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

Peter Tunney is a legitimate force of nature with boundless creative energy, who loves spreading positive messages in unconventional ways. After a career in finance, biotech and then nearly a decade defined by wild adventures, photo-curating and documenting travels through Africa with photographer and society fixture, Peter Beard, Tunney returned to New York in 1987 and declared himself an artist. He quickly became a central player, artist and gallerist in the legendary downtown art scene of the 80s and 90s, working with nearly every medium imaginable to create these large-scale mantras that have appeared everywhere from billboards to private collections and his own galleries in Tribeca as well as Miami’s famed Wynwood Walls. Tunney, it turns out, is not just a world-class liver of life, creator and raconteur, he believes in humankind and the good that results in endless small acts of kindness. Over the years Peter has donated countless works to deserving organizations, with his main philanthropic e

Kulap’s parents fled violence in Laos, finding themselves in a refugee camp in Thailand, before moving to DC, where Kulap would be born, and then Minnesota, where she’d grow up. Her world was blown apart when, at the age of 14, in the heat of a fight, Kulap’s mom revealed that her father was not, in fact, her biological dad. The trauma of that moment shook her, but would then get largely buried, as she left home, built a career and got married. Now, decades later, a successful writer/director, actor, comedian, former co-host of the longrunning Who Charted podcast where she sat behind the mic for 8 years, and creator, show-runner and sometimes director of the TV series Bajillions Dollar Properties, Kulap started considering having her own kids, and she felt like she had to discover her true original story in order to move forward. So she decided to do something radical to take control of her own narrative.She mounted a quest to uncover the truth, one that led her to travel back to Laos in search biological fat

Ione is a British film, television and voiceover actress based in LA with many different credits including Marvel’s Black Widow, a leading role in a motion picture which premiered on the Syfy network, as well as guest-starring in hit TV shows on CBS, Spike TV, TLC, BBC and many others. Growing up biracial in West London’s Southall neighborhood, which has been known to many as little Punjab or Little India since the 60s, she was surrounded by different cultures, developed an early curiosity for people and community, and a passion for acting that led her to the iconic Brit School of Performing Arts. Eventually heading to LA to build her career in the business, she became increasingly called to both create her own roles, focus on producing positive media, and take control of her career, founding Uplifting Content, a social media platform followed by over 1.4 million people, hosting the Uplifting Content Podcast and most recently writing the book, Uplifting Stories (https://tinyurl.com/y39e7ju6). We also exp

Over the past few decades, Seth Godin has made quite a ruckus in nearly every domain he's explored, from business to marketing to education, innovation and beyond, in no small part by encouraging us all to join him in purposeful ruckus-making, too. He's launched a number of successful companies, taught millions of people and left his mark on our creative culture. And, he’s written, just a bit. In fact he writes daily at Seths.blog, which is one of the most popular blogs in the world. He's the founder of the altMBA and The Akimbo Workshops, online seminars that have transformed the work of thousands of people. Seth is the author of 19 international bestsellers translated into more than 35 languages, including Purple Cow, Linchpin, The Dip, and This Is Marketing, and now his latest New York Times bestseller, The Practice, an insightful and provocative look at how to get more out of the work we do by giving more to it, to the world and to ourselves. Or, as he describes it, you’ll learn to dance with your fe

Jen Sincero wants you to be a badass in all parts of life. And, as we head into the end of the year and start thinking about what we want to make happen, she’s doubling down on building badass habits. A past guest, Jen is the author of #1 New York Times bestseller You Are a Badass, which has sold over three million copies, is available in over 35 languages, and has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 4 years. Her follow-ups, You Are a Badass at Making Money - also a New York Times bestseller - and You Are a Badass Every Day are written with the same signature in-your-face kindness, down-to-earth humor and blunt practicality that made You Are a Badass a mega-bestseller and Jen a celebrated voice in the world of self-development. And, now she’s sharing that same irreverent, revealing and deeply-useful lens on the world of habits. I’ve studied a lot on habits and read pretty much everything written on them, from popular books to research. I confess I kinda thought I knew what there was to kn

