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- 🇳🇿NZ · Self-Improvement#136500 to 3K
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500 to 3K🎙 ~2x weekly·170 episodes·Last published yesterday - Monthly Reach
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400 to 2.4K
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From 10 epsHost
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What is a Good Life? #176 - What Is It About Dogs? with Doug Skoke
May 26, 2026
1h 04m 33s
What is a Good Life? #175 - Closing the Gap Between Values & Life with Jennifer Garvey Berger
May 19, 2026
58m 51s
What is a Good Life? #174 - Being In The Pulse Of Life with Laura Beckingham
May 12, 2026
1h 06m 11s
What is a Good Life? #173 - The Place Of Multiple Belongings with Dave Snowden
May 5, 2026
52m 23s
What is a Good Life? #172 - What If It Were Easy? with Dr Myriam Hadnes
Apr 28, 2026
53m 16s
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5/26/26 |  What is a Good Life? #176 - What Is It About Dogs? with Doug Skoke | What is it about dogs?It's the question Doug Skoke has been sitting with and it turns out, trying to understand what makes his golden doodle Harley tick has become one of his most impactful explorations of how to actually live well.Doug is the Founder & CEO of LFG NOW!, a boutique executive search firm, and a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths Coach - but what defines him more than any title is a lifelong obsession with people, energy, and what it means to show up fully in your own life. A daily meditator and firm believer in the Platinum Rule - treat others as they prefer to be treated - Doug has spent over a decade exploring practical and spiritual approaches to growth, resilience, and presence.What begins as a question about why dogs are so emotionally regulating opens into one covering grief, crisis, dialectical behavioural therapy, the self-love pendulum, radical acceptance, and what it actually means to lift others up.Whether you're drawn to mindfulness, emotional intelligence, personal growth, or just an honest human conversation - this episode is for you.For more from Doug Skoke:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougskoke/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ @whatisagoodlife3875 00:00 Five Years In The Making01:15 What Is It About Dogs?03:30 The Thought Bubble Cartoon06:00 What Dogs Know About Presence09:09 When His Brother Died11:14 Alma's Unwavering Welcome13:20 Angels In Disguise18:50 Unconditional, Every Single Moment24:20 The Dog He Almost Gave Away30:53 Learning To Regulate40:15 The Self-Love Pendulum1:01:08 What Is A Good Life for Doug? | 1h 04m 33s | ||||||
| 5/19/26 |  What is a Good Life? #175 - Closing the Gap Between Values & Life with Jennifer Garvey Berger | In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney sits down with Jennifer Garvey Berger - author, global leadership coach, and co-founder and CEO of Cultivating Leadership - to explore one of the most honest questions a person can ask: am I actually living in alignment with what I say matters most?Jennifer has spent decades helping leaders untangle big questions and find more courageous, compassionate ways to lead. All four of her books are Stanford University Press top sellers of the last decade. But here, she turns that same rigorous curiosity on herself.She shares the moment she realised her deepest values - generosity and curiosity - have their own shadows. She unpacks the concept of values as polarities, why rigid adherence to a single value leaves the whole system weak, and how she learned to hold temporary certainty without pretending to have all the answers.If you're interested in personal growth, leadership, values, conscious living, philosophy of life, intentional community, or a good life, this episode is for you.For more from Jennifer Garvey Berger:Company Website: www.cultivatingleadership.comBooks: Unleash Your Complexity Genius: https://www.sup.org/books/business/unleash-your-complexity-geniusChanging on the Job: https://www.sup.org/books/business/changing-job-second-editionLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-garvey-berger-7b4a264/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ @whatisagoodlife3875 00:02 A Question Worth Following01:31 Closing the Values Gap04:01 When Values Cast Shadows08:53 Generosity and Curiosity's Dark Side13:02 Shame and the Human Condition16:29 Learning to Take Stands18:49 Standing for Love23:19 Certainty at Sea26:21 Time, Physics and Reality33:39 Rising to Love38:05 The Intentional Community50:28 What Is A Good Life for Jennifer? | 58m 51s | ||||||
