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 of my work:
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through:
- 1-on-1 coaching and online group courses: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
00:00 Curiosity Over One Question
02:35 Bullshit In Academia
07:23 Autonomy And Freedom
09:01 Disillusion With Academia
12:18 Early Intellectual Influences
14:55 Myanmar And Outsized Impact
19:59 Pre-Academia Model
26:12 Energy From Dual Roles
30:02 Bias Toward Action
42:50 Bridging Knowledge And Practice
46:51 What is a good life for Julian?
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 of my work:
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through:
- 1-on-1 coaching and online group courses: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
00:00 — 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 Freedom
31:26 — Creating Human Spaces
40:44 — Making Meaning Together
52:31 — What is a Good Life for Katie?
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 of my work:
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through:
- 1-on-1 coaching and online group courses: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
00:00 A Question of Service
05:40 Self-Work’s Breaking Point
08:04 From Optimization to Orientation
12:52 Not Knowing Intimately
16:31 Returning to Play
26:56 Letting Experience In
31:31 Contact With Life
36:46 Seeing Others Anew
43:42 Identity Held Loosely
52:19 Embodiment and Coherence
59:30 What is a good life for Ethan?
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 of my work:
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through 1-on-1 coaching and group online courses.
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/individual-coaching
00:00 — 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 belonging
On the 151st episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Olaf Lewitz. Olaf is the Trust Artist, a leadership thinker and coach who’s endlessly curious about our similarities and differences, and how context shapes the quality of attention we give each other. He’s learning how to change systems so that they support life rather than extract or exploit it, sourcing wisdom and insight from unexpected places. He does this through his TrustTemenos Academy and his work with Dark Matter Labs.
In this conversation, we explore the question “What am I missing?” as a way into anger, boundaries, and the stories we tell ourselves – and how much of our “drama” is created by our interpretations rather than reality.
Olaf shares how an unshakeable sense of worth and hope help him live with paradox: enjoying a good life while staying awake to harm, responsibility, and the future of our children – and what that invites us to examine in our own lives.
For more of Olaf's work:
Website: https://www.trusttemenos.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaflewitz/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through 1-on-1 coaching and group online courses.
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
00:00 — “What Am I Missing?”
06:00 — Discovering Anger & Boundaries
11:20 — How We Create Drama
15:45 — Interpreting vs. Experiencing Reality
20:50 — Laughing at Ourselves
24:45 — Balancing Care and Boundaries
29:35 — Childhood Patterns & Self-Worth
35:55 — Hope Without Optimism
41:50 — Paradox of a Good Life
47:40 — Future, Responsibility & Children
53:50 — What is a good life for Olaf?
On the 150th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Claire Goodey. Claire is an artist, writer, and humanistic psychotherapist. After a decade in private practice—alongside a new autism diagnosis, perimenopause, and a shifting social landscape—she’s returning to her creative roots to cultivate a slower, more analogue way of living. From this liminal space, Claire blends therapeutic insight with artistic expression, offering presence, vulnerability, and play to others feeling the squeeze of modern life.
In this conversation, Claire and I explore what it means to stay part of a world that often feels overwhelming, especially while navigating major life transitions. We discuss the gap between knowing something intellectually and living it, the challenge of discerning fear from genuine bodily wisdom, and the importance of presence, rest, and connection.
Claire shares her evolving relationship with retreat—what she calls “getting into the slipper”—and how love, openness, and honest self-attunement can shape a more humane way of being.
For more of Claire's work:
Website: https://www.clairegoodey.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through 1-on-1 coaching, group online courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 Being a part of the world
05:01 Pendulum of growth
06:45 Late autism diagnosis
11:51 Base needs
12:15 Embodiment vs thinking
17:51 Trust the process
19:30 Fear driving so much of the culture
26:22 Sound sensitivity outside
35:33 “Into the slipper”
39:10 Intentional resting
52:28 What is good life?
