What is a Good Life?

On the 140th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Robert Poynton. Rob is the author of Do Conversation, Do Pause, and Do Improvise. He divides his time between an off-grid home in rural Spain and Oxford, where he is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School and convenor of the Oxford Praxis Forum at Green Templeton College. Rob is a designer, host, and facilitator of learning experiences; an amateur practical philosopher; a keeper of hens; and the founder of Yellow Learning.In this conversation, Rob shares his sense of living with more aliveness. We explore following the energy rather than the “shoulds”, noticing visceral signals of “deathly” work, practising curiosity and softness in everyday tasks, infinite games versus fixed goals, and how trusting life’s unfolding leads to a life of joy.This episode is an invitation to soften, to follow what feels alive, and to let life reveal itself through experience and energy rather than theory.For more of Rob's work:Website: https://robertpoynton.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-poynton-169402/ Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.- 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-14b0161b4/00:00 How can we make life more joyful?04:20 Paying attention to that sinking feeling06:40 Making decisions others found unusual10:50 Following the breadcrumbs and energy18:11 Noticing when we contract and soften24:30 Noticing, allowing, and becoming32:00 Life wants to happen39:15 Collaboration more present than competition42:30 The allure of drama and conflict48:20 Holding two conflicting ideas at once51:15 The surprises that bring us alive57:50 Summary and is a good life for Rob?

On the 139th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Simon Höher—a public designer, researcher, and strategist based in Berlin. Simon works at the intersection of systems, futures, and justice, partnering with public institutions, startups, and cultural organisations to rethink how we design, govern, and live together. He is Systems Change Lead at Dark Matter Labs and currently supports the European Commission’s Net Zero Cities Mission.In this conversation, we explore big questions about life, governance, and personal evolution: the nature of change, how today’s decisions shape future generations, and the role of resilience and trust in navigating uncertainty. We also look at ways to move beyond the problem–solution dichotomy.This episode is an invitation to consider what more patience, deliberation, and intention might bring to your life.For more of Simon's work:Website: https://simonhoeher.com/Substack: http://simonhoeher.substack.comContact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.- 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-14b0161b4/00:00 How do we create deliberate transitions?04:30 What to do about the state of the world?08:00 Evolution and transitions12:00 Shifting from private to public interest14:30 How do we gauge impact?19:40 Questioning are we part of the problem23:50 The impact of trust & hope on resilience32:45 Trusting yourself through change37:00 We are incredibly adaptive creatures 39:30 The significance of openness42:30 The problem-solution dichotomy50:00 Minimal intervention54:00 Summary and what is a good life for Simon?

On the 138th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Edie "EdieArt" Pijpers. Edie is a self-taught painter, musician, and writer whose work flows across the porous borders between music, colour, story, dream, and video. Raised in the Netherlands, Edie travelled through Paris, Sydney, and Los Angeles before planting roots in the Hudson Valley. Over the years, she has released five albums, held art shows in Nashville and New York, painted murals, published mindful children’s books, created intimate video pieces, and collaborated on the oracle deck Healing the Inner Child via Hay House.In this conversation, we explore the essence of creativity and the balance between doing and being. We explore the importance of giving space and time to ideas, as well as attuning to the muse that lives as presence in ordinary moments.Ultimately, she highlights the significance of relationality, living attentively, and embracing the flow of existence.For more of Edie's work:Website: https://www.edieart.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EdieArt77Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.- 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-14b0161b4/00:00 What is trying to emerge?04:45 Authority and uncertainty10:00 Exploring how things are13:00 Balancing masculine and feminine energies17:30 The call into nature25:00 Giving life more space31:05 The seriousness and lightness of life36:15 Parenting, relating, and space42:00 Letting go of control45:00 Meaningful and meaningless48:00 Answering a call to creativity51:30 The significance of place54:30 Summary and what is a good life for Edie?

