Turning Towards Life - a Thirdspace podcast

How much of each us gets excluded when we constantly compare ourselves to one another, and to the expectations we're handed by our culture. And how much we exclude the gifts of others by the very same process. Is there a way we could give up inappropriate comparison and in so doing learn to include so much more everyone's talents and gifts, and the supportive ground of life itself?In this conversation we talk about different kinds of learning, mischief, the attitudes we take that portray us as 'better than' or 'worse than' others, and what it is to deeply and gladly welcome the many kinds of difference and intelligence that are available in the world.This week's Turning Towards Life is from May 2023, remixed and represented as we are in the midst of teaching the final session of this year’s Professional Coaching Course. It’s hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.This is Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast in all the usual podcast places.Our source for this week:People ask mewhy I am happy.What can I say ?I stopped trying to bethe sharpest toolin the shed.Once I gave that up,I could rest in all this love.Relaxed, I opened the door,stepped out and discoveredthe whole bliss gardenI'd been missing.Ingrid Goff-Maidoffingridgoffmaidoff.comPhoto by Lucio Patone on Unsplash ---Join Us Live in 2026Foundations of Integral Development Coaching, led by Lizzie and JustinSept 7-8 2026, OnlineOur two-day immersive introduction to integral development coaching, led by Lizzie and Justin from Turning Towards Life. An opportunity to begin to learn to support others in deep, life giving discovery and development.You can hear us talk about our coaching programmes her here:www.turningtowards.life/coachingYou can read more 'Foundations' here:www.wearethirdspace.org/foundations-of-coachingAnd our year-long Professional Coaching Course here:www.wearethirdspace.org/professional-coaching-courseTurning Towards Life Live Season 3, from September 2026Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons, in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live----About Turning Towards LifeTurning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.Join Our Weekly Mailing: www.turningtowards.life/subscribeSupport Us: www.buymeacoffee.com/turningtowardslife

When we make mistakes or take a wrong turn, it's understandable that our first move might be to blame others, or try to defend ourselves, or do all we can to avoid the feelings of shame or disappointment that come our way. What those responses do, though, is close us off to our human capacity to learn and to be creative in the midst of our difficulties. So what does it take to turn towards the 'holes we fall into' with a kinder, more expansive spirit, and to grow ourselves a little bit bigger so we can respond? And, perhaps most importantly, what does it take to do this not on our own, but together with others?In our conversation we talk specifically about Turning Towards Life - Live - Season 2, which begins in March 2026.This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.Episode Overview00:00 Introduction to Turning Towards Life03:01 On Reflection and Learning05:46 Exploring Portia Nelson's Poem09:11 Personal Reflections on Mistakes and Relationships11:58 The Importance of Responsibility and Kindness15:07 Navigating Relational Patterns and Habits17:56 The Power of Choice and Agency20:53 Understanding the Dynamics of Relationships23:50 Finding Purpose in Conversations26:46 The Role of Community in Growth29:54 Conclusion and Invitation to Join the JourneyThis is Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast in all the usual podcast places.Here's our source for this week:Autobiography In Five ChaptersII walk down the street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalkI fall in.I am lost … I am helpless.It isn’t my fault.It takes me forever to find a way out.III walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I pretend I don’t see it.I fall in again.I can’t believe I am in the same placebut, it isn’t my fault.It still takes a long time to get out.IIII walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I see it is there.I still fall in … it’s a habit.my eyes are openI know where I am.It is my fault.I get out immediately.IVI walk down the same street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I walk around it.VI walk down another street.by Portia Nelson---Join Us Live in 2026Professional Coaching Course, begins July 2-5 2026, OnlineOur year long programme, an opportunity to learn to support others in deep, life giving discovery and development.You can hear us talk about the programme here:www.turningtowards.life/coachingAnd you can read more about it here:www.wearethirdspace.org/professional-coaching-courseTurning Towards Life Live Season 2, from 4 March 2026Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons, in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live----About Turning Towards LifeTurning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.Join Our Weekly Mailing: www.turningtowards.life/subscribeSupport Us: www.buymeacoffee.com/turningtowardslife

