The Meaning Project

President Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech is often used as motivational material - as an admonition to get out and "just do it", or to "dare greatly". In this episode of the podcast, Rabbi B. and I discuss this idea from a different perspective. Maybe we don't need to "dare greatly", but perhaps "choose meaningfully"? We will let you decide. Enjoy! “It is not the critic who counts;...

Dr. Viktor Frankl was known to be quite direct in his approach to helping people. Perhaps, some might even call his questioning to be a bit "harsh" at times. However, his results were unquestionably successful. In one of the darkest times in his country's history, he was able to decrease suicide rates significantly in the clinics where he was employed. And, as you know, his teachings have grown in...

I don't know about you, but some days I feel like STRESS should be added to the Tragic Triad to make a Tragic Square - Pain, Guilt, Suffering, and STRESS. The 4 things we will all have to deal with in our lives. This past week was particularly stressful for me - I'll tell you all about it in the podcast. And, rather than deal with it in the ways I encourage others to do so - in a healthy way, I re...

Rabbi B., Dr. Baruch HaLevi, logotherapist, former Rabbi (once a Rabbi always a Rabbi?), and all-around good man, is someone I have the honor to have become friends with through our mutual work to share the wisdom of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis, and the teachings of Dr. Viktor Frankl. As you may heard, "B." and I have been working together quite a bit lately - hours each week - to formula...

From what I've read, most podcasts don't make it past 10 episodes. And a large percentage aren't sharing weekly content. Thank you for giving me this opportunity - and the motivation and encouragement to go with it - in order to continue sharing these ideas on mental health and meaning. I hope you find it as meaningful as I do! In this episode, I review the 3 triads of logotherapy that help can he...

What better way to celebrate 99 episodes of The Meaning Project Podcast than with a chat with our friend, Rabbi B. But this isn't any chat. We been talking for a long time about doing "something big" - and now it's time to take action. So, in this episode, we start planning and sharing - under the guise of a normal B & D chat about Logotherapy. Part logotherapeutic goodness, part hints and tea...

Terry Fossum lives a truly meaningful life. He's creative - you can see that in his storytelling and ideas in the book The Oxcart Technique and his audio course, Blow the Bolts. His experiences are inspiring - Commissioned Officer in the US Air Force with multiple awards, black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and reality tv survival show winner, just to name a few. Most importantly, he spends his days servin...

Former guest of The Meaning Project Podcast, Matthew Lostaglia, issued a public challenge on social media - he threw down the gauntlet straight '30's style boxing... He came at me and said something like this, "I don't believe in 'personality', and I think people who do are dumb..." OK, it wasn't quite like that, but the original comment is so buried in social media history, that can't even find i...

David has a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology, and has worked in multiple fields of behavioral health treatment for nearly 25 years, including outpatient counseling, crisis stabilization, inpatient, substance abuse, and youth residential programs. He began working as a Psychologist with the Michigan Department of Corrections Mental Health Program in 2002, and currently is the Mental Hea...

Debbie Gottlieb is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been a therapist in the Fort Lauderdale area for over ten years. Her gift is being able to see between the lines and help people connect to their true potential. She cares for her clients and assists them in moving forward in their lives. Debbie has been Clinical Director, Lead Therapist and Program Director of start-up treatment centers...

This episode is, perhaps, the most important conversation I've had in nearly 100 episodes. Jess Michaels is an Epstein survivor who struggled with the physical symptoms of sexual assault for over 25 years - culminating in Adrenal Fatique Syndrome; until her involvement with the families of Sandy Hook reawakened her trauma and forced her to make cognitive connections in order to heal. Her story of...

I'm just not feeling it this episode. Haven't been "feelin' it" for a little while now. But then again, many of us "aren't feeling it" - are we depressed? Am I depressed? Or, maybe, is it a case of The Winter Blues - "Seasonal Affect Disorder" - or the body's natural tendency to want to hibernate when it's cold, dark, and grey for days an weeks at a time? In this episode, I discuss the difference...

