The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

Estrangement from adult children can be one of the most disorienting and painful experiences of a parent's life.  This week, Andrew talks to Dr Joshua Coleman, the author of Rules of Estrangement. They discuss: Why estrangement has become so common Why estrangement isn’t a one-sided story of parents who got what they deserved or overly entitled adult children. Approaches parents can take to achieve reconciliation with children and grandchildren. Techniques for starting a conversation. Dr Coleman’s own experience of estrangement from his daughter.  Dr Joshua Coleman is a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area and a Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. He has been a frequent guest on The Today Show and NPR, and has even been featured on Sesame Street.  Follow Up Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools  Buy Dr Joshua Coleman’s new book, Rules of Estrangement  Visit Dr Joshua Coleman’s website  You might also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Celia Dodd on how to Navigate Your Relationship with Your Adult Children 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 

Could the ancient wisdom of Taoism help us with the emotional challenges of modern life? Author and Taoist priest Greg Ripley believes that a little-known 6th-century Taoist text called the Bai Yao Lu (Statutes of the Hundred Remedies) offers some profound answers. In this episode, Greg and Andrew discuss some of the Hundred Remedies, and how they can help us go with the flow, deepen our meditation practice and find the natural balance in all things. Greg Ripley is a Taoist Priest in the 22nd generation of the Quanzhen Longmen tradition as well as a Nature and Forest Therapy Guide. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in acupuncture from Northwestern Health Sciences University. He is the author of The Hundred Remedies of the Tao, Tao of Sustainability and Voice of the Elders. He lives in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Follow Up Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Buy Greg Ripley’s book, The Hundred Remedies of the Tao: Spiritual Wisdom for Interesting Times  Visit Greg Ripley’s website  Follow Greg Ripley on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.  You might also enjoy Andrew’s interview with Henry Emmons, Bring More Calm and Joy Into Your Life  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.

Lisa Marchiano, a Jungian analyst and author, discusses her book 'The Vital Spark' which explores how women can reclaim their inner fire. She identifies eight qualities and explains how ancient fairy tales can help women access them. Topics include assertiveness, embracing fiery qualities, societal expectations for women, the story of Fitch's Bird, and rebuilding trust after infidelity.

Therapist Beth Wallace discusses how menopause impacts sex life, highlighting the opportunity for reflection, desire, and sexual creativity. They explore societal attitudes towards female pleasure, the impact of porn on relationships, and the importance of balancing individual desires with the needs of the relationship. Shifting language and mindset can improve the couple's sex life, and personal experiences can be transformed into something meaningful.

If you’ve suffered serious trauma, you may well be feeling confused by the sudden ubiquity of the term. The concept of trauma is having its cultural moment in the sun, and seems to be constantly under discussion on social media.  This week, Andrew speaks to Jeremy Fox, a therapist and trauma specialist, about: How to define trauma Different types of trauma Whether it’s helpful to label your trauma. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) as a trauma treatment. Jeremy Fox is a licensed mental health therapist, certified professional counseling supervisor, and an EMDR trauma counselor and consultant. He has been published in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 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 link between anxiety and trauma Three things Jeremy Fox 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 Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Take a look at Andrew’s new online course: My Best Relationship Tools. Read Jeremy Fox’s Substack newsletter  Follow Jeremy Fox on LinkedIn  You might be interested in Andrew’s other episodes on trauma: Galit Atlas on Buried Trauma Fenella Hansen on Dealing With Trauma Julia Paulette Hollenbery on Seven Medicines for Healing from Trauma. 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. Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there https://bit.ly/TheMeaningfulLifeSubstack  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 

I’m excited to launch my new online course for couples: My Best Relationship Tools. This week, I talk with my friend and podcast engineer, Michael Dooney, about how the course can make a difference in your relationship. We discuss: Why couples struggle to communicate How to stop using failing strategies New ways of approaching conflict How to listen, build rapport and make certain both of you feel heard Healing your relationship. Follow Up Find out more about my course: My Best Relationship Tools. Get my free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things 

Each and every one of us is awesome in some way - but, we are also human. Author, speaker and entrepreneur Nataly Kogan wrote her Awesome Human Journal to help people learn to honour their humanity, whilst also strengthening their emotional fitness. In this episode, Andrew and Nataly discuss how to: Edit your thoughts and quiet your inner critic Say “no” to things that drain your energy Make joy a priority without guilt Reduce overwhelm and fuel your motivation Talk back to your brain when it holds you back with fear Nataly Kogan is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. She immigrated to the US as a refugee from the former Soviet Union when she was 13 years old. Starting her life in the projects and on welfare, she went on to reach the highest levels of corporate success at companies like McKinsey & Company and Microsoft. When she still found herself unfulfilled, Nataly set out to discover what really leads to a fulfilling, happier life. Her explorations led her to create Happier, a company whose award-winning mobile application, online courses, and “Happier at Work” training programs have helped more than a million people improve their emotional health. Nataly is a sought-after keynote speaker and has appeared in hundreds of media outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TEDxBoston, SXSW, The Harvard Women’s Leadership Conference, and The Dr. Oz Show.  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: Refilling Your Energy Reservoir Three Things Nataly Kogan 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 Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things Read Nataly Kogan’s new book, The Awesome Human Journal Visit Nataly Kogan’s website and take a look at her Unleash Your Thriving coaching programme. Follow Nataly Kogan @natalykogan on Instagram and Twitter, and @natalykoganauthor on Facebook and @HappierwithNataly on YouTube.  You might also enjoy Andrew’s interviews with Richard Paterson on No More Overthinking and Henry Emmons on The Road to Calm and Joy. 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. Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. 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 

