What we found particularly thought-provoking was the rich and progressive way she viewed health. Health isn't just not being sick, but being able to really flourish and grow as part of a society that is healthy. Her theology has led her to a definition of health that is totally aligned with that of many innovators in the healthcare space today.

In this podcast she speaks about the charity that she leads, how she helps local vicars see their work through a healthcare lens, her struggle within the church and much else besides.

You can follow her on Twitter @gillianstraine

Lifefulness Project

Interviewing Gillian is part of our work at The Lifefulness Project to create a new science of secular and inclusive congregations. We believe the lessons from spiritual communities and congregations can be adapted in a way that can be applied in an organisation or community, or an individual's life.

We are dedicated to building community online which leads to connection online, and we do that through our small groups. You can become a member here.

Please subscribe to the podcast wherever you hear it.

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Hearing how he had to say goodbye over the phone to his unconscious Dad will leave you in bits (or at least it got to me). What makes Dean such a great guest is that he can switching between exploring the deep pain, to discussing a key academic finding, and then he'll throw in a joke.

We discuss:

• Socially distant funerals
• The importance of funerals in grieving
• The power of grief journals
• The death of Robin Williams
• Separating science writing from politics

More about Dean:

Dean Burnett is a Welsh neuroscientist and author. He is best known for writing the book ‘The Idiot Brain’, which was shortlisted for the 2016 Goodreads Best Science & Technology Book Award. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages.

He began his writing career as a result of his satirical science column ‘Brain Flapping‘ at the Guardian, which ran from 2012 to 2018 which was the most read on the Guardian science network, with over 15 million views since 2012. The blog now runs at the Cosmic Shambles network.

Lifefulness Community

We always talk about the Lifefulness Community because that is what we're all about. The next intake of Lifefulness Small Groups is open now.

Thanks so much for listening!

• Lifefulness Small Groups

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The interview is a fascinating deep dive into a truly pioneering organisation which I should mention, I co-founded. In a world (oooh, that sounds very movie trailer-esque) where division, polarisation, atomisation and meaninglessness prowl in rosebushes, the questions that are being asked and answered in Sunday Assembly are vital.

In this interview we really dive into who attends Sunday Assembly, why do people join these communities, who is the 'average' attendee, why is the congregation so white, and much else besides.

Josh's phd: https://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/41775/

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We decided to do a special episode reflecting on what we've learnt through 63 interviews. The 8 questions we dig into are:

1) What did you learn about Lifefulness?

2) What did our guests have in common?

Then we dig into the 6 PIllars of Lifefulness:

3) What did we learn about Ultimate Meaning?

4) What did we learn about Celebration and Contemplation?

5) What did we learn about Community Life?

6) What did we learn about Personal Growth?

7) What did we learn about Serving Others?

8) What did we learn about Speaking Truth?

It turns out that speaking to incredibly smart people every week, will do wonders for your thinking. We've essentially had deep-dives with thought leaders in our field once every 7 days, and boy has it helped us.

Thanks so much for listening. You're amazing. We love doing this for you. Can't wait to see where it goes.

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Why are we interviewing her? Because community is vital to Lifefulness, and to living life fully, and she's been at the forefront. Rosie is part of the growing number of secret secular vicars, or stealth chaplains, who are carving their own way in the world.

In this interview we talk about:

• What people get from community.
• The dangers of online community.
• The myths around online community.
• The reason business is suddenly into community.
• And much more....

Can't wait for you to listen to the podcast. Please follow Rosie on social media and check out her work online - she's great!

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The podcast starts a little differently by asking Ed about where he finds joy, wonder and mystery in life. We made this change after feedback from listeners that the podcast didn't have a central theme when, in fact, it does. Lifefulness is all about treating life as though it is sacred, so that's where we'll start.

More about Ed:

Ed is a wonderful writer for publications like the Guardian and Conde Nast, the author of 'Slow Travel' - the story of his travel around the world without planes; and now publishes poetry on Medium.

For almost 20 years he ran the sustainability consultancy Futerra, and today he's a Director of Greenpeace UK, along with various other work with companies and charities.

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From her position looking at so many different projects and strategies, Cassie (and her team) decided that the best way to create social change was to fund tales. Why is that? We get into this question and so much more. 

To find out more about Cassie go to:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cassierobinson

Website: https://www.cassierobinson.work

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In her work she helps people learn the skills to connect more deeply to themselves and others, and has inspired thousands through her workshops, interviews, and public speaking engagements.

Jillian has been featured as a source for NPR, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, and Outside Magazine, among many other outlets. Jillian is a certified coach through the Coach Training Alliance and a current Community Minister at Judson Memorial Church. She geeks out over the future of spirituality outside of organized religion and is considering becoming an interfaith minister.

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He has contributed to and presented a number of programmes on the radio, writes as a journalist, with his work being published by the BBC, Aeon, Church Times, and elsewhere. He teaches at The Idler Academy and also lead workshops and give talks.

He's recently started working with the think tank Perspectiva on renewing our sense of relating to the spiritual aspects of life, be that at an individual or social level.

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The guy is also one of a new generation of British Muslims who are public and proud about their heritage. This is all explored in his new book 'The Secret Diary of a British Muslim Aged 13 3/4'.

In this conversation we explore his life, have a laugh and all of that but the thrust of the conversation is to explore what Muslims get from going to mosque. What are the different practices? What does he get from them? How do they make him feel? In a country that is culturally Christian the ins and outs of Muslim life are relatively unknown.

This conversation is a companion to our interview with Liz Oldfield called 'What Do People Actually Get From Church'.

You'll have seen Tez on Live at The Apollo (BBC Two), The Last Leg (C4), Mock the Week (BBC Two), Live From the BBC (BBC Two), The Chris Ramsey Show (Comedy Central), Man Like Mobeen (BBC Three), Roast Battle (Comedy Central) and The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice (C4). Tez’ Channel 4 comedy Blap Bounty was the most watched show in the strand’s 10 year history. Oooooh.

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Kai already had a great start but then, at the start of the interview, he revealed something all of my research hadn’t turned up. The thing I learnt about our impressive Stoic philosopher is super interesting and couldn’t be more on-brand for The LIfefulness Project.

