Over the next four weeks on the Courageous Life podcast we will be re releasing a 4-part series on the Power of Compassion. Yesterday we began with Part One, a powerful and moving conversation with Positive Psychology Pioneer Dr. Barbara Fredrickson and world renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg. To complement these conversations over the co…

Today we’re relaunching a 4-part series on the power of compassion. We originally released this series of conversations last season as we brought together some of the world's leading researchers and practitioners to take a deep dive into compassion, courage, and living with a more open and loving stance toward the world. Throughout this series you'…

Whether it’s presenting, facilitating, sharing in a large meeting, hosting, or some other form of being in the spotlight, Speaking in public is one of people's greatest fears which may show up in various forms: Doubt Feeling anxious or nervous Over-focusing on oneself The list goes on. So today, we are re-releasing one of the most popular practices…

How do we find the courage to create? The courage to listen to, and follow our heart? Particularly when that means living a life that may not follow the beaten path? And how might we expand our capacity to hold more than one emotion at a time, accepting and embracing the messy experience of being human, and the inevitable ups and downs of the creat…

Yesterday we released a Courageous Life conversation with Dr. James Doty. Together we explored themes from his new book: Mind Magic The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everything. In both the book and our conversation Dr. Doty challenges the popular narrative around manifestation, A narrative that has narrowly emphasized outward su…

For decades the practice of manifestation has been widely dismissed as self-involved, materialistic pseudoscience. Today, neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Compassion at Stanford, Dr. James Doty is back on the podcast for the 3rd time. This time to discuss what he calls an antithesis to this popular narrative around manifestation, which …

Yesterday we released a moving Courageous Life conversation with Juliana Tafur. Juliana is a journalist, award winning documentary filmmaker, and bridge builder. She serves as the Program Director for the Greater Good Science Center’s Bridging Differences initiative. During our time together she shared shared some of her story, and insights from he…

How does it feel to be seen? What is it like to be listened to in a way that you feel deeply understood? How often have you listened to others in this way? And, how often have you been listened to like this? In his book, Caring Enough to Confront, David Augsberger writes: "Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are …

In yesterday’s Courageous Life episode with Dr. Todd Kashdan, the author ofThe Art of Insubordination, we unpacked the recipe for what he calls, principled rebellion: A courageous practice of going against the stream, Challenging conformity and questioning conventional ideas. But doing so from a place of heart. Rebelling in ways that are generative…

For ideas to evolve and societies to progress, Dr. Todd Kashdan argues it's vital to cultivate principled rebels. Those who who are willing to go against the stream, to challenge conformity and question conventional ideas, But to do so from a place of heart - to practice rebellion in ways that are generative (vs. destructive). This type of authenti…

When I was first learning to be a coach we had a saying before stepping into a coaching conversation: Leave your assumptions at the door and embrace curiosity. In reality we often know SO little about someone’s experience, and about their story. And when we recognize that, what seems to make the most sense is to get curious. To ask questions, And t…

What do you feel when you gaze up at the Milky Way, take in a beautiful sunset, stand before a mountain that seems impossibly high, or witness an extraordinary act of courage, kindness, or love? Often, it's a profound sense of awe - the overwhelming feeling we experience when we encounter something vast that transcends our understanding. In his boo…

On the heels of a powerful conversation with Dr. Emma Seppala we are re-releasing this Practicing Courage episode (originally #4) as it aligns intimately with the themes Emma and I explored together. Perhaps none more important than Sovereignty, which is the topic of Emma's beautiful new book: Sovereign. She defines Sovereignty as: Our innate human…

There is an internal freedom and a relationship with yourself so profoundly life-supportive and energizing that you access your fullest potential. This is sovereignty. Our innate human capacity for being resilient regardless of the chaos that life brings and for staying true to oneself and intentional regardless of outside influences. In her beauti…

To fail is human. It’s built into our experience from childhood. We begin to walk and we fall. We begin a project, we work toward a goal, or we start a business and we may fail. We experience these moments - When we are engaged in learning, When we are moving toward something we care about And we come up short. And in these moments there is an oppo…

Failure is an experience that is deeply embedded into our lives. As we learn to walk we fall. As we learn to ride a bike we (usually) fall again. And yet even though it is so familiar, so intertwined with our journey through life, not all failure is created equal. Which brings up important questions: How do we fail well? What are the crucial distin…

