The Difficulty: Creativity, Meaning & the Hard Work of a Life

Kevin M. Johnson’s work is on the recovery of the space outside of ego, so our work in Big Self School swims in the same waters. Kevin is a teacher, retreat director, and co-host of the podcast Encountering Silence. Having spent years achieving a number of advanced degrees, speaking at large academic conferences, and even presenting at prestigious schools like Yale and Harvard Universities, he dis...

Caterina Kostoula is an executive coach and founder of The Leaderpath . Her mission is to coach pioneering leaders and teams for meaningful impact and fulfillment. ​Prior to The Leaderpath, Caterina was a Global Business Leader at Google. She managed some of the company's largest C-level partnerships. She was also an internal coach, awarded a 5-star-rating distinction from her coachees.  Caterina...

A large part of holistic healing and being an upper cervical chiropractic practitioner is helping people manage pain, often chronic pain. What role does stress play in people’s pain? What is something Chris sees again and again and that he sees as vital to helping people manage their stress (and their pain)? Today’s guest is Dr. Chris Collins. He received his doctor of chiropractic degree from She...

Michael Thompson grew up with severe social anxiety and a stutter. He tells us about what that was like, and then what he did when he finally decided to take on a job that was going to challenge him in a whole new way. He applies his lessons in coaching his clients to overcome obstacles. Some people say maximize your strengths, Michael, on the other hand, takes the bull by the horns and addresses...

We talk about shifting your mindset into a lifestyle of sustained, healthy practices. From meditating to journaling, hot and cold water therapy to the outer impact of what we're doing to the planet, this conversation packs a punch. It's the very end of a wild and difficult year and this episode leaves you with lots to process and be hopeful for as we veer into a new year. Will it be a whole new yo...

Today we bring you Melody Wilding, an executive and leadership coach for smart, sensitive high-achievers who are tired of getting in their own way.  Through her private one-on-one coaching program, talks, small-group workshops, and articles, she helps you break free from self-doubt and overwhelm, master your emotions, and use your sensitivity as the superpower that it is. Recently named one of Bus...

Melissa Gratias, a Ph. D. in organizational psychology, is an international speaker, coach, blogger, and author. For more than 20 years, Melissa’s coaching and consulting work has improved productivity for multinational, billion-dollar companies as well as individual solopreneurs. She creates workable systems so people can accomplish their professional goals in less time and with less stress. As a...

Omar Itani thought he had all the time in the world, until one day he found himself blacked out on the street, broken from an accident, unable to walk. It shook him to the core and reminded him that there’s more to life than just merely living—there’s the unparalleled thrill of ‘feeling alive’. So as soon as he recovered, he took a leap of faith, he left his job at Google and stopped talking about...

Today we speak with Karen Nimmo, a registered clinical psychologist with a private practice in Wellington, working in adolescent and adult mental health. She also has a background in physical education. In a former life Karen was a print journalist and media consultant. Karen works primarily in performance and life coaching. As a clinical psychologist, she is able to assess, diagnose and treat psy...

How Top Medium Writer Megan Holstein went from young entrepreneur to discovering the life of a writer. How she works through resistance, what she advises on figuring out how to get paid to live the life you love, and how less is more when it comes to goals. She's also a big proponent for minimalism both in terms of her "to do" list each day, as well as her material possessions. She also discusses...

Whatever it is you’re doing to cope with the constant new normal of these uncertain times as we barrel into the holiday season, we hope it is healthy but even if it’s not, we’re glad you’re finding a way to apply some positivity to your life. To help you do just that, we have brought on author of three books and positive psychologist, Nico Rose, who holds a doctoral degree in business administrati...

Whatever it is you’re doing to cope with the constant new normal of these uncertain times as we barrel into the holiday season, we are glad you are here! Joining us today is Tara Haelle. Tara is a regular Forbes contributor and the core topic leader in medical studies for the Association of Health Care Journalists. As a freelance science and health reporter and parenting blogger, her pieces freque...

