.

Stephen joins me today to discuss his views on love, loyalty, and his concept of “carefrontation.” He shares the importance of redefining success and intentionally celebrating the lives of our loved ones. We discuss the power of utilizing quiet morning moments to connect spiritually. Stephen also highlights how everyone’s life has depth and can be a starting point for crafting stories that people will want to read.

“Keep your faith in the journey because there’s always something out in front of you that you can’t see, that’s waiting for you to arrive.” – Stephen G. Post

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

A shocking story about how Stephen gained $100 through the power of prayer
Why religion is like a GPS, and why Stephen doesn’t believe in naming God
What “carefrontation” is, how it differs from confrontation, and how Stephen defines love
Stephen’s experience working with Sir John Templeton on the concept of unlimited love
How to cultivate, follow, and respond to the pull of limitless higher love
Stephen’s morning spiritual practice and how it helps him stay centered and grow in his ability to express love
The human nature of mistakes and why you shouldn’t beat yourself up for making them
Why you should emphasize respect when interacting with people with different views
The importance of loyalty and embracing imperfection in relationships
Why you should “write from life” and not underestimate the value of your own story

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Stephen G. Post
God and Love on Route 80: The Hidden Mystery of Human Connectedness by Stephen G. Post
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
John Templeton Foundation
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
Altruism by Matthieu Ricard
Becoming Human by Jean Vanier

Connect with Stephen G. Post:

Stephen G. Post
Email: post@stephengpost.com

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 73. Stephen G. Post – Synchronicity & Spirituality Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

72. Stephen G. Post Synchronicity & Spirituality Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Deemed one of the “stars of positive psychology,” Stephen G. Post is a public speaker, opinion leader, and the bestselling author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People and God and Love on Route 80: The Hidden Mystery of Human Connectedness. Stephen is the Founder of the Center for Medical Humanities at Stony Brook University as well as a professor of Preventive Medicine and Bioethics. His work, which emphasizes giving and compassion in the medical field, has been featured on The Daily Show and in publications including “O” Magazine and US News & World Report.

Stephen joins me today to discuss the contents of his book God and Love on Route 80 and a dream he experienced several times that ultimately ended up finding its way into his life. Stephen shares the philosophies and themes he teaches on, and why he believes in the power of synchronicity. Stephen also highlights the unusual way he has personally experienced synchronicity and the positive impact of living for others.

“The journey is really what it is. It doesn’t matter what ‘highway’ you’re on – the journey’s always there.” – Stephen G. Post

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Stephen wrote his book God and Love on Route 80
A repeating dream Stephen had that impacted him spiritually, and how this dream came true
The two lives that most of us live within one lifetime, and Stephen’s views on perfection
Stephen’s belief in the power of the journey
How Stephen defines synchronicity and how he has experienced it
The two types of causalities described in the work of Carl Jung, and Stephen’s views on probability and “impossible possibilities”
How we can cultivate more synchronicity in our lives and become more aware of the synchronicities that are already occurring
The power of prayer and how living for others can elevate us

Resources Mentioned:

Why Good Things Happen to Good People by Stephen G. Post
God and Love on Route 80: The Hidden Mystery of Human Connectedness by Stephen G. Post
The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Travels With Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Shamanism by Mircea Eliade
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Synchronicity by C. G. Jung
“Golden Rule (1961)” by Norman Rockwell

Connect with Stephen G. Post:

Stephen G. Post
Email: post@stephengpost.com

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 72. Stephen G. Post Synchronicity & Spirituality Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

71. Scott Young – How to Learn Anything Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 02:00:00 -0400

Known for completing MIT’s undergraduate computer science curriculum in just twelve months without attending any classes, Scott Young is known for his valuable insight on topics related to knowledge acquisition, learning, and working more effectively. An entrepreneur, programmer, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Ultralearning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills, and Outsmart the Competition, Scott believes that learning is key to living well. His work has been featured on BBC, Business Insider, The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, TEDx, and LifeHacker.

Scott joins me today to discuss his views on sleep and money. He highlights his approach to writing articles and some notable individuals who have inspired and influenced him creatively. Scott also shares the impact he hopes to make through his books and his life, and how approaching your life through the lens of learning can be beneficial.

“If there is going to be any change in the world, it’s going to have to emanate from within.” – Scott Young

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Scott’s philosophy on life, and what makes someone a truly empathetic listener
Why you should set goals and pursue projects while traveling
The importance of sleep for overall health and wellbeing and why your sleep habits matter
What happens physiologically when you sleep and how rest relates to memory
The importance of gaining a global view and putting our perspectives in a broader context
Scott’s advice for approaching and managing money with less stress
Approximately how many words Scott has written and his journey with blogging
Scott’s advice for aspiring writers and people who have influenced Scott’s writing
Scott’s approach for writing articles and how he approaches introductions
Scott’s writing process and the dangers of relying on your memory to write
The impact Scott hopes his book will have on people’s desire to learn
Why you should approach all aspects of life from a learner’s perspective

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Ultralearning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills, and Outsmart the Competition by Scott H. Young
The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Joe Rogan Experience – #1109, Matthew Walker
Getting Things Done by David Allen
Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? by Jason Crawford
Kiva
Evernote

Connect with Scott Young:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 71. Scott Young – How to Learn Anything Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

70. Scott Young – How to Learn Anything Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 01:00:00 -0400

Scott Young is an entrepreneur, programmer, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Ultralearning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills, and Outsmart the Competition. Scott believes that learning is key to living well and is known for engaging learning projects such as The Year Without English, an endeavor that earned him proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, and Korean. Additionally, through his MIT Challenge, Scott used his knowledge acquisition strategies to complete MIT’s undergraduate computer science curriculum in just twelve months without attending any classes. Through his work, Scott provides valuable insight on topics related to knowledge acquisition, learning, and working more effectively. His work has been featured on BBC, Business Insider, The New York Times, Popular Mechanics, TEDx, and LifeHacker.

Scott joins me today to discuss his philosophies on how you can master any learning endeavor you set out on. He shares his experience with language learning and whether or not children are more capable of becoming multilingual than adults. Scott also offers a helpful perspective on topics including focus, procrastination, and motivation that can help you approach your life, study, and work endeavors more effectively.

“We all have capacities to be really, really good at things that are somewhat underexplored.” – Scott Young

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

How Scott’s interests growing up relate to his current work and perspectives
What “the year without English” is and Scott’s view on the word ‘fluency’
The impact and importance of the environment when it comes to learning a language
Whether you take the learning path that feels easy or the one that feels difficult and why
What Ultra Learning is and the components that differentiate it from other approaches
How assumptions about natural talent get in the way of our true potential and why you should approach your potential with curiosity
The role of challenge, fun, and enjoyment in learning
How to help your children find their motivation to learn
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation and the importance of knowing your “why” for learning
The role of focus and alertness when performing different types of tasks and the difference between narrow and diffused focus
The concept of fluency of processing and techniques to use to improve your long term retention
The importance of prioritizing your desire to learn something and the role of resistance
Tips for dealing with procrastination and maintaining stamina towards your learning goals

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Connect with Scott Young:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 70. Scott Young – How to Learn Anything Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

69. Sophie Chiche – The Power of Personal Accountability

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Sophie Chiche is a French-American speaker, entrepreneur, and the author of The Power of Personal Accountability: Achieve What Matters To You. She co-wrote this book with Mark Samuel to bring attention to what really matters to you. She is a two-time TedTalk presenter with degrees in Business, Journalism and a Masters in Applied Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. She is working on a new book to be released later this year.

In this interview Sophie talks about how she used to weigh more than 350 lbs and made the significant change to lose and keep off more than half that weight. We talk about the mindset and behavior that allowed her to achieve such a massive transformation which also led Sophie to founding Shape House, an urban sweat lodge with eight locations now between California and New York. She tells us what it’s like for her celebrity clientele to be inside an infrared sauna.

Sophie speaks to loving ourselves and the power of integrity to transform our lives, taking charge of our lives right now, and knowing that life is not a rehearsal. We explore the idea that pretty much every one of us has at least one area of our lives in which we want to make a similarly significant change.

“You can eat everything you want, but before we do that, can we feel our feelings?” and I was startled basically and said, ‘Okay, all right, I’ll try.’ And then I backed off from the refrigerator.” – Sophie Chiche

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The two different lives between weighing 350lb and weighing less than half that amount
What a therapist said to change the course of Sophie’s life and shifted the relationship she had with herself
To look at the process of change as physical, emotional, mental and to some degree spiritual and how they all have to mature to the same level
Being raised in an environment that treated feelings as the plague, to be avoided at all costs
How Disney’s Mulan character Mushu is a lot like feelings – we imagine them to be bigger or scarier than they actually are
The education system is one way to learn and some kids it fits really well, while for others it really doesn’t
Sophie became a coach because she was more interested in where people are now
Whatever is in your past, whatever’s not resolved, it’s all here in the present
The brain (and the heart) is a muscle that requires to feel as an exercise, and avoid atrophy
The toxicity of not letting your feelings be expressed
Putting on a suit of armor will in the end limit your ability to grow
Question your beliefs. Are they really yours or could they easily be someone else’s? Do they serve you?
Sophie’s Netflix recommendations – ‘Fleabag” & ‘Killing Eve’
Some people develop their mental capabilities but neglect their emotional capability
The parallels between addiction and being healthy
Self-medicating to not feel the feelings we are meant to feel
The industry of sugar and how it’s an addictive substance
Going from not loving yourself to thinking you’re the most precious thing in the universe
The first step to self-love starts with integrity
How not making commitments under the gun can avoid living a life that’s not the life you want
We are in charge of our lives right now – we are the directors, the actors, and the production management as it’s happening
Judgement is the poison that you take hoping that it kills the other guy
If you treat your friends the way you treat yourself, would you have friends?
The question Sophie often asks herself is, “What’s the highest choice right now?”
The best mirror is often a good friend
The meeting and impact of Lewis Mehl Madrona
Sophie’s first sweat lodge experience
Confronting cultural appropriation
The Shape House experience: Infrared bedding, Netflix, a relax room with tea and Vitamin C and burning a thousand calories
How we abuse our bodies and what can be done to reset it and allow it to heal
Your at-home Shape House sweat experience – hot bath, lemons, ginger
The benefits of alkaline water
The feminine spirit of money and Sophie’s practice with a chess pawn
Writing Tips – Write like you speak
Write shorter sentences. One idea per sentence and only one sentence per idea.
Sophie’s biggest advice in life: find out what you’re really good at and then be okay to ask for help for that things that you’re not.
Working on your inner critic
When Sophie was ready for an agent
The best money Sophie has spent was on a retreat and having a coach
Have a date with your spiritual self

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Power of Personal Accountability: Achieve What Matters To You by Sophie Chiche & Mark Samuel
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Method Writing with Jack Grapes

Connect with Sophie Chiche:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 69. Sophie Chiche – The Power of Personal Accountability first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

68. Michael Bungay Stanier – Embrace Curiosity and Steer Clear of the Advice Trap!

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Michael Bungay Stanier is an author, keynote speaker, and an A-level thought leader in the field of coaching. He has written several books, including The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever, Get Unstuck… and get going on the stuff that matters, and The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever, which was deemed the best-selling coaching book of this century, selling over 700,000 copies. Michael, who was the first to be awarded Canadian Coach of the Year and was a Rhodes Scholar, is also the founder of learning and development company Box of Crayons. He believes in the power of curiosity to transform leadership.

Michael joins me today to discuss his views on commitment, change, and the role of curiosity in shifting people’s behaviors and mindsets. He highlights the difference between easy and hard change, how to make the desired shifts in your life, and the importance of uncovering individual challenges. Michael also shares his insights on coaching and highlights questions that can help shift conversations from advice to curiosity and create space for deeper insight.

“Once you have the real problem, the ideas show up. If you don’t have the real problem, it doesn’t matter how good your ideas are; they’re the wrong ideas to solve the wrong problem.” – Michael Bungay Stanier

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The role of advice and curiosity in leadership and which of the two to prioritize
The difference between ‘I-It relationships’ and ‘I-Thou relationships’
Michael’s views on coaching and why he believes we need to “un-weird” coaching
How to tame your “advice monster” and three different types of advice monsters that we may experience
How to make hard changes stick and what inner work is needed to get there
What the fog of fires are and why it can be so challenging to find focus and clarity in conversation
Why holding space for others is such a profound act of service and how to help open up space for personal reflection
Recognizing the role of luck and hard work in committed, long-term relationships
Michael’s beliefs and lessons surrounding money and the importance of knowing how much money is enough and investing the rest effectively
Michael’s approach to writing books better and faster and why you shouldn’t overlook book design
How Michael makes more money with his books than he would with a “typical” book deal
How intellectual property can serve as an engine to help you scale your business
Michael’s thoughts on book launches and critical marketing strategies he utilizes to promote and sell his book
How to be active and efficient with content creation and the power of crafting long-lasting, evergreen content

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious, and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
Get Unstuck… and get going on the stuff that matters by Michael Bungay Stanier
David Allen
Peter Block
Martin Buber
Tim Ferris
Page Two
Strategic Coach
Forget going viral. Here’s how to create work that lasts forever by Ryan Holiday
Kiva

Connect with Michael Bungay Stanier:

The Advice Trap (Take the Advice Monster Persona questionnaire, deep-dive video training, and gain access to The Year of Living Brilliantly training course!)
Box of Crayons
Michael Bungay Stanier on Instagram

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 68. Michael Bungay Stanier – Embrace Curiosity and Steer Clear of the Advice Trap! first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

67. Lewis Mehl-Madrona – History, Ceremony and Creative Wisdom Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Doctor, healer, and author of the Coyote Medicine, part of the Coyote trilogy, Lewis Mehl-Madrona looks at healing through the lens of Lakota, Cherokee and Cree traditions as well as how these practices collide with traditional medicine . He earned his medical degree from Stanford University and has taught at a number of universities, including Maine Dartmouth, Union Institute and University, the University of Hawaii, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Pittsburgh, along with his alma mater. He has authored over one-hundred academic papers and has held positions in hospitals as well as complimentary healthcare organizations. Lewis’s work focuses on the role of narrative and imagery in healing.

Lewis joins me today to discuss the power of indigenous wisdom and why he believes that people must be aware of the real history of indigenous people in this nation. He shares insights surrounding his creative process as an author, and why it is crucial to be disciplined in your writing instead of waiting for the inspiration to hit. Lewis also highlights several books and authors who have had a profound impact on him and his advice for writers seeking to improve their craft.

