The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

Prison makes a lot of life's big questions feel extremely urgent. Author Andy West explores such questions  in his work teaching philosophy to prisoners - some of whom have minimal education; some of whom have acquired PhDs. Andy has also experienced the shadow of prison in his own life - witnessing the incarceration of his father, brother and uncle. We discuss prison and ideas of freedom, and use the story of Ulysses and the Sirens to test out ideas of who it is in our world who is the most free. Andy West is a London-based author and philosopher. His new book is The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to Be Free   Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Shame and Pandora’s Box: the lessons for today from an ancient myth. ⭐️3 things Andy West knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Buy Andy West’s book The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to Be Free Follow Andy West on Twitter @AndyWPhilosophy  You might also enjoy Andrew’s interviews with Julia Samuel MBE on Inherited Pain, or with Joanna LaPrade on Surviving Dark Times. Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall  Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall   

The end of life isn’t always a time of fear and suffering. Dr Christopher Kerr has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of imminent death, speak of love and grace.  Dr Kerr is the author of Death is But a Dream, in which he shares dying patients’ experiences of pre-death dreams and vision. These end-of-life dreams humanise the dying process and can also comfort the bereaved, who see their loved ones dying with a sense of calm closure. Andrew and Dr Kerr discuss how end-of-life dreams can bring love and forgiveness, restore meaning to suffering and mark a transition from distress to comfort and acceptance. Christopher Kerr, MD, PhD, is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive Officer for Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo. Dr. Kerr comes from a long line of physicians, of which he is now the fifth generation. His TedX Buffalo Talk, “I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying” has three million views and was reported on by the BBC, The Atlantic, The New York Times and The Washington Post.  Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️How to have a good death. ⭐️3 things Dr Kerr knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Buy Death is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life’s End by Dr Christopher Kerr. Visit Dr Christopher Kerr’s website Watch Dr Christopher Kerr’s TEDx Talk “I See Dead People: Dreams and Visions of the Dying".  Read My Mourning Year, Andrew’s memoir about the loss of his partner. You might also be interested in Andrew’s interviews with Dr Kathryn Mannix on “What You’ve Been Told About Death Might Be Wrong”, with Georgina Scull on “Regrets of the Dying” or with David Kessler on “The Sixth Stage of Grief”. Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50. Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall     

If work leaves you feeling tense, unfulfilled or anxious, then it’s definitely time to make some kind of change. You probably know that already - but this week’s episode helps you think through where to start.  This week’s guest is Phil Poole, a Berlin-based coach, entrepreneur, writer and leader. Phil and Andrew discuss: ⭐️Phil’s journey through burnout to finding a meaningful, joyful career ⭐️How to know if it’s really the job that’s the problem. ⭐️Making big life changes with the support of your partner/family. ⭐️Narrowing down your passion and building it into your work life.  ⭐️Breaking the cycle of overthinking/rumination and taking positive action.   Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️How to discover who you really are and what you really want.  ⭐️3 things Phil knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Take the character survey Phil Poole discusses here (the option to take the survey will appear as a popup). Visit Phil Poole’s Coaching for a Different Life website Andrew also discusses burnout in the context of this interview with author and coach Dawn Kohler: When the Call to Be Yourself Can No Longer Be Ignored. Read Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50. Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall 

Parenting adult children might not involve sleepless nights or dealing with detentions, but it can be highly challenging. Often, the balance of power shifts and parents find themselves walking on eggshells, anxious about preserving a close relationship. In this week’s episode Andrew talks to author and journalist Celia Dodd about the challenges and rewards of parenting later in life. They discuss: - Dealing with conflict with your adult children - What to do if you don’t get on with their partner - Supporting adult children through periods of suffering and change. - The sometimes thorny issue of how much you are involved with  grandchildren. - Adult siblings who don’t get on. Celia Dodd is the author of All Grown Up: Nurturing Relationships with Adult Children. She is an author and journalist who writes about parenting and major transitions in life, such as the empty nest and retirement. Celia has written regularly for British papers such as The Times and  the Independent. She recently produced a Retirement Planning Toolkit and webinar for Hampshire Police Force, and works with other organisations on retirement planning.   Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️How to keep conflict to a minimum but still talk about difficult things.  ⭐️3 things Celia knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.  Read Celia Dodd’s latest book All Grown Up: Nurturing Relationships with Adult Children.  Read Celia Dodd’s other books, The Empty Nest: Your Changing Family, Your New Direction and Not Fade Away: How to Thrive in Retirement  Visit Celia Dodd’s website www.celiadodd.co.uk Follow Celia Dodd on Twitter @celia_dodd and on Instagram @celiaruthdodd You might also enjoy our episodes on Healing the Mother/Daughter Wound with author Itoro Bassey, What You Wish Your Parents Knew with therapist/author Philippa Perry or How to Reinvent Yourself at 50 with journalist Eleanor Mills.  Read Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50. Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall 