Retirement can often lead to the dreaded "Existential Vacuum" if we are not prepared to take meaningful action after the end of the job. Navy Chief Petty Officer (Retired) Joseph Paul and I have been friends for quite a while, so we typically have quite a bit to talk about. But, as you can hear in this episode, there is still a lot that I don't fully understand about military service and military...

There are Narcissists among us. But maybe not as many as you think. And most of us shouldn't be throwing around that label as casually as we are - and we CERTAINLY shouldn't be "researching" it (ie. Doctor Google & WebMD) it online! So, if there is someone in our life who is a little, or a lot, selfish, who can't validate our emotions, or who might just be damn annoying sometimes - what should...

Heuric Rako is a Cyber Security professional with over 8 years in the tech space and he has a message to share with the new generation. His passion for personal development and emotional intelligence put him in a unique position to be able to blend cyber security and anyone's own personal journey toward success. In this episode, he shares some his thoughts on "hacking your potential" and, unexpect...

If you know, you know. When Rabbi B. and I get together, good conversations about Logotherapy happen. This episode is no exception. Yeah, we start out funny talking about Ted Lasso, but it quickly gets serious as we take a deep dive into why Logotherapy hasn't scaled in the US, and why we think it NEEDS to. To find out more about Rabbi B. and his Enneagram work, check out https://defiantspirit.org...

Mikalee Byerman is a "writer chick, keynote speaker, and humor strategist" who encourages employers and leaders to ditch the stuffy "nose-to-the-grindstone" mantra for a more humane and connected culture - one of humor and connection. In this week's podcast, she shares what it means to be a "humor strategist", just how bad therapy can get, and her 4 tips for a more meaningful life - (hint, "reconn...

Dr. Xu Simon is smart. Being that she works in the Boston area, you could say she is "wicked smaaht". She earned her BA in Biochemistry from Rice University and, in 2008, completed her PhD in Biophysical Chemistry and Molecular Structure at MIT. After conducting postdoctoral studies in structural biology at Brandeis University, she served for two years as an American Association for the Advancemen...

We've talked a lot about Existential Dynamics over the past year - but just what the heck is "MEPSRV" and what does it have to do with moving and creating? You'll find out in this first episode of 2023! I hope you enjoy! To support your favorite podcast on Mental Health & Meaning, pick up some meaningful The Meaning Project Podcast merch in our store at https://the-meaning-project-podcast.crea...

Dr. Holly Woods is a Purpose activator, entrepreneur, scientist, author, speaker, innovation, product and systems consultant and undaunted catalyst to help you become the most alive, emergent and embodied version of yourself and to achieve all that. Basically, she is wicked smart in a variety of areas. Over the course of her "dozens of careers" and 30-plus years as a Master Coach and Scientist of...

Every month, I have the honor to speak to a group of caring parents in Canada. This group was original started meeting during the time of COVID "stay at home" measures in order to discuss ways to help their children deal with the issues of being socially isolated while trying to continue their educations. Since then, it has evolved into something much greater. In this episode, we discuss "experien...

Sheree Cain-Jones is a powerful speaker - her desire to help comes through in almost every word she speaks. Her specialty is helping leaders develop a mindset of confidence, clarity, and vision. Sheree has a Bachelor's in Nursing and a Master's in Project Management. She is currently in a doctoral program to help executive leaders overcome obstacles stopping them from reaching their full potential...

The only thing more impressive than Dr. Kris Sargent's extensive CV is her personality. It really wasn't hard to find helpful topics from her wide ranging knowledge to talk about - but we had definitely not planned to talk about her dating life right from the start! She did an amazing job connecting her believes about meeting people to making meaningful decisions - and from there we were off to th...

Training for physical fitness and athletic competition - running, cycling, swimming, walking, weight-lifting, hiking, etc. - or even engaging in these activities just for fun can help us build resilience and bounce back from difficult times. Jay Thompson, and his 1700 miles on the Appalachian Trail, are perfect examples of this! All those miles give you a lot of time to thing, and to draw comparis...

I had a wonderful opportunity this week to speak to one our podcast listeners, and a group of parents she has been working with for the past few years. We had a great discussion about the similarities and differences in parenting young adults in Canada and the US - and what it means to help our kids through times of stress. Even though the focus is on parents and kids, there are a lot of tips and...