Folgen
-
On the 88th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Derek Sivers. Derek is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, known for his surprising, quotable insights and pithy, succinct writing style. Formerly a musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown, he sold his first company for $22 million and gave all the money to charity. Derek is the author of Useful Not True, How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, and Anything You Want. All his books, latest projects, and musings can be found on his website: https://sive.rs/
In this insightful and engaging conversation, Derek takes us on a journey through his experiences as a musician, philosopher, circus performer, entrepreneur, and author. A journey spanning several continents that embraces, lets go of, and challenges multiple perspectives, and is underpinned by considerable explorations of growth, curiosity, joy, and play.
If you feel stuck in your way of thinking, stagnant in your current life, or tired of your perspectives, not only will Derek’s life serve as an incredible inspiration, but his thoughts and ideas may guide you to places you never imagined.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for full interviews and clips.
For further content and information check out the following:
Derek's website / books: https://sive.rs/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.
00:00 Introduction
02:42 What’s another way to see this?
07:10 Not stopping with the first thought10:10 What could be the benefit of any situation
13:30 Navigating emotion and choices
17:50 Exploring the edges of growth
23:20 Leaving the old for the new
28:10 What is the growth choice?
33:10 Exploration, play, and growth
38:40 The greatest joy in life
44:10 The motivation for the writing
47:40 Not being attached to one perspective
50:40 Realising ideas into existence
53:40 Celebrating our work
59:40 The moment of release
1:02:40 Giving 100% of proceeds to others
1:07:40 Justifying our own actions
1:12:40 The multiplicity of life
1:19:55 What is a good life for Derek?
-
On the 87th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to welcome our guest, Dr. Niobe Way. Niobe is Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU, founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH; pach.org), and the Principal Investigator of the Listening Project, which fosters curiosity and connection in schools across New York City. Niobe has served as President of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), holds a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, a doctorate from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health at Yale University.
With nearly 40 years of experience researching adolescent social and emotional development, Niobe has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles. She is the author of Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection and her latest book, Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture.
In this illuminating conversation, Niobe explores what it means to be human and how this is shaped by cultural context, the clash between our nature and culture, and the importance of listening to stories as well as examining data. She highlights the dangers of living in a culture that no longer listens and how much of what is needed for greater connection already exists within us.
If your relationships lack the depth and connection you long for, or if you are struggling to cultivate greater intimacy and curiosity in your life, Niobe offers a wealth of insights, anecdotes, and even exercises for you to consider and practise to reveal your innate capacities for connection.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for full interviews and clips.
For further content and information check out the following:
Niobe's book: https://www.brilliant-books.net/book/9780593184264
Niobe's website: https://www.niobe-way.com/
Niobe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niobe-way-75270534/Photo credit: Daniel Root
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.
00:00 Introduction
03:00 What it means to be human06:30 Crossing the lines
11:57 What different groups can teach us about ourselves
15:10 Privileging the hard over the soft
20:55 Interpersonal curiosity
24:00 Thin and thick stories
27:00 Breaking stereotypes through stories
32:30 Living in a culture that no longer listens
40:00 Innate intelligence we have forgotten
42:30 The root of our suffering and illness
48:05 The fear of not being seen as we see ourselves
53:17 The natural skills within us to solve our problems
1:01:42 What is a good life for Niobe?
-
Fehlende Folgen?
-
On the 86th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I'm delighted to introduce Nic Askew as our guest. Nic is a filmmaker who has discovered a powerful way to use the camera to deepen people's awareness. He has been described in various ways—an itinerant confessor, a disruptive influence, a monk independent of any religion, and an explorer of the inner world.
Over two decades of exploring human connection, authenticity, and insight through film, Nic has uncovered a profoundly simple way for us to be together, which he calls Inner View. This method has led to the creation of the acclaimed Soul Biographies Film Series, an experience of human presence that has resonated with millions.
In this enlightening conversation, Nic clearly articulates and points to a deeply felt sense of universal belonging, without the need to do, improve, or follow steps—simply by virtue of our existence and the lack of separation between us. He discusses how he uses the camera, stillness, and nothing to reveal our innate sense of belonging. With an awareness of this belonging, we can move through the world working on behalf of everyone and everything with life living itself through us.
If you're struggling with feelings of unworthiness, a lack of belonging, or the belief that you need to fix or improve yourself, Nic's insights may help you see beyond these barriers to the simple truth of your inherent worth and obvious belonging.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for full interviews and clips.
