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

Chris Guillebeau (https://chrisguillebeau.com/) is the founder and host of the daily podcast, Side Hustle School (https://sidehustleschool.com/), which is downloaded more than two million times a month. Along the way, he has shared the stories of more than 900 side hustles and distilled much of his learning into a new book, 100 Side Hustles (https://amzn.to/2XxKemD). In this beautifully-created, full-color "side hustle recipe book," he describes what a side hustle is and is not, reveals the common patterns, categories, questions, myths and facts, then walks you through specific examples of 100 different side hustles. We also about the role a side hustle can play in crafting a more fulfilling work life. For more about Chris' "origin story," and other New York Times bestselling books, check out our earlier conversations on the podcast here (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/guillebeau-quest/) and here (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/video/why-the-possibility-of-failure-must-be-on-the-table/).-------

Jennifer Pastiloff (https://www.jenniferpastiloff.com/) is the author of On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, And Listening Hard (https://amzn.to/2LA2aWu). She travels the world, leading On Being Human workshops that integrate movement, writing, sharing aloud and belonging to create a space where shame, hiding and isolation exit and grace, beauty and revelation, along with a whole lot of laughing and dancing enter. Jen is also the founder of the online magazine The Manifest-Station. All of this is informed by her own personal journey, one that had her believing she was a bad person from the time she was a child, and living with depression and anxiety while slowly losing her hearing. She kept all of this secret until a moment of awakening that set her on a profoundly different, more open, accepting and joyful path and led her to eventually step into her role as a writer, teacher and leader.Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE 

David Epstein (https://www.davidepstein.com/) is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Sports Gene and his new blockbuster book, Range (https://amzn.to/2K449m6), which makes a powerful, science-backed argument about success. Contrary to those who say "find your thing as early as possible, then focus on becoming the best at it," it turns out those who succeed at the highest levels and stay there longest do not specialize early or become world-class experts in one narrow domain. They actually do the exact opposite. They stay generalists for as long as possible. Early specializers often rise fast, then burn out, leaving those playing a longer, more generalized game to eventually lap them, rise higher and stay successful longer. We dive into the eye-opening research, along with Epstein's remarkable personal journey in today's conversation.-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://sparketype.com/) and takes about

NADIA BOLZ-WEBER (http://www.nadiabolzweber.com/) first hit the New York Times list with her 2013 memoir—the bitingly honest and inspiring Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint followed by the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Accidental Saints in 2015. A former stand-up comic and a recovering alcoholic, Bolz-Weber is the founder and former pastor of a Lutheran congregation in Denver, House for All Sinners and Saints. She speaks at colleges and conferences around the globe. Her latest book, Shameless (https://amzn.to/2FpbEzU), is an exploration of sex, gender and faith.-------------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 enjoyed the show, please share it with a friend. Thank you to our super cool brand partners. If you like the show, please support them

Austin Kleon (https://austinkleon.com/) is the New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, and his newest book, Keep Going (https://amzn.to/2MxSePD). His work has been translated into over 20 languages and featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, PBS NewsHour, and in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and the Economist. In previous lives, he worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter. He grew up in the cornfields of Ohio, devoted himself to music as a kid, writing and art as an adult, and now calls Austin, Texas, home. Today, we explore his journey and lens on creativity, work and life.-------------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 l

Ashley C. Ford (http://www.ashleycford.net/) is a writer, media producer and host, living in Brooklyn by way of Indiana. She currently hosts PROFILE by BuzzFeed News, and is the former host of Brooklyn-based news & culture TV show, 112BK. Ford has written for The Guardian, ELLE, BuzzFeed, OUT Magazine, Slate, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, Lenny Letter, INTO and she's working on her memoir, along with a collection of interviews (B-Side Chats) with her husband, Kelly Stacy. She has been named among Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 in Media (2017), Brooklyn Magazine's Brooklyn 100 (2016), and Time Out New York's New Yorkers of The Year (2017). And, like all humans, her journey has been anything but linear. In today's conversation, we explore the powerful and, at times, painful awakenings that led her to this joyfully real, confident, compassionate and supported season of work, love and life.-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE&

John Chester has been a filmmaker and director for the last 25 years, telling stories that re-connect us with our humanity and help us see the same in others. During that same time, his wife Molly, was busy changing lives as a private chef and teacher in LA, with a focus on natural foods, biodiversity and sustainability. Years into their careers, they took a radical left turn, moving out of the city, buying a piece of land that’d been deemed largely unfarmable and transforming it, over a period of years and sometimes gutting challenges and loss, into Apricot Lane Farms (https://www.apricotlanefarms.com/). It's not just a biodynamic, regenerative and organic farm, but a stunning example of what is possible when you hold onto a vision to rehabilitate a small slice of nature, while surrendering to how the adventure tells you it needs to unfold. The story of Molly and John’s journey is captured in a moving new documentary called The Biggest Little Farm (https://www.biggestlittlefarmmovie.com/).-------------Have y

