Good Life Project || Inspiration | Motivation | Happiness | Meaning | Success

Today's guest, Dr. Alice Wilder, is one of the creative geniuses behind some of the biggest kids' "edutainment" juggernauts in history, from Blues Clues to Speakaboos and the recent Emmy Award-winning Amazon Kids program, Tumble Leaf.Her entire journey, though, might never have happened but for the fact that one person, in her case a teacher, noticed something special and "sparked" her curiosity and, in turn, her life.In this week's conversation, we talk about her fantastic adventure. We discover how "being Josh" in the famed Tom Hanks movie, Big, fueled a dream that then turned into a profoundly rewarding living and life. We dive into what the word "sparking" is all about, how a single person or moment can change everything and how you can be that catalyst both for others and for yourself.And, we talk about the power of curiosity, of reconnecting with your inner kid, a willingness to try and fail and just move on. We explore the joy and illumination that comes along with learning from and working with kids a

Have you ever found yourself saying, "if only I had more [insert missing ingredient], I'd be able to succeed on a totally different level?"Yeah, me too. Thing is, with very rare exception, that's never true. Taking your game, your craft, your career, your creative or innovative juices, your art and outcomes to the next level is often not about more, but about less.Less money, less ability, less resources, less freedom, less of everything. When you are constrained, it forces you to operate on a whole different level. And, that's often where the real magic happens.That phenomena, why we're wired that way, and a fun bit of research is what this week's GLP Riff is all about. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

By the time people living with autism hit their mid-20s, they often "age out" of all the services and support available to them. Many, in fact, 80-90% end up unemployed, often for life according to this week's guest, Tom D'Eri.Tom wasn't about to let that happen to his little brother, Andrew, who'd been diagnosed with autism at the age of three. Obsessed with entrepreneurship as a kid, and following in his dad's footsteps, Tom and his dad decided to create an entrepreneurial venture designed to both employ and provide community for those living with autism. They also wanted to show the local community and corporations that people living with autism can be wonderful contributors to a workforce.The perfect vehicle, amazingly enough, was a car wash that came to be called Rising Tide Car Wash. What happened with that business, it's astonishing success, how it changed not only his brother, but also the lives of so many others, including him and his family, that's the conversation in this week's episode o

There’s this odd thing that happens the moment after we ask for help.While we’re asking, we stand in a place of surrender. We hit a point, often deeply uncomfortable, where we’re riddled with uncertainty and we step into a place of vulnerability and say, “please, I don’t know where to go from here. Can you give me some help?”We feel great for a moment. And, then those we ask for help do exactly what we wanted. But then, something we never expect happens. They abandon us. Worse, they get angry at us. And, we’re left even more alone and in need than before.What we don’t realize is, they’re not the problem. We are.They didn’t choose to abandon us, we forced them to.We made it impossible for them to help. We asked for guidance, then refused to receive it. And, we don’t even realize we’re doing it.How and why this happens, and what to do about it, is the focus of today’s GLP Riff. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What if you knew why you were here from the time you were six years old? Cara E. Yar Khan is a what I’d call a “purpose outlier.” Most people never discover a driving purpose in their lives, or even a collection of fierce interests. If they do, it most often happens later in life […]The post Undeterred: From Devastating Diagnosis To Radiant Life appeared first on Good LifeProject. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're all guilty of it...It's something we all do. For some, it's not a big deal, intruding on rare occasion. For others, though, it literally controls your life. It fills each day with what feels like an impenetrable level of suffering and it's often accompanied by a stifling level of hoarding, both emotional and physical. Especially when the that hoarding of things and states helps to delude you into desperately yearned for feelings of certainty and security.What is it?Grasping.We hold mercilessly onto certain pain, rather than release into uncertain possibility.Thing is, we don't often realize the suffering is coming from our own refusal to let go of our death grip on the very thing or relationship or experience that is causing unease until we've been metaphorically and, sometimes, physically hammered into letting go.How this unfolds, why we do this and what to do about it is the focus of today's GLP Riff. And, along the way, you just might learn a thing or two about...waterskiing (you'll have to listen to

From the time he was a kid, Sean McCabe was obsessed, strike that, possessed, with letters.The shape. The form. The curves and nuances. Not just the fonts you see on computers, but the ones drawn painstakingly by hand, what's come to be known as hand-lettering, consumed him.A few years back, Sean began posting his work online. Nothing happened for the better part of two years. Then, lighting began to strike. In part, riding along with and, in part, helping to fuel a massive resurgence in both the practice and demand for hand-lettering, Sean's posting began to catch fire.People wanted to not only buy his work and hire him, though, they also relentlessly asked "how" he did what he did. Both as an artist, and as a professional who'd built a career hand-lettering.That demand kicked off a journey Sean never saw coming. One that's now led him into what he terms the next "season" of his life, moving away from the practice of hand-lettering and into his role as a leader and teacher in the business-side of art. He's b

