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

The central focus of the first month's theme for The Humanist is understanding Authenticity. Why? Partly because the title of the podcast almost featured authenticity in the first place. Partly because authenticity seems to be having "a moment" culturally, and we aim to find out what's going on: How authentic is authenticity really when it comes to ways it's used an understood? Chad Prevost and Be...

Subscribe now and start your journey to a more authentic life. Find out more about Big Self School: Discover the transformative power of Big Self School, where personal growth meets professional development. Unlock your full potential and achieve your wildest dreams through our innovative courses, workshops, and coaching programs. Led by industry experts and thought leaders, Big Self School empowe...

Hey there, Big Self Show listeners! We want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and loyalty throughout our incredible journey together. It's been an absolute pleasure exploring the depths of personal growth, self-discovery, and transformation with you. As we evolve and grow, so too does our podcast. We're thrilled to announce that we're embarking on a ne...

Jerry Colonna is the CEO and co-founder of Reboot.io , and for nearly 20 years he has used the knowledge gained as an investor, an executive, and a board member for more than 100 organizations to help entrepreneurs and others to lead with humanity, resilience, and equanimity. Today, in particular, we are discussing his new book, Reunion. You can order it now from our show notes if you like. It’s a...

For today's show we talk with Matt Zemon, a dedicated explorer of the inner world, and a passionate advocate for the thoughtful and responsible use of psychedelics. With a Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health with honors from King’s College London, Matt has studied the effects of psychedelics on the mind and the potential for these experiences to serve as a catalyst fo...

"Anyone can become angry-that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way-this is not easy."  –Aristotle As human beings, we sometimes fail to make desired changes despite good ideas and great intentions. Daniel Goleman coined the necessary emotional intelligence to make desired or unforeseen changes. However,...

Many of us dread having to convey our ideas to others, often feeling ill-equipped, anxious, and awkward. Public speaking experts help by focusing on planned communication experiences such as slide presentations, pitches, or formal talks. Yet, most of our professional and personal communication occurs in spontaneous situations that creep up on us and all too often leave us flustered and stumbling f...

“He who conquers others is strong, but he who conquers himself is mighty.” –Lao Szu So often impulsive behaviors keep us stuck or keep us feeling helpless. From little things to small, it can be hard to stop, especially when we start thinking about the thing. In fact, it’s almost like we spend our day waiting for the moment when we will just give in to the behavior. From overeating to drinking to...

Reut Schwartz-Hebron was born in Jerusalem. She is a Certifying Partner at KCI (KeyChange Institute). She is a leading expert at the intersection of neuroscience and challenging change. Reut trains and certifies change leaders to use Neuroscience-based models to support people through transitions. Today we discuss her opinions about everything related to the personality and whether or not we reall...

Today we speak with Dr. James Hollis , a speaker, professor, Jungian analyst, and bestselling author of 19 books examining life and how to cherish every moment. His world-renowned books, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life , The Eden Project , What Matters Most , and Living an Examined Life , have been translated into over twenty languages.  We discuss his latest book, A Life of Meaning, wh...

Brian Bogert is a passionate performance coach, motivational speaker, business strategist, top sales professional and philanthropic leader who believes in helping growth-minded individuals achieve the best version of themselves: their most authentic selves. Brian teaches how to leverage radical authenticity and awareness to create the intentional life you’ve been dreaming of, but have struggled to...

Joe Sanok is a productivity researcher, business consultant, and creator of the popular The Practice of the Practice podcast. Let’s just say Joe gets a lot done, but he does manage to do this with his ideas of hard and soft boundaries and clearly delineating the lines between what is work and what is play. There is a lot to learn from Joe, his approach, and the initiatives he’s started through his...

Chad and Shelley explore the reasons behind why we overwork. They examine the beliefs behind overworking, and consider how and when we can begin to dismantle those beliefs and pursue second mountain work. Time Stamps: Why do I overwork? 0:02 We all have a big self and pursuing it is fully, but most of us let fear persuade us not to pay attention to the episodes. We live in a meritocracy and compet...

