On the 106th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Mona Sobhani, Ph.D. Mona is a cognitive neuroscientist, author, and entrepreneur. A former research scientist at the University of Southern California (USC), she holds a doctorate in neuroscience from USC and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University. She is the author of the Ommie 2022 Best Spiritual Book Proof of Spiritual Phenomena: A Neuroscientist’s Discovery of the Ineffable Mysteries of the Universe, which is also a recipient of the 2023 Scientific and Medical Network Book Prize. In her newsletter, Cosmos, Coffee, & Consciousness, she writes about science & spirituality, altered states of consciousness, emergent phenomena, and self-transformation. She is co-founder of The Phoenix Era, a multidisciplinary coaching practice for those seeking deeper meaning and connection. She is also co-founder of Exploring Consciousness, a community of curious scientists seeking to understand consciousness. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, VOX, and other media outlets.

In this enlightening conversation, Mona shares her experience of reconnecting with a sense of a meaningful universe and the impact it has had on her life. We discuss how to find inner peace amidst chaos, the role of synchronicity in shaping meaning, the influence of family and tradition, and the exploration of past lives and emotional release.

This whole conversation invites you to explore meaning and reconnect with nature and the universe in a way that brings more flow, curiosity, and flexibility to your life experience.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Mona's website: https://www.monasobhaniphd.com/
- Mona's newsletter: https://monasobhaniphd.substack.com/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- The Silent Conversations: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-silent-conversations

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week Silent Conversation group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:00 How to find peace & serve others

07:00 Finding your centre amidst chaos & life

16:00 Unravelling sense of control & understanding 

21:40 Realising the Universe is a meaningful place

28:00 Noting fortune telling moments in the family

31:40 Connecting with yourself and the universe

41:00 The significance of synchronicity 

45:53 Past life regressions

01:02:54 What is a good life for Mona? 

On the 105th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Colin Smith. Colin is a specialist in deep listening, presence, and profound attention, dedicated to creating spaces where individuals unlock their clarity and creativity. Known as The Listener, he brings over two decades of experience in guiding, facilitating, and coaching, helping people connect more deeply with themselves and others.

Through his work, Colin empowers individuals and groups to feel truly seen and heard, unlocking insights and cultivating listening skills that lead to meaningful transformation. Colin’s approach is informed by extensive personal learning from works on listening, mindfulness, and human development. This depth allows him to craft environments where genuine insights emerge, helping people access new perspectives and deeper understanding.

In this engaging conversation, Colin shares his journey towards embodying the art of listening, emphasising the power of being present, agenda-free, and genuinely curious about others. We delve into how quality listening can strengthen relationships, alleviate loneliness, and nurture deeper connections. Together, we explore the subtle dynamics of human interaction and the importance of authenticity in conversations, offering practical insights for cultivating a more compassionate and attentive approach to communication.

This episode invites you to embrace the profound potential of truly listening—to honour our shared humanity and recognise how it can deepen our connections and enrich our relationships.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Colin's website: www.dexteritysolutions.co.uk
- Colin's LinkedIn: www.uk.linkedin.com/in/colindsmith1

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- The Silent Conversations: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-silent-conversations

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week Silent Conversation group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction 

03:15 Becoming then being the listener

10:55 Understanding the importance of presence

18:43 Lack of listening and loss of connection

24:58 Moments that make a big difference

29:03 Conversations with authenticity and transparency 

34:49 The subtlety of listening and self-awareness

42:42 Asking each other what we need

45:33 The impact of attention in communication

53:46 The intention to listen

58:15 Sharing our humanity

1:00:13 What is a good life for Colin?

On the 104th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Karen (Kaz) Maurice-O’Leary. Kaz is a highly awarded brand storyteller and wellbeing leadership speaker, recognised for promoting human-first environments and their impact on innovation. A New Zealander living in California, she has had an international career in advertising and creative technology with major brands and Fortune 500 companies.

Her roles have included Creative Product Lead at Meta LA, Creative Director at TBWA and a co-founder of a successful agency that was acquired. A pivotal moment was inspired by almost, unknowingly missing the last meal of her husband's homemade Bolognese, leading her to create The Bolognese Philosophy, a workplace wellbeing initiative.

In this incredibly life-affirming conversation, Kaz shares her journey of processing the grief following her husband's death. She reflects on her realisations from almost missing their last meal together, to the significance of recognising the small moments, being present, and appreciating the privilege of intimately knowing those in our lives. Kaz underscores the importance of embracing life's fragility, not taking anything for granted, and how whole life can feel when we can hold both its beauty and grief simultaneously.