Please tell us what you think. We think this conversation is epic.

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Dr. Gwendoline Smith is a clinical psychologist, author and science celeb in New Zealand, where her 'Book of Knowing' was a surprise best-seller. Now, she's bringing her trademark bullshit free vibe to The Lifefulness Project to dig into overthinking. You'll love it. She's great.

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We delve into:

• Why you shouldn't bring your whole self to work.
• The importance of recognising the issues you're bringing.
• The power of giving less of a sh*t.
• Finding the work you love.

How To Work Without Losing Your Mind

Cate's book is called 'How To Work Without Losing Your Mind' and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Work-Without-Losing-Your-Mind/dp/0241439663

The Lifefulness Community

If you like what we talk about here, then check out our community: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-membership

Social Media

• Sanderson Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandersonjones
• The Lifefulness Project on FB: https://www.facebook.com/thelifefulnessproject/
• The Lifefulness Project on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thelifefulnessproject/

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Today he's the Executive Director of the Youth Endowment Fund, a £200m fund focused on integrating young people into society. He got there through Oxford University, working in councils, McKinsey and as co-founder of a series of charities and initiatives including The Challenge and More in Common aimed at improving life chances and understanding. These programmes now reach 1 in 6 Britons in their lifetime. Not bad.

This conversation is super important, and made James and I even more committed to the idea of community (though we also have a good old disagreement which is also fun).

Jon's Book:

'Fractured' by Jon Yates - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractured-societies-coming-apart-together/dp/0008463964

The Lifefulness Community

If you like what we talk about here, then check out our community: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-membership

Social Media

• Sanderson Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandersonjones
• The Lifefulness Project on FB: https://www.facebook.com/thelifefulnessproject/
• The Lifefulness Project on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thelifefulnessproject/

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It's the first time we've had an interviewee come in to breakdown the work of a thinker in this way so please do let us know how it goes.

If you want to read up more on the Richard Rorty's predictions of the rise of the strongman in US politics here are two great starting points:

The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/advice-for-the-left-on-achieving-a-more-perfect-union/531054/

Vox - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/9/14543938/donald-trump-richard-rorty-election-liberalism-conservatives

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'Hell Yeah, Self-Care' - MJB's brilliant new book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hell-Yeah-Self-Care-Trauma-Informed-Workbook/dp/1787752453

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Personal site: https://www.richwatkins.com/

Poetry: https://www.richwatkins.com/poetry

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Our food production systems are the single biggest cause of environmental change, while diseases linked to our eating habits are at epidemic levels and increasing.  Our guest Dr. Cassandra Coburn uses the latest scientific research to address this vital question: can we provide a growing population with a healthy diet from sustainable food systems?

Fortunately for us all, the answer is yes.

Cassandra is awesome company and shows how it is possible to eat well and save the planet.

Her work is all based on a seminal piece of research from 2019, the Planetary HealthDiet (PHD), Dr Coburn reveals the hidden consequences of our food choices, and how we can easily make changes which are better for ourselves and the planet. She details which food groups we should be eating, which we should avoid – and why.

Changing our way of eating is something that each of us has the power to do, and she inspired me to make some changes.

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We dig into how he created an international community that serves the needs of people seeking careers that contribute positively to the world, while doing work that they love.

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Did you know marriages with more conflict last longer? Businesses with more conflict are more successful? Children who argue with their parents more are happier?

The one caveat is that it has to be the right type of conflict. Ian is the perfect guide as he studies human behaviour then writes about about psychology, culture, technology and business for the New Statesman, the Economist, the Guardian and the Financial Times.

His website is here: https://ian-leslie.com/

Twitter here: https://twitter.com/mrianleslie

You can buy his book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Conflicted-Arguments-Tearing-Apart-Together/dp/0571346944

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Andrew is also President of Humanists International. Together with A C Grayling, Andrew edited the Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015) and he is the author of Secularism: Politics, Religion, and Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2017) and Secularism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019).

He has written on humanist and secularist for The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, and New Statesman as well as for various journals.

Andrew has represented Humanists UK and the humanist movement extensively on national television including on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky, as well as on programmes such as Newsnight, The Daily Politics, Sunday Morning Live, and The Big Questions.

He has also appeared on BBC radio programmes such as the Today programme, You and Yours, Sunday, The World Tonight, The World at One, The Last Word, and Beyond Belief as well as on other local and national commercial radio stations.

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We’re spending time with Professor Tanya Luhrmann from Stanford University. She’s a psychological anthropologist known for her studies of modern-day witches, and charismatic Christians who is particularly interested in how culture shapes their spiritual experiences.

Tanya Luhrmann is a rock star in the anthropology world.

She was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003, president of the Society for Psychological Anthropology for 2008 and was given a Guggenheim award.

Tanya's work is relevant because through her research of spiritual communities (and in this interview) she breaks down exactly how religious people bring their beliefs to life. Techniques that you - whether you're religious or non-religious - can use to make what is most important to you real in your every day.

There's so much in this conversation and I can't wait for you to hear it.

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I learnt something fascinating about Tiu’s upbringing which made me see her in a whole new light. It also helped me understand why she is able to translate esoteric creative and spiritual ideas into the language of the 21st century.

You’ll find out why Tiu has worked with Google, The World Economic Forum, the UN, L’Oreal and more.

If you loved the ideas in this podcast and want to delve into them deeper, then check out the Lifefulness Community. We meet online for group coaching sessions twice a month, which explore these life-changing concepts.

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Join our interview with author Robert Kolker whose book 'Hidden Valley Road' explores a family that pushes that dictum to the absolute edge.

This conversation explores the themes that are brought up in his extraordinary book 'Hidden Valley Road'. The book chronicles the schizophrenia that haunted the Galvin family, who were considered 'the most mentally ill family in America'.

The Galvin parents had twelve children (10 sons and 2 daughters) but six of the boys would meet untimely ends due to schizophrenia.

The book is a tour de force that gives an insight into schizophrenia, family dynamics, the nature of mind and much else.

The characters of the Galvin family seemed plucked from The Royal Tennenbaums, the mental breakdowns from Jacob's Ladder, and the America we see is straight from Easy Rider.