On the 149th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Adam Mastroianni. Adam is an experimental psychologist and author of the popular science newsletter Experimental History. His work has been featured in Nature, The New York Times, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has escaped from over 170 escape rooms.
In this conversation, Adam discusses the nature of questions and curiosity as driving forces in life. He explores the concept of being possessed by ideas, the role of suffering in personal growth, and the shift from academia to independent thought.
This episode highlights the impact that finding your unique role—and contributing meaningfully to the world from that place—can have on your life.
For more of Adam's work:
Newsletter: https://www.experimental-history.com/
Website: https://www.adammastroianni.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own good life through 1-on-1 coaching, group online courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- The podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 – Possessed By Big Questions
04:06 – Enjoying The Friction
07:48 – Why Toilets Took Millennia
13:13 – First Day Being Curious
18:16 – Internet Praise Vs Real Life
23:51 – Freedom Without A Boss
28:07 – Choosing Productive Fear
31:07 – Leaving A “Good” Career
36:52 – What’s Worth Suffering For
45:46 – The Cost Of Pretending
48:00 – The Ideas Graveyard
52:15 – What Is A Good Life?
On the 148th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Leigh Marz, a collaboration and leadership coach for major universities, corporations, and federal agencies. She has led training programs to promote an experimental mindset among teams at NASA and a decade-long cross-sector collaboration to reduce toxic chemicals in products, in partnership with Green Science Policy Institute, Harvard University, IKEA, Google, and Kaiser Permanente. Leigh coauthored Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise and cofounded Astrea Strategies, helping leaders bridge contemplation and action.
In this conversation we explore silence as a living presence—how inquiry, pauses, and shared quiet unlock better thinking, connection, and wellbeing. We cover mapping noise (auditory, informational, internal), flow states, and why slowing down in groups (even at work) sparks novel solutions.
This episode invites listeners to rediscover silence as a living teacher — one that reveals what truly matters when we’re quiet enough to hear it.
For more of Leigh's work:
Link to the book: Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise
Astrea Strategies: https://astreastrategies.com/
Her website: https://leighmarz.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:03 – Intro & why start with questions
04:03 – Origins of the silence inquiry & HBR article
09:00 – “What’s the deepest silence you’ve known?”
12:41 – Freedom moment: “Silence teems with life”
16:41 – Quiet together: practices beyond meditation
24:44 – Mapping noise: auditory, informational, internal
29:33 – Antidote: signals you need silence & “positive distractions”
35:00 – Designing retreats for novel thinking
38:21 – “Slow down, there isn’t much time.”
46:13 – Silence & the nervous system
52:00 - How the inquiry into silence has shaped Leigh
58:12 – Leigh’s response to “What is a good life?”
On the 147th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Karimu Samuels. Karimu is a movement expert whose journey from exhaustion to ease led him to discover the power of moving through life with flow. With years of studying body functionality and coaching athletes worldwide, he teaches holistic movement that unites body, mind, and emotion — guiding others toward balance and the joy of movement. He embodies the belief that through movement, we can master not only our bodies but also ourselves.
In this conversation, Karimu invites us to explore what happens when we stop striving and start listening — to our bodies, our intuition, and the quieter signals of life. From learning to move through the world with less control and more awareness, to discovering movement as a mirror for self-understanding, he shares how trust, honesty, and softness became the foundation of his work and his peace.
This episode invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and tune into what your body is trying to tell you.