Robin Arzón (https://www.robinarzon.com/) knew she wanted to be a lawyer since she was 10 years old, went to NYU, the Villanova Law and landed a job at a top firm in New York where she practiced for 7 years. But, along the way, a series of events would profound change her path. While still an undergrad she found herself being held at gunpoint in the middle of a standoff with police. That moment shook her and she found herself, much to her surprise turning to running as a way to both process the trauma and reclaim her power.What began as a two-mile jog to school after a largely sedentary life, turned into a deep passion for movement, running, especially at night in the city with a sort of fitness-counterculture group of friends, taking on marathons and ultramarathons. This passion would eventually lead her out of the law, into the world of fitness, media, teaching, activism and to writing a New York Times bestselling book, Shut Up And Run (https://amzn.to/2X8g7Bk) about her philosophy of movement and life. Her

In 1999, Marcus Buckingham burst onto the scene talking about these things called strengths and how to harness them in his mega-bestseller, First, Break All the Rules, followed in 2001 by Now, Discover Your Strengths. Helping people flourish in work and life became a lifelong obsession, leading to an acclaimed and deeply-rewarding career researching and developing strengths-based tools and insights, first at Gallup, and then launching his own consulting firm, The Marcus Buckingham Company (https://www.marcusbuckingham.com/). Marcus now leads People + Performance research at the ADP Research Institute and remains CEO of his consulting company. And, his latest book, Nine Lies About Work (https://amzn.to/2WJhLsO), takes an in-depth look at some of the biggest lies that pervade our workplaces, the biggest mistakes we make in building our own careers and leading others, and the deeper truths or antidotes that’ll put us back onto the right track. Be prepared to be surprised and awakened.-------------Have you discov

Elizabeth Gilbert (https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/) is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic and Eat, Pray, Love, as well as several other internationally bestselling books. Her new novel City of Girls (https://amzn.to/2QgYIAC) is a fast-paced, pleasure-drenched tale of the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Since her last appearance on the podcast some four years ago, Gilbert's life has been turned upside-down and back again. She has navigated profound awakening, love, loss, transition, reclamation and, along the way, continues the practice of finding her way back into the light. We explore all of this, in detail, in today's deeply honest and powerful conversation.-------------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 enjoyed the show, please share it with

Mark Manson (https://markmanson.net/) is the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, which has reached #1 in thirteen countries, sold millions of copies. His new book, Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope (https://amzn.to/2JW2MFM), has also become an instant #1 bestseller. In it, he expands his irreverent, yet compelling and deeply-thoughtful exploration to the state of society, the sometimes disastrous quirks of the human psyche, and the role of hope in the way we approach the bigger issues in life. Mark also runs one of the largest personal growth websites in the world, and his writing is often described as "self-help for people who hate self-help." In a past podcast conversation (https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/mark-manson/), we explore Manson's "origin story" and love of philosophy and writing, including his choice of profanity in his writing voice (hint: it has nothing to do with linguistic laziness). Today, we dive deep into the powerful ideas and pro

Amanda Palmer (http://amandapalmer.net/) is a singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, author, director, blogger and ukulele enthusiast who simultaneously embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art. Starting in music as one half of the Boston punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, Palmer's solo album Theatre Is Evil became the top-funded music project on Kickstarter, her 2013 TED talk grew into a New York Times best-selling memoir called The Art of Asking (https://amzn.to/2KejMGD) and she's gathered more than 15,000 patrons who fund her work on Patreon. Her new album, There Will Be No Intermission (https://amzn.to/2WiFtwR), is a no-holds-barred, evocative masterwork that speaks to the full sweep of human experience. And, to cap off our final Music in May offering, Amanda plays uke and sings in the studio, so be sure to stay through the end.-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://sparketype.

Love. What makes it work? And, keep working for life?That's where we're headed in today's conversation with legendary co-founders of the Gottman Institute a/k/a the "Love Lab," Julie and John Gottman. Drawing upon Julie's decades of clinical observations and John's 40 years of breakthrough research with thousands of couples, they've developed stunning insights into what makes relationships work and last.Julie and John lead The Art and Science of Love (https://www.gottman.com/product/the-art-and-science-of-love-workshop-live-seattle/) and many other workshops in Seattle and Julie has also co-designed the national clinical training program in Gottman Method Couples Therapy (https://www.gottman.com/about/the-gottman-method/). Between them, they've written a number of bestselling books on love and relationships, the latest of which, Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for Lifetime of Love (https://amzn.to/2H5NnQM), integrates their decades of collaboration into a prescription for couples to make eight

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” Brooklyn-based composer and guitar phenom (http://www.kakiking.com/), Kaki King, has released 9 albums, performed on every continent, presented at the Kennedy Center, MoMA, LACMA and The Met and created music for film and TV. In 2015 Kaki launched "The Neck is a Bridge to the Body," a groundbreaking multi-media performance integrating guitar and projected imagery synced to the music. What's even more incredible, Kaki King never intended for music to be her career. Her early years were spent playing in bands as a drummer, just for fun. And, her "big break" came in a way she never saw coming, or even tried to make happen. And, as with all of our Music in May episodes, be sure to stay until the end to hear Kaki perform live in-studio.-------------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 wa