You may be familiar with him from his Super Soul Sunday radio series and his popular interview with Oprah from over ten years ago. Whether or not you've heard him--or of him--Reverend Ed Bacon has a second mountain message we could all use in our lives. The Reverend was ordained an Episcopal priest after serving as Mercer University’s Minister to Students and Dean of Students as a Southern Baptist...

“Toxic” cultures aren’t all the same. They’re caused by different poinsons. So start there. Bad boss? Unrealistic expectations? Systemic overload? How you answer this will determine how you respond.  How do we define “toxic”? An environment that’s incompatible with YOUR wellbeing.  Wellbeing consists of physical, emotional, intellectual, relational and spiritual wellbeing.  But if you aren’t at an...

Judy K. Herman inspires executive women to unlock the power of their authentic selves in order to live peaceful, purposeful, and positive lives without regret. She provides keynotes, seminars, and workshops for companies who support women in leadership while honoring authentic work relationships and cultures. Her clinical and personal experiences enhance her work as an executive coach providing sk...

We hear a lot of language around using Enneagram arrows in this "growth" and "stress" language, and we'd like to be a part of putting that theory to rest. At least, we'd like to offer a better alternative to thinking of it in a simpler, and also slightly more accurate way. We want to "hit the bullseye" when it comes to our arrows. You can go to your first arrow--what we call the "energizing" arrow...

Dr. Heather Penny is a leadership coach and trusted advisor helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals guided by the 3C's: Clarity, Confidence, and Courage.  With a Ph. D. in Human Services and an M.A. in Educational Leadership, Dr. Penny is uniquely positioned to help leaders and teams find their shared vision, develop confidence in their roles, and take action to achieve the succe...

Tom Gautreaux is one of those what we call local legends that we organically find opportunity to speak with. These easygoing conversations focus around building an identity–a self–that finds success in the world, and how they have experienced building a life in ways that sometimes haven’t, but mostly have, flourished.  Tom’s our next door neighbor. His father is the well-known novelist and short-s...

We are living in a world that is sick. Both literally sick, with 60 percent of adults in the US living with a chronic illness and rising rates of autoimmune diseases in particular, including long COVID, and figuratively sick, facing ever increasing rates of burnout, anxiety, and disconnection. As a writer, activist, and theology student, Lyndsey Medford was used to critiquing unsustainable medical...

On this episode, we discuss why we use the term "mountain" when discussing the idea of the "in between" the first and second mountain. The first mountain is the mountain of individual freedom: it is the mountain of autonomy and action, of personal happiness and independence. The second mountain, on the other hand, is the mountain of commitment: it is the mountain of moral joy and meaning, the moun...

As a seasoned marketing executive, Teresa has helped many organizations navigate transitions and transformations and achieve lofty goals such as being acquired, exponentially increasing shareholder value, or transforming from a traditional organization to a digital one. Today, as Chief Liminist, strategic advisor, and executive coach, Teresa helps people and organizations master the “art of the pi...

Sajad Vahedi is a relationship coach. We met him through our Big Self community, and recognized he has a message worth sharing. He uses the Schema Therapy framework to help clients break the toxic relationship cycle and build healthy and fulfilling relationships by becoming their authentic selves. He believes every person has a unique gift, and if we are our truest selves, we live an authentic lif...

Chalmers Brothers is a best-selling author, certified personal / executive coach, consultant, seminar leader and speaker. 36-year career focused on leadership development, workplace culture, productivity and accountability, teamwork and clarity in communication, emotional intelligence, trust- and relationship-building. His books, Language and the Pursuit of Happiness and Language and the Pursuit o...

Some of us want to achieve inner peace and harmony. We're tired of the stresses we constantly feel. And while it is true, when you heal, when you do the inner work to achieve the outer results of different behaviors and renewed relationships, you do cut down on the drama. But much like exercise requires us to constantly challenge our physical bodies, so too is there a need for ongoing inner confli...