For more of Karimu's work:
https://www.instagram.com/karimu_samuels/
www.karimusamuels.com
contact@karimusamuels.com
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00–03:09 — “Who am I?” as the guiding question
03:09–04:48 — Movement as universal; finding your gift
04:48–07:40 — From ego goals to service; discovering movement
07:50–12:36 — “Arriving / home” = inner peace
12:36–15:17 — Trust → authenticity; speak your own reality
16:10–18:40 — Radical honesty
18:40–24:48 — Listening to the body: asthma & throat story
24:48–28:03 — Practice and mastering mindset
28:03–32:41 — Shaped by experience; learning to show up
32:41–38:59 — Movement is a mirror; five components
38:59–42:58 — Broken wrist; adapting without compensating
42:58–47:33 — Softening: control vs. letting go
47:33–52:05 — Love as a tool; co-creating safe space
52:05–56:36 — “What is a good life?” Three pillars
On the 146th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Steven D’Souza. Steven is an award winning author, executive educator, trusted advisor, leadership coach and keynote speaker. He is a Senior Partner in the Leadership & Professional Development Practice at Korn Ferry, a leading global Organisational Consulting firm. His expertise crosses the fields of psychology, organisational development, diversity, group dynamics, contemplation and social capital. He has spoken globally to organisations such as PwC, TikTok, Financial Times and the United Nations. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Independent and The Sunday Times.
In this conversation, Steven reflects on his early pursuit of the priesthood and his lifelong inquiry into meaning, service, and aliveness. Drawing on themes from his latest book, Shadows at Work, he shares how meeting the shadow with curiosity and compassion brings wholeness, and how embracing uncertainty, silence, and kindness can lead to a more grounded, vital way of living.
This conversation invites you to see the shadow not as something to fix, but as a hidden source of energy, wisdom, and aliveness.
For more of Steven's work:
Website: https://stevendsouza.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 — Steven’s lifelong question + year pursuing priesthood
04:24 — Leaving the path & formative books (Kopp, de Mello)
07:27 — Stories as truth; practice over tips
10:12 — Aliveness; “I grow in my spirituality by growing in my humanity”
13:01 — Bringing the vertical into the horizontal (everyday life)
13:28 — Why Shadows at Work; prisons, corporate paradox, “dark mode”
19:36 — “Know my shadow and my light”: beyond Jung; four lenses
23:08 — Defining shadow; biology, culture, spirit lenses in practice
31:02 — Personal shadow work
37:04 — Paradoxical theory of change; acceptance over improvement
40:43 — Negative capability (Keats)
46:53 — Via negativa & subtraction; “bring silence with you”
52:29 — The edge of the unknown; reactions & catastrophic thinking
58:56 — What is a good life? “A kind life.”
On the 145th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Marc Cinanni. Marc is a writer, musician, and co-founder of Muntanya Màgica, a secluded forest retreat space near Barcelona devoted to personal and spiritual renewal. After time spent in an ashram and a transformative period living on a remote Pacific island, Marc now helps others rewild their inner and outer lives through nature, meditation, and presence—inviting a return to stillness and a deep respect for the mystery of life.
In this conversation, we explore courage as the practice of listening to yourself, rewilding a modern life and his move to a remote island, practical spirituality, and how trusting life reshapes friendship, work, and home.
This episode is an invitation to truly notice and trust this life.
For more of Marc's work:
Retreat website: www.muntanyamagica.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marccinanni/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 How do I live this life as me?
02:30 Sharing our gift with the world
05:00 A series of experience to self-knowing
08:45 The pillars of empathy & creativity
12:15 A call to nature
17:45 Attuning to nature’s demands and our being
21:00 Adjusting to life in nature
29:44 Noticing the cycles of life
35:00 Continued communication in relationships
38:20 The shifting of friendships
41:00 Knowing you can trust your life
46:00 The beauty of every moment
50:30 Setting up a retreat
52:30 Summary and what is a good life for Marc?
On the 144th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome George Thompson. George is a filmmaker, teacher, and founder of Balance is Possible!, a movement dedicated to inspiring balance for both people and planet. With over 25 million people impacted by his work and support from changemakers like Louie Schwartzberg, Tara Brach, and Stephen Fry, George weaves together ancient Daoist wisdom and modern science into practical, playful tools for navigating modern life.
In this conversation, we explore what it truly means to live in balance — within ourselves, with others, and with the natural world. George shares insights from his time training under Master Gu in the Wudang Mountains of China, and reflects on how balance extends beyond personal wellbeing into a collective responsibility for the planet.
This is a gentle and profound invitation to slow down, be present, and rediscover harmony amidst the complexities of life.
