What is a Good Life?

On the 143rd episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Kimbra. Kimbra is a New Zealand-born songwriter, musician, producer, and adventurous performer. Her 2011 debut, Vows, was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. The following year, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” her duet with Gotye, topped Billboard’s Hot 100, became the best-selling song of the year in the U.S., and earned her two Grammy Awards. Since then, she has toured with artists including Beck, David Byrne, and Jacob Collier, and has released four more albums: The Golden Echo, Primal Heart, A Reckoning, and Idols & Vices (Vol. 1). She hosts the podcast Playing With Fire and shares essays, poetry and watercolours on her Substack newsletter.In this conversation, Kimbra reflects on her ongoing journey to find balance and rest within her life and career as a musician. She speaks about the importance of silence in shaping her artistic expression, the power of surrendering to spirit, and the grounding influence of nature.This episode is an invitation to embrace the fullness of life — its joy, its suffering, and the many paradoxes in between.For more of Kimbra's work:Substack: https://kimbra.substack.com/Website: https://www.kimbramusic.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 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 to find balance?03:00 The experience of burnout06:30 A silent concert09:50 HoneyBones and nothing to lose12:30 The generosity and connection of silence 16:00 Life, art, and work are not separate19:30 Receiving a message from spirit23:30 Being empowered by spirit29:00 A mystical experience and calling33:42 We all have a cross38:50 Making a difference in the world42:30 The power and role of nature45:00 Rest, letting go, and liberation51:15 Summary and what is a good life for Kimbra?

On the 142nd episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Jim Palmer, Founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality. A critically acclaimed author, former megachurch pastor, adjunct professor, and chaplain with the American Humanist Association, Jim is also a trained counsellor in religious trauma and spiritual abuse.In this conversation, he reflects on his journey through a crisis of faith, his experiences as a megachurch pastor, and his challenges of navigating religious culture. We explore theological deconstruction, rewilding spirituality, and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives. This episode invites you to consider a faith in life itself as a way to deepen our connection with existence.For more of Jim's work:Substack: https://substack.com/@jimpalmerauthorLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimpalmerauthor/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 Introduction and Setup01:51 Exploring the Good Life02:50 The More Than Human World06:22 Personal Evolution and Crisis of Faith12:22 Experiences as a Mega Church Pastor17:35 The Challenges of Mega Church Culture21:22  Theological Deconstruction and Reconstruction26:38 Confronting Suffering and Injustice33:03 Cognitive Dissonance in Religion39:13 Processing Religious Trauma42:55 Rewilding Spirituality50:04 God as a Verb54:20 The Good Life as a Process of Inquiry58:06 Faith in Life and Interconnectivity

On the 141st episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Professor Megan Reitz. Megan is an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University, and Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School. She is a leading thinker on leadership and dialogue, featured in the Thinkers50 ranking of global business thinkers, and the author of Dialogue in Organizations, Mind Time, and, most recently, Speak Out, Listen Up. Her work explores how we create the conditions for transformative dialogue at work, and her latest research examines how we can foster spaciousness — the capacity to innovate, reflect, and build relationships in workplaces addicted to busyness.In this conversation, we explore the impact of space, silence, attention, and an outward focus on our relationships and our experience of life.This episode serves as an invitation to pause, question the busyness we’ve become entangled in, and reconsider the status quo of how we relate.For more of Megan's work:Website: https://www.meganreitz.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganreitz/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 do I encounter the world?04:00 Flow amongst people07:00 How our gestures affect others11:45 The labels, assumptions, and roles that create distance17:13 The energy drain of societal expectations23:00 Allowing, inquiry, and meta awareness26:20 Creating the space we require33:45 How do we see the world?37:00 Navigating pauses and big questions44:00 How strange it has become to pause47:30 Our focus moving from ourselves53:30 Experiencing periods without an agenda57:00 Summary and what is a good life for Megan?

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.