Good Life Project

We want to hear from YOU! Take our survey.

Ever notice how, increasingly, spirituality, and especially, religion, have become these loaded terms? Let alone concepts. But, does that have to be the case? What might a new lens or approach on spirituality and faith look like? One steeped in openness, kindness, inclusivity, service, compassion and beyond? 

That is where we’re headed today in this deep and nuanced conversation with my guest, Rainn Wilson. Now, before you even ask, you may be wondering, “Isn’t he the three-time Emmy-nominated actor who portrayed Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office?” And, the answer would be yes. But what you may not know is that Rainn has been traveling, examining, and deeply studying both his own Baha'i tradition, as well as nearly every other religious and spiritual tradition for more than 50 years. He is no stranger to deep, meaningful conversations. His latest book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution explores the harmony between personal transformation service and the future of religion and spirituality. And, that’s exactly where he headed in today’s deep, rich, wise, and kind conversation.

You can find Rainn at: Instagram | Twitter

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Matthew McConaughey about the pursuit of meaning, joy and expression in life.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever wondered what sets successful people apart, and how they stay motivated to achieve their goals? What if you could discover the secrets to maximizing your own motivation and achieving the success you desire? In today's podcast, we delve into the surprising science of motivation and accomplishment, uncovering powerful strategies to help you conquer challenges and propel yourself toward your dreams with my guest, Emily Balcetis.

Emily is an Associate Professor of Psychology and the director of the New York University Social Perception Action and Motivation research lab. Described as a pioneer in the scientific investigation of behavioral science and motivation, she leads an international team of scholars, writers, artists, and advocates. Her research has uncovered previously unknown strategies that increase, sustain, and direct people's efforts to meet their goals. As a TED speaker and author of Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World, she has become one of the most sought-after voices on motivation science in the world.

During this conversation, you'll learn:

1. How our perception of the world shapes our motivation and, in turn, our success.
2. The surprising strategies successful people use to sustain and direct their efforts.
3. The role of self-compassion in overcoming setbacks and maintaining motivation.
4. How to unlock your own inner resources to achieve your personal and professional goals.

You can find Emily at: Psychology Today | LinkedIn

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Lewis Howes about the mindset that propels greatness.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m fascinated by the idea of snap decisions, how some can lead to amazing outcomes, and others can destroy lives. What you so often find is that nothing actually happens in a moment, there is no real snap, but rather a series of experiences leading up to it, often years in the making, were as much authors of the moment as the instance itself. And, sometimes, when those moments lead to something you’ll regret for a lifetime, you get to the next question - what is recoverable - redeemable - how do you make that happen, and who gets to write the story of your reclamation? 

This is the powerful thru line of my conversation with Shaka Senghor, New York Times bestselling author of Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison. He took another young man’s life at the age of 19, served the next two decades in prison, 7 in solitary, and through a series of awakenings, began to unwind the pieces of his life and begin the process of understanding, reassembling and eventually redemption. 

His latest book, Letters to the Sons of Society: A Father's Invitation to Love, Honesty, and Freedom invites men everywhere on a journey of honesty and healing through this book of moving letters to his sons. So excited to share this 'Best of' conversation with you today.

You can find Shaka at: Website | Instagram

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Father Greg Boyle and Fabian Debora about the power of redemption and expression.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if there was a secret pathway that could dramatically expand the level of joy, creativity, pleasure, and connection you experienced in life, no matter what was happening? Turns out, there is, and that path takes us through the land of our five senses, but in ways you never thought about or imagined.

In today's captivating conversation with my dear friend, Gretchen Rubin, one of today’s most influential observers of happiness and human nature, we dive into the untapped potential of the 5 senses to dramatically enhance our lives. Gretchen reveals how engaging with our senses in novel, playful ways can bring us moments of joy, even during difficult times. You'll discover the essential role our senses play in connecting with ourselves and the world around us. We explore how tuning into these powerful tools can foster stronger relationships, increase creativity, pleasure and joy, and lead to more mindful, satisfying experiences, all based on her new book, Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World.

