What is a Good Life?

What makes a life truly good? In this rich and wide-ranging conversation, Mark speaks with Bruce Anderson, Executive Director of the Core Gift Institute, about the three kinds of glue that hold relationships, communities, and the world together: gifts, welcoming, and ritual. Bruce shares why he believes our primary gifts are not earned but given to us through spirit and why they always emerge from our deepest wounds. They explore belonging, the question of how everything began, the wildness of love, and why a home in a wild place might just be the perfect metaphor for a life well lived. Currently living on an island by Seattle, USA, Bruce has a storied life of living in remote Alaska, commercial fishing, log-cabin building, and being a schoolteacher and mayor. He is known for bringing intriguing ideas from other cultures and times, personal stories, and practical ideas into the international work he does with others.Whether you're feeling lost, searching for direction, or simply curious about what a meaningful life looks like, this conversation will leave you with a lot to sit with.For more of Bruce's work:Core Gift Institue: https://www.coregift.org/home LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-anderson-742a3722/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011545838837 For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 – Three Kinds Of Glue04:01 – Why Spirit Grounds Everything10:50 – The Search For Faith15:13 – How Did All This Begin?18:26 – Where Beauty Comes From22:05 – Home In The Wild28:00 – Gifts & The Gift Exchange33:25 – Seeing Gifts In Others38:00 – Competence Isn't Your Gift42:05 – Parker Palmer & Hospitality47:14 – The Role Of Ritual56:46 – What Is A Good Life?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

Kaylyn Lehmann, executive coach and co-founder of Simplified Coach, blends neuroscience-informed leadership with character strengths. She talks about using a daily mortality prompt to guide choices. She recounts leaving roles for coherence, building a business during hardship, prioritizing family time, and why autonomy, play, and awe matter for a meaningful life.

Most conversations about money stay on the surface. This one doesn't.Mark McCartney sits down with Bogumil Baranowski — investment advisor, author of Crisis Investing and Money Life Family, host of Talking Billions podcast, and profound thinker on the intersection of wealth and human experience.In this episode, they go deep on why money is one of the most emotionally charged forces in human life, what inheritance really carries alongside the numbers, why asking the right questions matters more than having the right answers, and how being present with another person is paramount in any field of work.Whether you're interested in wealth, relationships, meaningful work, or simply living with more intention — this conversation is for you.🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on what it means to live a good life.For more of Bogumil's work:Talking Billions Podcast: https://www.talkingbillions.co/Blue Infinitas: https://www.blueinfinitascapital.com/Website: https://www.bogumilbaranowski.com/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 – How can I help?03:14 – When money stops being the point06:28 – Holding someone's hand11:13 – What clients really talk about14:20 – Money as intimate conversation18:21 – Inheritance and unasked questions22:18 – Finding the story behind the number27:47 – When words don't tell the truth32:18 – Rediscovering presence and wonder40:52 – Why idle minds light up45:00 – The shift away from scarcity56:02 – What is a good life for BogumilKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

Nicholas Janni, leadership teacher and author focused on healing and transformation, explores what it means to be fully human. He discusses rest as the end of seeking, receptivity and wonder as sources of creativity, how leaders transmit presence in corporate life, identity melting from somebody to nobody, and why 2026 feels like rapid recoding and collapse with new openings.

Dr Scilla Elworthy, three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and peacebuilder, who founded Oxford Research Group and Peace Direct. She talks about why the heart always tells the truth. She explains using heart rhythm and meditation to stay present. She recounts meditators supporting diplomacy and the growth of The Mighty Heart program.

In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Jasper Walshe, coach, facilitator and founder of TRIPS Tank™, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about identity, self-trust and what it really means to live well. Jasper traces his journey from fixating on high-performance coaching to a deeper, more grounded relationship with himself — touching on psychotherapy breakthroughs, psychedelic experiences, the trap of wrapping identity in achievement, and his present question: how can I live in wonder? This is a genuinely human conversation about accepting the full range of life, not just the optimised parts.Topics covered:- High performance identity & its hidden cost- Psychotherapy & the power of unfiltered honesty- Living in wonder vs chasing optimisation- Self-respect as a core value- Moments of unexpected clarity- What is a good life?This episode is for anyone who's hit the goals and found themselves asking — is this it?For more from Jasper Walshe:Company Website: https://tripstank.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasperwalshe/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney0:00 – Jasper's evolving life question02:30 – The high performance Kool-Aid06:00 – Curiosity beyond performance10:33 – Letting go of identity15:04 – "So, who are you?"19:30 – Dropping the filtered answers23:00 – The couch breakthrough moment28:30 – How "wonder" emerged36:30 – Visualising five years ahead45:44 – What self-respect looks like58:55 – What is a good life?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

