Life, Examined Podcast

028: “Marathon Experience with Saeid Halvaeian" The guys analyze the difference between success and failure with marathoner Saeid Halvaeian. How do we respond to challenges, setbacks, and disappointments on the journey toward our goals, values, and achievements?

027: “Jiu Jitsu Journey with Brandon Mullins” World champion Brandon Mullins trains everyone from UFC fighters to first-time jiu jitsu participants. He shares the appeal and challenges of jiu jitsu for adults, including comparisons with other martial arts. Even if you’re not interested in martial arts, make sure you hear the full episode; he explains how the lessons he learned from jiu jitsu have helped him achieve his goals in other areas of life. Great stuff.

026: “Courageous Kids” "The guys discuss the Let Grow parenting philosophy as a response to the recent cultural shift in parenting. Is the current generation of parents stifling their children's development by being overly cautious? How should each couple determine the appropriate level of risk for their children, and how should we make sense of recent psychological data on the topic?"

025: “Physical Well-Being” "What types of physical fitness correlate with higher self-esteem? And what does that mean for New Year's resolutions and other goal-setting? Amy Fruge stops in to share her research with the guys and discuss the implications for all of us."

024: “Going Green” Mike hassles Dave for being negative about recycling, and Dave responds by explaining effective altruism. The guys talk recycling, reusing, voluntourism, and all things green

023: “Reason for the Season” The guys discuss the meanings and values behind the holidays and holiday traditions. How do we navigate the anxiety and expectations of the holiday season? What do we teach our children about the holidays, Santa, and gifts? How can we be more proactive in aligning our holiday traditions with our values?

022: “Voting & Our Political System” Mike questions Dave’s decision not to vote in the midterm elections, and the guys debate to what extent we should participate in the political process. Should we vote even if we’ve become disenchanted with our political system? Are there things that we can do to affect our political reality that are more significant than voting?

021: “Spiritual Journeys, Episode 3.” Interview with Pastor Kyle Jackson Kyle shares how his personal spirituality has guided him through the traumatic events in his youth and his adult life. Kyle and Dave discuss attending the same church as teenagers but having dramatically different experiences of the same institution. What elements of Christianity are necessary beliefs for a Christian as opposed to just Christian ideas that can vary? What should our motivation(s) be for our personal spirituality and beliefs? How do we teach our children about spirituality, religion, meditation, etc.? And how can we make our religious institutions more welcoming to those exploring faith?

020: “Engaging In Political Discourse” Dave makes Mike talk about politics. How invested should Americans be in political figures and political parties? How do we recognize and contend with our own biases? How can we have better conversations about politics instead of just giving in to tribalism and polarized opinions? What unites us as Americans regardless of political allegiances?

019: “Spiritual Journeys, Episode 2”. Interview with Rabbi Stuart Federow. The guys sit down with Stuart Federow, rabbi at Shaar Hashalom and co-host of "A Show of Faith." What is prayer/meditation like from a Jewish perspective? The rabbi explains how Jewish spirituality is in some ways more similar to Hinduism and Buddhism rather than Christian spirituality, and the guys talk about similarities and differences between the faiths.

018: “The Interconnected Physical Life” The guys give a nutrition update and ask why it can seem so difficult to make large changes in any of life’s domains. Mike angers the masses by insulting Shipley’s, and the guys discuss the interconnectedness of the physical domain with the other domains. What do you do when you experience inexplicable sadness and you can’t determine which domain is causing the negative feelings? How do we address this situation when it happens? How do we find peace in times of discomfort? Do we need “calibration time” each day/week, and what should that look like?

017: Spiritual Journeys Ep 1 w/ Bill Kerley Interview with psychotherapist and “Ordinary Life” spiritual teacher Dr. Bill Kerley, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Bill talks with the guys about spiritual development & practice, as well as reconciling Christian spirituality with a modern worldview. What’s the benefit of being part of a particular religion? How can people within the same religious institution better support each other even when they’re in different places in their spiritual journey? How can we better integrate divergent points of view? What are good meditative practices for beginners? How can people pray when they’re not sure what they believe about God? How can we teach our children about God without oversimplifying important truths?

016: “How Kids Change You” Dave’s daughter starts her first day of kindergarten and the guys discuss differences in their lives since having children: scheduling, time, responsibilities, etc. as well as all of the benefits. How can we find routines where we can be happy as a family? How does having kids impact your marriage? Does your attitude toward “marriage maintenance” and marital satisfaction have to shift after having kids? Is there anything you wish someone would have told you before you became a parent?

