Good Life Project

Today's guest, Gail Devers, was a rising star in the world of running, winning title after title. Until her body began to betray her, literally consuming itself and threatening to end her career just as it was just getting going, let alone her life. Maybe even more distressing, though, was a level of systematic gaslighting for years, doctors kept saying nothing was wrong, but she knew. And she kept pushing for answers until she found one, then painstakingly rebuilt her health, her life, and stepped back onto the track to do what no one else thought possible. Gail became a nine-time World Champion, three-time Olympic gold track and field medalist, and a five-time Olympian. Now a fierce advocate for raising awareness for Grave's Disease, which she was finally diagnosed with, she’s made a name for herself as one of the fastest women alive for almost two decades. Although the odds were seemingly against Gail when she discovered her diagnosis, from her health suffering to her self-confidence taking a major hit as a result. It made Gail's recovery and comeback moment years later in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona even more special. But her story is also so much bigger than running. She’s become a fierce advocate to raise awareness for Grave's disease and its accompanying TED symptoms. In my chat with her today, we take it back to where it all first started, remembering what motivated her to step onto the track in the first place, and we make our way up to the moment that finally changed everything for Gail: receiving her first diagnosis. We talk about how overwhelming yet crucial it was for Gail to serve as her own health advocate during her search for answers, how goal-setting played its role in her recovery and healing journey, and why it's so important for us all to take back control of our lives against anything that tries to take it away from us. This talk with Gail comes at a special time since July is Grave's Disease Awareness Month. So buckle in, and come along this ride with us today and learn how one woman was determined to finish the race that she started, even if her life depended on it. So excited to share this conversation with you.You can find Gail at: More About Thyroid Eye Disease | InstagramIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Rich Roll about navigating his journey through addiction, recommitting himself to health and wellness, and eventually becoming an ultra-endurance athlete.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vogue Magazine named today’s guest, Jake Wesley Rogers, Gen Z's Elton John, but truth is, he is a wildly-talented, 25-year-old singer, songwriter and performer not only dazzles audiences but also stands powerfully in an identity that belongs to no one other than himself. How a queer kid from Springfield, Missouri, went from growing up in the deep South, then studying songwriting in Nashville, TN, to eventually gracing the stages of music festivals like Lollapalooza, headlining for artists like Panic At The Disco! and Ben Platt isn't all that of a mystery once you hear his music—and his story. Jake has this unique way of creating bold, emotional music that tells the stories of his life, yet feels universal at the same time. He invites us all to feel and sing and move and, in no small way, reclaim the parts and stories in our own lives that we’ve left behind. Elton John, himself, sang Jake’s praises while he was a guest on the 300th episode of Elton's Apple Music radio show Rocket Hour, saying Rogers reminded him of himself when he started out. And, all the while, what you’ll experience in this conversation, is how deeply grounded, loving, and intentional he is with everything he does.In today's conversation, we dive into Jake's journey in music and life and explore some of the lyrics of his recently released six-song EP Pluto, which has been long-awaited since his signing to hit songwriter Justin Tranter's imprint of Warner Records, Facet Records, in 2020. We unpack the art of songwriting and storytelling and its ability to help us process difficult experiences and explore some interesting asides on identity, finding inspiration, his connection and love for his family, and how important it is for Rogers to keep himself centered and present as the rocket ship that has become his career as an artist takes off. His EP “Pluto” is filled with passionate ballads and poetic lyrics that tell the stories of his most formative years and dealings with love of all forms—from romantic to familial to self-love. And though Jake is early in the years, he’s deeply wise, we can all learn something from his outlook not just on storytelling but on gratitude, joy, and taking life in stride. You can find Jake at: Website | Instagram | SpotifyIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Justin Tranter about their life in music and creativity and really finding a place of power and beauty and creative expression.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For generations, Abby Wambach’s name has been synonymous with soccer. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA World Cup Champion, and the highest all-time goal scorer ever, she is an icon. But, that's not the whole story. Not by a long shot. And, funny enough, especially here in the podcast world, she’s become known for a very different story. One centered around love, advocacy, and impact.Retiring in 2015 at the age of 35, Abby found herself, for the first time since she was a young child, without a defining identity or path forward. The year that followed brought her to her knees, but then delivered her into her next, even more powerful season of her life. She met and married the love of her life, Glennon Doyle, (who’s been a two-time guest on this show) and became a co-parent to three amazing kids. Funny enough, and we talk about this in the conversation, the first time Abby ever heard Glennon publicly talk about her, and their then-budding relationship was on this podcast. And, as we all know now, they’d eventually team up with Glennon’s sister to launch the wildly-beloved and impactful podcast, We Can Do Hard Things.Abby has also redirected the same fierce effort that led her to be a world-class athlete toward becoming an activist for equality and inclusion, a champion of women, queer, and human rights. Her book, Wolfpack, and the movement and company she launched along with it, is a reclamation. It's a call to agency and community. It's a stake in the ground that defines this next, powerful leg in her journey, and her role in our collective journey together.We explore this powerful journey, along with many of the deeper motivations, struggles, moments of awakening, defining stories and so much more in today’s conversation.You can find Abby at: Website | Instagram | We Can Do Hard ThingsIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Glennon Doyle about becoming untamed and falling in love.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.Zapier: Workflow automation for everyone. Zapier automates your work across 4000+ app integrations, so you can focus on what matters. See for yourself why teams at Airtable, Dropbox, HubSpot, Zendesk, and thousands of other companies use Zapier every day to automate their businesses. Try Zapier for free today at zapier.com/GLPCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you haven't heard of Tara Westover's memoir Educated. yet, you're in for a real treat. Her massive blockbuster book recounts her time growing up in rural Idaho with a dad who viewed the outside world with deep fear and a conspiratorial bent and kept the family isolated and forbidden from pursuing public school education. Tara, who never saw the inside of a classroom until she was 17, retraces her steps from her survivalist childhood to her remarkable journey to earning her Ph.D. at Cambridge. She spent her time in Idaho working in her family's junkyard, learning about herbal medicine from her mother, a self-taught herbalist and midwife, and plotting her great escape. Ultimately, she graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University, and in 2014, she earned a Ph.D. in history from Trinity College, Cambridge, became a Writer in Residence at the Harvard Kennedy School, and was selected as a Senior Research Fellow there. When it came time to tell her own story, Tara wrote the book she needed to write for herself. Her truth. Her story. That's it. But just as she has her own story to tell through her own lens, so does each person in her family. This reality pushes us to wonder and question how quickly society has become to put people in categories or boil their existence down to a single instance or even statement. So how do you do justice to your own narrative when the stakes are the ability to ever reconnect with your family for the rest of your life? And is it even possible? In today's conversation, we explore Tara's story, but we also go deeper into her creative journey, her desire to make meaning and to write. To build her own life. And we talk about what happened leading up to the book's publication, as well as how that moment affected her in ways she could've never seen coming and the conflict between being loyal to her family and being loyal to herself. We explore how the ensuing years have led her into a new phase of self-discovery and revelation, in part, because of the stunning global success of the book and also the near-overnight exposure of her and her story to millions of people around the world.So like I said in the beginning if you've never heard of this book before —and even if you have— you're in for a real treat today. You can find Tara at: Website | InstagramIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Elizabeth Gilbert about the power and also concerns that come from writing your truth, then sharing it.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.OutschoolZocdocCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When's the last time you've answered the question, "How are you?" honestly? Whether small talk is a good thing, a bad thing or just a thing is a matter of passionate debate. But, the bigger issue is - when it is time to get real. Both with other people, and also with ourselves? And what are we losing, what parts of ourselves, our relationships, our lives, are we forsaking when we hide behind the facade of social propriety? There comes a time when it's crucial to move beyond the surface level if we want to invite deeper and more fulfilled connections into our lives and find a community that will support and uplift us. So today, I'm joined by Jenna Kutcher to talk more about this idea of diving deeper below the surface in all parts of life to spark meaningful connections and, ultimately, a more authentic and rich life. Jenna Kutcher is a born-and-raised Minnesota wife, mom, and wildly-successful educational entrepreneur who aims for two things daily that I can totally respect: helping others wake up to life and staying in comfy pants. After leaving a mainstream, yet largely life-sucking career that was a complete misfit for her, she found her way into art, photography, and eventually creative entrepreneurship. And, she began to realize, life is just so much bigger than she imagined, and success was not what she’s always been told. And, as is her bent, the minute she learns something she loves to share, so she founded and hosts the now