| 5/12/26 |  What is a Good Life? #174 - Being In The Pulse Of Life with Laura Beckingham | In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney sits down with Laura Beckingham - a modern mystic for turbulent times. It's a conversation that remains as grounded in the bread and butter of life as it ascends into the spiritual.We move from asking what existence is all about through radical inclusion, Family Constellations, ancestral wisdom, the right size in relationships, grief and death, the energy of birth - and why a good life for Laura is about staying in contact with the pulse of life.It will leave you with plenty to sit with.Laura works one-to-one with senior execs who are dismantling the system from the inside, and with people practitioners and creatives who are doing something of the same in their own way. You can also join her in community online, for ritual and reflective practice in The Sanctum, and at The Loom.For more from Laura Beckingham:Website: https://spacewith-in.com/ The Sanctum: https://spacewith-in.com/category/the-sanctum/The Loom: https://spacewith-in.com/the-loom-2026/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-beckingham-109bb625/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ @whatisagoodlife3875 00:00 What Is All of This?02:15 Born Curious07:10 Knowing and Not Knowing10:25 Old Wisdom, New Ways14:50 Radical Inclusion18:30 Do No Harm20:45 The Right Size25:10 Life as Attunement28:30 Opening and Closing34:00 In Motion and Still40:40 The Witch and the Field55:35 Grief, death, birth1:01:00 What Is a Good Life? | 1h 06m 11s | ||||||
| 5/5/26 |  What is a Good Life? #173 - The Place Of Multiple Belongings with Dave Snowden✨ | complexity scienceorganisational design+4 | Dave Snowden | The Cynefin Co.Cynefin Framework+1 | Northern Ireland | good lifecomplexity science+5 | — | 52m 23s | |
| 4/28/26 |  What is a Good Life? #172 - What If It Were Easy? with Dr Myriam Hadnes✨ | self-discoverycommunication+4 | Dr Myriam Hadnes | workshops.workUnprofessionalism podcast+3 | — | good lifebehavioural economics+6 | — | 53m 16s | |
| 4/21/26 |  What is a Good Life? #171 - What Must My Life Be About with Robert J. Anderson✨ | purposeintuition+3 | Robert J. Anderson | Leadership CircleStayer Center for Executive Education+4 | — | leadershippurpose+6 | — | 1h 14m 51s | |
| 4/14/26 |  What is a Good Life? #170 - Recovering Right Relationship with Ally Kingston✨ | right relationshipsobriety+5 | Ally Kingston | Purpose DisruptorsAgency for Nature+1 | — | good liferight relationship+8 | — | 55m 15s | |
| 4/7/26 |  What is a Good Life? #169 - Wonder, Wildness And Song with Sam Lee✨ | wonderfolk music+4 | Sam Lee | The Global Rewilding AllianceThe Nightingale, Notes on a songbird+1 | — | wonderfolk music+5 | — | 1h 00m 58s | |
| 3/31/26 |  What is a Good Life? #168 - What It Means to Be Fully Alive with Joel Monk✨ | spiritual bypassingembodiment+4 | Joel Monk | Coaches RisingCoaches Rising Podcast+1 | — | fully alivespiritual bypassing+6 | — | 57m 14s | |
| 3/24/26 |  What is a Good Life? #167 - Gifts, Rituals, & The Path To Belonging with Bruce Anderson✨ | giftsrituals+3 | Bruce Anderson | Core Gift Institute | Seattle, USAAlaska | good lifegifts+5 | — | 57m 27s | |
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| 3/17/26 |  What is a Good Life? #166 - Living Your Own Version Of Success with Kaylyn Lehmann✨ | self-trustsuccess+5 | Kaylyn Lehmann | Simplified CoachTuesdays with Morrie | — | trust yourselfsuccess+5 | — | 57m 32s | |
| 3/10/26 |  What is a Good Life? #165 - Money Is Never Just Money with Bogumil Baranowski✨ | moneyemotional experience+4 | Bogumil Baranowski | Talking BillionsBlue Infinitas+4 | — | moneyinheritance+5 | — | 1h 02m 16s | |
| 3/3/26 |  What is a Good Life? #164 - The End Of All Seeking with Nicholas Janni✨ | leadershippersonal development+5 | Nicholas Janni | Matrix DevelopmentLeader as Healer, a new paradigm for 21 st century leadership+1 | — | good lifeleadership+6 | — | 56m 18s | |
| 2/24/26 |  What is a Good Life? #163 - Listening To The Mighty Heart with Dr Scilla Elworthy | Dr Scilla Elworthy is a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee for her work with Oxford Research Group to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers worldwide and their critics from 1983-2003. She founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn from local peace-builders in conflict areas, was awarded the Niwano Peace Prize in 2003, the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2020, the GOI Peace Award in 2023. Her TED talk on nonviolence has been viewed by over 1,500,000 people. She founded The Business Plan for Peace to help prevent destructive conflict and build sustainable peace throughout the world, based on her latest books - The Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War (2017), The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict (2020), and The Mighty Heart in Action (2022).In this wonderful conversation, Scilla and Mark explore why the heart is the one faculty that will always tell you the truth, how learning to listen to it transformed her work with diplomats and military leaders, and why she believes the world is entering an era of profound change led by those willing to lead from the inside out. This is a conversation for people who sense there's a deeper way to live but haven't yet learned to trust it.For more from Dr Scilla Elworthy's work:Oxford Research Group: http://oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/Peace Direct: https://www.peacedirect.org/The Mighty Heart: https://mightyheart.co.uk/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 – Introduction02:06 – Why the Heart Doesn't Lie07:07 – The Rhythm of Your Heart10:46 – Learning to Meditate Deeply15:02 – Meditators Beneath the Diplomats21:04 – Inner Intelligence in Others27:51 – Who Am I, Really?33:45 – Nourishing a Hurting Heart42:52 – The Mighty Heart Program46:39 – What Is a Good Life?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 49m 52s | ||||||