You'll learn:

1. The concept of a "Five Senses Journal" to heighten your self-awareness and unlock personal insights.
2. How tapping into your senses can foster stronger relationships, resolve conflicts, and boost empathy.
3. The transformative power of sensory experiences in stimulating creativity, productivity, and mental well-being.
4. How to harness your senses for meditation, relaxation, or simply having fun in your everyday life.
5. The vital role our senses play in creating meaningful memories and fostering a greater sense of well-being.

Join us as we uncover the hidden power of our senses, and embark on a sensory journey that will inspire you to live a more fulfilled and joyous life.

You can find Gretchen at: Website | Instagram | Happier with Gretchen Rubin - Podcast

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Gretchen about The Four Tendencies or how we meet our own expectations.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever felt like you’ve got so much more potential inside you, but you have no idea how to unlock it and share it with the world? If so, you’re not alone. And it’s a question that today’s guest, rocket scientist turned award-winning professor and bestselling author, Ozan Varol, takes us into. How can we unleash our hidden genius, that magical set of capabilities that lies within every person? And, how do we even know what our is, let alone how to release it into the world?

In this thought-provoking podcast, we'll dive into the art of embracing curiosity, letting go of our past and future, and stepping into the unknown. His newest book, Awaken Your Genius, explores how to identify and share the magic that lies within all of us.

We explore:

1. How the power of curiosity can lead to groundbreaking discoveries and help you overcome fear.
2. The importance of looking where others don't to find unique perspectives and uncover hidden gems.
3. The role of repetition in creating false confidence and the value of exploring different sources of information.
4. The remarkable story of Jimmy Breslin, a journalist who found success by stepping away from the norm.
5. How Ozan experimented with potential futures before finding his true calling and the importance of approaching life with the mindset of a curious scientist.

You can find Ozan at: Website | Purchase the Book & Get a Special Free Bonus

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Ozan three years ago about how to think like a rocket scientist to solve big problems.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever felt like the only one in the room? That uneasy feeling of being different, isolated, or misunderstood, having to perform to a norm that is entirely misaligned with who you are can be jarring. But what if those moments of feeling out of place are actually the key to unlocking a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us? Welcome to a groundbreaking episode where we dive deep into the unseen divide with our guest, Laura Cathcart Robbins.

Laura Cathcart Robbins is an accomplished author, freelance writer, speaker, and host of the popular podcast The Only One in the Room. Her new memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding is about the journey to sobriety and self-love amidst addiction, privilege, racism, and self-sabotage.

In this episode, we dive into:

1. The powerful role of vulnerability, honesty, and openness in fostering genuine connections, breaking down barriers, and coming home to yourself.
2. How so many of us try to cope with stress, overwhelm, or differences by turning to unhealthy behaviors, even addiction, and how these need not be lifelong conditions.
3. How comparing your suffering to others often only piles on, rather than eases the pain.
4. An unusual take on redefining and rebuilding relationships after life-altering events, like divorce, addiction, and recovery.
5. The importance of including diverse voices in educational and communal spaces and beyond.

You can find Laura at: Website | Instagram | The Only One In The Room Podcast

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Rich Roll about his journey through addiction and awakening.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The science is crystal clear, deep, genuine, healthy and enduring relationships are at the center of a well-lived life. But, so often, it’s the long-term intimate partnerships that we take most for granted or give least attentiveness to. Just assuming they’ll keep on keeping on. Until they don’t. So how DO you keep your relationship with someone you hope to be a life partner not just alive, but truly rich and flourishing and nourishing and joyful? Especially over a period of years or, if you’re fortunate enough, decades? What’s the secret to maintaining passion and connection throughout the years?

That’s where we’re headed in this eye-opening conversation with professor Eli Finkel, as we dive deep into the world of romantic relationships. Eli is the author of the bestselling book The All-Or-Nothing Marriage: How the Best Marriages Work.

You'll discover:

1. The surprising impact of engaging in exciting, out-of-the-ordinary activities on relationship satisfaction and passion.
2. How to distinguish between activities that foster closeness and those that reignite desire.
3. The unexpected benefits of breaking out of routines and embracing new challenges together.

