On the 90th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Seb Randle. Seb is the founder of The Helpful Space, a space dedicated to exploring pragmatic and practical solutions that help individuals to where they want to be. His approach is grounded in warmth, kindness, genuine curiosity, and a deep understanding of what it takes to create lasting change. Seb is also Head of Allyship at Bloom North, and a people focussed consultant and coach.

In this engaging conversation, Seb shares his ongoing journey of exploring his own truth. He shares with us key moments in his own life that encompassed family counselling in his teens, coming out to his mother and family, and developing a more loving relationship with his body. Each experience in life offering him the opportunity to reveal or understand more about himself. Seb also highlights the importance of how he shows up for others, the exploration of who we are at our core, the value of releasing self-judgement, living life with intention, and exploring our blind spots.

If you are feeling unsure of who you are, seeking to connect more deeply with your truth, or feeling daunted by life’s challenges, this conversation offers plenty of thought-provoking insights. Seb’s relatable experiences and lived wisdom may offer new perspectives for whatever you’re currently navigating.

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:

Seb's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seb-randle-2787b412/
The Helpful Space: https://www.instagram.com/thehelpfulspace/
Bloom North: http://www.bloomnorth.org

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life 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
03:00 A life free from regret

07:10 Showing up for ourselves & others

11:10 Building internal trust

15:00 Feelings and judgements

18:00 What you are at your core

21:30 Self-judgement and self-acceptance

25:25 Appreciating our bodies

34:00 Coming out and telling loved ones

40:00 Approaching life intentionally

44:00 Engaging with our blind spots

49:00 Wondering what else is out there

56:38 What is a good life for Seb?

On the 89th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Manda Scott. Manda trained as a veterinary surgeon but is now an award-winning novelist and host of the Accidental Gods podcast. Best known for the internationally best-selling Boudica: Dreaming series, which The New York Times labelled “a masterpiece in historical fiction,” her latest novel departs from historical fiction in favour of a contemporary Thrutopian narrative, exploring the potential for a future we’d be proud to leave as our legacy. Any Human Power opens doorways we could all walk through, following routes to a paradigm shift we could make happen now.

In this captivating conversation, Manda takes us on her journey of connecting to the living web of life. We explore what the web is asking of us, learning to learn through pain until we can learn through love, the joyful curiosity that arises from the heart-mind connection, dreaming awake, and the magic of co-creation that our relationships with each other can entail. She outlines the role of artists in envisioning a future that lays the foundations for a new way of being and path to follow.

This entire conversation is brimming with hope, connection, curiosity, and considerable wisdom and insight from Manda. I hope it serves as a window into what is possible when we fully sense and connect with all that is around us—the living web 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:

Manda's website / books: https://mandascott.co.uk/
Manda's podcast: https://accidentalgods.life/

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction
02:45 Podcast begins

04:45 Connecting with the web of life

07:55 Consciously encountering the web of life

12:15 Communicating with time and space

18:03 Learning through pain and love

22:57 Accepting, understanding and healing

26:28 The heart-mind connection

31:45 The power of joyful curiosity

37:15 Feeling the web of life

42:03 Attributing more aliveness to AI and others

45:32 Dreaming awake and the void

55:37 Responding to messages from the web of life

59:45 Inquiries into death

1:03:45 A place outside of space and time and the role of artists

1:09:16 A whole new way of being and path to take

1:18:20 What is a good life for Manda?

On the 88th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Derek Sivers. Derek is an author of philosophy and entrepreneurship, known for his surprising, quotable insights and pithy, succinct writing style. Formerly a musician, programmer, TED speaker, and circus clown, he sold his first company for $22 million and gave all the money to charity. Derek is the author of Useful Not True, How to Live, Hell Yeah or No, Your Music and People, and Anything You Want. All his books, latest projects, and musings can be found on his website: https://sive.rs/

In this insightful and engaging conversation, Derek takes us on a journey through his experiences as a musician, philosopher, circus performer, entrepreneur, and author. A journey spanning several continents that embraces, lets go of, and challenges multiple perspectives, and is underpinned by considerable explorations of growth, curiosity, joy, and play.

If you feel stuck in your way of thinking, stagnant in your current life, or tired of your perspectives, not only will Derek’s life serve as an incredible inspiration, but his thoughts and ideas may guide you to places you never imagined.

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:

Derek's website / books: https://sive.rs/

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.

00:00 Introduction
02:42 What’s another way to see this?
07:10 Not stopping with the first thought

10:10 What could be the benefit of any situation

13:30 Navigating emotion and choices

17:50 Exploring the edges of growth

23:20 Leaving the old for the new

28:10 What is the growth choice?

33:10 Exploration, play, and growth

38:40 The greatest joy in life

44:10 The motivation for the writing

47:40 Not being attached to one perspective

50:40 Realising ideas into existence

53:40 Celebrating our work

59:40 The moment of release

1:02:40 Giving 100% of proceeds to others

1:07:40 Justifying our own actions

1:12:40 The multiplicity of life

1:19:55 What is a good life for Derek?

