The Courageous Life

Thomas Crum is an acclaimed author, martial arts instructor, and presenter in the fields of conflict resolution, peak performance, and stress management. He is known throughout the world for The Thomas Crum Approach , designed to help people become more centered under conflict, more resourceful when facing challenges, and more effective under stress. For over 30 years, Tom has delivered dynamic pr...

Rhonda V. Magee, J.D. is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco, and an internationally recognized thought and practice leader focused on integrating mindfulness into Higher Education, Law and Social Justice. She also is a leading expert on how mindfulness can be an effective way to reduce implicit bias. You can find out much more about Rhonda's remarkable background in her bio...

In this episode I sat down with Frank Ostaseski and had a wide ranging and deep conversation about courage, authenticity, and living life fully by embracing all aspects of one's experience. Frank Ostaseski is an internationally respected Buddhist teacher and visionary cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project (the first Buddhist Hospice in America). He has lectured at Harvard Medical School, the M...

Thupten Jinpa holds his Ph. D. from Cambridge University and has been the principal English translator to the Dalai Lama since 1985. He has translated and collaborated on numerous books by the Dalai Lama including the New York Times Bestsellers Ethics for the New Millennium and The Art of Happiness. He is also the author of A Fearless Heart: How the Courage to be Compassionate Can Transform Our Li...

Mark Nepo is a world renowned poet, story teller, teacher, New York Times best-selling author and past guest on Oprah Winfrey’s: Super Soul Sunday. In this episode we sat down to explore many topics from his teachings, his life, and his new book, More Together Than Alone, including: Loneliness and it’s antidote Building community, connection, and belonging Mark’s creative process and how he approa...

In this episode - Author, renowned meditation teacher, and Senior Director of the NYU Global and Spiritual Life Center, Yael Shy, and I sat down to discuss: Mindfulness (what it is, and why many people practice) How mindfulness and meditation can support people as they navigate major life transitions (like going to college, starting a career, becoming a parent, etc)  Why mindfulness can be conside...

Drs. James and Janice Prochaska, and I, sat down to discuss a wide variety of topics related to their new book, Changing to Thrive . Some key highlights include:  How we can successfully make changes in our lives, around our health, or in our work that we may have put off, or struggled with in the past Overcoming fear and other obstacles that hold us back from changing Overcoming self-doubt, and d...

In this episode I sat down with Professional Coach, Peace Corps Volunteer, Entrepreneur, and Storyteller, Lisa Daron. Lisa has set off on a mission she calls "The Connection Cure" to see if she can heal herself from chronic illness by traveling across the country and forming meaningful moments of connection with people she meets along the way.  Topics we explore in this conversation incl...

At the tender age of 15 Alison Canavan was catapulted onto the international stage when she represented Ireland in the Supermodel of the World competition in Las Vegas. This spawned a near 22 year career in the fashion industry, which has taken her to the main fashion capitals of London, Paris, Milan and New York and as far around the world as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Having...

In this episode venerable Buddhist teacher, distinguished visiting scholar at the Library of Congress, and celebrated author, Roshi Joan Halifax Ph. D. sat down to discuss topics including:  -Highlights from her studies at the Library of Congress on the science of compassion  -How mindfulness and meditation can help us navigate challenging situations in our lives  -Putting compassion into action t...

In this long awaited conversation, renowned Stanford Neurosurgeon, New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop, and founder of the Center for Compassion at Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. James Doty discusses:  -His incredible story of wandering into a magic shop at the age of 12 and meeting a woman named Ruth who taught him powerful lessons (in meditation) that would change his life...

In this conversation acclaimed Stanford Business School Professor, and author, Leah Weiss and I sat down to discuss a variety of topics including:  -Why mindfulness and compassion are important in leadership and organizations  -What mindfulness and compassion are and are not  -How to respond and persevere in the face of failure or negative feedback  -What she's learned about communicating and...

