The Best Podcast

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest piece on Substack, which you can find at www.mbest.substack.com/p/evolving-happiness . I approach the topic of happiness through the lens of humanity’s evolutionary history and identify some suggestions for how to manage modernity in a way that integrates our past. I hope you find some value in this piece that you can apply to your life. Thanks for listeni...

Today’s podcast starts with a quick tip about how I’ve started reading more this year. Despite the title, I use this small change as a segue into what I’ve noticed has been the value of reading more for me as a person, both for myself and in my relationships. I hope you find some value in this idea. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today’s podcast is a recording of my latest Substack post, which you can find at www.mbest.substack.com/p/start-right . I dig into an approach to the new year that diverges from what we normally hear out in the world, but is nevertheless one I believe in because of the power it holds if we truly engage with it. I hope you think so too after listening and/or reading! Thanks for tuning in. As always...

I just had the immense pleasure of sharing my home and my city with Jordan, one of my dearest friends, over the last couple of weeks. To round out his trip, we sat and talked about his experience here, his reactions to Rio, his takeaways from the trip, our friendship, and more. I hope you enjoy the conversation and find some insights of your own in it. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️...

Today’s podcast is a personal reflection on what I’ve learned about balancing the deeper and lighter parts of relationships. I used to be someone who highly and intensely prioritized the profound, but I’ve grown to see value in the lighter, less serious parts of relationships. I share how I’ve evolved and see this now in this episode, which I hope you find to be valuable. Thanks for listening. As...

Today’s podcast is a summary of my last few days. They’ve been full of new, fresh experiences that got me thinking and feeling a great deal. Hikes through favelas, iconic fireworks, and quality time with friends has made for an intriguing phase. I hope you like and resonate with what I’m learning. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest post on Substack, which you can see at www.mbest.substack.com. I reflect on how others experience me, and how that often leads them to not see all of me as I would wish. I hope you find value in it and that it may lead you to rethink some of your own relationships. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today’s podcast digs into a recent bout of beating myself up over life taking me down a road that I feel I could have prevented if I truly thought before going down it. This is seemingly a universal experience, but how to manage them is something many of us seem to struggle with despite the experience’s universality. I have some ideas for how to manage these struggles, which I share today and hope...

This year has been full of high highs and low lows for me in terms of my fitness. I went from being in the best shape of my life to an appendectomy with complications that sidelined me from exercise for months. At the end of the year now, I’ve gotten back to where I was, and perhaps even beyond my previous best. I’m so grateful for what taking care of myself physically has done for me, although my...

Today’s podcast explores some recent feelings of nerves and anxiety. I introspect a bit about why I’m feeling this, what the meaning of it is, and how I am trying to use it as a positive force. The persistent nature of uncertainty in our lives is quite interesting to me, as it truly is ever-present. We are the only antidote to this uncertainty and what it causes inside of us. Thanks for listening....

In today’s podcast I look back on the last five years or so of living my life off of social media. It has afforded me so many benefits, and yet there are still some “what if” questions I ask myself about missed opportunities from that decision. It’s a lot to think about, which is why I wanted to talk through it out loud here. I’m sure you’ve been in a situation or had thoughts about something in a...

Today’s podcast details a recent learning I was able to encapsulate into an idea that I think is easy to understand. Interacting and communicating in a responsive versus dismissive manner can make a big difference, so I share what I mean by each term here, along with what it sounds like to be responsive versus dismissive. I hope you find this to be as valuable as it was for me. Thanks for listenin...

Today’s podcast is a recording of me reading my latest piece on Substack, titled Tantalizing, which you can find at mbest.substack.com/p/tantalizing . I share the origins of the word from Greek mythology, some observations on human suffering, and a path through tantalizing experiences. I hope you find value in this and that it serves you well. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and plea...

Today’s podcast spontaneously came to me thanks to a local open air market I passed through this morning. I heard two saxophonists playing the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra, which was the song played at the funerals of my maternal grandfather and grandmother. It was a lovely reminder of how beautiful a song it is and the power of its message and frame, which brings me to the reflections I share h...

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, titled Truth: According to Gandhi, which you can see at mbest.substack.com/p/truth . Gandhi presents an idea and way of being that really resonates with me, which he articulates quite well on the last page of his autobiography. I revisit this page today and share some of my thoughts on what I think it means for us. Thanks for listening. As a...

Today’s podcast is a spontaneous one of something that I had been thinking about a bit today. We could all benefit from asking more questions and listening to others’ perspectives. There is so much knowledge and experience around us that goes to waste because we don’t give it the opportunity to circulate, which is why I wanted to discuss this topic here. I hope you find it useful and inspiring. Th...

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest article from my Substack, which you can see here: https://mbest.substack.com/p/election-2024-reactions. It’s a dip into politics, which I normally don’t do here but felt compelled to because a number of people asked for my thoughts. I hope you find it to be useful or thought provoking in some way. Even if you disagree, I’m grateful for your time listening...

Reading Awareness by Anthony De Mello had a significant impact on how I see the world and the human experience. In today’s podcast, I dive into one piece of what I learned from it and what I think it means for us. I hope you find it valuable. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest quarterly review. It’s a much abbreviated version compared to previous quarters, which I spend time explaining up front in the episode. I hope you enjoy it and find the thoughts I share to be thought provoking and useful. As always, thanks for listening. Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today’s podcast is a reading of my latest Substack post, which you can find at mbest.substack.com/p/preparation. I discuss many of the useful strategies to prepare for higher stakes situations, which I wish we learned when we were in school. I find myself thinking from time to time how much I could have gained from this knowledge had I been exposed to it earlier, which perhaps you will too after l...

Today’s podcast is an ambitious one. I’ve been thinking a lot about God and the impact of religion on our societies. In particular, I’ve been exploring how it influences us implicitly, even for those who are not religious. I dive into this today, and spend some time trying to articulate what religious people mean when they say God in a way that could be understood by those who are not believers. I...

Today’s podcast is a reply to a criticism Gabi had of a recent Substack of mine about rest. She thought I didn’t speak about art and ignored its presence in our lives, which I thought was a very valid criticism. So here we are, talking about her perspective, which stretches into conversations about work, intentionality, religion, The Good Place, striving toward good versus better, social media add...

Today’s podcast goes in a few different directions, while all revolving around one topic. The hero’s journey and the concept of the hero is spoken about so often, but what does it really mean and where does it come from? I share some answers to these questions and more in this episode. Thanks for listening. As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.

Today is my last day in the states after a month here. Coming off a few days with educators following the election result earlier in the week, I had some observations that I wanted to share. I discuss how we react when we are uncertain and upset, including our tendency to dig in and close off instead of open up during these times. I hope you find it insightful, especially during this time. Thanks...

Today’s podcast is a reading of my most recent Substack post, which you can find at mbest.substack.com/p/rest . I share my thoughts on rest, including how I define rest and what high quality rest looks like to me. I hope you find value in what I share here. Thanks for listening (and reading!). As always, Much Love ❤️ and please take care.