How do we counter the stories in ourselves that render our lives flat, meaningless and mechanical? And how might we find sources of life inside ourselves and around us that support our participation, relationship and contribution, especially when we are feeling afraid or disoriented? A conversation about the everyday, about a radical appreciation of the sacredness of everything, and about breathing ourselves bigger to meet the one life that is offered to us.In our conversation we talk specifically about Turning Towards Life - Live - Season 2, which begins in March 2026. This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.Episode Overview00:00 Introduction and Connection02:12 Exploring Creative Processes and Literature03:21 Introduction and Overview of Turning Towards Life06:26 Exploring the Improbable Nature of Existence09:50 The Illusion of Control and the Power of Wonder14:12 Finding Sacredness in the Ordinary19:44 Engaging with Life's Complexity and Meaning24:27 The Invitation to Expand Beyond Habitual Responses28:26 Reflections on Time and Choices in Life31:45 Closing Thoughts and Future ConversationsThis is Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast in all the usual podcast places.Here's our source for this week:On the Calculation of VolumeIt seems so odd to me now, how one can be so unsettled by the improbable. When we know that our entire existence is founded on freak occurrences and improbable coincidences. That we wouldn't be here at all if it weren't for these curious twists of fate. That there are human beings on what we call our planet, that we can move around on a rotating sphere in a vast universe full of inconceivably large bodies comprised of elements so small that the mind simply cannot comprehend how small and how many they are. That in this unfathom-able vastness, these infinitesimal elements are still able to hold themselves together. That we manage to stay afloat. That we exist at all. That each of us has come into being as only one of untold possibilities. The unthinkable is something we carry with us always. It has already happened: we are improbable, we have emerged from a cloud of unbelievable coincidences.Anyone would think that this knowledge would equip us in some small way to face the improbable. But the opposite appears to be the case. We have grown accustomed to living with that knowledge without feeling dizzy every morning, and instead of moving around warily and tentatively, in constant amazement, we behave as if nothing has happened, take the strangeness of it all for granted and get dizzy if life shows itself as it truly is: improbable, unpredictable, remarkable.Solvej Balle, from ‘On the Calculation of Volume’, Vol 1Photo by Mario Losereit on Unsplash---Join Us Live in 2026Professional Coaching Course, begins July 2-5 2026, OnlineOur year long programme, an opportunity to learn to support others in deep, life giving discovery and development.You can hear us talk about the programme here:www.turningtowards.life/coachingAnd you can read more about it here:www.wearethirdspace.org/professional-coaching-courseTurning Towards Life Live Season 2, from March 2026Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons, in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live----About Turning Towards LifeTurning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.Join Our Weekly Mailing: www.turningtowards.life/subscribeSupport Us: www.buymeacoffee.com/turningtowardslife

Thirdspace turns 21 years old today, and so we take this opportunity to reflect together on one of our central commitments: learning to respond ever more to the world with wisdom, creativity, and compassion. We talk about what it is to be an integral development coach, and what it is to learn to coach with these commitments in mind, especially during these times. And we reflect on the joys and opportunities of being intentionally of service to others and to the world around us.In our conversation we talk specifically about the Thirdspace Professional Coaching Course, which next begins July 2026, and the Foundations of Coaching 2-day programme on February 9-10 and May 11-12.This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.Episode Overview00:00 Introduction to the Year-Long Coaching Programme04:31 Understanding Integral Development Coaching11:47 The Importance of Community in Coaching18:29 The Role of Service in Coaching26:04 Awe and Wonder in Coaching Relationships32:09 Conclusion and Invitation to Join the ProgrammeThis is Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast in all the usual podcast places.Here's our source for this week:"Despair is the covering of our love for our world, and we crack it open by speaking it so that our love can act. So the key is not being afraid of our pain for the world." "This is the story of the transition from the Industrial Growth Society to a Life-Sustaining Society... More and more people come to see how interwoven we are as peoples and recognize that solidarity with one another is a way through these crises. So we join together to act for the sake of life on Earth." "When we open our eyes to what is happening, even when it breaks our hearts, we discover our true size; for our heart, when it breaks open, can hold the whole universe."Joanna Macywww.joannamacy.net/workPhoto by Justin Wise---Join Us Live in 2026Foundations of Coaching, Feb 9-10 2026, OnlineOur two day introduction to the deep and wonderful way of working with people that we call 'Integral Development Coaching'.www.wearethirdspace.org/foundations-of-coachingProfessional Coaching Course, begins July 2-5 2026, OnlineOur year long programme, an opportunity to learn to support others in deep, life giving discovery and development.www.wearethirdspace.org/professional-coaching-courseTurning Towards Life Live Season 2, from March 2026Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons, in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live----About Turning Towards LifeTurning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.Join Our Weekly Mailing: www.turningtowards.life/subscribeSupport Us: www.buymeacoffee.com/turningtowardslife

