Go Bucket Yourself

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

I, Chris here, frickin' love this book! Meaning > happiness; don't believe me? Give this episode a listen and read the book.

Has there ever been a time in your life where you pondered your happiness or your meaning?

In this episode of the podcast, inspired by The Power of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith, we discuss:

• the author's "Four Pillars of Happiness" (or meaning!):
  • Belonging 
  • Purpose
  • Transcendence
  • Storytelling
• if happiness is more important than Meaning ~or~ meaning more important than happiness.
• the Hedonic Treadmill--a metaphor for the human condition to chase one pleasure after another because the initial feeling of happiness is likely to dissipate over time
• eudaimonia--a Greek word literally translating to “good spirit", often referring to the condition of human flourishing or living well

Memorable quotes from The Power of Meaning:

• “Someone who has a solid grasp on his identity, knows his core beliefs, his values, and his life goals and how his groups and communities have shaped him--he is able to answer the central question that emerges during young adulthood, which is, ‘What kind of person am I and what kind of person do I want to be?’ And yet identity isn’t static. At every stage of life, he must actively revisit these questions. Toward the end of life that means asking not what kind of person do I want to be, but what kind of person have I been and am I ok with that?”
• “Research shows that when people use their strengths at work they find more meaning in their jobs and ultimately perform better. And when they pursue goals that align with their core values and interests, they feel more satisfied and competent. They’re also likelier to persevere through challenges to actually accomplish those goals. That is, they are more purposeful.”

Other memorable quotes from this episode:

• “What is the meaning of life? That was all; a simple question– one that tended to close in on one with years. The great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark.” -Virginia Wolf
• “Faith ties an individual to something larger or even infinite that lies beyond the self--no matter what answers a given faith might provide for us, every answer of faith gives infinite meaning to the finite existence of man. Meaning that is not destroyed by suffering, deprivation, and death.”  – Leo Tolstoy
• “Mental illness is often the result of a person's inabilability to tell a good story about his or her life. Either the story is incoherent, or inadequate, or it’s a life story gone awry. The psychotherapist’s job is to work with patients in a more positive way. Through editing and reinterpreting his story with his therapist, the patient comes to realize, among other things, that he is in control of his life and that some meaning can be gleaned from whatever hardship he has endured.” -Michelle Crossley

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

• The Power of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith
• Expressive Writing: Words That Heal by James Pennebaker & John Evans

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

Chris and Debbie discuss the gifts and difficulties with surrendering to the flow of life, inspired by Michael Singer's book, The Surrender Experiment.

They dive into the book and share their personal experiences with letting go of control in trust that everything is unfolding just as it's meant to.

You'll hear:

• where they're at in this process
• where/how they're still struggling to let go
• what they've learned from reading about Michael Singer's experience

Listen in to hear how YOU might benefit from trying your own surrender experiment this year!

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

• The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer
• The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
• Episode 21 of the podcast with Rose Lounsbury
• Learn more about Chris, Debbie, and GoBucketYourself HERE
• Get in touch with Chris on Insta
• Get in touch with Deb on Insta
• Grab a copy of Deb's book

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

Guest Maggie Tucker goes beyond superficial answers with Chris and Deb to get to the heart of where she's at on her path to early retirement. Maggie is co-host of the friends on FIRE podcast. Maggie is passionate about minimalism, simple living, and helping people on their journeys through life. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and three daughters.

In this episode, she discusses:

• how/why money conversations can lead to deeper friendships
• her pivot to early retirement
  • why she decided her successful and financially rewarding career is no longer what she wants
  • how she's able to leave it behind
• "bag lady syndrome" and shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset
• the benefits of minimalism and Buddhism
• what is F.I.R.E?
  • Maggie's quote: "...having the freedom to make decisions that aren't based on money."
• deferred compensation plans
• why Maggie isn't already retired though she's able
• ideas for overcoming early retirement fears
• minimalism w/ children and a blended family

Listen for inspiration on how YOU can begin building the life you desire in spite of your fear!

Resources:

• friends on FIRE podcast
• friends on FIRE on Instagram
• The Bag Lady Papers by Alexandra Penney
• The Minimalists
• The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, et al.
• Episode #5 of the podcast with Carl Jensen
• The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Berstein
• Music courtesy of Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Flow Right
• Learn more about Chris, Debbie, and GoBucketYourself HERE
• Get in touch with Chris on Insta
• Get in touch with Deb on Insta
• Grab a copy of Deb's book

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

Chris and Debbie's "best of" 2021 episode.

They share their top:

• books
• travel
• bucket list completion
• self-care
• let go of

for the year.

Plus, they share something they plan to add to their bucket lists for 2022.

Listen to hear if any of their favorites are your favorites, too!

Resources from this episode:

• Books mentioned in this episode:
  • The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck
  • Breath by James Nestor
  • Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
  • The Power of Meaning by Emily Esfahani Smith
• visit gobucketyourself.com to find more goodies like...
• Deb's book, The Other Side of Perfect, and the accompanying journal
• Connect with Deb on her Instagram @imperfectprogress.me
• Or Chris on his Instagram @bucketyourself

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

Chris and Deb have a heart-centered conversation with Amberly Grant, founder of Amberly Grant Finance, where she hosts her weekly #fintalks with an ever-growing community of individuals seeking and supporting each other in building financially resilient lives.

They all really dig deep in this episode to uncover:

• the relationship between trauma and money
• where our money stories come from, why we hang on to them, and how to begin letting go
• Amberly's financial and emotional low at the beginning of the pandemic
• how she overcame these obstacles through creating an online community
• what that community's grown into in such a short time
• building healthy routines to maintain positive mental/emotional health
• how you can be a part of the same community that is helping so many thrive

Resources mentioned in today's episode:

• Amberly's website
• Join Amberly Grant Finance on Facebook to be a part of her weekly "fintalks"
• See what she's up to day-to-day on Instagram
• Thinking In Bets - Annie Duke
• Learn more about Chris, Debbie, and GoBucketYourself HERE
• Get in touch with Chris on Insta
• Get in touch with 
• Grab a copy of Deb's book

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

In this episode, Chris and Deb talk with Jonah Jensen.

Jonah is the founder of Earthways Journeys. His background in trauma work, energy medicine, and ancient healing is the well that he draws from to help others. Having graduated from The Colorado School of Energy Studies, The Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute, and The Southwest Institute of the Healing Arts, as well as direct learning from elders, healers, and teachers across the globe, Jonah offers his skill, passion, and presence from his connection with the spirit of the natural world.

Jonah currently guides (private and group) Nature-Based Healing and Trauma Resolution trips in Taos, NM as well as Somatic Experiencing for Trauma Healing through Zoom. In addition, Jonah is currently teaching Depth Mindfulness with a focus on Somatic Wisdom and Biodynamics in the healing process.

Listen into all of the goodness he has to share about going to nature for healing and its guiding wisdom.

John Muir quote from this episode:
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity, and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers but as fountains of life.” ~ John Muir, 1901

Resources from this episode:

Get in touch with Jonah -

• on Instagram
• at his site, 
• or via email, [email protected]

Reach out to Chris & Deb - 

• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• visit their site gobucketyourself.com
• Get Deb's book HERE

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

You'll want to listen to this episode if:

• you've ever used people-pleasing to cope/numb
• you're a chronic approval seeker
• you've ever felt like your own wants/desires aren't good enough or valid unless their okay with others or benefit someone else
•  you sometimes struggle knowing what you want/need/desire without checking with someone else in your life
• you've lost your sense of autonomy/authority with your life and you'd like to take it back
• your intuition is lost or quiet, and you'd like to help it grow

Chris and Debbie talk about the dynamics of approval-seeking/seeking permission and why they've found it important to release it for their own personal growth. They walk through how it showed up in their daily lives, with their differing personalities, and how it contributed to their codependency. They also walk the listener through an exercise to help access their intuition in what is in alignment with their personal truth, enabling one to step toward it without the permission or approval of others.

We think you'll find this episode particularly helpful in your own personal growth. If so, please remember to follow, rate, and review the show!

Resources mentioned:

• The Other Side of Perfect: Discovering the Mind-Body Connection to Healing Chronic Illness - by Debbie Emick
• The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self - by Martha Beck
• Season 1 episode with Brenda & Jalea Baker

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE

In today's episode, we pour a warm cup of tea and have a chat with Jillian Johnsrud about writing a new chapter of your life---an amazing life based on your authentic self rather than some tired version of someone else's life.

She shares her stories about growing up in rural Montana and the inspirations that allowed her to envision a life that was bigger than the pastures and wheat fields that surrounded her. Jillian tells how she heard a calling to let go of old people-pleasing habits in order to make room for her true voice to be heard. She also shares her new book, Fire the Haters, and helps those of us who are trying to create their art in an online space that can be full of critics and nay-sayers. Listen in as we get to know this wonderful woman, author, podcaster, writer, speaker, and friend!

Resources from this episode:

• Jillian Johnsrud - her website; grab her new book, Fire the Haters
• Jillian's favorite tea - Evening in Missoula
• Follow Jillian on Instagram
• Deb's book - The Other Side of Perfect
• Deb's Instagram
• Chris' Instagram
• The Go Bucket Yourself website

Stay in touch!

• 🌎 gobucketyourself.com
• Chris @bucketyourself on Insta
• Deb @imperfectprogress.me on Insta
• Get Deb’s book HERE