“Freedom comes from service. It’s not an ‘all for me and none for you’ freedom. It’s a collective freedom.” – Lewis Mehl-Madrona

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why indigenous wisdom has the power to change the world
How indigenous people embrace the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model of healing
The concept of freedom in indigenous culture, and how it differs from western culture
Why awareness matters in understanding the social/cultural dynamic in this country and what people can do to improve prejudice and heal historical wounds
The importance of coming to terms with the truth of genocide and broken promises
Where people can begin with becoming more historically aware and the impact Lewis believes this would have
The importance of radical acceptance when it comes to healing relationships
The role that money can play in supporting life experiences
Lewis’s book writing process and why he feels sharing his ideas through writing is important
The dynamic between Lewis and his wife when co-authoring books
Who has been influential in Lewis’s development as a writer, and what he learned from them
Why Lewis considers Milton Erickson to be one of his heroes
How Lewis writes balances his writing with his other work
What Lewis feels is a reasonable daily word count in the book-writing process and his advice for aspiring writers
Why you shouldn’t wait for inspiration to begin working towards your creative goals and the worst input that writers typically receive

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Coyote Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Coyote Healing by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Coyote Wisdom by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Remapping Your Mind by Lewis Mehl-Madrona and Barbara Mainguy
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King
A Short History of Indians in Canada by Thomas King
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
My Voice Will Go With You by Milton Erickson
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse
Thomas King
Keith Sawyer
Kiva

Connect with Lewis Mehl-Madrona:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 67. Lewis Mehl-Madrona – History, Ceremony and Creative Wisdom Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

66. Lewis Mehl-Madrona – History, Ceremony and Creative Wisdom Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Lewis Mehl-Madrona is a doctor, healer, and author of the Coyote Medicine, part of the Coyote trilogy, which looks at healing through the lens of Lakota, Cherokee and Cree traditions as well as how these practices collide with traditional medicine. He earned his medical degree from Stanford University, and has taught at several medical schools, including Maine Dartmouth, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Pittsburgh, along with his alma mater, and has authored over one-hundred academic papers. In addition to being certified in psychiatry, geriatrics, and family medicine, Lewis’s work focuses on the role of narrative and imagery in healing.

Lewis joins me today to discuss the mystery of memory and how what we do and don’t remember can set the groundwork for writing new stories and changing our life trajectory. He shares his insights on energy, ritual, and the power of prayer, and how a single metaphorical snowflake can trigger an avalanche. Lewis also shares his insight on the healthcare system’s approach to healing and the impact of ceremony in creating significant, lasting change in people’s lives.

“It’s really hard to get somewhere if you can’t imagine being there.” – Lewis Mehl-Madrona

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What neuroscience is now telling us about memory and whether we truly remember things in detail
What “gappiness” is, how it applies to memory recall and reconstruction, and why it is important to understand
How we can create new narratives by understanding how memory works
Lewis’s perspective on future life progression and energy work
How faith and fear relate to imagination
Methods Lewis uses to help people move towards an altered state of awareness
The power of prayer, ritual, and ceremony
How traditional medicine has changed over time with what is widely accepted and the role of money
Whether the healthcare system prioritizes short or long term outcomes, and why
The Lakota term for prayer, and what it is all about from Lewis’s perspective
The importance of knowing when to pray and when to take action
The distinction between relatives and ancestors in the Lakota culture and the Lakota view of relatives

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Coyote Medicine by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Coyote Healing by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
Coyote Wisdom by Lewis Mehl-Madrona
The University of Arizona Center for Consciousness Studies
Roger Penrose
Stuart Hameroff
“The Biopsychosocial Model and the Construction of Medical Practice” by George Libman Engel

Connect with Lewis Mehl-Madrona:

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 66. Lewis Mehl-Madrona – History, Ceremony and Creative Wisdom Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

65. Nick Egan – Breaking Free of Our Perspective Prisons Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Nick Egan is a religion scholar, sought-after speaker, and an executive and business coach focusing on helping individuals and organizations maximize their potential and improve their leadership skills while improving their personal and professional development. He is the author of Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations, a book that shares stories and insight on overcoming obstacles and challenges through intentional shifts in your mindset. He has helped countless organizational leaders and entrepreneurs to transform their mindset, dismantle mental limitations, and reclaim their freedom, flexibility, and success.

Nick joins me today to discuss why he believes our thoughts and emotions are similar and why he compares emotions to firecrackers. We discuss the importance of embracing our thoughts and emotions and the negative spiral that is created by suppressing them. We also discuss Nick’s perspective on using meditation to embrace your emotions, why some people find it difficult to see positive results from meditation, and why Nick believes life is like an ‘endless knot of discovery.’

“Emotion is essentially a thought that you can feel.” – Nick Egan

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Nick compares our emotions to firecrackers and the connection between our thoughts and our emotions
The importance of embracing your emotions instead of suppressing them
Using meditation to embrace your emotions
How the practice of mindfulness has evolved over the years
Why Nick believes life is like an endless knot of discovery
Travel hacks he has learned throughout his traveling experiences
Why he began drinking black tea
One thing Nick wishes every American knew more about
The importance of being gentle with yourself and those around you
Why leverage and amortization are the two most important financial lesson he has learned
The moment he decided to write his book: Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations
The creative process Nick used to publish his book and where he seeks inspiration for his written work
Nick’s advice for aspiring authors to get your creative projects over the finish line
Nick’s opinion of the qualities of a great sentence and how writers can create more of them

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations by Nick Egan
The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
The Heart Sutra by Red Pine

Connect with Nick Egan:

Nick Egan Official Website
Nick Egan’s Blog
Nick Egan on LinkedIn
Where Is Nirvana? Nick Egan at TEDxSonomaCounty

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

Nexus IT Consultants offers world-class IT support and solutions to help companies of all sizes manage their information technology. Through hyper-responsive, white-glove IT support and services, Nexus IT can handle basic tasks like IT monitoring and maintenance to the more complex projects like digital transformation.

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 65. Nick Egan – Breaking Free of Our Perspective Prisons Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

64. Nick Egan – Breaking Free of Our Perspective Prisons Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Nick Egan is a sought-after speaker, coach, and author of Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations, a book to help readers improve their organizational leadership skills as well as personal and professional development. Through Nick’s coaching, training, and seminars, he has helped countless organizational leaders to dismantle mental limitations and reclaim their freedom and flexibility to achieve success using his understanding of positive psychology and Buddhist philosophy. Nick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Comparative Religion, and a Ph. D. in Buddhist Philosophy.

Nick joins me today to share how he discovered Zen and Buddhist practices and why it appealed to him. We explore how we often become the prisoner of our own perspectives and how we can liberate ourselves from these prisons. Nick shares strategies and practices we can use to transform our limitations and explains how we can use our thoughts and emotions to diminish the adverse impact of disempowering emotions. Nick also shares what inspired him to write his book, Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations, and the lessons and insight he hopes readers will gain from it.

“If we truly understand our own minds – our own hearts – then there really is no fear to be had.” – Nick Egan

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Nick believes life is about discovering who we truly are
Nick’s unique childhood and upbringing and how it has impacted his perspective and views today
How he discovered Zen and why studying and practicing it appealed to him
How his spiritual inquiry and learning journey has evolved
What inspired him to write his book and the insight he hopes his readers will gain from it
What the tigers on the cover of his book symbolize
Why he believes many people are trapped in their experience through the telling of their story and what it means to be the prisoner of your own perspective
How to change the narrative of your story to liberate yourself from the prison of your own perspectives
The power of the stories we tell ourselves and how they impact our beliefs
The importance of viewing obstacles and adversities as new opportunities
Identifying what gives you the power to be what you want and the bridge you need to cross to get there

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Shift: The Art of Transforming Limitations by Nick Egan
The Obstacle Is The Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday

Connect with Nick Egan:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 64. Nick Egan – Breaking Free of Our Perspective Prisons Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

63. Lydia Slaby – Wait, It Gets Worse Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Passionate about inspiring individuals on the cusp of transition and transformation, Lydia Slaby is a “change witch” and the author of Wait, It Gets Worse, a book chronicling Lydia’s journey after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of thirty-three. Arianna Huffington endorsed Lydia’s book, dubbing it as “an everywoman’s guide to living a life that matters.” Lydia graduated from Northwestern University with her JD-MBA, and previously attended Brown University and Harvard. In addition to her storytelling, Lydia is a speaker, advocate, consultant, and non-profit board member. She served as the Massachusetts Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and Finance under Governor Patrick and was formerly a corporate lawyer in Chicago.

Lydia joins me today to discuss insight into her creative process while writing Wait, It Gets Worse, as well as her writing routine and the dynamic between her and her editor throughout the process. Lydia shares when and where her love of writing began, and when she realized she wanted to transform her story and passion for writing into the creation of a book. Lydia also highlights the importance of feeling complete with your story by the end of your initial writing process, so you feel ready to release and surrender to the ins and outs of editing and publishing your book.

“Don’t hide who you are in favor for who you think people want to see.” – Lydia Slaby

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The joy and the overwhelm that can arise when you have freedom, opportunity, and choice
How Lydia was able to endure in the face of extreme pain and the importance of staying present
How connecting with an indigenous healer after open-heart surgery impacted Lydia
When Lydia first discovered she was a writer and how her childhood love of math led to her appreciation for writing
The importance of intentional word choice as a writer
How Lydia drew upon her blog in the process of writing Wait, It Gets Worse
The moment Lydia decided that she was going to write her book and what the editorial process was like
The emotional process of writing the book, given the emotional trauma of the story
The importance of becoming a student and letting go of control in the publishing process
How Lydia found her editor and the importance of having a team with a clear vision for the direction of your book
The power of using your network to meet people who can help you achieve your desired goals
The importance of knowing your creative window and scheduling your time accordingly
The types of music Lydia listens to while writing
Lydia’s advice for aspiring authors
Why you should tell your own story honestly and authenticity, focusing on your own perspective
A sneak peek into the subject matter of Lydia’s upcoming book

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Wait, It Gets Worse by Lydia Slaby
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Kiva
Wah! Pandora Radio Station
Evernote
Microsoft Word
Google Docs
Magic Lessons Podcast by Elizabeth Gilbert

Connect with Lydia Slaby:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 63. Lydia Slaby – Wait, It Gets Worse Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

62. Lydia Slaby – Wait, It Gets Worse Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Lydia Slaby is a speaker, advocate, consultant, and the author of Wait, It Gets Worse, a memoir chronicling Lydia’s journey after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of thirty-three. Lydia identifies as a “change witch” and is passionate about helping people and organizations thrive in the face of change. In addition to serving on several non-profit boards and advising an array of organizations, Lydia served as the Massachusetts Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and Finance under Governor Patrick, and she was formerly a corporate lawyer in Chicago. Lydia graduated from Northwestern University with her JD-MBA, and previously attended Brown University and Harvard.

Lydia joins me today to discuss her book Wait, It Gets Worse, and some of the universal life lessons and insights that readers can gain from reading the memoir. She shares her story and discussed how her cancer journey put a stop sign in the road, allowing her the chance to pause and move forward with renewed direction and self-awareness. Lydia also shares the importance of tuning into all aspects of ourselves – mind, body, and spirit – and why it is crucial to ensure that you are indeed a human being, not merely a human doing.

“I wanted other people to understand that they could leave their life before they were forced into it.” – Lydia Slaby

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

What Lydia feels life is all about, and what it takes to be the best versions of ourselves
How Lydia named her book Wait, It Gets Worse and how she feels about having her story out in the world
The difference between a human being and a human doing and the importance of simply learning how to “be”
The importance of telling imperfect success stories in the age of social media
What demographic Lydia wrote her book for and the message she hopes to impart to them
Three aspects of our life that have the potential to either fall apart or work out and how survival is possible even when things go wrong
A peek into Lydia’s journey and lessons she has learned along the way
How our societal definition of “impressive” shapes the way we live our lives
The mind-body disconnect and how our brains can impede us from connecting with our bodies
The importance of coming to terms with the reality of your life
What purpose Lydia believes her cancer journey served in her life and her perspective on how spirituality and physicality relate
What makes it so difficult for people to make changes in their lives
What happens if we ignore the messages that life is trying to relay to us
Who Lydia’s most notable teachers were as she learned to listen to her own body
The power of meditation and silence
How our minds and bodies uniquely relate to the concept of time
How our bodies speak to us and how we can connect to our spirit more easily
How our spirit can connect us to a more profound sense of self
Lydia’s relationship with the hospital and why it provided her with so much comfort

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Wait, It Gets Worse by Lydia Slaby

Connect with Lydia Slaby:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 62. Lydia Slaby – Wait, It Gets Worse Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

61. Hal Elrod – Winning the Day, One Morning at a Time

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Hal Elrod is an internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, thought leader, and author of The Miracle Morning, a best-seller which has been translated into 27 languages and is one of the world’s most highly rated books. He has written ten books comprising The Miracle Morning series, and also serves as host of the Achieve Your Goals podcast, creator of the Best Year Ever Blueprint Live Experience and Executive Producer of The Miracle Morning Movie. Additionally, Hal leads a community of people in over 70 countries who practice The Miracle Morning and is on a mission to elevate human consciousness through a new approach to mornings.

Hal joins me today to discuss the power of The Miracle Morning and how it has up-leveled the lives of people around the world by laying the groundwork for more intentional, purpose-driven days. He shares the importance of choosing a mindset of gratitude, even when facing adversity, and what it takes to truly enact change in our lives. Hal also highlights how our alarm clocks can represent either the day’s first gift or the day’s first challenge and how small actions can be catalysts for large-scale change.

“If you win the morning, you put yourself in a peak position to win the rest of the day.” – Hal Elrod

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The two components that comprise Hal’s philosophy for life
Hal’s perspective on happiness and loving the life you have
Major adversities in Hal’s life that have deepened his perspective and outlook on life
Whether Hal believes that everything happens for a reason, and the power of “choosing the reasons”
What goes into enacting change in your life
The number one challenge holding people back from achieving their goals
How the way you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day
What the concept of the Miracle Morning entails, and how long the practice takes
The benefits of the Miracle Morning and how many people around the world invest in this practice
The percentage of people within the Miracle Morning community who were not previously morning people
The message that making the choice to wake up in the morning relays to your subconscious
Why change is so difficult and what keeps us stuck, preventing us from making changes
How society has conditioned us to want to do the easy thing over the right thing
Hal’s journey with rising above mediocrity and the power of accountability
How someone’s belief in you can catalyze your self-belief
What rear-view mirror syndrome is and how it can impede our path to greatness
Struggles Hal still faces with comparisonitis and imposter syndrome
A simple secret to success that can help combat overwhelm
The first step to losing weight, writing a book, or achieving any big goal
How inertia can work for you if you make choices in the direction of change
A book that has radically transformed Hal’s life
A travel hack to make trips less stressful
One thing that Hal wishes every American knew
The power that daily personal development has in becoming the person you want to be
Insight into Hal’s Miracle Morning community and how it can benefit you
A game-changing change you can make to ensure that you wake up when your alarm goes off
Why it is important to drink water first thing in the morning

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Ask . by Ryan Levesque
John Maxwell
Conversations With God by Neal Donald Walsch
TripIt
Kiva

Connect with Hal Elrod:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 61. Hal Elrod – Winning the Day, One Morning at a Time first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

60. Bill Eddy – Dealing with High Conflict Personalities Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Bill Eddy is the Co-Founder and Training Director at the award-winning consultancy and training firm, High Conflict Institute, where he helps professionals to better understand and manage their team members with high conflict personalities. Bill has been recognized worldwide as the international expert in managing disputes involving people with personality disorders. His diverse background as an attorney, therapist, and mediator as well as his work in managing disputes and mediating conflicts with people with personality disorders has led to the development of the High Conflict Personality Theory.

