Good Life Project

Money. Oh, the stories we tell ourselves. And the trouble we create when we talk about or, more often, don't talk about it. I'm more than a bit fascinated by the role of money in the quest to live a good life. Always exploring different peoples' perspectives. And I figured Kate Northrup, author of Money: A Love Story, was the perfect person to jam on this topic with. Kate dug herself a into a financial hole, and then dug herself back out. And in her new book, she shares that journey with humor, truth and wisdom. True to form, we ended up in a wide-ranging conversation not just about money, but about how it flows into, facilitates, opens up and closes down so many experiences, relationships and possibilities. You may recognize Kate's last name, by the way, her mom is famed doctor, author and media phenom, Dr. Christiane Northrup. Does that matter to you? Eh, not really. But what's really fascinating is how it impacted Kate's experience of the world, of work, of relationships, of money and her own sense of unique power. Kate is beautifully transparent about all of this, sharing very personal stories and awakenings along the way. Moments we can all learn from. Join us for a wonderful conversation about power, money, love and living a good life. As always, if you enjoy this conversation, please share it with friends and talk about the ideas. How do YOU experience and talk about cash, love and life? And... How MIGHT you evolve that conversation to better serve your decisions, actions and the future you seek to craft? For instant access to the mp3 audio vault and for insider insights, please subscribe by email below. And you can always grab the podcast over at iTunes, too! With gratitude, Jonathan

Two years ago, Scott Dinsmore was just another guy with a dream. Then he did something unusual... He made a list of the people who'd done what he wanted to do, the ones who served as proof of potential. He grilled them (I know, I was one of them, lol). Then he did the one thing most people never do. He acted on that dream. Not haphazardly, but with intelligence, intention and relentless consistency. He didn't rely on magic or prayer, but rather the fundamental roadmap and relationships he'd built. Within months, he'd seeded a sizable global community of people pursuing meaningful careers called Live Your Legend. He offered tools, resources and conversations, most without cost. But it didn't take him long to realize one of the keys to his rapid growth was the way he'd hacked relationship-building. Scott wanted to share his approach, so he built a training program called Connect With Anyone that's now helped thousands of people around the world understand the power of relationships and how to build them more effectively. In this week's episode, Scott and I dive deep into this remarkable journey. We bust a lot of myths, from the idea of instant success to getting paid to do just show up. We also talk about the power of work, devoting yourself to developing craft, cultivating relationships with the right people, building a vision and overcoming struggle. Prepare to be inspired. As always, please feel free to share the conversation with friends, subscribe by email (below) for instant access to the audio mp3 vault or subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan

Erika Napoletano tells it like it is. That may bother you, it may send you running for the hils. Or it may make you fall in love with her. Either reaction is fine with her. Just don't ask her to be someone she's not. That idea is at the heart of today's wide-ranging conversation with The Power of Unpopular author and founder of RHW Media brand strategy company, Erika Napoletano. When I was reviewing the rough cut of this conversation. I started jotting down ideas. Small things that tumbled out of Napoletano's mouth that made me think. It didn't take long for those quick thoughts to build into a serious list. Here are a few highlights: "It's possible to be content without being complacent." "You don't remember people, places or pictures, you remember how each made you feel." "If I'm 100% me when I'm doing the thing that's hardest for me, it's a whole lot easier." "Love me, hate me, just don't be indifferent." Click to tweet "It's very hard to be with someone who doesn't know why they matter or feels they have worth." "My path isn't to write your story, it's to write my story. And that doesn't mean they don't intersect." "The only thing I should do is take the word should out of my vocabulary." Join me in this incredibly transparent, provocative and at times raw conversation. FYI - NEW LANGUAGE RATING - ESRB - "T" After we aired Gala Darling's episode with her 4-letter words bleeped, a tremendous conversation ensued on my blog about whether that was the right move or not. I've since come to believe that it wasn't. My guests choose their words with deliberation and, with rare exception, I want to honor that choice and trust you'll be able to see the soul beyond any language that offends. Or not. That said, I also know that I have a growing family audience and want to honor parents' desire to make choices on behalf of their kids. So, for episodes where there may be more than the occasional four-letter word, I'll use the ESRB rating system that is applied to many games these days, because it seems to be a standard you all are familiar with. This will be the first episode with the designation of "T". It's my great hope that allowing the conversations to be as real as they need to be will not dissuade you from drinking in the many awakenings from those who might not express themselves with the same choice of language as you. As always, please feel free to share the conversation with friends, subscribe by email (below) for instant access to the audio mp3 vault or subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan

What do you do when your best friend is murdered? What a horrible question to lead an episode with! It's not like that's a question most of us will ever have to deal with. But at a young age, it's exactly the question Erin Weed found herself struggling with. How do you make sense of it? How do you continue to see the world from a place of lightness and joy and safety when something so horrific triggers a sense of primal fear and retreat? A natural organizer, Weed wasn't about to step back from life. So she brought together her friends for a bonfire tribute before the funeral that turned into a powerful conversation about fear. How pervasive it was in the lives of the women she knew and how nobody talked about it or did anything about it. At one point during our conversation, Erin shared... "How messed up is it that we're pursuing life just to not be anxious?" That's not really living. That, along with a promise made to her friend's mom, fueled Erin to launch a global education and training initiative for women called Girls Fight Back that has now been presented to more than a million women around the world. In this week's episode, we explore Erin's journey, from the moment she learned about her friend to the way she leveraged a source of extreme pain to create extraordinary good. We'll dive into her deeper motivation, the struggles and triumphs along the way. And we'll look at how, as Erin's journey has evolved, she's been able to expand her focus, becoming a mom and building other ventures, including a branding and growth strategy agency for change-makers called Evoso in Boulder, CO. As always, if you think a friend would enjoy this conversation, please share it on facebook or twitter. And if you'd rather listen than watch, you can either subscribe (enter your email below) to get instant access to the mp3 vault or check out the podcast on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan    

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY: This is the launch of our first-ever "GLP Audio Originals" series—audio-only/podcast episodes. We'll be sharing more and more of these with you. Not to worry, they won't be replacing our video conversations, but rather supplementing them. As with all of our great conversations, you can enjoy this episode by either (1) clicking on the video above (it's just an image, the audio will play in the background), (2) subscribing below and getting instant access to the mp3 vault to download the episode and take it on the go, or (3) downloading the podcast on iTunes (click on the little yellow smiley dude. FYI, iTunes takes an hour or so to post episodes, so if you arrive shortly after this post goes live, it may not have hit iTunes quite yet). Now for the first-ever GLP "Audio Originals" guest—Jeff Goins! For much of his life, Jeff identified as a musician. That was his thing, traveling, playing and sharing faith-fueled music. Even moving to Nashville to make a serious go at it. But something else, something buried deep inside, began to emerge... It was a sort of dual awakening. One that showed him both the blessing that was his everyday "grind" and the possibility that music wasn't his only creative outlet. Jeff had been blogging and writing for years "on the side." But had never thought of himself as a real writer. But a series of events led him to shift his understanding of what a writer is. And who gets to deem you worthy of the title. When he decided to step into the role of writer, and proclaim that title to the world, everything began to change. Sharing his ideas, his journey and seeking to create genuine value, he began to build a global audience of people who self-identified as aspiring writers at an astonishing pace. There was a sense of alignment and service, transparency and gentleness that people were responding to. And one of the things he realized and shared out of the gate, was that you need to remove the word "aspiring" from the way you bring yourself to the world. From this foundation and growing platform, Jeff penned his first book, Wrecked, about how in a single moment, we can experience something that, at once destroys us while opening a window to a new understanding of our world. And the possibility that exists all around us. In his latest book, The In-Between, Jeff builds on the foundation laid in Wrecked to explore that moment we all experience, actually the many moments we experience every day on a fairly mindless level. And it challenges us to be more present. To embrace them as the best part of each day. In this powerful conversation, Jeff takes us along his journey of discovery. He shares the critical moments that shook him to the core and led to sharp turns in both his career and life. We talk about how becoming a writer, and a husband and a dad change everything. We dive into the creative process and the way it interacts with life. And we explore how he integrates his deep faith into his voice, while also striving to create an experience that is accessible to all. I'm so grateful to be able to share this first edition of GLP Audio Originals. To get instant access to the mp3 Audio Vault and keep up to date with further episodes and all things GLP, subscribe below. Or if you prefer just subscribe on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan

For decades, people have speculated about the identity of the woman in the legendary Michael Jackson ballad, She's Out of My Life. Well, today, you're about to learn the truth, from Tommy Bahler, the man who actually wrote the song! We'll also hear not only the powerful story behind the song, but how it was whisked away from Frank Sinatra and made its way to Michael Jackson. But, just like in part one of this first-ever two-part series, that's only a small part of the magic. In this week's conversation, we dive deep into creativity, Tommy's attachment to storytelling. We explore his year's long love of Aesop and discover the fable he was never able to let go of. One that eventually turned into the subject of his new book Anything Is Possible. We learn how the creative muse is rarely ever limited to a single form of creation, if you allow it the space to express itself in whatever way feels right. And, then...THEN... Tommy sings that beautiful ballad he wrote for Michael, She's Out Of My Life, a capella. An amazing moment, not to be missed. As always, if you’d rather take the show on the road with you, enter your e-mail below for instant access to the mp3 vault. You'll also get special e-mail only dispatches and special benefits. You can also find us on iTunes and we deeply appreciate all those who subscribe and leave honest reviews. With gratitude, Jonathan

Three months ago, I sat at a narrow table in a small conference room across from a guy who never stopped smiling... His name was Tommy Bahler. We traded the obligatory hellos, but didn't go much deeper. Then, at some point, he stood up, walked into the center of the room, and began to sing. And my heart sang along with him. I had to know more about this amazing soul. So we began to talk. And my jaw began to drop... Turns out, Tommy's a bit of a legend in the music world. He's worked with Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Cher, Billy Joel, Oprah, Whoopie Goglberg, Steven Spielberg, Streisand, Bette Midler, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder and decades worth of celebs large and small, including...the Partridge Family. He helped arrange and record the epic jam-session that became We Are The World. He's lived an extraordinary life as a musician, artist, composer, musical director. And, now he's beginning a new chapter in his life. Literally. With the release of his first book, Anything Is Possible. This episode is a game-changer on so many levels. Not the least of which is, it's the first we've recorded where we had so much "un-cuttable content," we've had to split it into our first-ever two-part episode. And what's so beautiful is that Tommy's journey and stories about living and creating at the highest levels in the music industry are trumped by his wonderful anecdotes about his dad. And the amazing lessons he learned from him. Which I'm guessing (and hoping) might be the subject of Tommy's next book. One beautiful example is this simple lesson, passed down to Tommy when he was only 6, when his dad shared... "When you decide what you want, if it will serve others, then it will come to you." You're going to want to watch this episode with a pen and paper or something to take notes on. So much wisdom. As amazing as this part of the conversation is, you'll also want to be sure to tune in to part two, which we'll air next week. Tommy gets incredibly personal and transparent. We talk about his evolution to becoming an author and what fueled the story behind his new book. And, then he does something that created one of those rare moments of awe. You'll have to wait until next week to find out just what that is... As always, if you've enjoyed this conversation, I'd be so grateful if you'd share it around. Please don't hesitate to subscribe to our email community below, where you'll get instant access to the mp3 download vault. And, hey, did ya know we're on iTunes now, too? With gratitude, Jonathan

Growing up in New Zealand, Gala Darling struggled to find her place in the world and began to turn to fashion as an outlet for self-expression. This eventually blossomed into an exploration of world culture, a love of travel and a deepening exploration of how all of that related to the way people relate to each other. Moving to NYC on a whim, she began to write about all of this, blogging at GalaDarling.com. It didn't take long for her to stake a claim as a leading fashion blogger. But that's not a title she wears comfortably these days, as her interests have evolved past outfits and accessories and more toward what matters in life. She still loves fashion, but what you choose to wear is less interesting to Gala than why you'd wear it, how it makes you feel and why that's important. Frustrated at the almost-entirely external focus on feeling good, Gala began to write more about what she calls "radical self-love," literally live-blogging maybe the world's longest book online. And starting a deeper conversation about the way people, especially women, relate to their own bodies, sense of esteem and each other. Beyond blogging, writing and appearing regularly in the media, Gala now also consults with a wide variety of companies on branding and digital connection. And more recently, she's partnered with two friends to launch a The Blogcademy, a training program for aspiring bloggers that offers live trainings around the world. In this episode, we explore Gala's remarkable journey. Her jump across the globe with literally no support and no plan and how she rebuilt a new living that allows her to blend her interests and serve people on a level that leaves everyone better. Today's tweetable... "Living a good life is about realizing you have options" - Gala Darling (click to tweet) As always, we would love it if you share this interview through your favorite online platform. Feel free to subscribe below for access to the mp3 vault to take the show on the road with you. For automated downloads check out the podcast on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan

By the time he turned 40, former Stanford athlete, Rich Roll, was a bit of a wreck... Since leaving school, the married father of four had struggled with addiction, mass job stress, he'd put on 50 pounds and was in horrible physical shape. He decided something had to change. So, to celebrate his 40th birthday and his 10th anniversary in recovery, in 2006 he turned vegan. But that was just the beginning... Reclaiming his health became Rich's driving purpose. Over the next two years, he dropped 50 pounds, began to compete in ultra-endurance races and became the first vegan to not only complete in the legendary Ultraman race, but finish in the top 10. Since then, he's ticked off a series of stunning ultra-fitness accomplishments and become a leading advocate for plant based nutrition for athletes and author of the fascinating book Finding Ultra. In today's episode, Rich and I go deep into his remarkable journey. We explore his earlier demons, his struggle to reclaim normalcy, health and vitality and his decision to explore a plant-based diet. We look at how that impacts his ability to perform at the highest levels of athletic competition. We also get very real about his addiction and explore some tough questions, including whether his current deep dive into health is really his latest addiction...and whether that's a good thing, a bad thing, or just a thing. If you enjoy this conversation, please feel free to share it with friends. And, of course, if you'd like to download the audio, go ahead and subscribe below for instant access to the mp3 audio vault. With gratitude, Jonathan

Entering college, Tami Simon started asking questions her teachers couldn't answer. Deeper questions about life and meaning and purpose. Until she found one teacher from Sri Lanka who talked about the world very differently. She eventually dropped out and traveled to Sri Lanka to spend more time with that teacher and his family and begin to create her own path. Returning home about a year later, Tami weighed 90 pounds, was barely eating, had hepatitis and spoke very little. No less deterred from her quest, she was determined to continue to study and explore until one day guidance literally dropped from the ether...disseminate spiritual wisdom. That singular purpose set in motion a quest that led to Boulder, Colorado and the "inadvertent" launch of Sounds True, a company that started by producing "real-time" audio tapes of spiritual conference talks and has now grown into the leading multimedia wisdom publishing company in the world. In this episode, we explore Tami's moving journey, her organic evolution from seeker to entrepreneur and how she's developed a dual interest in both. We look at how her devotion to the spiritual side of life has influenced every aspect of the way she's built her company, it's culture and products. And we see what happens when that company hits economic and technological disruption and is forced to make a major pivot to not only stay alive, but thrive. Tami's story is one of evolution and drive, wrapped in deep spiritual seeking. It serves as a powerful example of the ability to build a substantial company around something "bigger." As always, if you're inspired, please feel free to share this week's show with friends. If you'd like to listen, rather than watch, simply subscribe to our email below and get instant access to the mp3 download vault. You can also follow along with our podcast on iTunes. With gratitude, Jonathan

