Your Joyful Life Podcast

A follow-up solo episode picking up from last week — if you haven't heard that one yet (#26), start there first.

This week: why there's no such thing as a "bad" feeling, why unresolved situations keep resurfacing in your thinking (and what to actually do when they do), and how identifying your personal emotional trigger makes the pattern easier to spot next time. Pulled from a real conversation in our dads' group the night before recording.

As a celebration of our 25th episode, for the month of September our viewers can get FREE access to our online course: The Joyful Life Project.

Use this link to apply the promo code: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-joyful-life-project/?couponCode=CELEBRATE25

If you have any issues with that or just want to reach out, you can email us at [email protected]

What if feeling bad isn’t actually a problem to solve?

In this solo episode, I continue my exploration about leaning into whatever experience is happening right now, this time shifting from something actually happening now to what happens when thoughts about past events trigger unpleasant emotions.

I look at what happens when frustration, anger, painful memories, or other difficult feelings come up, and whether our instinct to push them away might actually be keeping them around.

I share a personal realization about some old feelings that kept resurfacing, and talk about a simple experiment you can try the next time something unpleasant shows up.

Maybe you don’t need to feel better right away. Maybe there’s something useful in actually feeling what you feel.

As a celebration of our 25th episode, for the month of September our viewers can get FREE access to our online course: The Joyful Life Project.

Use this link to apply the promo code: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-joyful-life-project/?couponCode=CELEBRATE25

If you have any issues with that or just want to reach out, you can email us at [email protected]

Mike is away today so Evan has a solo episode where he talks about some recent 'tests' he faced that gave him the opportunity to put the 'lean in' strategy to the test.

As a celebration of our 25th episode, for the month of September our viewers can get FREE access to our online course: The Joyful Life Project.

Use this link to apply the promo code: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-joyful-life-project/?couponCode=CELEBRATE25

If you have any issues with that or just want to reach out, you can email us at [email protected]

What if the thing you’re resisting right now is actually worth paying attention to?

In this episode, we look at how much of our frustration comes from wanting the present moment to be different, and what might happen if we stopped fighting it quite so much.

Evan shares a particularly unexpected insight that came to him while high and trying to meditate, which sends us down a rabbit hole about attention, resistance, physical sensations, and the things we keep putting off.

Along the way, we talk about mosquito bites, aching knees, puppies, calling your mom, and why even the things we don’t particularly enjoy might have something to teach us.

Maybe there’s a little less to fix than we think. And maybe the next thing you’re being called to do is worth just… doing.

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Interested in diving into the Joyful Life Project experiments? Check out our online course hosted through ⁠⁠Udemy⁠⁠.

In this episode, we’re asking a pretty big question: what are we actually doing here?

After an unexpected hiatus, Mike and I get back into the conversation by exploring what we’re really looking for when we talk about meaning, purpose, happiness, peace, and living a joyful life.

We get into the idea that maybe we’re not actually incomplete. Maybe we already are complete, and the feeling that something is missing comes from the way we think. We talk about the sense of separation we experience, and whether so much of what we’re looking for is really an attempt to reconnect with something we already are a part of.

From there, we get into meditation, trust, attention, creativity, nature, social media, and all the ways our attention gets pulled away from what’s actually happening around us.

We also talk about those moments when the chatter of the personal mind seems to disappear - whether that happens through music, art, extreme sports, meditation, or simply sitting outside and watching the trees move in the wind. What are those moments telling us?

For both of us, the conversation keeps coming back to something surprisingly simple: Pay attention. Be here. Notice what’s happening. Trust what you already know.

Maybe there’s less to figure out than we think. Maybe the invitation is simply to become more present to the life that’s already happening.

And yes, we spend a fair amount of time talking about trees blowing in the wind.

It’s good to be back.

