Good Life Project® Podcast

The Father Wound Behind The Need to Achieve (is it secretly driving you?)

179 views · 1d ago · 51:49

Understanding the father wound is essential for anyone feeling unfulfilled despite achieving external success. Many individuals drive themselves toward high achievement, often perceived as having it all, while masking a deep, unspoken emotional void. In this conversation, psychotherapist Terry Cole breaks down how early experiences shape our adult behaviors and the intense pressure to perform.

Topics: The Invisible Wound of High Achievers · Running Toward Success or Away From Fear? · The Spectrum of the Father Wound · The Hidden Symptoms of an Unhealed Past · How Motherhood Mitigates or Exacerbates the Wound · Breaking Free from the Glass Ceiling

How to Do an Annual Review That Actually Changes Your Life.

2.5K views · 5d ago · 49:39

Most people approach their annual review the wrong way. Learn how to properly reflect on your goals to improve your life. Reflecting on the past year is a common practice, yet many of us miss the point entirely. Tiago Forte joins us to discuss why a structured annual review is essential for long-term clarity.

Topics: The Annual Review Trap · A Life-Changing Moment in Rio · The Power of Taking Stock · Defining the Annual Life Review · The ARC Framework Explained · Listening to Your Body's Wisdom

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book

Anxiety Is Not a Malfunction. It's a Tool (If You Know What To Do With It).

3.8K views · 1w ago · 50:24

Is anxiety a malfunction or a tool? Dr. Wendy Suzuki explains why managing anxiety is about volume, not silence. We often view anxiety as something to suppress or white-knuckle through. Yet, neuroscientist Dr. Wendy Suzuki suggests that this emotion may be serving an evolutionary purpose rather than acting as a simple error in our biology. By shifting our perspective, we can begin to see how our internal signals are trying to communicate with us.

Topics: The Evolutionary Purpose of Anxiety · Turning Anxiety Into a Superpower · The Autonomic Nervous System Explained · Understanding Social Anxiety Patterns · The Productivity Gift of Anxiety · The Creative Potential of Manageable Anxiety

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book

Harlan Coben: Your Next Big Idea Is Hiding in Your Everyday Life

4.5K views · 1w ago · 50:57

Guest: Harlan Coben

Master your writing process with insights from Harlan Coben on how he turns simple questions into gripping, bestselling thrillers. Harlan Coben joins us to break down the mechanics behind his acclaimed work. We examine how he starts every project with a single What if? question, using personal experiences—from a bad hike to family mysteries—as the seeds for his complex plots. This is for anyone looking to understand how to turn everyday occurrences into compelling fiction.

Topics: The Power of What If · Hiking and the Birth of a Story · The Writer's Mind Frame · The Danger of Certainty · The Disappearance of Pops · Writing About Hope

The Inflammation Fix: What Really Works (and why most attempts fail).

2.8K views · 2w ago · 48:23

Most of us treat our lab results as a definitive scorecard, but when it comes to your inflammation levels, they might be misleading you. We rely on routine blood tests to tell us the state of our health, yet these common metrics often offer no more predictive value than a coin flip.

Topics: The Hidden Truth About Your Inflammation Levels · Inflammation: The Common Root of Chronic Disease · Acute vs. Chronic: The Two Faces of Inflammation · Inflammaging: How Aging Drives Internal Damage · The Microbiome and Your Body's Protective Barrier · Beyond CRP: A Breakthrough in Predicting Frailty

Jimmy Chin: Why Playing It Too Safe Is the Biggest Risk of All

4.1K views · 2w ago · 54:31

Guest: Jimmy Chin

Mastering risk management starts by realizing that playing it safe is its own kind of danger. Jimmy Chin shares his path. As the son of Chinese immigrants, Jimmy was raised to value stability, yet he found himself drawn to the high-stakes world of climbing. We explore how he navigated an unconventional career, moving from the expectations of his upbringing to the rugged reality of life as a professional mountain athlete and then Oscar-winning filmmaker.

Topics: The Two Great Risks in Life · From Subaru Living to Mountain Peaks · Asking Questions Beyond the Summit · A Midlife Crisis at Age Ten · Breaking Free From Prescribed Paths · The Dirtbag Philosophy

How to Start Conversations, Without Feeling Uncomfortable.

4.2K views · 3w ago · 46:49

We often assume that engaging with strangers in public is unwelcome, but research shows we are likely wrong. But, behavioral science suggests that our default assumption, that we prefer to be left alone, is actually keeping us from experiences that could improve our day. This conversation explores why we miscalculate the social interest of others and how simple interactions can boost our overall mood.

Topics: The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Strangers · The Eureka Moment on a Chicago Train · Why We Put Up Invisible Shields · Do Social Norms Actually Exist? · The Truth About Your Resting Face · Warmth Versus Competence: What Matters Most?

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book

When Symptom-Tracking Becomes Part of the Problem (And Stops You From Healing).

2.5K views · 3w ago · 1:11:51

Can tracking your health metrics actually make you feel worse? Information designer Giorgia Lupi shares her four-year journey through illness and recovery. In today's Good Life Project podcast, acclaimed information designer Giorgia Lupi spent four years meticulously recording every detail of her health crisis, across countless doctors and devices. She wanted to gain control over her body, but instead, the sheer volume of data began to feel like a burden.