Born in 1962 at the site of Buddha's enlightenment in Bodhgaya, India, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the global Shambhala spiritual community and the son of legendary teacher and Shambhala founder, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. So...what was he doing having a conversation with me in a beautiful compound just outside Boulder, Colorado? Nothing less than talking about the future of the human race, one person at a time... The Sakyong is a fascinating marriage of East and West. An avid runner and marathoner, bestselling author, married father and spiritual teacher, he was educated both in the deepest traditions of Shambhala and Buddhism and the culture and knowledge of Western society. Through this lens, he's cultivated a stunning ability to bridge both worlds in a very real, human, modern, insightful and immensely-relatable way. In this episode we talk about the Sakyong's remarkable journey. We explore where the world is heading and how we're in the midst of a rare window of opportunity to make profound shifts in global consciousness. We explore the challenging concepts of basic goodness (are people fundamentally good or evil?), uncertainty, bravery, enlightenment (and why it's such a loaded word) and purpose. At times, the conversation gets beautifully candid and personal, especially toward the end as we speak to the dance of fatherhood and spirituality in an increasingly disruptive world. These ideas and more are also explored in depth in the Sakyong's latest book, The Shambhala Principle. Today's tweetable... "Leadership is being comfortable with uncertainty." -Sakyong Mipham Click to tweet Highlights include: The profound story behind the name: Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche How he balances his role as "earth protector" and living in a disruptive society How running marathons integrates with spirituality The origins for his notion of the basic goodness of humanity Technology and it's effect on ones sense of wholeness or oneness in the modern world Living life as a journey, rather than an obstacle we must overcome The role of society in discovering purpose Exploring the meaning of Enlightened Society The imperative for the entrepreneur to consciously build a purposeful society The roles of bravery, risk and the fear of failure The bolstering effect of bravery and belief in goodness The role of parenthood in an enlightened society Contrasting the roles of Earth Protector and Daughter Protector How parenthood effects awareness and urgency to improve global conditions What challenges lie ahead and how we can embrace meaningful change As always, if you've enjoyed this conversation, we'd greatly appreciate if you'd share the insights and ideas with friends by email or your favorite online community. For instant access to the mp3 vault to download this episode as audio-only and stay updated on new developments, go ahead and subscribe by email below. And if you have yet to find us on iTunes, please feel free to subscribe and leave an honest review. With gratitude, Jonathan

After graduating from university, Anneliese Vandenberg found herself working as a model and living, what many would consider, a dream life. But her life lacked something.... She was fascinated by the contrast in lifestyles of the ancient and modern(izing) world. Kenya was, to her, the prime example of this real world conflict. The bustling capital of Nairobi is rapidly developing right on top of the same land that the Turkana People have lived on for thousands of years. An uncommon friendship with a neurobiologist friend led her to challenge her paradigm and make a powerful lifestyle choice. Together the two moved to Kenya and chose a lifestyle wrapped in the turbulence of a life between the Turkana People and the rapid modernizing forces in Nairobi. Her story of extreme immersion with the street kids of Kenya and the Turkana people is at times wonderful and at times despairing. While living there, she became focused on the problems facing the young poor people of the area. Many live in squalor and habitually huff glue. She tells her story of coming to terms with the problem, experiencing it first hand and finally what she has done to effect change as best she can. "If there's anything we can learn, it's getting that connection back. Seeing each-other again. Eye contact. Thats the Good Life." - Anneliese Vandenberg (Tweet me)   Discussion Points We dive into the troubling yet powerful trailer of Tough Bond What brought this powerful story into Anneliese's life How working with Amy Bardach turned her onto using journalism to expose troubling issues Why and how Anneliese decided to shake up her reality and move to Kenya How she and Austin Peck shared a sense of "loving what we had been doing, yet not wanting to do any more of it" The strange union of a neurobiology phd. and a model living in the USA and how they decided to become a  team of documentary filmmakers in Kenya Why the issues being faced in Kenyan villages mirror those faced all over the world The process of how her team discovered the subject of their film The mental virus created by an idle lifestyle largely due to dependence on relief food Her transition from understanding the problem, deciding to address and choosing how to do it The actual practice of huffing glue and the crude reality of life there How she identified the root of the problem as a cultural breakdown in the symbiotic relationship the Turkana people have the land Why the belief system in Kenya isolates the street kids of Kenya The goal of Tough Bond: Giving the street kids a voice and representation How we all have roles to play in avoiding this disconnect created by modernization How this project dissolved her old constructs of seeing reality, "a new creativity has emerged" Her intimate relationship with the Turkana people and how it played such a pivotal role in their story About the loss of human knowledge from ancient civilizations like the Turkana Where Anneliese will go from here and how we can help (hint: watch the film)  The challenge of deciding to work more with the Turkana people or following her passion as a film maker How Anneliese "taps into source" Why these troubled Kenyan communities still have such open and loving Good Lives. Resources | Take Action Without Fidel by Ann Louise Bardach Check out the Tough Bond Trailer Explore the Village Beat vimeo channel and website Learn more about the Turkana People of Kenya Share and Connect with Village Beat on Twitter & Facebook Help them spread their message with a donation As always, if you’d rather take the show on the road with you, enter your e-mail below for instant access to the mp3 vault.  You can also find us on iTunes and we deeply appreciate all those who subscribe and leave honest reviews.  

