The Bucket Podcast

In this episode of The Bucket podcast, David Abend sits down with renowned behavioral economist Dan Ariely to explore the hidden costs of keeping your options open. We explore how the fear of closing doors could actually be narrowing your window to happiness and fulfillment. Dan dives into the traps of procrastination and the emotional hurdles that keep us stuck in place. If you've ever found your...

Can applying Scrum principles to your personal goals lead to fewer deathbed regrets? That's the question I pose to Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum and author of "Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time." Jeff explains how the Scrum framework, known for revolutionizing project management and software development, can be a powerful tool for individuals seeking to make meaningful...

How many Monday's do you have left? And how are you going to use them? That's what Jodi Wellman wants to know. Jodi is the Founder of Four Thousand Mondays where she dedicates all her Mondays to helping people live squander-free life. Unafraid to take on the Grim Reaper himself, Jodi combines her Masters in Applied Positive Psychology with her 25 years as a Certified Life Coach to realize that lif...

Need some help getting out of your own way? (don't we all?) Then listen to this podcast with Laura Berman Fortgang, one of the founding members of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a best-selling author and a professional speaker   Her innovative approach to life and career coaching has earned appearances on numerous television programs including the Oprah Show. Her Tedx talk has been v...

Can acknowledging and planning for your own death lead to fewer death-bed regrets? That's the question I pose to Gabrielle Elise Jimenez, hospice nurse, end-of-life doula and the author of eight books that offer tools, tips and wisdom on end of life caregiving. But it is her class, The Best Three Months , that offers the evidence that planning for your own death can be the impetus that leads to ch...

Why does a folktronica band embark on an album about death and dying? Find out in this revealing podcast with Sam Genders and Becky Jacobs, two of the founding members of the English band, Tunng, that recently released a 12 song album and eight episode podcast called, Tunng presents…Dead Club. "We are a band that is known for being playful and for being fun," Jacobs tells us. "I think that that's...

"It's easy to get caught up in the crap of life where we get stressed out and get frustrated. That's why it's important to have reminders that life is short. And pep talks when we're down." If you're in need of a pep talk on the living life to its fullest, then cue up this podcast with Kate Manser, author of the book, and creator of the website, "You Might Die Tomorrow (So Live For Today)". Hear h...

"People who are willing to contemplate their aging, vulnerability and mortality often live better lives in old age and illness and experience better death than those who don't."  Right out of the gate, this podcast with Katy Butler, best-selling author of The Art of Dying, explores how acknowledging your mortality can be a catalyst for making choices that can help you live a more fulfilling life....

As an oncologist, Dr. Ranjana Srivastava is no stranger to death and dying. But in this podcast, the author of the new book, "A Better Death: Conversations about the art of living and dying well" talks about how her experiences have helped shape her perspective on a very Buckety theme — how acknowledging your mortality can help you live a more fulfilling life. Says Srivastava, "We often go through...

John Ondrasik, better known as "Five For Fighting," has some advice for you:   "Dude, look around!" That was the thinking behind his hit song,"100 Years", and is still an underlying philosophy in his life. "Our lives are made of moments. For me, the song was like, try to recognize those moments as you're living them. Don't let them just be on some video when you're 92 years old and people are play...

Guess what? YOU are an endurance predator. Keep moving, and your body keeps thriving. Stop moving, and your body starts decaying. That's the reality for anyone over 30 according to Chris Crowley, co-author of the New York Times best-selling book, Younger Next Year . In this podcast, you'll hear Chris talk about the science behind this claim, and what it means for your body as you get older. From g...

"If you think every day that when you go out that gate, you could be killed. I don't know how you go out the gate."   If you're like a lot of people, listening to this podcast with General George Casey, Jr, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, will leave you with an overwhelming feeling of humility. From his selfless devotion to duty ("I really didn't think about it…I had a job and I was going...

What does Cabot Cheese have to do with The Bucket's mission of helping people lead more fulfilling lives by embracing their own mortality? Find out in this conversation with Roberta MacDonald, SVP of Marketing at Cabot Cheese and a long-time hospice volunteer. From the "Circle of Life" that takes place on the Cabot Co-op's farms, to the "family truths" she sees revealed in the intimate moments of...

Are you stuck? Stuck in your career? Your relationship? Or even in your retirement? Then take a few minutes to listen to this podcast with Dave Evans who, along with Bill Burnett, has harnessed the power of "design thinking" to help people create meaningful and fulfilling lives. What started as a course at Stanford University to help students explore their potential futures, has turned into a New...

Death is not a game. Or is it? Listen to Lori LoCicero and Lisa Pahl talk about their bold new card game, "The Death Deck" and how it's helping people have healthy conversations about dying — and living. From sample questions to poignant stories, they explain the reason they created the game and how they use humor and lively game-play to break down resistance and open up communication. Says Lori,...

In 1973, Billy Starr's backpack was packed and he was all set to leave for a dream trip hiking in Nepal. But like George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life", Billy never got out of town. His mother was diagnosed with cancer and Billy spent the next year at her side in the hospital. When she died in 1974, Billy's mind was not on the Himalayas, it was on something much more challenging — dealing with...

You may already know that David McCullough is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of such best sellers as John Adams , The Wright Brothers , Truman, Brave Companions, The Johnstown Flood,  The Path Between the Seas, and The Pioneers. Or you may recognize his voice as the narrator of The American Experience , the film, Seabiscuit , or Ken Burn's miniseries, The Civil War . But what you may not know i...

Life is precious. And no one knows that more than Andy Wirth. Andy recently retired as the CEO and President of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows ski resort. He's also a former backcountry ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park. In 2013, while skydiving over Lodi, California, a perfect storm of events caused Andy to collide with a high-tension wire that severed his right arm at the elbow. What happened...

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, a motivational speaker, an accomplished author and a man who is often referred to as a happiness guru. Why? Find out in this fascinating podcast in which Dr. Chopra explains the four traits of happiness and how anyone can choose to achieve them. In this episode of The Bucket Podcast, Chopra talks about his new book, The Tw...

"Miss the bus." That's the advice of renowned palliative care doctor BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger, editorial director of the global design firm IDEO. Together, they wrote the breakthrough book, "A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice on Living Life and Facing Death." In this podcast we discuss their refreshing approach to managing both the practical and emotional baggage of dying. As wel...

Can embracing your mortality lead to a more fulfilling life? Yes, says David Abend, founder of The Bucket, an online magazine that helps you live fully and die well. In this episode, David talks about all things Bucket. From the genesis of the idea more than 30 years ago, to the clarity of the "Zoo" metaphor, David explains the counterintuitive value of embracing one's own mortality. He also intro...

Introducing The Bucket Podcast. An unexpectedly refreshing series of interviews that transform the taboo of death into a catalyst for living fully and dying well. Hosted by The Bucket founder David Abend, the series features an eclectic mix of notable authors, entrepreneurs, adventurers, philosophers, musicians, doctors, soldiers and innovators who all share one thing in common — they're all going...