Authentically human: celebrating the magic of life with Mark McCartney of the 'What is a Good Life' podcast

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Mar 5, 2025

Mark McCartney, host of the What is a Good Life podcast, shares his journey from Ireland to Germany, emphasizing the significance of authenticity and self-reflection. He discusses navigating life's uncertainties with integrity and the crucial role of genuine human connections in a divided society. Through personal anecdotes, including a transformative experience in Peru, Mark highlights how love and attention are intertwined. He advocates for embracing vulnerability and prioritizing meaningful relationships, revealing the magic that authentic connections bring to our lives.

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ANECDOTE

Why Peru?

Mark chose Peru for a year-long stay on a whim, based on a friend's offhand comment.
He did minimal research, booking a hotel for a few nights and deciding the rest upon arrival.

ANECDOTE

Conquering Fear

Mark overcame his lifelong fear of dogs in Peru, a place filled with them.
He formed a deep bond with a street dog, Alianku, eventually hiking and caring for packs of dogs.

INSIGHT

From Impulsivity to Intuition

Mark's impulsive nature once led to unhelpful habits like drinking and gambling.
He now makes intuitive decisions leading to deeper connections.

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In these turbulent times, what values most strongly underpin our humanity and how can we nurture our relationships with all parts of ourselves, with ourselves and other people and with ourselves and the web of life?

This week's guest is another podcaster. Mark McCartney is host of the 'What is a Good Life' podcast, which is now into well over 100 episodes. Mark is a coach and writer based in Berlin, via Dublin, Ireland. He started his 'What is a Good Life' project in 2021, it became a podcast soon and now, in it's fourth year, he's interviewed over 250 people with humanity and sensitivity - and a glorious, marrow-melting Irish voice - that brings out the best in a suite of truly remarkable people.

So this was my chance to turn the microphones the other way around and ask Mark what values underpin his life, that have brought him from Ireland to Peru and back to Germany? How has he navigated the turbulence that is common to our lives, how has he approached those moments that push us to ask the most important questions of who we are, and what we're here for. How has he found that sense of being, belonging, becoming that we all seek?

Authenticity and the capacity for honest self reflection feel really critical now and in this conversation, Mark models both of these with deep humility and humanity as he and I explore integrity, vulnerability, humour courage, the capacity to listen to our body minds and act on instinct when it's right to do so - and how to let go of lifelong terrors and learn to love the objects of our fears.

Nothing is certain any more - it never was, but we were able to seduce ourselves into thinking we could predict the paths our lives would take. Now that we know we can't do this, learning from people who are able and willing to walk in uncertainty seems to me one of the most valuable lessons we can embrace. So this is what we're doing. Enjoy.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/what-is-a-good-life/id1663668603
https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-silent-conversations

If you want to share the journey with us, we're here:
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