For further content and information check out the following:
Soul Biographies: https://soulbiographies.com/
Nic's website: https://nicaskew.com/
Nic's newsletter: https://nicaskew.substack.com/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.
00:00 Introduction
03:00 What is this work that I do?07:19 Stillness, awareness, and a realisation of belonging
13:40 The power of silence and subtracting
18:07 The challenge of our cultural way of being
20:40 The realisation of our connectedness
26:20 Become aware of what we are capable of
30:50 Stillness and silence tending to our trauma
33:20 Life living itself through you - nothing to do
41:40 An awareness of the dissolving of time and space
46:40 The Girl in the Entrance Hall
51:10 Working on behalf of everyone and everything
58:20 Realising why everyone hurt
1:04:45 It is much more simple than we imagine
1:11:15 An absence of time in our encounters
1:16:20 Could I be doing something else?
1:21:23 What is a good life for Nic?
-
On the 85th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jon Alexander. Jon is the author of CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us, a book that seeks to reframe the current moment as one of immense civic opportunity rather than merely a time of crisis and collapse.
In 2014, Jon co-founded the New Citizenship Project, a strategy and innovation consultancy that aims to shift the dominant societal narrative from Consumer to Citizen. He is a Fellow of the Young Foundation, a founding member of the OECD's Innovative Citizen Participation Network, a Strategic Advisor to DemocracyNext, and a member of the Leadership Council of the Democracy and Culture Foundation. Additionally, Jon has represented Great Britain in both rowing and triathlon.
In this inspiring conversation, Jon shares his journey of building greater trust in himself and others, which has shaped his ideas about evolving from a Consumer story to a Citizen story. In this new narrative, we expand our self-interest, connection, and sense of belonging, embracing the uncertainty we collectively face. We discuss the importance of stories over data, becoming who we want to be, reflection, and the immense satisfaction of being part of something bigger than ourselves.
If you feel somewhat stuck and perhaps overwhelmed by the mounting crises, and if you are looking to reengage with a sense of agency and empowerment, this episode, along with Jon’s journey, will give you much to contemplate, as well as inspiration for action.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Jon's book & website: https://www.jonalexander.net/
Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alexander-11b66345/
Jon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonjalex
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
02:55 Consumer Story & Citizen Story05:35 What would you do if you believed in yourself & others
09:15 Self interest and expanded self-interest
13:05 Human and community and connection
16:45 Stories and connection over data
21:55 Collectively becoming who we want to be
25:55 Pretending we have answers and solutions
30:40 Safe uncertainty
34:35 A need for belonging, community, and contribution
38:20 Trusting others
43:55 Time to reflect and portals
50:55 Not something to give up but to gain
55:55 What is a good life for Jon?
-
On the 84th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Wakanyi Hoffman. Wakanyi is an artist of life who paints the shades of each day as a storyteller, author, keynote speaker specialising in Ubuntu philosophy, scholar of indigenous knowledge, and narrative weaver of wisdom in AI.
Wakanyi is an Indigenous Knowledge Curator for ServiceSpace AI, a Research Fellow at The New Institute in Hamburg, and the author of Sala, Mountain Warrior. She sits on several boards, including the Kenya Education Fund, and her mission is to help co-create a world founded on continuous, naturally occurring, systemic intellectual and emotional progress that is in harmony with all other forms of emerging intelligence.
In this enlivening episode, Wakanyi considers what it would take to reconnect with ancient wisdom while living in a modern world. She shares Ubuntu values of survival, solidarity, respect, compassion, and dignity—dignity for human life and all of life. She explores the hospicing of the systems we presently live in and what has inhibited us from engaging with the wisdom of the heart. We also discuss resisting the urge to interfere with a natural process and the relief and joy of not being in control.
If you are struggling to integrate more wisdom into your life, if you feel you are holding on too tightly to the way things are, even when you realise they are no longer serving you, this episode will give you plenty of space, fresh air, and optimism to consider our next evolutions as people and as a society.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Wakanyi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wakanyi-hoffman-77a9671a4/
Wakanyi's website: https://www.wakanyihoffman.com/
Wakanyi's book: https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Wakanyi-Hoffman/dp/191565906X- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
03:00 Reconnecting with our indigenous roots07:30 Merging Wisdom with Modernity
11:00 The illusion of mutual exclusivity of experiences
17:42 Honouring our material and immaterial experiences
22:45 Ubuntu values
33:00 Creating spaces to allow our values to emerge
37:45 Growing out of old cocoons
42:50 Lessons from the do-nothing farmer
47:05 Lessons from observing a child’s development
51:20 The humility and awe of the human experience
57:44 What is a good life for Wakanyi?