For more of George's work:
website: https://www.balanceispossible.com/
His latest film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KArWcMldPM
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 What is balance?
03:00 The economy and nature
05:00 A radical transformation of understanding
08:30 The unexpected path to Tai Chi
11:20 The embrace of the unknown
17:00 Letting go of yourself
20:00 No longer separating life from practice
23:50 The wisdom of the mind
28:15 Trusting the flow of life
31:00 The forming of a mission
34:00 The interdependence of healing
38:00 Giving yourself grace of seasons
41:00 Creating more space to meet life
44:25 Loving the challenging feelings of life
49:50 The movement towards balance
52:45 Summary of the conversation and what is a good life for George?
On the 143rd episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Kimbra. Kimbra is a New Zealand-born songwriter, musician, producer, and adventurous performer. Her 2011 debut, Vows, was certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand. The following year, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” her duet with Gotye, topped Billboard’s Hot 100, became the best-selling song of the year in the U.S., and earned her two Grammy Awards. Since then, she has toured with artists including Beck, David Byrne, and Jacob Collier, and has released four more albums: The Golden Echo, Primal Heart, A Reckoning, and Idols & Vices (Vol. 1). She hosts the podcast Playing With Fire and shares essays, poetry and watercolours on her Substack newsletter.
In this conversation, Kimbra reflects on her ongoing journey to find balance and rest within her life and career as a musician. She speaks about the importance of silence in shaping her artistic expression, the power of surrendering to spirit, and the grounding influence of nature.
This episode is an invitation to embrace the fullness of life — its joy, its suffering, and the many paradoxes in between.
For more of Kimbra's work:
Substack: https://kimbra.substack.com/
Website: https://www.kimbramusic.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 How to find balance?
03:00 The experience of burnout
06:30 A silent concert
09:50 HoneyBones and nothing to lose
12:30 The generosity and connection of silence
16:00 Life, art, and work are not separate
19:30 Receiving a message from spirit
23:30 Being empowered by spirit
29:00 A mystical experience and calling
33:42 We all have a cross
38:50 Making a difference in the world
42:30 The power and role of nature
45:00 Rest, letting go, and liberation
51:15 Summary and what is a good life for Kimbra?
On the 142nd episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Jim Palmer, Founder of the Center for Non-Religious Spirituality. A critically acclaimed author, former megachurch pastor, adjunct professor, and chaplain with the American Humanist Association, Jim is also a trained counsellor in religious trauma and spiritual abuse.
In this conversation, he reflects on his journey through a crisis of faith, his experiences as a megachurch pastor, and his challenges of navigating religious culture. We explore theological deconstruction, rewilding spirituality, and the importance of embracing diverse perspectives. This episode invites you to consider a faith in life itself as a way to deepen our connection with existence.
For more of Jim's work:
Substack: https://substack.com/@jimpalmerauthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimpalmerauthor/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 Introduction and Setup
01:51 Exploring the Good Life
02:50 The More Than Human World
06:22 Personal Evolution and Crisis of Faith
12:22 Experiences as a Mega Church Pastor
17:35 The Challenges of Mega Church Culture
21:22 Theological Deconstruction and Reconstruction
26:38 Confronting Suffering and Injustice
33:03 Cognitive Dissonance in Religion
39:13 Processing Religious Trauma
42:55 Rewilding Spirituality
50:04 God as a Verb
54:20 The Good Life as a Process of Inquiry
58:06 Faith in Life and Interconnectivity
On the 141st episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Professor Megan Reitz. Megan is an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford University, and Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Hult International Business School. She is a leading thinker on leadership and dialogue, featured in the Thinkers50 ranking of global business thinkers, and the author of Dialogue in Organizations, Mind Time, and, most recently, Speak Out, Listen Up. Her work explores how we create the conditions for transformative dialogue at work, and her latest research examines how we can foster spaciousness — the capacity to innovate, reflect, and build relationships in workplaces addicted to busyness.
In this conversation, we explore the impact of space, silence, attention, and an outward focus on our relationships and our experience of life.