On the 137th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Diane Button. Diane is a founding partner of the Bay Area End-of-Life Doula Alliance in Northern California, and the best-selling author of Dear Death: Finding Meaning in Life, Peace in Death, and Joy in an Ordinary Day and The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas & Caregivers (co-authored with Angela Shook and Gabby Jimenez). She holds a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, works as a practicing end-of-life doula, and serves as a lead instructor in the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine’s End-of-Life Doula Certificate Program. Her latest book is the inspiring What Matters Most.In our conversation, Diane shares the profound insights she has gained through her work, emphasising the power of presence, the value of embracing all emotions, and the joy found in life’s simplest moments.Together, we explore how the beauty of ordinary days and the wisdom of those facing death can illuminate what it truly means to live well and meet life’s final chapter with grace.For Diane's latest book, What Matters Most:To buy your copy: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768705/what-matters-most-by-diane-button/About the book: https://www.dianebutton.com/what-matters-mostWebsite: https://www.dianebutton.comContact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.- 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-14b0161b4/00:00 Reflections on the book02:10 The depth of the role of an End of Life Doula04:45 Experiencing everything08:44 The cultivation of presence14:00 Pausing and slowing down17:00 An awareness of joy21:20 An expression of gratitude25:30 The process of writing the book31:55 Not waiting to celebrate life36:30 Distilling what matter most40:30 The simple moments43:30 Legacy work with the dying48:00 Regrets over the little things52:30 Self-love, acceptance, and authenticity1:00:00 Comfort with grief and conflicting emotions1:08:00 The importance of our small acts

On the 136th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I’m delighted to welcome our guest, Aadita Chaudhury. Aadita is a researcher, writer and arts practitioner inhabiting the intersection of the arts, science, ecology, and spirituality. Her work is shaped by ethnographic approaches, poetic inquiry, embodied methodologies, sonic practices, photography, and encounters with mythology, folklore and ritual, guided by ethics of slow, non-extractive decolonial research. She is interested in perspectives from the Global South in relation to technoscientific imaginaries, decolonial, feminist and working-class social movements. Aadita has conducted research in the US, Canada, the UK, Italy, India and Mexico. Her academic and public work has appeared in International Relations, Conservation Letters and Al Jazeera.In this conversation, Aadita explores the themes of rootedness, belonging, and identity amidst a rapidly changing world. She reflects on her journey through liminal spaces, the impact of cultural expectations, and the quest for enough-ness. The discussion delves into the implications of human exceptionalism, the importance of direct communication, and the value of community connections. Ultimately, Aadita considers a good life as one that embraces honesty, embodiment, and the emergent flux of reality.For more of Aadita's work: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aadita/Website: https://www.aaditachaudhury.com/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.- 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-14b0161b4/00:00 Navigating Liminal Spaces04:00 A Practice of Presence06:00 Rootedness, identity, and preference09:55 Cultural expectations 14:30 The expectation of proving our worth16:30 Exploring human exceptionalism20:00 Conditional enough-ness26:00 Concepts from human exceptionalism 30:00 Fear of death and immortality 34:00 Moving from abstract to embodied42:30 Attentiveness to our community53:00 The repression of forced politeness59:15 An appreciation for directness1:06:00 Summary and what is a good life for Aadita?

Stephen Jenkinson, a cultural worker and author, dives deep into the complexities of life, love, and matrimony. He discusses the significance of ceremonies, emphasizing the importance of community in weddings and the bittersweet transitions they embody. Jenkinson contrasts longing with belonging, suggesting true connection comes from appreciating one’s ancestry and responsibilities to future generations. The conversation also highlights the need for meaningful endings in rituals, advocating for a collective memory that honors our shared human experiences.

In this engaging conversation, Mike Moss, a seasoned BACP registered Counsellor with over 40 years of experience, shares profound insights on the beauty of everyday life. He discusses the significance of being present and how a simple smile can transform connections. Mike emphasizes self-discovery and the importance of embracing life’s complexities. He invites listeners to find joy in ordinary moments and highlights the interconnectedness of our experiences, encouraging mindfulness as a pathway to recognizing beauty in the mundane.

Join Dr. Richard Claydon, a leadership strategist and creator of the Praxis Q framework, as he delves into the intricacies of navigating leadership in today's complex world. He discusses the need for authentic self-awareness and the importance of dialogue in fostering trust and interdependence. Claydon critiques traditional leadership models that lead to burnout, advocating for a more human-centric approach. He also explores how evolving trust dynamics can empower leaders to build resilient systems and make meaningful contributions to their environments.

Kate Arms, an expert in organizational systems and co-founder of the Neurodiversity Coaching Academy, discusses the complexities of human existence and how to thrive through life’s challenges. She navigates the interplay of grief and joy, advocating for mindfulness and presence. Kate shares insights on balancing intuition and analysis, as well as the importance of teaching resilience. She highlights the need for systemic change and the role of becoming a wise elder to foster a thriving future.

In this dialogue, Dave Bingham, founder of True Circles Training Ltd, shares his journey from the tech sector to facilitating transformative Council practices. He discusses the art of aligning life with authenticity and personal purpose, emphasizing the deep impact of heart-centered communication. Through stories of circle gatherings and men’s groups, Dave illustrates how creating safe spaces fosters vulnerability and connection. This conversation invites us to explore the healing power of emotions and the importance of listening from the heart.