In this episode, Dan talks with Mark about trading 80-90 hour work weeks and a self-medicating lifestyle in London for the forests and lakes of northern Sweden. He shares how his father's death became a turning point, how cold water swimming became a doorway back into his body, and how a small group of friends turned a Sunday morning dip into a movement. The conversation explores trust, surrender, community, and what it means to dissolve the "thick border" between yourself and the world.

Dan Allen-Hörnfeldt is Chairman of Umeå Kallbad, a community swimming and sauna association recently named one of Sweden's best places to visit in 2026, and Head of Nature for People at Rewilding Sweden. A former GB triathlete, he spent fifteen years in restaurants and pubs, winning two Michelin Bib Gourmands and twice being named London's Best Pub, before building a nationally recognised restaurant in northern Sweden with his wife. He has also competed at an elite level in open-water and ice swimming, including a podium finish at the Ice Swimming World Cup.

Learn more about Dan Allen-Hörnfeldt's work:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danallenhornfeldt/
Umeå: https://umeakallbad.se/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩ 

Lucinda Millward is the founder of The Baskerville Project and a practitioner in embodied relational practice - bringing creativity, the body, and the nervous system into collective inquiry. She works across executive education, the arts, and public contexts, holds degrees from the University of Oxford, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and RADA and King’s College London, and has served for seven years as Acting Course Director at the Fontainebleau School of Acting, alongside several years teaching at Guildhall.

In this conversation, Lucinda speaks about what it costs to speak true - and why so many of us have learned not to. We explore the childhood roots of devoicing, the paradox of using other people's words to say what we cannot otherwise say, what it means to really look someone in the eye, and why she believes that in one's wound lies one's gift.

A beautiful conversation about courage, presence, and what it means to let yourself be witnessed.

Learn more about Lucinda's work at The Baskerville Project:
https://www.thebaskervilleproject.com/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩  

This week Mark McCartney sits down with Sam Smith. Sam sees life as a big old experiment. He used to play professional rugby, before starting a few businesses. Now he spends his time speaking to people, writing and loving his family. Last year he wrote his first book, The Door Was Never Locked. His latest project with his friend Garth, Conscious Soup launches soon, it's a Living Experiment. They aren't sure what that means yet.

In this conversation, Sam opens up about the moment he retired from rugby at 26 and collapsed on a bathroom floor crying, escaping this transition with work and alcohol, and how a simple repeated gesture from a coach changed the entire direction of his life.

We explore identity, the stories we carry without questioning, what it really means to lead as a human, and why a good life for him is wanting all of it - even the hard parts. If you are navigating any big life transitions right now, this conversation may be particularly helpful.

For more from Sam Smith:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conscious-soup-studio/
You can grab a copy of his book: https://amzn.eu/d/07QwCqFQ

And he'd love to hear from you: [email protected]
Check out Sam’s next project with Conscious Soup here: www.conscioussoup.com

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagoodlife.com/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife3875

What is it about dogs?

It's the question Doug Skoke has been sitting with and it turns out, trying to understand what makes his golden doodle Harley tick has become one of his most impactful explorations of how to actually live well.

Doug is the Founder & CEO of LFG NOW!, a boutique executive search firm, and a Gallup-certified CliftonStrengths Coach - but what defines him more than any title is a lifelong obsession with people, energy, and what it means to show up fully in your own life. A daily meditator and firm believer in the Platinum Rule - treat others as they prefer to be treated - Doug has spent over a decade exploring practical and spiritual approaches to growth, resilience, and presence.

What begins as a question about why dogs are so emotionally regulating opens into one covering grief, crisis, dialectical behavioural therapy, the self-love pendulum, radical acceptance, and what it actually means to lift others up.

Whether you're drawn to mindfulness, emotional intelligence, personal growth, or just an honest human conversation - this episode is for you.

For more from Doug Skoke:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougskoke/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩  

00:00  Five Years In The Making
01:15  What Is It About Dogs?
03:30  The Thought Bubble Cartoon
06:00  What Dogs Know About Presence
09:09  When His Brother Died
11:14  Alma's Unwavering Welcome
13:20  Angels In Disguise
18:50  Unconditional, Every Single Moment
24:20  The Dog He Almost Gave Away
30:53  Learning To Regulate
40:15  The Self-Love Pendulum
1:01:08  What Is A Good Life for Doug?

