Good Life Project
Jonathan Fields / Acast
Good Life Project is a podcast and video series for people navigating midlife with intention. Hosted by Jonathan Fields, each episode is a deep, honest conversation about what it actually takes to build a life that feels like yours, through the reinventions, reckonings, and reclamations that define your 40s, 50s, and beyond. Grounded in science, fueled by genuine curiosity, and always in service of the real work of living well. Often top-ranked, it’s been listened to and viewed more than 100 million times. New episodes weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 6, 2026 • 51min
How to Not Lose Hope in a World That Feels Increasingly Dark
Valarie Kaur, civil rights leader and founder of the Revolutionary Love Project, blends spiritual practice with social justice. She reframes crisis as labor, explains pacing activism with “breathing and pushing,” and redefines victory as faithfulness to values. She also highlights ancestral song, nonviolent care, and pleasure as fuel for long-term resistance.
12 snips
Apr 2, 2026 • 44min
The Upside of Oversharing, and the Surprising Downside of Restraint | Leslie John
Leslie John, James E. Burke Professor at Harvard Business School and author of Revealing, studies how self-disclosure shapes trust and connection. She explains why holding back harms relationships and health. Short practices like daily audits and sincere praise can reveal missed intimacy. She also contrasts safe workplace transparency with riskier personal vulnerability.
Mar 30, 2026 • 49min
How to Find Joy in Hard Times (and When Your Brain Lies to You) | Jenny Lawson
Jenny Lawson, humorist and bestselling author known as The Bloggess, writes candidly about living with treatment-resistant depression and anxiety. She talks about using radical honesty and humor to connect, the mantra she uses when depression lies, an “easy mode” approach that permits doing less, and how rereading joy, setting boundaries, and finding your people create small, sustaining moments of light.
55 snips
Mar 26, 2026 • 50min
Arthur Brooks: Meaning in Midlife & Beyond
Arthur Brooks, Harvard professor and bestselling author on happiness and purpose. He explores why our phones and culture sap meaning. He describes the arrival fallacy, left/right brain shifts, three keys to meaning, a morning no-phone routine, and why well-chosen suffering and service can restore wonder and significance.
Mar 23, 2026 • 48min
Want Real, Lasting Change? It’s Time to Try a Different Approach. | Eric Zimmer
Eric Zimmer, podcast host and author who rebuilt his life from addiction, shares practical approaches to lasting change. He explains why small, consistent actions add up, how to interrupt negative thinking with the Still Point Method, and how competing values and environment shape outcomes. Short, actionable frameworks for turning tiny habits into real transformation.
Mar 19, 2026 • 59min
How Toxic Positivity Wrecks Lives & Relationships (and What to Cultivate Instead) | Dr. Deepika Chopra
Dr. Deepika Chopra, clinical health psychologist known as The Optimism Doctor® who studies hope and resilience. She unpacks why toxic positivity harms and how realistic optimism works. Short practices include a 12-second “clock” for joy, scheduled worry time to contain anxiety, the 7/10 rule for believable affirmations, and finding the small “crack of light” that sparks hope.
Mar 16, 2026 • 60min
Relationship Agreements: A Powerful Way to Deepen Love & Lessen Conflict | Krista & Will Van Derveer
Will Van Derveer, psychiatrist and author known for work on psychedelic therapy, and Krista Van Derveer, relational leadership educator who helps partnerships shift to a We operating system. They explore crafting sacred relationship agreements, the surprising somatic "Couch Time" cooling technique, the Abundant Repair protocol to end tension, and how to see your partner with fresh eyes to protect connection.
25 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 2min
How to Connect With Anyone | Charles Duhigg
Charles Duhigg, Pulitzer-winning journalist and bestselling author focused on habits and communication. He breaks down how communication is a learnable skill. Hear about the three types of conversations and the Matching Principle. Learn simple signals like 'heard, hugged, or helped' and why deep questions and small vulnerabilities build instant trust.
Mar 9, 2026 • 52min
When to Quit (Jobs or People): How “Jolts” Drive Big Changes | Anthony Klotz
Anthony Klotz, an organizational behavior professor who predicted the Great Resignation and wrote Jolted, explores why small shocks can trigger big career and relationship moves. He discusses pandemic- and AI-driven jolts, honeymoon hangovers that cause first-year quits, reframing quiet quitting as healthy resizing, and practical responses like pausing, diagnosing, and choosing voice or exit wisely.
25 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 42min
Michael Pollan: Wake Up & Reclaim Your Attention
Michael Pollan, ten-time NYT bestselling author known for exploring food and psychedelics, discusses consciousness, meditation, and his book A World Appears. He explains the Four-Second Gap, contrasts lantern versus spotlight attention, and describes how creativity, mind-wandering, and bodily feelings shape awareness. Practical practices for reclaiming attention and protecting your mind are highlighted.
