How to Love & Be Loved | Spotlight Convo

The day Megan Devine's partner died started like any other.The sun was shining as they walked to a favorite spot by the river. Matt waded in, as he'd done countless times before. Minutes later, he was gone. No warning, no time to prepare, no chance to say goodbye.Megan is a psychotherapist. She trained for years to help people through moments like this. Now, being on the other side of the experience, she was faced with a daunting reality. None of it worked. And, heaped upon this realization was a mountain of judgment about "how" she grieved and what that must have said about who she "really" was.Megan realized, she'd have to find a new way to not only move through that window, but also through a life that was almost unrecognizable from the one she'd been forced to leave behind.What emerged was not only a profoundly different approach to loss, but also to life. How could it be any other way? Megan is no longer the person she used to be. Her journey and the set of tools she built are detailed in Everything is Not Okay: Practical Tools to Help You Stay in Your Heart & Not Lose Your Mind.In our conversation, Megan pulls no punches when questioning our culture's approach to grief: Why do we offer platitudes to those grieving, rather than nonjudgmental companionship? How can we better support each other when experiencing tragedy? How do these lessons apply to everyone? We dive into this deeply moving journey in this week's conversation, and come full circle to explore how she's found a new place of grace in the world. In This Episode, You'll Learn:How people use blame in an attempt to distance themselves from death.How Megan got through the days when she felt angry to wake up.Why a solid spiritual practice won't make you safer from death or grief, and why that's okay.Why it’s more important to be a companion to a grieving person than to try fixing their pain.How Megan appreciates the beauty and awe of life differently now than she did seven years ago.Mentioned in This Episode:Connect with Megan: Refuge In Grief | TwitterAudiobook: Everything is Not Okay: Practical Tools to Help You Stay in Your Heart & Not Lose Your Mind by Megan DevineThe Dalai LamaModern LossErin Moon: Walking the Path Back to Life on Good Life Project+++Have you heard? My new book - How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science and Practical Wisdom - is available for pre-order now! It's a joyful, story-driven, engaging and eye-opening deep dive into what really makes a difference in your pursuit of a meaningful, alive and connected life. Click here now to download and read the first chapter for free.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Okt 201658min

There’s this idea out in the world that if you want to make a real difference, to make meaning, you have to go big. Be massively public. Take the giant risk. Build something vast and complex. You’ve got to be the wave that crashes on the shore. That is, indeed, one approach to leaving your […]The post You Don’t Have to Go Big to Make a Big Difference. appeared first on Good LifeProject.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29 Sep 201610min

A child of the 80s, Lisa Sugar grew up obsessed with pop-culture. Little did she know, her childhood fascination would become her career.Graduating college, Sugar headed into the world of media, and then advertising. She was working her way up the ranks on the media planning side. But a little voice kept calling her to write. So, she started a little website, POPSUGAR, on the side.At first, she was writing in the evening and weekends, then pretty much any break she could get. What happened next took her breath away. Turns out, her obsession wasn't just her own. And, her voice was landing in a way that had people reading, sharing and coming back for more.Within a year, more than a million readers were coming to her website, so she quit her job and made POPSUGAR her full-time pursuit. Six months later, with the company now exploding, her husband left his tech-job and joined her. POPSUGAR is now the leading lifestyle brand in the world, with more than 85-million visitors a month and 1.5 billion media impressions/month.Lisa's journey is detailed in her book, Power Your Happy: Work Hard, Play Nice, & Build Your Dream Life. In today's episode of Good Life Project, we dive into her story, how she made the shifts in career, when she knew it was time to ditch the full-time gig and go all-in on POPSUGAR, why she believes in work-life blend, not balance, and so much more.Mentioned in This Episode:Connect with Lisa: Power Your Happy | POPSUGAR | InstagramDarren StarShopStyleCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Sep 201654min

What if we could tap into the hidden superhero, savant or performer that lays buried deep inside us to do things we could normally never do? Not as a way to hide or put on a mask, but as a way to mine a secret wellspring of latent boldness and often creativity and energy that […]The post The Power of Personas: Unlock Your Inner Boldness appeared first on Good LifeProject.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