#joyfullife #selfawareness #innerexperience

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In this episode, Mike and Evan explore one of the most challenging ideas in personal growth: the possibility that there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with you to fix. Drawing on personal experiences, coaching insights, and the famous Marianne Williamson quote about our fear of our own light, they unpack why so many of us feel inadequate despite constantly striving for more.

The conversation touches on self-worth, fear of failure, forgiveness, limiting beliefs, and the role our thinking plays in creating feelings of lack. Along the way, they question whether the search for “enoughness” is actually what keeps us from recognizing it, and explore what becomes possible when we stop treating every self-critical thought as the truth.

#joyfullife #selfawareness #innerexperience

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What if there isn’t one ultimate path to truth?

In this episode, Evan and Mike explore a question sparked by a discussion about Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths: if so many religions, philosophies, and spiritual traditions seem to help people find peace, what does that say about truth itself?

The conversation wanders through Buddhism, yoga, Sid Banks, Christianity, and personal experience, touching on suffering, craving, faith, fear, self-realization, and the stories we tell ourselves. Along the way, they question whether spiritual frameworks are pointing to something universal—or whether the frameworks themselves sometimes get in the way.

The discussion ultimately lands on a simpler idea: perhaps the goal isn’t finding the perfect philosophy, but learning to trust what resonates, be more honest with ourselves, and keep turning toward what feels true, meaningful, and alive.

#joyfullife #selfawareness #innerexperience

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In this episode of Your Joyful Life Podcast, Mike and Evan explore a simple question sparked by a clip from spiritual teacher Sadhguru: why do we take life — and ourselves — so seriously?

They dig into how seriousness often comes from wanting life to be different than it is, and the belief that happiness depends on getting things “right.” From work and relationships to spiritual practice and parenting, they look at how control and expectation can make life feel heavy, and how letting go can bring more ease and playfulness.

They also touch on figures like Eckhart Tolle, Dalai Lama, and Desmond Tutu, all of whom embody a surprising lightness despite the depth of their teachings.

The episode closes with a reminder that life is finite, and that maybe the point isn’t to tighten our grip on it, but to loosen up, laugh more, and allow a bit more play into how we move through it.

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In this episode of Your Joyful Life Podcast, Mike and Evan dive into The Inside-Out Revolution by Michael Neill and explore the foundational ideas behind the Three Principles developed by Sydney Banks.

Together, they unpack the principles of Mind, Consciousness, and Thought, and examine a simple but profound idea: our feelings don’t come from our circumstances—they come from the meaning we give to our thinking.

The conversation explores:

• Why thoughts seem real, even when they aren’t
• The difference between thought and thought believed
• How feelings act as a guide to our state of mind
• Why insight often arrives when we stop trying so hard
• The freedom that comes from realizing you don’t control your thoughts - but you don't have to follow them
• How seeing experience as an inside-out process dissolves blame, victimhood, and judgment
• The surprising connection between personal well-being, compassion, and universal intelligence

Along the way, Mike shares the life-changing realization that "I've been making it all up," while Evan reflects on finally understanding the Three Principles after years of hearing about them. Together, they explore why the simplest truths are often the hardest to see - and why a deeper understanding of how experience is created can transform the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the challenges of everyday life.

If you've ever wondered why some thoughts grip us while others pass by unnoticed, or why peace can return in an instant after periods of struggle, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the nature of the human experience.

Book discussed: The Inside-Out Revolution by Michael Neill

#ThreePrinciples #SydneyBanks #PersonalGrowth #Mindfulness

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What if the situation you’re in isn’t the whole picture?

In this episode, we explore the different dimensions of awareness we bring to our lives and relationships—and how shifting levels can completely change the way we experience what’s in front of us.

From the immediate story and emotional charge to a broader and more spacious perspective, we talk about what it means to zoom out, soften our attachment to the surface narrative, and see life from a deeper lens.

When awareness expands, conflict can reveal connection, triggers can reveal insight, and the moment we thought was closing in on us can become an invitation into something bigger.

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