Bill joins me again to discuss how heredity, the environment and culture, as well as your early childhood development are contributing factors in the development of your personality. We discuss limiting your exposure to social media and why it’s often challenging for us to limit that exposure. We also discuss why Bill strongly advises parents to control and limit what their children see on social media, why it’s critical for Americans to learn about high conflict personalities, and why all human behavior is merely a series of patterns.

“What’s changing today is the culture, more than anything. And the culture is giving us images today of dysfunctional behavior.” – Bill Eddy

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The difference between psychopath personality disorder and sociopath personality disorder
The three contributing factors in personality development
Why Bill believes it’s important to limit your exposure to negative behaviors and social media and why it’s challenging to find the ‘perfect’ balance
The importance of parents limiting their children’s exposure to social media and technology
Why we need to spend more time connecting with nature
Why Bill wishes he was better at speaking out about social problems
A travel hack he uses to make travelling more enjoyable
A healthy habit Bill has started to age well
Why it’s critical for every American to learn about HCP
The secret to making long-term, committed relationships work
The most important and useful thing Bill has learned about money
Exploring Bill’s creative process for writing and the most important thing he’s learned about writing
Why all human behavior is a series of patterns
Lessons Bill has learned about successfully publishing and promoting books
Bill’s advice for future authors

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck

Connect with Bill Eddy:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 60. Bill Eddy – Dealing with High Conflict Personalities Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

59. Bill Eddy – Dealing with High Conflict Personalities Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Bill Eddy is the Training Director and Co-Founder of the High Conflict Institute, an award-winning consultancy and training firm for professionals looking to better understand and manage high conflict personalities in the workplace. He is the developer of the High Conflict Personality (HCP) Theory and is recognized as an international expert on managing disputes involving people with personality disorders. Bill is an attorney, a certified Family Law Specialist, and San Diego’s Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center. He is the author of several articles and multiple books including High Conflict People in Legal Disputes, SPLITTING: Protecting Yourself While Divorcing Someone with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder, 5 Types of People Who Can Ruin Your Life, and Don’t Alienate the Kids.

Bill joins me today to discuss the five types of toxic personalities that can ruin your life. We discuss how we can deal with high conflict personality types, the difference between personality disorders and people with HCP, and how someone can have a high conflict personality without having a personality disorder. We discuss what a “target of blame” is and how to avoid becoming a target. We discuss what it means to be a negative advocate and how it can encourage others to engage in disputes. We also discuss how your emotions can be contagious and how we can choose to use those contagious emotions positively or negatively as well as the benefits of waiting at least a year before tying the knot and marrying your partner.

“Just like alcoholics are part of us, people with high conflict personalities are part of us and we have to learn how to manage them differently – but not reject them.” – Bill Eddy

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

Why Bill believes the meaning of life is to help others
Why we need to constantly reflect on the type of personality we possess and the impact we have on others
Why Bill decided to write a book on the 5 types of high conflict personalities
Why you shouldn’t tell someone that they have a high conflict personality
What is a ‘target of blame’ and why authority figures and the people we’re closest to are often the biggest targets
The difference between high conflict personalities and people with personality disorders
Why Bill believes people with high conflict personalities are becoming more prevalent in our society
What negative advocates are and how they impact the people around them
How negative advocacy can often be a learned behavior
Comparing the five types of high conflict personalities
Conflict management strategies when dealing with people with HCP
How your emotions can be contagious and understanding unseen emotions
The impact of positive self-talk and positive mental imaging techniques
How to handle power-struggle scenarios
What the 1-Year Guideline is and why he recommends couples to date for a full year before getting married
Why he believes the percentage of people with personality disorders and HCP are on the rise
Can people with HCP and personality disorders change their personality and behavior
Why people with antisocial personality disorder are the least likely to change

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

The Big Book of Borderline Personality Disorder (Bpd Wellness) by Shehrina Rooney

Connect with Bill Eddy:

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 59. Bill Eddy – Dealing with High Conflict Personalities Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

58. Marshall Goldsmith – World’s #1 Leadership Thinker Part 2

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 01:00:00 -0500

Marshall Goldsmith is recognized as the World’s Number 1 Leadership Thinker by INC Magazine, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company as well as many other business publications. Marshall is a business coach and educator who has helped over 150 CEOs and management teams take their organizations to the next level by embracing changes in the workplace. As a New York Times bestselling author, he has published countless business-related books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Triggers, and MOJO: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It.

Marshall joins me again today to discuss his stakeholder-centered approach to coaching and how it creates a constellation of accountability. He shares his coaching philosophy and why he believes it’s harder to change people’s perception than it is to change your own behavior. He explains why he decided to offer performance-based coaching rates and the benefits he’s received with this pricing model. He also shares his book writing process, why he recommends working with a co-author, and how to determine which field you want to become recognized as a world-class expert.

“In leadership, it doesn’t matter what we think we said. In leadership, all that matters is ‘what did they hear?’ Their perception is their reality .” – Marshall Goldsmith

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The stakeholder-centered coaching approach and how it creates a constellation of accountability
Why Marshall believes it’s harder to change other people’s perception than it is to change your behavior
The book writing process Marshall and his publisher uses and why he recommends working with a co-writer
The Daily Question process and the top 6 questions Marshall recommends adding to your daily questions list
Marshall’s perspective on branding, marketing, and promotion
How to decide what field you want to be recognized as a world-renowned expert in

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddah by Thich Nhat Hanh
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Connect with Marshall Goldsmith:

Marshall Goldsmith website
100 Coaches Consulting
Articles by Marshall Goldsmith
Videos by Marshall Goldsmith
Books by Marshall Goldsmith
Email: marshall@marshallgoldsmith.com
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Article: Feed Forward Leadership Excellence
The Earned Life book (coming soon – Summer 2020)

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 58. Marshall Goldsmith – World’s #1 Leadership Thinker Part 2 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

57. Marshall Goldsmith – World’s #1 Leadership Thinker Part 1

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Marshall Goldsmith is a world-renowned business coach and educator and has been recognized as the World’s #1 Leadership Thinker by INC Magazine, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Fast Company. He has helped over 150 CEOs and management teams, including Ford Motor Company, World Bank, and Intel, to take their organizations to the next level through his practical and proven coaching methods on embracing change in the workplace. Marshall is the New York Times bestselling author of multiple books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Triggers, and MOJO: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It. He has presented dozens of keynote speeches on topics related to leadership and coaching for professional associations, executive groups, and HR organizations.

Marshall joins me today to discuss internal and external validation and how getting them mixed up can make us feel like an impostor or victim. He shares the biggest mistakes many coaches make and how to become a more effective leader. He discusses the challenges of achieving long-lasting changes in behavior, strategies to achieve it, and the importance of letting others know your goals for creating lasting change in your life and career. He also shares his coaching philosophy, the difference between feedforward and feedback, and his advice for other coaches and service-driven professionals.

“Love the process of what you’re doing.” – Marshall Goldsmith

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

The two key variables Marshall believes makes the most impact on what’s important in life
His philosophy on life and achieving long-lasting happiness
The difference between internal and external validation, why they are important, and why it’s crucial to understand the difference
Why Marshall decided to set his coaching rates based on performance and client results
Why he believes people struggle to create lasting change
Marshall’s perspective on building rapport with coaching clients
His ‘feedforward’ technique and how it differs from feedback

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Design the Life You Love by Ayse Birsel
Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddah by Thich Nhat Hanh
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen & Marshall Goldsmith
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

Connect with Marshall Goldsmith:

Marshall Goldsmith website
100 Coaches Consulting
Articles by Marshall Goldsmith
Videos by Marshall Goldsmith
Books by Marshall Goldsmith
Email: marshall@marshallgoldsmith.com
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Article: Feed Forward Leadership Excellence
The Earned Life book (coming soon – Summer 2020)

This episode is sponsored by Nexus IT Consultants

To learn more about the services offered at Nexus IT and to schedule your free comprehensive consultation, visit NexusITC.net

Subscribe, Rate & Share!

The post 57. Marshall Goldsmith – World’s #1 Leadership Thinker Part 1 first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

56. Solo Episode #5: Exploring Authenticity

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 07:00:38 -0500

This week in my 5th solo podcast episode, I’m going to explore five questions on the topic of authenticity. In my coaching practice I find this topic to be one that everyone wrestles with.

What does it mean to be authentic? What does it mean to feel comfortable in your own skin and how can we do it? One of the questions that I like to ask people that I work with when I coach is who’s the most authentic person you know and what about them makes you think they’re authentic?

What you need to know is you don’t need anyone to give you permission to be yourself. When you make that choice, it begins a virtuous cycle. As you more fully express your innermost self, you tap into your core genius, access more of your power, and increase the likelihood you will make the contribution that only you can make.

I want to thank my friend and client, Juliana, who’s in my Life’s Best Practices Breakthrough Coaching program, for asking these five questions.

SHOW NOTES00:02:48 – Disempowering & empowering beliefs00:13:01 – Bronnie Ware00:22:10 – My tool to discovering what I really want.

LINKS – **The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.The School for Good Living Bryanmiller.com Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing

The post 56. Solo Episode #5: Exploring Authenticity first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

55. Solo Episode #4: Daily Driver

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 07:00:00 -0500

So as I prepared for this solo cast I thought, what could I share that might be of value to you? I want to do two things: 1) I want to share with you a story about my six year old daughter, and 2) I want to invite you to really think about your own routine. Is your routine supporting you?

As a coach I have seen (I’ve seen in my own life as well), that all human behavior is a series of patterns. Maybe today is an opportunity to really look at that and consciously map out what your ideal day would look like. If there was a single day that you could live, day in and day out, what kind of day would it be?

I often think about how remarkable it is that you can change your entire life with a single decision.

SHOW NOTES00:01:49 – Right hand vs. Left hand00:05:44 – Life as a race track00:17:57 – My routine

LINKS – The School for Good Living Bryanmiller.com

The post 55. Solo Episode #4: Daily Driver first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

54. Solo Episode #3: Paths & Pivots

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Today I want to share with you, in case it’s useful to you, a bit about my journey to creating the Life’s Best Practices Breakthrough Coaching Program. I suspect that you also have something you want to create or something you’re in the middle of creating and you might be wondering, is it worth it?

You have a gift, something that you want to share. We all have gifts and talents, but how can you share that with others in a way that’s ultimately fulfilling? At one point in my life I wanted to write and see produced my own screenplay. I travelled far down that path and in this episode I share that my desire to improve people’s lives, inspire them, and have fun in the process, was found through coaching – my entrepreneurial pivot.

Enjoy this episode and if you have topics that you think might be useful to explore on this show, I invite you to email me at bryan@goodliving.com.

SHOW NOTES00:01:00 – If you’re an entrepreneur00:01:51 – I committed my life…to a screenplay00:04:29 – Life’s Best Practices00:05:28 – Your library card00:11:15 – I love when others grow

LINKS – The School for Good Living Bryanmiller.com

The post 54. Solo Episode #3: Paths & Pivots first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

52. Solo Episode #1: Exploring Good Living

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 11:00:00 -0500

Hello my friends, it’s Bryan here. This month I’ve chosen to focus on our relationship and explore what it means to be a listener. Sitting in a sound booth, I have no idea where this podcast goes, who receives it, or what impact it might have. I might not know you, I might’ve met you before, or you might be my best friend. I want to build this relationship a little further by sharing with you a little bit about me and about the School for Good Living – what it is, why it exists, and what it could do for you.

If you have topics that you think might be useful to explore on this show, I invite you to email me at bryan@goodliving.com.

SHOW NOTES00:03:42 – Figure out and find your voice00:06:25 – I enjoy serving people00:08:11 – Larry H. Miller Group00:11:16 – Help make a world work for everyone00:14:38 – A coach for everyone, everyone a coach

LINKS – Marshall Goldsmith Larry H. Miller Group The School for Good Living

The post 52. Solo Episode #1: Exploring Good Living first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

51. Carl Honoré: In Praise of Slowness

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 07:00:00 -0500

Hello my friends today, my guest is Carl Honore, author of a book called In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed.

Carl’s book came to me at the perfect time in my life. He was interested to explore and answer two questions. Number one – how did we get so fast, and two – is it possible or even desirable to slow down? Carl is an award winning writer, broadcaster, and TEDTalk speaker. He’s considered the voice of the global slow movement and talks about how to thrive in a fast world by slowing down. His TED talk on this same subject has been viewed more than 3 million times.

In his TED talk, he talks about bad slow versus good slow. The idea of time sickness and time exits, how we can get more out of time, slow time down. He talks about our tendency to race through life instead of truly living it.He spent a decade working as a journalist before really diving in to this slow movement thing.

He points out that we used to dial, now we speed dial. We used to read, now we speed read. We used to walk, now we speed walk, and we used to date, and now we speed date. He has explored what some people call the international slow movement, and he makes the point that when we slow down (at the right moments) that ultimately we’re able to do everything better. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this interview with Carl Honore. Thanks so much for listening.

SUMMARY00:03:58 – What’s life about?00:13:58 – Time Sickness00:36:38 – Eigenzeit & Tempo giusto00:41:41 – The Lightning Round00:51:00 – Writing lesson

LINKS – (In order of appearance)**The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **In Praise of Slowness: Changing the Cult of Speed TedTalk: Carl Honoré – In Praise of Slowness CarlHonore.com

The post 51. Carl Honoré: In Praise of Slowness first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

50. Clark Strand: Waking Up to the Dark

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 05:00:00 -0500

Today my guest is Clark Strand, author of Waking Up To The Dark: Ancient Wisdom For A Sleepless Age. Clark is someone who has written six books and he’s also written for the Washington Post, the Huffington Post, New York Times, Newsweek’s blog on Faith, Tricycle (which is a Buddhist magazine you might know), Body and Soul, Spirituality and Health.

In this interview we talk about a number of things that you might find interesting and useful. Clark talks about something called bimodal sleep and he shares both in the book and in this interview, research done by a doctor named Thomas Wehr. Dr. Wehr was looking for human beings’ primordial pattern of sleep, wanting to know how did human beings sleep before the electrical age. We also touch on light pollution – what it’s doing to our environment and what it’s doing to our bodies. Clark shares the view that electrification was the worst thing that’s ever happened to our planet (which is a pretty bold claim), but he goes on to explain what he means by that.

We also talk about his new book out November 5, 2019. It’s titled The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary. He’s the founder of an eco feminist rosary group and if you want to investigate online before you invest your time in listening to the interview, you can go to wayoftherose.org and check it out. But at any rate, I suspect that Clark will share some views that you don’t typically hear in the circles you run in or the conversations you have. If you do, I want to be a part of your conversations. All right with that, please enjoy this conversation with Clark Strand.

