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

Dr. Chad explores the concept of happiness, distinguishing between fleeting, superficial happiness and deep, lasting joy. He references ideas like Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Aristotle's hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. He highlights Robert Biswas-Diener's perspective that these two types of happiness are interconnected. Turns out, self-validation is crucial in measuring one's happiness. Unl...

It is crucial that we embrace new perspectives, especially when it comes to mental health and well-being. Let's start by understanding the stigma surrounding therapy. For years, seeking professional mental health help has been shrouded in an unnecessary cloak of shame and misconception. People often feel labeled or judged, as if requiring mental health support is a sign of weakness or failure. Thi...

Shelley Prevost expresses gratitude for everyone involved in the development and use of Emma, an AI tool for mental health. She recounts the journey from initial conversations in April to the present development and the importance of her team, including Allan Davis, Chad, Chris Wilson, and Andrew Scales. Shelley outlines plans for 2025, including the launch of the Emma community feature, Inner Cir...

Dr. Chad discusses the significance of "eureka moments" or sudden insights in coaching. Drawing on the story of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes, Dr. Chad explains how these moments of sudden clarity are highly valued by both coaches and clients. He explores the characteristics of such insights, including their suddenness, surprising nature, sense of certainty, associated pleasure, and t...

Dr. Chad delves into what our anxiety-related searches reveal about us. The discussion covers the multifaceted nature of anxiety, influenced by modern life's stresses like digital disruptions and geopolitical instability. We highlight the increasing prevalence of anxiety despite our efforts to be resilient. Their are a range of reasons people search for anxiety information—whether it's seeking a d...

Today we're diving into a fascinating topic that's at the heart of understanding ourselves and others—self-awareness. Self-awareness is like holding a mirror up, not just to see what's on the surface but to understand the depths of our mind, our emotions, and our personal narrative. So, what exactly is self-awareness? In essence, it's the ability to focus on yourself and how your actions, thoughts...

Whether you're familiar with the concept or new to it, in this brief episode we'll delve into what coaching truly entails, its significance, and how it can be a transformative force in both personal and professional arenas. At its core, coaching is a partnership between a coach and a client, focused on achieving specific personal or professional goals. Unlike traditional teaching or lecturing, coa...

Maria Ross emphasizes that true empathy is misunderstood, often confused with niceness or agreement, and instead should be about understanding and acting on others' perspectives. The Empathy Dilemma aims to support leaders in adapting to a post-pandemic world by balancing the needs of the business with those of their employees. The conversation covers five foundational pillars of effective empathe...

Psychologist Beth Capecchi joins the show. Dr. Beth works with adolescents and adults on a variety of issues, including self-esteem, anxiety, depression, family issues, identity work and relationship issues. She discusses her journey with ADHD, its impact on her life, and the benefits of understanding your diagnosis. She highlights the importance of self-awareness and developing personal strategie...

In this solo cast episode host Dr. Chad Prevost shares five steps to break free from stress patterns and embrace a more fulfilling life. Before diving into the topic, Dr. Chad celebrates his recent TED talk, ' Breath, Surrender, and Your Courageous Conversation .' The episode explores themes like reflecting on personal journals, clarifying core values, building a strong 'why,' using feedback const...

Chad Prevost and Christy Bonner delve into the Enneagram's embodiment aspect, exploring how different types (1-9) relate to their bodies. Christy emphasizes the importance of somatic practices like yoga and meditation for each type, highlighting specific exercises and mindsets that can help individuals connect with their bodies and emotions, ultimately leading to personal growth and healing. Chris...

In this episode we jump right in: Shelley talks to Cameron Doody, founder of Bellhops, about the harsh realities and intense pressures of being a startup founder. They delve into the experiences of burnout, stress coping mechanisms, the high stakes of raising venture capital, and the emotional burden founders carry. Cameron shares personal anecdotes, including moments of extreme stress and the bal...

Welcome to Leading Human, the podcast that explores the intersection of emotional intelligence, leadership, and the modern workplace. I'm your host, Chad Prevost, co-founder of Big Self School and co-creator of Emma—the AI-powered tool helping small teams communicate better and lead with more clarity and heart. Each episode, we bring you insights, stories, and strategies to help you and your team...