One of the questions I get by email the most is... All this Good Life Project stuff sounds amazing, but for me to do what I really want to do, either at work or play, I'm gonna need to learn a whole new skill set and I just don't have time. What should I do? I totally get it. I'm a dad, husband, entrepreneur and maker. I travel a lot. And I don't want to wait a million years to get decent enough at something to (a) really enjoy doing it, and (b) be able to potentially leverage in my professional life, if that's an aspiration. So, I tapped accelerated learning guru and author of The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything...Fast!, Josh Kaufman, to bust some myths and teach us how to become seriously good at almost anything in a ridiculously short period of time. This episode of GLP is a bit different... It's shorter, accelerated, highly-focused and strategic, just like Josh's accelerated learning methodology. It's less about Josh' personal journey (which is actually pretty cool) and more about his 5 part system, designed to get you learning those things you've been saying you're too busy to learn...now! Don't be surprised if you find yourself jumping up to pick up the guitar or uke or re-inspired to learn Mandarin or knitting or hand-lettering or Ruby on Rails or anything else you've shelved until "you had the time" after watching this episode. And, as always, if you'd rather listen than watch, just subscribe for instant access to the mp3 vault, or subscribe to iTunes (we're almost all caught up with current episodes on iTunes now). +++ Good Life Alert - When was the last time you felt lit-up, connected and on track to build a great living and life? Join Jonathan and his band of Good Life Mentors for 3 ½ days that will change everything and set your world on fire. Check out Camp GLP now. With gratitude, Jonathan  

At 14 years old, Rhonda Britten's father shot and killed her mother while Rhonda watched just feet away. He then turned the gun on himself, taking his own life. She carried the weight of this horrible day for another 14 years, living a double life. The facade she showed the world, and the torture she lived inside. Until one day when everything began to change. And she found a way to step out of the darkness, let go of the guilt and fear and reclaim her life. In the years since, Britten's become an acclaimed author, speaker and catalyst for personal change who has appeared thousands of times on nearly every major television network and launched the renowned Fearless Living Institute. In this week's episode we dive deep into this extraordinary journey. She shares in vivid detail the moment-by-moment events of that horrible morning. She takes us through the decade-plus of deep emotional scarring and darkness. She walks us through the exact experiences, insights and awakening that incited radical change in her life and set in motion what she's now come to see as her life's work. If you know anyone who struggles to rise out of pain, find acceptance and be fully expressed in the world, you'll want to share this powerhouse episode with them. And, as always, feel free to subscribe so you don't miss a future episode, get access to the mp3 vault and soon-to-come show transcripts and more subscriber-only stuff. With gratitude, Jonathan

What if the color of your office changed how you behaved? What if it made you more aggressive or totally chill? What if it made you more creative or shut you down? Turns out, it does! And that's not all... There are things and interactions that happen all around us, all day that radically alter both how we experience the world and...gulp...who WE are on a moment-to-moment basis. They influence nearly every decision we make and, in turn, the way the world either rallies to or walks away from us. Today's guest, NYU professor and author of New York Times bestseller Drunk Tank Pink, Adam Alter, reveals 9 ways you interact with the world that massively influence nearly every decision you make. And, here's the scary part, you're likely aware of very few of them, but those who want to influence you may be tapping them to influence your decisions all day long. In fact, a bit later in the episode, when this becomes apparent, Adam and I get into a really interesting conversation about the ethics of both the things he's revealing and the way some people might choose to use the book. One thing's for sure, the better you understand how you interact with your environment and with people, the better armed you become to make "aware" choices that empower you to live a better, more fulfilled life. Enjoy! Subscribe! Share! With gratitude, Jonathan