The Courageous Life

When veteran executive coach, professor, and ultra-endurance champion Urs Koenig signed up to be a NATO peacekeeping commander and United Nations peacekeeper in his fifties, he thought he knew a thing or two about leadership. In his new book Radical Humility he openly shares that what he discovered as he embarked on this journey was a new leadership paradigm.  One that replaces the top-down, “hero...

The blank canvas. The blank page. The big questions: What’s next in my life? What do I want to do for work?  How do I want to live? These are familiar moments and seasons of life marked by the unknown . Often filled with feelings of uncertainty, what’s beautiful about  these moments, and these seasons is that   They are an invitation into creativity. But there’s a catch. To accept the invitation w...

Kaira Jewel Lingo is a mindfulness and meditation teacher with a lifelong interest in blending spirituality and meditation with social justice. She spent her formative years growing up in an ecumenical Christian community where families practiced a new kind of monasticism and worked with the poor. When she turned 25 she entered a Buddhist monastery and spent fifteen years living as a nun under the...

There is a beautiful teaching metaphor that comes out of buddhist psychology about 2 darts. As we move through life we inevitably experience pain. From minor bumps and scrapes, To major injury, loss, heartbreak, and catastrophe. This is the 1st dart. What’s interesting about pain though is that it can often be accompanied by  thoughts about the pain: “This shouldn’t be happening.” “What if this do...

When I first started coaching I was introduced to the idea of: Meeting the client where they are. This idea being both a cornerstone of coaching, And a practice that involves attuning to the person in front of you in such a way that opens up a possibility of working with them wherever they are in their development or growth journey. While it may sound simple enough, there is a profound depth and p...

In the hero's journey, the hero or heroine is called to adventure.  Often in the form of a quest, a challenge, or an adversity, And often in unexpected ways. One of the things that’s interesting about the hero's journey is that shortly after the call a helper enters the picture. A mentor, sage, guide, or a coach of some sort. They help the hero: Navigate the adventure Strengthen themselv...

Why can it be so difficult to receive?  Whether it’s something small like a compliment, Or something bigger, like receiving help when we are in some form of pain or distress.  While the response can vary of course,  For many of us the instinct  can often be: To brush off the compliment  To minimize the recognition To turn down the help  Essentially to close off in one form or another.  And there a...

When you hear the word provoke what do you think of? What about the word provocative ? For many (including myself) This idea, of provocation, often holds a negative connotation. Look it up in the dictionary and you’ll even see one definition that reads: Purposefully stirring up a fight. But as you can imagine there’s a very different form of provocation.  One that when harnessed can: stimulate cur...

Dr. Jessica Tracy is the Director of the Emotion and Self Lab at the University of British Columbia, and someone I have been looking forward to interviewing for a long time. Back in 2016 she published a book titled: Take Pride: Why the Deadliest Sin Holds the Secret to Human Success . The title grabbed my attention. Largely because the form of pride that I have seen more often discussed is hubris...

At the end of each day we do a mental scan, reviewing our experiences from that day. When people do this, they often find: The moments where they moved outside of their comfort zone The moments where they pushed themselves And the moments where they were courageous Are often the moments that they end up being most proud of. Additionally, leading courage researcher, Dr. Jim Detert asserts that when...

Today we are re-releasing one of our most popular episodes ever on the show, a powerful conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett. In this episode, we'll explore themes from his book Permission to Feel   as well as his broader work as a leader in the field of emotional intelligence. Marc, is on a mission to educate the world about the value of emotions and the skills associated with using them wise...

In the hero's journey, the hero or heroine is called to adventure.  Often in the form of a quest, a challenge, or an adversity. And often that adventure arrives unexpectedly. One of the things that’s interesting about the hero's journey is that shortly after the call a helper enters the picture. A mentor, a sage, a guide, or a coach of some sort. They help the hero to navigate the advent...

As part of a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion on The Courageous Life, yesterday we released  a beautiful conversation with Roshi Joan Halifax and Rhonda Magee.  Together they explored a variety of themes related to meeting the most pressing challenges of our time with backbone and heart.  To complement the conversations in this series I have be sharing some potent practices for opening the...

This is the finale in our 4-part series on the power of compassion, which has featured leading researchers and practitioners in illuminating conversations about how to live with a more kind, and open hearted stance toward the world. Today's conversation could not be a more fitting end as Roshi Joan Halifax and Rhonda V. Magee, two extraordinary pioneers working at the intersection of mindfuln...

In the hero's journey, the hero or heroine is called to adventure.  Often in the form of a quest, a challenge, or adversity. And often that adventure arrives unexpectedly. One of the things that’s interesting about the hero's journey is that shortly after the call a helper enters the picture. A mentor, a sage, a guide, or a coach of some sort. They help the hero to navigate the adventure...

As part of a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion yesterday we released a moving conversation with Jerry Colonna and Leah Weiss.  Together they explored the future of work: Love, Safety, and Belonging.    To complement these conversations on compassion I am sharing some of the most potent practices I’ve come across for opening the heart, and accessing more courage and compassion.  Today's...

There is a metaphor that comes out of ancient wisdom traditions of a bird. One wing of the bird represents wisdom and the other represents compassion. In order to fly the bird needs both wings. Like the bird, as people and leaders, cultivating wisdom and compassion in our lives, and in our organizations may help us to realize our potential. This metaphor serves as the centerpiece of our conversati...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Everyday Heroes and Helpers. A new series on the Courageous Life Podcast that has been a dream  since we first launched back in 2018. Part of the mission of the show has always been to share inspiring stories of everyday heroes.  Ordinary people like our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and members of our communities who find the courage to rise up and meet chall...

As part of a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion which we are re-releasing on The Courageous Life, yesterday we released  a beautiful conversation with Dr. James Doty and Dr. Jacinta Jiménez.  Together they explored a variety of themes related to cultivating greater compassion and empathy, including the possibility of fostering cultures of care within organizations.  To complement these conve...

Today we're continuing our four-part series on the power of compassion with a deep, insightful, and moving conversation between Dr. Jacinta Jiménez and Dr. James Doty.  Each episode in this series showcases a powerful duo made up of a leading researcher and practitioner who will explore themes related to compassion, courage, and living with a more open, kind, and loving stance toward the worl...

Over the next four weeks on the Courageous Life podcast we will be re releasing a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion. Yesterday we began with Part One , a powerful and moving conversation with Positive Psychology Pioneer Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and world renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg. To complement these conversations over the coming weeks I will be sharing some of the most pot...

Today we’re relaunching a 4-part series on the power of compassion.  We originally released this series of conversations last season as we brought together some of the world's leading researchers and practitioners to take a deep dive into compassion, courage, and living with a more open and loving stance toward the world. Throughout this series you'll be exposed to some of the most intri...

Whether it’s presenting, facilitating, sharing in a large meeting, hosting, or some other form of being in the spotlight, Speaking in public is one of people's greatest fears which may show up in various forms: Doubt Feeling anxious or nervous Over-focusing on oneself The list goes on.  So today, we are re-releasing one of the most popular practices we've ever done, which addresses worki...

How do we find the courage to create? The courage to listen to, and follow our heart? Particularly when that means living a life that may not follow the beaten path? And how might we expand our capacity to hold more than one emotion at a time, accepting and embracing the messy experience of being human, and the inevitable ups and downs of the creative process? Today we will dive into these questio...

Yesterday we released a Courageous Life conversation with Dr. James Doty. Together we explored themes from his new book: Mind Magic The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everything. In both the book and our conversation Dr. Doty challenges the popular narrative around manifestation, A narrative that has narrowly emphasized outward success, materialism, and individual benefit. As an...