In my most recent interview with Dr. Nate Klemp, who is author of the new book Open: Living With an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World, we got the opportunity to talk deeply about opening more to life. Are you familiar with this feeling of openness? Perhaps for you it’s a sense of curiosity? Or a feeling of expansion in the mind, or in the body? …

With the avalanche of information we get every day, closing down our minds and hearts seems to be the only way to survive. We close to ourselves by compulsively checking our devices. We close to each other by getting caught in echo chambers of outrage. But what if there’s another way? In this climate of distraction and division, what if there’s a p…

Yesterday I released a conversation with Dr. Vanessa Patrick. Vanessa is a professor of marketing and the associate dean for research at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. Among other things, Vanessa researches what she calls the empowered refusal - A way of saying no that stems from your identity. This empowered form of sa…

Have you ever said yes when you really wanted to say no? Has saying no ever been a challenge for you? These are such common experiences that today’s guest, Dr. Vanessa Patrick has written a powerful new book that addresses them head on: The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No that Puts You in Charge of Your Life. Dr. Patrick resear…

How can we meet the storms in our lives (both big and small) with greater balance, courage, wisdom, and love? It’s a huge question, I know. And the list of practices and answers is long, varied, and personal. I certainly don’t have "the answer" for you. What I do have are some observations and practices I’ve found to be particularly useful. Today I…

Today’s conversation has been 5 years in the making. In 2018 I sat down with Mark Nepo, one of the great spiritual teachers, authors, and poets of our time. During our conversation he posed a question to walk with. Inviting me (and those tuning in) to live into the answers over time. When my heart begins to close, how do I open it again? For 5 year…

Dr. David Treleaven is a a writer, educator, and trauma professional whose work lies at the intersection of mindfulness and trauma. At the heart of David’s work is the notion that mindfulness is more powerful when combined with an understanding of trauma. Part of what’s behind this is the growing realization over the years that mindfulness meditati…

In her new book, Seeing Others: How Recognition Works, and How it Can Heal a Divided World, author and acclaimed Harvard sociologist, Michèle Lamont, makes the case for reexamining what we value to prioritize recognition—the quest for respect and dignity—in an age that has been defined by growing inequality and the obsolescence of the American drea…

We all want to belong. But to do so, we must first face our own need for belonging and how that need is often thwarted. In his new book Reunion, Leadership and the Longing to Belong, today's guest Jerry Colonna argues that only through radical self-inquiry can we come home to ourselves and others and, in doing so, create systemic belonging—homes—fo…

When the rain is falling, it’s dark out, and the storm seems unrelenting, Above the clouds the sky is blue and the sun is shining. All things are true. Someone’s last breath is met across time and space with the sounds of an infant crying, The signal of a new arrival. All things are true. As divorce papers are approved and a marriage meets an end, …

What if there is a possibility of tapping into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it? A possibility of moving from an achievement orientation, where so often the questions center around what do I want and how can I get it? To a more expansive, open and receptive way of relating to our experience as human beings? Today’…

Is it possible to turn beneficial states like gratitude, joy, calm, courage, grit, and compassion into enduring traits? And if it is, how do we go about doing it? I remember hearing these questions many years ago when I first came across the work of Dr. Rick Hanson At the time he was making a research-backed argument that said...yes, indeed we can …

Humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality and our brains become more resilient and robust as a result. In Dr. Lisa Miller’s book The Awakened Brain she highlights groundbreaking research, including MRI studies genetics research, epidemiology, and more. All of which illuminate a surprising science of spirituality and how to en…

From the climate crisis, to oppression, anxiety, and burnout - How do we meet the most pressing challenges of our time from a place of courage, integrity, and love? Today’s guest is Oren Jay Sofer and this question is the centerpiece of exploration in his beautiful new book. Your Heart Was Made for This. In it Oren offers 26 different contemplative…

Today marks the launch of Oren Jay Sofer’s new book: Your Heart was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage Integrity and Love. Oren has been on the Courageous Life before and has been a significant teacher in my life, and the lives of so many around the world. So today, to honor the release of his book we …

Do you ever have times where the mind won’t stop thinking about what’s next? Things you need to do, actions to take etc? This is such a common experience, and while quite useful at times, At other times this cycle isn't helpful (for a variety of reasons): Maybe you can’t take action at the moment Or you have double-checked or thought through the pl…

There are moments in life that decide your fate. They ripple into the future and dictate how you experience the world in the moments that follow; either positive and uplifting, dark and chaotic, or flat and dull. What if you could recognize these moments before they seized control of your life? What if you could use them to set sail for a better fu…