Alexia Vernon (https://alexiavernon.com/) is a transformational speaking and women’s leadership expert, coach and author who shows entrepreneurs, business leaders and change-makers how to develop the mindset and behaviors needed to walk into any room, or onto any stage, and speak with "moxie" - so they can radically (and positively) impact their audiences, businesses and communities. Now, branded a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement, Vernon is the founder of The Spotlight Speaker Accelerator and Spotlight Speakers Collective and the author of Step Into Your Moxie, (https://amzn.to/2GbwPqz) a rally cry to amplify your voice, visibility and influence the world. -------------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 enjoyed the show, please share it

Continuing with our special Music in May Thursday episodes, my guest today is Toronto-raised former elementary-school teacher turned MC, spoken-word artist, poet, and international bestselling author, Humble the Poet (http://humblethepoet.com/). In today's conversation, we explore not only Humble the Poet's journey from teaching to music, rap, video and spoken word, but also how his experience as the child of immigrants, being raised in the Sikh tradition and, in his words, not seeing anyone else in the music world who looked like him, shaped his lens on possibility, his stories and voice and values.In addition to his music, Humble also has a great new book out that distills 101 short and sweet insights for better living called UNLEARN (https://amzn.to/2Ytpb0B). And as with all of our Music in May episodes, Humble shares a musical offering at the end, this time in the form of a spoken word piece, so you want to be sure stick around for the whole conversation.-------------Have you discovered your Sparkety

If you’ve heard the name of my guest today, Stedman Graham, there’s a good chance it’s been offered in the same sentence with his long-time partner in life, Oprah Winfrey. What’s not as often told is Stedman’s own, deeply-compelling personal journey. His path from small-town kid to pursuing a degree in education while simultaneously serving in the Army, playing basketball in the European leagues, then returning home to enter the world of business and giving back along the way. Stedman eventually founded and now serves as chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates, (https://www.stedmangraham.com/) a management and marketing consulting firm. He's also written 11 books, including two New York Times best-sellers, and his most recent, Identity Leadership (https://amzn.to/2JE1sH0)Over the last two decades, Stedman Graham has become a noted expert in education and leadership development. He is fascinated by the exploration of identity, how we discover, validate then build our lives around our most essential selv

Born in Memphis, spending summer months with his great aunt and uncle in a small west Texas town, while being raised in Washington, DC, Clarence Greenwood aka Citizen Cope (https://citizencope.com/welcome) grew up influenced by the production techniques of George Martin, Dr. Dre and Willie Mitchell while listening to everything from Willie Nelson, to John Lennon, Bob Marley, Outkast and A TribeCalled Quest.Cope has since built a decades-long career in the music industry on trusting his gut and following his muse, putting out albums under major labels, writing songs that've been recorded by the likes of Carlos Santana, Sheryl Crow and others and eventually, taking back control to publish under his own label. And if his new album, ‘Heroin And Helicopters,’ is any indication, his instincts are sharper now than ever before.We explore this powerful journey in today's conversation. And, as with all of our special episodes this month, we end this deep-conversation with a moving, in-studio acoustic performance from h

Moving from New York to Los Angeles, LaRayia Gaston (https://www.linkedin.com/in/larayia/) was struck by the extreme poverty she saw in a part of the city known as skid row, and how close it was to extreme wealth. Raised to always lead with love and be of service, she could not turn away. While simultaneously launching and building her own design and branding agency, she founded Lunch On Me (LOM) (https://www.lunchonme.org/). The organization now redistributes organic food that would otherwise be discarded to people living on skid row six days a week, reaching 10,000 people a month.The story of this community, along with Gaston's time both helping, then living on skid row for 43 days, is the subject of a forthcoming documentary called 43 Days. You can learn more and help contribute to its production here (https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/43days).-------------Have you discovered your Sparketype yet? Take the Sparketype Assessment™ now. IT’S FREE (https://sparketype.com/) and takes ab

Jimmie Vaughan started playing blues guitar when he was a kid and now, more than 5 decades later, he just never stopped. Growing up in Dallas in the 50 and 60s, Jimmie and his little brother, Stevie Ray used to spend their time listening to music and figuring out how to play it on guitar.By the time Jimmie was about 15, he’d already been getting paid to play in a band 6 nights a week and decided to strike out on his own, eventually landing in Austin, where he’d end up playing with legends like BB King, Eric Clapton and nearly every other blues legend, and eventually earn his own place a legendary blues player.Along the way, his brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan would join him in Austin, carving his own iconic status in the world of blues. Tragically, Stevie lost his life in a helicopter crash, leaving Jimmie in what he calls his dark years, trying to carry on with music and life. He eventually emerged and has been a guiding light in the world of Blues for more than 50 years now. His new album, BABY, PLEASE COME HOM