015: “Stress” Do we all define stress the same way? How does stress impact each domain of our lives? What can we do in each domain to guard against the negative impacts of stress, especially in the spiritual and physical domains? What’s the relationship between stress and happiness?

014: “Why do we work?” Mike confesses to reading extensively on entrepreneurship but never acting on that interest. Should each of us attempt to monetize our hobbies, interests, skills, etc.? How do we decide on the best use of our professional time, knowing that it’s a finite resource? How can we be more efficient during the day to create more professional time for the tasks that matter most? The guys discuss ideas about work from Tim Ferriss and Derek Thompson: Is the very nature of work going to change during our lifetime?

013: “Utilizing Personality Tests for Personal Growth” How can personality tests help us make better sense of the world around us? The guys break down and compare the NEO PI-R with the Myers Briggs and the four temperaments. Mike & Dave share how knowing your personality type as well as your spouse and children’s personality types can help you better understand each other. To what extent can we personalize our parenting to each of our children’s unique personality? The guys take a deep dive into the NEO PI-R and discuss how knowing more about ourselves in each component can help us grow in all four domains. How can it show us which personal pitfalls to watch out for as a parent, spouse, professional, etc.?

012: “Purpose and Peace” Dave grapples with the implications of his finite nature and what it means for how he should live his life. How do we find the deepest levels of purpose and meaning, and how do they relate to achievement? Is there a universality to meaning and purpose, and how do we get there? Are religious answers to these questions oversimplified, especially in our post-Enlightenment world? How does this relate to meditation/prayer and the way we choose to conceptualize God?

011: “Social Media, Smartphones, and the Attention Economy” Mike outs Dave for not using social media, and the guys discuss the best ways to use Facebook and other apps. How do we best navigate our social relationships and social situations using current technology? Is technology keeping us from being fully present? How is our technology use affecting us emotionally? When and how should we refrain from smartphones use?

010: “Maximizing Rest” How do we balance the need for productivity with the need for rest? What causes us to get into “funks”? What role does rest play in creating our best self? Where do we find the motivation to get out of a “funk”? How do we regain our perspective and remember our values? How do we use both physical and spiritual rest to keep the “funk” away?

009: “My One Body” Mike gives a nutrition and weight-loss update, and the guys discuss how our attitudes about weight and eating should continue to change. What should post-diet, “normal” eating habits look like? How do we explain healthy eating habits to our kids? How do we combat the societal notion that we don’t have control over our weight and appearance?

008: “What to do with all your stuff” The guys discuss Minimalism: A Documentary about the Important Things. How do we re-envision our living space and our attitudes about our belongings? How could we reduce our number of clothes, our children’s toys, etc.? How do we reconcile minimalism and gift-giving? How do we deal with social pressures to have more things? To what extent should we borrow/share rather purchase?

007: “Gender Roles & Parenting” Why do some people assume dads are inept parents? How do kids learn gender norms, and how/should we teach gender norms and expectations to our kids? What qualities are “masculine” and “feminine” in modern American society and media, and what separates the two? Should we treat our sons & daughters differently from each other?

006: “How We Understand God” Why believe in the Christian conceptualization of God? The guys talk about their different personal faiths as well as the positives and negatives of religious institutions. How do we approach traditional religious texts? Does God intervene in our lives? How do we meditate/pray?

005: “A Household in Good Order” Mike confesses his struggles with keeping his daily living and home life in good order. How do we set daily goals and routines to actually accomplish all the tasks and chores that need to be done? How do we maximize our time outside of work? What “work” can we assign to our children, and how can we teach them these habits? How do we find balance between chores and family time? What’s the first step to getting our house in good order?

004: “Is Religion Worth Discussing?” Why don’t we talk openly and honestly about our personal spirituality more often? Dave shares how the lack of open discussion on important topics led him away from church, and the guys discuss to what extent we should be open to discussing and changing our spiritual practices. Can Christians and non-Christians talk honestly about their faiths together? How should we view other religions? What should we teach our children?

003: “Nutrition” Mike confesses his fatness and asks which diet plan is best: Keto or Whole 30? How do we avoid temptation? Should we have “cheat days”? How do we change our attitudes about food?

002: “Why Get Married?” The guys discuss the need to be more intentional when it comes to marriage, both before and during marriage. How does having a strong marriage relationship correlate to the personal choices that we each make about what we want from our life? Why is “responsibility” a value worth prioritizing?