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

Dr. Rana Awdish wanted to be a doctor from her earliest memories, and worked to become an ICU physician. But, when she found herself 7-months pregnant, being admitted to the hospital spiraling into multiple organ failure, the near-death experience, followed by a two year medical odyssey would forever change her.Dr. Awdish's understanding of both what is was to be a patient, and how the relationship between doctor and patient could radically affect the experience and even outcome of a patient was transformative. This harrowing journey and her awakening to a profoundly different way to practice medicine is detailed beautifully in her memoir, In Shock.Dr. Awdish is now the Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a Critical Care Physician. She was recently named Medical Director of Care Experience for the Health System and awarded the Speak-Up Hero award in 2014 for her work on improving communication, as well as the Critical Care Teaching Award in

Ever wonder, where is the sweet spot between pushing multiple projects forward simultaneously until you see which one is most likely to succeed AND drilling too many wells at the same time, ensuring that even though all may have serious potential, you never get enough traction in any to hit oil in any, let alone signal it’s the right one to move forward? That’s why my motto for this year has become "fewer things better. And, that's what we’re talking about on today’s riff.Good Life Science Update. And, on the science side of things, today, we're diving into a cool new study on the relationship between money, happiness and fulfillment. And, as always, for those who want to go to the source, here's a link to more about the study.-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://sparketype.com/) and takes about 7-minutes to complete. At a minimum, it’ll open your eyes in a big way. It also just might change your life.If you enjo

Charity Tillemann-Dick grew up in Denver, CO, with her 10 brothers and sisters. She loved to sing from her earliest memories, so she did the logical thing; graduated high school 3 years early, sped through college...and became a political operative by her late teens! What?!All the while, though, she continued to sing on the side, until Charity was eventually "discovered" by a legendary opera teacher, who took her under her wing and gave her a full-ride to study at the legendary Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary. In an instant, everything changed, a new career was born. Charity became a sought-after soprano and top-selling classical recording artist, performing all over the world.But, something was wrong. Her lungs, the very source not just of her life, but of her vocation, began to fail. Diagnosed with potentially fatal pulmonary hypertension, she had two double lung transplants, the second coming after the first pair of lungs was rejected. Still, each time, she found a way not just to sing ag

Want to get paid what you're worth? Don't just demand it, believe it.It's a question I'm asked often by everyone from employees to entrepreneurs and private practice professionals. How do I raise my rates, earn more money, get paid what I'm worth?Part of it is a marketing principal—"price implies quality." Raise your rates, ask for more and people will start to see you as someone worthy of that amount. It's all about perception, they "file" you as a higher-caliber performer because the price or salary you're asking is that of someone who is worth it. It's quality "by association."BUT, that's only half the equation. The other half is about belief. And, if you miss this part, you can raise your fees, ask for more, demand a raise...and none of it will matter. It still won't work. Nobody will buy you're worth it until you do. That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Riff.And, on in our Good Life Science Update, we're exploring the alarming relationship between noise, especially traffic and city noise, and h

She wanted a family, he didn't. What happened next, neither saw coming.In this week's conversation, Heather Harpham takes us into her whirlwind romance with a writer that led to a seemingly endless series of unexpected turns. Heather always saw her life with children, but her then-boyfriend saw no room for a child. His life was devoted to his craft as a writer. Fate, however, brought them a daughter.The idea of bringing a child into the world, alone, cultivated emotions ranging from joy to trauma, and eventually cut deep personal divides between the two. Harpham's life was turned upside-down. But, when their daughter was born with a near-fatal illness, the small semblance that was left of Harpham's handle on normalcy was tossed out the window.In today's conversation, Heather shares her whirlwind romance turned harrowing story of life-and-death motherhood and evolving quest to redefine what family is and can be. This journey is also detailed in her memoir, Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-E

What if greatness isn't about what you accomplish, but how you serve? Some 50 years ago, in February 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a sermon entitled The Drum Major Instinct. It invites people to redefine greatness as service, while at the same time recognizing the very human instinct for attention and praise and inviting it to harness it for something bigger. That's what we're talking about in today's riff.And, in our Good Life Science Update, we dive into a fascinating analysis of studies that reveal something stunning about over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Turns out, they don't just dull physical pain, they also may well dull emotions and thinking, too. And, as always, here's a direct citation - [Ratner et al. Can Over-the-Counter Pain Medications Influence Our Thoughts and Emotions? Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2018].-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S

How do you keep love alive? It's not what you think!This week, we're diving deep into love, romance, danger, conflict, fact, fantasy and truth with Dr. Stan Tatkin, (http://www.stantatkin.com/) a clinician, researcher, teacher, and developer of a Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy (PACT). Tatkin's practice is based in Calabasas, California, where for the last 20 years he has specialized in working with couples, and also individuals who want to be in a relationship.Tatkin and his wife, Tracey Boldemann-Tatkin, Ph.D., founded the PACT Institute (https://thepactinstitute.com/) where they train psychotherapists to use the PACT method in their clinical practice. They lead couple workshops and train therapists all over the world.Tatkin is also the author of numerous books, including Wired for LOVE: How Understanding Your Partner's Brain and Attachment Style Can Help You Defuse Conflict and Build a Secure Relationship. (http://amzn.to/2GKMJWK)-------------Have you discovered your Sparket