-
On the 83rd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Tom Morgan. Tom has spent the last 20 years in markets, on both the buy and sell sides. He has worked at several investment banks on Wall Street and his most recent role was with the wealth manager Sapient Capital. He describes himself as a "curiosity sherpa"; he spends his life seeking out the most interesting ideas and thinkers for curious people. He has just co-founded The Leading Edge, a network for curious people focused on their personal evolution, and he is also the writer of The Leading Edge newsletter. He graduated from Oxford University with an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
In this enlightening conversation, Tom muses on whether we realise that the universe loves us. He shares his experiences of struggling with mental and spiritual health, highlights the significance of experiencing flow in a meaningful way, discusses the importance of being honest with ourselves and the world around us, and explores the relationship between disclosing truth and the synchronicity we experience.
Tom shares many insightful anecdotes and experiences throughout this conversation, making this episode ideal for anyone feeling stuck in life, considering career transitions, facing challenges with their well-being, or struggling to see the signs that the world or universe may be offering.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
The Leading Edge Website: https://www.theleading-edge.org/
Tom's Newsletter: https://newsletter.theleading-edge.org/X: @tomowenmorgan
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
02:40 Does the universe love me?06:10 To what degree are we free?
08:25 Flowing in a meaningful way & synchronicity
12:40 The importance of discernment
16:40 Experiencing highly contrasting states & sensitivity
23:05 The power of truth in experiencing reality
28:54 The failing of our language and love
30:50 Sharing with the intention of helping others
34:10 Sharing our inner world
37:40 Flow, earnings, and the value of containers
46:20 Navigating career transition
50:10 Not feeling anything
54:30 Insights from suffering
58:20 What level of suffering is necessary?
1:01:10 What is a good life for Tom?
-
On the 82nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Parneet Pal, MBBS, MS. Parneet is a Harvard- and Columbia-trained physician-educator who teaches skills and communicates ideas that advance personal, workplace, and planetary health. She is the founder of Systematically Well Advisory Inc., where she applies her expertise to enhance health and performance and their impact on business leadership. Her goal is to make you fall in love with your biology so that it works for you, your work, and the planet. She works with business teams and global organisations to address workplace stress, burnout, loneliness, and sustainability.
Parneet speaks at global conferences such as Web Summit and TED Countdown and guest lectures at several universities, including Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. She has been a TEDMED scholar, a Harvard Business Review contributor, and has been featured on the cover of Mindful magazine.
In this enlightening conversation, Parneet shares her explorations around what true health is, moving away from siloed approaches to well-being to consider social, economic, ecological, and environmental factors. She shares remarkable insights from what our biology suggests a good life is, as well as major realisations she has made in her own life in relation to nature, community, mindfulness, and compassion.
This whole conversation is full of life-affirming messages around the wonder, design, and miracle of life. Parneet is an absolute fountain of knowledge and embodied compassion, and this episode will fill you with gratitude to simply exist in this world and for the very life we live.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Parneet's Website: https://www.parneetpal.com/
Parneet's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parneetpal/
IG: @pal.parneet
X: @parneet_pal
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:01 Introduction
03:17 Exploring what true health actually means05:37 What makes the cells in my body sing
09:57 The connection between health and sustainability
16:47 The impact of meaning and connection on our health
24:02 Recognising the body as part of nature
29:28 Stepping away from clinical practice
34:07 The importance of embodying compassion
40:57 Appreciating the significance of community
49:12 Breathing in the world and the miracle of life
54:07 What is a good life for Parneet?
-
On the 81st episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Patrick McAndrew. Patrick, a global thought leader on productivity and performance, empowers professionals to escape the "Productivity Paradox" - the illusion that being busy equals progress. As the founder of HARA, an inner circle for exceptional entrepreneurs and leaders, Patrick equips individuals with practical tools to reclaim focus, boost productivity, and achieve extraordinary results in a world of constant distractions. He provides teams with tools to tame distractions, prioritise what matters most, and develop resilience.