SUMMARY00:05:10 – What’s life about?00:17:02 – The worst thing that’s ever happened for the planet.00:25:13 – Dr. Thomas Wehr.00:34:17 – Shintoism.00:38:50 – Anthropocene.00:53:11 – The Sleep industry.01:10:17 – The Way of the Rose.01:29:10 – Lightning round.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)**The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age by Clark StrandTricycle.org The Way of the Rose – on FacebookWayoftherose.org The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary

The post 50. Clark Strand: Waking Up to the Dark first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

49. Dean Burnett: The Idiot Brain

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 10:00:20 -0500

My conversation today is with Dean Burnett. Dean is a neuroscientist, a lecturer, an author, a blogger or podcaster, a pundit science communicator, comedian, and numerous other things – depending on who’s asking and what they need.

Dean discusses with us his book, “Idiot Brain, What Your Head Is Really Up To”. It’s one of five books that he’s written in the last few years. He’s very prolific. And I really enjoyed this book. This book goes through and takes a look at why we do the things we do and offers some of the latest scientific rationale, but in a very humorous way, very insightful way. Dean’s writing has been published all over the world and he’s very popular – especially in the United Kingdom.

I asked him about how he married his interest and passion in standup comedy with neuroscience. We talk about depression and mental illness, something he’s written about extensively. We talk about the blog posts he wrote that had more than 3 million readers (as a surprise to him) and how that was the passage from being an amateur to a pro.

We also talk about some of the egocentric biases that the brain has. Things that we are largely unaware of, whether or not we have free will. We talk about personality, what it is, if we can change it, and then we get into a discussion about writing and the creative process. We talk a little bit about promotion as we often do. I think you’ll enjoy this conversation with Dean. He’s a very humble guy with some interesting perspectives. So with that, please enjoy this conversation with my new Welsh friend, Dean Burnett.

SUMMARY00:04:00 – What’s life about?00:12:52 – Embalming cadavers.00:20:20 – Knitting a sweater out of cotton candy.00:26:57 – Have a go…at stand-up comedy.00:35:10 – I didn’t think I was allowed to write a book.00:37:15 – Our second brain.00:52:20 – Mental health.01:20:53 – The Lightning Round.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)**The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **Idiot Brain: What Your Head Is Really Up To Why Your Parents Are Driving You Up The Wall And What To Do About It Psycho-logical on AudibleDean Burnett website @DeanBurnettAuthor – on Facebook@garwboy – on TwitterBrain Yapping blog Brain Yapping – The Podcast

The post 49. Dean Burnett: The Idiot Brain first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

48. Nathalie Molina Niño: Leapfrog

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 03:00:47 -0500

Hello my friends, today my guest is Nathalie Molina Nino. Never having met before, I was interested to interview Nathalie because she has some very different perspectives and experience in life from me. She’s Latina, originally from Ecuador in South America, who came to the United States. She was raised here, learned english perfectly, spent time as the family’s interpreter in some ways, and describes in this interview the experience of feeling like she didn’t belong here, but reframes an experience that is so common and so disempowering one where she feels she belongs…everywhere.

Today Nathalie is an impact investor, focused on making a catalytic impact on women in the world. Nathalie’s book, “Leapfrog: The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs” is a book that she wrote following her own advice. I think especially if you are interested in entrepreneurship, that you’ll find something valuable in this interview and my invitation is to listen to see what’s probably a different perspective from one that you’ve had before, or at least from many, many of my guests so far.

SUMMARY00:04:27 – What’s life about?00:13:46 – Why did you write this book?00:21:21 – What does Leapfrog mean to you?00:30:25 – Co-authors and Ghostwriters01:20:40 – Lightning round.01:43:04 – How to connect with Nathalie.01:44:00 – Writing advice.

LINKS – **The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **Leapfrog: The New Revolution for Women Entrepreneurs Leapfroghacks.com Eat A Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World – by Sam Kass The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life – by Twyla Tharp The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It – by Michael E. Gerber Kiva.org Nathalie Molina Niño on LinkedIn

The post 48. Nathalie Molina Niño: Leapfrog first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

47. Pascal Finette: The Heretic

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 07:00:15 -0500

Pascal is Singularity University’s Chair for Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation. He is the cofounder and enfant terrible of Radical Ventures, which he explains what that means. His work focuses on the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, culture, and global impact. Pascal has founded a series of startups and he has a deep background in technology including being on the Internet before web browsers. He led Ebay’s platform solutions group in Europe. He held leadership positions at Mozilla and he’s helped build startups. Pascal has written a book called The Heretic, Daily Therapeutics for Entrepreneurs and has blogged and written a newsletter for a long time, more than 1,200 posts. In this interview, he shares a lot of what he’s seen in the world of technology, what’s on the horizon, how our world will be different from these disruptive exponential technologies that are coming down the pike, things that are already transforming our world, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, 3D printing, autonomous driving, gene editing and so on. He talks about the importance of a purpose for your organization and the difference between a purpose and a mission. He also walks through a simple framework to help you articulate yours in a very clear, compelling, powerful way. We go deep into his methods to prepare and deliver really powerful messages from the stage. Things that I’m not sure how many lifetimes I would live before they occurred to me, but fortunately I learned them in this interview with Pascal.

SUMMARY00:02:44 – What’s life about?00:07:41 – Growing up.00:13:33 – Processing information for the Heretic.00:31:23 – Sure bets in the future.00:38:09 – First principals thinking.00:52:36 – Mulago Foundation.01:07:42 – Lightning round.01:26:10 – Thoughts on writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)**The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **Pascal’s Website Radical Ventures The Heretic Mulago Foundation

The post 47. Pascal Finette: The Heretic first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

46. Askshay Nanavati: Fearvana

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 21:58:29 -0400

Hello my friends, today my guest is Akshay Nanavati – author of Fearvana: The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear into Health, Wealth, and Happiness. In this book, Akshay defines Fearvana as the bliss that results from engaging our fears to pursue our own worthy struggle.

Akshay has lived in Bombay, Bangalore, Singapore, Austin, and Eden Prairie, Minnesota because, hey, why not? So in this interview he shares his experiences, what he’s done with his life, including joining the Marine Corps, where he spent time sweeping in front of vehicle convoys to find explosives. He’s skydived, mountain biked, scuba dived, rock climbed, ice climbed, anything he says that forced him to face his fears.

In the Forward to his book, the Dalai Lama writes (and I love this, I get to quote the Dalai Lama), he says, “his book Fearvana inspires us to look beyond our own agonizing experiences suggesting means for overcoming our fears. I appreciate his sincerity and hope that others will find reason and the encouragement to see the positive side of their lives.” This interview is one that I think you’ll find pretty interesting.

SUMMARY00:03:37 – What’s life about?00:08:37 – Asking the Dalai Lama for his blessing00:11:15 – The Ethos of Fearvana00:23:58 – Two guys volunteering Marine Corps style00:37:32 – Your past is a lie0042:04 – Seven days in darkness00:59:27 – The lightning round01:07:57 – The writing process

LINKS – **The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post. **FEARVANA: The Revolutionary Science of How to Turn Fear into Health, Wealth and Happiness Darknessretreat.net The Success Principles by Jack CanfieldMan’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. FranklFearvana.com Fearvanafoundation.org Hammer Nutrition

The post 46. Askshay Nanavati: Fearvana first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

45. Brian Scudamore: WTF?! Willing To Fail

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 04:00:24 -0400

Brian is the founder and CEO of O2E Brands, Ordinary to Exceptional. 1-800-GOT-JUNK, WOW, One Day Painting, You Move Me, and Shack Shine. He’s also a regular contributor to Forbes.

Brian is a high school and a college dropout who has built what has become a nearly half a billion-dollar group of companies. Brian is also author of WTF?! (Willing To Fail: How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success. Brian talks about passion and if you don’t know exactly what you’re passionate about, how to approach finding your passion or not bothering and just making a commitment instead.

We talk about his company’s values, how he decided what they would be and the difference they have made in his organization. Brian shares about the inclusiveness with which he has grown his organization from the time it was called rubbish boys when it was really just himself. Brian also shares why he has his assistant lock him out of his own social media and email while he’s on vacation. If you have an entrepreneurial bone in your body, I think you’ll enjoy this conversation with Brian.

SUMMARY 00:02:38 – What’s life about?00:08:43 – Advice on clarity.00:26:58 – Why did Brian write WTF?00:41:47 – Racing to the conflict.00:50:25 – Lightning round.01:06:15 – A deeper discussion of the book writing process.

LINKS – **The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through some links in this post. **O2E Brands WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success 1-800-GOT-JUNK?Brian Scudamore Instagram

The post 45. Brian Scudamore: WTF?! Willing To Fail first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

44. AJ Jacobs: Immersion Journalism

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Oct 2019 08:00:13 -0400

In this episode my guest is AJ Jacobs – author, journalist, lecturer, and human guinea pig. AJ has written four New York Times bestsellers, with his writing combining memoir, science, humor, and a dash of self help. His genre immersion journalism, has also been called stunt journalism, where he goes deep into a particular topic or experience and then writes about it (sometimes for years).

Jacobs also writes for the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and New York Magazine. His most recent book and the one that we explore most in this interview is, Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey, where he endeavors to thank everyone who was involved in making his morning cup of coffee possible.

We also talk about his creative process. We talk about how he chooses the topics that he devotes years of his life to. We talk about how he finishes, how he gets books over the finish line and have them be good. I believe that you will take away at least one thing that will improve the quality of your life and help you to make a contribution to others. So please enjoy.

SUMMARY00:03:21 – What’s life about?00:13:27 – Origin Story00:28:18 – How did writing this book change your life?00:30:25 – Expressing yourself naturally00:35:38 – Lightning round.01:02:13 – The Creative Process01:07:06 – Reaching the finish line

LINKS –**The School for Good Living receives commissions for purchases made through some links in this post. **

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey TED Talk: My Journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee World Jigsaw Puzzle Federation Walker’s Game Ear Muff Twitter – @AJJacobs

The post 44. AJ Jacobs: Immersion Journalism first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

43. Erwan Le Corre: The Practice of Natural Movement

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 05:30:30 -0400

Erwan Le Corre is the acknowledged founder and leader of the concept of Natural Movement. He’s been called one of the fittest men in the world and a fitness visionary by Men’s Health magazine.

Erwan was born in France where he grew up with a black and white TV, no remote, no video games, no personal computers and no internet. His father encouraged him to run, crawl, climb, and jump. He was introduced to karate at 15 years old which taught him discipline, method, and commitment.

By the time Erwan was 19, he’d trained for seven years in both natural and urban settings – climbing bridges, balancing on high places, jumping on roofs, walking on all fours in the underground, swimming in cold water and practicing all manner of breath training and fighting techniques. At 27, he started a period of sailing, olympic weight lifting, rock climbing, long distance triathlon, trail running, and Jujitsu. At 33, he started researching European history of physical education, discovering forgotten training methods. If you are not familiar with his work and you enjoy movement, you’ll enjoy this interview.

SUMMARY00:02:31 – What’s life about?00:04:16 – What our world is missing.00:17:06 – Poor relationship with father.00:25:13 – The reason for his children’s names.00:29:23 – Helping the homeless man in China.00:38:40 – Climbing Notre Dame.00:56:50 – Lightning round.01:08:12 – Questions about the creative process.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The Practice of Natural Movement: Reclaim Power, Health, and Freedom by Erwan Le Corre Erwan’s Website

The post 43. Erwan Le Corre: The Practice of Natural Movement first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

42. David Burkus: Friend of A Friend

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:00:35 -0400

Today’s guest on The School for Good Living Podcast is David Burkus who says, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

David was named one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers 50. He’s a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, his work has been featured in multiple publications such as Fast Company, The Financial Times, Ink Magazine, Bloomberg Business Week, and he has a Ted Talk that’s been viewed about 2 million times!

I liked David from the moment I met him. He’s an interesting guy, very charismatic, he’s got a great message, and he knows how to entertain. We talk about weak ties, dormant ties, how most of us allow our networks to grow organically, but says David, we shouldn’t. David shares about the idea that networking is not necessarily about making new connections, but it’s about understanding the network you’re already in and making new connections as part of that. He talks about the idea of super connectors, people who have a disproportionately high level of connections with the network and how we can be ‘One’.

And as we get into the writing and the creativity section (the two things I love), you’ll hear him talk about work writing as a journeyman – just showing up and putting in the miles, so to speak. It’s a perspective he’s learned from Dan Pink. He also shares how writing professionally can be the inverse of earning a master’s degree, where instead of dropping tens of thousands of dollars writing some kind of a thesis that very few people read, publishers pay you! A fascinating individual and academic, but also a really practical guy, I present to you my friend David Burkus.

SUMMARY00:02:24 – What’s life about?00:05:47 – How do you introduce yourself?00:08:19 – Who is Friend of a Friend written to?00:24:40 – Facebook or Gmail roulette.00:29:14 -Lack of connection through social media.00:40:42 – Curiosity Conversations.00:47:34 – Lightning round.00:52:19 – $20 rule.01:06:25 – TEDx comment.01:13:21 – Phase 0 and first time authors.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)BOOKS by David Burkushttps://davidburkus.com/

The post 42. David Burkus: Friend of A Friend first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

41. Michael Bungay Stanier: The Coaching Habit

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 09:00:11 -0400

Today my guest is Michael Bungay Stainer, founder and CEO of Box of Crayons and author of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More and Change the Way You Lead Forever. He’s also written Do More Great Work: Stop the Busy Work, Start the Work that Matters.

Box of Crayons is a company that helps organizations do less good work and more great work. Michael is a teacher of 10 minute coaching, to help busy managers and leaders build stronger teams and get better results. Michael is someone that I’ve met through Marshall Goldsmith’s MG 100 and his book is a kind of book that when I learned of it, I started to see it and hear it about it everywhere. I picked it up and I found that it’s an extraordinarily useful little book. Michael says in this interview that he was his aim to write the shortest book possible that was still useful. He also talks about the best question in the world, which he shares in this interview and how to use it, and why you would want to.

Michael was the first Canadian coach of the year in 2006, he was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University and he has written for all kinds of publications. Michael is a very smart, thoughtful, engaging thought leader who can help you become a better whatever you already are. Enjoy.

SUMMARY02:47 – What’s life about?10:36 – Creating books as an experience.13:52 – Two ways of using stories.18:06 – A great opening question.22:46 – Finishing a conversation.32:57 – Lightning round.44:34 – Lessons learned.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Michael Bungay Stainer books.Box of Crayons The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier

The post 41. Michael Bungay Stanier: The Coaching Habit first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

40. Mark Thompson: The World’s #1 CEO Coach

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 16 Sep 2019 17:00:07 -0400

Hello my friends, today my guest is Mark Thompson. He’s the world’s #1 CEO coach, a title that he inherited from Marshall Goldsmith, our friend and mentor. Mark is in the MG100 with me (the Marshall Goldsmith 100). He’s a leader inside that group, a member of 50 Thinkers.