What does it take to be happy? And why does happiness so often slip away?In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Rasmus Hougaard for a conversation that moves from childhood questions about happiness, to monasteries in Nepal, to the boardrooms where he now works to transform leadership. Rasmus is the Founder and Chairman of Potential Project and was nominated by Thinkers 50 as one of the eight most important leadership thinkers in the world today. He's the author of The Mind of the Leader, Compassionate Leadership, and More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead.Together, they explore:Why an eight-year-old's question about happiness became a life's workThe cultural wisdom Rasmus found in Nepal that the West is missingHow his brother's death inspired his life's purposeA profound encounter with an unknown monk that transmitted unconditional loveThe difficulty of being human, even with deep practice and good intentionsThe innate goodness we all carry (and why many of us have forgotten it)What changes when leaders ask "how are you?" before "what do we need to do?"This conversation sits with both the challenge of being human and the incredible capacity we have for loving kindness. It's about the practice of returning to what matters again and again.This episode is for anyone wondering if there's more to leadership, happiness, and being human than what we've been taught.For more of Rasmus' work:Potential Project: https://www.potentialproject.com/Books: https://www.potentialproject.com/resources#01-books LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmushougaard/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00  Why Aren't We Happy?05:30  Finding a Practice at Seventeen11:45  Wisdom in Himalayan Culture17:20  Life's Purpose from Tragedy24:30  Meeting Bodhisattva Charles31:15  Our Innate Human Goodness37:40  The Difficulty of Being Human43:10  Forced Surrender and Self-Compassion48:25  Transformation in Corporate Spaces52:15  Multiple Lives, Less Pressure54:30  What is a Good Life for Rasmus?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

What does it really mean to live a coherent life?In this episode of What Is a Good Life, Mark McCartney is joined by João Sevilhano for a deep, reflective conversation on coherence, something that goes beyond rigid moral ideals and is more a lived, imperfect practice. João is a psychologist and learning experience designer. Co-CEO of Way Beyond, where he works on human development and organisational transformation. His background is in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. He collaborates with Porto Business School and NOVA Doctoral School, and he tends to think meaningful conversation is underrated as a tool for change.Together, they explore:What coherence feels like in everyday lifeThe tension between values, actions, and changing our mindsWhy coherence is different from authenticity or consistencyParenting, work, and small decisions as tests of alignment“Slow activism” and the impact of how we show up with othersRather than offering quick answers or formulas, this conversation sits with uncertainty, contradiction, and the discipline of paying attention - particularly when no one is watching.This episode is for anyone feeling the pull between who they are, how they live, and what the world is asking of them right now.For more of João's work:Newsletter: https://useful-uselessness.com/Way Beyond Website: https://www.waybeyond.pt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaosevilhano/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00  Questions as Companions07:00  Spirituality in Everyday Life13:00  Coherence as Purpose16:30  Flexibility and Awareness22:30  Discipline and Practice30:00  Helping Without Imposing36:00  Slow Activism and Stubbornness42:00  Living With Contradiction49:00  Reflection on Sacrifice54:00  Not Knowing as a PracticeKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

How do we live in harmony with each other and the natural world?Cindy Forde is a thought leader and acclaimed author with over 25 years dedicated to systems change. In 2023, she won the Change Champion Award alongside leaders such as David Attenborough and Malala Yusafzai for her children's book 'Bright New World,' which was adopted by the Australian National Curriculum. She founded Planetari, pioneering Earth-led education, earning a Climate Positive Award at UN COP28. Previously MD of Blue Marine Foundation and CEO of Cambridge Science Centre, she is an Associate Fellow of University of Cambridge Homerton College where she is currently co-founding the Centre for Systemic Change. She is a trained yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner.In this profound conversation, we explore the role of spiritual practice in sustaining changemakers, the paradox of living in systems misaligned with our values, and why "cosmic time" might offer a more realistic perspective on transformation than human urgency. Cindy shares why we need the courage to build entirely new models rather than fixing broken systems, and how current education systems crush the natural interconnectedness that children understand.For more of Cindy's work:Website: https://cindyforde.world/Planetari: https://planetari.world/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-forde-10668911/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 - The Guiding Question of Harmony 05:45 - Growing Up Between Two Worlds 12:30 - Discovering Spiritual Practice 18:45 - Inner and Outer Coherence 25:15 - The Corporate Paradox 30:00 - Understanding Cosmic Time 35:30 - Urgency and Thinking Differently 40:30 - Single Issues to Systems 44:00 - Courage to Call Out 47:30 - Crushing Natural Interconnectedness 50:00 - What Is a Good LifeKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

Alan Wilson, a seasoned Director of People & Operations, dives into the transformative power of self-love in this engaging discussion. He shares his journey from seeking external validation in achievements to embracing genuine self-acceptance. Alan reflects on how grief and self-inquiry can foster personal growth. He emphasizes the importance of moment-to-moment awareness, the role of children in guiding us back to joy, and how focusing on being rather than doing can lead to a fulfilling life.