Does saying no make you feel awkward? Are you worried about missing out on an opportunity? Or are you fearful of rocking the boat?

In this episode, I’m talking about practical ways to make saying no easier and sharing simple strategies you can use to deliver a graceful no. 

Learning to say no takes practice. But once you’ve mastered it, you will find you can handle almost any request from almost anybody with grace and dignity. 

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

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How often have you heard someone say they want to live their life with no regrets?

Our society often teaches us that a successful life is one lived without regrets. But in his new book The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, best-selling author Dan Pink offers a different perspective. Regret, he suggests, is a valuable raw material that allows us to learn from our mistakes and make the imperfect more perfect. 

In this week's episode, Dan shares five counterintuitive ways you can use regret to your advantage and design a life that really matters. 

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

Credits:

How well are you listening to your life? 

Truly listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give. And we can all get better at doing it. That’s why I invited Ximena Vengoechea, author of Listen Like You Mean It, to join me on this week’s episode of the What’s Essential podcast. 

In our conversation, we explore how becoming a better listener will make your life better. And Ximena shares ideas on how you can reclaim genuine connection in our age of distraction. 

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This week I’m talking with my friend, entrepreneur, and television star Rob Dyrdek. Every time I speak with Rob, I leave with a clearer view of what it takes to get to a completely different level in my life. 

The secret Rob has learned that allows him to be so successful is that not all effort is created equal. Rob has carefully designed his life around systems that deliver effortless results today, tomorrow, and forever. 

Join us as Rob shares how you can build systems in your life that will allow you to reap residual results. 

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How clear are you on what’s essential in your life right now? 

Pretty clear? Really clear? Completely lost and overwhelmed?

Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, becoming clear on what’s most important will help you find purpose and direction in your life. 

In this episode, I discuss how you can gain greater clarity by creating an essential intent. And I share the simple structure I use to create my own essential intent. 

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

Credits:

One of my goals for 2022 is to be more centered. 

With all that is going on, being centered feels like a bit of a challenge right now. Perhaps you feel this way too? 

That's why I invited Chip Conley to be my first guest of the new year. Chip is a strategic advisor for Airbnb and helped them not only survive the pandemic but thrive as they focused on the essential elements of their business.

Join us to learn why Essentialism is most important when things get challenging and how to turn challenges into strengths by focusing on what's important now.

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

Credits:

How happy are you on a scale of 1-10? 

Regardless of what number you answered, the more important question is, what would it take to make that number a 10?

In this special replay of one of 2021's most popular episodes, I speak with Harvard happiness professor Arthur Brooks about living a better and happier life.

You’ll learn:

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

Credits:

Have you ever sacrificed your time, energy, and sanity simply because you believed the only way to accomplish something worthwhile was through great effort? 

What if you could find a way to make essential things easier?

Join me as I share an excerpt from my latest book, Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

Sometimes all it takes to make a problem easier is looking at it differently.

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Discernment is at the core of what it means to be an Essentialist. 

It helps us sort through the trivial many and identify the essential few. It allows us to see things as they really are. It guides our intuition, helping us make decisions and take actions that really matter.

Join me and my wife Anna as we discuss how we can become better at discerning the world around us.  

In this episode, we talk about:

What's Essential Podcast

Greg McKeown

Scratch Audiohouse

Credits:

Are there high-stakes conversations in your life that you need to have but are putting off?

This week I welcome special guest Joseph Grenny, one of the authors of the bestselling book, Crucial Conversations.

In this episode, we talk about:

Joseph's insight and experience will help you have better conversations about what matters most with those who matter most.

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