| 2/17/26 |  What is a Good Life? #162 - What Comes After Optimising with Jasper Walshe | In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Jasper Walshe, coach, facilitator and founder of TRIPS Tank™, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about identity, self-trust and what it really means to live well. Jasper traces his journey from fixating on high-performance coaching to a deeper, more grounded relationship with himself — touching on psychotherapy breakthroughs, psychedelic experiences, the trap of wrapping identity in achievement, and his present question: how can I live in wonder? This is a genuinely human conversation about accepting the full range of life, not just the optimised parts.Topics covered:- High performance identity & its hidden cost- Psychotherapy & the power of unfiltered honesty- Living in wonder vs chasing optimisation- Self-respect as a core value- Moments of unexpected clarity- What is a good life?This episode is for anyone who's hit the goals and found themselves asking — is this it?For more from Jasper Walshe:Company Website: https://tripstank.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasperwalshe/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney0:00 – Jasper's evolving life question02:30 – The high performance Kool-Aid06:00 – Curiosity beyond performance10:33 – Letting go of identity15:04 – "So, who are you?"19:30 – Dropping the filtered answers23:00 – The couch breakthrough moment28:30 – How "wonder" emerged36:30 – Visualising five years ahead45:44 – What self-respect looks like58:55 – What is a good life?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 1h 01m 48s | ||||||
| 2/10/26 |  What is a Good Life? #161 - The Potential For Compassion with Rasmus Hougaard | What does it take to be happy? And why does happiness so often slip away?In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Rasmus Hougaard for a conversation that moves from childhood questions about happiness, to monasteries in Nepal, to the boardrooms where he now works to transform leadership. Rasmus is the Founder and Chairman of Potential Project and was nominated by Thinkers 50 as one of the eight most important leadership thinkers in the world today. He's the author of The Mind of the Leader, Compassionate Leadership, and More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead.Together, they explore:Why an eight-year-old's question about happiness became a life's workThe cultural wisdom Rasmus found in Nepal that the West is missingHow his brother's death inspired his life's purposeA profound encounter with an unknown monk that transmitted unconditional loveThe difficulty of being human, even with deep practice and good intentionsThe innate goodness we all carry (and why many of us have forgotten it)What changes when leaders ask "how are you?" before "what do we need to do?"This conversation sits with both the challenge of being human and the incredible capacity we have for loving kindness. It's about the practice of returning to what matters again and again.This episode is for anyone wondering if there's more to leadership, happiness, and being human than what we've been taught.For more of Rasmus' work:Potential Project: https://www.potentialproject.com/Books: https://www.potentialproject.com/resources#01-books LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmushougaard/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 Why Aren't We Happy?05:30 Finding a Practice at Seventeen11:45 Wisdom in Himalayan Culture17:20 Life's Purpose from Tragedy24:30 Meeting Bodhisattva Charles31:15 Our Innate Human Goodness37:40 The Difficulty of Being Human43:10 Forced Surrender and Self-Compassion48:25 Transformation in Corporate Spaces52:15 Multiple Lives, Less Pressure54:30 What is a Good Life for Rasmus?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 53m 15s | ||||||
| 2/3/26 |  What is a Good Life? #160 - The Art Of Living With Coherence with João Sevilhano | What does it really mean to live a coherent life?In this episode of What Is a Good Life, Mark McCartney is joined by João Sevilhano for a deep, reflective conversation on coherence, something that goes beyond rigid moral ideals and is more a lived, imperfect practice. João is a psychologist and learning experience designer. Co-CEO of Way Beyond, where he works on human development and organisational transformation. His background is in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. He collaborates with Porto Business School and NOVA Doctoral School, and he tends to think meaningful conversation is underrated as a tool for change.Together, they explore:What coherence feels like in everyday lifeThe tension between values, actions, and changing our mindsWhy