Good Life Project

Latest Episodes:

A Faster Path to Peak Performance: Optimize the Core Mar 17, 2016

Show notes

There are times it makes sense to throw money at a problem, and times when that's not only the worst thing you can do, it's also the least effective.

When we think about performing better, whether it's at work, in sport, even relationships, we often focus first on the things that are easiest to "tweak."

Without fail, those things are less about the "core of the matter" and more about 'optimizing the margins." And, if we can do it by buying our way to better, investing in higher-end gear, apparel, equipment, supplies, materials or technology, we try to replace work with money.

Thing is, that's often the least effective way to get where we so desperately want to go.

What if, instead of spending all of your time, work and money optimizing the margins, you focused instead on optimizing the core? Not by purchasing your way into it, but by working your way into it?

That's what we're talking about in this week's Good Life Project Riff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hack Your Best Self, Fly Your Freak Flag, Get Serious About Play Mar 16, 2016

Show notes

Today's Good Life Project Roundtable™ features guests-in-residence Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP and and Bob Gower.

Emiliya is a leading voice in the world of positive psychology and the science of flourishing, and is the founder of the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology program, which is the largest in the world. In a past life, she was a party entertainer and knows pretty much every group dance ever invented.

Bob is a deep systems-thinker, author of Agile Business, organizational-dynamics consultant to some of the largest companies in the world. He's also an ex-cult member, and that comes out in interesting ways in the conversation. They'll be our guests-in-residence for the next two weeks, so buckle up.

This is week two in their residency, to be followed by their third and final week next week.

Our three topics in this episode:

Making time for unadulterated joy and play.
Is it getting easier to fly your freak flag without being rejected?
How can you hack your "best self?"

It's fast-paced, fun, utterly unscripted and at times a bit raw, but always good-natured and very real. Enjoy! And let us know if you like this format, over on social media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Zimmer: Feeding Your Good Wolf Mar 14, 2016

Show notes

Today’s guest, Eric Zimmer, is the host of the wonderful The One You Feed podcast.

Growing up in Ohio, his life took a hard turn and began to spin out of control. He eventually found himself addicted to heroin and alcohol, living in a van and struggling to make sense of the world. After years living in an ever-darkening place, though, he was able to tap into a hidden well of strength, get help, get clean and rebuild his life.

But, his journey into addiction was not yet over. Believing he could go from clean and sober to casual use, he found himself spiraling back into that place of despair. But this time realized he'd have to make bigger, longer-lasting change, accept certain truths about who he was and create a way to perpetually "feed his good wolf, not his bad one."

Along the way, he rebuilt his life, relationships, and career and found solace and fulfillment in, believe it or not, podcasting. He now hosts and produces the hugely popular, The One You Feed podcast, with his childhood friend, Chris Forbes.

In this week's conversation, Eric is incredibly transparent and generous in sharing his journey, both the profound struggles and the great awakenings. He also shares how his quest to take back his life eventually led him to podcasting, back to music, to new relationships and a deep and abiding knowledge of the human condition. And he reveals how that, in turn, led him to develop a set of skills that enabled him to not only help himself, but help others move into better places as an advisor and coach. If you've ever struggled to find your way out of darkness, this is a don't miss conversation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The First Step to a More Meaningful Career Mar 11, 2016

Show notes

This week's Good Life Project Riff is a reply to a question from one of our wonderful listeners.

You've spent your whole life working at something that pays the bills, something that gives you time to be with family. Life, on the whole, is pretty good. But the thing you're doing to put food on the table and a roof over your head is emptying you out.

You'd love to wake up feeling like the way you contribute to the world lights you up. But you have no idea where to start. And, you're not excited about the prospect of disrupting the rest of your life to make it happen.

So, what do you do? What's your first step?

I've written recently about first working to make things as good as you can get them, before blowing anything up. Whether you decide to eventually leave or even launch something on your own, the starting point is deepening your self-knowledge. Discovering who you really are and what matters. That's what this week's short and sweet Good Life Project Riff is all about.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roundtable: On Anger, Vibrations and Competence Mar 09, 2016

Show notes

Today's Good Life Project Roundtable™ features guests-in-residence Emiliya Zhivotovskaya, MAPP and and Bob Gower.

Emiliya is a leading voice in the world of positive psychology and the science of flourishing, and is the founder of the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology program, which is the largest in the world. In a past life she was a party entertainer and knows pretty much every group dance ever invented.

Our three topics in this episode:

Is anger always bad or is it all about how you work with it?
What's the deal with vibrations and energy, Is it real? Can we feel it? Can we harness it?
Warmth and Competence, which matters more and why?

It's fast-paced, fun, utterly unscripted and at times a bit raw, but always good-natured and very real. Enjoy! And let us know if you like this format, over on social media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez: Leading Through The Abyss Mar 07, 2016

Show notes

For most of us, dealing with change is tough. We're wired to avoid wading into the abyss where we don't know how things are going to end.

Even tougher, though, is leading others through change. Today's guests, Nancy Duarte and Patti Sanchez know this. Nancy is the co-founder of her eponymous firm, Duarte, the top presentation design firm in the world. Patti is the Chief Strategy Officer, and a lifelong storyteller and communications savant.

