Month: April 2020

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91. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 2

John Leland is the author of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old, Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think). John is also a public speaker and an award-winning journalist for the New York Times, where he writes features for the Sunday Metropolitan section. Before his work at the New York Times, John served as a senior editor for Newsweek and worked at other publications, including Details, Newsday, and Spin.

John joins me today to discuss why older people may be happier than younger people and the benefit of being selective with who you surround yourself with. He shares what it truly means to be storyteller, how to know if your story is worth telling, and how to bring your work to completion. John also highlights where the strength of a sentence lies and the power of truth-telling as a writer.

“Getting older is another way of living. Aging and living are the same thing.”  – John Leland

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Why there may be a relationship between happiness and age
  • How John has shifted his perspective on aging to live a better life
  • The two people who have had the most notable influence on John as a writer
  • Why John sees a significant distinction between his work as a journalist and as an author
  • How John defines storytelling and how he knows when a book is worth writing
  • John’s experiences with writer’s block and how to effectively address it
  • A peek into John’s writing process and aspects of his routine
  • How distancing yourself from your stories can provide a useful perspective
  • John’s insight into effectively pitching and selling a book and the importance of connecting with your audience

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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90. John Leland – Happiness Is A Choice Part 1

John Leland is the author of Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old. He is also a public speaker and an award-winning journalist for the New York Times where he writes features for the Sunday Metropolitan section. Before his work at the New York Times, John served as a senior editor for Newsweek and worked at other publications, including Details, Newsday, and Spin. In addition to his latest book, John has authored two other books entitled Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think).

John joins me today to discuss the renewed perspective on aging he has gained in the process of researching for his latest book. He shares the importance of living a full life rather than just a long one and how the way we frame our lives impacts our mindset and emotional experience, especially as we age. John also highlights the limiting perspectives that many of us who haven’t aged have developed about getting older and whether it is possible to live a full life when faced with loss.

“That sense that we are living for the things that matter to us is available to us all the time.” – John Leland

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Common themes with the things that truly matter to most of us
  • What Happiness Is a Choice You Make is about and why John wrote it
  • John’s shift in perspective on aging as he wrote and researched for his book
  • How John approached the task of following six elderly individuals for a year
  • How John chose which six people to highlight and a sneak peek into some of their stories
  • The impact that purpose-driven mindset can have on someone’s older years
  • A major failure in John’s life and what he learned from the experience
  • The difference in how John approaches his articles and his book and the feedback he has received
  • The story of how John changed a lightbulb for one of his interview subjects, and why this was so significant for John as a journalist
  • John’s thoughts on the science of longevity and what matters more than how long we live

Resources Mentioned:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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89. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 2

Deemed “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times, Chip Conley is an award-winning hospitality entrepreneur, business and psychology thought leader and New York Times best-selling author. Chip is the Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership for Airbnb, and formerly served as the company’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. He is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, as well as Joie de Vivre Hospitality, where he served as CEO for 24 years.  Chip is on the Stanford Center for Longevity’s advisory board and has written five books, including [email protected], Emotional Equations, and PEAK.  

Chip joins me today to discuss retirement, purpose, and how your mindset on aging can add years to your life. He explains the difference between getting older and becoming an elder as well as the common feelings that often accompany transitions. He shares insights into his writing process, how he shapes and structures his books, and his ideal chapter length. Chip also highlights how book marketing has changed from what it used to be and what makes people more likely to buy a book in the moment.

“Wisdom is not taught; it’s shared.”  – Chip Conley

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • How retirement relates to mortality rate and why
  • Three things that people tend to lose when they retire and the relationship many people have between work and purpose
  • The difference between getting older and getting elder 
  • Common feelings that accompany transitions and how embracing a growth mindset can move you into a state of flow
  • Chips insights for effectively dealing with jet lag
  • Questions to ask yourself to become more aware of your relationship with money
  • Chip’s creative process for daily blogging and his process for book writing
  • How Chip organizes his time and sets himself up for success in the writing process
  • The importance of building your own community and platform when it comes to marketing and promoting your book 
  • What liminal means and how people tend to relate to the possibility of changes ahead of them

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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88. Chip Conley – Modern Elder Academy Part 1

Chip Conley is an award-winning hospitality entrepreneur, business and psychology thought leader and New York Times best-selling author, deemed “Most Innovative CEO” by the San Francisco Business Times. Chip is the Strategic Advisor for Hospitality and Leadership for Airbnb, and formerly served as the company’s Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. He is the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, as well as Joie de Vivre Hospitality, where he served as CEO for 24 years.  Chip is on the Stanford Center for Longevity’s advisory board and has written five books, including [email protected], Emotional Equations, and PEAK.  