coherence is different from authenticity or consistencyParenting, work, and small decisions as tests of alignment“Slow activism” and the impact of how we show up with othersRather than offering quick answers or formulas, this conversation sits with uncertainty, contradiction, and the discipline of paying attention - particularly when no one is watching.This episode is for anyone feeling the pull between who they are, how they live, and what the world is asking of them right now.For more of João's work:Newsletter: https://useful-uselessness.com/Way Beyond Website: https://www.waybeyond.pt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaosevilhano/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 Questions as Companions07:00 Spirituality in Everyday Life13:00 Coherence as Purpose16:30 Flexibility and Awareness22:30 Discipline and Practice30:00 Helping Without Imposing36:00 Slow Activism and Stubbornness42:00 Living With Contradiction49:00 Reflection on Sacrifice54:00 Not Knowing as a PracticeKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 56m 17s | ||||||
| 1/27/26 |  What is a Good Life? #159 - Cultivating Interconnected Harmony with Cindy Forde | How do we live in harmony with each other and the natural world?Cindy Forde is a thought leader and acclaimed author with over 25 years dedicated to systems change. In 2023, she won the Change Champion Award alongside leaders such as David Attenborough and Malala Yusafzai for her children's book 'Bright New World,' which was adopted by the Australian National Curriculum. She founded Planetari, pioneering Earth-led education, earning a Climate Positive Award at UN COP28. Previously MD of Blue Marine Foundation and CEO of Cambridge Science Centre, she is an Associate Fellow of University of Cambridge Homerton College where she is currently co-founding the Centre for Systemic Change. She is a trained yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner.In this profound conversation, we explore the role of spiritual practice in sustaining changemakers, the paradox of living in systems misaligned with our values, and why "cosmic time" might offer a more realistic perspective on transformation than human urgency. Cindy shares why we need the courage to build entirely new models rather than fixing broken systems, and how current education systems crush the natural interconnectedness that children understand.For more of Cindy's work:Website: https://cindyforde.world/Planetari: https://planetari.world/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-forde-10668911/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 - The Guiding Question of Harmony 05:45 - Growing Up Between Two Worlds 12:30 - Discovering Spiritual Practice 18:45 - Inner and Outer Coherence 25:15 - The Corporate Paradox 30:00 - Understanding Cosmic Time 35:30 - Urgency and Thinking Differently 40:30 - Single Issues to Systems 44:00 - Courage to Call Out 47:30 - Crushing Natural Interconnectedness 50:00 - What Is a Good LifeKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 51m 03s | ||||||
| 1/20/26 |  What is a Good Life? #158 - Finding Self-Love Beyond Achievement with Alan Wilson | What is a Good Life? #158 | Finding Self-Love Beyond AchievementWhere do you belong? How do you best use your gifts?These questions have followed Alan Wilson throughout his life—from childhood football pitches to corporate boardrooms. In this deeply honest conversation, Alan shares his journey from seeking external validation to cultivating self-love, exploring how grief, self-inquiry, and simple presence have reshaped his understanding of a good life.Alan Wilson is a Director of People & Operations and qualified coach with 17+ years in senior leadership roles. He supports leaders and organisations navigating change by combining commercial insight with a deeply human approach—focused on self-awareness, integrity, and sustainable performance.In this episode:The childhood patterns behind our adult strugglesWhy achievement never feels like enoughFinding centre in an increasingly distracted worldHow children guide us back to presenceWhy self-love transforms leadershipThe agency we have despite feeling disempoweredThis conversation is for anyone questioning whether they're enough, struggling with validation, or wondering if there's more to life than the next achievement.For more of Alan's work:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-wilson-084b3324/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney 00:00 - Where Do I Belong? 05:23 - The Validation Trap 10:47 - Self-Inquiry and Grief 16:12 - Moments That Allow Breathing 21:35 - Toxicity and Modern Life 27:43 - Children as Our Compass 33:21 - Beyond Material Accumulation 38:45 - Dismantling the Armour 44:02 - Agency in a Disempowered World 49:18 - Transmitting Our Gifts Daily 54:31 - A Life That's EvolvingKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 58m 32s | ||||||