He is also the coach to some of the top leaders in business including – Lyft’s CEO and cofounder Logan Green, Pinterest co-founder Evan Sharp, the CEO of the World Bank Jim Kim, Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, Charles Schwab, Steve Jobs. He went to high school with Steve Jobs and he was at Stanford with Jim Collins. One of only two people I’ve ever met who’s coached Tony Robbins. He talks about that in this interview

He’s one of these people that seems to know everybody. He’s been everywhere. Of course Mark is also a New York Times bestselling author. He has written Admired: 21 Ways to Double Your Value, that he coauthored with his wife Bonita Thompson.

SUMMARY00:04:08 – What’s life about?00:05:13 – The bridge from passion to contribution00:23:23 – One exercise Mark does with all C-Suite Executives00:34:40 – What’s it like to coach Tony Robbins?01:05:05 – Lightning round questions01:11:16 – Mark Thompson’s travel hack01:26:40 – What’s the most important thing on the path to publishing?LINKSSuccess Built To Last: Creating A Life That Matters Admired: 21 Ways To Double Your Value Mark Thompson on LinkedIn C Suite Masterclass: Choose Your Battles MarkCThompson.com

The post 40. Mark Thompson: The World’s #1 CEO Coach first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

39. Dan Brule: Just Breathe

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 05:00:40 -0400

Hello my friends, today my guest is Dan Brule, author of Breathwork: A 3-Week Breathing Program to Gain Clarity, Calm, and Better Health.

Dan is somebody that I first learned about when I heard him on a podcast of a previous guest of mine. Mark Divine talked about, you guessed it, breathwork or breathing. Now I want to admit and I say this in my conversation with Dan here, that I’ve had such little appreciation for the power and the value of breath over the first 40-ish years of my life. It’s only something that recently I’ve come to understand more about and I really enjoyed Dan’s book. He has spent four decades traveling the world, learning what he can from anybody who knows about breathing techniques that he didn’t know about. He’s putting them into this book.

Dan is a modern-day teacher, healer, and a world-renowned pioneer in this field of breathwork. Dan is awesome. I’m so grateful to him for coming on this show and I’m grateful to you for listening. So please enjoy this conversation with Dan Brule and may your life never be the same, in a good way.

SUMMARY00:02:35 – What’s life about?00:12:45 – What is it like to teach Tony Robbins? 00:24:22 – Why would Just Breathe benefit someone?00:47:38 – Knowing a person’s destiny from observing their breath.01:15:27 – Feeling the intensity to breathe.01:28:01 – The lightning round.01:34:40 – Questions about the creative process.

LINKSBreathwork: A 3-Week Breathing Program to Gain Clarity , Calm, and Better Health Dan Brule Instagram Breath Mastery Contact Dan Brule

The post 39. Dan Brule: Just Breathe first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

38. James Wallman: Time and How to Spend It

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 03 Sep 2019 08:00:37 -0400

Hello my friends today, my guest is James Wallman. James is the author of Stuffocation: Why we’ve had enough of stuff and need experience more than ever, which he published in 2013 and in this conversation we explore ideas in his new book, Time and How to Spend it: The Seven Rules for Richer, Happier Days, which was published this year in 2019. I think this is a very timely book because as James asserts, we have more free time than ever – and he quantifies that. There’s some scientific research, quite a lot of it in this book actually, but he shows how even though we have more free time than ever before, we feel greater time scarcity than ever before. And he talks about why that is and how important it is to use our time, especially our free time.

SUMMARY00:02:43 – What’s life about?00:12:42 – Free time is harder to enjoy than work.00:31:33 – Reframing our life stories.00:37:52 – Smartphone during sex.00:55:39 – Lightning round.01:11:06 – How to connect with James.01:14:07 – Writing advice.

LINKSTime and How to Spend it Stuffocation Stuffocation.org Contact James Wallman

The post 38. James Wallman: Time and How to Spend It first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

37. Donald Robertson: How To Think Like A Roman Emperor

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 06:00:38 -0400

Hello my friends today, my guest is Donald Robertson. Donald was born in Irvine, Scotland, and he became a specialist in teaching evidence-based psychological skills. Known as an expert on the relationship between modern cognitive behavioral therapy and classical Greek and Roman philosophy. Who merges those two things? And if that wasn’t enough, he was also interested in eastern studies and found a common thread perhaps to all of those a common root in stoicism. His most recent book is called How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius published this year in 2019. Part of what I love so much is that he brings to life these figures from antiquity, from ancient history, and helps us understand who they were, how they lived, and what lessons they have for us that are still relevant. In fact, maybe more timely than ever. I hope that you enjoy this storytelling, this learning, this biography of sorts. And by the way, when we get to the end of this interview and I ask him for his insights and experience about the creative process and writing, I love what he shares. I hope you learn something and I hope you become a better person because of it and then use that better self you’ve become in service to others.

SUMMARY00:02:42 – What’s life about?00:06:12 – Reading for the audiobook.00:13:20 – Discussion of Marcus.00:17:21 – More comfortable does not equal better.00:21:51 – Why Stoicism didn’t take shape as Buddhism did.00:41:27 – Life after writing this book.01:08:57 – Lightning round.01:38:50 – Exploration of the creative process.

LINKSHow to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius Stoicism and the Art of Happiness All Donald Robertson books.Donald Robertson website.

The post 37. Donald Robertson: How To Think Like A Roman Emperor first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

36. Wally Hines: JETPUBS

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 10:00:32 -0400

Wally Hines is the Director of Standards for JETPUBS Inc. His background includes a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies from the University of North Dakota, followed by various flying positions ranging from flight instruction, traffic reports, aerial photography, and fire patrol for the Department of Natural Resources. He has flown for two regional airlines and, since 1996, has been a pilot for Sun Country Airlines (flying the B727, DC10, and currently, the B737NG). He has been at JETPUBS since 2001 and is one of its founders. JETPUBS provides manuals services and training materials to over 400 airlines and training centers worldwide. Wally discusses the writing process for his yet to be released book on fighting against false accusations from the government and his years-long battle to clear his name.

SUMMARY 00:46 – Belly of the Snake.02:00 – JetPub08:08 – Being accused of abuse.22:16 – Why isn’t the book finished yet?32:13 – Deadline.

LINKSLinkedin Profile JETPUBS AP story discussing Wally’s case.

The post 36. Wally Hines: JETPUBS first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

35. Mark Divine: Unbeatable Mind

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 06:00:47 -0400

Hello my friends today my guest is Commander Mark Divine. Mark is an amazing human being whose nickname when he was in the Navy SEALs, was Cyborg. In his class of 185 participants, 19 graduated and he was the number one of those 19 earning the Honor Man. He’s unquestionably a leader and a warrior and he teaches leaders and warriors.

We talk about how to transmute desire into certainty, how to achieve peace and contentment, how to live one day, one lifetime as a philosophy. I had the chance to hear first at a Tony Robbins event a few years back in San Diego. He later came and spoke to executives at our company and as part of that event he took us outside and had us all engaged in some PT, some physical training, and we went for a run and we did some of the stretching and some of these movement and breathing exercises, and I realized how much I’d missed that. Mark has written The Way Of The SEAL, Kokoro Yoga, Unbeatable Mind, and 8 Weeks to SEALFIT. I hope you’ll hear something in this interview from a man who has been around the world who has studied martial arts, meditation, all kinds of different trainings, but really gone beyond all of that and looking deep into the heart and the mind and the soul to find really what it means to be alive and effective as a leader in these challenging times.

SUMMARY00:03:04 – What’s life about?00:04:38 – Ringing the bell in SEAL training.00:09:01 – A moment of clarity.00:30:04 – Officer candidate.00:41:27 – Daily routine.00:50:47 – Five mountains.01:04:48 – Growing up.01:23:14 – 50 hours of nonstop mental training.01:26:23 – Lightning round.01:39:49 – Questions about writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Books written by Mark Divine Unbeatable Mind / Mark Divine’s websiteSEALFIT / Physical and mental trainingHow to do a burpee

The post 35. Mark Divine: Unbeatable Mind first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

34. Ian Manuel: My Time’s Going to Come

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 05:00:23 -0400

Ian Manuel is a truly inspiring soul. He’s a spoken word poet who’s messages is the impossible is obtainable. When I first met Ian, he was on stage delivering some of his spoken word poetry, and when I talked to him afterward, he shared with me something that I could see in his delivery. He said, “God has given me the gift to compose words in ways that move people.” He had plenty of time to practice cultivating that gift while he spent a 26 year prison sentence, 18 consecutive years in solitary confinement, for a crime he committed at 13 years old. He received life in prison without the possibility of parole. In this interview, we talk about the crime that landed him there, how he confronted his victim, and why, what she said and did and continues to do.

Very, very remarkable. And the final thing here, and we talk about this briefly toward the end, but it’s a theme I think that runs throughout, is this idea that our traditional justice system is oriented toward punishment where a restorative justice system is or would be oriented toward healing. And that was a concept I had no notion of more than two years ago. It’s one that I have really enjoyed learning more about. It was kind of invisible to me. I hope that if you’re not already familiar with the concept of restorative justice, that this interview opens your eyes and your mind to the possibility of something that would serve us as a society in a far greater way than what we’re currently doing.

SUMMARY00:02:27 – What’s life about?00:07:12 – Life sentence at 13 years old.00:19:41 – Solitary confinement.00:25:14 – Preserving strength while in prison.00:40:00 – Forgiveness.00:43:35 – Writing his book.00:50:04 – Reentry process.00:54:15 – Lightning round.01:00:12 – Creative process.01:08:03 – Poem: Every Time I Breathe

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Equal Justice Organization Ian on Facebook Starbucks Coffee Video

The post 34. Ian Manuel: My Time’s Going to Come first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

33. Scott Harrison: charity:water

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 08:00:32 -0400

My guest is Scott Harrison. Scott is the founder and CEO of charity:water. He’s also the author of a book called Thirst: A Story of Redemption, compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World. Scott describes himself in this interview as having become at one point in his life early on, the most degenerate, hedonistic, sycophantic person that he knew. What is so awesome about Scott and his story is the fact that it is possible to change, and you’ll hear his transformation from a nightclub promoter and a party promoter. The more effective he was at that, the more money he earned. He was able to turn his life around a complete 180 and created a completely new model of how charities and philanthropies operate. Please enjoy this conversation with Scott Harrison.

SUMMARY00:02:37 – What’s life about?00:04:24 – Why he wrote the book.00:11:20 – How it all began to change.00:26:36 – A billion people without water.00:37:06 – The mystery of faith.00:45:29 – Business models.00:48:02 – Lightning round.01:07:24 – Watches.LINKS – (In order of appearance)Thirst: A Story of Redemption, compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World charity:water The Spring

The post 33. Scott Harrison: charity:water first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

32. Adam Piore: The Body Builders

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 09:10:06 -0400

Today my guest is Adam Piore, author of The Body Builders, Inside the Science of the Engineered Human. This is a fascinating book that explores the cutting edge of science and technology as it relates to the human body and explores things like advanced prosthetics, the regeneration of lost limbs and lost digits, technologies that help the blind to see, quadriplegics who are able to drink milk by thinking, and many things that I hadn’t even thought about until I read about them in this book. Adam is an award-winning journalist based in New York, a former editor and correspondent for Newsweek magazine as well as writing for Conde Nast Traveler, GQ, Discover Magazine, Mother Jones, and Playboy among many others. If there’s one thing that you take away from this interview, perhaps it’s this idea that we all have things we can be better at. We all have areas to learn. It’s easy to look at somebody who’s where we want to be, who’s doing what we want to do and think, man, they are there. They are probably amazing, but at the same time, things, seemingly little things that maybe are easy for us, are not necessarily easy for them. Overall, it’s a fascinating interview. It’s one that might open your mind to the possibilities of the human body and even the human spirit.

SUMMARY00:02:14 – What’s life about00:07:30 – Cambodia motivation. 00:22:15 – Dangers in Cambodia.00:31:38 – Respectful conversations.00:34:06 – Bodybuilders00:45:26 – Lightning round01:06:31 – Questions specifically about writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The Body Builders by Adam PioreAdam’s website www.adampiore.com

The post 32. Adam Piore: The Body Builders first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

31. Life’s Best Practices – Intro

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 14:20:30 -0400

Bryan has recently launched the School for Good Living. Within the School, Bryan has created an online group coaching program called Life’s Best Practices Breakthrough Coaching. The promise of the course is to help participants create a life of happiness, meaning, and contribution. Many want to make a difference, they want to contribute, and they think they can – but they are held back by not knowing how. Life’s Best PracticesBreakthrough Coaching provides the principles to guide participants and instill in them the faith to believe: I can. I do. I am.This 36-week online group coaching course is divided into three sections:SECTION 1 focuses on powerPower: Live with clarity about who you are, what you want, and why you’re here.SECTION 2 focuses on productivityProductivity: Do more, in less time, with less stress and more fun.SECTION 3 focuses on peacePeace: Appreciate and enjoy every moment of every day; love fully and live well.Learn more about the School for Good Living here.

This 36-week online group coaching course is divided into three sections:SECTION 1 focuses on powerPower: Live with clarity about who you are, what you want, and why you’re here.SECTION 2 focuses on productivityProductivity: Do more, in less time, with less stress and more fun.SECTION 3 focuses on peacePeace: Appreciate and enjoy every moment of every day; love fully and live well.Learn more about the School for Good Livinghere.

The post 31. Life’s Best Practices – Intro first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

30. Dylan Ozmore: Poetic Spaces

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 12:00:49 -0400

Today my guest is Dylan Ozmore. I’m thrilled to have him on my show because I love talking to Dylan and he has so many fantastic insights and perspectives. He’s the first poet I’ve had on this School for Good Living Podcast and he’s written a book called Words to Dance to: A Book of Poetic Meditations. He’s already written his followup called And the Lights Came On: A Book of Zen Parables and Poetic Meditations. He reads one of these zen parables in this podcast. We talk about how to know when something’s really a hell yes, when something really is a part of your calling, the willingness to give up, and everything to pursue your truth. We also explore this idea that everything is sacred and the space from which his books have been written and spaces in general, metaphysical, perhaps spiritual, emotional spaces as places from which we create.

SUMMARY00:02:42 – What’s life about?00:11:05 – How do we really know something?00:21:56 – Advice to others hearing the whisperings.00:34:32 – Initial writing experience.00:45:10 – Lightning round.01:04:28 – Focused discussion on writing.LINKS – (In order of appearance)Words to Dance to: A Book of Poetic Meditations

The post 30. Dylan Ozmore: Poetic Spaces first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

29. Arkan Lushwala: Deer and Thunder

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 08:00:28 -0400

Today I have a conversation with a really amazing indigenous healer, Arkan Lushwala. Arkan is a Peruvian ceremonial leader who was adopted by a Lakota Elder named Basil Brave Heart. Arkan has written a couple books, one called The Time of The Black Jaguar: An Offering of Indigenous Wisdom for the Continuity of Life on Earth. And more recently, Deer and Thunder: Indigenous Ways of Restoring the World.

