Good Life Project

Keisha N. Blain | On the Path to Freedom

With the rigor of a world-class researcher and the intention of someone who cares deeply about the human condition and understanding how we all got to this moment in history, Dr. Keisha N. Blain is an award-winning historian of the 20th century United States with specializations in African American History, the modern African Diaspora, and Women’s and Gender Studies. She is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh and the president of the African American Intellectual History Society. She is also the author of the multi-prize-winning book Set the World on Fire: Black Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle for Freedom, and co-editor of the Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence. Her #1 New York Times Best Seller Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited with Ibram X. Kendi, drew together an incredible collection of voices with a vision to reclaim the historical narrative. And her new book, Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America, is a powerful look not just at the role of civil and voting rights activist, Hamer and other Black women in social and political change, it’s also an invitation for us all to explore our individual roles in the path to equality and freedom, led by Hamer’s famed rallying cry, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” You can find Keisha at: Website | Instagram If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Austin Channing Brown. My new book Sparked. Check out our offerings & partners: GoodRx: Compare prescription drug prices and find coupons at more than 70000 US pharmacies. Save up to 80% instantly! For simple, smart savings on your prescriptions, check GoodRx at GoodRx.com/GOODLIFE. GoodRx is not insurance but can be used instead of insurance See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 29, 2021

62 min

On Gratitude | Anne Lamott, Janice Kaplan & Jonathan Fields

We’re entering a time of year where gratitude is on our minds. And, honestly, it’s also been a year, even a season, where being thankful, noticing what’s wondrous or good, or even just not bad, well it's not always the easiest thing. And, yet, gratitude, attentiveness, and appreciation are such deeply-wired contributors to the human condition, ones that carry with them the capacity to transform nearly any experience - one of anger, one of loss, one of fear, one of anxiety, one of sadness, agitation, futility, or grief - into a moment of awakening, solace, connection and, in its highest forms, grace. There’s even powerful research on the psychological and physiological effect of gratitude and appreciation, both as a state and a willful intervention. So, we wanted to take the occasion of this week to explore a few different takes on gratitude, appreciation, and generosity-of-spirit, drawing upon conversations I’ve had over the years with famed author and social-observer extraordinaire, Anne Lamott, writer, producer, and big thinker, Janice Kaplan, and I’m also weaving in a few thoughts from one of my books, How to Live a Good Life. I hope you enjoy this exploration of gratitude, attentiveness, and appreciation, how it changes us, and why we might want to bring more of it into our experience of life. You can find Anne Lamott at: Website | Instagram | Dusk Night Dawn You can find Janice Kaplan at: Website | Instagram | The Gratitude Diaries You can find the audiobook Jonathan's book at: How to Live a Good Life If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the full-length conversations we had with Anne Lamott & Janice Kaplan. Check out our offerings & partners: Parachute: Premium quality sheets, towels, robes and more. Like nothing you've ever felt. Make staying in more comfortable with our modern home collections. Responsibly manufactured. Visit ParachuteHome.com/GOODLIFE for free shipping and returns on Parachute’s very comfortable home essentials. Sarah Flint Shoes: Comfort-driven design, with features like arch support and extra footbed padding. Sarah Flint shoes are handcrafted in Italy by the artisans who make the highest quality luxury shoes in the world. Get $50 off your first Sarah Flint purchase when you go to SarahFlint.com/GOODLIFE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 25, 2021

63 min

Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein | All Things Being Equal, Nothing Ever Is