I first heard about my guest today, Michele Harper, when stumbled upon an essay she published earlier this year, entitled When This War is Over, May of Us Will Leave Medicine. It was about the reality of her day-to-day life as an ER doc during the early days of the pandemic. It was a devastating, powerful, deeply human read. That led me to her beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking, yet hopeful New York Times bestselling memoir, The Beauty in Breaking. (https://bookshop.org/books/the-beauty-in-breaking-a-memoir/9780525537380)Graduating from Harvard and the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, for her entire career, Michele has sought emergency medicine positions in hospitals that serve under-resourced communities, often communities of color. She is not just a devout physician and healer, but also an advocate for dignity, equality and change. The seeds for this path were planted very early in life, though a blend of family trauma and deep personal conviction that has compelled her to not j

Five days into filming his first movie - Dazed & Confused - some 28 years ago, Matthew McConaughey’s dad, a towering force in his life, suddenly died. Matthew had to figure out a way to keep showing up, to keep going. His mantra became “just keep livin,” which has become a guiding ethos, a sort of lens through which he lives his life.Now, nearly three decades later, an Academy Award-winning actor, icon in the industry, married father of three, a master raconteur, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and endless creator of moments and adventures, Matthew lives life as an eternal amateur. Fiercely himself in all parts of life, ever-curious and open, he seeks experiences, wisdom, and insights, always learning, always asking, always seeking, that give him some semblance of understanding what makes life worth living. Much of his journey, his take on life, fatherhood, acting, love, family and contribution is offered up in his beautiful and moving new memoir, Greenlights (https://greenlights.com/). It’s a philosop

Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned award-winning professor and bestselling author.A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Ozan Varol grew up in a family of no English speakers. He learned English as a second language and moved to the United States by himself at 17 to attend Cornell University and major in astrophysics. While there, he served on the operations team for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers project that sent two rovers–Spirit and Opportunity–to Mars. He built stuff that went to the red planet and wrote code that snaps photos of the Martian surface. He was on track to built a powerhouse career as a literal rocket scientist.Leaving Cornell, though, Ozan pivoted and went to law school, graduating first in his class, earning the highest grade point average in his law school’s history, then became a law professor, teaching at Lewis & Clark Law School in his twenties, becoming the youngest tenured professor. While teaching law, there was always a deeper driver, the rocket scientist in him was on a mission

Sara Hendren was drawn to painting as a kid, studied it in college, then began to build her body of work and career as a fine artist, focusing on painting. Then, a series of experiences sent her in what, from the outside looking in, may have seemed like a very different direction, but from the inside looking out, what a completely organic and aligned expression of her blended passion to see, to create, to design and to be of service.Now an artist, design researcher, writer, and professor at Olin College of Engineering, Sara describes herself as a humanist in tech, focusing on the intersection between disability - or the perception of it - and what she calls the built world, or how the world is designed to either support or dismantle freedom and autonomy based on our bodies and their capabilities. And if you’re thinking “well, this isn’t about me,” you’ll quickly discover how well-intended, yet misguided that assumption is likely to be. It’s about all of us.Sara’s work over the last decade includes collaborati

Growing up in Israel, Tal Ben-Shahar wanted to be the best squash player in the world. He turned pro at a young age and quickly rose up the ranks. Then a strange thing happened, he achieved his dream, but crashed hard, realizing it didn’t make him feel how he thought it would. That experience set in motion a lifelong journey into the science of happiness that led him to study at Harvard, then eventually teach what became the most popular course at Harvard on happiness. Tal is now a bestselling author and lecturer, working with executives in multinational corporations, everyday humans, and at-risk populations exploring leadership, happiness, education, innovation, ethics, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting, and mindfulness. His books have been translated into more than twenty-five languages and have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world. Tal is a serial entrepreneur and is most recently the co-founder and chief learning officer of Happiness Studies Academy, bringing together the thinking of t

