The Courageous Life

Today we're kicking off a 4-part series on the power of compassion which will feature inspiring conversations between some of the world's most renowned thought leaders, researchers and practitioners. Each episode will showcase a powerful duo who will explore themes related to compassion, courage, and living with a more open, kind, and loving stance toward the world. We hope you enjoy thi...

Every so often a researcher comes along and changes the game. Named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, Dr. Daryl Van Tongeren is doing just that. A leading mind on the science of humility - his work and his new book Humble , have helped debunk many of the myths around this ancient virtue, explaining why humility is a powerful strength at home, at work, in leadership, and h...

Dr. Rick Hanson is a multi-time past guest on the Courageous Life and is back to discuss themes from his new book, Making Great Relationships: Simple Practices for Solving Conflict, Building Connections, and Fostering Love . In today’s wide ranging conversation with Rick we discuss: How to find a sense of calm strength, groundedness, and choice that can help reduce reactivity and improve our relat...

After spending nearly 20 years in Corporate America, holding executive positions leading public and privately held companies, Shelly Tygielski decided to stop following the expected path and start following her lifelong passion – mindfulness and meditation – and began to fuse this passion with her purpose – community organization and ensuring equity, social justice and access to wellbeing for all....

At the time we recorded this conversation Shelly Tygielski was ten days into the creation of what has now become a global movement called the Pandemic of Love . During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Shelly found a way using simple google forms to connect people in need of groceries, diapers, money to keep the heat on etc, to those who could help them directly. What started out as just an idea...

Often times gentleness and power can be seen as opposites, ideas or ways of being that may not go together. Today’s guest, Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti invites us to rethink this. Sharing a number of insights from her new book Gentle Power: A Revolution in How We Think, Lead and Succeed Using the Finnish Art of Sisu she argues that the intersection of these two qualities can be a catalyst for unlocki...

As we continue our kickoff of season 3 we are re-releasing our first ever conversation on the Courageous Life, with Dr. Emilia Elisabet Lahti.  In celebration of her new book, Gentle Power , coming out next week we will launch an all NEW episode with her that takes a deep dive into themes from the book including why the intersection of gentleness and power may be the future of leadership. We hope...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Courageous Life! We are kicking things off with the return of one of our most popular guests of all time, Parker J. Palmer.  In today’s episode we explore Parker's reflections on:  Living with an open heart - the benefits, the drawbacks, and why this can be a lifelong practice How to have effective conversations across difference and why letting go ego is a big part...

Parker J. Palmer is a writer, teacher, and activist. Founder and Senior Partner Emeritus of the Center for Courage & Renewal, he has written ten books, including the bestselling Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, A Hidden Wholeness, Healing the Heart of Democracy, and On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity and Getting Old . He holds a Ph. D. in sociology from the University of Cali...

In today's episode Kevin Cashman shares his incredible story of dying, coming back, and what life and work for him are like on the other side of this experience.  Kevin and I have a deep and wide ranging conversation that covers: What Kevin experienced when he died His road back to health and what key factors helped him most on this journey How Kevin's experience has shifted his perspect...

Michael Jordan credits George Mumford, a.k.a The Mindfulness Performance Whisperer,  with transforming his on-court leadership, helping the Bulls to six NBA championships. As Phil Jackson’s ‘Secret Weapon’ George has also served as Mindfulness Coach to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'neal, and countless other NBA players. George’s passion is teaching mindfulness to high profile sports, business and...

Jim Detert is the John L. Colley Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, and perhaps the world's foremost expert on courage at work. His research focuses on workplace courage, why people speak up or stay silent at work, ethical decision-making and behavior, and other leadership-related topics. His research, teaching and curriculum d...

Andrew Reiner is a professor at Towson University, where he offers the seminar “The Changing Face of Masculinity.” He has written on masculinity and men’s issues for the New York Times, Italy’s La Republica and the Washington Post Magazine, and his work has been featured on NPR and the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and in The Guardian, Men’s Health magazine, and Forbes. He speaks about masculinit...

Dr. Sunita Puri is the Medical Director of the Palliative Medicine Service at Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center of the University of Southern California, where she also serves as Chair of the Ethics Committee. Sunita is the author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, an acclaimed literary memoir examining her journey to the practice of palliative medicine, and her quest...

Melvin L. Smith, Ph. D., is a Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Director of Executive Education at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. Melvin's teaching and research focus on leadership, leadership development, executive coaching and the development and use of human and social capital in organizations.  He is coauthor of the book Helping Peo...

Jeffrey Hull, Ph. D. is an author, educator and consultant with over twenty years experience partnering with C-suite executives on issues of high performance leadership, change management, organizational strategy, structure and culture. Dr. Hull is a highly sought-after facilitator, keynote speaker and executive coach to both non-profit and for-profit global organizations. Dr. Hull is Director of...

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in using his research to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and self-actualized life. Scott's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Sci...

Have you ever thought about us and them thinking, judgment,  tribalism, or blame as habits? If they are habits, can they be broken using the latest science of habit change? Dr. Jud and I dive deep into this question in this episode. We also explore:  A 3 step process for habit change developed by Jud and his team Why Jud believes curiosity is a superpower How to rewire your brain for greater kindn...

Samantha Novick is passionate about amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, creating connections and sharing kindness with others. She pursues these passions as a speech-language pathologist, owner of her private practice Bridge Therapy, and President of The Friendship Journey, a charitable organization that cultivates equitable friendships and experiences amongst people of all abilitie...

Fred Guttenberg began his public life after the murder of his beautiful 14-year-old daughter Jaime in the Parkland school shooting on Feb 14, 2018.  The day after the murder, Fred decided to attend a public vigil in Parkland.  While there, the Mayor asked him to speak.  His words shook a nation and he has not stopped since. Only four months prior to the murder of his daughter, Fred's brother...

Sharon Salzberg is a central figure in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness practices to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA and the author of over ten books including NY T...

Tal Ben-Shahar is an author and lecturer.  He taught two of the largest classes in Harvard University’s history, Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership .  Today, Tal consults and lectures around the world to executives in multi-national corporations, the general public, and at-risk populations.  The topics he lectures on include leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, s...

Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In 2007, Chris began collaborating with Kristin Neff , psychology professor at the University of Texas, Austin, and pioneering researcher on self-compassion.  In 2009, he wrote the book, The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion , and, in 2010, Chris and Kristin co-developed Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) ,...

Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé has been part of the Canadian Women’s Soccer program since 2002. She made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 where she started five of six games, allowing just four goals, as Team Canada won the bronze medal. Labbé was on the Canadian roster for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2011, 2015, and 2019 (starting all 4 games in 2019). Labbé played collegiate soccer for the University...

When the Hockley family relocated from England to Connecticut in the winter of 2011 it was the realization of a family dream. Ian had visited the United States regularly since childhood, Nicole was from Rhode Island and Jake was born on the 4th of July; in many ways it was coming home. They moved to the idyllic town of Sandy Hook which Ian selected after touring the beautiful neighborhoods and mee...