What is a Good Life?

On the 70th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Holly Penalver. Holly is the founder of Indigo Volunteers, a remarkable charity that has made a significant impact on the lives of tens of thousands of refugees. By placing thousands of volunteers with grassroots partners, Indigo provides essential aid, healthcare, education, skills workshops, and vital services to refugees along the European migratory route. Having spent years in the field, working hands-on in places like Greece, Serbia, and Bosnia, she now works for the disaster relief charity ShelterBox as their Volunteer Development Manager.In this conversation, Holly takes us on her journey of supporting and building community, inspired by the support she felt at home, to setting up Indigo Volunteers. She talks about the significance of both being willing to accept and give help, the importance of forgiving ourselves, letting go of right and wrong, the realisation that multiple things can be true at the same time, and how we are not as important as we think. Which can all help release us to do more good in the world.Throughout this conversation, it's clear that Holly is someone who takes action when she notices something missing that could support the community. Whether it's within our communities or even in our own personal lives where we observe a lack of necessary action, there is much inspiration to draw from her energy and the perspectives shared in this episode.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:- Indigo Volunteers: https://www.indigovolunteers.org/- 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:02:55 Podcast begins03:55 What is going wrong with our communities07:50 The importance of accepting help12:25 Connection of upbringing and self-worth18:10 The significance of forgiving ourselves21:58 We are not as important as we think25:38 Letting go of black and white thinking30:01 Realising we all hold different perceptions33:45 Being aware of what others need39:45 The joy of feeling connected with community43:25 Inspiration for establishing a charity47:10 Empathy and desire to help others51:45 Balancing family and helping others54:55 What is a good life for Holly? Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

This conversation features Dave Gray, an innovator and founder of The School of the Possible, celebrated for his work on creativity and collaboration. Dave discusses the importance of finding meaning over fleeting happiness, using personal stories from his art school days to illustrate belonging. He emphasizes the value of creative communities in recognizing our true selves and nurturing ideas. Dave also explores how creativity spans beyond traditional forms and how we can support each other's unique journeys toward purpose.

Amy Elizabeth Fox, CEO of Mobius Executive Leadership, discusses embracing vulnerability for genuine connections, mystical elements in personal growth, the beauty of art and creativity, modern leadership approaches, and the importance of keeping an open heart to foster resilience in challenging times.

On the 67th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, David Haskell. David is a writer and a biologist. His latest book, Sounds Wild and Broken, is a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction. His previous books, The Forest Unseen and The Songs of Trees are acclaimed for their integration of science, poetry, and rich attention to the living world. Among their honours include the National Academies’ Best Book Award, John Burroughs Medal, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and many more. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and Professor at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.In this captivating episode, David shares his journey of celebrating all living life, experiencing life as much through his senses as possible, while becoming aware of the connections between himself and whatever he is engaging with, and the multiplicity of connections that exist behind that. Throughout this conversation, he impresses the importance of experiencing real life beyond the screens we often stare at for much of the day, and seeing life as it truly is, whether pleasant or not. He also suggests the importance of stepping out of ourselves to become more in tune with how we perceive and connect with other life forms.This episode will give you much to contemplate regarding how, where, and with what we spend our time, how we sense life, the importance of not always putting humans at the centre of the universe, and the humility and changes that can occur within us when making that shift.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:- David's latest book: Sounds Wild and Broken- David's Website: https://dghaskell.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, leadership coaching programs to build trust and connection amongst executive teams or silent retreats for executive teams.Running Order:02:45 Podcast begins03:05 Celebrating all living life07:40 Echoes and connections with the past and creativity11:45 Being in touch with the real world not our screens18:05 Anxiety levels increasing with the youth20:20 Coming back to our senses and curiosity of connection24:35 Ambiguity of simultaneous beauty and brokenness29:35 The rewiring of us as we engage with nature33:06 Resistance to the open ended nature of change38:35 Developing empathy with our environment & other beings42:35 Interconnection not individuality50:15 Realising once more how essential relationships are55:30 What is a good life for David?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul, shares his journey from priest to psychotherapist and best-selling author. He discusses following inner guidance, navigating unexpected paths in academia, and exploring the influence of images in relationships. The podcast also delves into balancing humor and seriousness in writing and the role of emptiness in modern communication and society.

George and Linda Pransky discuss profound realizations over willpower in changing behaviors. Topics include gratitude, patience, and faith leading to transformative changes. They explore reactions to life, embracing patience, mental health, personal resilience, recognizing perspectives, and embracing authenticity.

