What is a Good Life?

What is a Good Life? #104 - Awareness Of Life's Fragility with Karen Maurice-O’Leary

Jan 7, 2025

In this heartfelt discussion, Karen Maurice-O’Leary, an award-winning brand storyteller and wellbeing leadership speaker, opens up about her journey through grief after losing her husband. She shares how a missed final meal inspired her to create The Bolognese Philosophy, emphasizing the importance of being present in life's fleeting moments. Karen explores the duality of beauty and sorrow, the dangers of tying self-worth to success, and the necessity of meaningful relationships. This conversation invites listeners to cherish the fragility of life and embrace both joy and pain.

01:04:23

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Episode guests

Karen Maurice-O’Leary

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Quick takeaways

Karen Maurice-O’Leary emphasizes the importance of recognizing life’s fragility and cherishing small moments with loved ones for deeper connections.

She advocates for a balanced approach to self-worth, encouraging individuals to separate their identities from professional achievements to foster mental well-being.

Deep dives

The Bolognese Philosophy and Workplace Well-Being

A significant moment in Karen Morris O'Leary's journey occurred when she almost missed her husband's last home-cooked meal, leading to the creation of the Bolognese Philosophy. This initiative focuses on workplace well-being by encouraging individuals to prioritize human connections over corporate demands. The experience highlighted the importance of small moments and the impact they have on overall happiness and fulfillment in life. By fostering environments that prioritize human connections, organizations can enhance creativity and innovation, ultimately benefiting their employees and the company as a whole.

Intro

3min

Exploring Self-Worth and Societal Value

2min

Navigating Burnout and Well-Being

10min

Navigating Identity and Grief

7min

Cherishing Fleeting Moments

9min

Embracing Memory and Loss

23min

Navigating Disconnection: The Urgency of Presence and Meaningful Relationships

5min

Embracing Life's Fragility and Beauty

6min

On the 104th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Karen (Kaz) Maurice-O’Leary. Kaz is a highly awarded brand storyteller and wellbeing leadership speaker, recognised for promoting human-first environments and their impact on innovation. A New Zealander living in California, she has had an international career in advertising and creative technology with major brands and Fortune 500 companies.

Her roles have included Creative Product Lead at Meta LA, Creative Director at TBWA and a co-founder of a successful agency that was acquired. A pivotal moment was inspired by almost, unknowingly missing the last meal of her husband's homemade Bolognese, leading her to create The Bolognese Philosophy, a workplace wellbeing initiative.

In this incredibly life-affirming conversation, Kaz shares her journey of processing the grief following her husband's death. She reflects on her realisations from almost missing their last meal together, to the significance of recognising the small moments, being present, and appreciating the privilege of intimately knowing those in our lives. Kaz underscores the importance of embracing life's fragility, not taking anything for granted, and how whole life can feel when we can hold both its beauty and grief simultaneously.

This conversation felt like a profound gift, and I believe it will leave you with a deeper awareness of life's uncertainties, along with an invitation to focus on what is here, right now.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Kaz's company: https://bolognesephilosophy.com/
- Kaz's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmauriceoleary/

- For the What is a Good Life? 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/
- The Silent Conversations: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-silent-conversations

Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week Silent Conversation group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:00 What do we attach our self worth to?

06:20 The sense burnout is coming

09:15 How has poor well-being become normal?

14:19 Identifying too much with our jobs

18:00 Engaging with grief

21:36 Almost missing the last meal

25:40 Recognising the small moments

31:00 The privilege of intimately knowing

33:40 The feeling of connection from beyond

40:30 Sharing stories, grief, and connection

45:30 The processing of grief

51:30 Holding beauty, grief, and the whole

56:00 Assuming things last forever

1:00:40 What is a good life for Kaz?

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