Hopes, dreams and goals stretch far into the future, but intentions are about the present. Setting intentions means translating your goals into small steps you can achieve right now. Intentionality offers you  a roadmap for progress and personal growth.  In this episode Andrew talks with therapist Erin Vandermore about what it means to set intentions, how to set up intentions that are achievable and positive, and the rewards that come with a regular intention-setting practice.  Erin Vandermore, MA, LCPC, LCMHC, is a licensed therapist, and wellness coach with over 14 years of experience in the fields of mental health and life coaching. As the founder of Age of Uncertainty Coaching, Erin has dedicated her life to helping individuals discover their unique skills and talents—those often overshadowed by self-sabotage. Her empathetic lens, cultivated through her personal journey as a mother, a survivor of pre-eclampsia, and an individual living with dyslexia, ADHD, and anxiety, allows her to connect with her clients on a deeply human level. 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 Deal with Emotional Eating.  Three Things Erin Vandermore 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 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.  Visit Erin Vandermore’s website and take a look at her online courses. Follow Erin Vandermore Instagram @aoucoaching, on Facebook @AgeofUncertaintyCoaching, on YouTube @AOU_Coaching_with_Erin and on TikTok @ageofuncertaintycoach.  Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things  Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there.  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 

More than one third of adults suffer from insomnia or some other kind of sleep disorder. Left unaddressed, lack of sleep can lead to debilitated health, lowered resilience, and decreased performance in all aspects of life. Psychologist, author and spiritual teacher Philip Carr-Gomm’s latest book is The Gift of the Night. The book combines an extensive knowledge of sleep science and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with techniques drawn from spiritual traditions and insights from the emerging field of psychedelic therapy. In this episode, Andrew and Philip discuss the sleep difficulties that can come with growing older, reframing your understanding of sleeplessness, and some of the practical techniques that can create a better night’s sleep. This is Philip Carr-Gomm’s second appearance on The Meaningful Life.  Philip is an expert in psychosynthesis, an  “awe-inspiring territory that has the power to transform us”. He believes that something magical happens when the worlds of modern psychology and ancient spiritual teachings are brought together. He has studied Druidry extensively and from 1988-2020 was the leader of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. He has a degree in psychology and has trained in psychotherapy, play therapy, Montessori education, yoga nidra, mindfulness meditation and sophrology. Philip recently created an online school, The Art of Living Well, to offer courses combining psychological and spiritual understanding. 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: Unhelpful Myths About Sleep. Three Things Philip Carr-Gomm 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 Download Andrew's new FREE guide: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things. Read Philip Carr-Gomm’s new book, The Gift of the Night: A Six-Step Program for Better Sleep. Listen to Philip Carr-Gomm’s 2021 interview with Andrew on Creating an Authentic Life Take a look at Philip Carr-Gomm’s website  Find out more about the courses offered at Philip’s online school, The Art of Living Well Follow Philip on Instagram at @philipcarrgomm and on Facebook at @philip.carrgomm Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. 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 

Better sex, coping with strong emotions, healing your inner child and harnessing the power of compassion: these were some of the big themes that spoke to The Meaningful Life listeners in 2023. Jon from the Marshall Method team of therapists is Andrew’s special guest for this New Year’s Day episode. Andrew and Jon each choose their favourite episodes, and share highlights from them. These are the episodes chosen by Andrew and Jon as their 2023 favourites: What is the Feeling Trying to Tell Me? with Karla McLaren. Healing Your Lost Child with Robert Jackman Tantra: How to Make Your Lovemaking More Connected with Jan Day Slay Your Dragons With Compassion with Malcolm Stern How to Heal Stubborn & Inexplicable Health Problems with Sharon E. Martin Rites of Passage and Mentoring: How to Become an Adult with Conroy Harris 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: Highlights from interviews with Avrum Weiss on Anxiety, and with Olivier Clerc on Forgiveness. 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 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. Book a counselling session with Jon or with one of the other Marshall Method team. Get Andrew’s NEW free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things. Read Andrew’s book I Love You But I’m Not In Love With You Read Andrew’s new Substack newsletter The Meaningful Life, and join the community there. 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