Growing up in Nashville, Top Chef star, Carla Hall, was surrounded by soul food, especially dishes cooked by her beloved grandma. She loved eating it, but she had no interest in cooking it. In fact, she headed into the world of business, building a career in accounting when, in a moment of awakening, she took a hard left turn that took her through runway modeling in Europe, cooking and catering, and eventually onto Bravo’s Top Chef where he amazing, joyful energy and sense of possibility captures the hearts of viewers. That launched her into the world of not just food and restaurants, but media, books, with her latest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, and TV, with many appearances all over and a run co-hosting The Chew, and now podcasting with her hit show, Say Yes! with Carla Hall : https://pod.link/1530065734Carla is also very active with a number of foundations that reflect her passion for causes close to her heart, Like Helen Keller International, and she’s the Culinary Ambassado

Today, we’re sharing part 2 of our special series, The Hug. Last week, we aired part 1 of the Hug, with six beautiful stories. Today is part 2 next, think of it as the other arm in our audio hug, wrapping us all in the arms of stories that remind us of our shared humanity at a time we need it most. So, sit back and enjoy these stories in part 2 of The Hug. If you haven’t yet listened to Part 1 of The Hug (https://tinyurl.com/y2f5y2eh), be sure to download it and listen now. And if these stories have warmed you up, or reconnected you with a sense of shared humanity and possibility, even just a bit, maybe you know someone else who might need to hear them, too. Right now. Especially now. If there were ever episodes we’d love you to share with friends and family, it’s these Hug episodes. We all need stories that remind us of the good side of human beings, more than ever. And, if the stories have moved you and you’d love us to do more episodes like this, let us know on instagram, email or in a review on your

Earning his living in a past life as a fashion model, Light Watkins, began yoga and meditation in-between casting calls in New York City during the late nineties. Something he never saw coming happened. It opened him to a different worldview and set of practices that would change not only the trajectory of his career, but also his path in life. Deepening his practice, traveling and spending time in India and then apprenticing with his Vedic Meditation teacher, Light became, well, Light. He actually changed his name to better reflect his emerging identity. He then became a full-time Vedic Meditation teacher in 2007. Light now travels the world, albeit virtually these days, speaking on happiness, mindfulness, inspiration, and meditation. His most recent book, Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying (https://amzn.to/2qvpXvj) invites people into meditation in a very accessible way. In Before Times, he also produced a global pop-up inspirational variety show called The Shine, with a mission

Elizabeth Gilbert is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love, City of Girls and other awesome books. She’s also just a straight-up genuine, wise, deeply-feeling human with a lens on life that is incredibly kind and real. Since her last appearance on the podcast, Liz’s life has been turned upside-down and back again. She has navigated profound awakening, unbelievable love, loss, transition, reclamation and, along the way, continues the practice of finding her way back into the light. That’s a skillset and a lens we could all use right now. We explore all of this, in detail, in today’s deeply honest and powerful conversation. So excited to share this Best Of conversation.You can find Elizabeth Gilbert at:Website : https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_gilbert_writer/-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/sparketypes/)

Today, we’re doing something we’ve never done before. We’re about to head into a week like never before in the US and, well, around the world. And we kinda wanted to wrap it, and you, with one big, beautiful, audio hug that reminds us all, people are good, they can be kind, even to total strangers, in ways we never imagined.So, we’ve created a two-part series for you we’re calling The Hug, where we’re sharing a bunch of heartwarming stories, told by friends of the pod and some past guests who, now that I think about it, are friends now, too. Each story shares a moment or experience where a little bit of kindness, a little bit of sweetness and, just maybe, a little bit of lightness and laughter, touched their lives, and reminded them how good people can be. I feel like we all need a little of that right now. So, today is part one of The Hug, the first 6 stories for you. We’ll air part 2 next week, right after the election with the intention of wrapping us all in the arms of stories that remind us of our s