'Hidden Valley Road' was an instant #1 New York Times best-seller and selection of Oprah's Book Club that was named a Top Ten Book of the Year by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and Slate; one of the year’s best by NPR, the Boston Globe, the New York Post, and Amazon; the #1 book of the year by People; and one of President Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2020.

We'll explore the science of schizophrenia, the lessons he learnt and try to take in this incredible tale.

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Here are some takeaways from the convo:

1. Learn about your amygdala - when it feels threatened then it can shut down your rational brain.
2. Amygdala Soothing activities help to ‘deactivate’ your stress.
3. When you don’t feel safe and secure your limbic (mammal) brain will take over.
4. Taking deep breaths where you breathe out longer than you breathe in soothes your amygdala.
5. Big changes threatened your amygdala, so take small steps when making change.
6. Write 50 reasons why you want to start a new habit - this will make your rational brain want it.
7. Write 50 reasons you want to stop a habit - this activates pain centres.
8. Amygdala triggers build up over time - as you get older you’ll have to work harder to take risks.
9. The congregation is an amygdala soothing machine - so get involve with Lifefulness.

Gabija's twitter: @supergcoaching

Gabija's website: https://www.mybrainduringtheday.com/

You can buy Gabija's book here - we heartily recommend it - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Cant-Change-Insights-neuroscientist/dp/1408714167/

Lifefulness Community

We always talk about the Lifefulness Community because that is what we're all about. The next intake of Lifefulness Small Groups are open now.

Apply and find out more here.

Thanks so much for listening!

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Traditionally, the decline of one structure of meaning would lead to a new religious movement of revitalisation.

• But what would revitalisation look like in this secular age?
• Can there be a secular replacement?
• Can we find a society wide message of hope?
• Can we rebuild local communities?

Greg Epstein is the perfect person to speak to about this because he's:

1) the current Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

2) An ordained Humanist Rabbi.

3) The author of the New York Times bestseller 'Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe'.

But, more importantly than all that, he was the judge on FYI's reality TV show 'Married At First Sight'! If this guy can help two people who've only just met stay married, then maybe the world does stand a chance.

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In 2007 Vikas realised the missed long-form interviews that he loved so much and decided to do them himself. Since then he has interviewed the CRAZIEST list of people you an imagine: Maya Angelou, FW de Klerk, Buzz Aldrin, Usain Bolt, Ai Wei Wei, Sir Richard Branson, Moby, Melinda Gates, Penn Jillette, and a ton more.

We spoke about what he learnt from his subjects, and from over 10 years of working on the mother of all side-hustles.

Here are 3 Key Takeaways.

1) Purpose vs Purposefulness: we live in a world of purpose porn. Vikas doesn't think it's healthy for everyone to wave their massive missions around. His solution: Do purposeful work. You don't need to seek a life purpose.

2)The real depths of forgiveness. Vikas shares a story from one of his favourite interview subjects, Holocaust survivor, Iby Knill. In an age of instant judgement, hearing that Iby forgave her captors blew my mind.

3) Life and Death are intertwined mysteries. We need to get more guests on to talk about life and death. We're the Lifefulness Podcast because we're all about life, and this pod digs into it. We need more of this.

You have to get his new book 'Thought Economics' which collects and collates these interviews. It's the ideal loo book.

https://thoughteconomics.com/

The Lifefulness Project: Community

The Lifefulness Project is an experiment in building meaningful community and transforming culture. At it's simplest Lifefulness is a practice dedicated to helping you live your life to the fullest in whatever way that means for you.

The community meets twice a month in Support Teams that provide accountability and inspiration, and are places to discuss idea that are vital to the modern age.

It's also a deep evidence-based methodology, that has been put into practice in comunities and organisations across the world.

To find out more go to www.lifefulness.io/membership

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In the ep. we joke around about how on the internet everyone is always telling people to cut boundary crossers out of their life in every situation. The nuanced conversation really helped my understanding of boundary setting and how it's important to be selfish to show self-care.

Here were three stand out points:

1) We don't set boundaries because we don't know how we feel. This rang true for me because it'll sometimes be the next day before I click 'Oh, I should have been angry there'. We have to get in touch with our emotions first.

2) Selflessness is often selfishness disguised as virtue. How often is about control? How often does it come from a place of insecurity? Or out of a feeling that we know best?

Boundaries are frowned upon but our ways to protect ourselves so we can contribute to the world.

3) Boundaries can be thrilling acts of creation. Saying to yourself "I won't let someone treat me in that way" defines who you are. The boundary creates room for you to inhabit. It's basically a loft extension for your personality.

4) One area we disagreed on is whether you can have different boundaries for different people and different places. My own take is that you can, Michelle thought that it was you choosing to allow your boundary to be broken. Who do you think is right?

Michelle has a book out. You should get it.

The Joy of Being Selfish: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-joy-of-being-selfish/michelle-elman/9781787396777

Find Michelle Ellman here:

Website: https://www.michelleelman.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/scarredntscared/

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/scarrednotscared/?hl=en

The Lifefulness Community

The Lifefulness Project is an experiment in building meaningful community and transforming culture. At it's simplest Lifefulness is a practice dedicated to helping you live your life to the fullest in whatever way that means for you.

The community meets twice a month in Support Teams that provide accountability and inspiration, and are places to discuss ideas that are vital to the modern age.

To find out more go to http://www.lifefulness.io/membership.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelifefulnessproject/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelifefulnessproject

Sanderson Jones on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sandersonjones

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Take a moment to really think about that: James has sat through total brainiacs talking about Systems Theory but it was THIS PODCAST that helped him grok it.

Why should you listen to this podcast?

1) We're living in a world which is not just complicated but complex. This means our normal ways of planning and acting don't really work because we can't understand all the different interactions and relationships. You need to understand complexity to understand the world.

2) Nora shows how taking this idea on isn't just adding an extra mental model, or hot new tool, it is a way of being. When she talks complexity becomes something more akin to spirituality than dusty theory.

3) The reason she's able to communicate it so well is because of her unique background as academic royalty (if such a thing existed). Her ancestors and relations lived these ideas, which means that she is talking through people and their lives, not just through abstract concepts.

Give it a go. There's loads of juiciness inside.