In this beautiful conversation, Patrick takes us on his exploration of various cognitive and biological functions to what is now a journey to the heart, moving from fragmentation and mechanistic approaches to life towards greater alignment, embodiment, and a sense of being. He shares beautiful anecdotes and wisdom observed from his mother in her final months and his experience of caring for her, as well as the realisations he has made from his own closely examined life. He touches on various modalities he has explored to live a more connected life, as well as tools and perspectives he shares with his clients to allow greater acceptance and connection to flourish in their own lives.
This episode has a lot to offer. Whether you are seeking greater clarity in life, have implemented many processes for “optimising” your life and still feel something is missing, or knowing that something intangible is within your reach but you feel lost in that process, this episode offers multiple insights for your own contemplation.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Patrick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmcandrewonline/
Patrick's website: https://www.patrickmcandrew.co
Patrick's newsletter: https://patrickmcandrew.substack.com
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
03:25 Who am I in this moment?06:50 Moving from mental inquiries to the heart
12:55 Lessons from his mother
18:50 Not seeking approval & letting go of constructs
26:50 Connection is much closer than we think
28:30 Contact and awareness of impulses and cravings
33:20 Finding clarity and guidance in life
38:00 The significance of resting within yourself
42:30 Letting go of our judgements and identifying needs
52:40 A reconnection to wild and wisdom
1:02:05 What is a good life for Patrick?
-
On the 80th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jonny Thomson. Jonny was a teacher for over a decade before he turned to writing full-time. He is a columnist at Big Think, where he writes primarily about philosophy, theology, and psychology, and is the author of three books. His first book, Mini Philosophy, is an award-winning international bestseller and has been translated into more than 20 languages. Jonny also runs the popular social media account Philosophy Minis, with a quarter of a million followers, where he explains philosophical ideas in short, accessible digests. He lives in a village in North Oxfordshire with his wife and two sons.
In this engaging conversation, Jonny shares his thoughts on contemplating death and how it can guide us in living a good life. We discuss the importance of finding meaning beyond our own lives and moments of feeling part of something bigger. We also explore the potential impact of AI and what it reveals about being human. While Jonny reflects on his shift towards a Daoist perspective and how this has influenced both his path and sense of purpose.
Throughout the conversation, Jonny highlights essential components of contemplation and ways of engaging with life that can bring greater purpose, contentment, and meaning. If you feel that your life needs a change or that it feels somewhat stifled, this episode will provide much to consider.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Jonny's first book, Mini Philosophy
Jonny's Website: https://miniphilosophy.com/
Jonny's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophyminis/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
03:20 The power of contemplating death06:20 The shift in magnetic poles from having kids
12:25 Something beyond your own life
20:00 The future of humanity and AI
26:25 Human frailty and connection in art
32:40 Our proclivity for convenience
35:20 A Daoist perspective to finding your path
45:20 Hearing a voice and inner guide
51:19 What is a good life for Jonny?
-
On the 79th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jen Cohen. Jen is a Co-Founder and Director of Seven Stones Leadership, a leadership journeys company, and the Director of Coaching Education for Mobius Executive Leadership, a global boutique consulting firm serving Fortune 500 companies. She is the co-author, with Gina LaRoche, of The 7 Laws of Enough, and the author of the chapter “From Surviving to Thriving” in the book Being Human at Work, edited by Richard Strozzi Heckler.
Her coaching and training are distinguished by her studies in several communication technologies, along with quantum physics, ontology, neuroscience, psychology, trauma—both individual and collective—somatics, and systems thinking. Jen is a Master Certified Somatic Coach with the Strozzi Institute and holds a master’s degree in Applied Psychology with an emphasis on systems theory.
In this captivating conversation, Jen shares with us her lifelong questioning of what is truth and what is reality. She speaks of her journey from experiencing trauma in her childhood, to continually seeking a sense of truth, and the emergence of her path and experiences with bodywork and healing. We explore the process of transmutation and extracting wisdom from our experiences, the sense of something bigger being at play that is moving us, the process of how purpose synchronistically arises, and living a life that ultimately brings her closer and closer into contact with reality.
