Another Great Mistake

We recorded this episode on the eve of World Mental Health Day, so there's no doubt that mental health is the main theme. This year's World Mental Health Day theme is "Mental Health is a Universal Human Right". Let's start by correcting that theme. We all have mental health. Better, worse, neglected and well cared for. So, our theme is : "Good mental health support is a...

Good morning! Good evening! We cannot live without relationships. You can't argue with that statement. They are a normal part of our personal, work and spiritual life. But navigating them, despite such popularity in our lives, is incredibly difficult, especially when trying to do it right. Our past experiences, examples we've observed, personality traits and life goals impact how we look a...

Hello everyone! Good morning! Good evening!  As usual, episode content unexpectedly ventured into a topic which hasn't been planned, so excuse us for jumping between technically unrelated issues.  Disclaimer:  The episode contains content related to drugs and addiction, which might be triggering for some.  We start with a raw recording of Niko admitting, quite frankly, painful acknowledging of...

Hello everyone, whether it's morning or evening where you are! Today's topic is 'change', inspired by Brad Stulberg's latest book, "The Master of Change". Change is a constant process that never ends, whether we like it or not. The COVID pandemic has shown us that we cannot return to how things were before, and we must adapt to what is happening now and what is yet to...

Good morning! Good evening people!  Happy Birthday, Niko! That's how we're gonna start! Niko is 42 years old and happy. That is why today's episode focuses on happiness and the long, full of obstacles, falls, trips, and climbs road to achieving it.  We find happiness in doing different things, but certain elements create its foundation. Not without a reason, we wish entirely different...

Trigger warning - this episode contains information, statistics and conversation about suicide, suicide ideations and self-harm. Today's episode topic was influenced by the publication of suicide statistics in Scotland for 2022 (link at the end). Suicide rates worldwide are on the rise; however, it is essential to remember that the statistics include only death by suicide, not suicide attempts...

Books, books and more books. Those written and those read. Today's episode discusses the creative process behind Niko's books "The A Word" and "Breakup Topography". The last one is, unfortunately (for now), written only in Polish. The first one you can buy on Amazon. The episode became a surprising pre-sale sneak peek of the third book, which still needs a title and mig...

In this episode, instead of asking each other the usual question, "How was your week?" we switched the routine and went for "What are you looking forward to?" to focus on the positive aspects of life. If you focus on what's good ahead of you, you're more likely to survive what's currently making your life slightly more complicated than you would like. So what are we...

Here we go with the ambitious task of discussing the topic of consciousness. Throughout the episode, you will hear us switching between awareness and consciousness as, using Jack Kornfield's words, consciousness is a loving awareness. Consciousness is such an abstract, airy and mystic concept that anyone rarely wonders what it is and what does it mean for you and us. We hear people saying, &qu...

Hello! Today we start with the intro to Niko's work and our life discoveries.  You can witness a live discovery of why we're even doing this podcast, and we follow with a bit of promise! You need to listen to hold us accountable ;)  What else is here? Trust or an epidemic of mistrust? We're going into consciousness. Are trees conscious?  Next, we move on to the future of the human race...

Today's episode is about self-acceptance - one of six elements in Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being. Next to autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others and purpose in life, it is a crucial dimension impacting how we feel. First of all, we encountered some technical difficulties in this episode as we were testing new recording equipment (Klaudia...

The topic you wouldn’t expect, and frankly, we didn’t expect to talk about it either - the job market in the UK.  We’re at an extraordinary point in the history of the modern British job market. The recent events on the political scene of our country, like Brexit and later COVID with furlough, transformed the balance between employers and employees.  We now have more jobs, especially those less sk...

At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: " I have to go to work — as a human being . What do I have to complain about if I'm going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm? -  Marcus Aurelius This quote leaves you without a doubt about the key focus of t...

In today's episode, we will delve into personal accounts of dealing with addiction, doing things in moderation and explore the path to recovery. Addiction is closely related to how dopamine and memory function in our brains and is exceptionally fascinating. It always is a multifaceted, complicated problem encompassing various substances such as drugs, alcohol, and nicotine, as well as those so...

We've very much planned this episode to be about trauma and how individual it is in its severity and magnitude for each and every one of us. In the world of psychologists, medical practitioners and researchers, they say "Big T and a little T". As much as the Big T traumas are more serious, research shows that in children, situations of the Little T, such as rejection, loss of a pet o...

Disability. A complex topic, but we could see it coming as Maks and his developmental delay with autism is a part of our everyday life. Many of our friends have asked us, "What's it like to have a disabled child?" or "Will Maks ever be independent? And to be honest, I - Klaudia - am not surprised because I wasn't very familiar with disability, and I had to learn how to act a...

Today's episode will be different. Instead of focusing on one topic, we are talking about the interesting, fascinating and touching things we've come across over the past few days.  A little bit about relationships and the 50/50 crap story someone sold us. Singularity theory and why you might be afraid of AI development. Media guidelines on reporting suicides and why we need crime and trag...

Today's episode begins with the theme of jealousy and envy. Two much-scrutinised emotions that have no place in the human heart and are seen as something to be ashamed of. To the point where we have started using the word "positive" to ensure people know they don't mean bad! Are they? Let's start with the difference between the two. Many of us don't even know that these t...

In this episode, we're unexpectedly talking about the difficult subject of abuse, neglect, malnutrition and the general well-being of the next generations. In particular, we look at the issue of public responsibility and response and how the system protects the most vulnerable of all - children. Recently there was a high profile case of an 8-year-old boy who died due to physical abuse by his 'step...

Finding a source of joy and passion is a short journey for some. You pick something, do it, fall in love, and keep going. For others, it is a trial by fire. You try repeatedly, have a bit of fun or no fun at all. Then, you wake up one day at 40 and still don't know what to put in the hobby section of your CV or dating profile. Is it OK to say, "My hobby is finding sources of joy"? We...

Back after a short break! The pause was caused by... a literal break! Klaudia broke two bones in her right leg and ended up with an operation and a week in hospital. Today's episode is about struggle, split-second situations and involuntary loss of control. Giving up control of your body to pain, discomfort and work time is hard. Unfortunately, there's no rush to recovery, no quick fixes....

This episode is about self-awareness, using the power of communication and, ultimately, our insignificance in the universe. We're just a speck on our own planet, not to mention the whole universe. Yet many of us deny the likelihood that there are forms of life that are better than us, more skilled, more intelligent, and more sophisticated ways of expressing our thoughts. And yes, as creatures...

The work-life balance trend is not new. The first baby boomers in the 70s wanted to balance work, family and other aspects of their lives. The movement took off when the millennials (that's us!!!) decided that the right way to lead their lives was to build their work around their lifestyle. Today, 56% of people would accept a lower salary in exchange for a better work-life balance. People opt...

"Middle age" is a concept in our minds, but the truth is the average UK life expectancy is 81.7. However, many physical effects of ageing can start just before age 40, such as arthritis, high blood pressure and, in women, the slow onset of menopause. We can feel our bodies handling tiredness, stress and pain differently. The magical yet sombre conversation with the man in the sauna chang...

Today's episode is a little late. We recorded it last week, and the recording was unusable due to a technical error. So, first of all, our apologies! So what are we on about today? Do you regularly check your feelings for your significant other? Recently, Niko surprised Klaudia by saying he is checking with himself whether he loves her most in the morning when he first sees her during the day....