One of the leading physicists of her generation, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a Professor of Physics and Core Faculty Member in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of New Hampshire. She’s also one of fewer than a hundred Black American women to earn a Ph.D. from a department of physics. Born in East Los Angeles, a devout Dodgers fan, she’s a citizen of both the United States and Barbados and a descendant of Afro-Caribbean and Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants. Chanda decided to become a theoretical physicist at the age of 10, after an experience, which we dive into, lit a fire of curiosity and possibility. Her vision of the cosmos is vibrant, buoyantly non-traditional, and grounded in Black feminist traditions. A powerful voice in her field, Chanda urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is far from an equal playing field, with racism, sexism, and other dehumanizing systems playing a role not only in who participates in the field but also in the essential nature of the work and the potential discoveries and insights it yields. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society that begins with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. In her groundbreaking new book, The Disordered Cosmos, Chanda shares her love for physics, from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it, to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter — all with a new spin informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek. We explore her personal journey and many of these ideas in today’s conversation. You can find Chanda at: Website | Instagram If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor about the science of the brain. My new book Sparked. Check out our offerings & partners: Peloton: Access high-energy workouts, instantly. Discover Peloton: streaming fitness classes to you live and on-demand. With the Peloton Bike, there’s nothing like working out from home. Learn more at onepeloton.com. New members can try Peloton classes free for 30 days at onepeloton.com/app. Terms apply. Canva: Create beautiful designs with your team. Use Canva's drag-and-drop feature and layouts to design, share and print business cards, logos, presentations and more. Design like a pro with Canva Pro! Right now, you can get a FREE 45-day extended trial when you use my promo code! Just go to Canva.me/GOODLIFE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 22, 2021

61 min

Jeffrey Davis | A Wonder-Full Life

What if you could work, play, and live in a state of wonder? Even now! That’s the question I explore with today’s guest, Jeffrey Davis. A poet, writer, deep-thinker, founder and CEO of the Tracking Wonder Consultancy, Jeffrey’s got an invitation for all of us. To get off the toxic productivity treadmill, which so many have been hammered by in recent times, and reclaim a sense of possibility, meaning, and wonder. To step back into a place of curiosity and lightness. And, when Jeffrey offers that invitation, it’s not just a naive suggestion to rediscover your inner child, but rather a quest to bring wonder back into your life, based on more than 15 years of research, experimentation, and application. Along the way, Jeffrey has developed a powerful, proven, step-by-step methodology to begin bringing wonder back into your work, relationships, devotions, and life. He shares this in his gorgeous new book, Tracking Wonder, and we dive into key ideas and explorations in today’s conversation. You can find Jeffrey at: Website | Instagram If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with iconic author, Anne Lamott, about opening to all life brings your way. My new book Sparked. Check out our offerings & partners: Talkspace: Online Counseling Via Text, Audio, Or Video Messaging. At Any Time, From Anywhere. Get $100 off of your first month with Talkspace. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com or download the app. Make sure to use the code GOODLIFE to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show. ZenBusiness: ZenBusiness has helped hundreds of thousands of people get their business off the ground by guiding them every step of the way and making it easier to launch a successful business. Get started today for as low as $49 at zenbusiness.com/GOODLIFE. Come From Away: Broadway’s Tony-winning, feel-good again musical is welcoming audiences back into the heart of the remarkable true story. In the middle of nowhere, one small town showed the world that the kindness of strangers could bring us closer. Come back together at Come From Away. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 18, 2021

67 min

Tim Ferriss | On Love, Loss & Meaning [Best Of]

