On the 80th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jonny Thomson. Jonny was a teacher for over a decade before he turned to writing full-time. He is a columnist at Big Think, where he writes primarily about philosophy, theology, and psychology, and is the author of three books. His first book, Mini Philosophy, is an award-winning international bestseller and has been translated into more than 20 languages. Jonny also runs the popular social media account Philosophy Minis, with a quarter of a million followers, where he explains philosophical ideas in short, accessible digests. He lives in a village in North Oxfordshire with his wife and two sons.In this engaging conversation, Jonny shares his thoughts on contemplating death and how it can guide us in living a good life. We discuss the importance of finding meaning beyond our own lives and moments of feeling part of something bigger. We also explore the potential impact of AI and what it reveals about being human. While Jonny reflects on his shift towards a Daoist perspective and how this has influenced both his path and sense of purpose.Throughout the conversation, Jonny highlights essential components of contemplation and ways of engaging with life that can bring greater purpose, contentment, and meaning. If you feel that your life needs a change or that it feels somewhat stifled, this episode will provide much to consider.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Jonny's first book, Mini PhilosophyJonny's Website: https://miniphilosophy.com/Jonny's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophyminis/- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.00:00 Introduction03:20 The power of contemplating death06:20 The shift in magnetic poles from having kids12:25 Something beyond your own life20:00 The future of humanity and AI26:25 Human frailty and connection in art32:40 Our proclivity for convenience35:20 A Daoist perspective to finding your path45:20 Hearing a voice and inner guide51:19 What is a good life for Jonny?

On the 79th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jen Cohen. Jen is a Co-Founder and Director of Seven Stones Leadership, a leadership journeys company, and the Director of Coaching Education for Mobius Executive Leadership, a global boutique consulting firm serving Fortune 500 companies. She is the co-author, with Gina LaRoche, of The 7 Laws of Enough, and the author of the chapter “From Surviving to Thriving” in the book Being Human at Work, edited by Richard Strozzi Heckler.Her coaching and training are distinguished by her studies in several communication technologies, along with quantum physics, ontology, neuroscience, psychology, trauma—both individual and collective—somatics, and systems thinking. Jen is a Master Certified Somatic Coach with the Strozzi Institute and holds a master’s degree in Applied Psychology with an emphasis on systems theory.In this captivating conversation, Jen shares with us her lifelong questioning of what is truth and what is reality. She speaks of her journey from experiencing trauma in her childhood, to continually seeking a sense of truth, and the emergence of her path and experiences with bodywork and healing. We explore the process of transmutation and extracting wisdom from our experiences, the sense of something bigger being at play that is moving us, the process of how purpose synchronistically arises, and living a life that ultimately brings her closer and closer into contact with reality.Whatever you may be going through in life, this conversation will provide you with considerable inspiration as to what can become of our lives if we do not look away from reality but walk towards it. While Jen shares her considerable wisdom and insights from her own examined life of inquiry, giving us all much to contemplate.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Seven Stones Leadership website: https://www.sevenstonesleadership.com/Jen's book: https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Enough-Cultivating-Sustainable-Abundance/dp/1941529909Jen's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercohen7s/- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.00:00 Introduction03:45 What is the truth? What is reality?10:30 We are in relationship with everything13:30 Extracting wisdom from experiences19:35 Finding truth and reality through the body27:45 The wisdom of the body30:45 Trauma of the past becoming present and future33:45 The desire to seek truth through trauma36:15 The feeling that something bigger is happening39:15 Exploring how purpose arises46:15 Finding the path as a healer53:35 What is a good life for Jen?