Whatever it is you’re doing to cope with the constant new normal of these uncertain times as we barrel into the holiday season, we hope it is healthy but even if it’s not, we’re glad you’re finding a way to self-care. And self-care is one of many topics that our guest today is a master at. Nick Wignall is originally from Northern California, but he’s also lived in Dallas, Rome, Chicago, and now Al...

This release is officially our last release on how you can find greater meaning and purpose in your life by tapping into your inner self-confidence and getting BOLD. When we reached out to Mollie and told her about some of our upcoming themes for the Big Self Podcast she said: “I love the sound of Boldness, since I am all about having it all in life and love, and I would love to talk about how to...

On today’s show we are thrilled to bring to you a very special and timely message from our guest, Brian Pennie. After spending years in a cycle of addiction, dealing with his acute anxiety, one day he had a breakthrough. This led him to develop what he calls a ‘programme for life’ to deal with mental and emotional well-being. The program includes a vast range of tools and strategies that focus on...

Today’s guest is Lisa Michaud, an International Success Coach, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Real Estate Investor. At the age of 32, she’s created a multimillion-dollar net worth, a growing real estate empire, incredible network and beautiful family. As a coach and speaker, Lisa inspires, leads and motivates everyone she works with. Her clients include entrepreneurs, executives, parents, and leaders w...

Shauna Bowes is a graduate practicum student at Nia. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Emory University. She most recently completed a clinical practicum working with treatment-resistant depression, and she has worked with diverse clients (including adolescents and adults from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds) in therapy and assessment. Shauna tells us why intellec...

There are many ways we construct false narratives about ourselves. We tell ourselves the potential is within us, but we just never have the time. We tell ourselves forces outside us compel us to behave in ways that aren’t truly “who we are.” These truth distortions aren’t necessarily wrong. The question is how we lie to ourselves or distort our self’s reality, but why? The pursuit of self-knowledg...

A lot of philosophy and psychology says that if you want someone else to change, you should first begin with yourself. There’s a great deal of wisdom and insight into us beginning with ourselves, but ultimately we don’t just know ourselves in a vacuum, we have to enter into community, into relationships. At the same time, there’s a lot of self-improvement ideologies that say we shouldn’t listen to...

Coming at you live with another learning curve Top 5 takeaway in 30 minutes or less. Finding your way to your desire requires a number of the principles we teach at the Big Self School. It requires a calm center and, paradoxically, the courage to put the ideas into practice. Whether you think you know your desires, but want to reconnect to them, or you simply have no idea, this book can help you r...

Chad and Shelley have a session on how to break through the obstacles that stand in the way to living a bigger life, a life you want. Maybe you don't even know what that life is, or maybe you want certain things for the wrong reasons. Lyndie Putnam helps us see from the inside out where we want to be and how to get there. Lyndie Putnam is a certified Life Coach and Seminar Leader who helps ambitio...

After a letdown, the idea is to gather your strength especially in the places you feel broken and bounce back even higher than you fell. Failing and falling is a part of life. It’s a part of growth, if you use it right. A setback is a setback if you don’t. Setbacks can lead you to getting enveloped in fear and anxiety. They can keep you looping in mediocrity, jaded and scarred. At the same time, f...

Chad and Shelley sit down for a session of self-knowledge with Anthony Moore. In a fascinating and quick-paced session we get down to the fundamentals: the five things extraordinary people know, and do. Anthony Moore has been a top Medium writer since 2017. His articles have been featured in Business Insider, Fast Company, Thought Catalog, CNBC, Yahoo!, and Thrive Global . Hundreds of thousands of...

At the Big Self School, we know you want to connect with the world in a way that’s meaningful and get rid of the feeling that life is just passing you by without you having anything to show for it. To do that, you need a community that supports you as you rediscover your purpose and resources to help you along the way.  We want to celebrate a few big happenings in the Big Self School.  What are fi...

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." –Dalai Lama We could all use a little more self-compassion right now, but why is self-compassion so hard? We talk about the power of the inner critic, where it comes from and how it functions. In the face of this critic, we need to cultivate self-compassion.  Where does the inner critic and negativ...