PART TWO: Martha Beck Quits Lying

Author, speaker, teacher, legend, Oprah-endorsed Martha Beck is known for quitting a lot of things: her family of origin, her religion, marriage, heterosexuality, academia, multiple versions of herself…the list is long. But the thing she quit that has had the most profound and rippling effect was lying. And we mean, lying about anything at all. Years ago she made a resolution to not tell one lie—to herself or anyone else, even the pleasant little lies we tell to make other people feel better—for an entire year. It was through this one commitment that Martha conceived that if we all quit lying and told the truth ALL THE TIME we’d meet our most authentic, liberated selves. (We tried it; it’s hard.)

In this second episode of a two-part series (if you missed part 1, listen to that first; it aired last week), we continue our conversation about, well… how to be a person. We talk about how the only intention you need is to feel a little better, and how to get there – hint: get out of the mind and into the heart, because our minds are dumb and limited – and the difference between what we want and what we yearn for, and why the things we want won’t actually make us happy (even if what we want is a yacht, and we get it!). Also covered: how to recognize a soul teacher; the idea of abandoning both hope and fear; and the breakthroughs and benefits that come from trying on the opposite of our deepest beliefs. (Martha references “The Work of Byron Katie” here.) 

The intro ends, and the episode begins, at 00:12:40.

Dr. Martha Beck is a New York Times bestselling author, life coach, and speaker. She holds three Harvard degrees in social science, and Oprah Winfrey has called her “one of the smartest women I know.” Martha is a passionate and engaging teacher, known for her unique combination of science, humor, and spirituality. Her newest book, The Way of Integrity: Finding the Path to Your True Self, was an instant New York Times Best Seller.

Find her at marthabeck.com

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Music: Michael Blumenfeld, mikebloomstudio.com

Sound engineering + edits: Adam Day, https://www.adamdayphotography.com/

Producer: Cathleen Kisich

Host: Holly Whitaker, https://hollywhitaker.substack.com/

Host: Emily McDowell, https://emilyonlife.com

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