

No Small Endeavor with Lee C. Camp
Tokens Media
Exploring what it means to live a good life. What does it mean to live a good life? What is true happiness? What are the habits, practices, and dispositions that contribute to authentic human flourishing? No Small Endeavor examines these questions with host Lee C. Camp. You'll hear from best-selling authors, philosophers, scientists, artists, psychologists, theologians and even the occasional politician—courageous, impassioned people taking seriously the question of how to live a good life. Striving for a good life is No Small Endeavor, and we’re here with you on the road. Learn more at nosmallendeavor.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 4, 2024 • 54min
150: Azim Khamisa: Ending Violence Through Forgiveness (Best of NSE)
How do you forgive the man who killed your son?
In 1995, Azim Khamisa’s only son Tariq was shot and killed while delivering a pizza. The killer was a 14-year-old gang member named Tony Hicks, and due to a recent change of law in the state of California, Tony was tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
But instead of responding with a call for outrage or revenge, Azim did the unthinkable: he forgave his son’s killer, and he fought for his release.
“My interpretation of this tragedy was that there are victims at both ends of the gun,” he says. In this episode, he tells the full story of how he uses his experience to help end youth violence, even recruiting his son’s killer to join in the work. It is one of unimaginable grief, staunch faith, and unwavering compassion.
Show Notes:
Similar episodes
Forgiving My Mother’s Murderer: Sharon Risher
Burying 250 Friends: Greg Boyle on Community Amidst Gang Violence
Resources mentioned this episode
TKF’s website
Azim’s website
Azim’s TED Talk
Email Azim: azim@azimkhamisa.com
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcription Link
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Apr 2, 2024 • 1h 2min
149: Unabridged Interview: Dacher Keltner
This is our unabridged interview with Dacher Keltner.
“Brief doses…help your heart, your immune system, your stress, your reasoning, your relationships,” says psychologist and bestselling author Dacher Keltner. And believe it or not, he’s not describing some new miracle drug or medical treatment.
He’s talking about the experience of awe.
He defines awe as “the feeling we have when we encounter vast, mysterious things.” It’s something we all have experienced, but often talk about rather sheepishly. Dacher has spent considerable time seeking it out and studying it, and the results are in. In this episode, he shares his findings, and offers all the ways in which awe is a necessary component to a happy, healthy, flourishing life.
Show Notes:
Similar episodes
Jennifer Wiseman: How Science Produces Wonder
David Desteno: Can Religion Make You Happier?
Judith Moskowitz: How to Flourish Amidst Stress
Resources mentioned this episode
Awe by Dacher Keltner
AlanCowan.com
Ming Kuo’s 21 pathways by which nature is good for one’s health
Brian Sutton and Tammy Rogers performing “Nachstucke”
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcript for Abridged Episode
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9 snips
Mar 28, 2024 • 54min
149: Dacher Keltner: How Awe Will Transform Your Life
Psychologist and bestselling author Dacher Keltner reveals how awe impacts health and well-being. He discusses the transformative power of awe in various life experiences, from nature to music. Explore the physiological benefits of awe and the impact of witnessing moral beauty. Discover the unity and awe found in collective experiences, including group singing sessions and live music shows.

Mar 26, 2024 • 1h 10min
148: Unabridged Interview: Philip Yancey
This is our unabridged interview with Philip Yancey.
What do we do with the painful parts of our life story?
Anybody familiar with Philip Yancey’s work knows that it has cost him more than time to be a bestselling author and journalist. It has cost him a lifetime of pain, loss, and deep spiritual struggle.
Philip intentionally waited until recently to write down his story to protect some of the people in it, but now in his seventies, he’s released “Where the Light Fell,” his memoir that shares all the messy details about growing and beyond - losing his father, childhood poverty, parental abuse, ruinous fundamentalist Christianity, militant atheism, a nearly fatal car accident, and more.
In this episode he shares how he managed to come to new understanding in the face of suffering. “A writer really only has one gift,” says Philip Yancey, “and that's the gift of his or her own life.”
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
William Paul Young: Author of The Shack
Amy Grant: Fame, Vulnerability, and Staying Grounded
Kelly Corrigan: How Vulnerability Leads to Connection
Christian Wiman: The Opposite of Faith is Certainty
Resources mentioned this episode:
Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcript for Abridged Episode
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8 snips
Mar 21, 2024 • 54min
148: Philip Yancey: Where the Light Fell
Bestselling author Philip Yancey shares his painful life journey in 'Where the Light Fell,' reflecting on childhood poverty, parental abuse, fundamentalist Christianity, atheism, and a near-fatal accident. He discusses finding new understanding in suffering and the power of storytelling.