And, lots more. During our conversation, we delve into the intricacies of maintaining passion in long-term relationships, discussing the importance of novelty, and exploring the potential benefits of breaking out of routines in the aftermath of the pandemic. Eli shares valuable insights on how couples can be deliberate about rebooting their relationships and resetting priorities, all while creating meaningful connections and lasting memories.

You can find Eli at: Website | Twitter

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Julie and John Gottman about love and marriage.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of our core values and beliefs here at Good Life Project is that every human being, regardless of how they identify, love, practice, or live is endowed with dignity and worth, and is entitled to be treated through this lens. We also believe that every person can learn from any person, especially those who they perceive as being different from them. It’s a big part of the reason we’re always seeking to share a rich tapestry of voices on the podcast. The moment we close ourselves off to those we perceive as other, whether from fear, lack of knowledge or lived experience, we close ourselves off to a part of ourselves and of life that could have made our days so much richer. And, we shrink our worlds and lives along the way.

So, as we head into this year’s Trans Day of Visibility, we wanted to share a selection of moments, ideas and awakening from a few deeply-moving conversations we’ve had over the years with some incredible, big-hearted, and wise humans who also happen to identify as transgender, and have chosen to make it their life’s work to step into conversation with others to share their experience. Not just of being transgender, but also of moving through a world that often misunderstands, labels, and ostracizes on a level that leads to injustice, rising at times to violence and suffering. These conversations aren’t just about transgender life, though, they’re about life, the way we choose to relate to each other, hear and see each other, acknowledge our shared humanity, and choose to either expand our horizons and our lives, or contract both. So excited to share this Best Of episode featuring Imara Jones and Trystan Reese. 

You can find Imara Jones at: Website | Instagram | TransLash Podcast | Listen to Our Full-Length Convo with Imara

You can find Trystan Reese at: Website | Instagram | Listen to Our Full-Length Convo with Trystan

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We live in a world of near-constant distraction, making it harder and harder to focus, to be present and attentive in the activities, goals, pursuit and even relationships that mean the most to us. And, so often, the solution offered to reclaim focus are the same old tired things we hear, over and over again.

So, today, in the next installment of our Life-changing Habits series, we’re exploring 7 unconventional, more secret-weapon-level, science-backed habits that can help you stay focused, be less distracted, and truly be present in the moment. These unconventional but incredibly powerful habits can transform the way you interact with the world and the people that really matter. And, pretty safe bet you either haven’t heard of them or tried them, or if you have, you never had them teed up in the context of improving focus, along with specific direction, and the science behind how and why they work. So excited to share these 5 life-changing focus-building habits with you. 

Submit a voice memo of your 5 Good Life Habits.

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the other episodes in this series:

• 5 Life-Changing Habits
• 5 Life-Changing Relationship Habits
• 5 Life-Changing Holiday Survival Habits 

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the Wheel
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever felt like you're living a life that isn't truly yours? Maybe you long to uncover the most authentic version of yourself, the one that’s laid hidden beneath layers of expectations and societal norms? Or, maybe you ever feel trapped in a never-ending cycle of change and growth without ever really getting where you want to be or feeling the way you want to feel. What if I told you that there's a process to the feeling of emergence, a journey to be embraced? And that it was steeped not in rigidity or force, but in poetry and grace.

In today’s conversation, interwoven with live, spoken word performances, poet, spoken word phenom, author, actor, and artist, Arielle Estoria, guides us through a journey she calls The Unfolding, which is also the title of her new book - a beautiful collection of poems, essays, and meditations that guide us through this transformative process.

She shares her personal experiences of pain and growth, and reveals how we can all learn to embrace a process of Unfolding, of coming home to ourselves, in our own lives. And, along the way, she also recites some beautiful, deeply-evocative poems that I know you won’t want to miss.

You can find Arielle at: Website | Instagram

If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Cleo Wade about life, love and expression.

Check out our offerings & partners: 

• My New Book Sparked
• My New Podcast SPARKED. To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
• Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.