Here's more bumpf on her:

Nora Bateson is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and educator, as well as President of the International Bateson Institute, based in Sweden. Her work asks the question “How we can improve our perception of the complexity we live within, so we may improve our interaction with the world?”.

An international lecturer, researcher and writer, Nora wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father, Gregory Bateson. Her work brings the fields of biology, cognition, art, anthropology, psychology, and information technology together into a study of the patterns in ecology of living systems.

Find her at:

The Bateson Institute: https://batesoninstitute.org/

The Warm Data Lab: https://warmdatalab.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norabateson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoraBateson

Lifefulness Community

You can find the LIfefulness Community here: https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Thanks for listening!

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Here's why you should listen to him:

• He is the international bestselling author of the Mindfulness For Dummies and The Mindful Way through Stress. He frequently pops up in newspapers, magazines and on radio shows.

• Shamash has also co-founded the world's first Museum of Happiness in London. The museum is open to the public, and currently runs events every month, popping up in different locations in London.

• More recently, Shamash has been training practitioners in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This cutting-edge approach skilfully combines acceptance, flexible mindfulness, values and committed action to help people live a rich and meaningful life.

• He has trained with the father of ‘Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction’, Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD through the Center for Mindfulness in Massachusetts, United States.

Lifefulness Community

We always talk about the Lifefulness Community because that is what we're all about. Check it out here: https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Thanks so much for listening!

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Recently he wrote an excellent book 'Making Conversations' which puts his year's as a designer of conversations out into the world. The book was fascinating for James and I as so many of the issues society is facing come from our inability to talk to each other.

The website for the book is https://makingconversation.com/

You can also find it at Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Conversation-Essential-Meaningful-Communication/dp/0062933906

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Ben's career is fascinating and it began with Tribe Wanted a crowdfunded sustainable-tourism village on an island in Fiji (which was turned into as a 5 part BBC series and book). This idea led him to Sierra Leone, and Umbria before he ended up back in London helping people make career changes.

We talk about how to develop a great reading habit, the power of community, lessons he learnt from Polynesian culture and much else besides. You'll love it.

Find out more:

Rebel Book Club - https://rebelbook.club/

Ben's site - http://www.benkeene.com/

The LIfefulness Community:

As mentioned in the podcast the LIfefulness Small Groups will start again soon. We'd love to have you involved, so hit up the application form here: https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Thanks so much for listening!

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This is Part 1 of our conversation because the audio for the second half has gone peculiar. We're going to try to revive that by next week, or just record it again. Do not fret, however, we will complete this conversation.

Lifefulness Community

The Lifefulness Project is sort of like a secular online church and our community meets in Small Groups every second week. If you want to be part of it please apply to be a member.

https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Thanks so much for listening

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You get to a great episode name like that by interviewing journalist and broadcaster Lucy Siegle, who has been at the forefront of communicating and campaigning around ethical and environmental questions. For years her weekly column in the Observer dealt with the sorts of issues that seem so intractable. What I loved about it was that she always took this stuff seriously but met people where they were, and knew it was impractical to go off-grid.

As an author she’s written books on two books on Fast Fashion, and one on Plastic. Surprising takeaway: fish love it. But she doesn’t just write about this she campaigns setting the Green Carpet Project - that sent celebs to red carpet events in gorgeous, sustainable gowns, to show that going green doesn’t mean dressing muni-bean. Just this year she became chair of the Real Circularity Coalition.

In our convo there were three big things I left with:

1. A Truly Circular Economy: what does it mean to build and make in a way that is truly sustainable?
2. Lucy's spiritual vision around the inter-connectedness of the planet through the supply-chains that connect us.
3. The 93 Billion Ton Question: every year 93 billion tons are extracted from the earth - how can we change that?

The only downside is that occasionally her sound goes a bit funny - which is on us. We fixed it as much as poss. but there are times she becomes a little bit clipped.

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Spiritual communities have a profound sense of drive, purpose and mission which is something we long for in our own lives.

For anyone wanting to have an overview of Lifefulness this TEDx talk is a good place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PYN8vPaZrE

The 6 Pillars of Lifefulness are as follows:

1) Ultimate Meaning.

2) Celebration and Contemplation.

3) Community Life.

4) Personal Growth.

5) Serving Others.

6) Changing the World.

This is a bit of an experiment and we're interested to see how some short, sharp episodes go down so hit us up with your feedback. We love the interviews but there's also something really enjoyable about being able to drill down into the nuts and bolts of Lifefulness.

Lifefulness Community

The next phase of small groups and the LIfefulness 101 course will all kick-off in January. Find out more yourself at these links.

Lifefulness Small Groups - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Lifefulness 101 - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

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"Graduated Double-First Class, George Peabody Prize for exceptional academic performance (Class 1) in degree Part One, Foundation Award for achieving Class 1 in every paper in degree Part Two, First recipient of Joyce Ridley Memorial Prize for best performance in the University in the Arts in Education paper, Choral Exhibition."

Crazy, right?

He then got a Masters in Art in Education from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard, followed by a Doctorate from the same institution. After qualifying as a minister James joined the Ethical Society of St. Louis - one of the largest humanist congregations in the world. 

More importantly he’s a brilliant, wise, funny, kind and considerate man, who I admire to the point of jealousy. James is living these questions. Dedicating his life to building new types of communities and congregations to answer our most pressing needs.

Three Takeaways

1. I learnt how it was an ecstatic musical experience that led him on his path.
2. He speaks very powerfully about the importance of vulnerability when bringing a community together.
3. He casts a powerful vision for what an amazing secular mega-church could look like. You’ll get excited.

The Lifefulness Community

Lifefulness 101

There are still Early Bird Discounts available on Lifefulness 101 which starts on January 13th.

Find out more: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Lifefulness Small Groups

You can still apply to be part of the Lifefulness Small Groups. Follow this link: https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and I explore Serving Others - a key part of all spiritual pathways and communities. Some people got in touch asking for an overview of LIfefulness and this TEDx talk is a good place to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PYN8vPaZrE

For those of you who are keeping track here are the 6 Pillars of Lifefulness:

1) Ultimate Meaning.

2) Celebration and Contemplation.

3) Community Life.