In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney sits down with Jennifer Garvey Berger - author, global leadership coach, and co-founder and CEO of Cultivating Leadership - to explore one of the most honest questions a person can ask: am I actually living in alignment with what I say matters most?

Jennifer has spent decades helping leaders untangle big questions and find more courageous, compassionate ways to lead. All four of her books are Stanford University Press top sellers of the last decade. But here, she turns that same rigorous curiosity on herself.

She shares the moment she realised her deepest values - generosity and curiosity - have their own shadows. She unpacks the concept of values as polarities, why rigid adherence to a single value leaves the whole system weak, and how she learned to hold temporary certainty without pretending to have all the answers.

If you're interested in personal growth, leadership, values, conscious living, philosophy of life, intentional community, or a good life, this episode is for you.

For more from Jennifer Garvey Berger:
Company Website: www.cultivatingleadership.com
Books:
Unleash Your Complexity Genius: https://www.sup.org/books/business/unleash-your-complexity-genius
Changing on the Job: https://www.sup.org/books/business/changing-job-second-edition
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-garvey-berger-7b4a264/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩  

00:02  A Question Worth Following
01:31  Closing the Values Gap
04:01  When Values Cast Shadows
08:53  Generosity and Curiosity's Dark Side
13:02  Shame and the Human Condition
16:29  Learning to Take Stands
18:49  Standing for Love
23:19  Certainty at Sea
26:21  Time, Physics and Reality
33:39  Rising to Love
38:05  The Intentional Community
50:28  What Is A Good Life for Jennifer?

In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney sits down with Laura Beckingham - a modern mystic for turbulent times. It's a conversation that remains as grounded in the bread and butter of life as it ascends into the spiritual.

We move from asking what existence is all about through radical inclusion, Family Constellations, ancestral wisdom, the right size in relationships, grief and death, the energy of birth - and why a good life for Laura is about staying in contact with the pulse of life.

It will leave you with plenty to sit with.

Laura works one-to-one with senior execs who are dismantling the system from the inside, and with people practitioners and creatives who are doing something of the same in their own way. You can also join her in community online, for ritual and reflective practice in The Sanctum, and at The Loom.

For more from Laura Beckingham:
Website: https://spacewith-in.com/
The Sanctum: https://spacewith-in.com/category/the-sanctum/
The Loom: https://spacewith-in.com/the-loom-2026/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-beckingham-109bb625/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩  

00:00  What Is All of This?
02:15  Born Curious
07:10  Knowing and Not Knowing
10:25  Old Wisdom, New Ways
14:50  Radical Inclusion
18:30  Do No Harm
20:45  The Right Size
25:10  Life as Attunement
28:30  Opening and Closing
34:00  In Motion and Still
40:40  The Witch and the Field
55:35  Grief, death, birth
1:01:00 What Is a Good Life?

In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney sits down with Dave Snowden - Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of The Cynefin Co., creator of the Cynefin Framework, and one of the most original thinkers working at the intersection of complexity science, organisational design, and human decision-making.

The conversation moves through substrate theory, complexity science, psychological safety, the dangers of homogenisation, coherent heterogeneity, Celtic identity, indigenous rights, conflict resolution in Northern Ireland, and what a good life really comes down to.

It is a beautiful mixture of thought provoking ideas and powerful lived experiences.

For more from Dave Snowden:
Website: https://thecynefin.co/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-snowden-2a93b/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@whatisagoodlife3875⁩  

00:00  Substrate and What Emerges
02:37  Fed Up With Management Fads
05:54  When Ideas Come Together
07:25  Celtic Presence and Attention
10:20  The Reformation's Long Shadow
13:28  The Problem With Safety
16:38  Phase Shifts and Flipping
21:17  Changing the Granularity
24:48  Witnessing Violence
29:12  Identity as Flow
37:43  Metaphor as Intelligence
51:57  What Is a Good Life?

What if it were easy? What would you do if you weren't afraid?

This week I am joined by Dr Myriam Hadnes who shares with us two questions that have really influenced her life. We explore how passion can grow through doing rather than preceding it, why conflict in relationships can be a form of intimacy rather than a threat to it, and what it really means to act in integrity even when the cost is potentially high.

