If happiness isn’t the goal, what practices actually make life meaningful?

In Part 2 of my conversation with philosopher Jeffrey Hanson, we move beyond definitions to explore how meaning is actually cultivated in the messy reality of daily life. We discuss why a meaningful life is often the opposite of a purely productive one, and why “getting more done” is rarely the answer to feeling fulfilled.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Work Trap: Why “workism” threatens flourishing, and how “job crafting” can help us reconnect our work to a larger sense of purpose.

• The Infrastructure of Meaning: Why habits, rituals, and even seemingly “pointless” activities like play are essential structures that anchor us in coherence.

• The Power of the Collective: The surprising link between shared rituals and wellbeing, and why community is indispensable for a meaningful life.

• The Role of Struggle: Why meaning doesn’t require constant happiness, but does require embracing difficulty, growth, and coherence over time.

Jeff offers a refreshing, no-nonsense look at how we can anchor ourselves in a distracted world through the very things we often overlook: our work, our rituals, and each other.

Further resources (from Parts 1 and 2)

• Global Flourishing Study – a large international longitudinal study (≈220,000 participants across 22 countries) led by the Harvard Human Flourishing Program.

• Hanson, J. & Tyler VanderWeele (2021). The Comprehensive Measure of Meaning: Psychological and Philosophical Foundations.

• Harvard Human Flourishing Program – interdisciplinary research on human flourishing.

• Joshua Seachris – What Makes Life Meaningful? (2020)

• Roy Baumeister – foundational psychological work on meaning, purpose, and narrative.

• Susan Wolf – Meaning in Life and Why It Matters (2010)

• Jeffrey Hanson – Imagination, Suffering, and Perfection: A Kierkegaardian Reflection on Meaning in Life (2011), drawing on Søren Kierkegaard.

• Hannah Arendt – The Human Condition (1958)

• Thomas Nagel – The View from Nowhere (1986)

• Hanson, J. et al. (2022). Suffering, authenticity, and meaning in life: Toward an integrated conceptualization of well-being (Frontiers in Psychology).

Is meaning a mystery — or something we can actually measure?

In Part One of this special series on Matters of Meaning, Olivia Hicks is joined by philosopher Jeffrey Hanson, Senior Fellow at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program, for a deeply human and surprisingly practical conversation about what really makes life meaningful.

We often talk about “finding meaning” as if it were a lucky accident or an elusive and private inner feeling. But what if meaning has a structure — one that can be studied, clarified, and even measured?

Jeff introduces the Comprehensive Measure of Meaning, which he co-developed with Tyler VanderWeele at the Harvard Human Flourishing Program. The framework shows that meaning is not simply a by-product of happiness, but is built from three essential dimensions:

• Coherence — making sense of your life and how its pieces fit together

• Significance — feeling that your life genuinely matters

• Motivational direction — having a sense of aim or purpose

Together, Olivia and Jeff explore how these dimensions work in tandem, why wellbeing alone is only part of the picture, and how this research can help us better understand what actually sustains us through complexity, uncertainty, and change.

A grounding and eye-opening conversation with one of today’s leading thinkers on meaning and human flourishing.

Further resources (from Parts 1 and 2)

• Global Flourishing Study – a large international longitudinal study (≈220,000 participants across 22 countries) led by the Harvard Human Flourishing Program.

• Hanson, J. & Tyler VanderWeele (2021).
  The Comprehensive Measure of Meaning: Psychological and Philosophical Foundations.

• Harvard Human Flourishing Program – interdisciplinary research on human flourishing.

• Joshua Seachris – What Makes Life Meaningful? (2020)

• Roy Baumeister – foundational psychological work on meaning, purpose, and narrative.

• Susan Wolf – Meaning in Life and Why It Matters (2010)

• Jeffrey Hanson – Imagination, Suffering, and Perfection: A Kierkegaardian Reflection on Meaning in Life (2011), drawing on Søren Kierkegaard.

• Hannah Arendt – The Human Condition (1958)

• Thomas Nagel – The View from Nowhere (1986)

• Hanson, J. et al. (2022).
  Suffering, authenticity, and meaning in life: Toward an integrated conceptualization of well-being (Frontiers in Psychology).

When was the last time you created something just for yourself — without the pressure of a deadline, a grade, or an audience?

In this episode of Matters of Meaning, host Olivia Hicks sits down with sustainable business strategist and artist Camille Sharara. Together, they dismantle the myth that creativity is reserved for “professional artists” and explore it as a vital human process for healing, connection, and meaning.

Whether you consider yourself creative or haven’t picked up a creative practice in years, this conversation is an invitation to rediscover making as a way of coming back to yourself.

In this episode, we explore:

• Reclaiming your natural state: shifting from the need to be “an artist” to embracing our innate drive to create

• The emotional superhighway: how small, everyday acts of creativity support emotional processing and healing

• Process over perfection: letting go of judgement and outcome-driven thinking to find true flow

• Fostering meaning through creativity: easy, low-pressure ways to weave creativity into a busy life

• Vulnerability and play: how rediscovering play helps us reconnect with our inner child and release the stresses

Further resources

• Big Magic — Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Artist's Way — Julia Cameron

Connect with us
- Guest: Camille Sharara’s poetry — @words.onwonder
- Podcast Instagram: @matters.of.meaning

Subscribe to Matters of Meaning so you don’t miss future episodes.

What if happiness isn’t enough… and morality isn’t either?

Philosopher Susan Wolf argues that a meaningful life can’t be reduced to feeling good or being “good.” So what actually is meaning, and why do we need it?

Welcome back to Matters of Meaning. I’m Olivia Hicks, and today I’m joined by one of the most influential philosophers of our time: Susan Wolf. A Professor at UNC–Chapel Hill and author of the modern classic Meaning in Life and Why It Matters, Susan argues that meaningfulness is a distinct and vital dimension of a life well-lived.

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, we explore:

• The Fitting Fulfillment View: Why meaning arises when subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness.

• The Trap of “Moral Saints”: How chasing moral perfection can lead us to overlook crucial non-moral goods.

• The Role of Love: Why devoting ourselves to things “worthy of love” shapes our existence.

Susan is as insightful as she is down-to-earth, and I hope this joyous conversation offers you as much clarity as it did for me.

Further Resources

• Meaning in Life and Why It Matters — Susan Wolf
• Moral Saints (essay) — Susan Wolf
• Sisyphus: The Meaning of Life — Richard Taylor
• Freedom and Fulfillment: Philosophical Essays (1992), especially “Absurd Self-Fulfillment” — Joel Feinberg

Have you cultivated a rich garden of meaning, or are you caught tending to noise instead?

Modern life leaves many of us feeling unanchored – busy but empty, connected yet somehow disconnected from purpose. Viktor Frankl called this the existential vacuum, a state where meaning is limited and the gap is filled by distractions like attempts to maximise power or pleasure. 

In this second half of my conversation with Alex Vesely — psychotherapist, award-winning filmmaker, and grandson of Viktor Frankl — we explore how this vacuum and what it takes to cultivate meaning in the moments of everyday life.

This conversation isn’t one to rush, which is why I’ve split it into two parts.

 In Part 1, we unpacked logotherapy, Frankl’s meaning-centred psychotherapy, and examined why meaning — not pleasure or power — truly drives us.

In Part 2, we explore the existential vacuum plaguing modern society, practical ways to notice meaning in everyday life, and how to cultivate a rich garden of meaning aligned with what matters most.

Chatting with Alex feels a bit like talking to Yoda — he brings intellect, warmth, and heart, leaving you reflecting on what, or who, still needs you. I’m delighted to share this with you. Enjoy.

Further Resources & Tools

Connect with Alex & the Viktor Frankl Institutes

• Instagram: @alex_d_vesely

• Viktor Frankl Institute (Vienna) — www.viktorfranklinstitute.org

• Viktor Frankl Institute of America — www.viktorfranklamerica.com

📖 Key Book

• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

🎥 Documentary

• Viktor and I — https://viktorfranklamerica.com/films/

🌍 Other authors referenced

• Elisabeth Lukas

• Heidi Schönfeld

• Alexander Batthyány

• Pam Roy

What really drives us — power, pleasure, or meaning?

We chase happiness, convinced fulfilment sits one step away. But the harder we chase it, the faster it slips through our fingers.

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl thought we were asking the wrong question. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he flipped it from “What do I expect from life?” to “What does life expect from me?” — a shift from ego and comfort to purpose.

Welcome back to Matters of Meaning. I’m Olivia Hicks, and today I’m joined by Alex Vesely — psychotherapist, award-winning filmmaker, and grandson of Viktor Frankl.

This conversation isn’t one to rush, so I’ve split it into two parts.

• In Part 1, we unpack logotherapy — Frankl’s meaning-centred psychotherapy — and explore why meaning, rather than pleasure or power, truly drives us. 

• In Part 2, we turn to the modern existential vacuum and how to notice meaning in each moment, cultivating a rich garden of values.

  
  

Chatting with Alex feels a bit like talking to Yoda — he brings intellect, warmth, and heart, leaving you reflecting on what, or who, still needs you.

I’m delighted to share this one with you. Enjoy!

Further Resources & Tools

Connect with Alex & the Viktor Frankl Institutes

• Instagram: @alex_d_vesely

• Viktor Frankl Institute (Vienna) — www.viktorfranklinstitute.org

• Viktor Frankl Institute of America — www.viktorfranklamerica.com

📖 Key Book

• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

🎥 Documentary

• Viktor and I — https://viktorfranklamerica.com/films/

🌍 Other authors referenced

• Elisabeth Lukas

• Heidi Schönfeld

• Alexander Batthyány

• Pam Roy

Do you ever feel like your talent, time, or resources aren’t being used in ways that really matter? If so, you’re not alone – research suggests a quarter of the modern workforce feels their jobs are socially meaningless. That same restlessness is what led me, your host Olivia Hicks, to make a major career shift and join the School for Moral Ambition.

To launch Series Two, today’s guest is the person at the heart of that movement: Rutger Bregman.

