The Courageous Life

Today marks the launch of Oren Jay Sofer’s new book: Your Heart was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage Integrity and Love. 

Oren has been on the Courageous Life before and has been a significant teacher in my life, and the lives of so many around the world. 

So today, to honor the release of his book we have a bit of a special episode of Practicing Courage for you. 

Oren will be a guest teacher (of sorts) and he will guide you through a meditation intended to cultivate more joy.

In his new book, and our longer conversation coming out tomorrow, Oren highlights the role of joy:

•  In the face of crises
• When fighting for what we care about
• Advocating for social change
• And pursuing challenging long term goals and projects with them. 

He makes a compelling case for this in different ways including sharing stories of people finding ways to experience joy even in the face of immense challenges, including civil rights activists in the 1960’s singing together in chorus as they continued to fight for meaningful change. 

Whether it’s little moments or deeper and more profound experiences - joy can keep us going, when the going gets tough.

And in a broader sense is part of what makes our experience of life beautiful

I hope you enjoy this special practice on joy with Oren Jay Sofer.

Be sure to check out my new conversation with Oren, which drops tomorrow and if you'd like to pick up a copy of his new book you can do so here.

More about Oren here: orenjaysofer.com

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Do you ever have times where the mind won’t stop thinking about what’s next?

Things you need to do, actions to take etc? 

This is such a common experience, and while quite useful at times,

At other times this cycle isn't helpful (for a variety of reasons):

• Maybe you can’t take action at the moment
• Or you have double-checked or thought through the plan many times already
• Or maybe you need a bit more time or space to really think through what is needed

The list goes on...

What’s been interesting (in my own experience) is that I find the mind will often continue to plan, and to identify actions even in moments where it’s not so helpful (particularly when worry is present). 

And what I have been really curious about recently is:

1.  How can we break this cycle when it’s not helpful?
2. How can we get better at both discerning, and then taking wise action?

Over the past month I have been exploring these questions (and others) in a new stress and anxiety series on the Courageous Life where we are bringing together experts in these arenas to engage in conversations that are both inspiring and practical - offering up insights, tools, and resources for navigating stress and anxiety more effectively in our lives. 

In today's episode:

I will share a really helpful practice from the second episode in that series - a conversation with Oxford professor Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman two of the world’s leading experts on mindfulness and stress.

There are 5-words that surprisingly can help foster more wise action in your life by breaking the cycle of worry and unnecessary planning in moments when it's no longer useful.


Curious to explore today's topic further? Here are some conversations from the podcast we think you'll love:

• Rediscovering Calm in a Chaotic World | Dr. Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman
• Unwinding Anxiety | Dr. Jud Brewer

5 Days to Transforming Stress Challenge

As a complement to the Stress and Anxiety Series on The Courageous Life Podcast we’ve created a 5 day experiential challenge to help you transform your stress and find greater calm, balance, and wellbeing.

In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.

If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:

•  The Practicing Courage Challenge
• The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge

3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times.

Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-pass

Til next Tuesday,

-Joshua

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There are moments in life that decide your fate. They ripple into the future and dictate how you experience the world in the moments that follow; either positive and uplifting, dark and chaotic, or flat and dull.

What if you could recognize these moments before they seized control of your life?

What if you could use them to set sail for a better future? 

What if all moments, big and small, could be harnessed this way?

These are the questions that Oxford Professor Mark Williams and Dr. Danny Penman address in their wonderful new book, Deeper Mindfulness: A New Way to Rediscover Calm in a Chaotic World.

These questions are also at the heart of our conversation today which is the second episode in our stress and anxiety series here on the podcast. 

Each episode in this series invites some of the world’s leading experts to share inspiring insights, practical tools, and helpful resources for navigating stress and anxiety more effectively in our lives.
 