How often have you put off doing something uncomfortable and told yourself the timing's just not right?The timing will be better when, if, then, because, after.So you wait. And you wait. And you wait.Did you do what you said you were going to when you got more money, more time, more resources, more stability? More often than not, you probably didn't.Sometimes, bad timing is a legitimate issue. But, equally if not far more often, it's not. Instead, it's an excuse for avoiding the uncertainty of doing something new. It's not based on sound analysis and intelligent exploration, but rather fear and avoidance. Driven largely by the desire to not have to wade from a place of certainty back into the uncertain abyss, even when that place of unknowing is the gateway to stunning possibility.That's what today's Good Life Project Riff is all about. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What if there was a single trait that was a virtual unlock key for an extraordinary life?Ok, maybe there's not a single magic trait, but there is something I've observed that seems to be omnipresent in the lives of those who live great lives.It doesn't matter whether, they're movers, shakers, artists, makers, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, caretakers or anyone else. This one trait seems to be some kind of good life ignition switch.What is it? Curiosity.Turns out...Curiosity is a key driver of a life well-lived. (tweet this)And that brings up a question...Is curiosity a childlike state of wonder you are born with or can you develop the trait of curiosity by following a set of practices?The answer may surprise you. We dive into this question and come up with some eye-opening and actionable answers in this week's GLP Riff. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After years of launching, building and selling technology ventures, Brad Smith was at a crossroads.Starting almost accidentally, he parlayed a self-taught expertise in computers and then design into a series of ventures that kept him busily creating.But when the company that bought his last venture was sold, destroying his ability to run the business the way he wanted, he realized it was time to exit.That left him with a problem...exit to what?Brad was terrified. For the first time in his adult life, he woke up one day without anywhere to go, and anything to do. That might seem like a dream to many, but for a guy who is wired to create and who'd given up nearly everything outside the work to build businesses, he was left without a rudder and, in part, an identity.CAll of which makes his next move that much more fascinating. He took a wild contrarian leap away from technology and joined the team at The Great Discontent to help take their soulful online magazine and grow it into what is quickly becomi

It was a moment that nearly brought me to tears...As an entrepreneur, a writer, a creator, a big part of why I do what I do is simply the hardwired need to create. I do the thing I "can't not do."The process of creation breathes me.Being able to write, to build, to produce, these things all light me up. But there's another part of the equation. It's the part about how the things you create land in the world. How other people experience them.It's part about whether they matter not only to you, but to those who might, in some small way, engage with what you make. To those who might just be left changed, or at least moved in a meaningful way.Often times, you never get to see this part.But, every once in a while, you stumble onto them. This week's Good Life Project Riff is about one of those moments. It happened through pure serendipity. It involved a guy named Steve and a venture he called Exit Plan B. The image in this post created by him.Neither of us knew what was really happening or how we'd truly affected e

In January 2013, Susan Cain published a book that would spark a global conversation and change the world.Her stunning, international bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, gave voice to nearly a third of the human race, those who'd often walked through life believing that their quiet nature, their love of smaller groups, individual conversations and solitude was something "to be fixed." Something that would hold them back in life, keep them from the good jobs and from rising to embrace their potential.Quiet was shock to the system. It validated this often-maligned social orientation with a fierce attention to science and revealed the stunning creative and social power of introverts. Cain let the quieter set, of which I am a member, know we're okay, better than okay, we are blessed.She also pulled back the curtain on how society and the corporate world build structure and culture that supports and rewards extroversion, while downplaying the value of i

One the fastest ways to accelerate your growth, personal or professional, is to seek out and ask for guidance from mentors. People who've been where you're looking to go and are open to sharing their stumbles, wins and wisdom.But, there's something that often happens when a mentor gives feedback that does not validate or, even worse, straight-up shoots down what you want to do. You fight the feedback, and often, the mentor.When I'm in the playing the role of mentor and this happens, it's not unusual for me to ask a mentee who is refusing to open to a new possibility or give up a position or decision that's being proven increasingly wrong..."how's that working out for you?"Why this refusal to open to the input of those we seek to guide us is pretty interesting. Because you were looking for the wrong thing. You wanted validation, but the mentor's job is to speak truth, at least their truth.Because, when you're trying to create something great...You don’t need validation, you need truth.We talk about this phenom

