The Listen Podcast

In this month’s episode, David reflects on the values and principles that shape ethical behavior, from lessons learned in childhood to the difficult decisions we face later in life. Through stories from family life, medical training, and decades of medical practice, he explores the difference between knowing the right thing to do and actually doing it, especially when circumstances make the choice...

In this episode, David reflects on how his early experiences with money shaped the way he understands security, work, and self-reliance. Through stories from his childhood and adult life, he considers the habits that endure long after circumstances change: the instinct to repair rather than replace, to save rather than spend, and to measure wealth not by excess but by having all your needs met. To...

In this conversation, David reflects on work and purpose across a lifetime, from childhood chores on a farm to decades as a surgeon and an active retirement. He considers what it means to feel truly useful, the satisfaction of developing skills, and the instinct to restore what’s broken or neglected. Together, we explore the discipline of practice, the value of perseverance, and the deeper fulfill...

In this third conversation, David reflects on education—not only as schooling, but as a lifelong process shaped by opportunity, inequality, discipline, and curiosity. He considers how the playing field shifts after childhood, why some students flourish while others struggle, and what it really means to learn across a lifetime. We explore the fragility of attention, the responsibility of teachers,...

In this second conversation, David looks back on the relationships that shaped him —from the quiet confidence instilled by his mother to teachers, mentors, colleagues, and even the animals who helped forge his path. We explore how encouragement, trust, and shared effort create lasting bonds, and how tending relationships gives life meaning over time. 

In this first conversation, David reflects on a lifetime in medicine, from his early ideals as a young doctor to the realities of practicing healthcare over decades. We talk about what society misunderstands about health, what still matters most, and what technology has given us… and quietly taken away.

Following stage 4 cancer, an executive decides to revamp her life, get to know herself and discover how she can contribute to the greater good. She finds everything she is looking for in ontological coaching.

A young man pursues the career he thinks he wants, but begins to feel farther and farther from his center. Feeling he’s lost his way, he begins to study and practice ontological coaching, and in the process his confusion and sadness turn into light and focus.

Are you curious about what coaching is, and how it can help you to open new possibilities in your life? Have a listen to this sample coaching session to see how this powerful exploration might be right for you.

After experiencing the loss of her first son, just eight days after his birth, a young mother learns to grow around her grief – first by bringing her second son into the world, and then by becoming a life and loss coach, dedicated to helping others transform the pain of loss into strength.

When a young newlywed is diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and her journey to motherhood is put on hold, she decides to look at the challenge as an opportunity to learn all about pregnancy and postpartum, and launches a new podcast in the process.

A British journalist living and raising her children in Barcelona embraces the unknowns of motherhood by founding MumAbroad, one of Europe's leading online resources for international families.

A holistic health counselor opens up about menopause, the importance of educating the men in our lives, and removing the taboos around this key transitional moment.

After casting aside the limits imposed by her Scottish immigrant parents and practicing law for decades, a woman embraces the joy she feels while working in the garden and decides to go back to school for a Masters in Applied Theology at age 62.

A lifetime of letter-writing inspires a retired French professor to compile her unsent correspondence to her favorite authors in the book Letters to Men of Letters.

A journalist collaborates with artists of all types to get the word out about a wide variety of crimes taking place on the world’s oceans.

A war correspondent overwhelmed with the pain and suffering surrounding her on assignment in the Middle East takes action by founding INARA - an NGO providing medical care to child victims of war.

After falling in love with the internationalism and common humanity of Greenpeace, a young woman returns to her native Greece to advise the government on environmental issues, and then founds an online magazine and podcast.

After spending his childhood and young adulthood working with wood, a craftsman is ready for a challenge. When he sees an unvarnished instrument hanging in the window of the Welsh School of Violin Making, his course is set.

A boy in rural Indiana discovers the joy of singing in a barbershop quartet, and is launched into a life of music.

As a university student, a young trumpet major is told that if he wants to be a great band director, first he’ll have to become a great musician.

It was his grandmother who told him to observe nature carefully. Then she named him after his grandfather, who owned his own land and livestock in Kenya, and all of these elements began to pop up in his artwork.

After her animated short for Cartoon Network receives overwhelming acclaim and over 5.5 million views on YouTube, a writer and storyteller is asked to bring her talents to the new  animation division at Netflix.

Growing up in a home bursting with creativity – music, literature, theatre and more – a young boy begins to draw and discovers that it is the source of his own joy.

The Listen Podcast will be taking a breather while we cook up more episodes! Meanwhile, if you’ve missed a week or two, now is the perfect time to catch up. There are nearly 50 cross-cultural interviews available wherever you get your podcasts, and you’ll find links to Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify on our website at www.thelistenpodcast.com. We’ll be back before you know it with more thou...