4) Personal Growth.

5) Serving Others.

6) Changing the World.

This is a bit of an experiment and we're interested to see how some short, sharp episodes go down so hit us up with your feedback. We love the interviews but there's also something really enjoyable about being able to drill down into the nuts and bolts of Lifefulness.

Lifefulness Community

There's loads of stuff going on in the Lifefulness Community but I'm a bit too tired to write it all up. Find out more yourself at these links.

Lifefulness Small Groups - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Lifefulness Courses - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For part one of this holiday special James interviews Sanderson. In part 2 (you'll never guess it!) Sanderson interviews James (well done if you guessed it).

Lifefulness Community

There's loads of stuff going on in the Lifefulness Community which we create through our small groups and courses. Find out more yourself at these links.

Lifefulness Small Groups - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Lifefulness Courses - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Happy Christmas! Happy Holidays! And Happiness! To you all.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We explore the pathway of personal growth and psychological maturity which is the part of all (to my knowledge) spiritual communities. How can you become the person that you want to be? How can you live a life in accordance with your values?

In this podcast we explore the idea of personal growth from a spiritual, secular, personal, practical and scientific point of view. It's a wide ranging discussion which we hope familiarises you with this idea that we've been exploring throughout the podcast series.

For those of you who are keeping track here are the 6 Pillars of Lifefulness:

1) Ultimate Meaning.

2) Celebration and Contemplation.

3) Community Life.

4) Personal Growth.

5) Serving Others.

6) Changing the World.

This is a bit of an experiment and we're interested to see how some short, sharp episodes go down so hit us up with your feedback. We love the interviews but there's also something really enjoyable about being able to drill down into the nuts and bolts of Lifefulness.

Lifefulness Community

There's loads of stuff going on in the Lifefulness Community but I'm a bit too tired to write it all up. Find out more yourself at these links.

Lifefulness Small Groups - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Lifefulness Courses - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The inspiration for Club Soda was Laura’s experience of giving up drinking seven years ago. A campaigner at heart with a background in movement building and politics, she realised that one of the big sticking points was a way to support people to take a self-guided journey to change their drinking.

She is hilarious, smart and has a ton of really practical ideas around being mindful about drinking which can be applied to all parts of your life.

Club Soda - https://joinclubsoda.com/

If anything she said resonated with you then go and check out Club Soda, which can help anyone. It's an amazing community that has changed lives.

Lifefulness Community

We always talk about the Lifefulness Community because that is what we're all about. The next intake of Lifefulness Small Groups is in January.

Apply here - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Lifefulness 101

There are still early bird tickets left for Lifefulness 101, our course to start the year. We'd love to have you onboard!

Check it out - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Primo: Chris is a humanist chaplain and community builder who is not religious but whose work is informed by religious questions. He's driven by the specific ways that spirituality answers fundamental human needs. This has led him to being the humanist chaplain at Yale, before becoming a University lecturer.

Secundo: He’s just written a great book that brings this sensibility to a huge question how can we be human online? And how can online help us be more human? 

Chris' Book is 'Finding Realness, Meaning and Belonging In Our Digital Lives' - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irl-Finding-Realness-Meaning-Belonging/dp/1506463517

These are three things this conversation made us think about:

1. How we can think about our digital lives are in some ways just as “real” as the rest of our lives - and equally important.
2. How vulnerability and honesty can be liberating, especially at a time when we are encouraged to always put on a facade.
3. How we can think deeply about religion and what it might offer us without actually being religious.

The LIfefulness Community

Obviously we don't just talk about creating meaning and belonging online we also bloody do it. These are two ways you can get involved.

Lifefulness 101 - this is our 12 week collective learning experience, which starts in January - https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Lifefulness Small Groups - we also gather in online small groups and you can apply to join here - https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Thanks so much for listening!

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Whilst her work is dedicated to helping parents with mental health her story and book will resonate with anyone who has been a child, been a parent, wants to be a parent, wants good mental health or a society with mental healthy children. This is exactly the sort of conversation we created the podcast for: moving, informative and a lot fun.

The story of how Suzanne turned her pain and need into an online community for parents of children and teenagers suffering from acute mental illness is stunning. Today she supports over 20,000 parents through its Facebook group, in-person events and online mentoring and training programme!

Buy Her Book

'Never Let Go' is a great book. James and I loved it and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Never-Let-Go-Through-Illness/dp/1785043315

Three Key Takeaways:

1. It can be so difficult for parents to accept that their child is struggling with mental health challenges, but we have to accept what’s happening to help change it.

2. We shouldn’t view mental health struggles as “bad behavior” on the part of our children - these are real illnesses which need to be taken seriously.

3. Suzanne realized she needed to move “from parenting to partnership,” stepping away from the traditional parenting role so that she could listen to her daughter and what she needed - we explore what this means in the podcast!

Our Course: Lifefulness 101

There are still Early Bird Discounts available on Lifefulness 101 which starts on January 13th.

Find out more: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Lifefulness Small Groups

You can still apply to be part of the Lifefulness Small Groups. Follow this link: https://www.lifefulness.io/membership

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This podcast is a clarion call to relax and give up any worries that are not warranted. What can you walk away from? What can you leave behind? What can you say 'I'd really rather not' to?

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James and I got so much from this podcast and we're sure you will too.

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New Course: Lifefulness 101

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In the podcast you'll hear about our new course - Lifefulness 101 - that launches in January. Lifefulness 101 is a 12 week group learning experience that will give you the skills, tools and team to thrive in 2021.

You can find tickets on the link below Super Early Bird Tickets are available until December 3rd for 50% off at £90. There's a very limited number available and they're already selling fast.

https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

Thanks so much for listening, and please get in touch if you've got any questions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John’s theory is this: our culture today is beset by multiple overlapping crises which make our lives difficult: financial, ecological, political - tons of crises.

But underlying and connecting these is a crisis of meaning: the sense that we have lost a narrative which situates us in the world and helps us make sense of it all. 

Three Key Takeaways 

1. You’ll understand how our increased sense of loneliness and disconnection is related to the loss of big-picture meaning in our lives;
2. You’ll learn, from a cognitive scientific viewpoint, how religions fulfil deep human needs which haven’t gone away in our more secular age;
3. You’ll learn about the new science of wisdom. Obviously this is at the center of many religions and traditions throughout the ages, so how might we cultivate wisdom today?