Want a job at Google, a gorgeous hideaway on Airbnb, a spot on the Stanford faculty, a romantic partner or even a kidney?Good news, bad news. You have a say, but so do they.It's all part of a phenomenon called "matching markets."Markets are what make businesses possible. But not all markets operate on the exchange of cash for goods. In fact, some of the most important markets go so far as to outlaw cash. In other markets, like romance, many societies just find cash morally repugnant. And, no matter how much you may want something, there's another person who'll have a say in whether you get it.When you understand these often complex and hidden markets, the nuanced rules and games that get played, you end up in a better place to both get what you need from them and give more effectively to those you seek to serve.That's what we're talking about in this week's conversation with Nobel Prize-winning economist, Stanford professor and author of the fascinating new book, Who Gets What - and Why: T

You want to be a better writer, write and study the craft of writing. Want to be a better maker, make more stuff and study the art of making. Want to be a better entrepreneur, build more businesses and study the process of birthing businesses.But, don't stop there. The really big leap, the thing that launches you from really good to world-shaking, is not skill. Transcendent output happens when you go beyond craft and do the work to become a better person.Because WHO you are flows into and through your work as much as HOW SKILLED you've become.This is what we're talking about in today's Good Life Project Riff. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tamsen Fadal is an award-winning broadcast journalist and television anchor on the evening news in New York City.She's worked incredibly hard to get where she is, traveling the world, entering war-zones and extreme settings, giving a voice to the voiceless and a serving as a trusted guide through times of extreme tragedy, disaster and misfortune.While she'd become comfortable being the face and voice of the news, though, she never thought she'd actually be the news. But, that's exactly what happened, and not in a good way, when her relationship with her husband and business partner in a match-making side-business fell apart.The news hit the papers and she was faced with not only navigating the extraordinary pain of a crumbling love, but the surreal task of doing it all under the microscope of the media, while also being the media. The tabloids and the internet were not kind. She was, after all, a very public person and someone positioned as an expert in finding love. And, now she was struggling.She would

You wake up one day with pain in your lower back. Happens to the best of us.Popular wisdom says, “oh, you’ve got lower back pain, you need to strengthen your abs to support your back and it’ll go away.” Or you need to strengthen this or that or the other muscle, your problem is weakness.A similar thing tends to happen across all parts of life. You've got a problem, it must be caused by some weakness somewhere. Easy fix, find the weak link, strengthen it and build around it.Problem is, there's often something much deeper going on. A level of misalignment and dysfunction that's causing the pain. In your body, and yes, even in your life. And when you try to strengthen into that more fundamental dysfunction, very often you end up making the pain even worse. It actually deepens the dysfunction.So, what do you do instead? That's what this week's short and sweet Good Life Project Riff is all about. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What if you could instantly trace your connection through an online family tree to nearly anyone on the planet?Put another way, what if every person alive was your cousin?Enter A.J. Jacobs, the master experimenter and mega-NYT best-selling author known for running crazy, year-long experiments on himself.In the past A.J. has spent a year living every rule in the Bible (in NYC), tried nearly every health and fitness tip ever offered in an attempt be the healthiest person on the planet, and even read the entire encyclopedia. Each adventure became a book, and together, they became a fascinating life.In our conversation, today, A.J. outlines his newest, boldest experiment, and this time, he's making it about you. Jacobs is on a quest to build the biggest family tree in history, then invite everyone on it to the largest family reunion . . . ever.In fact, every person on the planet is invited to his Global Family Reunion on June 6th in NY. And, since we're all his "fave" cousins, A.J. has graciously set up a sp

How often have you told yourself, "I'm not good enough, old enough, accomplished enough, credentialed enough, or any other 'enough' to get paid real money or get the gig I want more than anyone else?"Newsflash, there's a good chance you're right.It may well be true that there ARE indeed plenty of other people and organizations who are better at what you do than you are. But, there's also a dirty little secret in the world of business and success.Very often the job, opportunity, gig does not go to the most qualified person. You can still get the plum position, sweet job and serious paycheck if you understand why.In today's Good Life Riff, we're busting the old "I'm not good enough" myth and revealing what matters, oftentimes even more than qualifications.So, stop beating yourself up for being "along the road to higher value." And start understanding what people really want and what you need to give them to create the opportunities you most desire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You can lose almost any part of your body, except one, and still be you.What is that one exception? Your brain.Because...The brain is the seat of your memory and your identity.Which is why brain injuries can be so devastating. And taking care of your brain is so incredibly important to a life well-lived.Question is, how do you do that?Turns out, there's a lot of "neuro-myths" floating around today. We love to spout all sorts of supposed facts about the brain. Things like, "the average person only uses 10% of their brain." Or, "you can completely rewire your brain through meditation." And, "exercise is like Miracle Grow for the brain."To find out what's fact and what is fantasy, I sat down with today's guest, Dr. Wendy Suzuki.Wendy is an award-winning neuroscientist and NYU professor. She runs an acclaimed research lab, teaches classes, and is the author of the new book, Happy Brain Happy Life. She is obsessed with how our brains either fuel or hold back our best lives.But as she explains in our