This episode serves as an invitation to pause, question the busyness we’ve become entangled in, and reconsider the status quo of how we relate.
For more of Megan's work:
Website: https://www.meganreitz.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganreitz/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 How do I encounter the world?
04:00 Flow amongst people
07:00 How our gestures affect others
11:45 The labels, assumptions, and roles that create distance
17:13 The energy drain of societal expectations
23:00 Allowing, inquiry, and meta awareness
26:20 Creating the space we require
33:45 How do we see the world?
37:00 Navigating pauses and big questions
44:00 How strange it has become to pause
47:30 Our focus moving from ourselves
53:30 Experiencing periods without an agenda
57:00 Summary and what is a good life for Megan?
On the 140th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Robert Poynton. Rob is the author of Do Conversation, Do Pause, and Do Improvise. He divides his time between an off-grid home in rural Spain and Oxford, where he is an Associate Fellow at the Saïd Business School and convenor of the Oxford Praxis Forum at Green Templeton College. Rob is a designer, host, and facilitator of learning experiences; an amateur practical philosopher; a keeper of hens; and the founder of Yellow Learning.
In this conversation, Rob shares his sense of living with more aliveness. We explore following the energy rather than the “shoulds”, noticing visceral signals of “deathly” work, practising curiosity and softness in everyday tasks, infinite games versus fixed goals, and how trusting life’s unfolding leads to a life of joy.
This episode is an invitation to soften, to follow what feels alive, and to let life reveal itself through experience and energy rather than theory.
For more of Rob's work:
Website: https://robertpoynton.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-poynton-169402/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 How can we make life more joyful?
04:20 Paying attention to that sinking feeling
06:40 Making decisions others found unusual
10:50 Following the breadcrumbs and energy
18:11 Noticing when we contract and soften
24:30 Noticing, allowing, and becoming
32:00 Life wants to happen
39:15 Collaboration more present than competition
42:30 The allure of drama and conflict
48:20 Holding two conflicting ideas at once
51:15 The surprises that bring us alive
57:50 Summary and is a good life for Rob?
On the 139th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Simon Höher—a public designer, researcher, and strategist based in Berlin. Simon works at the intersection of systems, futures, and justice, partnering with public institutions, startups, and cultural organisations to rethink how we design, govern, and live together. He is Systems Change Lead at Dark Matter Labs and currently supports the European Commission’s Net Zero Cities Mission.
In this conversation, we explore big questions about life, governance, and personal evolution: the nature of change, how today’s decisions shape future generations, and the role of resilience and trust in navigating uncertainty. We also look at ways to move beyond the problem–solution dichotomy.
This episode is an invitation to consider what more patience, deliberation, and intention might bring to your life.
For more of Simon's work:
Website: https://simonhoeher.com/
Substack: http://simonhoeher.substack.com
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 How do we create deliberate transitions?
04:30 What to do about the state of the world?
08:00 Evolution and transitions
12:00 Shifting from private to public interest
14:30 How do we gauge impact?
19:40 Questioning are we part of the problem
23:50 The impact of trust & hope on resilience
32:45 Trusting yourself through change
37:00 We are incredibly adaptive creatures
39:30 The significance of openness
42:30 The problem-solution dichotomy
50:00 Minimal intervention
54:00 Summary and what is a good life for Simon?
On the 138th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Edie "EdieArt" Pijpers. Edie is a self-taught painter, musician, and writer whose work flows across the porous borders between music, colour, story, dream, and video. Raised in the Netherlands, Edie travelled through Paris, Sydney, and Los Angeles before planting roots in the Hudson Valley. Over the years, she has released five albums, held art shows in Nashville and New York, painted murals, published mindful children’s books, created intimate video pieces, and collaborated on the oracle deck Healing the Inner Child via Hay House.
In this conversation, we explore the essence of creativity and the balance between doing and being. We explore the importance of giving space and time to ideas, as well as attuning to the muse that lives as presence in ordinary moments.