Rebekah Taussig is a Kansas City writer and teacher with her doctorate in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies. For the last five years, she’s grown a global community on Instagram, where she crafts these “mini-memoirs” that take you into her world, experiences and identity, a part of which includes her near lifelong relationship with physical disability and the wheelchair that has given her freedom and mobility and much more. Rebekah’s memoir in essays, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body (https://amzn.to/3mgFNEw) takes you into her life, creating an eye-opening, funny, and insightful portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. In today’s conversation, we dive into all of this. I learned so much not just about Rebekah, her family, life and mindset, but also her passion for writing and creativity and people. You can find Rebekah Taussig at:Website : https://rebekahtaussig.com/-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet?&n

My guest today is former, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, mayor of San Antonio, Texas and presidential candidate, Julián Castro. Today’s conversation is personal. Growing up in San Antonio, his love of the city, example of his grandmother’s devotion to family and hard work and his mom’s commitment to social justice and activism instilled a deep reverence for public service. He’d eventually head to college and then law school with his twin brother, Joaquin, before returning to San Antonio to immerse himself in the pursuit of making the city he loved the best, most equitable and inclusive place possible. He eventually became the youngest mayor of a Top 50 American city at the time, before rising up in the world of politics, But, for him, it wasn’t about politics, it was about service, about honoring the examples of his mom and nana to help others. Much if this story is shared in Secretary Castro’s memoir, An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream. He currently hosts Lemonada Media's

My guest on today’s Best Of conversation, Cleo Wade, is a community builder, artist, activist, and the author of the books, Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life (https://amzn.to/2Ltivce) and Where to Begin: A small about book your power to create big change in our crazy world. She has been called the poet of her generation by Time Magazine and one of the 100 most creative people in business by Fast Company. Cleo sits on the board of The Lower East Side Girls Club, the National Black Theatre in Harlem, the Women’s Prison Association. Her art ranges from short, hand-written posts to collaborations with major brands and large-scale public art installations, including a 25-foot love poem in the skyline of the New Orleans French Quarter titled “Respect.”In today’s conversation, we explore her younger years, growing up as a biracial kid in the famed New Orleans French Quarter with two fiercely-creative parents influenced, how Hurricane Katrina changed everything, what led her to New York for many years, how

In 2010, folk-singer and songwriter Zoe Boekbinder (http://zoeboekbinder.com/) visited New Folsom Prison for the first time. What they thought would be one interesting day turned into a decade-long collaborative project. Boekbinder visited the prison often over the next five years; performing and teaching music workshops quickly turned into the beginnings of collaborations with writers and musicians who were incarcerated within New Folsom's walls. Boekbinder collaborated on the first of these songs with Alex Batriz, and following that, was approached by many more writers about collaborations. This was the seed for the Prison Music Project and the culminating album, Long Time Gone, produced by Ani DiFranco. Out now on Righteous Babe Records, the album features work by nine incarcerated (and formerly incarcerated) writers.The profits of Long Time Gone (https://amzn.to/31Y5phb) sales will benefit communities impacted by mass incarceration and the funds will be administered by the So

Question - how do you talk to friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances about things that matter - hard things - in a way that leads to each person being seen, heard, acknowledged, and treated with dignity? How do you get to a resolution, and sidestep the hurt, the wounding, the rage, and reactivity? How do you have conversations, in work and life, that lead to genuine understanding and change, and leave you feeling respected and at-peace, even when you still disagree? That's where we're going in today's conversation with Alexandra Jamieson & Bob Gower, partners in business and life and co-authors of Radical Alignment: How to Have Game-Changing Conversations That Will Transform Your Business and Your Life (https://getradicalalignment.com/book). Alexandra Jamieson is the bestselling author of five books, and co-creator / co-star of the Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me. She is a highly-sought-after success mentor and motivational guide for thousands and has made it her mission to emp