In this episode acclaimed professor, author, speaker, and performance coach Dan Lerner and I explore:  -How to answer big questions like what I am going do when I grow up?  -The art of achieving success and fulfillment and other insights from his wildly popular science of happiness class at NYU.  -How passion isn’t something we often find, but something we develop over time  -The difference betwee...

In this conversation world renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg and I discuss a wide array of topics related to meditation, mindfulness, courage, and her new book Real Love, including:  -How Sharon defines love  -How love can be an antidote to fear  -How Sharon overcame her own fear of public speaking  -How to connect with anyone (insights she's gleaned from over 40 years of teaching) ...

Today's episode features Mike Erwin - West Point Leadership Instructor, author of Lead Yourself First, and founder of The Positivity Project (a non-profit organization that brings character education to America's youth). In this wide-ranging conversation, Mike and I explored topics like:  -Handling pressure  -Emotional mastery in the heat of the moment  -Solitude and how spending time re...

In this conversation acclaimed writer and journalist Emily Esfahani Smith and I discuss a wide array of topics related to meaning in life including: -The difference between meaning and happiness  -Why we should pursue meaning  -Insights from the science of meaning  -Leveraging meaning and purpose to overcome adversity and fear  -Practical ways to build meaning into our lives and ultimately craft a...

In this conversation with Rick Hanson we dive into the topic of his new book, Resilient, and explore:  -Resilience as a skill  -How to grow inner strengths  -Keys to accelerating the process of learning harnessing insights from neuroscience  -Self-compassion  -Strategies for having difficult conversations  If you enjoyed this episode visit www.joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast for show notes and more. ...

In this conversation renowned leadership expert Johann Berlin and I discuss some of his wisdom and perspective about what makes a good leader, how to have difficult conversations, peak performance under pressure, and the importance of letting go, as well as, the role of courage in actually being able to do so.  Johann provides a number of practical strategies for putting these ideas into practice...

In this powerful conversation with Dr. Fred Luskin we unpack forgiveness, talk about what it is, what it's not, the benefits of it, address forgiveness as a skill, and discuss some of our guests biggest insights after decades of work helping people all around the world learn to forgive.  If you enjoyed this episode visit www.joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast for show notes and more.  Background: D...

In this passionate interview with Dr. Judson Brewer we explore how our brains learn, how habits are formed, and how people might use this knowledge to create lasting changes, and find happiness in their lives.  If you enjoyed this episode visit www.joshuasteinfeldt.com/podcast for show notes and more.  Background: Dr. Judson Brewer is a thought leader in the field of habit change and the "sci...

Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Miracle Messages, an award-winning nonprofit that reunites the homeless with their loved ones. To date, MM has facilitated over 100 reunions, with 25% getting a person off-the-streets. Their vision is to reunite 1 million people by 2023. For his work, Kevin has been named a TED Resident, TED Speaker, MassChallenge winner, and "Emerging Innovator" by Americ...

Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, is an author, researcher, speaker, and public science communicator who is interested in using psychological science to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and meaningful life. He is a professor of positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and author and/or editor of 7 books, including Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined and Wired to Create: Unrav...

Dr. Joyce Mikal-Flynn was a triathlete who passed out during a race, died, and then came back to life. Afterward she wrote a book detailing her journey to recovery, her research on posttraumatic growth, and her trademark rehabilitation process called metahabiliation. In this episode we explore her incredible story and more. Dr. Mikal Flynn received her BSN (Bachelors of Science in Nursing) from Un...

Cory Muscara is on a life-long journey to understand the causes and conditions that lead to suffering and wellbeing. As founder of the Long Island Center for Mindfulness, Cory's work is primarily in the field of mindfulness meditation. In 2012, he spent 6 months in silence practicing Vipassana meditation as a Buddhist monk in Burma under the instruction of Sayadaw U Pandita. Cory currently se...

Background: Sunny Grosso is a happiness consultant, a Zappos culture specialist, and a thought leader in the culture movement. She helped found the Delivering Happiness consulting team where she co-built the model, developed the approach and led the coaching team. Passionate about creating positive work cultures, she travels the world speaking, coaching and consulting on sustainable culture buildi...