One of the things you’ll hear is that he is a very humble man. In fact, he’s the only podcast guest I’ve had who, when I asked him to describe himself, says, “First, as a farmer.” Please take anything you hear in this interview with some caution, particularly some of the rituals and ceremonies that he talks about. Some of these things are potentially dangerous and not to be played with. There’s a real concern there, so taken care for your safety, making sure that anything you might do along these lines is under the guidance of someone who has experience and is looking out for your well-being.

SUMMARY00:04:11 – What’s life about?00:14:02 – Second oldest civilization.00:23:51 – Awareness of who we are.00:34:25 – Fearing nature.00:52:02 – Who Arkan writes to.01:02:13 – The Coca Cola quest.01:15:40 – How do you find yourself when you’re the one with something missing?01:29:37 – Forgiveness.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Books by Arkan Lushwala

The post 29. Arkan Lushwala: Deer and Thunder first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

28. James Altucher: Choose Yourself

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 04:50:45 -0400

Today, my guest is James Altucher. James is an amazing human being, a next level thinker, an investor, entrepreneur, author, stand up comedian, and former hedge fund manager. James is also a podcaster ranked in the top 100 podcasts who has interviewed just about everyone.

In this conversation he shares his perspective on trying to be 1% better each day, as well as strategies he’s used to be a great interviewer. James also opens up about giving away everything he owned and living only in Airbnb’s for over 3 years, while also sharing some of the best advise I’ve ever heard about marketing your creative work.

SUMMARY00:03:13 – What’s life about?00:06:45 – Improving yourself 1% every day.00:15:58 – The conception of Choose Yourself.00:29:17 – Interrupting your guest.00:30:49 – Making and losing lots of money.00:36:20 – Spirituality and meditation.00:50:10 – Death.00:53:53 – Reading.01:04:02 – Personal mission statement.01:07:01- Lightning round.01:18:00 – Airbnb01:22:10 – 10 ideas every day.01:35:12 – Micro loans.01:39:15 – Discussion about writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Books by James Altucher James Altucher Website The James Altucher Show – PodcastThe James Altucher Report Life Coaching Offer

The post 28. James Altucher: Choose Yourself first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

27. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu: From Mindfulness to Heartfulness

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 May 2019 16:58:49 -0400

Hello my friends today, my guest is Dr. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu. He is a psychologist and has training and clinical and community psychology, Yoga, meditation, and Chinese medicine. He holds a Doctorate from Harvard University. He’s been a teacher and counselor in Japan and the United States working with all ages from daycare to medical school. His current research is in the assessment of mindfulness and promoting personal wellbeing, leadership and social transformation. I was privileged to find Stephen’s book in the basement of the Strand bookstore in New York City. In it, he uses his personal experience to expand concepts that help us to transform ourselves, ultimately help us transform society using compassion. Stephen talks with me about the power of listening and how to be a more effective listener, what it really means. He also talks about actually seeing others and being seen, why it matters how we can do it. Stephen talks a lot about this duality, this tension between serving our ego, which of course we all have while remaining humble. So how do we walk that line between ego and humility? How do we share the things we know, the gifts we have with others in ways that make a difference while not letting it go to our head, not just being arrogant jerks. With that, please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu.

SUMMARY00:04:03 – Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu on what life’s about.00:07:06 – Living to 111.00:15:10 – A short meditation.00:28:49 – Unhappy students.00:38:41 – Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu’s mentor.00:49:20 – Intellectual compassion.00:57:29 – Lightning round.01:21:16 – Who inspired you to write?01:34:22 – Technical writing tools.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu’s Books From Mindfulness to Heartfulnes s by Stephen Murphy-ShigematsuMulticultural Encounters by Stephen Murphy-ShigematsuWhen Half is Full by Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu

The post 27. Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu: From Mindfulness to Heartfulness first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

26. Colin Beavan: A Fulfilling Life and a Better World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 06 May 2019 21:15:38 -0400

Today, my guest is Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man, the Adventures of a Guilty Liberal who Attempts to Save the Planet and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process. Colin has also written a book called How To Be Alive. Now, I found Colins’s book used at a second-hand bookstore. This book is printed on post-consumer waste paper printed with soy ink. It’s very environmentally friendly, which is no surprise given that it contains the stories and experiences of a man who lived a year without producing any trash except for compost. Purchasing no goods except for food and that food had to be grown within a 250 mile radius. He used no carbon-emitting transportation, no airplanes, no buses, no cars for a year. He didn’t even use elevators, taking the stairs. Now, all of that with a family living in New York City. Oh, and no paper products either including no toilet paper. He’s appeared on the Colbert Report, Good Morning America, Nightline, just about every morning show in the country. He holds a PhD from the University of Liverpool and he’s an all-around good guy.

SUMMARY00:02:21 What is life about?00:03:53 Daughter Bella’s purpose of life.00:14:34 Criticism surrounding the documentary.00:28:15 Building literal bridges.00:30:11 A model for changing a persons life.00:51:04 What Colin would have changed with No Impact Man.00:54:56 Lightening round.01:10:16 Specific questions about writing.01:33:14 Qualities of a great sentance.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Colin Beavan’s website How to Be Alive by Colin BeavanNo Impact Man by Colin BeavanOperation Jedburgh by Colin BeavanFingerprints by Colin BeavanNo Impact Man documentary

The post 26. Colin Beavan: A Fulfilling Life and a Better World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

25. Mark Gober: Ending Upside Down Thinking

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 05:40:58 -0400

Today my interview is with Mark Gober, author of An End to Upside Down Thinking: Dispelling the Myth that the Brain Produces Consciousness and the Implications for Everyday Life. Mark explores many different areas of life that we don’t often talk about even though we have some personal experience with them. Things like psychedelics, remote viewing, telepathy, precognition, psychokinesis, near-death experiences, communications with the deceased, and children who remember previous lives. It’s not, in my opinion, woo woo or out there. Instead, Mark takes a very level look at this, looking at the science and the research. Decades, 70 years or more in some cases, things that have been taking place in respectable laboratories, places like Princeton or Stanford by well respected scientists and researchers. Things that show there’s something strange going on in the universe more than we often realize.

SUMMARY00:02:19 What’s life about?00:06:11 Marks’ background.00:11:22 Consciousness.00:16:16 Spiritual traditions.00:24:02 The most surprising thing learned from writing the book.00:50:44 Dreams00:59:15 Lightening round.01:06:21 Titling the book.01:22:37 Favorite part of the creative process.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Mark Gober’s Website An End to Upside Down Thinking by Mark GoberSherpa Technology Group

The post 25. Mark Gober: Ending Upside Down Thinking first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

24. Kenji Williams: Bella Gaia And Beyond

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 08:00:07 -0400

Today, my guest is Kenji Williams, a composer and director for multimedia live theater, mixed reality, and interactive data visualization. What does that mean? Well, I met Kenji at an event in San Francisco where he showed me through VR a view of the planet earth that just blew my mind. It helped me to experience not only the beauty but the interconnectivity, the fragility of planet earth, and I was absolutely blown away. Since that time I have learned more from Kenji and this conversation was awesome. He talks about his journey as a multidisciplinary artist beginning at age six as a classically trained violinist, the son of a Buddhist and a Quaker. As he was raised, he pursued film. He also became a DJ, was in the rave culture, made a documentary about indigenous rituals, lived for a while in the psychedelic culture, did an artistic production with artist Alex Gray. You will find this conversation useful, interesting, inspiring. So with that, please enjoy this conversation with Kenji Williams.

SUMMARY00:02:16 – The San Francisco Forbes Magazine event.00:04:59 – How does Kenji explain who he is?00:13:44 – Film school and beyond.00:21:12 – Moment Utopia00:30:35 – Why is this your life’s work?00:38:31 – Connecting with NASA.00:48:51 – Lightening round.00:55:53 – Next big project?01:19:29 – How to remain an optimistic

LINKS – (In order of appearance)http://www.bellagaia.com/Moment Utopia http://www.kenjiwilliams.com/

The post 24. Kenji Williams: Bella Gaia And Beyond first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

23. Paul Hawken: Live Fearlessly

School for Good Living Podcasts — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 08:00:27 -0400

Today my guest is Paul Hawken. Paul is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist. Paul is the author of at least eight books, many articles, blog posts. President Bill Clinton called his book, Natural Capitalism, one of the five most important books today. Paul’s latest book is called Drawdown, The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed To Reverse Global Warming. Although Paul didn’t write this book Drawdown to give hope, he calls hope the pretty mask of fear. Saying instead that we must be fearless, not hopeful. I think you’ll find something in Paul’s interview here, something in Paul’s writing, that will help you to live more fully, more fearlessly.

SUMMARY00:02:01 – What is life about?00:16:50 – People feeling powerless.00:26:37 – Drawdown introduction.00:33:19 – With what’s going on in the environment, is retirement planning necessary?00:49:47 – What will the planet look like 50 years from now?01:07:54 – Lightning round.01:12:48 – Paul recommends libraries and used bookstores.01:18:52 – Time structure as a writer.01:27:46 – As a writer, how do you know you have something?01:36:41 – The writing process.01:48:35 – Read the books that save you from reading all the derivative books.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul HawkenPaul Hawken: Project Drawdown | Real Time with Bill Maher Paul Hawken on Twitter Drawdown.org Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World

The post 23. Paul Hawken: Live Fearlessly first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

22. Rajagopal Raghunathan: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy?

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 11:43:52 -0400

My guest is Raj Raghunathan, a professor of marketing at the McCombs School of business at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of, If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? And he is the author behind one of the most popular, massively open online courses ever created. A course on Coursera called A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment that has been participated in by more than 250,000 students. It’s available to you online at no cost right now. Raj explains consumption behavior through themes from psychology, behavioral science, decision theory and marketing. He talks to the smart and successful, that’s who he’s writing for. People who have already accomplished a lot, people who are intelligent but maybe don’t yet experienced the level of happiness that they want or they don’t experience it as easily and as often as they’d like. We go deep on the topic of gratitude, something that can be trite, feel like something on a hallmark card. But Raj gets into the how and why it works, why it matters and how we can use it more effectively. In a final part of the interview, he talks a little bit about procrastination, how to overcome it, and how to overcome inertia that might keep you stuck. So I think you’ll find something that you can implement into your life and your creative endeavors. Enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Raj Raghunathan.

SUMMARY00:03:04 – Raj explains what life’s about.00:08:16 – Why does the world need a book on happiness?00:18:07 – The genie exercise.00:27:48 – Is it really that simple?00:52:24 – The link between generosity and happiness.01:05:33 – Alternative definition of happiness.01:17:54 – Lightening round.01:41:54 – Raj’s lightning krkyptonite.01:53:34 – The book proposal.02:11:56 – Procrastination.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? by Rajagopal RaghunathanA Life of Happiness and Fulfillment Coursera CourseHappysmarts.com – Raj website.

The post 22. Rajagopal Raghunathan: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Happy? first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

21. Adam Smiley Poswolsky: The Quarter-Life Breakthrough

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 20:10:47 -0500

Today my guest is Smiley Poswolsky, a millennial workplace expert, keynote speaker, and bestselling author of The Quarter-Life Breakthrough and The Breakthrough Speaker. Smiley is somebody that I met through friends. It turns out I’ve got three or four friends, who aren’t friends with each other, who all know Smiley. In our conversation today, we talk about the qualities of a good prank, the value of making the ask, not waiting for permission, the gatekeeper is often yourself. Smiley talks about writing the book you need, writing about whatever people are asking you. And then he gets into a few tips about public speaking. So, if sharing from a stage is something that you’re interested to do, Smiley’s a good guy to know. One of the things I love about this conversation is Smiley talks about his lifestyle. It made me think about the healthy writer’s lifestyle as opposed to maybe the unhealthy writer’s lifestyle. Where Smiley’s not fueled all the time by caffeine or alcohol or amphetamines or some of these things that might be conducive for productivity in the short term, but have a very bad outcome. I think Smiley is a great example of somebody who lives a very workable lifestyle that makes a big difference in the lives of many others while simultaneously earning money and having a good time doing it.

SUMMARY 00:02:25 – Burning man prank. 00:11:54 – Camp grounded. 00:18:33 – Who Adam writes to. 00:33:39 – Inner vs outer authority. 00:55:16 – The most surprising thing learned over the course of writing. 01:02:59 – Lightning round. 01:11:57 – Discussing the craft of writing. 01:27:35 – Adam’s process for finishing a book.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The Quarter-0Life Breakthrough: Invent Your Own Path, Find Meaningful Work, and Build a Life That Matters – by Adam Smiley PoswolskyThe Breakthrough Speaker: How to Build a Public Speaking Career by Adam Smiley PoswolskyCamp Grounded I Am Not Your Guru Date With Destiny with Tony RobbinsThe Landmark Forum Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny by Tony RobbinsMan’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. FranklThe Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael SingerWinners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World by Anand GiridharadasSmileyPoswolsky.com Kiva.org Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason CurreyWalking on Water: Reading, Writing and Revolution by Derrick JensenConfessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun

The post 21. Adam Smiley Poswolsky: The Quarter-Life Breakthrough first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

20. Alan Weisman: The World Without Us

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:15:48 -0500

Today I am thrilled to talk with Alan Weisman. He is an author who’s worked on seven continents and more than 50 countries. He’s written six books and the book that I talked to him most about is The World Without Us. It’s a book he published about a decade ago. It began as a thought experiment about what would happen if humanity disappeared from the planet. How long would it take for nature to rejuvenate, or would it at all? He’s a journalist, who wanted to be a scientist as a kid and had so many passions and curiosities that he decided he would write about them all. That inquiry, that spirit of discovery has taken him around the globe and caused him to talk to some really, really interesting people. I hope that what you take away from this interview, and if you read his books, is a greater understanding and appreciation of the beauty and the delicate nature of the planet that we’re all a part of.

SUMMARY 00:02:40 – What is life about? 00:03:50 – Alan’s background. 00:13:23 – Concerns about the planet. 00:17:58 – One million people every four days. 00:22:19 – Public and critical response to the book’s release. 00:43:31 – Optimistic, pessimistic, or something else? 00:50:14 – Individual differences that can be made. 00:59:43- Lightning round. 01:07:46 – Two tips for completing a book.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The World Without Us by Alan WeismanLimits to Growth: The 30-Year Update by Donella H. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis L. MeadowsThe Voluntary Human Extinction Movement Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? by Alan WeismanFood is the Solution by Matthew PrescottKiva.org

The post 20. Alan Weisman: The World Without Us first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

19. Tasha Eurich: Bankable Leadership and Insight

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 08:18:07 -0500

Tasha Eurich has helped thousands of leaders around the world to become more self-aware and successful. Her first book, Bankable Leadership, debuted on the New York Times bestseller list in 2013. Her latest book, Insight, delves into the connection between self-awareness and success. Dr. Tasha Eurich is an organizational psychologist, researcher, and New York Times, bestselling author. She’s built a reputation as a fresh modern voice in the business world by pairing her scientific grounding and human behavior with a pragmatic approach to professional development. In this interview, Tasha and I talk about a lot of things, including the work she’s done and the things she’s learned in more than 15 years of being a scientist. I hope you enjoy it, and if you listen all the way to the end where we talk about writing, she shares some things about writing that, if you’ve tried it, I think will resonate with you. Please enjoy this conversation with Dr. Tasha Eurich.