Ultimately, she highlights the significance of relationality, living attentively, and embracing the flow of existence.
For more of Edie's work:
Website: https://www.edieart.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EdieArt77
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss team coaching to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 What is trying to emerge?
04:45 Authority and uncertainty
10:00 Exploring how things are
13:00 Balancing masculine and feminine energies
17:30 The call into nature
25:00 Giving life more space
31:05 The seriousness and lightness of life
36:15 Parenting, relating, and space
42:00 Letting go of control
45:00 Meaningful and meaningless
48:00 Answering a call to creativity
51:30 The significance of place
54:30 Summary and what is a good life for Edie?
On the 137th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Diane Button. Diane is a founding partner of the Bay Area End-of-Life Doula Alliance in Northern California, and the best-selling author of Dear Death: Finding Meaning in Life, Peace in Death, and Joy in an Ordinary Day and The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas & Caregivers (co-authored with Angela Shook and Gabby Jimenez). She holds a master’s degree in Counselling Psychology, works as a practicing end-of-life doula, and serves as a lead instructor in the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine’s End-of-Life Doula Certificate Program. Her latest book is the inspiring What Matters Most.
In our conversation, Diane shares the profound insights she has gained through her work, emphasising the power of presence, the value of embracing all emotions, and the joy found in life’s simplest moments.
Together, we explore how the beauty of ordinary days and the wisdom of those facing death can illuminate what it truly means to live well and meet life’s final chapter with grace.
For Diane's latest book, What Matters Most:
To buy your copy: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768705/what-matters-most-by-diane-button/
About the book: https://www.dianebutton.com/what-matters-most
Website: https://www.dianebutton.com
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 Reflections on the book
02:10 The depth of the role of an End of Life Doula
04:45 Experiencing everything
08:44 The cultivation of presence
14:00 Pausing and slowing down
17:00 An awareness of joy
21:20 An expression of gratitude
25:30 The process of writing the book
31:55 Not waiting to celebrate life
36:30 Distilling what matter most
40:30 The simple moments
43:30 Legacy work with the dying
48:00 Regrets over the little things
52:30 Self-love, acceptance, and authenticity
1:00:00 Comfort with grief and conflicting emotions
1:08:00 The importance of our small acts
On the 136th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I’m delighted to welcome our guest, Aadita Chaudhury. Aadita is a researcher, writer and arts practitioner inhabiting the intersection of the arts, science, ecology, and spirituality. Her work is shaped by ethnographic approaches, poetic inquiry, embodied methodologies, sonic practices, photography, and encounters with mythology, folklore and ritual, guided by ethics of slow, non-extractive decolonial research. She is interested in perspectives from the Global South in relation to technoscientific imaginaries, decolonial, feminist and working-class social movements. Aadita has conducted research in the US, Canada, the UK, Italy, India and Mexico. Her academic and public work has appeared in International Relations, Conservation Letters and Al Jazeera.
In this conversation, Aadita explores the themes of rootedness, belonging, and identity amidst a rapidly changing world. She reflects on her journey through liminal spaces, the impact of cultural expectations, and the quest for enough-ness. The discussion delves into the implications of human exceptionalism, the importance of direct communication, and the value of community connections.
Ultimately, Aadita considers a good life as one that embraces honesty, embodiment, and the emergent flux of reality.
For more of Aadita's work:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aadita/
Website: https://www.aaditachaudhury.com/
Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, my 5-week group courses, or to discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams.
- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
00:00 Navigating Liminal Spaces
04:00 A Practice of Presence
06:00 Rootedness, identity, and preference
09:55 Cultural expectations
14:30 The expectation of proving our worth
16:30 Exploring human exceptionalism
20:00 Conditional enough-ness
26:00 Concepts from human exceptionalism
30:00 Fear of death and immortality
34:00 Moving from abstract to embodied
42:30 Attentiveness to our community
53:00 The repression of forced politeness
59:15 An appreciation for directness
1:06:00 Summary and what is a good life for Aadita?