On the 153rd episode of What Is a Good Life?, I’m joined by Ethan Hsieh for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation on service, being, and what happens when self-work goes too far.

Ethan is currently undertaking his PhD research integrating performance-training with 4E cognitive science. With an MA in Professional Practice: Theatre and Drama Facilitation, he has designed and delivered transformational community-building programs, retreats, and workshops across Asia and Europe through his organisation 5ToMidnight, where he is Artistic Director. He also serves as Platform Manager for The Lectern and has co-designed select practices with John Vervaeke, including the Socratic Imaginal Self-Reflection and the Socratic Search Space. Ethan maintains a private coaching practice working with corporate leaders, professional athletes, and social organisations.

Together, we explore nihilism, play, embodiment, identity, and the question that now orients Ethan’s life: When does being itself become service?

This episode invites listeners to loosen self-fixation, recover participation, and rediscover what becomes possible when we allow life—and each other—to change us.

For more of Ethan's work:
Website: https://www.5tomidnight.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-hsieh-828a63240/

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 A Question of Service

05:40 Self-Work’s Breaking Point 

08:04 From Optimization to Orientation

12:52 Not Knowing Intimately 

16:31 Returning to Play 

26:56 Letting Experience In 

31:31 Contact With Life

36:46 Seeing Others Anew

43:42 Identity Held Loosely

52:19 Embodiment and Coherence 

59:30 What is a good life for Ethan?

On the 152nd episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Tim Leberecht, one of the most original and passionate voices on creating a more humane future of business. Tim is a German-American entrepreneur, curator, and author, and the co-founder and co-CEO of the  House of Beautiful Business, a global community for those who seek more from work and from one another. A sought-after keynote speaker, his two TED Talks have been viewed more than 3 million times. He is the author of  The Business Romantic (Harper Business, 2015), translated into ten languages, The End of Winning (Droemer, 2020), and the forthcoming Supercurator (Basic/Hachette, 2027). Tim is also a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader.

In this conversation, Tim reflects on belonging, intimacy, and what it means to live a good life amidst the pressures of performance and an increasingly AI-shaped world. He speaks to the value of sensitivity, connection, and community — and how creating spaces for presence and honest conversation can reshape how we experience ourselves and each other.

This is a conversation for anyone longing for deeper connection — with themselves, with others, and with a world becoming ever more synthetic.

For more of Tim's work:
Website: https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.com/
Books: http://timleberecht.com/books/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tleberecht/
HoBB newsletter: https://houseofbeautifulbusiness.substack.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 question of belonging
04:15 — Morning reconstruction of self
07:42 — Performance and authenticity tension
11:18 — Limits of self-optimisation
15:03 — Beauty and the good life
19:27 — Connection in a synthetic world
23:54 — Silence as shared intimacy
28:31 — Intimacy beyond human relationships
33:45 — AI as conversational partner
38:12 — Being changed by dialogue
44:08 — Sensitivity as core value
51:36 — Conditions for belonging

On the 151st episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Olaf Lewitz. Olaf is the Trust Artist, a leadership thinker and coach who’s endlessly curious about our similarities and differences, and how context shapes the quality of attention we give each other. He’s learning how to change systems so that they support life rather than extract or exploit it, sourcing wisdom and insight from unexpected places. He does this through his TrustTemenos Academy and his work with Dark Matter Labs.

In this conversation, we explore the question “What am I missing?” as a way into anger, boundaries, and the stories we tell ourselves – and how much of our “drama” is created by our interpretations rather than reality.

Olaf shares how an unshakeable sense of worth and hope help him live with paradox: enjoying a good life while staying awake to harm, responsibility, and the future of our children – and what that invites us to examine in our own lives.

For more of Olaf's work:
Website: https://www.trusttemenos.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaflewitz/

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 — “What Am I Missing?”
06:00 — Discovering Anger & Boundaries
11:20 — How We Create Drama
15:45 — Interpreting vs. Experiencing Reality
20:50 — Laughing at Ourselves
24:45 — Balancing Care and Boundaries
29:35 — Childhood Patterns & Self-Worth
35:55 — Hope Without Optimism
41:50 — Paradox of a Good Life
47:40 — Future, Responsibility & Children
53:50 — What is a good life for Olaf?

On the 150th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Claire Goodey. Claire is an artist, writer, and humanistic psychotherapist. After a decade in private practice—alongside a new autism diagnosis, perimenopause, and a shifting social landscape—she’s returning to her creative roots to cultivate a slower, more analogue way of living. From this liminal space, Claire blends therapeutic insight with artistic expression, offering presence, vulnerability, and play to others feeling the squeeze of modern life.

In this conversation, Claire and I explore what it means to stay part of a world that often feels overwhelming, especially while navigating major life transitions. We discuss the gap between knowing something intellectually and living it, the challenge of discerning fear from genuine bodily wisdom, and the importance of presence, rest, and connection. 