There's endless advice on romantic love, but how can you nurture loving friendships? And what should you do if a friendship turns sour, or leaves you feeling taken advantage of? This week's guest is writer and therapist Dr Suzanne Degges-White, the author of Toxic Friendships: Knowing the Rules and Dealing with the Friends Who Break Them. In this episode Andrew and Suzanne discuss:  ⭐️ Making friends and why it gets harder as we age ⭐️ Being a good friend ⭐️ How many friends we need ⭐️ When to let go of a friendship. Dr Suzanne Degges-White is a professor and chair of the Counseling and Higher Education department at Northern Illinois University. She is a licensed counsellor whose focus includes working with individuals and families facing transitions. Her academic research explores development over the lifespan with a strong focus on women’s relationships and women’s developmental transitions.   Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Strategies to detoxify a friendship or work relationship ⭐️3 things Suzanne knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up   Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Read Dr Suzanne Degges-White’s new book Toxic Friendships: Knowing the Rules and Dealing with the Friends Who Break Them  Read Friends Forever : How Girls and Women Forge Lasting Relationships, the book on friendship co-written by Suzanne Degges-White and Christine Borzumato-Gainey Read Dr Suzanne Degges-White’s articles for Psychology Today Follow Dr Suzanne Degges-White on Twitter @DeggesWhite Read Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier  Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50. Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall 

Are you “world-weary”? Exhausted by life to the point where a day on the couch, a mini-break or a night out with friends won’t even touch the tip of your fatigue? This week’s guest, Dr Libby Nugent, is here to help. Libby discusses with Andrew the powerful healing properties of the fairytale. If you’ve experienced: Strains in relationships with your children or parents Anxiety about reaching goals you’ve defined for yourself A nagging sense that you’re missing out on other ways to approach life Then this week’s episode is for you.  Andrew and Libby touch on the resonances of Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel, and then dive deeper into the story of Frau Holle, the tough, nurturing underworld mother who rewards one daughter with a stream of gold, and the other with a coating of tar. They talk about accommodating the “splits” we find within ourselves and finding the capacity for self-love. Dr Libby Nugent is a clinical psychologist and groupwork practitioner with expertise in fairytales, Greek myths, reflective spaces and Jungian psychoanalysis.   Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Libby and Andrew discuss the myths and symbols associated with queens, with reference to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. ⭐️3 things Libby knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Visit Dr Libby Nugent’s blog, where you’ll find more interpretation of fairytales. Or visit Dr Libby Nugent’s website to learn about the reflective spaces she runs. Dr Libby Nugent recommends World Weary Woman by Cara Barker if you’d like to go deeper into the Frau Holle story and the “world-weary woman” archetype. Follow Dr Libby Nugent on Twitter @becomingethical, on Facebook @drlibbynugent and on Instagram @libby.nugent. If you’re fascinated by some of the Jungian ideas discussed here, listen to some of Andrew’s other interviews with Jungian analysts: James Hollis on Resilience, Lisa Marchiano on Motherhood, Susan Schwartz on Fathers and Daughters and Robert Hopcke on Meaningful Coincidence. Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall  Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall   

What happens if you ignore the voices in your head urging you to change your life? Most likely they will make themselves heard in some way, be it positive or negative. Dawn Kohler was an award-winning entrepreneur in the computer industry when she was abruptly summoned to take a life-altering course. She began to receive “messages”, which launched her on an extraordinary healing process. In this episode Dawn and Andrew talk about Dawn’s journey through anxiety, depression and a relentless pull towards the unknown (all while also trying to meet the needs of a young family). Dawn Kohler is an author and sought-after executive coach, working with leaders at companies including Sony Pictures, Lionsgate, DreamWorks, Fox, Snapchat, Disney, and Amazon. She serves on the Board of Step-Up, a non-profit organisation to help mentor teen girls in low-income areas. Dawn has written 3 books, including her recent memoir, The Messages, the story of her journey to wholeness and fulfillment. Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Five ways for successful women to stop feeling the need to prove themselves. ⭐️Three things Dawn knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. You can purchase or read a sample of Dawn’s new book The Messages here You can find more information about Dawn Kohler’s workshops, books and coaching on her website You can also follow Dawn on Facebook  You might also enjoy listening to Andrew’s interviews with Kay Hutchison on Navigating Midlife Crisis or with Philip Carr-Gomm on Building an Authentic Life.  You may also like to read  Andrew’s book Wake Up and Change Your Life: How to Survive a Crisis and be Stronger, Wiser and Happier Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall   