This conversation felt like a profound gift, and I believe it will leave you with a deeper awareness of life's uncertainties, along with an invitation to focus on what is here, right now.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Kaz's company: https://bolognesephilosophy.com/
- Kaz's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenmauriceoleary/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- The Silent Conversations: https://www.whatisagood.life/p/the-silent-conversations

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my 5-week Silent Conversation group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:00 What do we attach our self worth to?

06:20 The sense burnout is coming

09:15 How has poor well-being become normal?

14:19 Identifying too much with our jobs

18:00 Engaging with grief

21:36 Almost missing the last meal

25:40 Recognising the small moments

31:00 The privilege of intimately knowing

33:40 The feeling of connection from beyond 

40:30 Sharing stories, grief, and connection

45:30 The processing of grief

51:30 Holding beauty, grief, and the whole

56:00 Assuming things last forever

1:00:40 What is a good life for Kaz?

On the 103rd episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Nathan (Nate) Kinch. Nate is a sociotechnology ethicist, organisational designer, and trust researcher. His work centres around the question: how might we best design trustworthy organisations, technologies, and systems that support a healthy and dignified life for all, within planetary boundaries? To do this, he draws on many branches of philosophy, systems science, cognitive sciences, and related disciplines.

He is a Fellow of The Royal Society of the Arts, co-lead of the Responsible AI Network (RAIN), and Lead of Ethics in Action. He is also the Ethicist in Residence at CoLabs and guest lectures at several universities. Previously, Nate was an angel and impact investor and the founding CEO of a venture capital-backed startup. In everyday life, he’s an urban rewilder, community convener, and ‘inner developer,’ bringing regenerative thinking, practice, and culture to his corner of Melbourne.

In this wonderful conversation, Nathan shares his exploration of expressing and feeling into the whole of himself. We discuss realisations he made through his psycho-physical inquiries, from suppressing emotions to crumbling worldviews, to the relief and healing of crying, and expressing and experiencing more joy and gratitude in life.

For anyone on their own path of self-inquiry, this conversation contains many universal themes that I sense we all experience, which may make you feel more at home on your own path. While Nate’s beautiful anecdotes, transparency, and reflections make this as grounded and heartfelt as it is insightful.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Nate's company: https://www.trustworthyby.design/
- Nate's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathankinch/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my Silent Conversation group courses, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:18 What is the whole of me?

09:40 Allowing us to see more of ourselves

11:48 Redeploying the soldier archetype

20:33 Realisations from a psycho-physical inquiry

29:33 Learning how to feel again

33:18 Realisations around crying and dancing

39:18 The containment of life

41:48 When our worldviews crumble

47:18 Acknowledging the whole of us

55:18 What is a good life for Nate?

On the 102nd episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Nadjeschda (Nadja) Taranczewski. Nadja has a Master of Psychology, is a Master Certified Coach and works as a coach, author, and keynote speaker. She supports leaders who want to reinvent their organisation as Conscious Tribe, i.e. as a thriving community where people invest in inner work, understand the big picture, invest in deep relationships and cultivate conscious rituals. Her company ConsciousU facilitates collective transformation and makes culture change scalable through their blended learning coaching programmes. She is the author of the book Conscious You: Become the Hero of Your Own Story and is currently working on her forthcoming book The Conscious Tribe Playbook.

In this illuminating conversation, Nadja shares with us her explorations of building thriving and conscious collectives. We discuss profoundly important components of healthy relating including developing spaces for aloneness in togetherness, creating rituals for sharing more context and our humanity, becoming aware of the transience of our emotions, and welcoming the uncertainty we are often fearing and avoiding.

This whole conversation is a wonderful invitation to become alive to what is within us, communicating and sharing our humanity, while Nadja shares so many wonderfully grounded anecdotes to bring alive the concepts we discuss. This conversation gave me further hope of what can be possible within our own communities.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Nadjeschda's Book: https://herobook.conscious-u.com/
- Conscious U website: https://www.conscious-u.com/
- Nadjeschda's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadjeschdataranczewski/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:08 How do we build healthy collectives?

06:58 Aloneness in togetherness

11:33 Separating not meaning rejection

14:38 Not making it all about ourselves

20:23 Daily rituals for connection and context

25:08 Masking and resisting uncertainty

28:31 Trusting we can handle discomfort

30:57 Noticing the transience of our emotions

35:58 Regaining our emotional dexterity

39:58 Realising the stories we attach to events

44:43 The development of conscious communities

51:08 Paying attention to our humanity

59:08 What is a good life for Nadja?