Chip joins me today to share his insights on embracing elderhood, aging, and life satisfaction. He highlights the distinction between elders and the elderly, when adolescence became coined as a term and life stage, and the more recent concept of “middlescence.” He explains how our perspectives change as we age and how he defines the ‘u-curve of happiness.’ Chip also shares the strengths that different age groups bring to the table and why embracing age diversity is so effective.

“The more digital we get, the more ritual we need.”  – Chip Conley

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Characteristics of the first and second half of life and realizations people tend to have in midlife
  • Chip’s encounters with death and the perspective he gained through his experiences
  • What the u-curve of happiness is and how life satisfaction and happiness shift over time
  • The difference between attainment and attunement
  • Chip’s love of festivals, his insight into the festival world, and trends he has noticed
  • How our perspectives change as we get older and how our brains change and evolve as we age
  • The power of embracing age diversity by working together across generations
  • What elderhood truly means and what prepares people for elderhood
  • How society regards the elder of the past versus the modern elder
  • The importance of human-to-human interaction no matter what type of company you run
  • What psychological safety looks and how it helps build effective teams

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Chip Conley:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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87. Mark Divine – Staring Down the Wolf

Mark Divine is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of USCrossFit, SEALFIT, Unbeatable Mind, and NavySEALs.com. Mark spent twenty years with the Navy SEALS as an officer and commander. He is an expert in the human performance arena and has tested his training techniques on special operations candidates with a 90 percent success rate. Mark is a New York Times bestselling author and has written books including The Way of the SEAL, 8 Weeks to SEALFIT, Kokoro Yoga, Unbeatable Mind, SEALFIT Training Guide, and most recently, Staring Down the Wolf.

Mark joins me today to discuss the contents of Staring Down the Wolf and the importance of self-awareness and facing your fears and shadows. He shares the distinction between principles and commitments and how committing to excellence and embracing a growth mindset as a leader can help your team experience accelerated growth. Mark also highlights how relationships play a role in our lives and why you should lead with togetherness and heart rather than ego.

“Nothing happens to us without us impacting how it happened.” – Mark Divine

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Why Mark wrote Staring Down the Wolf, who he wrote it for, and the structure of the book
  • The seven commitments outlined in Mark’s book and the two primary aspects of every commitment
  • Why it is essential to look at the ‘shadow side’ of your commitments
  • What you need to do as an entrepreneurial leader to build an elite team, and its benefits
  • Whether everyone has the potential to be an effective leader
  • Why no one is exempt from the need to lead and the earliest relationships and leadership roles we all have
  • How the nature of our minds can impact our perception of experience and the responsibility we have to acknowledge our role in our reality
  • Why you should find and fight for your calling rather than merely getting by
  • The opportunities we have during this time of crisis and uncertainty

Resources Mentioned:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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86. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 2

Established in the field of philanthropy and passionate about the topic of giving, Jenny Santi is the author of The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving and the founder of philanthropic advisory firm, Saint & Partners. Before this role, Jenny served as the head of Philanthropy Services for UBS in Southeast Asia. In addition to her work in the philanthropic sector, Jenny is a painter who believes in art’s ability to heal and has studied at the Art Students League of New York and the Florence Academy of Art.

Jenny joins me today to discuss how to find greater fulfillment in giving and the power of self-reflection and gratitude. She describes her struggles with mental health and her journey to allowing her truth to co-exist with her brand as an author. Jenny also highlights the importance of understanding why you are giving and how saying no can open us up to say yes to the things that truly matter.


“Don’t give until it hurts but give until it feels great.” – Jenny Santi

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Insight into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and what the highest level of human need is
  • Jenny’s struggles with clinical depression and what went into her decision to include her experience in her book
  • The importance of self-care and the role of nature in Jenny’s healing
  • What Jenny learned by participating in a ten-day silent retreat
  • Why most people give and how to give in a way that feels more rewarding
  • Jenny’s thoughts on Deepak Chopra writing the forward to her book and Deepak’s definition of selfless
  • The concept of family philanthropy and the right and wrong way to go about it
  • How to more effectively use philanthropy to instill values in our children
  • Jenny’s feelings about the writing process and her perspectives on how to approach book promotion
  • Why it is essential to find strength in others as you engage in philanthropic efforts 

Resources Mentioned:
**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Connect with Jenny Santi:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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85. Jenny Santi – The Giving Way to Happiness Part 1

Jenny Santi is an established professional in the field of philanthropy and the author of The Giving Way to Happiness: Stories and Science Behind the Life-Changing Power of Giving. She is the founder of philanthropic advisory firm Saint & Partners and formerly served as the head of Philanthropy Services for UBS in Southeast Asia. Jenny is a painter who believes in art’s ability to heal and has studied at the Art Students League of New York and the Florence Academy of Art.