On the 78th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Simon van der Els, PhD. Simon is a student of the invisible realm. He holds a PhD in the empirical tradition of molecular microbiology and also explores the subjective realm of shamanism as a way of rediscovering the interiority of the living cosmos. He enjoys time in nature, dance, and other sensory embodied experiences. Dialogue is one of the practices in which he can encounter a flow state, and it is one of his favourite activities.In this glorious conversation, Simon shares his explorations of a greater sense of being in life. He highlights the importance of connection—to ourselves, each other, and the biosphere—in terms of feeling a deeper sense of being and belonging that goes beyond temporary moments of flow or peak experiences. We touch on the grief that is necessary to navigate in order to feel the depths of love and joy that are freely available to us, and that much of the way is more about remembering and resting than turning life into checklists for being and productivity.If you are struggling to feel a greater sense of being or alignment in life, or if your explorations into being have yielded more processes and things to do in order to be, this conversation will point to fundamental aspects of being that could greatly shift your present perspectives and experience of life.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Simon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-van-der-els-phd-66434b231/- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.00:00 Introduction03:07 How to be in this life between worlds?08:07 Peak experiences and broadening our aperture 14:32 Remembering a way of being and connection19:17 The grief and love through coming home 24:02 The sense of loneliness in the world27:22 We need to remember, feel, and sense33:31 The shift from compulsive thought to sensory experience39:27 The role of grief and presencing 43:07 It is all about connection46:27 The experience and challenges of a new sense of being50:07 The journey of becoming and joy54:37 Letting go of the checklists in life59:15 What is a good life for Simon?

Tom Hirons, a poet and storyteller, discusses his poetic journey, wilderness fasting for self-discovery, balancing spirit and soul, and the importance of living out his nature and soul image. The podcast explores poetry as a passport, transformative experiences, embracing imperfection, and the significance of culture in living authentically.

Writer, speaker, and activist Parker J. Palmer discusses his journey of listening to life, prioritizing authenticity over nobility, and finding clarity through silence. He shares experiences of depression, embracing limitations, and the transformative power of solitude. The episode delves into themes of vocation, self-discovery, and living a good life through gratitude and generosity.

On the 75th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael is best known for his book The Coaching Habit, which has sold over a million copies. His most recent book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, shows how to create psychological safety by building the Best Possible Relationship with key people at work. He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that has trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and recently won the coaching award from Thinkers50.In this insightful conversation, Michael shares the origin and meaning of his big goal of infecting a billion people with the possibility virus and the significance of feeling deeply defeated by ever greater things. He notes the importance of sharing the spotlight with others, maintaining humility while knowing what we are good at, and amplifying that. Throughout this conversation, he highlights the inherent value and worth of us all as human beings and his desire to embolden people by making them more aware of this truth.If you sense you are playing it too safe or are fearful of what potential failure may say about you or your value as a person, this conversation will offer perspectives, experiences, and anecdotes that may liberate you to live more of the life you are yearning for and that is much more possible than you think.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Michael's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbungaystanier/Michael's website: https://www.mbs.works/The Coaching Habit: https://www.mbs.works/coaching-habit-book/#buyHow to Work with (almost) Anyone: https://www.mbs.works/how-to-work-with-almost-anyone-book/- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.Running Order:03:02 Wrestling with angels08:41 Infecting a billion people with the possibility virus12:07 Allowing others to take the spot light15:42 Humility in success and our strengths18:45 You’re awesome and you’re doing great23:17 An awareness of the bigger picture and paradox31:22 Engaging with emotions and men’s work34:37 Having a healthy relationship with failure38:07 Reflections on authenticity and amplifying your difference47:37 The gift of feeling worthy51:37 What is a good life for Michael?

Dee Mulrooney, a talented Irish artist, discusses her journey of self-acceptance and healing through art. She explores themes of exile, class, displacement, and belonging. The conversation delves into her experience with a cult, relocating her family, and the transformative power of menopause. Dee emphasizes the importance of embracing both light and shadow in life for greater wholeness.

On the 73rd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Sunil Malhotra. Sunil weaves together Vedic wisdom with the innovations of tomorrow. To unravel the mysteries of the human experience, he stands at the intersection of spirituality, technology, and design. Sunil's latest book, YOGAi: Interplays of Yoga and Artificial Intelligence, demystifies both 'technologies' in a bid to connect them in the context of the exponential times we are witnessing. He is also the founder of Ideafarms, a Design-in-Tech advisory and consulting firm.In this illuminating conversation, Sunil shares his experience of letting go of questions and answers in his life, and feeling and experiencing a much wider sense of life, a letting go of control and consequently a flow to it has emerged he had not previously known existed. He explains how through his latest book he forged profound connections with some of the most esteemed minds in spirituality and science, including luminaries such as Dr. Karan Singh, Ervin Laszlo, and Satish Kumar. While we also discuss the capacity to look at life with fresh eyes, think for ourselves, and recognise how everything around us is communicating with us.If you are overthinking life and sense that you’re holding on too tightly, this conversation will offer you plenty of suggestions, anecdotes, and clues on how life can flow more effortlessly.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Sunil's company website: http://www.ideafarms.comSunil's latest book: https://www.amazon.com/YOGAi-Interplays-Yoga-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/B0D1FQ9K2H- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.Running Order:03:20 The ceasing of questions09:55 Looking at life with fresh eyes14:45 We don’t often think for ourselves19:10 Realising that everything is communicating with us24:50 The desire to explore Yoga more fully 30:20 The relationship between science and yoga35:30 The difference between knowledge and knowing42:20 Forging bonds with esteemed minds48:10 The loosening of thinking and a growing awareness58:20 The intention behind the book1:02:50 What is a good life for Sunil?

