Nasreen Abdulla has a very unusual job title - she’s the Happiness Editor at Khaleej Times. I was fascinated to speak to someone whose whole job revolves around optimism - Nasreen is tasked with finding human interest stories that speak to our hearts, that uplift and inspire us. There’s a quiet revolution happening in news with a huge desire from readers to ... Show More
Jan 2024
Ep 44 - If You Have a Body, You are an Athlete - Jessie Gubbins
Meet Jessie Gubbins, a dynamic force in the realm of fitness and coaching. Her journey from a dedicated management consultant, traveling the world and working endless hours to her current role as a fitness advocate is nothing short of inspiring.Jess treats everyone she coaches as ... Show More
49m 2s
May 2022
Forging my own path, by Isha Sesay
<p>Writer Isha Sesay is happiest when she is caring for others; it’s a lesson she learns from her mother while growing up in Sierra Leone. But as an adult, there’s another lesson her mother teaches her, in quite another way: that even the most caring and giving among us must lear ... Show More
33m 1s
Apr 2023
Learning to show love and kindness to ourselves, by Rohan Gunatillake
<p>Today, Rohan shares a Lovingkindness Meditation born out of a Spring walk around Oxford. In this practice, phrases are repeated that gradually move our focus from another, back to ourselves, and, finally, to larger and larger circles, encompassing the entirety of the universe. ... Show More
15m 41s
Jan 2021
How to Stop Chasing Happiness and Make a Meaningful Life Instead
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island, and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring in an ex ... Show More
49m 19s
Jul 2022
The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life, by Maya Shankar
<p>Maya Shankar is a cognitive neuroscientist and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans. As a girl, she struggles with taking things too seriously: herself, the sufferings of others, the hypothetical misfortunes she imagines for the future. She turns to her f ... Show More
30m 51s
Aug 2023
Asking for what we need, by Kathryn Nicolai
<p>Kathryn Nicolai, creator of the Nothing Much Happens podcast, learns at an early age to diminish her own needs. She never wants to become a problem for other people, so she pretends like she’s always okay. When she gets an opportunity to study abroad in Italy, a difficult expe ... Show More
35m 17s
May 2021
Stepping into the unknown, by Rohan Gunatillake
<p>Standing at the door of the airplane, a new thing called “snow” swirling around her, Rohan’s mom is about to take a momentous step – making a life change that reverberates down the generations. A meditation about the steps we take when the outcome is uncertain.</p><p>If this e ... Show More
11m 24s
<p><em><strong>Is there more to life than being happy?</strong></em><em> What gives your life purpose? Do you ever think about your legacy?</em></p>
<p>These are just some of the questions Emily Esfahani Smith asks in her book, <em>The Power of Meaning.</em> Our culture is o ... Show More
