What is a Good Life?

What is a Good Life? #103 - Expressing The Whole Of You with Nathan Kinch

Dec 31, 2024

In this conversation with Nathan Kinch, a sociotechnology ethicist and organizational designer, listeners explore the profound journey from emotional suppression to authentic living. Nathan candidly shares his struggles with long COVID and how it intertwines with mental health, emphasizing holistic healing. He discusses the significance of embracing vulnerability and emotional expression, including the cathartic power of crying. This dialogue about self-acceptance and integrating all aspects of identity offers valuable insights for anyone navigating their own journey of self-discovery.

01:00:01

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Episode guests

Nathan Kinch

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Quick takeaways

The journey of self-exploration involves embracing all emotions, leading to deeper connections and personal growth.

Achieving a good life requires a balance between being present, pursuing joy, and navigating life's challenges with mindfulness.

Deep dives

Exploring the Whole Self

The guest discusses the profound inquiry into understanding the entirety of oneself, focusing on balancing various identities such as being a partner, parent, and community member. This exploration involves recognizing the subconscious influences that shape one’s life and the internal struggles that arise from them. By reflecting on past experiences and the roles played throughout life, the individual learns to appreciate the complexity of their identity, acknowledging that different parts of oneself do not define the whole. This understanding leads to a healthier relationship with self-exploration and recognition of previously suppressed emotions.

Intro

3min

Embracing the Wholeness of Self

10min

Embracing the Soldier Archetype

8min

Understanding Long COVID and Psychophysiological Disorders

3min

Rewiring the Brain: A Journey Through Chronic Symptoms and Healing

3min

Embracing Emotional Expression

21min

Embracing Wholeness: A Journey of Identity

12min

On the 103rd episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Nathan (Nate) Kinch. Nate is a sociotechnology ethicist, organisational designer, and trust researcher. His work centres around the question: how might we best design trustworthy organisations, technologies, and systems that support a healthy and dignified life for all, within planetary boundaries? To do this, he draws on many branches of philosophy, systems science, cognitive sciences, and related disciplines.

He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of the Arts, co-lead of the Responsible AI Network (RAIN), and Lead of Ethics in Action. He is also the Ethicist in Residence at CoLabs and guest lectures at several universities. Previously, Nate was an angel and impact investor and the founding CEO of a venture capital-backed startup. In everyday life, he’s an urban rewilder, community convener, and ‘inner developer,’ bringing regenerative thinking, practice, and culture to his corner of Melbourne.

In this wonderful conversation, Nathan shares his exploration of expressing and feeling into the whole of himself. We discuss realisations he made through his psycho-physical inquiries, from suppressing emotions to crumbling worldviews, to the relief and healing of crying, and expressing and experiencing more joy and gratitude in life.

For anyone on their own path of self-inquiry, this conversation contains many universal themes that I sense we all experience, which may make you feel more at home on your own path. While Nate’s beautiful anecdotes, transparency, and reflections make this as grounded and heartfelt as it is insightful.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Nate's company: https://www.trustworthyby.design/
- Nate's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathankinch/

- 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/

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 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

03:18 What is the whole of me?

09:40 Allowing us to see more of ourselves

11:48 Redeploying the soldier archetype

20:33 Realisations from a psycho-physical inquiry

29:33 Learning how to feel again

33:18 Realisations around crying and dancing

39:18 The containment of life

41:48 When our worldviews crumble

47:18 Acknowledging the whole of us

55:18 What is a good life for Nate?

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