Claire shares her evolving relationship with retreat—what she calls “getting into the slipper”—and how love, openness, and honest self-attunement can shape a more humane way of being.

For more of Claire's work:
Website: https://www.clairegoodey.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 Being a part of the world

05:01 Pendulum of growth

06:45 Late autism diagnosis

11:51 Base needs

12:15 Embodiment vs thinking

17:51 Trust the process

19:30 Fear driving so much of the culture

26:22 Sound sensitivity outside

35:33 “Into the slipper”

39:10 Intentional resting

52:28 What is good life?

On the 149th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Adam Mastroianni. Adam is an experimental psychologist and author of the popular science newsletter Experimental History. His work has been featured in Nature, The New York Times, and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has escaped from over 170 escape rooms.

In this conversation, Adam discusses the nature of questions and curiosity as driving forces in life. He explores the concept of being possessed by ideas, the role of suffering in personal growth, and the shift from academia to independent thought. 

This episode highlights the impact that finding your unique role—and contributing meaningfully to the world from that place—can have on your life.

For more of Adam's work:
Newsletter: https://www.experimental-history.com/
Website: https://www.adammastroianni.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 – Possessed By Big Questions

04:06 – Enjoying The Friction

07:48 – Why Toilets Took Millennia

13:13 – First Day Being Curious

18:16 – Internet Praise Vs Real Life

23:51 – Freedom Without A Boss

28:07 – Choosing Productive Fear

31:07 – Leaving A “Good” Career

36:52 – What’s Worth Suffering For

45:46 – The Cost Of Pretending

48:00 – The Ideas Graveyard

52:15 – What Is A Good Life?

On the 148th episode of What is a Good Life?, I welcome Leigh Marz, a collaboration and leadership coach for major universities, corporations, and federal agencies. She has led training programs to promote an experimental mindset among teams at NASA and a decade-long cross-sector collaboration to reduce toxic chemicals in products, in partnership with Green Science Policy Institute, Harvard University, IKEA, Google, and Kaiser Permanente. Leigh coauthored Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise and cofounded Astrea Strategies, helping leaders bridge contemplation and action. 

In this conversation we explore silence as a living presence—how inquiry, pauses, and shared quiet unlock better thinking, connection, and wellbeing. We cover mapping noise (auditory, informational, internal), flow states, and why slowing down in groups (even at work) sparks novel solutions. 

This episode invites listeners to rediscover silence as a living teacher — one that reveals what truly matters when we’re quiet enough to hear it.

For more of Leigh's work:
Link to the book: Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise
Astrea Strategies: https://astreastrategies.com/
Her website: https://leighmarz.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

00:03 – Intro & why start with questions

04:03 – Origins of the silence inquiry & HBR article

09:00 – “What’s the deepest silence you’ve known?” 

12:41 – Freedom moment: “Silence teems with life” 

16:41 – Quiet together: practices beyond meditation

24:44 – Mapping noise: auditory, informational, internal

29:33 – Antidote: signals you need silence & “positive distractions”

35:00 – Designing retreats for novel thinking 

38:21 – “Slow down, there isn’t much time.”

46:13 – Silence & the nervous system
52:00 - How the inquiry into silence has shaped Leigh

58:12 – Leigh’s response to “What is a good life?”

On the 147th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Karimu Samuels. Karimu is a movement expert whose journey from exhaustion to ease led him to discover the power of moving through life with flow. With years of studying body functionality and coaching athletes worldwide, he teaches holistic movement that unites body, mind, and emotion — guiding others toward balance and the joy of movement. He embodies the belief that through movement, we can master not only our bodies but also ourselves.

In this conversation, Karimu invites us to explore what happens when we stop striving and start listening — to our bodies, our intuition, and the quieter signals of life. From learning to move through the world with less control and more awareness, to discovering movement as a mirror for self-understanding, he shares how trust, honesty, and softness became the foundation of his work and his peace.

This episode invites you to slow down, listen deeply, and tune into what your body is trying to tell you.

For more of Karimu's work:
https://www.instagram.com/karimu_samuels/
www.karimusamuels.com
[email protected]

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

00:00–03:09 — “Who am I?” as the guiding question

03:09–04:48 — Movement as universal; finding your gift

04:48–07:40 — From ego goals to service; discovering movement

07:50–12:36 — “Arriving / home” = inner peace

12:36–15:17 — Trust → authenticity; speak your own reality

16:10–18:40 — Radical honesty

18:40–24:48 — Listening to the body: asthma & throat story

24:48–28:03 — Practice and mastering mindset

28:03–32:41 — Shaped by experience; learning to show up

32:41–38:59 — Movement is a mirror; five components

38:59–42:58 — Broken wrist; adapting without compensating

42:58–47:33 — Softening: control vs. letting go
47:33–52:05 — Love as a tool; co-creating safe space

52:05–56:36 — “What is a good life?” Three pillars

On the 146th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Steven D’Souza. Steven is an award winning author, executive educator, trusted advisor, leadership coach and keynote speaker. He is a Senior Partner in the Leadership & Professional Development Practice at Korn Ferry, a leading global Organisational Consulting firm. His expertise crosses the fields of psychology, organisational development, diversity, group dynamics, contemplation and social capital. He has spoken globally to organisations such as PwC, TikTok, Financial Times and the United Nations. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Independent and The Sunday Times.