Miss the first episode in the series? You can find it here:

• Unwinding Anxiety | Dr. Jud Brewer

In today's episode Mark and Danny will share: 

• How they have used mindfulness to overcome personal and professional challenges including a hangliding accident that led to Danny’s hospitalization and the incredible story of his recovery. 
• Why mindfulness is so effective for healing, and for working with stress and anxiety
• Why they have made mindfulness the central focus of their work in mental health
• An introduction to the concept of 'feeling tones' - an automatic and often subconscious categorization of our experience as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. 
• How to increase awareness of feeling tones in the moment they happen
• Practices for working with feeling tones that lead to calm, clarity, and wellbeing.
• Neuroscience findings that shed light on how our brains construct our reality and how we can leverage this knowledge to take back control of our lives.

About Danny and Mark:

Dr Danny Penman is a qualified meditation teacher and award-winning writer and journalist. He currently writes features for the UK Daily Mail, having previously worked for the BBC, New Scientist and the Independent newspaper. He is co-author of the international bestseller Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World.  In 2014, he won the British Medical Association’s Best Book Award for Mindfulness for Health: A Practical Guide to Relieving Pain, Reducing Stress and Restoring Wellbeing (co- written with Vidyamala Burch). His books have been translated into more than 25 languages.

 Professor Mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology and Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He co-developed MBCT, is Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre, and is co-author of the international best-seller The Mindful Way Through Depression. He is one of the premier researchers in the field of mindfulness worldwide, and has been a pioneer in its development and dissemination.

Visit Franticworld.com for more on Mark and Danny

The 5-day Transforming Stress Challenge begins November 13th. Register now!

• Head to practicingcourage.com/stress to sign up.

Thanks for listening!

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“How can we create conditions for other people to be courageous?”

This is a question I  have been exploring for years. On The Courageous Life Podcast, and beyond.

Part of the reason for such a deep interest in this question stems from the common and celebrated narrative (particularly in the US) of the lone hero.

That romanticized myth of pulling oneself up by their bootstraps and doing it all on their own.

While that might be an inspirational tale, it also puts a lot of pressure on an individual to be courageous, which is pressure that may not always be necessary. 

As you can imagine, exploring this question over the years has yielded many answers. 

A few include: 

• Let someone know you have their back
• Provide training, resources, tools, insights etc that may help them pursue what they care about most
• Create psychological (and other forms) of safety that foster healthy risk taking

One of my favorite answers to this question though, came from past Courageous Life Podcast guest, best-selling author, and teacher Parker Palmer

During our first conversation, Parker and I discussed finding the courage to embrace our whole selves and finding the courage to pursue our true vocation.

In today's practice:

• You'll hear a small snippet of what he had to say 
• And I will offer up a multi-step process for creating the conditions for others to be courageous that involves deep listening, open questions, and letting go of habits of fixing, advising, correcting, or solving.

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• The Transformative Power of Humility | Dr. Dayl Van Tongeren
• The Courageous Journey Toward Wholeness | Parker Palmer
• The Importance of Having a Dream | Dr. Melvin L. Smith

Thanks for practicing with us! 

Til next Tuesday,
-Joshua

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"If we are looking for light in the darkness, sometimes it doesn't appear until we create it."   - Samantha Novick

In moments of great tragedy, pain, uncertainty, loss, and suffering I often look for perspective, and for practices, that help me to find some light in the darkness.

Often these practices (for me) are found in community, with friends, and through conversations on the podcast.

This past week with the war beginning in Israel it is again one of these times as some of the worst parts of humanity have been fully on display, and the enormity of the challenges and the suffering that is unfolding is immense. 

And in the midst of things, I was reminded of a conversation I had in 2020 with Samantha Novick. 

I  first met Samantha, who goes by Sam, in Parkland Florida.

At the time I had flown to Parkland to sit down for a  podcast conversation with students  and community organizers after the mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 

Sam was one of the community organizers who helped support students in the aftermath and helped coordinate the March for Our Lives event there. 

During that conversation I listened as they shared how they were:

• Finding hope
• Transforming pain into purpose
• Getting through such a tragedy
• And ultimately why they chose to spread messages of kindness and love in response to such hatred. 

It was extraordinary to hear their responses, and to witness what is possible for human beings in the face of such dark times.  

Fast forward to 2020 and I found myself sitting with Sam again. 