| 1/13/26 |  What is a Good Life? #157 - How to Build Real Connection with Matt Zeigler | On the 157th episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Matt Zeigler. Matt is Managing Director at Sunpointe Investments, Senior Editor at Panoptica (a multimedia collaboration with Epsilon Theory), and co-owner and host of Excess Returns, a podcast and YouTube channel. Through his Cultish Creative brand, he transforms complex ideas into accessible insights, helping people make better connections and approach challenges with curiosity.Matt shares his journey from profound disconnection to finding an abundance of connection and meaning through family, work, and community. From a pivotal therapy session that changed everything to discovering the value of small, intentional experiences, he explores how building bridges instead of prisons transformed his life. This is a conversation about vulnerability, curiosity, and the courage to stop running from connection.This episode is for anyone who feels cut off from others and is looking to find their way back—and for anyone looking to feel more optimistic about humanity.For more of Matt's work:Cultish creative: https://cultishcreative.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-zeigler/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 — The Disconnection Question04:16 — Three Layers of Life06:50 — Leaving home, independence, and loneliness10:11 — Therapy Wake-Up Call18:02 — Learning to Share23:23 — Small openings that build real bonds31:38 — Rules, ladders, and inherited structures45:26 — Energy shift after choosing alignment50:09 — Community Comes Alive58:18 — What is a Good Life for Matt?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 1h 01m 31s | ||||||
| 1/6/26 |  What is a Good Life #156 - Learning To Trust My Own Voice with Alejandra Guzmán González | On the 156th episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Alejandra Guzmán González. Alejandra is a Nicaraguan educator, lifelong learner, and mother of two. She describes herself as an artist with a dancer’s feet, the soul of a theatre actress, and the writer’s force within (publishing under the pen name aimé). Her work is rooted in curiosity, reflection, and human connection, and she continues to devote her professional life to education and learning-centred projects.In this episode, Alejandra shares her journey of discovering how to trust her own voice. She reflects on personal experiences, family, and the process of making her own decisions with confidence while staying connected to the people she loves.This conversation is for anyone looking to build greater trust in themselves and their own decisions.For Alejandra's Newsletter: https://aimewrites.substack.com/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 - Living the Question03:18 - Seeking External Answers07:02 - Teaching and Questioning10:05 - Parenting and Frustration13:46 - Building Inner Trust17:53 - Cocooning and Withdrawal22:45 - Listening Beyond Answers30:31 - The Right to Listen38:10 - A Defining Moment48:03 - Health as Teacher56:46 - What Is a Good Life For Alejandra?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 1h 02m 44s | ||||||
| 12/30/25 |  What is a Good Life? #155 - Making Your Impact Count with Julian Kirchherr | On the 155th episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Julian Kirchherr. Julian combines a career as a Partner at McKinsey & Company with his role as an Associate Professor at Roskilde University. At McKinsey, he co-leads the firm’s public sector work in Europe, focusing on people and organisational performance, while his academic research centres on the circular economy. He ranks among the most highly cited circular economy scholars worldwide. He earned his PhD from St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and is the author of The Lean PhD: Radically Improve the Efficiency, Quality and Impact of Your Research.In this conversation, we explore curiosity, autonomy, and the value of diverse experiences. Julian also discusses caring too much about external demands, and how this can undermine autonomy, meaning, and impact. This episode will resonate with anyone carving out their own path and explores what it can take to make your own impact.For more of Julian's work:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-kirchherr-42a52032/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 Curiosity Over One Question 02:35 Bullshit In Academia07:23 Autonomy And Freedom 09:01 Disillusion With Academia 12:18 Early Intellectual Influences 14:55 Myanmar And Outsized Impact 19:59 Pre-Academia Model26:12 Energy From Dual Roles 30:02 Bias Toward Action 42:50 Bridging Knowledge And Practice 46:51 What is a good life for Julian? Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 51m 29s | ||||||