Lifefulness 101

We launched a new course Lifefulness 101 which you can find here: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

The Early Bird tickets last until December 3rd and you get a 50% discount.

Lifefulness Community

We are also offering a discount on becoming a member of the Lifefulness Community to anyone who joins LIfefulness 101 and there are more details on the site.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan's work has been really influential on the development of LIfefulness, in particular his 'Spiritualise' report for the RSA, which showed how a spiritual sensibility was needed to tackle today's social issues.

Report - https://www.thersa.org/reports/spiritualise-cultivating-spiritual-sensibility-to-address-21st-century-challenges

Another jumping off point was his brilliant book looking back at the lessons he learnt from his chess career 'The Moves That Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life'.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Moves-That-Matter-Chess-Grandmaster/dp/1635573327

Lifefulness 101

We launched a new course Lifefulness 101 which you can find here: https://www.lifefulness.io/lifefulness-101

The Early Bird tickets last until December 3rd and you get a 50% discount.

Lifefulness Community

We are also offering a discount on becoming a member of the Lifefulness Community to anyone who joins LIfefulness 101 and there are more details on the site.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Shappi’s outlook is coloured by an unusual life story - her parents emigrated from Iran when she was a child and she was brought up as a sort of culturally Muslim atheist. Pretty cool. Her journey to TV stardom has not always been easy, leading to addictions and 12 step programmes.

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3 Key Takeaways.

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1. We deep-dive into the importance of funerals, weddings and rites of passage.
2. You’ll learn how taking part in “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” created a spiritual transformation in Shappi
3. There’s a deep dive into how a lack of meaning, disconnection and low self-esteem led into addiction.

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News: Lifefulness 101

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We are launching Lifefulness 101 - a new group learning experience that will help you devise meaningful goals for 2021 and give you a community of absolute legends who will inspire you to make them happen.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joyful, non-rational, transformative experiences are fundamental to being human, are a fundamental part of Lifefulness and she is an expert in them.

Her work was recognised in the ‘How We Gather’ report from Harvard Divinity School as an important way millennials were finding community in a post-religious world. Today Sam is a culture change and innovation consultant for major brands, and a spreader of wisdom and joy.

In this conversation you'll get a glimpse into a fascinating pan-religious upbringing in Zimbabwe before we dive into the MorningGloryville story.

Fans of the show will know that there’s adult language and this episode has got more than most. There’s an unusual story at the end which certainly acknowledges the existence of sex.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This means she’s the first Christian we’ve had on the show. Sound the trumpets, kill the fatted calf, sing hosannas in the highest, and then some even higher than that.

Liz appears regularly in the media on matters of faith and culture. You might have seen her on BBC One, Sky News, the World Service, or caught her writing in The Financial Times.

What You'll Get.

I thought we were going to talk about faith in Britain, the changing landscape of belief and her reports but we ended up getting a breakdown of what she gets from her church.

I realised I’d never spoken to a religious person like this (and Liz hadn’t spoken about her faith this way either).

You’ll hear what it’s like to experience God, the support her community gives her, how central the worship experience is to her life, the role of money in community and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today my guest is Guy Claxton - emeritus Professor of the Learning Sciences at the University of Winchester, cognitive scientist, author of over 30 books and a world leader in the field of education. 

Combined with his background as a researcher Guy's a balls-to-the-wall spiritual seeker. Have you seen the Netflix documentary ‘Wild Wild Country’ about the Rajneesh community? Guy was part of the Rajneesh in India but got out before they all went crazy in Oregon. 

His life and work show how an appreciation of spiritual pathways can be scientific, academic and not at all hippy. 

And, I love him, so you’ll love him.

In the conversation:

The main reason I got Guy is because he’s an expert in embodied cognition - an idea that is so important when linking ancient spiritual practices to modern knowledge.

Embodied cognition is the idea that you think, feel and are with your body as much as your mind. It shows how this stuff is not elite, academic or impractical. For instance, Traders on the stock market who are in touch with their embodied cognition and bodies make more money.

On top of that you’ll learn what it was like in the Rajneesh community, what spirituality means to him, how these practices stablise altered states, and, as ever, a whole lot more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The guy loves history and is on a mission to pump as much of it out there as possible.

Dan and Sanderson first worked together in 2013 when they created a secular Remembrance Sunday service. It turned out that it was Britain’s first ever non-religious commemoration of the British war dead.

Because not only is Dan interested in these fundamental human questions as a historian, but he’s also a passionate humanist who regularly campaigns on issues close to his heart. 

In the conversation:

One of the main reasons we wanted to speak to Dan is because he’s created a sort of secular spirituality of history. He has found something that moves him profoundly, then dedicated his days to living it as truly as possible.  

On top of that Dan speaks very openly about his mental health struggles, and told us it was the time he’s done it in public. 

Amidst all of this there are insights into community, his ritual practices and a really handy tip for looking round museums!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In her role, she works to support and promote university religious and spiritual life, serving the spiritual needs of all students regardless of their religious perspective.

Vanessa’s fascinating because even though she became nonreligious in her teens, she studied religion at university and got a Master of Divinity degree - meaning she has spent years studying religion and religious identity as a sort of outsider. She’s thought about how all people can benefit from religious and spiritual practices, even if they don’t have religious beliefs.

We spoke to her because she is an expert in understanding how spiritual practices can be adapted for everyone, and she also knows how to do that within an organisation.   

What will you get from it?

• You’ll learn what what it means to be a chaplain in a secular and inclusive way, and what being a chaplain is actually is.

• You’ll be introduced to the idea of ‘stealth chaplaincy’. ‘Stealth chaplains’ aren’t vigilantes but Vanessa uses this term to describe how companies in Silicon Valley, now have the chaplain role but without the word.

• You’ll also really appreciate how Vanessa defines a ‘spiritual life’ - in a way that makes sense for religious and non-religious alike.

• She then digs into what that looks like on a university campus in a way that will be really useful for anyone in any type of organisation, school or community.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alongside this he’s been a proud skeptic, atheist and humanist who, through his art and public comment, engages deeply with why we are here, and how we should live.