Whatever you may be going through in life, this conversation will provide you with considerable inspiration as to what can become of our lives if we do not look away from reality but walk towards it. While Jen shares her considerable wisdom and insights from her own examined life of inquiry, giving us all much to contemplate.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Seven Stones Leadership website: https://www.sevenstonesleadership.com/
Jen's book: https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Enough-Cultivating-Sustainable-Abundance/dp/1941529909
Jen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercohen7s/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
03:45 What is the truth? What is reality?10:30 We are in relationship with everything
13:30 Extracting wisdom from experiences
19:35 Finding truth and reality through the body
27:45 The wisdom of the body
30:45 Trauma of the past becoming present and future
33:45 The desire to seek truth through trauma
36:15 The feeling that something bigger is happening
39:15 Exploring how purpose arises
46:15 Finding the path as a healer
53:35 What is a good life for Jen?
-
On the 78th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Simon van der Els, PhD. Simon is a student of the invisible realm. He holds a PhD in the empirical tradition of molecular microbiology and also explores the subjective realm of shamanism as a way of rediscovering the interiority of the living cosmos. He enjoys time in nature, dance, and other sensory embodied experiences. Dialogue is one of the practices in which he can encounter a flow state, and it is one of his favourite activities.
In this glorious conversation, Simon shares his explorations of a greater sense of being in life. He highlights the importance of connection—to ourselves, each other, and the biosphere—in terms of feeling a deeper sense of being and belonging that goes beyond temporary moments of flow or peak experiences. We touch on the grief that is necessary to navigate in order to feel the depths of love and joy that are freely available to us, and that much of the way is more about remembering and resting than turning life into checklists for being and productivity.
If you are struggling to feel a greater sense of being or alignment in life, or if your explorations into being have yielded more processes and things to do in order to be, this conversation will point to fundamental aspects of being that could greatly shift your present perspectives and experience of life.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:
Simon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-van-der-els-phd-66434b231/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
00:00 Introduction
03:07 How to be in this life between worlds?08:07 Peak experiences and broadening our aperture
14:32 Remembering a way of being and connection
19:17 The grief and love through coming home
24:02 The sense of loneliness in the world
27:22 We need to remember, feel, and sense
33:31 The shift from compulsive thought to sensory experience
39:27 The role of grief and presencing
43:07 It is all about connection
46:27 The experience and challenges of a new sense of being
50:07 The journey of becoming and joy
54:37 Letting go of the checklists in life
59:15 What is a good life for Simon?
-
On the 77th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Tom Hirons. Tom is a poet and storyteller based in Devon, UK. He is the director of Feral Angels Press and editor of Clarion poetry magazine. He teaches poetry writing, both online and in person, and runs poetry-focused wilderness fasts. Tom’s piece, Sometimes a Wild God, is a subcultural poetry classic. He has never won a poetry prize or been published in a poetry magazine, yet still makes his living from poetry. He says, "I have heard all the terrible news and I have looked into the inferno of the future, but I am still in love with this life." Tom’s latest collection, The Queen of Heaven, is out this week.
In this glorious conversation, Tom shares his journey of becoming a poet and realising how he can best apply his abilities in the world. We discuss tracking life and threads from other worlds. We muse on balancing our ascending into spirit and descending into soul, while acknowledging the beauty that can be lost if we try too hard. He also notes the significance of wilderness fasting in terms of initiation into adulthood and in knowing and living out his nature and soul image.
If you have a gnawing feeling or aching sense that there is so much more to this life than what you are presently aware of or accepting of, this conversation will point to and suggest where to explore, what there is to discover, and what life can feel like from there.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:
Check out Tom's books here: https://feralangels.com
His newsletter here: https://newsletter.tomhirons.com/bear-speaks-to-the-stars
His website: https://tomhirons.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/hironstom
Instagram: https://instagram.com/bearspeakstothestars
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
04:00 Becoming a poet and who he is
07:00 How to develop for greater benefit to others
10:45 Transcendent experiences when connecting to art
15:15 Tracking life and the threads from other worlds
21:15 The significance of Wilderness fasting and initiation into adulthood
27:00 The balancing of soul and spirit of ascending and descending
31:20 Marking our steps into adulthood
35:00 Cultivating a paying attention to and tracking of life
39:45 Allowing space for the non-sacred in creativity
44:50 The beauty that can be lost if we are trying too hard
50:28 Life force, wildness, and the daemon
56:48 The war against the devourer and claiming our birthright
1:01:30 What is a good life for Tom?
-
On the 76th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Parker J. Palmer. Parker is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. He is the founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal. He holds a PhD in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, fourteen honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. He is the author of ten books—including several award-winning titles—that have sold over two million copies and been translated into twelve languages. Among them is Let Your Life Speak, which is comfortably the best book I’ve read about vocation and purpose.