On the 87th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to welcome our guest, Dr. Niobe Way. Niobe is Professor of Developmental Psychology at NYU, founder of the Project for the Advancement of Our Common Humanity (PACH; pach.org), and the Principal Investigator of the Listening Project, which fosters curiosity and connection in schools across New York City. Niobe has served as President of the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), holds a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, a doctorate from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health at Yale University.

With nearly 40 years of experience researching adolescent social and emotional development, Niobe has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles. She is the author of Deep Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection and her latest book, Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture.

In this illuminating conversation, Niobe explores what it means to be human and how this is shaped by cultural context, the clash between our nature and culture, and the importance of listening to stories as well as examining data. She highlights the dangers of living in a culture that no longer listens and how much of what is needed for greater connection already exists within us.

If your relationships lack the depth and connection you long for, or if you are struggling to cultivate greater intimacy and curiosity in your life, Niobe offers a wealth of insights, anecdotes, and even exercises for you to consider and practise to reveal your innate capacities for connection.

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:

Niobe's book: https://www.brilliant-books.net/book/9780593184264
Niobe's website: https://www.niobe-way.com/
Niobe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niobe-way-75270534/

Photo credit: Daniel Root

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.

00:00 Introduction
03:00 What it means to be human

06:30 Crossing the lines

11:57 What different groups can teach us about ourselves

15:10 Privileging the hard over the soft

20:55 Interpersonal curiosity

24:00 Thin and thick stories

27:00 Breaking stereotypes through stories

32:30 Living in a culture that no longer listens

40:00 Innate intelligence we have forgotten

42:30 The root of our suffering and illness

48:05 The fear of not being seen as we see ourselves

53:17 The natural skills within us to solve our problems

1:01:42 What is a good life for Niobe?

On the 86th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I'm delighted to introduce Nic Askew as our guest. Nic is a filmmaker who has discovered a powerful way to use the camera to deepen people's awareness. He has been described in various ways—an itinerant confessor, a disruptive influence, a monk independent of any religion, and an explorer of the inner world.

Over two decades of exploring human connection, authenticity, and insight through film, Nic has uncovered a profoundly simple way for us to be together, which he calls Inner View. This method has led to the creation of the acclaimed Soul Biographies Film Series, an experience of human presence that has resonated with millions.

In this enlightening conversation, Nic clearly articulates and points to a deeply felt sense of universal belonging, without the need to do, improve, or follow steps—simply by virtue of our existence and the lack of separation between us. He discusses how he uses the camera, stillness, and nothing to reveal our innate sense of belonging. With an awareness of this belonging, we can move through the world working on behalf of everyone and everything with life living itself through us.

If you're struggling with feelings of unworthiness, a lack of belonging, or the belief that you need to fix or improve yourself, Nic's insights may help you see beyond these barriers to the simple truth of your inherent worth and obvious belonging.

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:

Soul Biographies: https://soulbiographies.com/
Nic's website: https://nicaskew.com/
Nic's newsletter: https://nicaskew.substack.com/

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people or you'd like to join my weekly silent conversation groups.

00:00 Introduction
03:00 What is this work that I do?

07:19 Stillness, awareness, and a realisation of belonging

13:40 The power of silence and subtracting

18:07 The challenge of our cultural way of being

20:40 The realisation of our connectedness

26:20 Become aware of what we are capable of

30:50 Stillness and silence tending to our trauma

33:20 Life living itself through you - nothing to do

41:40 An awareness of the dissolving of time and space

46:40 The Girl in the Entrance Hall

51:10 Working on behalf of everyone and everything

58:20 Realising why everyone hurt

1:04:45 It is much more simple than we imagine

1:11:15 An absence of time in our encounters

1:16:20 Could I be doing something else?

1:21:23 What is a good life for Nic?

On the 85th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Jon Alexander. Jon is the author of CITIZENS: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us, a book that seeks to reframe the current moment as one of immense civic opportunity rather than merely a time of crisis and collapse.

In 2014, Jon co-founded the New Citizenship Project, a strategy and innovation consultancy that aims to shift the dominant societal narrative from Consumer to Citizen. He is a Fellow of the Young Foundation, a founding member of the OECD's Innovative Citizen Participation Network, a Strategic Advisor to DemocracyNext, and a member of the Leadership Council of the Democracy and Culture Foundation. Additionally, Jon has represented Great Britain in both rowing and triathlon.

In this inspiring conversation, Jon shares his journey of building greater trust in himself and others, which has shaped his ideas about evolving from a Consumer story to a Citizen story. In this new narrative, we expand our self-interest, connection, and sense of belonging, embracing the uncertainty we collectively face. We discuss the importance of stories over data, becoming who we want to be, reflection, and the immense satisfaction of being part of something bigger than ourselves.