On the 72nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Reuben Christian. Reuben is an award-winning edutainer: a cocktail of event host, motivational speaker, facilitator, TV presenter and comedian. He's the founder and facilitator of Dream Rehab: a live show and curriculum that harnesses the power of community to help people achieve their personal goals. He co-hosts the award winning (GQ & Esquire) What Is This Behaviour podcast, and his work is all about inspiring new possibilities by creating uplifting spaces for people to connect, collaborate, and grow. In this beautiful episode, Reuben shares his journey of feeling true to himself. Whether it’s paying attention to what brings fun to his life, embracing responsibility, exploring and excavating through therapy, or following what makes him feel alive and aligned in his work, Reuben highlights several important areas for us to consider in feeling true to ourselves. We also explore our experiences with engaging more with our emotions and feeling more of life.If your life has lost a sense of feeling, engagement with emotion, fun and experimentation, or a sense that it truly is your life, this conversation will provide many themes and areas to explore further. While Reuben’s openness and willingness to explore and experiment will offer much inspiration on your own path.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Dream Rehab Website: https://www.dreamrehab.co.uk/Reuben's Podcast: https://whatisthisbehaviourpodcast.com/Reuben's website: https://www.reubenchristian.com/Contact Reuben: reubenchristian@gmail.com - For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.Running Order:04:12 Does this feel true to who I am now?08:32 The value of knowing who you are13:57 Following the fun16:26 What brings Reuben hope?19:51 Holding a wider lens25:24 Allowing yourself to feel it all33:51 Emotional healing isn’t linear38:02 Our relationship with the unknown44:50 Helping other people realise their own possibilities54:51 What is a good life for Reuben?

On the 71st episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Mariana Louis M.A. Mariana is a professional tarot counsellor, scholar, and creator of Persephone's Sister, a platform for psycho-spiritual education and guidance. Following her academic study of analytical psychology and Western Intellectual Traditions, Mariana integrated her scholarship into her developing expertise in the tarot and formulated an approach she calls Archetypal Tarot. She teaches this approach, which marries Jungian concepts with the symbolic depth of the tarot, in a host of courses for tarot students of all levels.This glorious conversation touches on many vital themes that contribute to a good life: Mariana’s journey of individuation, the interplay between the sacred and the mundane, the tensions of the human experience between zooming in and out, the balance of masculine and feminine energies within us, and the dynamics of order and chaos, growth and structure. Mariana also shares the significant influence that the Tarot and Carl Jung have had on her sense of experiencing more wholeness in her life.If you are seeking more movement in your life, if you feel stuck and are lacking the faith or trust to take a necessary next step, this conversation will provide you with much to contemplate, insight, and inspiration for taking that next step along your own authentic path and embracing uncertainty.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.For further content and information check out the following:Mariana's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/persephonessister/Mariana's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzNvYREM8s3gLEsYD2DY_3gMariana's website: https://persephonessister.com/- For the 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/Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs, executive team coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.Running Order:00:01 Introduction03:11 How does one live side by side with God07:06 The interplay of the sacred and the mundane11:56 A reengagement with the feminine archetype19:21 Embracing love, nature, and the unknown24:06 The exploration and relationship with Tarot31:48 The capacity to see the bigger picture36:09 Finding the right question and faith39:22 Holding the tensions of the opposites45:36 Mystical experiences52:06 Embracing the human experience55:36 Not resisting our nature1:00:46 Letting go of perfection and idols1:07:46 What is a good life for Mariana?