SUMMARY 00:02:00 – What’s life about? 00:02:32 – Who is Tasha and what does she do? 00:17:02 – Thinking about ourselves isn’t knowing ourselves. 00:27:42 – Enlisting love critics. 00:36:07 – Lightning round. 00:43:09 – Third generation entrepreneur. 00:51:38 – Meditative retreat. 01:05:54 – Composite characters. 01:26:10 – Turning research into readable content.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Bankable Leadership: Happy People, Bottom-Line Results, and the Power to Deliver Both by Tasha EurichInsight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, and Why the Answers Matter More Than We Think by Tasha Eurichtashaeurich.com Tasha Eurich TEDx Talk Singularity University Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip HealthWhite Noise APP Orange Theory Fitness Insight Quiz

The post 19. Tasha Eurich: Bankable Leadership and Insight first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

18. Jeff Eggers: Leaders, Myth and Reality

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 11:15:07 -0500

Today my guest is Jeff Eggers. I don’t even know where to start introducing Jeff. He retired from the Navy in 2013 after a 20-year career as a US Navy SEAL. He served in the White House for six years, most recently as President Obama’s special assistant for national security affairs, he also served under President Bush. He earned an award, the Samuel Nelson Drew Award for Distinguished Contribution in Pursuit of Global Peace. That award was given to him by President Obama for his role in mediating the political crisis following the 2014 Afghan presidential elections, which I’m sure you were following closely. We talk about leadership and the book that he’s just written with four-star general Stanley McChrystal and with Jason Mangone. The book is Leaders, Myth and Reality. In this book, he profiles 13 leaders from all walks of life. We talk about some very practical things that you can do to increase the quality of your leadership. I think it’s fascinating. I think if you want to take your ideas and to translate them into reality, put them, especially in a written form, that you will find something here that is extraordinarily useful to you. Jeff, welcome to the School for Good Living podcast.

SUMMARY 00:02:32 – Paragliding interest. 00:05:25 – What’s life about? 00:12:50 – Discussion over Leadership. 00:26:46 – Who is the book written for? 00:43:56 – If not a Navy Seal, what was Jeff’s career choice? 00:57:40 – The warrior and peace. 01:07:08 – Lightning round. 01:13:03 – The McChrystal Group 01:21:04 – Discussion of his book and the co-authors.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Leaders: Myth and Reality by Stanley McChrystal, Jeff Eggers, and Jay MangoneLinkedIn in profile of Jeff EggersThe McChrystal Group

The post 18. Jeff Eggers: Leaders, Myth and Reality first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

17. Sally Helgesen: How Women Rise

School for Good Living Podcasts — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 12:09:36 -0500

Today, my guest is Sally Helgesen. She’s been cited by Forbes magazine as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership. Her Mission for the last 30 years has been to help women leaders around the world recognize, articulate, and act on their greatest strengths. She’s coauthored her most recent book, which is one of seven. She’s written How Women Rise, Break the 12 habits, Holding You Back From Your Next Raise, Promotion or Job with Marshall Goldsmith. I think this is a really amazing book. I read it and I really liked the perspective she has, that successful people very often don’t need to do more of any one thing. They’re already successful. What often gets in their way? It was, of course, themselves and in this conversation, we explore not only that concept, but the specific behaviors that women often do to impede their own growth and progress at work. And even if you’re not a woman leader, if you’re a man listening to this, I still think you’ll find a number of things that are very useful in your own leadership journey and things that will help you be more aware of the women you work with.

SUMMARY 0:03:27 – What is life about? 00:12:22 – What will happen in the next five to ten years concerning leadership. 00:19:55 – Precision and correctness. 00:26:18 – How the book idea began. 00:30:59 – How the title of the book developed. 00:46:01 – Does writing ever get easier? 00:53:31 – How often does Sally write? 00:57:14 – Qualities of a great sentence.

LINKS – (In order of appearance) Books by Sally HelgesenWildcatters: A Story of Texas, Oil, and Money The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership The Web of Inclusion: A New Architecture for Building Great Organizations Everyday Revolutionaries: Working Women and the Transformation of American Life Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work The Female Vision: Women’s Real Power at Work How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job

What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development by Carol Gilligan Sally Helgesen on LinkedIn www.SallyHelgesen.com Adam Grant – Are you a Giver or a Taker?Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

The post 17. Sally Helgesen: How Women Rise first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

16. Whitney Johnson: Disruptive Innovation

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 15:31:23 -0500

Whitney Johnson is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption. She developed her proprietary framework and diagnostics after having co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen. This framework is complemented by a deep understanding of how executives create and destroy value, having spent nearly a decade as an Institutional Investor ranked equity analyst on Wall Street.

SUMMARY 00:55 – What’s life about? 04:29 – Growing up. 11:48 – The psychology of disruption. 22:09 – Lightning round. 30:31 – How has the process of writing changed? 40:33 – Knowing your audience. 48:22 – Advice to people working on their first book.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream by Whitney JohnsonDisrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work by Whitney JohnsonBuild an A-Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve by Whitney JohnsonThe Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. ChristensenDisruptive Innovation Fund TEDx – Whitney Johnson – Disrupt Yourself You Were Born Rich by Bob Proctorhttps://whitneyjohnson.com/Focus @ Will Time Out For Women

The post 16. Whitney Johnson: Disruptive Innovation first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

15. Matthew Prescott: What To Eat To Save The World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 11:13:26 -0500

Today I interviewed Matthew Prescott, author of Food is The Solution: What to Eat to Save the World. Matthew is a leader in the global movement to make farming and eating more sustainable. He’s an advisor to the Good Food Institute, senior director of food and agriculture for the Humane Society of the United States and a leading figure in a global movement to reform how we farm and eat. In this conversation, I talked with Matthew about many things including crickets and cockroaches, which don’t worry, he doesn’t advocate we eat. We talk about the link between what we eat and whether or not it matters, the impact it has on the planet sustainability, and the way we treat and live with animals. So if you’re not already thinking about the connection between what you put in your body, what you put on your plate, and what you eat and how that impacts communities and ecosystems around the world, I highly recommend you listen to this podcast.

SUMMARY 00:03:30 – What’s life about? 00:06:26 – Who does Matthew Prescott say Matthew Prescott is? 00:09:38 – How to get incredible contributors to your book. 00:20:41 – How to get people to care about the environment. 00:33:53 – Learning how to compile this type of book. 00:36:30 – Lightning round. 00:46:57 – Protein from insects. 00:57:16 – The very personal nature of food. 01:04:42 – The best money Matthew spent on creating his book. 01:10:36 – Advice on someone starting their book. 01:15:53 – Organizing all of the components of a cookbook.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Food Is the Solution: What to Eat to Save the World by Matthew PrescottTEDx – It Begins With Every Bite Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah HarariThe Wicked Healthy Cookbook: Free. From. Animals by Chad SarnoHappy Cow APP Beyond Burger The Strain tv series Vegan Goodness by Jessica PrescottDaily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

The post 15. Matthew Prescott: What To Eat To Save The World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

14. Dr. Ben Michaelis: High Performance Mental Health

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 15:30:45 -0500

Today my guest is Dr. Ben Michaelis an action-oriented psychologist, elite performance coach, professional thought partner, and the author of Your Next Big Thing: Ten Small Steps to Get Moving and Get Happy. In his private practice based in Manhattan, Dr. Michaelis works with entrepreneurs, authors, actors, musicians, artists, and executives. He’s frequently featured as a mental health expert on various television and radio programs such as The Today Show, Fox News, MSNBC, and he’s written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Vanity Fair, The Oprah Magazine, Parents Magazine, Women’s Health, Glamour, and many others.

SUMMARY 00:03:37 – The NYC Marathon. 00:11:26 – Big life changes and travel. 00:17:58 – Who his the book written for. 00:24:07 – Societies current mental health challenges. 00:32:31 – The inner critic is not sufficient. 00:35:35 – Finding the right therapist for you. 00:42:38 – Lightning round. 00:48:01 – Questions about writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Your Next Big Thing: Ten Small Steps to Get Moving and Get Happy by Dr. Ben MichaelisFor Like Minds – Connect with People Like YouSiddhartha: A Novel – by Hermann HesseCalm App

The post 14. Dr. Ben Michaelis: High Performance Mental Health first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

13. Lea Endres: The Internet is My Religion

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 12:00:17 -0500

Today my guest is Lea Endres. Lea is an entrepreneur and educator and a human rights advocate, a renowned facilitator. She spent most of her life working to make the tools of leadership available to everyone. She’s an accomplished screenwriter and the coauthor of Jim Gilliam’s memoir. The Internet is my religion. In this conversation, we explore what it was like for Lea to help Jim get his memoir written and we also talk about her unlikely journey to become CEO of a large tech company – and a pretty incredible story. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Lea Endres.

SUMMARY 00:01:17 – What’s life about? 00:02:06 – The creation of Nation Builder. 00:07:08 – Giving the Internet is My Religion, away for free. 00:13:32 – Lea’s trip to Malaysia changes her. 00:23:20 – What it took to financially write the book. 00:25:06 – Nation Builder Books. 00:32:26 – The ideal author for Nation Builder Books to publish. 00:34:13 – Lighting round. 00:39:15 – Writing specific questions.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The Internet is My Religion – by Jim Gilliam and Lea Endres Nation Builder Green for All Nation Builder Books Jelina Chocolate The Talent of the Room by Michael Ventura

The post 13. Lea Endres: The Internet is My Religion first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

12. Raj Sisodia: Conscious Capitalism

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 20:01:12 -0400

Raj Sisodia sits down with Bryan Miller to discuss not only the what it took to write his business-focused books but the deeper meaning of what it means to be a conscious capitalist and making a difference in the lives of your employees and their children. Their discussion shows how much can be learned if we don’t accept years of business teachings as gospel and instead challenge those previously accepted notions.

SUMMARY 00:02:31 – Writing what you know. 00:05:25 – Meeting others needs. 00:11:22 – Silent Suffering. 00:18:39 – Maximizing profits. 00:24:26 – Paying employees as little as possible. 00:33:56 – The feminine perspective. 00:41:01 – Tough-minded and tender-hearted. 00:47:23 – Servants or slaves. 01:02:17 – Moved to tears. 01:06:50 – Executive pay ratio. 01:12:56 – Taking a book from an idea to completion. 01:23:26 – Slowing down the book to gain some insight. 01:31:53 – Rapid questions.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The Healing Organization (Ted Talk)Shakti Leadership by Milimia Bhat and Raj SosodiaEverybody Matters by Bob Chapman and Raj SisodiaTheory of Moral Sentiments by Adam SmithDoes Marketing Need Reform by Jagdish Sheth and Raj SisodiaFirms of Endearment by Raj Sisodia, Jagdish Sheth, and David WolfeDragon Naturally Speaking Software The Untethered Soul by Michal SingerIntellectual Shamans – by Sandra WaddockMan’s Search for Meaning by Viktor FranklRajsisodia.com Babson.edu consciouscapitalism.org

The post 12. Raj Sisodia: Conscious Capitalism first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

11. Michael Hebb: Death Over Dinner

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 23:06:22 -0400

Today my guest is Michael Hebb, a multidisciplinary artist whose medium is the table. It’s been said that in the realm of death there are no experts, but I don’t think that’s true. Michael has spent many, many, many years talking about death and is the founder of DeathOverDinner.org, an incredible movement that is bringing people together around tables, over meals to talk about issues related to end of life. He’s a very thoughtful guy that I met through Summit Series in the recent past. He has served as an advisor to the Summit Series and he also started a creative agency that’s advised many organizations including the Obama Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Tedmed, the World Economic Forum, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, X Prize Foundation, and the Nature Conservancy. His writings have appeared in GQ, Food and Wine, Food Arts, Arcade, Seattle magazine, and City Arts, and he can often be found speaking at universities and conferences for the past 20 years.

SUMMARY 00:02:48 – What’s life about? 00:08:11 – Growing up. 00:15:08 – Dropping out of Reed. 00:16:11 – City Repair project begins. 00:22:51 – Apes and tables. 00:25:52 – Dating Naomi and starting Family Supper. 00:30:37 – Becoming a pariah. 00:40:14 – Eating traditions with family. 00:45:03 – Why death is a theme. 00:51:27 – Death Over Dinner discussion. 00:59:09 – Michael’s 40th birthday/funeral.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)DeathOverDinner.org Summit Series Michael Hebb When Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiTuesdays with Morrie Livewake.com Let’s Talk about Death (over Dinner): An Invitation and Guide to Life’s Most Important Conversation by Michael Hebb

The post 11. Michael Hebb: Death Over Dinner first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

10. Bob Harris: Most Interesting Man In The World

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 19:22:04 -0400

Bryan sits down at the microphone with Bob Harris, best known for his multiple appearances on Jeopardy and his book, The International Bank of Bob, which focuses on one of Bryan’s favorite websites, Kiva.com. Enjoy their fast-paced conversation covering a whole lot more than simply how to be a successful writer.

SUMMARY 00:01:02 – The answer to the meaning of life question. 00:03:55 – Country count. 00:10:20 – Wolf Blitzer Jeopardy. 00:15:33 – The blessings of Jeopardy. 00:21:24 – How to train your brain to remember. 00:30:45 – Bob and Bryan discuss Bitcoin. 00:36:43 – The luxury writing world. 00:41:15 – Finding Kiva in Qatar. 00:52:12 – The wide reach of an idea. 01:01:22 – Lightning round. 01:14:12 – The most important part of your script. (Bob Harris’s Parachute) 01:22:36 – How important is it to live in LA white writing.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)The International Bank of Bob by Bob Harris Who Hates Whom by Bob Harris Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! by Bob Harris Wolf Blitzer Jeopardy Fail Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings Ian Foster Novels Breathe: The Simple, Revolutionary 14-Day Program to Improve Your Mental and Physical Health by Belisa Vranich www.BobHarris.com Michael Arndt

The post 10. Bob Harris: Most Interesting Man In The World first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

9. Greg McKeown: The Essential Essentialist

School for Good Living Podcasts — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 18:18:25 -0400

Hello my friends, today I am so pleased to share with you a conversation I just had with Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times bestseller, Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Greg is an amazing thinker and teacher. He’s taught at companies that include Apple, Google, Facebook, Salesforce, Linkedin, Semantic, Twitter, VMware, and he was recently named a young global leader by the World Economic Forum. He just moved to southern California. He’s got four kids. He has an MBA from Stanford University. He is truly wise beyond his years. In this conversation, he shares about a lot of things including culture; he says it’s the one thing you can’t lie about it in an organization, talks about leadership, things that he’s learned in his career as a consultant and as an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies. Talks about we’re always leading all the time. He gives some insight into how to do that more effectively. He breaks down, of course, the philosophy of the essentialist, which I will leave it to you to hear directly from him, but he talks about it as a contrast to the default setting. For almost everyone who is non-essentialist. He talks about developing the gift of discernment, filling your mind with light, the power and value of thinking. I love one of the things he says when you’re reading, you’re thinking with someone else’s mind, so we explore a bit of time talking about books, how to choose them, how to make the most of them. Greg talks about the power of cumulative consistency, celebrating what’s right, and he also talks about creating residual streams of goodness. So I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation. If you haven’t read Essentialism, I highly recommend you do. There were about a half dozen people who told me how much it had impacted them before I finally got around to reading it myself. If you haven’t read it, I think you’ll find many great ideas that you’ll love and I think you’ll love this conversation. So, with no further words for me, please enjoy my conversation with Greg McKeown. Greg, welcome to the School for Good Living Podcast.