Mar 19, 2024 • 1h 12min
147: Unabridged Interview: Tara Brach
This is our unabridged interview with Tara Brach.
How do you accept yourself fully, just as you are? And if you did, would you ever grow?
“Being at peace with how we are in the moment is the precondition to transformation,” says psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach.
In this episode she provides us with a simple practice to find peace and transformation known by the acronym RAIN.
“We have amazing potential to change some of the habits that cause ourselves or others harm,” she says, “but we won't be able to access that if we're at war with ourselves.” Hear Tara’s stories from a life of practicing mindfulness, putting on display the wisdom and healing that come from pausing to accept the world as it is.
This episode contains a brief mention of disordered eating. If you are in need of support, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
Kristin Neff: Self Compassion
Curt Thompson: The Power of Being Known
Suzanne Stabile: Enneagram Wisdom and Living Well
William Paul Young: Author of The Shack
Resources mentioned this episode
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
RAIN meditation with Tara Brach
Tonglen meditation with Pema Chodron
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcript for Abridged Episode
JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows
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Mar 14, 2024 • 54min
147: Tara Brach: Radical Acceptance
How do you accept yourself fully, just as you are? And if you did, would you ever grow?
“Being at peace with how we are in the moment is the precondition to transformation,” says psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach.
In this episode she provides us with a simple practice to find peace and transformation known by the acronym RAIN.
“We have amazing potential to change some of the habits that cause ourselves or others harm,” she says, “but we won't be able to access that if we're at war with ourselves.” Hear Tara’s stories from a life of practicing mindfulness, putting on display the wisdom and healing that come from pausing to accept the world as it is.
This episode contains a brief mention of disordered eating. If you are in need of support, contact the National Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
Kristin Neff: Self Compassion
Curt Thompson: The Power of Being Known
Suzanne Stabile: Enneagram Wisdom and Living Well
William Paul Young: Author of The Shack
Resources mentioned this episode
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
RAIN meditation with Tara Brach
Tonglen meditation with Pema Chodron
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcription Link
JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows
Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube
Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
Follow Lee: Instagram | Twitter
Join our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com
See Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: Tokens Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 12, 2024 • 1h 31min
146: Unabridged Interview: Malcolm Gladwell
This is our unabridged interview with Malcolm Gladwell.
You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell.
He is, after all, a New York Times bestselling author of “Outliers,” “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and other books. He’s the host of the wildly popular podcast “Revisionist History.” His work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes him so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day?
In this episode, Malcolm tells a host of stories - from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult - all which help explain how he became the wildly curious and unpinnable person that he is, bent on getting to the bottom of things.
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?
Bill McKibben: The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
Heather Holleman: The Art of Conversation
Resources mentioned this episode:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Revisionist History Podcast
Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcript for Abridged Episode
JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows
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Mar 7, 2024 • 55min
146: Malcolm Gladwell: Becoming Malcolm
You may think you know Malcolm Gladwell.
He is, after all, a New York Times bestselling author of “Outliers,” “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” and other books. He’s the host of the wildly popular podcast “Revisionist History.” His work is heralded and his opinion asked by many folks on a wide array of issues. But what makes him so different that he has become one of the most successful journalists of our day?
In this episode, Malcolm tells a host of stories - from receiving endorsement from his mother to cut class, to attending a Mennonite barn-raising with his mathematician father, to spending three days a week in Freudian therapy as a young adult - all which help explain how he became the wildly curious and unpinnable person that he is, bent on getting to the bottom of things.
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
David Brooks: Can We Save Society by Knowing Each Other?
Bill McKibben: The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon
Heather Holleman: The Art of Conversation
Resources mentioned this episode:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Revisionist History Podcast
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcription Link
JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows
Subscribe to episodes: Apple | Spotify | Amazon | Google | YouTube
Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube
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See Privacy Policy: Privacy Policy
Amazon Affiliate Disclosure: Tokens Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mar 5, 2024 • 1h 4min
145: Unabridged Interview: Tim Alberta
This is our unabridged interview with Tim Alberta.
At No Small Endeavor, we try to talk about the things that really matter to people. Two such things - politics and religion - are notoriously tricky to discuss without generalizing, proselytizing, or stoking division.
But in an election year, we can’t ignore a sub-group in the United States that is adamant about combining faith and nation: Christian Nationalists.
In this episode, we called in Tim Alberta, author of “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory” and an expert for the job. He shares what it was like growing up around the movement, offers his criticism of a subculture he knows inside and out, and presents the clear and present danger of conflating religious identity with national identity.
Show Notes
Similar episodes:
Kristin Du Mez: Jesus and John Wayne
Kristin Du Mez Sits with David French
David French: Conservatism without Trumpism
Russell Moore: Against, and For, the Tribe
Randall Balmer – name? Link?
Resources mentioned this episode:
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory by Tim Alberta
Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Du Mez
PDF of Lee’s Interview Notes
Transcription Link for Abridged Episode
JOIN NSE+ Today! Our subscriber only community with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, and discounts on live shows
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices