Good Life Project

10 years ago, Chris Guillebeau mounted a quest to do the impossible, to visit every country in the world.

Along the way, he’s been hassled, deported, detained, harassed and threatened. But, far more often, he’s been welcomed and embraced, discovered the brilliance of a deeply connected world, built a global community of unconventional adventurers and, maybe more importantly, he experienced how an intensely challenging, years long quest changes you in ways he likely never saw coming.

Turning 35, Guillebeau completed that quest in April 2014 and writes about this astonishing journey in his new book, The Happiness of Pursuit.

In today’s conversation, we explore this remarkable person and journey. We dive into what led him to mount a quest to do what only a handful of people in the history of the planet have done. We explore the how his experiences earlier in life shaped him and how his decade long quest changed him in ways he never saw coming.

This episode is also the first in our shift to our new audio podcast-driven media format. We'll continue to post a video version over on youtube with a static image for a while, but please be sure to subscribe below and listen and subscribe on iTunes to make sure you never miss an episode.

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Big surprise and a huge announcement about the future of the project.

First, the surprise. Today's guest is ME!

You guys have been asking for two and a half years. So, I finally invited a good friend to turn the mic on me and explore this incredible journey of both life and GLP TV. We go deep into a number of topics I've never spoken about and share amazing moments, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes of the project.

Now, what about the major announcement?

You may notice in the image above, I'm wearing headphones and speaking into a radio-style microphone. Hmmmm, we've never done that before. What gives?

Well, the big announcement is that the video part of the project is going on hiatus. We'll still air episodes on youtube as audio-only, but the next phase of the project is all about audio. This is actually a giant win for you. It's going to allow us to have conversations with a wider range of people, more often and with a level of depth and intimacy that'd hard to create when you've got a full crew and cameras rolling.

I explain this evolution and what's driving it a lot more in the final 20 minutes of this week's episode. And if you're thinking about producing a podcast or web-series, be sure to tune in to that part of the conversation.

And, if you want to keep jamming with me every week, I STRONGLY recommend that you head on over to iTunes and subscribe to the podcast today. We've got an extraordinarily moving episode coming up next week that you absolutely won't want to miss.

With gratitude,

Jonathan

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The odd thing about success. It often breeds failure.

An interesting thing happens when you start with nothing, work like crazy, take big creative risks that pay off and then end up on top of the world. You discover that the fall from the top of the world hurts a whole lot more than the fall from the street-corner. And you don't want to take that fall.

You had nothing to lose in the beginning, but now you do. So, you stop doing the very thing that got you where you are. You operate from a place of loss-avoidance and negative-creativity.

This is what we're talking about on today's GLP Jam Session.

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Jesse Kornbluth is a force. Engaging, smart and deeply-invested in exploring life, ideas, people and art. Not just the art you hang on the wall, but the art of living. Full contact. Totally engaged. Life.

If you ask him what he does, he may tell you he founded HeadButler.com. But that's really just a label that makes starting a conversation easier.

In truth, he devours existence, curates conversations, experiences and media, filters them through the lens of his intellect and emotion, then shares them with the world. The form his creative output takes spans nearly every medium and has landed him on nearly every media channel over a career defined by ruthless honestly, relentless service and pursuit of something bigger than "just" a paycheck.

In this wide-ranging, provocative conversation, Jesse and I dive into his fascinating life (I was about to use the word "journey," but in the episode, you'll see why I may never use that word again, lol). We explore creativity, greatness, community, scaling, fascination, writing and so much more.

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A few years back, sitting down with Brene Brown, I asked what living a good life meant to her. Her answer was that it was about acknowledging and exalting the little moments that so many of us steamroll over in the mad rush to get to the bigger moments.

I know what she means. I've experienced so many small moments of grace that have added up to bigger moments of awakening.

One happened a number of years back. It took only seconds but left a huge imprint on me. And the way I look at others.

I share that story in today's short and sweet episode of our August Summer Jam Sessions series. Enjoy

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Every long-term creative endeavor requires you to cycle into "The Thrash."

That window where everything you thought you knew gets thrown into the wind, everything certain becomes uncertain and the way you contribute to your art, business, career and life are all up for grabs.

It's not about floundering or wallowing, it's about owning the fact that you've been going sideways for a while and it's time to step into that space that sets you up for the next big evolutionary step. Even if it scares the daylights out of you.

The other side of The Thrash is possibility, growth and power. But, all too often, you can't see that until you're through it.

How you handle this cyclic creative rite of passage determines whether you get to the next level, what it looks like and how much ease you experience along the way.

That's what we're talking about in the third episode in our August Summer Jam Series.

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So, we're having a bit of fun in August, calling it the "GLP Summer Jam."

Instead of our longer interviews this month, we're doing a full month of short and sweet visual essay jam sessions. It's a great way to get you thinking about bigger questions as you shift your energy down a bit, slow down and take some time to explore the bigger ideas that'll let you set up the second half of the year with a sense of greater purpose and alignment.

Plus this 2 to 5-minute format is perfect for viewing on vacation or on the go!

First up is a visual essay version of something I wrote a while back entitled "Less Show, More Soul." It'll take you on a quick journey to the Mexican Riviera and a big lesson I learned in a very public way. One that I still explore on a regular basis. It's about coming from a place of integrity and service, rather than posturing and theater.

Big takeaway...

An audience stays as long as you perform. A community stays as long as you serve.

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What if the person you were looking for, the one with all the answers, the one who could help you feel better and give you direction was...you?

We spend so much of life looking for someone to give us permission to live. To tell us what the right path is or verify that we're on it. Someone to give us permission to be ourselves and take action aligned with our essence.

We just want someone to tell us it's all going to be okay. A teacher. A guru.

Teachers, guides, mentors, they've all got value, but what about you?

That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Jam Session.

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You may recognize the last name of today's guest.

Yes, Eve Branson is the mom of legendary entrepreneur, Virgin founder and adventurer, Richard Branson. But she's also very much a force of nature in her own right. In fact, it's easy to see where Richard got his legendary sense of possibility and adventure from.

Eve is a multi-time entrepreneur, former ballet dancer, military gliding instructor for the Women's Royal Naval Services or WRENS during World War II, flight-attendant, mom of three kids, philanthropist and founder of the Eve Branson Foundation and now author of a new book called Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson.

I recently had a chance to sit down with Eve to explore her remarkable journey. The conversation ranged from how both her and Richard turned dyslexia into a "different way" of working in the world and even an asset to how she became involved in improving the lives of women and children in Morocco. Common to nearly everything she's accomplished is an indomitable spirit and a lens that says anything is possible, no matter what anyone else says.

Enjoy the conversation!

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