What if we mistake ourselves for the stories we've been told - that life is about our happiness, that we should wrestle control from circumstance, that we're separate from the world around us? A conversation about discovering that we didn't parachute into nature but grew from it, like apple blossoms on a vast tree of generations of living things. We ask: what becomes possible when we allow ourselves to feel the fullness of being human, grief and joy and all the rest, rather than contracting around our preferences? Could recognising ourselves as nature's response, rather than isolated egos demanding certainty, reveal what we're here to do?This week's Turning Towards Life is hosted as always by Lizzie Winn and Justin Wise of Thirdspace.Episode Overview00:00 Welcome to Turning Towards Life02:45 Creating Conversations That Matter04:35 The Irony of Pursuing Happiness08:21 The Metaphor of Apple Blossoms13:28 Rethinking Happiness18:10 The Complexity of Human Experience22:46 Engaging with Life's Uncertainty26:32 Responding to Life as Nature30:29 The Practice of Consciousness32:31 Closing ReflectionsThis is Turning Towards Life, a weekly live 30 minute conversation hosted by Thirdspace in which Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn dive deep into big questions of human living. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast in all the usual podcast places.Here's our source for this week:Your Life is Not About YouOne of the cruelest ironies of Western life is that, today, the key, unquestioned, seemingly self-evident axiom of the Western wellbeing and self-help industry is precisely that our life is about us; that we have to wrestle the reins of our life from mere happenstance and circumstance and determine its course ourselves; that we have to proactively pursue our agenda and project meaning onto it; and - perhaps cruelest of all - that our life is about our being happy. All of this is unnatural and unjustified to the point of being grotesque... Is the life of an apple blossom about the apple blossom? If not, then for precisely the same reason ours cannot be about us. And this is the great discovery of the second half of life: our life isn't, has never been, and can't ever be about us. Why would it? We are part of nature; why would our life be about us and not nature as a whole? … Nature is, of course, impersonal. It's agenda is universal and holistic, not restricted to the petty egoic tastes and preferences of a person. It is naïve to expect a human being to be able to comprehend the … universal agenda, just as it is naïve to expect an apple blossom to comprehend what its role is in the grand scheme of apple trees and life on Earth. We are segments of nature, not mere witnesses; we didn't parachute into nature, but grew out of it. Therefore, we are nature, as expressed in a particular volume of spacetime.Bernardo Kastrup - The Daimon and the Soul of the WestPhoto by Anastasiya Romanova on Unsplash---Join Us Live in 2026Foundations of Coaching, Feb 9-10 2026, OnlineOur two day introduction to the deep and wonderful way of working with people that we call 'Integral Development Coaching'.www.wearethirdspace.org/foundations-of-coachingTurning Towards Life Live Season 2, from March 2026Our Turning Towards Life live programme of community, learning and reflection runs in six month seasons, in person on Zoom once a month. We're very excited about it. A chance to expand beyond the bounds of a podcast into forming a community of learning and practice.You can find out more and join us here: www.turningtowards.life/live----About Turning Towards LifeTurning Towards Life, a week-by-week conversation inviting us deeply into our lives, is a live 30 minute conversation hosted by Justin Wise and Lizzie Winn of Thirdspace. Find us on FaceBook to join in the lively conversation on this episode. You can find videos of every episode, and more about the project on the Turning Towards Life website, and you can also watch and listen on Instagram, YouTube, and as a podcast on Apple, Amazon Music and Spotify.Join Our Weekly Mailing: www.turningtowards.life/subscribeSupport Us: www.buymeacoffee.com/turningtowardslife