Nancy has been on the show before when we filmed a powerful conversation about her "origin story." Today's focus is on the deep collaboration Nancy and Patti have formed, leading the firm through a disruptive, yet transformational reorganization, while simultaneously co-writing a book on leading through change, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies and Symbols.

In today's conversation, we talk about the simultaneously visionary, yet often brutal process of creative destruction in the name of building something better and how to tell the story of what's going on in a way that lets those you're about to disrupt understand why it's necessary and share a believable path to where you're all going together.

But, there's a deeper story that also unfolds. It's the story about Nancy and Patti's very personal journey, the dance between the fiercely future-focused visionary and deeply empathic and present-focused storyteller. We also dive into what it's like to write a book on change when you're simultaneously trying to take your company through its own process of transformational change.

If you're leading people in any endeavor now, or hope to in the future, this is a conversation you won't want to miss!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Thinking Kills Willpower (and what to do about it) Mar 04, 2016

Show notes

There's a somewhat ironic relationship between willpower and thinking. They don't play nicely with each other.

The more you tax your brain with what we'd call a "cognitive load," the more your ability to regulate your behaviors craters.

So, if you're working on a complex problem under deadline or trying to innovate or create, there's a good chance that, while you're in that hyper-thinking, innovating, creating mode, you'll be more susceptible to temptation. Big time!

And, interestingly, even the slightest increase in demand for thinking and working memory can shut down your willpower plant. As we'll talk about in today's GLP Riff, the difference between having to hold two or seven numbers in your memory can be the difference between making healthy choices or chowing down on cake!

Most people deal with this by just trying to "be a better person" and "digging deeper" to resist the siren call of the cookie jar.

But, there's another approach that is far more likely to keep you on the right track. It's about altering your environment. That's what we're talking about on today's short and sweet Good Life Project Riff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roundtable: Bad Things, Biased Media and Crazy Cons Mar 02, 2016

Show notes

Today's episode is part 3 of our latest experiment, a new show format we're calling Good Life Project Roundtable™.

What is it? A new weekly show that won't replace, but will be added to our long-form conversations and short riffs. Two "guests-in-residence" and I will be hanging out for the better part of a month, usually 3 weeks. This really lets you get to know them and benefit from their deep interests and lens on life.

In each Roundtable, we'll go deep into three specific topics. And, the thing is, nobody knows what the other person's topics will be until they hit the conversation.

My guests-in-residence for today's episode of Good Life Project Roundtable™ are Playing Big author, Tara Mohr and yoga-educator, Erin Moon.

Our three topics in this episode:

Can you find the good in everything, or are some things just bad?
Money, media and bias, what's the deal (and why do you care)?
Crazy cons, has it ever happened to you?

It's fast-paced, fun, utterly unscripted and at times a bit raw, but always good-natured and very real. Enjoy! And let us know if you like this format, over on social media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MindBodyGreen Founder, Jason Wachob: What Really Matters Feb 29, 2016

Show notes

What if you could take an idea and turn it into a website with more than 12 million visitors a month and a powerful global community?

That's exactly what today’s guest, Jason Wachob, did. He is the founder of Mind Body Green, one the web's top wellness websites, featuring thousands of articles, a growing catalog of courses, contributors that include many of the top voices in medicine, nutrition and movement, and a huge global community.

This is the second time Jason has been a guest on Good Life Project. He first appeared on the web-series in October 2013. At that point, he shared his powerful story of leaving a career in finance to reclaim his health and found his company. MindBodyGreen was just starting to break out in a big way. Since then, it has exploded.

The team has grown in size, they inhabit new offices and Jason's had the chance to dive deeper into not only what it takes to build a company, but also a culture that walks its own content talk, a community around wellness and a good, vibrant life. He shares his lens on that last question in his new book WELLTH: How I Learned to Build a Life, Not a Resume.

In this week's powerful conversation, we explore Jason's unique, culture-focused approach to building not just a company, but a community and a family. We dive into the dance between wanting to do big things and also wanting to be in control of your time, health, relationships and life. We explore the power of love and belief, and what its like to build a life with a partner he also works with. And we talk about his experience growing a venture that exposes him to the top thinkers and practitioners in health, nutrition and fitness and how that's informed his take on the elements of a life well-lived, especially in the context of being a creator, maker, entrepreneur and life-partner.

Enjoy the conversation!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Power of Following Before You Lead Feb 26, 2016

Show notes

I don’t like following, never have.

Other peoples' rules and procedures and constraints and processes often don't sit quite right with me.

I prefer to take my own path, follow my own rules.

It’s why I was the “Lemonade Stand Kid” in my neighborhood—I wanted my own money, own responsibility. It's why I've been an entrepreneur the better part of my adult life. I enjoy figuring things out on my own, then leading rather than being led by others.

But what I’ve discovered as I’ve gotten older is there are very real, very important lessons to be learned from being led by others, before you step in to lead yourself.

Maybe my biggest awakening to the power of following before you lead came when I was rock climbing with a few partners in Rocky Mountain National Park, and various other destinations in Colorado. As the relative newbie in our group, I spent the entire time following my guide's lead.

During the entire weeklong climbing adventure, I never once led a pitch (a ropes length of the climb that was many rope's lengths high). Those days, however, taught me more about how to eventually lead than almost any other experience. And, my classroom came with a 20-mile view and life-and-death terms.

That's what we're exploring in today's short and sweet Good Life Project Riff.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.