On the 101st episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Patrick Boland. Patrick is a leadership consultant, executive coach, psychotherapist, writer, and trainer across several industries and sectors around the world. Patrick's 2024 book, 'The Contemplative Leader', features interviews with world-class leaders on the topics of presence, connection, being non-attached and leading when we're not in control. In 2021, he co-authored a book of reflections, 'Every Thing Is Sacred', with the contemplative teacher Richard Rohr. Patrick founded Conexus in 2013, an organisation that coaches leaders and their teams using a combination of neuroscience; depth psychology; and embodied, experiential learning. 

In this insightful conversation, Patrick shares his experiences of moving towards a life that is beautifully full rather than persistently busy. We explore the shifting priorities and seasons of life, the significance of resting into the moment, questioning societal scripts as well as the interconnections we've observed between slowing down, being, and self-compassion. 

This whole conversation is a wonderful invitation to pause, reflect, step into your own life, notice the world around you, let go of control, and embrace whatever season your life is in. I found Patrick to be a rarely attuned individual so I am sure you will take a lot from this episode.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Patrick's Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/735750/the-contemplative-leader-by-patrick-boland/
- The book's website: https://www.thecontemplativeleader.com/
- Conexus Website: https://www.conexus.ie/about
- Patrick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-boland-9546048/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

02:51 What does it mean to walk beautifully?

08:51 Working hard but working less

11:51 Life is beautifully full

15:21 Resting into the moment 

20:21 Questioning society and searching for meaning

25:21 The delusion that anyone has it all together

28:36 Suffering and letting go of control

33:11 Fear and control

38:21 Being and learning from life itself

41:36 Moving off the script

46:00 Contact with the feeling of the moment

49:51 Moving into more self-compassion

53:21 Slowing down and being

59:51 What is a good life for Patrick?

On the 100th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Cormac Russell. Cormac is a social explorer, an author and a much sought-after speaker. He is the Founding Director of Nurture Development and a member of the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, at DePaul University, Chicago. Over the last 25 years, Cormac’s work has demonstrated an enduring impact in 35 countries around the world. He has trained communities, agencies, NGOs and governments in ABCD and other community-based approaches in Africa, Asia, Australia/Oceania, Europe and North America.

His most recent books are The Connected Community- Discovering the Health, Wealth, and Power of Neighborhoods (Coauthor John McKnight) and Rekindling Democracy – A Professional’s Guide to Working in Citizen Space. Cormac’s TEDx talk is really beautiful and can be viewed here. 

In this glorious conversation, Cormac shares his journey into community development, marked by a focus on being over doing. We discuss the thresholds and limits of self-help, the problem with trying to fix others, and ways of making sense of the world. Cormac suggests that the world is not getting worse, but becoming clearer, and emphasises how to channel our emotions into meaningful action.

I found Cormac to be deeply insightful and rooted in his being. This conversation offers perspectives to help make sense of the world while encouraging us to reflect on our roles—not just in relation to humans, but as members of an interconnected, living, breathing Earth.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Cormac's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cormacrussell/
- Nurture Development website: https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/who-we-are/cormac-russell/
- His most recent book: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725253636/rekindling-democracy/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction
03:45 Exploring vocations

08:25 Focus on being rather than doing

15:18 Being both rooted and free

18:35 Attraction to people helping others

22:25 What is help?

26:45 Thresholds within self-help and helping

31:32 Hidden persuaders

37:06 The path of making sense in the world

42:15 Doing life together in mutual solidarity

47:35 The problem with trying to help or fix

52:45 Getting a sense of our intentions

57:45 The world is getting clearer not worse

1:06:45 What is a good life for Cormac?

On the 99th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Darcia Narvaez. Darcia is Professor Emerita of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, and Fellow of the American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, Association for Psychological Science, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She uses an interdisciplinary approach to studying evolved morality, child development and human flourishing. Her most recent books include Restoring the Kinship Worldview, and The Evolved Nest: Nature’s Way of Raising Children and Creating Connected Communities. Her book, Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom won the 2015 William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association and the 2017 Expanded Reason Award. Her recent short films are Breaking the Cycle, The Evolved Nest, and Reimagining Humanity. She hosts the webpage EvolvedNest.org and serves as president of KindredWorld.org.

In this enlightening conversation, Darcia shares her journey to creating The Evolved Nest, a concept that integrates insights from child development, parenting, and adult behaviour. We discuss reconnecting with our natural rhythms, engaging with the world around us, fostering welcoming social environments, embracing play, and allowing the spirit of both children and adults to flow freely.