Chad Prevost has a chat with Michael Horn about careers and life design, specifically when it comes to the desire to change jobs and how to go about the process. It involves a lot more than vaguely tuning in to your calling, or throwing out a bunch of LinkedIn applications. It may feel daunting right now, but when you listen to Michael and consider the array of input that Job Moves has to offer, y...

Chad Prevost gets a chance to catch up Kristina Montague who has just released her first book, documenting a movement she started a little over ten years ago. She is one of the few founders who started an angel investing fund, which focused on women-only. In fact, it's the only one of its kind in the southeast. A groundswell of women are discovering the power and purpose of angel investing. Women...

This week Chad Prevost speaks with Briana Garza. Briana left a decade of working in the healthcare industry in a job she tolerated but didn't love and shifted into food--another challenging industry in many respects, but one that aligned with her purpose and the kind of life she aspired to live. With hard work, a splash of courage, and lots of interpersonal skills, she's making it happen through t...

Chad Prevost and Justin Jones-Fosu sit down to discuss issues mainly related to communicating more effectively and openly with each other, but with a special emphasis on men. This conversation is meant to open the gates toward how we can have better conversations with one another, especially how we can be better fathers, sons, brothers, mentors, and leaders. If you only remember a few things about...

On this week's episode, Chad Prevost has a conversation with Ben Katt focused on Katt's recently released, The Way Home: Discovering the Hero's Journey to Wholeness at Midlife . Find out more about Ben Katt here . Click here to reach out to Chad to book a call for workshop training or coaching, or contact him at chad@bigselfschool.com . Want to give us some love but don't know how? Leave us a revi...

Carter Fowler and Chad Prevost connect on how they found a home in Chattanooga, and especially how Fowler discovered unbelievable success with Totem . They may be just QA testing right now, but sales have exploded--and all from a single viral video. Totem has found a need the world over--a hardware device meant to be worn when you're going to big social events where you need to stay connected--and...

Michael Thompson discusses his new book Shy by Design , which outlines 12 timeless principles for standing out quietly. He shares his journey from stuttering and shyness to embracing his imperfections and leveraging his unique qualities. Thompson highlights the importance of curiosity and authenticity, drawing from his experiences in sales and his work with clients. He emphasizes the value of livi...

The discussion today centers on David Brooks' book The Second Mountain , which explores the transition from self-interest to a moral life. Daniel Lucas, Nick McLain, James Dawson join Chad Prevost in sharing personal insights, emphasizing the importance of overcoming ego and embracing vulnerability. They highlight the challenges of the second mountain, which involves qualitative, non-quantifiable...

It's another episode for the What Makes This Book Great?! mini-series. This time, Chad Prevost and Phil Mondy discuss Atomic Habits by James Clear, highlighting its success with over 3 million copies sold and its cultural impact. The duo explore the book's key principles, such as making habits obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying, and breaking habits by making them invisible, unattractive, di...

On today's episode, Chad is visited by Charlie Moss, Richie Daigle, Chris Collins, and Matt McLelland to discuss an interesting choice: Jonathan's Krakauer's Into the Wild. Why is it an interesting choice for The Humanist? Well, on the surface it might seem like the adventure-seeking Chris McCandless's tragic story might not be the subject matter for our discussions. Yet it is when seen through th...

For this week's episode we have return guests and friends of the show, Matt McLleland and Daniel Lucas to discuss Adam Grant's brilliant, Think Again . The discussion on Think Again highlights the book's impact and relevance, emphasizing the importance of rethinking and humility. The book, a New York Times bestseller, encourages readers to approach problems like scientists rather than politicians...

For this week's conversation I'm joined by friends of the show and fellow podcasters, Daniel Lucas and Richie Daigle. They generously gave of their time to dive into this big Rick Rubin book, The Creative Act --and then to join me for a wide-ranging and unscripted conversation about it. The idea for this series is to consider a book that has met several hallmarks of cultural success. Whether or no...