SUMMARY 00:05:43 – Touring with Beauty and the Beast. 00:07:28 – Lessons learned traveling around America. 00:10:55 – Everyone has a certain leadership skill. 00:17:06 – A big question. 00:24:00 – Putting your all into a failed business plan. 00:29:02 – How can we get clear? 00:35:51 – Greg’s journaling. 00:39:52 – The gift of discernment. 00:45:44 – Advice on reading the best books. 00:57:12 – How do you live essentialism where you have limited control? 01:04:22 – Lightning round of questions. 01:27:17 – Anticipating the success of your book. 01:39:46 – People don’t buy what they need–they buy what they want. 01:50:36 – Writing words of encouragement.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Essentialism, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown Beauty and the Beast touring show EO, The Entrepreneurs Organization The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection by Michael Singer John Adams, by David McCullough Jenkin Lloyd Jones Quote about what life is like.The Book of Mormon The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Chicken Soup for the Soul 7 Habits Life’s Best Practices Guided Coaching Program

The post 9. Greg McKeown: The Essential Essentialist first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

8. Noah Rasheta: Life Lessons From Paragliding

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:09:59 -0400

Today my guest is Noah Rasheta. He’s a Buddhist teacher, lay minister and author, as well as the host of the podcast, Secular Buddhism. Noah teaches mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy online and in workshops all around the world. He works with others to make the world a better place as he studies, embodies, and teaches the fundamentals of Buddhist philosophy, integrating Buddhist teachings with modern science, humanism, and humor. He lives in Kamas, Utah with his wife and three kids. Noah and I have a very wide-ranging conversation. We talk about his passion for powered paragliding. We get into a little bit about how he’s achieved 2 million downloads on his podcast, what it means to live skillfully versus unskillfully, what it means to be awakened and enlightened. How to see deeply. He talks about in this how to use meditation, not to change yourself, but to befriend who you already are, and then also how mindfulness has helped him to change his relationship with his thoughts. I think that you’ll find something in this that will be very valuable for you.

SUMMARY 00:02:22 – Powered paragliding. 00:04:24 – What’s life about? 00:07:40 – Substitute school bus driver. 00:15:34 – What spurred change. 00:19:05 – A quest for answers 00:24:4 – Non-religious Buddhism 00:26:38 – A clear lesson learned from paragliding. 00:37:21 – Lightning round. 00:42:54 – What are our expectations and where do they come from? 00:48:29 – Meditation and bubbling to the surface. 01:06:28 – 2 million downloads. 01:15:04 – Being asked to write. 01:20:46 – Writing without a team and other details. 01:34:25 – Podcasting details.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Paramotor Sport 10% Happier by Dan Harris The Dalai Lama Tara Brock Rebel Buddha by Dzogchen Ponlop Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche SecularBuddhism.com Podcast Callisto Media (publisher)Scrivener, Evernote, Ommwriter Bookbub Waking Up Podcast with Sam Harris Radiolab Hardcore History podcast with Dan Carlin Noah recommended podcast links: How To #1 / How To #2 Kiva Loans

The post 8. Noah Rasheta: Life Lessons From Paragliding first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

7. Steve Zaffron: Three Laws Of Performance

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 16:19:59 -0400

Steve Zaffron is the CEO of the Vanto Group, a global consulting firm that designs and implements large-scale initiatives to elevate organizational performance. Zaffron has directed major corporate initiatives with more than three hundred organizations in twenty countries. Steve sits down with Bryan for a wide-ranging discussion about the meaning of life, Black Box Theory, Steve’s involvement with the Barbados think tank, and his experience writing the national bestseller, The Three Laws of Performance.

SUMMARY 00:00:46 – What is life about? 00:04:51 – Is there a distinction between nothingness and emptiness?00:09:34 – What do you tell other people about yourself? 00:12:06 – The three laws of performance. 00:14:29 – Platinum mine in conflict and the think tank. 00:25:30 – How the book has changed lives. 00:36:31 – Being a leader does not require authority. 00:43:51 – Learning golf from a book. 00:48:57 – Black Box Thinking 00:54:30 – On being a musician. 01:04:19 – Learning from his parents. 01:07:16 – Working with a co-writer. 01:25:48 – Working really hard will make up for shortcomings. 01:30:15 – Customizing methodology.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)La Nausée by Jean-Paul Sartre The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan Landmark Worldwide Werner Erhard Michael C. Jensen The Barbados Group Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Brand Vanto Group Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed and Simon Slater Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal, and Fred Sanders

The post 7. Steve Zaffron: Three Laws Of Performance first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

6. Dorie Clark: On Writing

School for Good Living Podcasts — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 02:33:42 -0400

At age 14, Dorie Clark entered Mary Baldwin College’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. At 18, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, and two years later received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Clark is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Today she shares with Bryan of the School for Good Living Podcast her writing philosophy, motivation, and technique.

SUMMARY 00:00:43 – What is life about? 00:02:45 – Who you are and what do you do? 00:06:32 – Why Dorie wrote her second and third book. 00:08:45 – Picking interview guests. 00:11:46 – Starting her business and dealing with rejection. 00:20:09 – Asking for feedback. 00:23:39 – Dori’s online course, Recognized Expert. 00:28:59 – Where most people falter. 00:34:56 – Discovering her passions. 00:38:42 – Social media branding. 00:47:15 – Social media profile maintenance. 00:48:38 – Lightning Round 00:59:51 – Keeping money in perspective. 01:00:42 – Finding that next big project. 01:21:50 – Kiva.org donation. 01:07:58 – Writing in four blocks. 01:10:28 – Typical writing day. 01:19:38 – Writing rituals. 01:21:12 – Writing advice. 01:28:27 – Writing tech. 01:32:28 – Using a ghostwriter. 01:34:45 – Qualities of a well-crafted sentence. 01:38:27 – Encouragement to struggling writers.

LINKS – (In order of appearance)Dorie Clark – websiteThe Progress Principle, by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer Dori Clark’s Books Entrepreneurial You Reinventing You Stand out Recognized Expert – Online courseDorie Clark Instagram The Work of 1000 – Documentary filmReputation.com founded by Michael FurtickThe Fuqua School of Business at Duke, Communication for Leaders –Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Summit conference Class Pass – Gymwww.Kiva.Org – The Mawenzi Group88 Question Entrepreneurial You Self-Assessment StickK – Stick to your commitmentsHygga Candle The Headline Analyzer Chris Winfield Blog Copyblogger Scrivener Alan Weiss

The post 6. Dorie Clark: On Writing first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

5. Peter Bregman: Leadership Mastery

School for Good Living Podcasts — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 23:13:37 -0400

For over 30 years, Peter Bregman has worked with CEOs and senior leaders to help them create accountability and inspire collective action on their most important work and is the host of the Bregman Leadership Podcast, which offers insightful conversations with industry thought leaders on how to become more powerful, courageous leaders. He is also a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and his articles and commentary appear frequently in Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Fast Company, Psychology Today, Forbes, The Financial Times, PBS, ABC, CNN, NPR, and FOX Business News.

Peter is the author of multiple leadership books, including his book, 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done, a Wall Street Journal bestseller.

SUMMARY 00:00:59 – What’s life about? 00:06:30 – Who is Peter Bregman? 00:12:56 – Why the focus on CEO’s as clients? 00:19:28 – The missing conversations. What’s holding us back from growth? 00:29:57 – How to make your marriage last. 00:34:13 – The real definition of success. 00:39:01 – Hard vs Soft skills. 00:49:23 – Trained as a therapist in core energetics. 00:53:02 – Lightning round questions. 01:01:43 – Fatherly advice on going to college. 01:04:17 – Questions on writing. 01:11:16 – Reading fiction can make us more empathetic. 01:13:11 – Meditation 01:19:03 – Writing habits, routines, rituals. 01:21:50 – How writing material is organized for various outlets.

LINKSBregman Partners Interfaith Relationship Workshop Harvard Business Review Article Drizzle, by Kathleen Van Cleve Patagonia Duffle Bright Line Eating Psychology today Faces of the Enemy, by Sam Keen The Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker Gotham Writers Workshop Eames Lounge Chair Scrivener KIVA.org Peter Bregman’s Books – Leading with Emotional Courage 18 Minutes Four Seconds Point B

The post 5. Peter Bregman: Leadership Mastery first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

4. Petra Kolber: Strengthen Your Courage Muscle

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 15:27:11 -0400

Today’s guest is Petra Kolber, author of The Perfection Detox: Tame Your Inner Critic, Live Bravely, and Unleash Your Joy. Petra is an internationally renowned fitness expert and wellness leader who’s known throughout the industry as a crusader for change and a beacon of authentic happiness. In her 25 years in this field, she starred in and choreographed more than 60 award-winning videos and fitness programs, spoken live to thousands of people and audiences around the world, lead workshops nationwide. She’s a keynote speaker and inspires people to stand up for their lives and live profoundly from their hearts. She’s been the face and voice of leading food and fitness companies like Reebok, Spry Living, Yes Fitness Music, and California Walnuts. She’s a two-time cancer survivor and she’s passionate about waking people up to the precious gift of time. Her mission is to motivate people to move more and fear less so they can stretch their dreams, strengthen their courage muscle, and build an inspired life full of joy and gratitude.

SUMMARY 00:03:12 – What’s life about? 00:05:28 – Learning to DJ. 00:11:22 – The Perfection Detox. 00:16:26 – An aha moment. 00:23:16 – Staying in the present. 00:33:50 – The little voices inside our heads. 00:37:03 – Loving ourselves. 00:42:42 – Mirror talk. 00:48:09 – Book release date. 00:49:10 – Lighting round. 00:54:06 – Challenges growing up as a child. 01:07:19 – What it took to get the Perfection Detox written. 01:12:01 – Beta testing of the book. 01:20:48 – Book proposal how-to. 01:28:45 – Finding an editor. 01:33:59 – The Writer’s Space. 01:37:49 – Technology used in writing. 01:43:11 – Positive psychology – a discussion.

LINKSYES! Fitness Music Tempo Magic The Perfection Detox: Tame Your Inner Critic, Live Bravely, and Unleash Your Joy The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection by Michael A. Singer The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom The Bloggess – Jenny Lawson Voice Record Pro App Canva – Design App If You Can Talk You Can Write https://www.Upwork.com https://www.fiverr.com/https://www.hiremymom.com/Wisdom 2.0 The Writers Room Omm Writer Death App https://www.kiva.org/Petra’s Tedx talk

The post 4. Petra Kolber: Strengthen Your Courage Muscle first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

3. Gail Miller: A Life Of Integrity And Service

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 19:57:03 -0400

Gail is an American billionaire businesswoman and chairwoman of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. She is the owner of the Utah Jazz NBA team, and the wealthiest person in Utah. Gail is also chairwoman of the Salt Lake Community College and a leading philanthropist.

On this podcast we are able to hear her story and feel the emotion and integrity created by a life of work and service. I hope you enjoy it, I really think you’ll love it.

The post 3. Gail Miller: A Life Of Integrity And Service first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

2. davidji: 16 Seconds at a Time

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 22 May 2018 17:02:43 -0400

Hello my friends, welcome to the School for Good Living podcast. In this episode, I talk with davidji. davidji has taught more than 200,000 people how to meditate. He ran the Chopra University for a decade, and I first met him when I attended Hay House’s “I Can Do It” summit in Seattle a couple years ago…spent a half-day in a workshop he led…loved what I heard, is perspectives on mindfulness and meditation. He really does demystify some of these things that seem so esoteric. He’s written 3 books: “Secrets of Meditation,” a guy who’s written a book about mediation—no surprise—he demystifies it. It’s a nautilus award-winning book. I highly recommend. He’s also written a book called “Destressifying,” where he takes out a lot of the mystical or religious associations of mindfulness and makes it very very practical in settings like schools or universities or workplaces…and law enforcement and military as well…a great book. And then his most recent book is one called “Sacred Powers,” and I really love what he says in “Sacred Powers,” and I think. you’ll enjoy this episode, hearing the journey of transformation that he experiences as he was working on Wallstreet, doing Mergers and Acquisitions, wearing a suit and tie everyday, and one day that all changed. He’ll tell you about that, and I think you’ll also enjoy hearing a bit about how he writes…kind of a unique process. And then some of the answers he provides in the lightning round I think are really cool too about how he travels internationally—rules he follows—and the one piece of advice he would give every American. I’ve never heard that before—a very interesting way of explaining what America is and what he wished every American knew. So, with that, I hope you enjoy this episode—I hope that it encourages you to practice even deeper mindfulness if that’s your thing. If you don’t, I think you’ll still enjoy hearing from a very dedicated, through and through, thorough person—if you think about it, when you talk to anyone who’s passionate about anything, and it’s so engrained in who they are, there’s something to be learned, and usually it’s enjoyable. davidji even meditates with his dog, Peaches, the Buddha Princess. So, enjoy!

The post 2. davidji: 16 Seconds at a Time first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.

1. Lynne Twist: The Pachamama Alliance

School for Good Living Podcasts — Tue, 08 May 2018 19:55:39 -0400

For more than 40 years Lynne has been recognized as a global visionary who is committed to alleviating poverty, ending world hunger, and supporting social justice and environmental sustainability. From working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta, to the refugee camps in Ethiopia, and the threatened rainforests of the Amazon, Lynne’s on-the-ground work has brought her a deep understanding of people’s relationship with money.

I journeyed to the Amazon rainforest with Lynne with my wife and with her husband Bill and a group of other adventurous souls a couple years ago and it changed who I am. I’ve since gone back. I’ve stayed a part of the Pachamama Alliance, the organization that Lynne has started, and in this conversation, we talk about the Pachamama Alliance…what inspired her to start it more than 20 years ago…and also about the humanitarian and philanthropic work she has done around the world…what is means to live a committed life…you’ll hear Lynne talk about not striving for balance but striving for integrity…really incredible perspective—some of what she shares about money…some of the views that she has going beyond the idea of scarcity…Oprah has had her on her show…she’s counseled US presidents…she is truly a leader…and it’s my great privilege to share with you this conversation now. So, I hope you enjoy, and I hope that if you don’t already know Lynne, that by knowing her, she’ll bless your life in similar ways to the ways she’s blessed mine.

The post 1. Lynne Twist: The Pachamama Alliance first appeared on School for Good Living Podcasts.