How we understand purpose in life affects what we do to obtain it. How can we gain a more robust understanding of what purpose is? Todd Kashdan is a professor of psychology at George Mason University where he studies purpose and other facets of well-being. He's currently working on an article that reconceptualizes the concept of purpose. In this episode, he shares how we can think about purpose more accurately. In this episode, you'll learn about: Purpose as articulated understanding vs...

What would your life look like if you devoted everything to following your dreams? The Giffords did just that. In 2002, they realized they wanted something different than the typical American life of house and job. They created a six-year plan to live sailing about the world with their three children. Since 2008, they have done just that. As a family, they go where their sails take them. In this episode, you'll learn about: Converting "someday" plans to "now" plansMaking long-term plans for p...

Purpose is idiosyncratic. Everyone has their own view on what matters most in their life. However, is it possible to create a single system that many people can use to find purpose? Kristin Sherry has spent years helping people find purpose. In that time, she's asked countless questions about what people find fulfilling in work. From her investigation, she has identified four essential aspects of career fit. If you have these four, you'll have a deep, rich, and meaningful career. In this epis...

Colleges have extraordinary responsibilities in the lives of their students. Sometimes overlooked is guiding students into purposeful careers. Tim Clydesdale is the author of The Purposeful Graduate. It's an evaluation of a large-scale program funded by the Lilly Foundation that paid for 88 colleges to create purpose programs for their students. In this episode, you'll learn the lessons from these programs, including what worked and what didn't. In this episode, you'll learn about...

Severe childhood trauma changes one's life--often for the worse. Sometimes, however, it has a redemptive effect as it leads one into purpose. Michael Unbroken experienced a level of trauma in childhood that's difficult to fathom. Yet, today he feels fully alive and health, and he works with people around the world to help them overcome their own trauma. He's used the pain in the past as a prompt for purpose. In this episode he tells his story. In this episode, you'll learn about: How to find ...

How do you make sense of the world when you had a lot and then lost just about all of it? John Lefebvre co-founded Neteller, a publicly traded online payment company often used by gamblers. In 2007, John ran into legal problems and lost almost $500 million dollars that he had earned by starting the company. He went to jail and started his life again in hi mid-fifties. Now John writes and advocates for good in the world, including addressing climate change. In this episode, he shares his jour...

Young people face many difficult decisions in their transition to adulthood. Chief among them is identifying what matters most in life so as to live with purpose. Some young people do this successfully. How do they do it? How do then differ from other young people? Kendall Cotton Bronk has studied purpose for decades. She has interviewed thousands of adolescents about their path into purpose. In her work, she has identified key factors that enable young people to find purpos...

When it comes to purpose, we often think of making goals. However, we live our lives in terms of stories. Especially important are the stories that we tell ourselves about our lives. Julia Winston guides people in creating the stories of their lives. She walks them through a process of intentional story making that is rooted in life purpose. This gives a dramatic arc to our lives that takes us even deeper into purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about: Stories versus goalsThe role of...

In today's world, it's so easy to become disconnected from our inner, true self. When this happens, what should we do? CEO and author Jaclyn Gallo joins us in this episode to point the way forward. She shares effective strategies and techniques for finding authentic meaning and purpose in a world of distraction and busyness. In this episode, you'll learn about: Taking back ownership of your lifeHow to change your identityHow to discern what you really want in lifeHow to follow your intu...

Do you ever wonder if you were created for a specific purpose in life? That's the logic of having a calling. It extends to communities as well as individuals. This week we're joined by Jane Patterson and Jesse Bazan of Communities of Calling-A network of congregations and organizations working on calling in their own contexts with the aim of revitalizing the church’s mission in the world today. They'll share their unique insights into the interplay between one's calling and the context in whi...

How would you guide high school students into a greater sense of life purpose? Is it even possible? Patrick Cook-Deegan has not only figured out how to do it, his company, Wayfinder, is doing it at scale. Patrick's approach combines research on adolescent purpose with design thinking to create exercises and strategies that high schools can add to their curriculum. Here he shares how Wayfinder came about, and their approach to teaching purpose in school. In this episode, you'll learn abo...

Why should an organization care about purpose? They exist for profit, don't they? Haley Rushing is the cofounder and chief purposologist at The Purpose Institute. in this context, she advises large corporations on how to incorporate purpose into their mission. Often the results from doing this are nothing short of spectacular. She shares both why organizations should engage purpose, and she gives practical advise for how they can do so. In this episode, you'll learn about: How bus...

Artists epitomize purpose. They bring something out from inside of themselves to share with and contribute to the world. For most artists, art equals purpose. Katie Chonacas knows about art because she's done many different mediums of it. She's an actor, podcaster, voiceover artist, musician, filmmaker, and writer. Here she shares her unique perspective about art and its relationship with purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about: Why artists create artThe difficulties of havin...

What's the relationship between spiritual health and purpose? They are related--but not identical--concepts. How can each one be used to increase the other? Sally Nash PhD is a priest, author, and expert on shame. She guides people into living purposeful, spiritually healthy lives. In this episode, she shares her experiences in spiritual living as it relates to purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about: A stable life and purposeSpirituality and purposeAvoiding regretsHow shame is a b...

What does it mean to integrate purpose in our life? How is that different than having work-life balance? How is it different than "finding our why"? Davin Salvagno is an expert on Purpose. He is a coach, consultant, speaker, and author. He is the founder of PurposePoint--a leadership and organizational development company. He's also organized The Purpose Summit, an annual conference on leadership and purpose. In this episode, Dan addresses critical questions about integrating purpose into per...

What is true leadership? Some view it as effective influence--getting more people to do what you want. But it's more than that. When leadership is rooted in values, it has the potential to change the world. Stuart Bunderson studies meaningful work and leadership. He is an organizational psychologist, and he heads the Bauer Leadership Center at Washington University. One of Stuart's seminal works explored how zookeepers find meaning in their work and the implications this has for them.&n...

Do you have a life story waiting to be told? Storytelling provides a powerful structure for organizing how we think about our lives. It can be used to create a life of greater purpose. Jeremy Brown started is the founder and CEO of Throne Publishing. He works with people to convert their own life stories into books. This has given him insight into what makes for a meaningful, purposeful life. Here, he shares his perspective on living a life worthy of telling about. In this episode, you'...

Leon El-Alamin started out life on the wrong path. Growing up in Flint, Michigan he got into the street life. He was a drug dealer. He was shot in the head. He was incarcerated. In prison, he was put into 22-hour-a-day lockdown. Amid these difficulties, he had a revelation. He discovered who he really was, and what he wanted to become. Upon release, he went looking for work, but no one would hire him because of his record. Rather than returning to crime, Leon decided to change the community. ...

You've heard about hypnosis. Did you know that you can hypnotize yourself--easily and safely? Doing this can be a powerful way of clarifying lots of issues--including your purpose. David Spiegel is the Wilson Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His life work--for forty years--has been studying hypnosis using stringent scientific protocols. He knows what it is, how it works, and how it benefits people. He's also hypnotized thousands of people. Here he demysti...

Do you have calling in life? Do you want one? How would you know if you have a calling? Bryan Dik is an expert on callings. As a professor of psychology, at Colorado State University, he has studied them for two decades. He even started a company to help young people choose purposeful careers. In this episode of the School of Purpose Podcast, Bryan teaches about callings--what they are and how to find your own. In this episode, you'll learn : What a calling isHow knowing our gifts...