• George Monbiot has called him “one of the greatest thinkers of the twenty-first century,” and

• Trevor Noah describes his latest book, Moral Ambition, as “a stark wake-up call.”

In this conversation, we unpack moral ambition, where it fits into meaning, and practical steps anyone can take to do more good – whatever their skills, resources, or starting point. 

It’s a thoughtful, energising discussion that might just shift how you think about work, impact, and what really matters – with practical steps you can take today. 

Note: This episode discusses gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity. While some binary language appears, it isn’t intended to exclude and we support and welcome people of all genders identities, including trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse listeners.

Further Resources & Tools

🌍 Connect with the Movement:

Join the Moral Ambition community & explore Circles: https://www.moralambition.org/circles 

📖 Books Mentioned

• Moral Ambition — Rutger Bregman 

• Utopia for Realists — Rutger Bregman

• Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World — Matthieu Ricard

• Everything Is Tuberculosis — John Green

• Zero to One — Peter Thiel

  
  

💡 Thinkers & Philosophers

• Peter Singer

• Yuval Noah Harari

  
  

🌍 Organizations Referenced

• Against Malaria Foundation – ⁠https://www.againstmalaria.com/⁠ 

• Ambitious Impact & Charity Entrepreneurship – ⁠https://www.ambitiousimpact.com/⁠ 

• The Protein Project – ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-protein-project/⁠ 

• Impact Unfiltered – ⁠https://impactunfiltered.eu/⁠ 

• Giving What We Can – ⁠https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/⁠ 

• GiveDirectly – https://www.givedirectly.org/

How much would you pay to save a life?

In this episode, I’m joined by Sjir Hoeijmakers, CEO of Giving What We Can — the non-profit behind the 10% Pledge, a growing global movement to help people give more effectively.

We explore how thoughtful giving can enrich your life, deepen relationships, and empower you to make a real difference. Sjir shares practical tips for making giving easier and more impactful — and we also talk about ways to contribute beyond donating money.

Whether you’re curious about how you can do good through giving or already on the effective giving path path, there’s plenty to take away. Enjoy!

Resources

Websites:

• Giving What We Can — building a global community of people who care about doing what they can to help others, especially through the 10% Pledge

• Effective Altruism — a movement based on evidence and reason to identify the most effective ways to help others, and act on those findings

• School for Moral Ambition — a growing global movement helping as many people as possible take the step towards a job with a positive impact

• 80,000 Hours — helping people find fulfilling careers that make a big positive impact on the world’s most pressing problems

• Ambitious Impact (AIM) — a platform providing exceptional people with the training, funding, and research to improve lives at scale, through four programs:

  • Charity Entrepreneurship — start a new high-impact charity

  • Founding to Give — launch a high-growth company to donate to high-impact charities

  • Grantmaking — increase the impact of your philanthropic giving

  • Research — equip participants to research and recommend the most effective charities

Books:

• The Life You Can Save — Peter Singer

• Doing Good Better — William MacAskill

• Moral Ambition — Rutger Bregman

• Humankind: A Hopeful History — Rutger Bregman

Is our obsession with chasing pleasure putting our well-being — and our chance to live meaningfully — at risk?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Bhuvan Awasthi, a cognitive neuroscientist and global leader in the science-policy-diplomacy space. Currently a Senior Behavioural Scientist with the Canadian Government, Bhuvan’s work draws on insights from neuroscience, emotion, and decision-making research.

Named Australia’s Neuroscientist of the Year for his outreach work, Bhuvan brings fascinating behavioural insights to help us better understand ourselves. Together, we unpack the difference between pleasure and well-being, where meaning fits in, and practical ways to help us make better decisions and live more meaningfully. 

Resources: 

• The Dunedin Study: https://dunedinstudy.otago.ac.nz/ 

• A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3041102/ 

Further reading on the relationship between self-control and well-being:  

• Unraveling the Relationship Between Trait Self-Control and Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Four Self-Control Strategies: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00706/full 

• High Self-Control Individuals Prefer Meaning Over Pleasure: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19485506251323948 

• See also a media write up on the above study: https://www.psypost.org/people-with-high-self-control-prefer-meaning-over-pleasure-study-finds/ 

In this episode, I’m joined by the wonderful David Bradbury, a seasoned chaplain who has spent decades walking alongside people — through everyday struggles at work and life’s big, existential questions around purpose, faith, and meaning.

Together, we explore the essence of spirituality beyond religion — and why so many of us in the West feel spiritually hungry, yearning for deeper connection in a world that can feel increasingly lonely and disconnected. David offers gentle wisdom and practical ways to cultivate a richer spiritual life, even if you don’t consider yourself religious or particularly spiritual.

We talk about the importance of curiosity, community, and making space for meaningful connection — not just in milestone moments, but in the quiet, everyday ones too.

From reflections on the nature of God (or ‘the Other’) and our deep interconnectedness, to the power of silence, presence, and truly listening, this conversation invites you to slow down, breathe, and go inward. Because sometimes, connection begins with something small and unassuming — like watching the sunrise or simply sharing a quiet moment.