top-rated The Goal Digger podcast, where Jenna’s helped thousands redefine success and chase dreams through her decade-long work as a leading online educator. Her first book, How Are You Really?: Living Your Truth One Answer At A Time, is this deeply open guidebook to being alive that's chocked full of both provocative invitations to rethink life, as well as detailed guidance to lead you forward in a way that moves closer to your heartbeat, your people, and the good life that awaits you.There are too many fascinating nuggets that touch on so many elements of living a good life throughout this conversation, like the importance of asking for help, how to navigate change in life and business while remaining grounded, and the difference asking that age-old question with a simple tweak, "How are you, really?" could make in all our relationships. So if you're on a mission to own your life rather than the other way around and feel more alive, good things are in store for you in this chat with Jenna. You can find Jenna at: Website | InstagramIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Amanda Palmer about being open, vulnerable, and real.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.AquaTruAir DoctorCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heartbreak. We all experience it. It’s a horrible feeling, but can it actually, literally, break your heart, along with the other organs and systems in your body? Turns out, the answer is yes. It attacks not just your psychology - your state of mind - but also your physiology; everything from your brain to your cardiovascular, endocrine, immune system, and beyond. It can ravage both body and mind. And, it also turns out, there are things you can do to not only mend your broken heart emotionally but also rebuild your health after it’s taken a major hit.That’s where we’re going with my guest today, acclaimed science journalist, Florence Williams. Her book The Nature Fix was an Audible bestseller. She is a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and has written for the New York Times, National Geographic, and many other publications. But, that’s not what kicked off her interest in heartbreak and what it does to us. For Florence, it was personal. After her decades-long marriage ended, she found herself, not surprisingly, devastated. Not just emotionally, though, but also physically. Ill. Her body and her health started falling apart. And as she began to pick up the pieces, her science journalist’s brain also started wondering how emotional heartbreak was connected to the rash of physical symptoms and illness that had seemed to take over her body. She wondered if there was science behind if and, also, what could be done about it. That curiosity set in motion a quest that led her deep into the rapidly-evolving science of heartbreak, and also to the tools and strategies that culminated in her book Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.You can find Florence at: Website | Instagram | Heartbreak AudiobookIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Frank Lipman about how inseparable the mind and body are when it comes to health.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So, what if being fiercely self-reliant and individualistic was actually a terrible thing? I know, I know, sounds silly. I mean isn’t that the very thing we’re told to strive for from the youngest age? And, especially, in our culture now? Problem is, living in a me-first or me-over-you world is not only destroying our personal relationships, it’s destroying us, our states of mind, and even physical wellbeing. And, intimacy, deep connectedness, even reliance on and elevating others just might be the solution to much of what ails us.That idea may sound strange at first, it’s hard to argue that the rise of a wildly individualistic society has also gone hand-in-hand with the destruction of social bonds, friendship, mental health and nearly every marker of health in communities as well. As humans, we are all designed to be in relationship with others to experience the positive effects of connectedness, when that breaks down, so do we. And today's guest, Terry Real is an internationally recognized family therapist, speaker, and author. His new book Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship is a guide not just for couples, but also just for all human beings, filled with tools and advice to help anyone tap into their most collaborative and relational self. In today's conversation with Terry, he shares his story of growing up in a dysfunctional home to reveal how the techniques we've all learned to survive dysfunction as children can take a toll on our present relationships. And we explore how re-engaging with the people around us we hold most dear just may save not only those relationships, but our lives as well, and society more broadly. You can find Terry at: Website | FacebookIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Julie and John Gottman about how to build deeper, loving relationshipsCheck out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount CodesCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest today, Danica Roem, went from fronting a Death Metal band by night while building a career as an accomplished journalist by day, to being the first person to be elected and serve in any U.S. state legislature while openly transgender.When you hear that story, you might think, “wow, that’s amazing, but I don’t really relate.” Not so fast. When you zoom the lens out, Danica’s story is really about the quest to live as the truest expression of yourself, to not stifle or deny who you are, and to find a sense of home for all parts of you within a community. Which