If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Kamal Ravikant about reimagining life and learning to love himself. You can find Tim Ferriss at: Website | Instagram | The Tim Ferris Show podcast Tim Ferriss has been a man on a mission, driven to deconstruct mastery and excellence, then share what he's learned. It began with his own relentless experimentation and documentation, which yielded #1 New York Times bestsellers The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef along with a series of other books. In more recent years, this yearning has led him to sit down with hundreds of elite performers, from a vast array of domains, on a quest to reveal what made them them. These conversations are shared weekly on Tim's award-winning podcast, The Tim Ferris Show. In today's Best Of conversation, we cover very different ground, and get very personal. Tim actually lost a number of people in the year before we sat down in the studio, turned 40 and found himself in a deeply contemplative and emotional space, thinking about who he is, how he wants to create the next 40 years of his life and what matters. When I sat down with Tim, he'd recently returned from an intensive 10-day silent meditation retreat. While gone, he lost yet another close friend. He was, in his own words, in an incredibly "porous" place, leading more from the heart than the head, which was a bit of a major turnaround for him. We spent time deconstructing Tim's 10-day silent meditation experience, his struggles and awakenings, how it compared to psychedelic experiences and how, barring one major saving grace, his retreat may have sent him spiraling into a very bad place. We also talked about his experience with death, his decision to append audio of his departed friend, Terry Laughlin, which was recorded by Terry's daughters in the hospital during his final days of life to the end of Tim's recent podcast interview with Terry. Tim also shared his decision to take the TED stage, switching last minute to talk about something deeply painful and personal, and what that meant to him, his lens on legacy work (and how it landed with his family, who didn't know what he'd be talking about). And, we explored Tim's awakening to a "softer" set of metrics to measure a life well-lived and his evolving definition of what it truly means to live a good life. My new book Sparked. Check out our offerings & partners: Tommy John: We fixed underwear. Smart design and fabrics mean no more pulling at your pant line. Get comfortable with yourself. No Adjustment Needed. And right now you’ll get 20% OFF your first order at TommyJohn.com/GOODLIFE. Bean Box: Give the coffee fanatic in your life an unforgettable coffee-tasting experience with Bean Box. Our coffee is expertly curated and always fresh, with fast delivery and free shipping. Order today at beanbox.com/GOODLIFE and get 15% off purchases of $40 or more. Indeed: Connect with your talent audience so you can make more quality hires faster. Post your job, interview candidates, and make offers all on Indeed. Get started right now with a FREE $75 sponsored job credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com/GOODLIFE. Offer valid through December 31st. Terms and conditions apply. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 15, 2021

85 min

Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis | A Fierce Love

The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is an author, Activist, and Public Theologian, the first woman and first Black Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church, which is a multiracial, incredibly welcoming, and inclusive congregation in the Lower East Side of New York City, which dates to 1628. Growing up in church in the South Side of Chicago, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when she was nine incited what would become a lifelong devotion to activism and social justice. Graduating school, then spending a decade working in the corporate world, she felt called to redefine how she would step into her own exploration of faith, attending Princeton Theological Seminary, then devoting herself to urban ministry, with the intention of reimagining what faith, church, and community could be. Eventually becoming a leader in Middle Church, Rev. Lewis has been instrumental in bringing together what she calls a “multiethnic rainbow coalition of love, justice, and worship that rocks her soul,” and has remained a leading voice in activism, with her work have featured by the TODAY Show, MSNBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post, among many others. She is the creator of the MSNBC online show, Just Faith and the PBS show, Faith and Justice, in which she led important conversations about culture and current events. Her podcast, Love.Period., is produced by the Center for Action and Contemplation. And her new book, Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness That Can Heal the World, is a deep exploration of faith, race, justice and transformation, bundled with exercises that invite you in a path of personal growth, activism and collective elevation. You can find Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis at: Website | Instagram | Love.Period. podcast If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Bishop Michael Curry about love as a path to reconciliation and healing. My new book Sparked. Check out our offerings & partners: Peloton: Access high-energy workouts, instantly. Discover Peloton: streaming fitness classes to you live and on-demand. With the Peloton Bike, there’s nothing like working out from home. Learn more at onepeloton.com. New members can try Peloton classes free for 30 days at onepeloton.com/app. Terms apply. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 11, 2021