In this glorious conversation, Parker shares his journey of conversing with and listening to life, revealing more of his natural self in the process, his gifts and limitations, choosing the less conventional path, and ultimately guiding him to a life of vocation. He shares his experiences of depression, the significance of coming down to the ground, prioritising being real over being noble, and the need for silence and settling our minds for listening to life and for clarity.
This episode offers much wisdom to contemplate and is filled with experiences, anecdotes, and realisations that will present you with many invitations to explore life differently. Parker has a really unique take on finding vocation and purpose and practical ways to track and follow life.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Center for Courage & Renewal: https://couragerenewal.org/
Parker's books: https://couragerenewal.org/resource-types/book/
Parker's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parkerjpalmer/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
02:45 Interview beings
03:15 Listening to your life09:15 Acknowledging who you are at different times
12:15 The refuge of writing
15:45 The conversation with life can change daily
19:29 The role of silence and listening in a good life
23:45 The significance of getting real over being noble
32:55 Living in a quaker community and radical equality
38:15 Following his vocation and living a good life
44:35 Helping each other down to the ground
47:45 Getting real with ourselves
53:45 Using our limitations as a guide
1:00:45 Experiences of depression
1:05:15 What is a good life for Parker?
-
On the 75th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael is best known for his book The Coaching Habit, which has sold over a million copies. His most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, shows how to create psychological safety by building the Best Possible Relationship with key people at work. He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that has trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and recently won the coaching award from Thinkers50.
In this insightful conversation, Michael shares the origin and meaning of his big goal of infecting a billion people with the possibility virus and the significance of feeling deeply defeated by ever greater things. He notes the importance of sharing the spotlight with others, maintaining humility while knowing what we are good at, and amplifying that. Throughout this conversation, he highlights the inherent value and worth of us all as human beings and his desire to embolden people by making them more aware of this truth.
If you sense you are playing it too safe or are fearful of what potential failure may say about you or your value as a person, this conversation will offer perspectives, experiences, and anecdotes that may liberate you to live more of the life you are yearning for and that is much more possible than you think.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Michael's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbungaystanier/
Michael's website: https://www.mbs.works/
The Coaching Habit: https://www.mbs.works/coaching-habit-book/#buy
How to Work with (almost) Anyone: https://www.mbs.works/how-to-work-with-almost-anyone-book/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
Running Order:
03:02 Wrestling with angels
08:41 Infecting a billion people with the possibility virus
12:07 Allowing others to take the spot light
15:42 Humility in success and our strengths
18:45 You’re awesome and you’re doing great
23:17 An awareness of the bigger picture and paradox
31:22 Engaging with emotions and men’s work
34:37 Having a healthy relationship with failure
38:07 Reflections on authenticity and amplifying your difference
47:37 The gift of feeling worthy
51:37 What is a good life for Michael?
-
On the 74th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Dee Mulrooney. Dee is a multi-disciplinary Irish artist. Inhabiting a female body, mythical imagination and story as medicine are the main preoccupations of her work. Exile, class, displacement, social history, longing, and belonging are some of the themes explored by Dee through painting, drawing, film, storytelling, and performance. Her art is fiercely authentic, and she leaves no stone of her own personal healing journey unturned. Dee works with the alchemical aspect of transmutation in her art, using this process to deal with difficult topics including abuse, death, and loss.
In this glorious conversation, Dee shares with us her journey towards greater purpose, self-acceptance, and more wholeness in her being. A path that included joining and leaving a cult, moving her family from Dublin to Berlin, giving birth to herself once more through her experience of menopause, accepting her own nature, and the process of transmuting her pain and torment into art and expression. Throughout this conversation, she never looks away from the pain humans create nor lets go of hope or appreciation for life.
Dee is someone who I see as fiercely engaged with both the great joys and depths of sorrow in life. If you are too attached to the light, perhaps this conversation invites you more into the shadow, and vice versa, ultimately giving you a sense of a greater wholeness that is possible within us.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:
Dee's Website: https://deirdre-mulrooney.com/
Socials, FB, Insta, TikTok: @deemulrooney
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.
