The Courageous Life

When our good friends encounter challenges, A default response for many of us is often: To have their back To show up fully To be kind To put judgment aside,  And to remind them that they are not alone.  When we turn this practice, of being for someone, toward ourselves, particularly in the face of: obstacles,  hardships,  adversity,  and failure, it's called self-compassion. A practice that...

Alison Wood Brooks is a celebrated Harvard Business School Professor who studies the hidden architecture of conversations.  Her groundbreaking work shows that while all of us can struggle with difficult conversations,  We’re often not very good at the easy ones either (even though we have them all the time).  Alison argues that part of the reason for this is because conversation is one of the  mos...

Brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor famously once said: “Most of us think of ourselves as thinking creatures that feel,  but we are actually feeling creatures that think.” Whether it’s anxiety about going to the doctor,  Boiling rage when we’re stuck in traffic,  Devastation after a painful break-up,  Joy from the birth of a child,  Or peace that arises from being in nature Our emotional landscape i...

"It’s not your fault if you are unhappy.  You have been told three lies:  You’re not good enough;  You need to achieve fame, wealth, and power;  You need to do it all on your own." These are the words of Stephanie Harrison - author, past Director of Learning at Thrive Global, and expert in the science of happiness. In her new book:  New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That’s Go...

In a time where the threat of authoritarianism is on the rise,  how might we take the next step toward creating truly equitable and thriving societies? This question, for many, may feel increasingly out of reach. And yet for redemptive thinker, and visionary leader john a. powell , it serves as one of the central lines of inquiry in his work.  johh a. powell is the Director of the Othering and Bel...

In times of great division, disruption, and uncertainty, how can we find the ability to stay grounded?  While each of us may find we have different answers,  Here are a few that have been emerging for me recently: The first - remembering, in the words of one of today’s guests:  you don’t have to do it alone .  Remembering the power (and necessity) of seeking out supportive community, and friends. ...

What is it that drives our focus on productivity? That colors our experience of work, life, and relationships?  Is the motivation to 'do', to achieve, and to push ourselves driven by a subtle undercurrent of fear? A craving to stay relevant,  A whisper in the back of our mind that says:  If we don’t optimize our lives, fill up our calendars, and stay busy, we will be missing out on somet...

This past November I had the privilege of going to a leadership boot camp hosted by Jerry Colonna and the extraordinary team at CEO and Executive Coaching Firm, Reboot . For 10 years Reboot has been hosting these gatherings.  Immersive experiences where a small group of leaders comes together without pretense. Everyone there to explore the possibility of becoming a better human.  A truer version o...

It’s here and then it’s gone.  In so many ways this is the through line of our experience.  From the sunny day, To a common cold, To time spent with loved ones, Or the experience of our wedding day. Joy, love, heartbreak, and ultimately  Life itself - All by nature impermanent .  To walk through this life Is to walk hand-in-hand with change.  It is simply part of what it means to be human -   Part...

Things are changing all the time.  From the seasons, To the weather, our emotions, and our relationships. We are born, we grow old, and ultimately we die.  To walk through life means to walk hand-in-hand with impermanence.  It is simply part of what it means to be human.  And this season on the podcast we wanted to make these shared experiences of change and uncertainty a focal point of our larger...

There are certain threads inescapably woven into our experience of being alive. Simple but profound truths which make up the tapestry of what it means to be human.  One of these is impermanence .  The fact that everything, by nature, changes.  From the seasons, to the weather,  our emotions, and our relationships. We are born, we grow old, and ultimately we die.  The flow of life is inherently dyn...

In his new book, Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground , Neuroscientist and Moral psychologist Dr. Kurt Gray argues that for the majority of our evolutionary history, humans were more hunted than hunter.  Which might just be the game changing perspective we need for these times. Kurt reminds us that in contrast to predators, Prey animals are hard-wired to...