What you’ll get.

What you’ll find in this conversation is:

• a brilliant discussion of why meaning is the most important thing in the Universe
• why Tim thinks the Universe is meaningless
• a moving description of the power of ritual
• and some very personal insights into the cost of fame

You’ll also find Tim engaging with the positive sides of spirituality and religion more than we've ever heard from him in the past.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That’s why we reached out to Dasha Kennedy - the inspirational founder of the Broke Black Girl community that gives financial advice catering to black women. At its heart is a 70 000 facebook group, that provides resources and support to this underserved demographic. Her advice is transforming the lives of her community members, and we think there’ll be loads in it for you and your broke ass.

What do we cover:

• Simple ways to get your finances under control.
• Ways to reframe saving.
• Insights into how financial services provide advice centred on white people.
• Understanding of black economic oppression.

In this conversation you will get brilliant insights in how to think about money, how to change your relationship with your finances and how to get better with it. I’ll be honest I was learning a lot because I am not great with personal finances. I loved learning about the Money Minute - find out what that ios and how it can help you in our conversation - and I really appreciated Dasha’s insights into how structural inequalities and racism affect financial advice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You get all the deep chat, all the dramatic life-changing insights AND dumb jokes.

We explore:

• How you can introduce the benefits of religion and spirituality into your life, even if you’re not religious
• How you can use ritual to bring soul to the workplace
• How you can respectfully adapt religious practices
• The dangers of bringing meaningful practices into the workplace

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We look through our own personal experiences of community, then dive into traditions, ways of finding community, the science behind it and some misconceptions we have about it.

This episode would go particularly well when paired with our interview with Lennon Flowers.

The second pillar of Lifefulness is Celebration because gathering together to adore what is sacred, or taking time to connect to your meaning individually, is a vital part of spiritual community.

James and I explore our own experiences with celebration in Sunday Assembly and The Ethical Society, before diving into the science, history, traditions and practices.

This podcast will give you ideas of what you can do in your life, as well as a broader understanding of this vital part of Lifefulness.

Lifefulness Podcast Launch Contest

As you heard on the podcast we are running a competition for the until 29th September which you can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/podcast. The more you share the podcast, the more chance you have of winning.

Lifefulness Small Groups

We are passionate about the podcast but we are even more keen on building community. Not just community for the sake of it, not community in a bullshit 'You're part of the Corn Flakes community' but real connections that help you live your life as fully as possible.

We are launching Small Groups which will meet twice a month to discuss the big issues we engage with on the podcast, to hold each other accountable, and to inspire each other to be our fullest selves.

You can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/membership.

Subscribe, rate, review and share.

You can find us here on social media.

Insta: @thelifefulnessproject

FB: /thelifefulnessproject

Twitter: @lifefulnessprjt

Lifefulness At Work

We love to take Lifefulness into the workplace to help create wonderful work environments through events, training and consultancy. Check out Lifefulness At Work.

The Hosts

James and I would also love a follow.

James Croft

Twitter: @croftspeaks

Sanderson Jones

Insta: @sandersonjones

Twitter: @sandersonjones

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and I explore our own experiences with celebration in Sunday Assembly and The Ethical Society, before diving into the science, history, traditions and practices.

This podcast will give you ideas of what you can do in your life, as well as a broader understanding of this vital part of Lifefulness.

Lifefulness Podcast Launch Contest

As you heard on the podcast we are running a competition for the until 29th September which you can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/podcast. The more you share the podcast, the more chance you have of winning.

Lifefulness Small Groups

We are passionate about the podcast but we are even more keen on building community. Not just community for the sake of it, not community in a bullshit 'You're part of the Corn Flakes community' but real connections that help you live your life as fully as possible.

We are launching Small Groups which will meet twice a month to discuss the big issues we engage with on the podcast, to hold each other accountable, and to inspire each other to be our fullest selves.

You can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/membership.

Subscribe, rate, review and share.

You can find us here on social media.

Insta: @thelifefulnessproject

FB: /thelifefulnessproject

Twitter: @lifefulnessprjt

Lifefulness At Work

We love to take Lifefulness into the workplace to help create wonderful work environments through events, training and consultancy. Check out Lifefulness At Work.

The Hosts

James and I would also love a follow.

James Croft

Twitter: @croftspeaks

Sanderson Jones

Insta: @sandersonjones

Twitter: @sandersonjones

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meaning decided what is important to you and Ultimate Meaning is the most important thing to you. This podcast is about the most important thing in your whole life.

That's some claim.

But how often do we really spend thinking about our Ultimate Meaning? How often do we cultivate it? How much of our lives do we dedicate to it? Probably not quite enough.

Lifefulness Podcast Launch Contest

As you heard on the podcast we are running a competition for the until 29th September which you can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/podcast. The more you share the podcast, the more chance you have of winning.

Lifefulness Small Groups

We are passionate about the podcast but we are even more keen on building community. Not just community for the sake of it, not community in a bullshit 'You're part of the Corn Flakes community' but real connections that help you live your life as fully as possible.

We are launching Small Groups which will meet twice a month to discuss the big issues we engage with on the podcast, to hold each other accountable, and to inspire each other to be our fullest selves.

You can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/membership.

Subscribe, rate, review and share.

You can find us here on social media.

Insta: @thelifefulnessproject

FB: /thelifefulnessproject

Twitter: @lifefulnessprjt

Lifefulness At Work

We love to take Lifefulness into the workplace to help create wonderful work environments through events, training and consultancy. Check out Lifefulness At Work.

The Hosts

James and I would also love a follow.

James Croft

Twitter: @croftspeaks

Sanderson Jones

Insta: @sandersonjones

Twitter: @sandersonjones

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zoe’s journalism has featured in Rolling Stone, The Times, Wired, Nature, New Scientist, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, BBC Focus and many other publications. As a founder of the organization Guerilla Science, Zoe believes that science is not only a tool but a wonderful window into the biggest questions of existence, and that understanding the world better helps us live life more fully. 

What we get from this:

There’s so much in this conversation because almost every spiritual tradition, and Lifefulness, makes joyful celebration a key part of a good life. 

