What if the crisis of our time is not only ecological, political, or economic, but mythological?

What happens when the stories that once gave shape and meaning to our lives no longer hold? And how do we navigate a world in which old myths are dissolving while new ones have yet to emerge?

In this episode of Beloved Futures, Aubrey Morgan Yee converses with mythologist, psychologist, and educator Bradley Olson for a rich exploration of myth, meaning-making, and the psychological dimensions of living through times of profound transition. Drawing on decades of work in clinical psychology and his deep engagement with the legacy of Joseph Campbell, Bradley invites us into a more intimate relationship with myth – not as something ancient or abstract, but as a living practice that shapes how we understand ourselves and the world around us.

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About Our Guest

Dr. Bradley Olson is a psychologist, mythologist, educator, and writer whose path has taken him from law enforcement and criminal justice to the study of psychology, literature, and myth.

After more than three decades as a psychotherapist, Bradley now focuses on exploring life through the lens of myth – drawing on the work of Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung, and the world's great storytelling traditions to illuminate the deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and what it means to be human.

Today, he serves as Publications Director for the Joseph Campbell Foundation and hosts its flagship podcast, Pathways with Joseph Campbell, where he helps bring the enduring wisdom of myth to contemporary life.

What We Explore in This Episode

In this expansive conversation, Aubrey and Bradley explore myth not as ancient stories, but as a living mode of perception. Together they ask what happens when the meaning-making structures of a culture begin to dissolve, and how myth can help us navigate uncertainty without collapsing into despair. They discuss the Great Turning as a mythic moment, the role of artists as myth-makers, the hero's journey as an inward path of self-overcoming, and the possibility of cultivating a "mind of myth" in everyday life.

Key Takeaways

• Myth as living experience – Myth is not simply a story to interpret, but an experience that shapes how we encounter ourselves and reality.
• The mythic imagination – Learning to see life symbolically opens us to wonder, meaning, and deeper participation in the world.
• The hero's journey revisited – The true heroic path is not outward conquest but the inward work of self-discovery and transformation.
• Meaning-making in uncertain times – When old narratives fail, myth offers a way to remain in relationship with mystery rather than certainty.
• Following your bliss – Campbell's famous phrase points not toward comfort or happiness, but toward the sublime – the thing you feel called to devote your life to.

We don't know the myth we're living in. This episode is an invitation to become more conscious of the stories shaping your life, and to remember that meaning is not something we discover waiting for us in the world. It is something we participate in creating.

With Love & Gratitude,
Aubrey Morgan Yee

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GUEST INFO

Learn more about Bradley’s work:
Website: www.bradleyolsonphd.com
Book: The Mythopoetic Impulse

FOLLOW AUBREY'S WORK 

Website: www.ourbelovedfutures.com
Instagram: @aubrey.morgan.yee
Substack: ourbelovedfutures.substack.com
Book: Our Beloved Futures