| 12/23/25 |  What is a Good Life? #154 - The Art of Making Meaning with Katie Elliott | On the 154th episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Katie Elliott. Katie is a facilitator, writer, and programme designer working across community and organisational settings. With a background in jazz and a long-standing fascination with human change and habits, she creates tools, conversations, and projects that explore how people make sense of themselves and one another. Her work includes Amiko® Cards, the Adventures in Behaviour Change podcast, a series of children’s books, and an album of original piano music.In this conversation, we explore curiosity, bewilderment, and the value of staying with experience rather than rushing to explain or resolve it. We talk about patterns, presence, and how meaning slowly reveals itself in relationships and in life — showing how deeper listening and meaningful conversation can genuinely shift how you see yourself and others.For more of Katie's work:Website: https://www.littlechallenges.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieelliott/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 — Patterns and Play 04:31 — Bewildered by Humans 07:48 — Not Being Believed 10:21 — Staying Open 13:01 — Kindness Inside 17:17 — Being Human Together 20:56 — Dropping the Mask 23:31 — Jazz and Freedom31:26 — Creating Human Spaces 40:44 — Making Meaning Together 52:31 — What is a Good Life for Katie?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 54m 02s | ||||||
| 12/16/25 |  What is a Good Life? #153 - When Being Becomes Service with Ethan Hsieh | On the 153rd episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Ethan Hsieh for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation on service, being, and what happens when self-work goes too far.Ethan is currently undertaking his PhD research integrating performance-training with 4E cognitive science. With an MA in Professional Practice: Theatre and Drama Facilitation, he has designed and delivered transformational community-building programs, retreats, and workshops across Asia and Europe through his organisation 5ToMidnight, where he is Artistic Director. He also serves as Platform Manager for The Lectern and has co-designed select practices with John Vervaeke, including the Socratic Imaginal Self-Reflection and the Socratic Search Space. Ethan maintains a private coaching practice working with corporate leaders, professional athletes, and social organisations.Together, we explore nihilism, play, embodiment, identity, and the question that now orients Ethan’s life: When does being itself become service?This episode invites listeners to loosen self-fixation, recover participation, and rediscover what becomes possible when we allow life—and each other—to change us.For more of Ethan's work:Website: https://www.5tomidnight.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-hsieh-828a63240/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 A Question of Service05:40 Self-Work’s Breaking Point 08:04 From Optimization to Orientation12:52 Not Knowing Intimately 16:31 Returning to Play 26:56 Letting Experience In 31:31 Contact With Life36:46 Seeing Others Anew43:42 Identity Held Loosely52:19 Embodiment and Coherence 59:30 What is a good life for Ethan?Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 1h 01m 34s | ||||||
| 12/9/25 |  What is a Good Life? #152 - Living a Life of Intimate Beauty with Tim Leberecht | On the 152nd episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Tim Leberecht, one of the most original and passionate voices on creating a more humane future of business. Tim is a German-American entrepreneur, curator, and author, and the co-founder and co-CEO of the House of Beautiful Business, a global community for those who seek more from work and from one another. A sought-after keynote speaker, his two TED Talks have been viewed more than 3 million times. He is the author of The Business Romantic (Harper Business, 2015), translated into ten languages, The End of Winning (Droemer, 2020), and the forthcoming Supercurator (Basic/Hachette, 2027). Tim is also a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader.In this conversation, Tim reflects on belonging, intimacy, and what it means to live a good life amidst the pressures of performance and an increasingly AI-shaped world. He speaks to the value of sensitivity, connection, and community — and how creating spaces for presence and honest conversation can reshape how we experience ourselves and each other.This is a conversation for anyone longing for deeper connection — with themselves, with others, and with a world becoming ever more synthetic.For more of Tim's work:Website: https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com/ Books: http://timleberecht.com/books/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tleberecht/ HoBB newsletter: https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.substack.com/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 — The question of belonging 04:15 — Morning reconstruction of self 07:42 — Performance and authenticity tension 11:18 — Limits of self-optimisation 15:03 — Beauty and the good life 19:27 — Connection in a synthetic world 23:54 — Silence as shared intimacy 28:31 — Intimacy beyond human relationships 33:45 — AI as conversational partner 38:12 — Being changed by dialogue 44:08 — Sensitivity as core value 51:36 — Conditions for belongingKeywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life | 56m 26s | ||||||
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2 placements across 2 markets.
Chart Positions
2 placements across 2 markets.