21 Sep 20168min

Quick note - be sure to listen to the end, we've got a live, acoustic performance by this week's guest that will rock your world!Ali Handal grew up loving music but packed up her guitar and dreams of becoming a professional musician in order to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology. Eventually, though, music called her home.She spent years mastering her craft, becoming a lead-guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, and entrepreneur, eventually co-founding Triple Scoop Music which helps artists license their projects. Ali has also released three albums, toured across four continents, and worked with artists such Neil Young, Janet Jackson, and Paul Williams. Her training book, Guitar for Girls, was written to help students at all levels gain the self-confidence needed to master new challenges so they don't settle for less.And, a little more than three years ago, she was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.In this episode, we dive deep into her remarkable journey from student of human behavior to student and eventually teacher of music, performer extraordinaire, successful entrepreneur, author, then patient and wholehearted embracer of live as it comes.In This Episode, You'll Learn:The multiple streams of income Ali can leverage which allow her to pursue an authentic career as an artist.Why performing for free can be a valuable experience and expose opportunities.Alternatives for starving artists to earn a living while developing their craft.How intentional practice can improve weak areas.Why her diagnosis of a rare form of incurable Lymphoma has not stopped her thriving career and pursuit of goals in life.Tips to stick with your passion while you suck.Mentioned in This Episode:Connect with Ali: AliHandal.com | YouTubeGuitar for Girls by Ali HandalGutsy Girl by Caroline Paul"Not a Pretty Girl" by Ani DifrancoCheck out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Sep 20161h 1min

When you’re looking to build something real, something that matters, from a family or community, to a business or any other mission-driven endeavor, skills matter. So do people. Thing is, there’s also something bigger that’s important. It’s about the sweet spot between cultivating a powerful, well-defined and articulated ethos or culture, then matching that ethos […]The post When Ethos Meets Ability, Magic Ensues. appeared first on Good LifeProject.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Sep 20167min

The first time I stumbled upon Mark Manson's writing, I didn't know what to do. It was a complete pattern interrupt.The issues were raw and real, the ideas were rich and his lens was so contrarian and refreshing it made me think. Really think. But, then, there was the language. This particular essay was wall-to-wall F-bombs.I was having trouble reconciling the depth of thought with the width of profanity. I found myself diving into more of his work, and discovered that I wasn't the only one. Some 2 million people read him every month. Waiting for his next philosophical provocation.When I heard Mark had a new book out, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to sit down with him and dive into his bigger story. To get to know the person behind the writing. In this week's conversation, Mark and I take a meandering road through everything from global travel and which country emotes more than others to a more nuanced conversation of pain, possibility, writing and exactly how, when and why he began to insert profanity into his work, what it's done both for and to him.His latest book is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living A Good Life. As you might guess from the title, the first few chapters are a pretty in-your-face setup, but as the book continues, Manson settles into a deeper, you might even say gentler voice. He explores ideas like choosing the pain you want to live with, rather than the outcome you want to attain. Just like his essay before, it made me think. I hope it'll do the same for you.Mentioned in This Episode:Connect with Mark: Mark Manson| InstagramThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck article (with epic cat photo)Why I Have a Potty MouthTony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru documentaryGeorge Carlin - 7 Words You Can't Say On TVAmerican stand-up comedian Bill Hicks +++My new book - How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science and Practical Wisdom - is available for pre-order now! It's a joyful, story-driven, engaging and eye-opening deep dive into what really makes a difference in your pursuit of a meaningful, alive and connected life. Click here now to download and read the first chapter for free.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Sep 20161h 3min

You may have heard, I have a new book coming out. It’s called How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science and Practical Wisdom. You can download the first chapter free here. What you have not yet heard, though, is the odyssey that unfolded behind the scenes. The twists and turns and struggles and […]The post The Making of a Book: How to Live a Good Life appeared first on Good LifeProject.Check out our offerings & partners: Beam Dream Powder: Visit https://shopbeam.com/GOODLIFE and use code GOODLIFE to get our exclusive discount of up to 40% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 Sep 201623min