If you feel somewhat stuck and perhaps overwhelmed by the mounting crises, and if you are looking to reengage with a sense of agency and empowerment, this episode, along with Jon’s journey, will give you much to contemplate, as well as inspiration for action.

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

For further content and information check out the following:

Jon's book & website: https://www.jonalexander.net/
Jon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alexander-11b66345/
Jon's Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonjalex

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.

00:00 Introduction
02:55 Consumer Story & Citizen Story

05:35 What would you do if you believed in yourself & others

09:15 Self interest and expanded self-interest

13:05 Human and community and connection

16:45 Stories and connection over data

21:55 Collectively becoming who we want to be

25:55 Pretending we have answers and solutions

30:40 Safe uncertainty

34:35 A need for belonging, community, and contribution

38:20 Trusting others

43:55 Time to reflect and portals

50:55 Not something to give up but to gain

55:55 What is a good life for Jon?

On the 84th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Wakanyi Hoffman. Wakanyi is an artist of life who paints the shades of each day as a storyteller, author, keynote speaker specialising in Ubuntu philosophy, scholar of indigenous knowledge, and narrative weaver of wisdom in AI.

Wakanyi is an Indigenous Knowledge Curator for ServiceSpace AI, a Research Fellow at The New Institute in Hamburg, and the author of Sala, Mountain Warrior. She sits on several boards, including the Kenya Education Fund, and her mission is to help co-create a world founded on continuous, naturally occurring, systemic intellectual and emotional progress that is in harmony with all other forms of emerging intelligence.

In this enlivening episode, Wakanyi considers what it would take to reconnect with ancient wisdom while living in a modern world. She shares Ubuntu values of survival, solidarity, respect, compassion, and dignity—dignity for human life and all of life. She explores the hospicing of the systems we presently live in and what has inhibited us from engaging with the wisdom of the heart. We also discuss resisting the urge to interfere with a natural process and the relief and joy of not being in control.

If you are struggling to integrate more wisdom into your life, if you feel you are holding on too tightly to the way things are, even when you realise they are no longer serving you, this episode will give you plenty of space, fresh air, and optimism to consider our next evolutions as people and as a society.

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

For further content and information check out the following:

Wakanyi's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wakanyi-hoffman-77a9671a4/

Wakanyi's website: https://www.wakanyihoffman.com/
Wakanyi's book: https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/Wakanyi-Hoffman/dp/191565906X

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.

00:00 Introduction
03:00 Reconnecting with our indigenous roots

07:30 Merging Wisdom with Modernity

11:00 The illusion of mutual exclusivity of experiences

17:42 Honouring our material and immaterial experiences

22:45 Ubuntu values

33:00 Creating spaces to allow our values to emerge

37:45 Growing out of old cocoons

42:50 Lessons from the do-nothing farmer

47:05 Lessons from observing a child’s development

51:20 The humility and awe of the human experience

57:44 What is a good life for Wakanyi?

On the 83rd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Tom Morgan. Tom has spent the last 20 years in markets, on both the buy and sell sides. He has worked at several investment banks on Wall Street and his most recent role was with the wealth manager Sapient Capital. He describes himself as a "curiosity sherpa"; he spends his life seeking out the most interesting ideas and thinkers for curious people. He has just co-founded The Leading Edge, a network for curious people focused on their personal evolution, and he is also the writer of The Leading Edge newsletter. He graduated from Oxford University with an MA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

In this enlightening conversation, Tom muses on whether we realise that the universe loves us. He shares his experiences of struggling with mental and spiritual health, highlights the significance of experiencing flow in a meaningful way, discusses the importance of being honest with ourselves and the world around us, and explores the relationship between disclosing truth and the synchronicity we experience.

Tom shares many insightful anecdotes and experiences throughout this conversation, making this episode ideal for anyone feeling stuck in life, considering career transitions, facing challenges with their well-being, or struggling to see the signs that the world or universe may be offering.

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

For further content and information check out the following:

The Leading Edge Website: https://www.theleading-edge.org/
Tom's Newsletter: https://newsletter.theleading-edge.org/

X: @tomowenmorgan

- For the 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 mark@whatisagood.life if you'd like to further explore your own lines of self-inquiry or create experiences that lead to more connecting and genuine conversations amongst groups of people.

00:00 Introduction
02:40 Does the universe love me?

06:10 To what degree are we free?

08:25 Flowing in a meaningful way & synchronicity

12:40 The importance of discernment

16:40 Experiencing highly contrasting states & sensitivity

23:05 The power of truth in experiencing reality

28:54 The failing of our language and love

30:50 Sharing with the intention of helping others

34:10 Sharing our inner world

37:40 Flow, earnings, and the value of containers

46:20 Navigating career transition

50:10 Not feeling anything

54:30 Insights from suffering

58:20 What level of suffering is necessary?

1:01:10 What is a good life for Tom?