Jenny joins me today to discuss the power of giving and the impact that giving can have on the giver. She shares the importance of giving in ways that resonate with our genuine interests and passions and how it can allow us to experience more purpose, joy, and fulfillment. Jenny also highlights her work in the philanthropic sector and the insights she gained through the process of interviewing people for her book.

“We all have the same amount of time. It is up to us to decide how much or how little of that time we devote in service.” – Jenny Santi

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • Who Jenny wrote The Giving Way to Happiness for and why
  • A question you should ask people instead of “what do you do?”
  • Jenny’s upbringing in the Philippines and what her “lucky break” was
  • How giving and happiness are related and why it is something we can all engage in regardless of how much we have
  • Why we can feel exhausted and burnt out from giving
  • Questions to ask yourself to become more intentional with your giving
  • Jenny’s experience with interviewing Muhammad Yunus for her book and insights she gained in the process
  • Selflessness, selfishness, and the mentality people tend to hold surrounding scarcity and giving
  • Five things that you get from giving and the interplay between giving and healing
  • The definition of philanthropy and what it is truly about

Resources Mentioned:
**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Connect with Jenny Santi:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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84. Mark Nepo – Creating Your Own Destiny Part 2

Mark Nepo, deemed one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit, is a poet, teacher, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have, which sold over one million copies. Mark has written twenty-two books translated into over twenty languages and also writes regularly for Spirituality & Health Magazine. He has been featured on OWN TV’s Super Soul Sunday and interviewed by Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. His work focuses on helping others through inner transformation.

Mark joins me today to discuss his relationship with feelings and how he allows fear to exist without drowning in it. He shares why we can’t be all things to all people, and why we need to take the time to intentionally clear our minds and not give in to a “fill it up” world. Mark also highlights his relationship with poetry and how poems are his teachers and the building blocks of his work.

“Great love and great suffering bring us to the edge of authenticity, and when we are there, we often discover what we didn’t know we know.” – Mark Nepo

This week on The School for Good Living Podcast:

  • What Mark believes is our strongest muscle and window to everything
  • The concept of clearing out our personal and collective “acequia”
  • How Mark stopped allowing fear to run his life and how he approaches emotions
  • The mental tendency towards assumptions and conclusions and what is needed to combat this
  • Why it is essential to recognize and accept our limitations in relationships
  • The real reason why we often don’t keep our promises
  • Mark’s perspective on what real wealth is
  • Mark’s guide and inspiration
  • The interplay between effort and grace and how letting go of intent fits into the picture

Resources Mentioned:

**The School for Good Living may receive commissions for purchases made through Amazon links in this post.

Connect with Mark Nepo:

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Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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83. Special Release – Covidcast 7 – Outcomes

In this final episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Outcomes, and how writing down what we want to accomplish in the future will lead us to our best selves.

As part of the episode, Bryan walks you through why this is the beginning step in his program and why it’s not a selfish process. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what your goals are, or ask him any other questions on your mind, by emailing him at [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:
Life’s Best Practices
Medical staff flying to New York to fight Covid-19
QuarARTine All-Ages Art Show

Subscribe, Rate & Share!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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82. Special Release – Covidcast 6 – Perspective

In this episode of our special podcast series, Bryan focuses on Life’s Best Practices – Perspective, and how understanding our position in the universe can help us live a better life.

As part of the episode, Bryan talks shares details on the cosmic calendar and how small humanities footprint actually is in it, as well as what brings him hope on this day. You can reach out to Bryan and let him know what brings you hope, or ask him any other questions on your mind, by emailing him at [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:
Life’s Best Practices
Cosmic Calendar

Subscribe, Rate & Share!
Thanks for tuning into this week’s episode of the School for Good Living Podcast, with your host, Bryan Miller. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave us a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to share your favorite episodes with your friends and colleagues on social media to inspire others to improve their lives and reach their full potential.

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