In his new book, Original Love , Zen meditation master, award winning author and poet, and renowned spiritual teacher Henry Shukman offers a tantalizing proposition.  At any moment there is a powerful possibility available to us. A possibility of piercing the illusion of separateness, And experiencing a profound sense of connection. In these moments which are deemed by some as ‘awakening',  i...

Today is our final Heroes and Helpers episode for Season 4 on The Courageous Life. This series launched earlier in 2024 and throughout the year we’ve shined a light on stories of everyday heroes, Ordinary people who are navigating life’s challenges and adversities with hope, courage, resilience, and love.  These are the remarkable stories of: Our neighbors,  Our friends,  Our colleagues,  And memb...

As we get ready to close out the 4th season of The Courageous Life   we are revisiting inspiring stories of everyday heroes and the helpers who walk beside them. These Conversations, which launched this year, shine a light on ordinary people, Our neighbors, friends, colleagues, and members of our communities,  who rise up to meet challenges,  And navigate their journey through the messy middle par...

What does it mean to live a 'good life'? For centuries philosophers, theologians, and psychologists have explored this question. Arguing primarily that there are two distinct paths to living well. The first might be casually thought of as sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Choosing pleasure as our primary pursuit - building our life around a simple equation: The more pleasant experiences we...

What if the time is never coming when you’re ‘on top of things’, or finally feel like you know what you’re doing? For years, New York Times Bestselling author Oliver Burkeman has dared to ask provocative questions like these. The sort of questions that invite us to examine popular cultural views about what it means to work and live well. In his beautiful and brilliant books, his longtime column in...

Dr. Jonathan Fisher, is a Harvard educated cardiologist, a mindfulness teacher, and an outspoken leader passionate about helping to end the epidemic of clinician burnout in healthcare.    In sharing his own story he writes:     "I took care of 20,000 hearts before taking care of my own.    For years, I hid my anxiety, depression, and burnout behind the facade of being a “perfect” doctor.    T...

Today's practice features guest teacher Amy Dong. Amy is a talented therapist, and a breath work facilitator, who specializes in helping both individuals and couples to find steady footing through life’s inevitable twists & turns. She’s also the author of a beautiful sub stack called The Softening . Which she describes as a walk through our internal landscape, a journey with mental health...

Our 20’s are a unique season in our lives.  While often romanticized as a decade that should be a high point It’s a time often fraught with major life transitions From leaving the familiar rhythms of school Which so many of us have known since early childhood To (for many of us) entering the work force full time, for the first time To shifts in meaningful relationships, and our sense of community...

This past week clinical psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Meg Jay was back on the show.  One of the big themes we explored together was uncertainty, And how we can experience more ease in the face of it.  Meg offered a useful reminder that when we experience uncertainty  research shows that our amygdala becomes more active.   The amygdala being the part of the brain that is often casually re...

Our 20’s are a unique season in our lives.  While often romanticized as a decade that should be a high point,  they are an age marked by uncertainty and major life transitions.  From leaving the familiar rhythms of school, To (for many) entering the work force full time, for the first time. To experiencing changes in meaningful relationships, friendships, and our community.  And as part of this th...

To fail is human. It’s built into our experience from childhood. We begin to walk and we fall. We begin a project, we work toward a goal, or we start a business and we may fail. We experience these moments - When we are engaged in learning,  When we are moving toward something we care about  And we come up short. And in these moments there is an opportunity for practice - Learning to relate to the...

“One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” - Abraham Maslow What is it that empowers people to make this choice? To be bold enough to step forward into fear as they move toward purpose, and transcendence? These questions are at the heart of today’s conversation with Dr. Jordyn Feingold. Jordyn is...

One of the highlights of this season on the Courageous Life has been expanding the show with a new series that features inspiring stories of everyday heroes and the helpers who walk beside them. One of these helpers conversations featured Amy Dong. Amy is a talented therapist and a breathwork facilitator. During our conversation she offered a window into her work and how she walks beside people on...