This conversation is a wonderful invitation to reconnect with our primal wisdom, reflect on how we disconnect from it, and learn how to create the nurturing environments we need to thrive.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Darcia's Newsletter: https://darcianarvaez.substack.com/
- The Evolved Nest YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheEvolvedNest
- The Evolved Nest website: https://evolvednest.org/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction

03:11 What is wrong with the world?

07:51 The path to The Evolved Nest

10:26 Soothing Perinatal Experiences 

12:41 Disconnecting from our natural rhythms

16:41 The wonder of nature and breastfeeding

21:51 A welcoming social climate

26:10 Embracing joy and wise teachers 

30:11 Play and experimenting 

33:11 Wisdom and wildness

37:13 Punishment and connection to spirit

40:11 Minimising babies’ needs and work

46:31 The need for multiple nurturers and mentors

48:51 Nature and immersion with landscape

55:13 Restorative healing practices

1:01:49 What is a good life for Darcia?

Nora Bateson, is an award-winning filmmaker, research designer, writer, educator, international lecturer, as well as President of the International Bateson Institute based in Sweden. She is the creator of the Warm Data theory and practices. Nora’s work brings the fields of biology, cognition, art, anthropology, psychology, and information technology together into a study of the patterns in ecology of living systems. She wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father Gregory Bateson.

Her first book, Small Arcs of Larger Circles, is a revolutionary personal approach to the study of systems and complexity. In her latest second book Combining, Nora invites us into an ecology of communication where nothing stands alone, and every action sets off a chain of incalculable consequences. She challenges conventional fixes for our problems, highlighting the need to tackle issues at multiple levels, understand interdependence, and embrace ambiguity.

She was the recipient of the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity in 2019.

In this engaging conversation, we delve into the dangers of certainty and the pursuit of fixed answers, exploring how moving beyond polarities can lead to mutual learning and understanding. We discuss the weaponisation of language, the impact of divisive discourse, and how more generative and sacred communication can guide us toward deeper connection and shared presence.

This conversation invites you to engage more fully with life as it is—its beauty and its horror, its creativity and its destruction. It’s a call to hold life’s complexity with openness, to embrace it, and to let it go as the flow of life continues to unfold.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Nora's Warm Data work: https://www.warmdata.life/
- Nora's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-bateson-b4a2456/
- The International Bateson Institute website: https://batesoninstitute.org/nora-bateson/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Teaser
01:43 Introduction
04:50 How not to get caught looking for answers
09:43 A quest for systems change

13:30 Holding possibility open

17:50 Taking a stand and taking a stance

20:15 The significance of how we communicate 

24:50 Belonging, certainty, and polarity

30:50 The problem of grabbing answers

37:23 Generative and sacred communication

42:35 Paying attention to moment and context

48:20 Practice of improvisation

55:30 The implications of concrete answers

01:02:58 What is a good life for Nora?

On the 97th episode of What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Diarmuid Lyng. Diarmuid is co-owner of Wild Irish Retreats and Nature of Man. He is a former Wexford hurling captain and a host on Newstalk's flagship sports programme 'Off the Ball'. With Wild Irish Retreats he is part of a team that is focused on the rejuvenation of the Irish language in relation to nature reconnection. With Nature of Man he runs retreats and online programmes with men that creates a space for them to do their own internal spiritual work. He also takes teams/groups of all kinds to the woods for overnight camps that focus on connection; to self, teammate and place. 

In this enlivening conversation, Diarmuid shares with us his unfolding path of purpose. We explore experiences of being truly listened to, of generosity of spirit, receiving love and developing self-acceptance. All throughout the conversation Diarmuid is pointing to a greater connection with the moment, people, and nature, and we note the significance of consciously leaving space for more aliveness and wildness in our lives. 

This whole conversation is a wonderful invitation to reconnect with ourselves, nature, and the living, breathing, pulsing experience of life.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for full interviews and clips.

For further content and information check out the following:
- Diarmuid's website: https://www.diarmuidlyng.ie/
- Diarmuid's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmuid-lyng-54931928/

- For the What is a Good Life? podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Contact me at [email protected] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction
02:45 The unfolding nature of purpose

06:38 The weaving together of purpose

15:15 The power of listening on our speaking

19:45 The generosity of spirit

27:25 Welcoming everything that happens

29:45 Experiencing love and self-acceptance

33:15 Engaging with the world, aliveness, and nature

40:15 Affirmations and feedback on our path

44:08 The difference of ceremony and ritual

50:15 The power and support of the group

55:05 The work of John Moriarty 

1:02:45 Engaging our wildness consciously

1:06:19 What is a good life for Diarmuid?