In this conversation, Steven reflects on his early pursuit of the priesthood and his lifelong inquiry into meaning, service, and aliveness. Drawing on themes from his latest book, Shadows at Work, he shares how meeting the shadow with curiosity and compassion brings wholeness, and how embracing uncertainty, silence, and kindness can lead to a more grounded, vital way of living.

This conversation invites you to see the shadow not as something to fix, but as a hidden source of energy, wisdom, and aliveness.

For more of Steven's work:

• Shadows at Work: Harness Your Dark Side and Unlock Your Leadership Potential
• Not Knowing: The Art of Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity
• Not Doing: The Art of Effortless Action
• Not Being: The Art of Self Transformation

Website: https://stevendsouza.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 — Steven’s lifelong question + year pursuing priesthood

04:24 — Leaving the path & formative books (Kopp, de Mello)

07:27 — Stories as truth; practice over tips

10:12 — Aliveness; “I grow in my spirituality by growing in my humanity”

13:01 — Bringing the vertical into the horizontal (everyday life)

13:28 — Why Shadows at Work; prisons, corporate paradox, “dark mode”

19:36 — “Know my shadow and my light”: beyond Jung; four lenses

23:08 — Defining shadow; biology, culture, spirit lenses in practice

31:02 — Personal shadow work

37:04 — Paradoxical theory of change; acceptance over improvement

40:43 — Negative capability (Keats)

46:53 — Via negativa & subtraction; “bring silence with you”

52:29 — The edge of the unknown; reactions & catastrophic thinking

58:56 — What is a good life? “A kind life.”

On the 145th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome Marc Cinanni. Marc is a writer, musician, and co-founder of Muntanya Màgica, a secluded forest retreat space near Barcelona devoted to personal and spiritual renewal. After time spent in an ashram and a transformative period living on a remote Pacific island, Marc now helps others rewild their inner and outer lives through nature, meditation, and presence—inviting a return to stillness and a deep respect for the mystery of life.

In this conversation, we explore courage as the practice of listening to yourself, rewilding a modern life and his move to a remote island, practical spirituality, and how trusting life reshapes friendship, work, and home.

This episode is an invitation to truly notice and trust this life.

For more of Marc's work:
Retreat website: www.muntanyamagica.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marccinanni/

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 do I live this life as me?

02:30 Sharing our gift with the world

05:00 A series of experience to self-knowing

08:45 The pillars of empathy & creativity

12:15 A call to nature

17:45 Attuning to nature’s demands and our being

21:00 Adjusting to life in nature

29:44 Noticing the cycles of life

35:00 Continued communication in relationships

38:20 The shifting of friendships

41:00 Knowing you can trust your life

46:00 The beauty of every moment

50:30 Setting up a retreat

52:30 Summary and what is a good life for Marc?

On the 144th episode of What is a Good Life?, I’m delighted to welcome George Thompson. George is a filmmaker, teacher, and founder of Balance is Possible!, a movement dedicated to inspiring balance for both people and planet. With over 25 million people impacted by his work and support from changemakers like Louie Schwartzberg, Tara Brach, and Stephen Fry, George weaves together ancient Daoist wisdom and modern science into practical, playful tools for navigating modern life.

In this conversation, we explore what it truly means to live in balance — within ourselves, with others, and with the natural world. George shares insights from his time training under Master Gu in the Wudang Mountains of China, and reflects on how balance extends beyond personal wellbeing into a collective responsibility for the planet.

This is a gentle and profound invitation to slow down, be present, and rediscover harmony amidst the complexities of life.

For more of George's work:
website: https://www.balanceispossible.com/
His latest film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KArWcMldPM

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 What is balance?

03:00 The economy and nature

05:00 A radical transformation of understanding

08:30 The unexpected path to Tai Chi

11:20 The embrace of the unknown

17:00 Letting go of yourself

20:00 No longer separating life from practice 

23:50 The wisdom of the mind

28:15 Trusting the flow of life

31:00 The forming of a mission

34:00 The interdependence of healing

38:00 Giving yourself grace of seasons

41:00 Creating more space to meet life

44:25 Loving the challenging feelings of life

49:50 The movement towards balance

52:45 Summary of the conversation and what is a good life for George?