is something nearly all of us often struggle with. I know I do. This is why I was so excited to be in conversation with Danica Roem. My chat with Danica takes us back to her teenage years, where she first found her community in (what may sound surprising now, but won’t later) metal music. We talk about the struggles of masking the authentic parts of yourself in order to fit in, and how she’s been able to use her experiences to relate with people from all different backgrounds on a human level. Danica’s new memoir-meets-manifesto, Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails, and Igniting Change, deconstructs the many, sometimes outrageous and deeply isolating and offensive stories her doubters and opponents have thrown at her and shows through brutal honesty how she’s turned her identity, values and experiences into her greatest strengths. She brings that same honesty and authenticity to our conversation today, so know that you’re in for a real treat. You can find Danica at: Website | TwitterIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Jeffrey Marsh about living into your own sense of identity, unapologetically. Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount CodesCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Imagine being a kid who loved music, who’d been brought up with jazz literally in his blood, graduating college, then, instead of heading into a “responsible” adult job like all your friends, opening a record store in the heart of Seattle at a time where the neighborhood musicians, the ones who’d hang out all day and talk about all-things-music, also just happened to be budding icons who’d go one to become scions in the industry, forming bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Sound Garden, and so many others. This is just one season in the extraordinary life and career of today’s guest, Nabil Ayers.Now, years into a powerhouse career in music, he heads-up of one of the most iconic labels in the business, one, in fact, he fell in love with as a young kid. Growing up mixed-race, Jewish and Black, in NYC in the eighties, with a father who was a legendary jazz musician, but also entirely absent from his life, Nabil’s mom and uncle made sure to surround him with music, musicians and other quirky characters. And, that seeded a passion not just for music, but also for the culture, the stories, and eventually the business of helping artists grow and thrive. Along the way, Nabil also found himself becoming a storyteller. Both, of his own narrative, and of the many artists he’d champion and help introduce to the world. And, well into his career in music, Nabil began writing about music, his own life and story, and race for publications including The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, GQ, and The Root. Ayers is the President of Beggars Group US, a music label where he has released albums by many GRAMMY Award-winning artists such as The National. His new memoir, My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family is about his journey to connect with his musician father, Roy Ayers, and ultimately re-draw the lines that define family and race. You can find Nabil at: Website | InstagramIf you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Jimmie Vaughan about his life in music.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book SparkedMy New Podcast SPARKED. Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount CodesCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With everything going on in the world recently, we've likely all thought to ourselves at some point, "Is humanity lost?" You are not alone if the news makes you feel like everything is hopeless, and it's fair to wonder if collective and individual hope in empathy, compassion, and humanity will ever be restored. As we move forward past the darkest days of the COVID-19 outbreak, many people are still searching for hope, inspiration, and answers to some big questions like: How do you regain access to empathy? Or what truly matters in life in the end? And I can't think of a better person to explore these questions with than my guest today, Rabbi Steve Leder. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and was ordained at Hebrew Union College, and he currently serves as the Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. He's also a writer and the author of several critically acclaimed books, including his best-seller, More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us, and his latest book, For You When I'm Gone: 12 Essential Questions to Tell a Life Story. His compassionate voice and words of wisdom have earned Rabbi Leder recognition as one of Newsweek Magazine's ten most influential rabbis in America — twice. In this revealing conversation, we explore his views on humanity, death, religion, and what makes a good life well-lived.Rabbi Leder shares his interesting thoughts on why people leave the church, what he believes to be the true single source of evil, and how we can all get back to living in alignment with our values and also how to create a powerful curation of beliefs and stories to share with others he calls your ethical will. There are so many good nuggets to take away from this conversation, so I hope you're in a position to jot down Rabbi Leder's words of wisdom today.You can find Rabbi Steve at: Website | InstagramIf you LOVED this episode you'll also love the conversations we had with Bishop Michael Curry about the role of love in faith and life.Check out our offerings & partners: My New Book Sparked | My New Podcast SPARKEDVisit Our Sponsor Page For a Complete List of Vanity URLs & Discount Codes.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.