Why would anyone stop eating for 7-days?That's what I first thought when I started hearing accounts of longer-term fasting. Insane. Nuts. Dangerous. Then, I started exploring the research. There is a growing interest in, and body of science around, longer-term fasting that is revealing some incredible benefits. Everything ranging from anti-inflammation and pain reduction to weight loss, disease risk reduction, positive epigenetic signaling, immune boosting, mental acuity and more. I got curious, so I decided to run my own experiment.Last week, I fasted for 7-days. I was surprised by what happened on many levels. I detail what I did, why I did it, and the sometimes dramatic ways it affected me in today's podcast. Of course, all the usual precautions apply. It's absolutely not for everyone, it should be done (if at all) in conjunction with a qualified healthcare professional. For a great overview on a scientific/grounded approach to fasting, you might also want to check out The Complete Guide to Fasting.Go

What turns a devout scientist into Buddhist monk?Born in France in 1946, Matthieu Ricard is a Buddhist monk who left a career in cellular genetics to study Buddhism and live a largely monastic life in the Himalayas over 45 years ago.Sharing his insights, Ricard has since become an international best-selling author and a prominent speaker on the world stage, celebrated at the World Economic Forum at Davos, the NGH forums at the United Nations, and at TED where his talks on happiness and altruism has been viewed by over six million people.His books have been translated into over twenty languages, and his newest is, Beyond the Self: A conversation between Neuroscience and Buddhism.Ricard was lightly dubbed "the happiest man alive," after neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin scanned his brain during meditation and found the highest capacity for happiness ever recorded.As a trained scientist and Buddhist monk, he is uniquely positioned in the dialogue between East and West. He is an active part

Burned-out, overwhelmed? Try walking in the rain.We've all been there. That place where it feels like it's just too much. Too much work, too much stimulation, too much stress, too much expectation, too much to deliver in too little time, too much change, too much anger, vitriol, outrage. For many, it leads to overwhelm, stress, burnout and sadness.So, what do you do about that? Many things, and it's different for everyone. But, today, we're talking about something really simple. The power of solitude, nature and movement. And, just for the fun, there's even a little poetry mixed in.Good Life Science Update. Screen-time and happiness, oh my. This is one of those things we love to hear, and hate to hear. We all want science to back up our decision to rail against more screen-time. But, then, secretly, we don't really want to give up on our devices. Well, a new study that crunched the data from more than one-million teens revealed something pretty powerful.There is actually a specific amount of daily screen

What would you do to live your truth?Samantha Paige is an artist, parent, philanthropist, and the founder of the Last Cut Project – but you most likely know her from Equinox’s “Commit to Something” campaign.She’s a thyroid cancer survivor and BRCA1 previvor, but she’s a symbol of strength for so much more than that.Samantha was subjected to a series of uncomfortable decisions throughout her life, but after a double mastectomy and an implant surgery that continued to make her sick for months, she found herself faced with surprisingly, her most life-changing decision of all: to remove the silicone implants.Directly after her surgery, Samantha’s life took a turn, she looked around and realized that she didn’t even recognize her surroundings. As soon as Samantha made that initial decision to remove her implants, she found herself. She found truth and freedom, and was finally able to live a life that feels like hers, but with that came an internal battle to accept her new body.Over the yea

If you don't have a teacher, you're cheating yourself.Wow, I do NOT like those words!In fact, I resisted the whole notion of a teacher for decades. Friends and colleagues, from artists to athletes, execs to educators would all tell me about their amazing mentors, teachers, coaches and gurus. My eyes would roll. I'm an autodidact, I'd tell myself, I learn best when I'm in control. I don't need a teacher or a coach, I just need access to information.Turns out, that is a complete and utter lie.To go from being a newbie to being really good at anything takes a ton of work. Still, most people, with enough motivation, can get there. To go from really good to excellent takes a whole different level of effort known as "deliberate practice." But, to go from excellent to stunningly-good, to step into that final, brutally-hard to access top 5% of your potential, that takes something entirely different. Something called "directed practice." And, here's the thing, you cannot DO directed practice without a teacher. End of

Scott Stabile had every reason to be angry with the world, but he chose love instead.At the age of 14, Scott's parents were killed at the market they ran, leaving behind a family of seven kids. Stabile was the baby of the group, and nine years later, his brother overdosed and died from a heroine addiction.In those years, he was surrounded by a lot of tragedy, addiction and loss. And, he buried it all, keeping it secret through school, until eventually, it couldn't stay buried any longer. His awakening eventually led him into a journey of discovery where his deep seeking for answers and connection led him to San Francisco and eventually into the embrace of a cult, where he stayed for many years.Flowing through all of this was Scott's internal, turned external struggle with his sexuality as a gay man at a time when being out was a very different experience than it is now. Through it all, though, Scott continually found a way to turn back to love. And eventually, he made a choice that stuck, to live on his own t

