Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 106
Date: February 6, 2024

Participants: Elise Seifert, Sheila Webster, John Webster, Cameron Earnshaw and Stephen Seifert
Guest: Ryan A Bush

Start Times and Segments:

[0:00:16] What’s On Your Mind: Reading literature takes us to different worlds and situations. It enhances mental health. We see it as an investment in ourselves. Sheila and Elise chat about their favourite genres and what they get out of it.

[0:9:24] Expanding Minds Interview: [Intellectual Wellness] We interview Ryan A Bush about practical philisophy.⁠ John’s always felt a connection with philosophy. He met a kindred spirt. Ryan Bush chats about practical philosophy and how ancient philosophy is relevant to our everyday life. Human nature and the human mind haven’t changed much in tens of thousands of years. The insights of ancient philosophers are just as relevant now. Philosophy means love of wisdom. That’s what it was about in ancient times – happiness and living a better life. Most of what people study in academic philosophy is not practical philosophy in the sense that you can use it to live a better life. There’s misconception centred around ancient philosophy. For example, stoicism isn’t about white knuckling through everything and not showing emotion. Stoicism is about cultivating greater control over our emotions. That doesn’t mean not having them. It means domesticating them. Getting them to where they serve you, instead of sabotaging you. That’s a really beautiful thing. The stoics realized that our emotions do not react directly to the events in our lives. Rather, they are mediated by our thoughts. They talk about how you can change your interpretation. If someone insults you, they don’t actually hurt you. Only your own thoughts can do that. You’ll only suffer over it if you believe what they’re saying, or if you allow them to weaken your own mental strength. Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations a journal to himself. It’s packed with insight after insight after insight. You can just pick it up and open to a random page and point, and whatever you point to is pretty much going to speak to you and be full of wisdom. It’s extremely relevant today.

[0:25:44] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron headed to open mic to play fun songs, after a busy week of learning songs as part of the business.

[0:30:10] Move That Body: Sheila heard about a February challenge to do 2000 push ups. It’s a good thing 2024 is a leap year. She has one extra day to get it done.

[0:34:48] Running Popup: Listening to an audiobook on the run. A relationship lesson from Tris and Four is one that’s worked for us. From the Divergent series by Veronica Roth.

[0:37:49] Flipside of the Coin: Elise and Stephen talk about food from other countries. Today it’s all about Korean food from their time living in Korea. They had memorable experiences.

Guest Information: Ryan A Bush is a thinker, author and designer focused on building better systems, better people, and a better future. His background is in the design of systems. He’s worked with tech startups to design and develop everything from physical products to software, to buildings, to business models. He’s had a lifelong interest in introspective investigation, ravenous reading, and obsessive self-optimization. For many years, Ryan has studied the insights of ancient teachers, practical philosophers and cognitive scientists. He’s written two books – The first – Designing the Mind – helps readers understand the workings of their own minds and the keys to sculpting them. The second – Become Who You Are – is about the psychology of well-being and concepts connected with Happiness.

Links to Ryan’s books:

Designing the Mind: The Principles of Psychitecture

Become Who You Are: A New Theory of Self-Esteem, Human Greatness, and the Opposite of Depression

The Book of Self Mastery: Timeless Quotes About Knowing, Changing, and Mastering Yourself

Link to Mindform community: https://mindform.io/

Connect with Let’s Be Well Together Podcast:
website: https://letsbewelltogether.com
Follow our Instagram account: @lets.be.well.together use hashtag #letsbewelltogetherpodcast
Provide input on Instagram using hashtag #letsbewelltogetherinput
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Lets.Be.Well.Together

Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-)   Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle, Noura and Julie