It is a beautiful conversation about communication, courage, and what it means to feel truly accepted.

Dr Myriam Hadnes is a behavioural economist, facilitator, and host of the Unprofessionalism podcast, exploring what gets lost when professionalism becomes performance. Her agency workshops.work partners with global organisations to build the conditions where people think together, speak up, and do honest work.

For more from Dr Myriam Hadnes:
Website: workshops.work
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myriam-hadnes/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

00:00 Two Life-Changing Questions
04:09 What If It Were Easy?
07:08 When Easy Gets Scary
09:31 Finding Meaning in Work
13:24 Teaching What You Live
19:00 Conflict Doesn't Mean Unlove
23:01 Sisyphus and the Paradox
25:30 The Radical Honesty Moment
30:35 Lessons From A Client Conflict 
38:31 Walking Away With Integrity
44:55 Easy Love, Redefined
52:30 What Makes a Good Life

Robert J. Anderson joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about purpose, intuition, shadow work, and the question that has guided his life. He talks beautifully about doubt and fear alongside grace and synchronicity, and what it takes to keep saying yes when you can't see where it's going.

Robert J. Anderson has been a pace setter in the field of Leadership Development for over 30 years. He is the Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of Leadership Circle, and the co-author of Scaling Leadership and Mastering Leadership. Bob created the Leadership Circle Profile, a 360° assessment used by organisations worldwide to measure the effectiveness of their leaders (individually and collectively), chart a pathway for their development, and assess their progress as they develop. In 2005, the Stayer Center for Executive Education at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business awarded Bob the Partner in Innovation Award. The MEECO Leadership Institute awarded him the International Thought Leader of Distinction in 2018.

If you sense you are still not fully committing to the path you are already on, this will offer plenty of inspiration.

For more of Robert J. Anderson's work:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-j-anderson/
Company Website: https://leadershipcircle.com/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney

00:00  The Guiding Question
03:30  Becoming Who I Am
07:00  Writing the Musts
11:30  Learning to Trust Intuition
16:00  Around the World Experiment
22:00  The Brennan School Years
28:00  Leadership Circle is Born
34:00  What Is Wanted Now
40:00  Unity as Foundation
47:00  The Soldier and the White Light
54:00  The Divine Elephant
1:03:00  Joy at the Bottom
1:10:00  What is a good life for Robert?

Podcast Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

What does a truly good life look like - and how do we find our way back to it?

In this episode of What is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney speaks with Ally Kingston about recovering the capacity for "right relationship": with ourselves, with nature, with community, and with something greater.

Ally is a creative strategist and facilitator, and strategy lead at non-profit Purpose Disruptors and Agency for Nature. She designs interventions to galvanise public imagination and redirect our creative skills to work in harmony with the natural world. Also passionate about holding space for grief and loss in our changing times, she has also trained as a death doula and rites of passage holder. Once an advertising and sustainability leader, and one of Forbes’ 43 People Changing Advertising for the Climate, she writes & lectures on storytelling, imagination and new conceptions of the good life.   

They explore:

- What "right relationship" actually means — and why we've lost it
- Sobriety as a gateway to a fuller life
- The Artist's Way and morning pages as a daily return to self
- What four days alone in a forest teaches you about civilisation
- The imagination crisis - why our vision of the future is shrinking
- Death, grief, and why learning to let things end well matters now more than ever

If you're searching for meaning beyond consumption, or asking what it means to live well in uncertain times, this conversation is for you.

🎙️ What is a Good Life? - conversations that go to the heart of what matters.
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For more from Ally's work:
Purpose Disruptors: https://www.purposedisruptors.org/ally-kingston
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ally-kingston-75922025/

For more from Mark McCartney:
Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney

00:00  How to be in right relationship?
03:45  Two Tomatoes and an Epiphany
08:25  The Word Recovery
09:45  Sobriety and the Paradigm Shift
17:02  Threads Pulling Together
21:24  Morning Pages and the Artist's Way
25:29  Four Days in the Forest
33:24  How Do I Help Things Die?
38:12  Accompanying Her Grandmother
48:30  The Shrinking Imagination
53:04  What is a Good Life?

Tags: good life, meaning, right relationship, sobriety, nature connection, death doula, climate, imagination, morning pages, the artist's way, wilderness, grief, belonging, mindfulness, purpose

Podcast Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​