Running Order:
03:30 It’s about purpose
07:50 The realisation of being in a cult
10:00 The sense of seeking and God
13:30 Giving birth to myself
17:45 The changes with empathy and compassion
22:00 Exploring shadow
28:10 Our ability to transmute
32:30 The denial of the feminine archetype
41:30 The power of art to transmute torment
48:00 Making art for herself and sharing it
50:20 Coming into acceptance of her anxious nature
56:50 What is a good life for Dee?
-
On the 73rd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Sunil Malhotra. Sunil weaves together Vedic wisdom with the innovations of tomorrow. To unravel the mysteries of the human experience, he stands at the intersection of spirituality, technology, and design. Sunil's latest book, YOGAi: Interplays of Yoga and Artificial Intelligence, demystifies both 'technologies' in a bid to connect them in the context of the exponential times we are witnessing. He is also the founder of Ideafarms, a Design-in-Tech advisory and consulting firm.
In this illuminating conversation, Sunil shares his experience of letting go of questions and answers in his life, and feeling and experiencing a much wider sense of life, a letting go of control and consequently a flow to it has emerged he had not previously known existed. He explains how through his latest book he forged profound connections with some of the most esteemed minds in spirituality and science, including luminaries such as Dr. Karan Singh, Ervin Laszlo, and Satish Kumar. While we also discuss the capacity to look at life with fresh eyes, think for ourselves, and recognise how everything around us is communicating with us.
If you are overthinking life and sense that you’re holding on too tightly, this conversation will offer you plenty of suggestions, anecdotes, and clues on how life can flow more effortlessly.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Sunil's company website: http://www.ideafarms.com
Sunil's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/YOGAi-Interplays-Yoga-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/B0D1FQ9K2H- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.
Running Order:
03:20 The ceasing of questions09:55 Looking at life with fresh eyes
14:45 We don’t often think for ourselves
19:10 Realising that everything is communicating with us
24:50 The desire to explore Yoga more fully
30:20 The relationship between science and yoga
35:30 The difference between knowledge and knowing
42:20 Forging bonds with esteemed minds
48:10 The loosening of thinking and a growing awareness
58:20 The intention behind the book
1:02:50 What is a good life for Sunil?
-
On the 72nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Reuben Christian. Reuben is an award-winning edutainer: a cocktail of event host, motivational speaker, facilitator, TV presenter and comedian. He's the founder and facilitator of Dream Rehab: a live show and curriculum that harnesses the power of community to help people achieve their personal goals. He co-hosts the award winning (GQ & Esquire) What Is This Behaviour podcast, and his work is all about inspiring new possibilities by creating uplifting spaces for people to connect, collaborate, and grow.
In this beautiful episode, Reuben shares his journey of feeling true to himself. Whether it’s paying attention to what brings fun to his life, embracing responsibility, exploring and excavating through therapy, or following what makes him feel alive and aligned in his work, Reuben highlights several important areas for us to consider in feeling true to ourselves. We also explore our experiences with engaging more with our emotions and feeling more of life.
If your life has lost a sense of feeling, engagement with emotion, fun and experimentation, or a sense that it truly is your life, this conversation will provide many themes and areas to explore further. While Reuben’s openness and willingness to explore and experiment will offer much inspiration on your own path.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
Dream Rehab Website: https://www.dreamrehab.co.uk/
Reuben's Podcast: https://whatisthisbehaviourpodcast.com/
Reuben's website: https://www.reubenchristian.com/
Contact Reuben: [email protected]- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.
Running Order:
04:12 Does this feel true to who I am now?
08:32 The value of knowing who you are
13:57 Following the fun
16:26 What brings Reuben hope?
19:51 Holding a wider lens
25:24 Allowing yourself to feel it all
33:51 Emotional healing isn’t linear
38:02 Our relationship with the unknown
44:50 Helping other people realise their own possibilities
54:51 What is a good life for Reuben? -
On the 71st episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Mariana Louis M.A. Mariana is a professional tarot counsellor, scholar, and creator of Persephone's Sister, a platform for psycho-spiritual education and guidance. Following her academic study of analytical psychology and Western Intellectual Traditions, Mariana integrated her scholarship into her developing expertise in the tarot and formulated an approach she calls Archetypal Tarot. She teaches this approach, which marries Jungian concepts with the symbolic depth of the tarot, in a host of courses for tarot students of all levels.