On the 64th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Johnnie Moore. Johnnie is the Founder of Unhurried, a movement to support deeper conversations and connections in work and life, the author of the book Unhurried At Work, a visiting tutor at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University, and a guest columnist for Fast Company magazine. In this insightful conversation, we explore our desire to hold onto stories and perspectives that no longer serve us over engaging with the unknown. Johnnie shares a number of experiences and processes that help him see and seek more possibilities. We discuss shifting from overthinking to experimenting and playing more often, and finally, we explore realisations around awareness of emotions and healthier and more connecting expressions of them. This episode will give you plenty to contemplate regarding experimenting and playing more often, and the wonderful shifts that can occur if we open up to what else is possible in this life. I've spoken with Johnnie several times before, and he consistently leaves me with new perspectives to consider or inspires fresh realisations, and I suspect he’ll do the same for you.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:- 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/- Johnnie's book: Unhurried- Johnnie's Website: https://www.johnniemoore.com/- Johnnie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnie-moore-2323/ Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs or click here to read about a leadership coaching program to build trust and connection amongst executive teams.Running Order:02:47 What else is possible here? Our minds and reality07:47 Our attachments to stories or perspectives10:47 Clinging to unpleasant certainties rather than exploring unknowns16:07 Making sense of this life21:17 Creating new possibilities 25:47 Our reluctance to experiment and our overthinking31:47 We know a lot less about each other than we think38:17 Realisations of understanding and of emotions44:17 Becoming more present with and expressing emotions49:17 Experiencing loneliness and enjoyment of solitude55:47 What is a good life for Johnnie?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

Adah Parris, a renowned futurist and artist, dives into her transformative journey towards authenticity and self-acceptance. She discusses the importance of seeing life as a series of experiments and emphasizes the role of curiosity in relationships. Adah reflects on what it means to be a good ancestor, urging a deeper kinship with both humanity and nature. She advocates for radical honesty and the power of presence in connections, urging listeners to embrace diversity and prioritize meaningful interactions over the chaos of modern life.

On the 62nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Julia Duthie. Julia is a partner at PEPCO LLP, the bestselling author of The House on Dogbone St, and the former CEO of both the Academy of Contemporary Music and The True School of Music.Simply put, I find Julia’s life story incredibly inspiring. She left home and school at the age of 16 after a troubling and challenging childhood, as we discuss in this episode.She takes us on her journey from working in vegetable market stalls for food in her teens and living in highly neglected conditions to being a managing director of an IT firm in her mid-twenties.From her experiences and realisations in therapy to opening up about her past, letting go of shame, and the death of her father sparking her own desire to connect more fully with who she really is, prompting her to accept her sexuality at the age of 50, connect with her creativity, and write a best-selling book.While she is also completely frank about what presently troubles her and where she suspects she has more to explore in terms of her childhood.This episode will offer plenty of inspiration regarding how Julia has lived such a vibrant life in the face of difficult beginnings. Her willingness to explore and be herself more fully, as well as the meaning and sense of belonging she is discovering along the way, will give you much to contemplate.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching around your own self-inquiry or to hear about executive team coaching experiences I am offering to build trust, communication, and connection amongst leadership teams.Running Order:03:00 What is a the real you?07:15 Mortality and authenticity11:15 Reflections on sexuality and honesty16:30 The effects of being yourself21:30 The feeling of belonging and creativity26:20 The motivation for sharing her story33:45 The path from market stalls to managing director38:30 The shadow side and struggle of life46:50 What happens after healing?50:30 External successes to meaning and belonging55:00 What is a good life for Julia?For further content and information check out the following:- 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/- Julia's book: on Amazon - Julia's substack: https://juliaduthie.substack.com/- Julia's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-duthie-607b4254/Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

On the 61st episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Duncan Moss. Duncan is a Clinical Psychologist, and Honorary Research Fellow at Plymouth University, whose approach draws from long-standing psychological perspectives and also from the methods of meditation and the traditions of contemplation and awareness. He has been a student in the Tibetan Tradition for many years.Simply put, this was the exact type of conversation I was hoping to capture when starting this podcast project. Duncan has a wonderful mix of wisdom, experience, and humility to explore what is here now for him while sharing valuable insights from his own research and personal inquiries.This entire conversation is a beautiful exploration of the disturbances we can feel in life, accepting their inevitable appearances, befriending what is here right now, and a nod to the correlation between slowing down and experiencing kindness towards ourselves.We discuss Duncan’s present explorations into the work of Eckhart Tolle and our resistance to suffering, letting go, and surrendering. We also explore themes like our ‘monkey minds,’ suffering as a teacher, and the timelessness of the present moment.If you are presently suffering from any discontent in your life, this episode will be highly illuminating and soothing to listen along to. It won’t magically fix whatever you are perceiving, but perhaps it will give you space to observe and accept it and befriend whatever experience you are presently going through.Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching around your own self-inquiry or to hear about executive team coaching experiences I am offering to build trust, communication, and connection amongst leadership teams.Running Order:02:49 Why am I suffering right now?07:19 The resistance to letting go of suffering11:19 What does surrendering entail?16:19 The helpfulness of uncomfortable teachings20:54 The surprising effect of rest after trying so hard24:54 Befriending ourselves and grandmotherly energy29:04 Suffering is our greatest teacher35:04 Compassion for ourselves is always there38:49 A stepping into timelessness45:04 Contemplating mortality and absurdity of life52:09 What is a good life for Duncan?For further content and information check out the following:- 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/Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​