“How can we create conditions for other people to be courageous?” This is a question I have been exploring for years. On The Courageous Life Podcast, and beyond. Part of the reason for such a deep interest in this question stems from the common and celebrated narrative (particularly in the US) of the lone hero. That romanticized myth of pulling one…

"If we are looking for light in the darkness, sometimes it doesn't appear until we create it." - Samantha Novick In moments of great tragedy, pain, uncertainty, loss, and suffering I often look for perspective, and for practices, that help me to find some light in the darkness. Often these practices (for me) are found in community, with friends, an…

Today's episode is the first in a new stress and anxiety series we're doing on the podcast. Over the coming weeks we'll share deep, informative, and practical conversations with some of the leading experts in these arenas. Each episode will offer insight into how to work with these very common (and often challenging) aspects of our lives more effec…

Years ago I sat down for a conversation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal, who is arguably one of the world’s leading experts on behavior change. During our time together I asked her to name a few of her greatest insights about what contributes to being able to successfully change behavior (which can be incredibly difficult). Learning skills that increase t…

At the end of each day we do a mental scan, reviewing our experiences from that day. When people do this, they often find: The moments where they moved outside of their comfort zone The moments where they pushed themselves And the moments where they were courageous Are often the moments that they end up being most proud of. Additionally, leading co…

Speaking in public is one of people's greatest fears. Today's practice focuses on a brief process for overcoming this fear. Its a mindset shift from performance to curiosity that begins with 4 simple words. If you have a moment where you will be speaking, interviewing, facilitating, coaching, hosting, or just generally interacting…and you find your…

Are you familiar with the story of the lone hero? It’s a long celebrated cultural narrative (in the U.S.) of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, doing it all on your own, and being gritty, resilient, and fiercely independent. In essence - it’s about being courageous. While there may be some upsides to this story, one of the things I find so int…

This is the finale in our 4-part series on the power of compassion, which has featured leading researchers and practitioners in illuminating conversations about how to live with a more kind, and open hearted stance toward the world. Today's conversation could not be a more fitting end as Roshi Joan Halifax and Rhonda V. Magee, two extraordinary pio…

Do you ever get caught up in what I will casually call “the race”? The experience of moving from one thing to the next Swept up in the to-do list Feeling an internal push to keep accomplishing, achieving, and making things happen Constantly in a mode of “doing.” Is this relatable? While neither good or bad I would invite you to consider the followi…

What happens when you begin to shift your attention outwardly to the ways in which we are connected and support one another? This in itself can be a question to explore and experiment with over time. Today’s practice will invite you to use your imagination to foster a mindset of connection and interdependence. For many, a shift to focusing on conne…

Today’s guest is Dr. Mylien Duong, Senior Director of Research at The Constructive Dialogue Institute, where they define Constructive dialogue as a form of conversation in which people who have different values, beliefs, and perspectives seek to build new ways to understand and interact with each other, even as they sustain commitments to their own…

Are there habitual ways of thinking or behaving that if you were to let go of, would bring more ease, wellbeing, and fulfillment? Today's practice will introduce you to the work of Dr. Jud Brewer and explore how we can leverage knowledge of how our brains work, the latest science of habit change, as well as a powerful blend of curiosity and kindnes…

Today's guest is Shane O'Sullivan – an Executive, Leadership and Performance Coach at Inspiring Excellence, a company that focuses on empowering organizations and their people to achieve sustainable high performance. Shane has worked with some of the best in the world, training high performance principles and mindset skills essential to revealing o…

When your heart begins to close, how can you find ways to open it again? First offered by Mark Nepo in our conversation from 2018, this has become a central question I've been exploring on the Courageous Life for years. Today's practice will invite you to pause, reflect, and explore this question as you move forward through your week and beyond. As…

Welcome back to the Practicing Courage Community - a space where we are dedicated to exploring what it means to live well, and engaging in practices that support finding the courage to do so. To support your own exploration of these deep and personal questions, once-a-week I will be offering you a brief practice that will infuse storytelling, resea…

Today’s guest is Kelli Harding - a medical and public health doctor based in New York City whose goal is to make the world a kinder and healthier place for everybody. She wrote a critically acclaimed book about social connection and health, The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness. As a medi…

Welcome to Practicing Courage - a space where we are dedicated to exploring what it means to live well, and engaging in practices that support finding the courage to do so. To support your own exploration of these deep and personal questions, once-a-week I will be offering you a brief practice that will infuse storytelling, research, and tips for m…