Zoe’s passion for science - and for the hedonistic aspects of life - shines through in our discussion, so you’ll feel good about having fun. We dive into why, and how, art, comedy, music and dance are so vital to humanity.

She was really insightful when she stressed how monastic religious traditions - ones which insist we find spiritual truth and fulfilment in solitude, silence, and asceticism - have got it all wrong. Rather, she thinks we find our greatest source of spiritual wonder in the hedonic acts we perform with each other: bopping on the dancefloor, writhing at the rave, and bonking in the bedroom. (Quick disclaimer: while I (Sanderson) am writing this in the first person, James chose the word 'bonking').

If you want to live life more passionately and less guiltily, this is the conversation for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before you throw your phone into the sea because you don’t want to hear a mindless optimist, then let me reassure you, that’s not what you’re going to get. Mark describes himself as a possibilist because a great future is possible - if we make the change.

I know Mark because he’s spoken at Sunday Assembly many times, and he's always been great. He, like me, was a stand up early on in his career though he made a cleaner break than I did. I think I'm still waiting, like a bank robber trying to go straight, for one last big job (that always turns out well).

Conversation: 

Mark gives us an overview of Systems Change - the best way of thinking about changing the world in my humble opinion. There’s practical tips on how to fight climate change and a super simple of overview of how to create change, 

This is super relevant to The Lifefulness Project because one of huge benefits of being part of a spiritual community is this idea that you will change the world (that's why Changing The World is one of the 6 Pillars of Lifefulness). However a major problem today is we feel the world is so big, that we can’t possibly have an impact.

Lastly, we loved Mark’s encouragement to make the most of this pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is a disaster, but it’s also an opportunity to make change in your community, organization, business, or life - because if you can’t make radical change now, when can you?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

She does this through The Dinner Party - a non-profit that helps people in their 20’s and 30’s who have lost loved ones and are experiencing grief. The work is inspired by her own mother’s death when she was at college, which left her feeling isolated because no one knows what to say.

It was after college that she arranged a dinner party for younger people who were grieving, and a movement was born. Today there have been dinner parties in over 100 cities, and she’s been recognised as an outstanding social entrepreneur, and a reanimator of spiritual traditions.

Conversation:

We loved this conversation because Lennon is GREAT and I could talk to her for hours. You’ll get an insight into grief, the grieving process, the transformative potential that lurks within loss; the power of community for change; what makes a good community; and so much bloody more. 

James and I had our ears on stalks because this was such a rich conversation. James was really connected because his dad died only a couple of years ago, and this conversation made him really wanted to join one of the dinner parties. What she said about loss and the need for community resonated with him and he actually signed up for a virtual Dinner Party.

Lennon is the perfect example of someone who is doing Lifefulness (without knowing the word). Her work revives and makes sacred the act of coming together to eat and - classic segue - I think you’ll find this conversation absolutely delicious. On reflection, using the word 'delicious' in relation to any woman, even tangentially, instantly sounds priddy creepy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

But, he's also a really important voice in some huge questions that are of vital importance. One in particular comes from his experience losing his tribe. Matthew was life-long Conservative, he began his career as an MP, and still has fond memories of Margaret Thatcher but left the Tory party over Brexit. We dived into what it was like to lose a tribe, what he realised about tribal thinking and why tribes are still important.

We discussed false Messiahs, the dangers of spirituality, the mixed blessings of Christianity in Africa and much else besides. We know you'll love to spend time with him as much as we did.

Find him:

Twitter: @matthewparris3

Matthew's books: Buy 'em here!

Lifefulness Podcast Launch Contest

As you heard on the podcast we are running a competition for the until 29th September which you can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/podcast. The more you share the podcast, the more chance you have of winning.

Lifefulness Small Groups

We are passionate about the podcast but we are even more keen on building community. Not just community for the sake of it, not community in a bullshit 'You're part of the Corn Flakes community' but real connections that help you live your life as fully as possible.

We are launching Small Groups which will meet twice a month to discuss the big issues we engage with on the podcast, to hold each other accountable, and to inspire each other to be our fullest selves.

You can apply to join at www.lifefulness.io/membership.

Subscribe, rate, review and share.

You can find us here on social media.

Insta: @thelifefulnessproject

FB: /thelifefulnessproject

Twitter: @lifefulnessprjt

Lifefulness At Work

We love to take Lifefulness into the workplace to help create wonderful work environments through events, training and consultancy. Check out Lifefulness At Work.

The Hosts

James and I would also love a follow.

James Croft

Twitter: @croftspeaks

Sanderson Jones

Insta: @sandersonjones

Twitter: @sandersonjones

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

James and I were so pleased to speak to Lisa Smosarski because as the founding editor of Stylist Magazine, she had a unique birds eye view over the culture that we’re living in today. We wanted to find out how her readers were answering their need for meaning and belonging in 2020.

Also, Lisa is just one of those sparkling, shining people that it’s just great to hang out with. It was a win-win-win-win-winnie mandela-winning with Michail Winner-win. 

In this podcast we learn about Lisa’s childhood going to Sunday school, without believing in God, then forcing her parents to still take her, when they stopped going. The conversation then moved onto the desire for people today to seek answers outside their own lives. A search that often leads to astrology, something that is not up Lisa’s alley at all. We then slag off astrology for a bit (but in a way that is respectful of all people’s beliefs).

From here the conversation moved on to cover fashion, identity and how we can engage with the current system while agitating for change. 

After this we moved onto looking at Lisa’s incredibly successful career, to find out a bit more about how she was able to become the editor of the iconic Smash Hits aged only 25. This developed into a great conversation about how she creates a work culture where everyone can excel, without becoming all Devil Wears Prada. 

Finally we got stuck into what makes Lisa tick, and the specific ways of thinking that enable her to be a beacon of light when things get stressful.

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Every week Sanderson Jones and James Croft interview incredible thinkers, doers, artists, and scientists, as well as folk from a religious background, to discuss the biggest questions in life, and the super practical.

Please subscribe, like, share, follow us on social media (maybe follow us home? maybe follow our advice) and all the rest.

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Site:

www.lifefulness.io/podcast

Hosts:

Twitter - @SandersonJones

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.