And again we explored how she finds light, hope, and joy in the face of immense challenges. Including being in the throes of the pandemic, an election year in the US, civil rights protests...the list went on. 

And while the context, the events, and the time is different than it was then, there are emotional undertones that are similar. 

My hope is that if you are sitting with the immensity of recent events, that messages that Sam shared by way of her own story and experiences might be helpful to hear today, including:

• The role of self-compassion and giving oneself permission to feel
• Getting out in nature
• Remembering challenging events throughout history to gain perspective
• And doing kind acts for others

As a close to today's practice I  will invite questions to explore what might help to find, and create light, in the coming days and weeks. 

Hear the full conversation with Sam Novick from 2020 here: 

• Choosing to Look for the Good

Thanks for practicing with us. 

Til next time,
-Joshua

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Today's episode is the first in a new stress and anxiety series we're doing on the podcast. 

Over the coming weeks we'll share deep, informative, and practical conversations with some of the leading experts in these arenas. 

Each episode will offer insight into how to work with these very common (and often challenging) aspects of our lives more effectively and in ways that lead to greater calm, balance, and wellbeing. 

And today I am thrilled, because Dr. Jud Brewer is back on the show to kick things off. 

Jud is an addiction psychiatrist and a leader in fields of habit change, mindfulness, and anxiety.

In today's powerful three-part conversation we’ll dive into Jud's  work and highlights from his groundbreaking book: Unwinding Anxiety.

In part one, Jud will paint a picture of the landscape of anxiety in our culture and will tease out what it is, and what it’s not.

In part two we’ll discuss why some of the common approaches to alleviating anxiety may not be so effective - specifically when it comes to lasting change.

And in part three, Jud will share illuminating insights from his work in neuroscience that shed light on what works for unwinding anxiety in lasting ways.


Enjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Find this episode inspiring? Here are past conversations with Jud we think you’ll love:

• Is Curiosity a Superpower? | Dr. Jud Brewer
• Harnessing Neuroscience to Change Habits and Find Happiness | Dr. Jud Brewer

More about Jud:

Dr. Jud Brewer is a NYT best-selling author and thought leader in the field of habit change, who blends over 20 years of experience with mindfulness training and a career in scientific research. He is passionate about understanding how our brains work, and how to use that knowledge to help people make deep, permanent change in their lives — with the goal of reducing suffering in the world at large. He is the director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center. Additionally, he is the executive medical director of behavioral health at Sharecare. Dr. Jud has developed and tested novel mindfulness programs for habit change for anxiety, emotional eating, and smoking (Unwinding Anxiety, Eat Right Now and Craving to Quit). For more, visit: drjud.com

Announcing the 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge!

In addition to the Stress and Anxiety Series on the podcast I am launching a new 5-day challenge in November: Transforming Stress for greater calm, balance, and wellbeing.

From November 13th-17th I  will share bite-sized recorded practices that include some of the most effective teachings, mindset tools, and meditations I’ve come across for working with stress and anxiety over my career.

And to conclude the challenge I will host a Stress Masterclass where we will have the opportunity to practice together live.

Sign up now: practicingcourage.com/stress 

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Years ago I sat down for a conversation with Dr. Kelly McGonigal, who is arguably one of the world’s leading experts on behavior change. 

During our time together I asked her to name a few of her greatest insights about what contributes to being able to successfully change behavior (which can be incredibly difficult). 

Learning skills that increase the capacity to tolerate distress was right at the top of her list. 

Today you’ll have a chance to hear a snippet from Kelly, and you’ll learn one of the simplest and most effective practices I’ve come across for tolerating the distress that arises from craving - a very common experience on the path to change, growth, and realizing our potential. 

It’s called RAIN

And it stands for:

• Recognize
• Allow
• Investigate
• and Not identify with

RAIN is a powerful tool for learning to “surf the urge” and for riding out cravings using mindfulness and curiosity. 

Ultimately this practice can make some of the hard parts of change more workable, and in the process can support the ability to live in greater alignment with what you care about most. 

Ready to begin?


Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share.

All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-library

Interested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?

In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.

If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:

Existing on-demand meditation challenges:

 The Practicing Courage Challenge

The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge

3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times.

Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.

Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-pass

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• Lessons in Hope, Courage, and Human Transformation | Dr. Kelly McGonigal
• Is Curiosity a Superpower? | Dr. Jud Brewer
• Harnessing Neuroscience to Change Habits and Find Happiness | Dr. Jud Brewer

Support the show

At the end of each day we do a mental scan, reviewing our experiences from that day.

When people do this, they often find:

• The moments where they moved outside of their comfort zone
• The moments where they pushed themselves
• And the moments where they were courageous

Are often the moments that they end up being most proud of.

Additionally, leading courage researcher, Dr. Jim Detert asserts that when looking back on life its acts of courage that are often associated with greater fulfillment, meaning, and positive legacy. 

Today I am going to offer a practice that will invite you to explore a simple process for intentionally increasing the capacity to be with discomfort, and how practicing this in low stakes moments can help strengthen your mind, body, and skillset to help unlock courage in moments that matter. 

Ready to get started?

Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share.

All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-library

Interested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?

In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.

If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:

Existing on-demand meditation challenges:

 The Practicing Courage Challenge

The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge

3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times.

Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.

Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-pass

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• Courage is Developed Through Practice | Dr. Jim Detert
• Lessons in Hope, Courage, and Human Transformation | Dr. Kelly McGonigal
• Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed with Happiness | Emily Esfahani Smith

Till next time,
-Joshua

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Speaking in public is one of people's greatest fears. 

Today's practice focuses on a brief process for overcoming this fear. 

Its a mindset shift from performance to curiosity that begins with 4 simple words.

If you have a moment where you will be speaking, interviewing, facilitating, coaching, hosting, or just generally interacting…and you find yourself getting nervous

Give this a try, and see if it helps.

Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share.

All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-library

Interested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?

In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.

If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:

Existing on-demand meditation challenges:

 The Practicing Courage Challenge

The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge

3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times.

Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.

Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-pass

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• Leadership From the Inside Out | Kevin Cashman
• Is Curiosity a Superpower? | Dr. Jud Brewer
• Unlocking the Mindset of a Champion | Shane O'Sullivan

Till next time,
-Joshua

Support the show

Are you familiar with the story of the lone hero?

It’s a long celebrated cultural narrative (in the U.S.) of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, doing it all on your own, and being gritty, resilient, and fiercely independent.

In essence - it’s about being courageous.

While there may be some upsides to this story, one of the things I find so interesting is how it places a lot of pressure on an individual to be courageous.

Pressure that perhaps isn’t always necessary.

So today I will flip the script.

Through a blend of research and storytelling I will invite you to engage in a practice that looks at how we might lessen undue pressure on an individual, and simultaneously create conditions that help to unlock:

More courage.

Meaningful positive connections with others.

And people’s potential to become their best self.

Ready to begin?

Did you find today's practice valuable? Remember, courage is contagious. If you know someone who would benefit from today’s practice please share.

All practices can be found for free in our Practice Library. Access the library here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/join-library

Interested in taking a deeper dive into practices that support greater calm, clarity, courage, and meaningful connection?

In an effort to create a delightful and seamless on-demand practice experience we created The Practice Pass, an annual membership that gives you access to all of this dynamic original content including both live and on-demand learning experiences.

If you sign up up for the Practice Pass you’ll receive:

Existing on-demand meditation challenges:

 The Practicing Courage Challenge

The 5-Day Transforming Stress Challenge

3 NEW live challenges each year. Future topics may include: finding purpose, building new habits, courageous conversations, authentic living, navigating transitions, letting go, and finding ease in challenging times.

Any LIVE challenge during a year will be made available on-demand afterward which you will have access to as a Practice Pass member.

Learn more and register for the pass here: https://www.practicingcourage.com/signup-practice-pass

Curious to explore this topic further? Here are some conversations on the podcast we think you'll love:

• The Courage to Become Your Best Self | Steph Labbé
• Creating Fearless Cultures at Work | Dr. Amy Edmondson
• Giving Everyone Permission to Feel | Dr. Marc Brackett

Till next time,
-Joshua

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