Asking for honesty, but seeking validation? This tends to be the time of year where we look at making changes in everything from fitness and relationships and to careers, locations and beyond. And, the bigger the decision, the more we tend to look to others for advice.But, all too often, a request for honest input is really a veiled yearning for validation. We've already made up our mind, we just want permission, often to do the thing that'd keep us in a box of illusion and complacency. We’re so wrapped up in the quest for validation, we’ve forgotten that real change only happens when we stop seeking validation and start seeking the truth. That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Riff.Good Life Science: We know exercise is good for your heart, but can it actually "reverse" the damage done by years of inactivity? In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on a very specific approach to exercise, and how it can reverse a specific and insidious type of damag

From darkness comes light. That's what we're told. But, it's not always the case.In today's moving conversation with Lea Waters, we explore how a childhood that held the darkness of abuse led to years of continued suffering, but eventually became a source of transformation and led to a life of profound light, beauty and strength.Waters is an Australian psychologist, the Founding Director of and professor of Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne. She holds affiliate positions at Cambridge University’s Well-Being Institute and the University of Michigan’s Center for Positive Organizations and has published over 95 scientific articles and book chapters.Her first book, The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish, was recently included in UC Berkeley’s Greater Goods Magazine’s Top Books for 2017. Lea is the 2017-2019 President of the International Positive Psychology Associat

As we head into this new year, full of hope and resolutions, the most popular goal is to lose weight and get fit. Optimizing your health and getting fit is a key element of filling your Vitality Bucket. And, it often includes eating better, moving your body and, wait for it, shedding fat.But, here's the thing. Over the last decade, research has revealed that all fat is not created equal. What fat cells, while serving certain necessary roles, are the ones we tend to fear. The ones that make up nearly all the fat in our body, store energy, make us larger, and often lead to inflammation and contribute to an array of metabolic disease.Brown fat, though, does the exact opposite. It is like a caloric furnace, helps us get lean, better control glucose sensitivity and more. As babies, we have a ton of it. But, by the time we become grown-ups, there is very little left.What if there was a way to increase the brown fat in your body as a way to turn up the furnace, lose weight and get healthier? What if you co

Success is not just about knowing what to do. It's about doing it.Information, plans and goals will not get you where you want to go. Success is about something bigger.To succeed at anything worth doing, you must make key shifts in your environment, mindset and community that "turn on" the actions needed for game-changing results.I call this "Success Scaffolding." It applies to everything, from weight loss to business, and relationships to careers.In today's episode, instead of our traditional guest conversation, I'm sharing what I call the "7P Success Scaffolding™" framework.Every element, every step, nothing held back. Why? Because it is that time of year when millions commit to big, new, deeply-meaningful goals, only to walk away or fail by the time we hit February. Not because we don't want it badly enough. Not because we're not smart enough. But, because we do not have our Success Scaffolding in place.This is my New Year's offering. I shared it for the first time in 2017, and it feels like time for a ref

Don't make this year-end mistake...Everywhere you look, people are reflecting on the year, sharing what went right, what went wrong, what freaked them out and lit them up. Then, they're looking at the year ahead, setting goals, intentions and making commitments and resolutions about what they "want" to happen. Reflecting, learning and then setting intentions, and goals is a good thing.But there's one thing that's critically important to turning the page on another year that most people never do. It's a simple ritual we call "Closing the Books." And, the problem with skipping this step is that, if you don't do it, you never fully let go of this year and create the space to step into next year as unburdened by the past as you can possibly be. So, how do you Close the Books? That's what we're talking about in today's GLP Riff.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on sleep, and how wearing glasses with amber lenses at night affects your ability t

Ever wonder how to kill a bad habit or start a good one? How to stop eating ice cream at 11 pm or smoking or procrastinating? How to exercise every day, without fail?Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of The Power of Habit, (https://amzn.to/3jhgYHS) Charles Duhigg, did too. But he went beyond wondering and spent a few years researching the science behind habits. What he discovered was pretty mind-blowing.Not only is there a huge amount of mythology and misinformation around these hidden routines, but the people who understand the real psychology of habit formation are using it not just to change their own behavior, but to "influence" the buying decisions of hundreds of millions of consumers. Including you.In this episode of Good Life Project, Duhigg reveals how one of the biggest retailers in the world, Target, uses habit analysis to figure out which customers are pregnant and leverages that information to cultivate new buying habits. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.He shares how

What if you could just spend all your time being creative?Making amazing things, and not worry about building your social media profiles, your relationships, platforms and all the other yadda, yadda, yadda that comes with being not just a creative person, but also an enterprise.Is that even possible any more? And, if so, what would it look like? That's what we're exploring in today's Good Life Project Riff.Good Life Science: In our Good Life Science segment, we're diving into some fascinating new research on an age-old myth, the notion that you can "feel the weather in your bones." More, specifically, does rainy weather make your joints aches or make old injuries more painful? In today's Good Life Science Update, we explore a new study that harnessed big data to arrive at a surprising answer. And, as always, for those who want to go to the source, here's a link to the full study.+--------------------------+Our Podcast Partners: ShipStation: Manage and ship your orders. FREE for 30 days, plus a bonus