63 min

Andy J. Pizza | Your Creative Pep Talk

Imagine going through life with the name, Andy J. Pizza. That’s what my guest today goes by, but it wasn’t his given name, but rather his claimed name. More on that when we talk. Andy was the kid who perpetually zagged when everyone else zigged. And, at a young age, he saw this same pattern in his mother, he was so much like her. Which, in part, lit him up, but also terrified him. In his mom, these same impulses were married to mental illness that led to a life of struggle. He feared that’s where he was headed, too, until a realization dropped that would not only lead him down his own path, but also empower him to embrace life differently and trust he could make it work. And, indeed, he has. Andy has built a stunning career as an illustrator, author of kid’s books, animator, and contributor to The New York Times, Apple, Nickelodeon and countless other mega-brands. Driven to share and inspire others in the creative community, he heads up the fantastic Creative Pep Talk podcast, where, by the way, I was his guest recently. And, Andy is a master of the stage, with a style of public speaking that’s one part TED Talk, one part one-man show — with a sprinkle of stand-up comedy. His friends call his approach Laydown Tragedy ( 😆) - because it’s the opposite of stand-up comedy, in that instead of shooting for laughs, he aim for tears, but in the best of ways! You can find Andy at: Website | Instagram | Creative Pep Talk Podcast If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Morgan Harper Nichols about leaning into creativity and language as a form of both creative expression and emotional processing. My new book Sparked! Check out our offerings & partners: Parachute: Premium quality sheets, towels, robes and more. Like nothing you've ever felt. Make staying in more comfortable with our modern home collections. Responsibly manufactured. Visit ParachuteHome.com/GOODLIFE for free shipping and returns on Parachute’s very comfortable home essentials. Theragun: A deep muscle massage treatment, unlike anything you've ever felt. Feel better, move better, and recover faster with tension and soreness relief. Try Theragun for 30-days starting at only $199. Go to Therabody.com/GOODLIFE right now and get your Gen 4 Theragun today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 8, 2021

86 min

Anthony Trucks | Shifting Your Identity

If you LOVED this episode: You’ll also love the conversations we had with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor about how we can understand and tap our whole brains to live fuller lives. Anthony Trucks entered the foster system, along with his two siblings, when he was three years old, then spent years enduring a series of brutal experiences. Until he found a home where, after 8 years of legal battles, he became emancipated from his mom and was adopted by his then longtime foster parents. Still, a young Black man, now part of a White family who also struggled with poverty, he struggled to belong. Not so much to his family, but to the broader culture around him. He turned to football, working to rise up in the sport and, years down the road, accomplished his dream of being drafted and playing for the NFL. But, not long into his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a career-ending injury would bring it all tumbling down, and leave him stripped not only of his career but his very identity. And, that led to deep struggle, the demise of his family, and a season where Anthony found himself having to rediscover and redefine his sense of identity, who he was as a human being, a partner, a father, a friend, and someone driven to inspire agency and change in others. That journey led him back into the world of wellness, personal growth, speaking, training, and even competing in American Ninja Warrior. As a speaker and identity shift coach, Anthony teaches people how to design and build better lives and businesses by learning how to access the power of their identity to tap into their full potential, a methodology shared in his book, Identity Shift: Upgrade How You Operate to Elevate Your Life. You can find Anthony at: Website | Instagram My new book Sparked! Check out our offerings & partners: Sarah Flint Shoes: Comfort-driven design, with features like arch support and extra footbed padding. Sarah Flint shoes are handcrafted in Italy by the artisans who make the highest quality luxury shoes in the world. Get $50 off your first Sarah Flint purchase when you go to SarahFlint.com/GOODLIFE Miro: Miro’s infinitely zoomable canvas and web whiteboard enables you to work the way you want to. Unleash your creativity, plan projects from all angles, and create centralized hubs of information to keep everyone in the loop. Go to miro.com/goodlife to start your free account. Sign up today and take advantage of three FREE white boards with this EXCLUSIVE offer. Sleep Number: Adjustable firmness, comfort and support on each side. Proven quality sleep is life-changing sleep. Special offers now available for a limited time. Only at Sleep Number stores or sleepnumber.com/GOODLIFE See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

November 4, 2021

66 min

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