If you’re feeling stuck in your life, could the way forward be found in your dreams? Your dreams are direct messages from your subconscious, and can tell you a huge amount if you pay them a little attention. This week’s guest, Machiel Klerk, is a Jungian analyst and the founder of the Jung Platform. He is also the author of Dream Guidance, a guide to connecting with and finding guidance from the soul through your dreams. Andrew and Machiel discuss Machiel’s dream incubation techniques: Machiel provides guidance on how to ask your subconscious a question relating to a specific situation in your life, and have the answer offered by your dreams.    Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Four techniques to better interpret your dreams. ⭐️3 things Machiel knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Read Machiel Klerk’s book Dream Guidance  Visit Machiel Klerk’s website  Visit the Jung Platform Follow Machiel Klerk on Facebook and Instagram Listen to some of our other episodes featuring Jungian analysts, including James Hollis on Resilience, Lisa Marchiano on Motherhood, Susan Schwartz on Fathers and Daughters and Robert Hopcke on Meaningful Coincidence. Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.

If we know anything for sure about love, it’s that our beloved will change as time passes. They will look different, believe new things and feel new sorrows and joys. Psychologist and author Dr Matthew McKay has written a new book on how we can keep love alive in an age of impermanence. He talks with Andrew about five ways to keep loving in the face of change, loss or disappointment: ⭐️Truly knowing the people we love ⭐️Actively caring for loved ones ⭐️Cultivating compassion ⭐️Setting a daily intention to act with love ⭐️Turning toward the pain of impermanence, not away from it. Matthew has a strong belief that the power of love continues after life is over, and he and Andrew also discuss how to keep loving and communicating with those who are gone. Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️Matthew discussing his “navigation principle” - a way to see more clearly how we approach life’s big decisions. ⭐️Matthew’s gratitude meditation to help you clean out the wounds of life. ⭐️3 things Matthew knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.  Buy Dr Matthew McKay’s new book Love in the Time of Impermanence  Read Dr Matthew McKay’s book on the transition to the afterlife: The Luminous Landscape of the Afterlife  Take a look at Dr Matthew McKay’s author page on the Inner Traditions website. Read some of Dr Matthew McKay’s other books  You might also enjoy Andrew’s interviews with Paul Gilbert on Compassion and Self-Acceptance and with Terry Real on the Five Traps that Undermine Your Love.  Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50: https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall 

How can we cope when life turns very dark? The culture tends to suggest we fix ourselves, work through the grief, and get back to normal as quickly as possible. If we accept the challenge to go deeper, though, getting up close with the darkness of life can be enriching and freeing.  Ancient and non-Western cultures tend to offer more routes into the “underworld”. Jungian psychotherapist Dr Joanna LaPrade is the author of a new book called Forged In Darkness, in which she explores how myth and stories can help us navigate our way through the shadows. In this episode Joanna shares stories and real-life examples to help you understand your own darkness. She and Andrew discuss: Creating your own rituals to deal with darkness Generational darkness: millennials and failure, babyboomers and shame. The transformative experience of suffering Dr Joanna LaPrade is an author, educator and Jungian psychotherapist. She has a private practice in Colorado U.S.A. Subscriber Content This Week If you’re a subscriber to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Patreon), this week you’ll be hearing: ⭐️The mythical gods and heroes who can best help us understand suffering. ⭐️3 things Joanna knows to be true. ⭐️AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.   Follow Up Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. Read Dr Joanna LaPrade’s book Forged In Darkness  Visit Dr Joanna LaPrade’s website  Read Andrew’s memoir about the loss of his partner, My Mourning Year.  Listen to some of our other episodes on grief, such as David Kessler on the Sixth Stage of Grief, or to other Jungian guests such as James Hollis on Resilience. Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50.