This glorious conversation touches on many vital themes that contribute to a good life: Mariana’s journey of individuation, the interplay between the sacred and the mundane, the tensions of the human experience between zooming in and out, the balance of masculine and feminine energies within us, and the dynamics of order and chaos, growth and structure. Mariana also shares the significant influence that the Tarot and Carl Jung have had on her sense of experiencing more wholeness in her life.
If you are seeking more movement in your life, if you feel stuck and are lacking the faith or trust to take a necessary next step, this conversation will provide you with much to contemplate, insight, and inspiration for taking that next step along your own authentic path and embracing uncertainty.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:
Mariana's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persephonessister/
Mariana's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzNvYREM8s3gLEsYD2DY_3g
Mariana's website: https://persephonessister.com/- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.
Running Order:
00:01 Introduction
03:11 How does one live side by side with God
07:06 The interplay of the sacred and the mundane
11:56 A reengagement with the feminine archetype
19:21 Embracing love, nature, and the unknown
24:06 The exploration and relationship with Tarot
31:48 The capacity to see the bigger picture
36:09 Finding the right question and faith
39:22 Holding the tensions of the opposites
45:36 Mystical experiences
52:06 Embracing the human experience
55:36 Not resisting our nature
1:00:46 Letting go of perfection and idols
1:07:46 What is a good life for Mariana? -
On the 70th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Holly Penalver. Holly is the founder of Indigo Volunteers, a remarkable charity that has made a significant impact on the lives of tens of thousands of refugees. By placing thousands of volunteers with grassroots partners, Indigo provides essential aid, healthcare, education, skills workshops, and vital services to refugees along the European migratory route. Having spent years in the field, working hands-on in places like Greece, Serbia, and Bosnia, she now works for the disaster relief charity ShelterBox as their Volunteer Development Manager.
In this conversation, Holly takes us on her journey of supporting and building community, inspired by the support she felt at home, to setting up Indigo Volunteers. She talks about the significance of both being willing to accept and give help, the importance of forgiving ourselves, letting go of right and wrong, the realisation that multiple things can be true at the same time, and how we are not as important as we think. Which can all help release us to do more good in the world.
Throughout this conversation, it's clear that Holly is someone who takes action when she notices something missing that could support the community. Whether it's within our communities or even in our own personal lives where we observe a lack of necessary action, there is much inspiration to draw from her energy and the perspectives shared in this episode.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:
- Indigo Volunteers: https://www.indigovolunteers.org/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.
Running Order:
02:55 Podcast begins
03:55 What is going wrong with our communities07:50 The importance of accepting help
12:25 Connection of upbringing and self-worth
18:10 The significance of forgiving ourselves
21:58 We are not as important as we think
25:38 Letting go of black and white thinking
30:01 Realising we all hold different perceptions
33:45 Being aware of what others need
39:45 The joy of feeling connected with community
43:25 Inspiration for establishing a charity
47:10 Empathy and desire to help others
51:45 Balancing family and helping others
54:55 What is a good life for Holly?
-
On the 69th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Dave Gray. Dave is the author of Gamestorming, Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think, and The Connected Company. He is also an artist, an entrepreneur, and a possibilitarian. After selling his company, XPlane, in 2022, Dave established The School of the Possible, an experimental learning community through which he helps people create work that is meaningful and matters to them.
In this episode, Dave shares with us his journey of finding purpose and meaning in his life, from the sense of belonging he felt at art school, to identifying and honouring his true nature, and noticing moments in life where he felt he was in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. He emphasises the importance of relationships and community in identifying our own uniqueness and the energy he experiences when in creative communities. Dave also underscores the significance of possibility and supporting others with their creativity.
This episode will give you much to consider regarding finding more purpose, meaning, and cultivating greater awareness around your own true nature. While Dave's breadth of experience, creativity, and curiosity, are wonderful examples of what is possible when we fully engage with our true nature.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.
For further content and information check out the following:
- Dave's website: https://xplaner.com/
- Dave's Newsletter: https://schoolofthepossible.substack.com/
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.
Running Order:
02:25 Podcast begins
03:55 Finding meaning in life07:15 Identifying and honouring our true nature
13:09 The significance of creativity
17:56 Exploring meaning in the journey
20:49 Purpose and our true nature
23:55 Possibility, producing and possibility
27:15 Community and energy
32:00 Using our relationships to identify our uniqueness
34:55 The significance of relationships
40:25 Beauty in everything
44:25 The role of meaning
52:25 What is a good life for Dave?
- Mehr anzeigen