Topics: The Data Humanist's Hidden Struggle · The Perfect Storm of 2020 · Accumulating a Mountain of Diagnoses · The Isolation of Invisible Illness · Visualizing the Descent Into Illness · The Turning Point of Coordinated Care

How Invisible Beliefs Shape Your Reality (And How To Change Them)

4.4K views · 4w ago · 1:06:50

Guest: Shawn Achor

Are your core beliefs secretly sabotaging your success? We examine why shifting your mindset matters more than systems alone. We often obsess over building better success habits and refining our systems, assuming these are the primary levers for change. But what if the true engine behind our results is something deeper? Shawn Achor joins us to discuss how our invisible core beliefs dictate our trajectory, often overriding even the most disciplined routines.

Topics: The Invisible Beliefs Running Your Life · Why Willpower Isn't Enough for Change · The Upstream Power of Belief · Why Beliefs Are More Powerful Than Ever · Why We Feel Untethered in the Modern World · The Seven Core Beliefs That Shape Us

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book

The Mother Load: New Science Says Working Moms Never Stop Think About Their Kids.

13K views · 1mo ago · 1:01:25

New research shows that even when moms have full-time careers and share parenting, the psychological burden stays with them. It' remains a constant load. What's really going on here? What did the data not look at? And, what role does fairness have to play in raising kids? In today's special Good Life Jam Session, we take on the shifting burdens of day-to-day household work and parenting, and the impact it's having on relationships.

Topics: The Shift from Books to Human Coaching · The Mental Load of Parenting · Managing vs. Doing: The Hidden Cost · Defining What We Are Really Solving For · The Impossibility of Measuring Fair · Confronting Our Definitions of Good

How to Deal With Life When Things Get Beyond Hard | Mark Nepo

3.6K views · 1mo ago · 57:35

Guest: Mark Nepo

Learn how to build resilience and keep your spirit intact when navigating life's challenges. Find your way back after adversity. Mark Nepo, an acclaimed teacher and author, joins us to share wisdom on how to get back up without becoming diminished. Drawing from his own profound experiences with cancer and extensive study of spiritual traditions, he offers a grounded path for those currently weathering storms in their own lives.

Topics: The Inevitability of Falling · The Pandemic as a Global Sabbath · The Wisdom of Falling Down and Getting Up · Receiving the Fall Instead of Resisting · The Liberation of Realizing No One Is Watching · Grounding Versus Chasing Approval

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book

When Your Mission Takes a Lifetime: Lessons in Sustained Motivation

4.6K views · 1mo ago · 43:12

Building a movement that changes lives requires more than passion, or motivation. Twenty years ago, Scott Harrison launched a mission to provide clean water to every village in need. What began as a modest birthday party in a New York nightclub evolved into a massive, billion-dollar philanthropic effort, charity: water, that's helped more than 21-million people globally.

Topics: Two Decades of Global Impact · If the Founder Met the Foundation Today · Why This Problem Remains Unsolved · The Power of Storytelling in Philanthropy · The Legacy of a Nine-Year-Old Girl · The Existential Challenge of the Business Model

The Myth That Sex Disappears With Age (And How to Fix It)

3K views · 1mo ago · 54:55

Challenge the myth that your sex life must fade with age. Learn how to deepen your midlife intimacy today. Many people assume that as we age, our sexual connection naturally declines or shuts down. Susan Bratton joins us to challenge this assumption, offering practical frameworks and language to foster a more soulful experience. This conversation is for anyone who feels stuck in old narratives about aging and wants to rebuild a satisfying physical bond with their partner.

Topics: Reimagining Intimacy After Forty · Why the Flame Doesn't Have to Die · Stages of Sexual Evolution · Mapping Libido, Desire, and Arousal · The Arousal Ladder vs. The Escalator · The Sexual Soulmate Pact

The Last Time You Didn't Know Was The End

4.8K views · 1mo ago · 39:10

Understanding the finite nature of experiences changes how you value your time with the people you love most. As we move past our thirties, we often stop seeking dramatic milestones and begin to notice the subtle weight of our daily routine. We frequently overlook the significance of small interactions simply because we assume there will always be a next time. This shift in perspective forces us to confront how we treat our limited time with the people who matter most.

Topics: The moments we lose without knowing · A language built on snow and silence · The moment the dynamic shifted forever · Why we are obsessed with beginnings · Walking through the rooms of our past · The bittersweet science of meaningful ends

Jodi Picoult: The Stories We Tell to Hide From The Truth

3.5K views · 1mo ago · 1:00:52

Guest: Jodi Picoult

Bestselling author Jodi Picoult joins Jonathan Fields to explore her new novel, Hollow Bones, the lasting legacy of 9/11, freedom of expression in America, and what it means to turn 60 with urgency, honesty, and possibility.

Topics: The Weight of Collective Memory · Timing the Return to 9/11 · The Sisterhood of Shared Grief · Preparing for the Unforeseeable · The Privilege of Inhabiting Lives · The Hero of Their Own Story

📚 Book mentioned: Buy the book