School of Purpose

How we understand purpose in life affects what we do to obtain it. How can we gain a more robust understanding of what purpose is?Todd Kashdan is a professor of psychology at George Mason University where he studies purpose and other facets of well-being. He's currently working on an article that reconceptualizes the concept of purpose. In this episode, he shares how we can think about purpose more accurately. In this episode, you'll learn about:Purpose as articulated understanding vs. behaviorRecognizing other people's purposeHow we spend our time, money, and energy point to what's purposeful to usDoes acting purposefully require making other people's lives better?Excavating our strengthsTodd's linksWebsiteBooksInstagram***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

What would your life look like if you devoted everything to following your dreams?The Giffords did just that. In 2002, they realized they wanted something different than the typical American life of house and job. They created a six-year plan to live sailing about the world with their three children. Since 2008, they have done just that. As a family, they go where their sails take them.In this episode, you'll learn about:Converting "someday" plans to "now" plansMaking long-term plans for purposeCreating a map of dreamsHow friends and family can negatively react to our dreamsLearning how to adapt to changeGifford's Links:Sailing Totem WebsiteInstagramVoyaging with Kids Book***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Purpose is idiosyncratic. Everyone has their own view on what matters most in their life. However, is it possible to create a single system that many people can use to find purpose?Kristin Sherry has spent years helping people find purpose. In that time, she's asked countless questions about what people find fulfilling in work. From her investigation, she has identified four essential aspects of career fit. If you have these four, you'll have a deep, rich, and meaningful career. In this episode of the School of Purpose podcast, Kristin shares her insight on finding purpose.In this episode, you'll learn about:The power of self-awareness for finding purposeHow others' concern for us can hinder usDeveloping skill stacks for purposeHow we can think of our strengths as weaknessesHow to uncover our valuesKristin's LinksWebsiteLinkedInBooks***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Colleges have extraordinary responsibilities in the lives of their students. Sometimes overlooked is guiding students into purposeful careers.Tim Clydesdale is the author of The Purposeful Graduate. It's an evaluation of a large-scale program funded by the Lilly Foundation that paid for 88 colleges to create purpose programs for their students. In this episode, you'll learn the lessons from these programs, including  what worked and what didn't. In this episode, you'll learn about:Research on fostering purpose among college studentsThe power of narrative in exploring purposeThe longterm effect of college students finding purposeThe value of hands-on experience related to purposeThe best year in college for exploring matters of purposeTim's LinksWebsiteBooksThe Purposeful GraduateThe Twentysomething SoulThe First Year Out***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Severe childhood trauma changes one's life--often for the worse. Sometimes, however, it has a redemptive effect as it leads one into purpose.Michael Unbroken experienced a level of trauma in childhood that's difficult to fathom. Yet, today he feels fully alive and health, and he works with people around the world to help them overcome their own trauma. He's used the pain in the past as a prompt for purpose. In this episode he tells his story.In this episode, you'll learn about:How to find clarity in lifeHow to tap into what's next in your lifeAgency and purposeThe need to start with values in finding purposeThe importance of specificity in purposeMichael's linksLinkedInInstagramPodcastWebsite***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

How do you make sense of the world when you had a lot and then lost just about all of it?John Lefebvre co-founded Neteller, a publicly traded online payment company often used by gamblers. In 2007, John ran into legal problems and lost almost $500 million dollars that he had earned by starting the company. He went to jail and started his life again in hi mid-fifties. Now John writes and advocates for good in the world, including addressing climate change. In this episode, he shares his journey and the lessons that he learned along the way. John's linksAll's WellGood with MoneyDeSmog.com***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Young people face many difficult decisions in their transition to adulthood. Chief among them is identifying what matters most in life so as to live with purpose.  Some young people do this successfully. How do they do it? How do then differ from other young people? Kendall Cotton Bronk has studied purpose for decades. She has interviewed thousands of adolescents about their path into purpose.  In her work, she has identified key factors that enable young people to find purpose. In this episode, she shares these factors along with how we can apply them in our own lives.  In this episode, you'll learn aboutPurpose as a multifaceted conceptPurpose coming from withinA one hour conversation shown to increase people's sense of purposeHow to synthesize purpose experiencesFive steps for helping people find purposeKendall's links:Moral Development LabFaculty page***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

When it comes to purpose, we often think of making goals. However, we live our lives in terms of stories. Especially important are the stories that we tell ourselves about our lives.Julia Winston guides people in creating the stories of their lives. She walks them through a process of intentional story making that is rooted in life purpose. This gives a dramatic arc to our lives that takes us even deeper into purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about:Stories versus goalsThe role of intentions in finding purposeCasting our own lives as storiesApplying experience design to finding purposeHow to create illuminating momentsJulia's links:WebsiteLinkedInPodcast***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

In today's world, it's so easy to become disconnected from our inner, true self. When this happens, what should we do?CEO and author Jaclyn Gallo joins us in this episode to point the way forward. She shares effective strategies and techniques for finding authentic meaning and purpose in a world of distraction and busyness. In this episode, you'll learn about:Taking back ownership of your lifeHow to change your identityHow to discern what you really want in lifeHow to follow your intuition into purposeEffective vision exercisesJaclyn's links:HomepageInstagramLinkedIn***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Do you ever wonder if you were created for a specific purpose in life? That's the logic of having a calling. It extends to communities as well as individuals.This week we're joined by Jane Patterson and Jesse Bazan of Communities of Calling-A network of congregations and organizations working on calling in their own contexts with the aim of revitalizing the church's mission in the world today. They'll share their unique insights into the interplay between one's calling and the context in which we live. In this episode, you'll learn about:Theologies of work and callingHow to discern your calling How callings evolveWhether purpose makes someone happy and cheerfulQuestions about having a vocationJane and Jesse'l links:Communities of CallingCollegeville Institute***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

How would you guide high school students into a greater sense of life purpose? Is it even possible?Patrick Cook-Deegan has not only figured out how to do it, his company, Wayfinder, is doing it at scale. Patrick's approach combines research on adolescent purpose with design thinking to create exercises and strategies that high schools can add to their curriculum. Here he shares how Wayfinder came about, and their approach to teaching purpose in school. In this episode, you'll learn about:Schools not answering the big questions of lifeThe power of experiences and relationships for bringing about purposeHow design thinking can be used to create purposeful experiencesThe translation of purpose research into practiceThe ages at which young people should start engaging purposePatrick's LinksProject WayfinderLinkedIn***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Why should an organization care about purpose? They exist for profit, don't they?Haley Rushing is the cofounder and chief purposologist at The Purpose Institute. in this context, she advises large corporations on how to incorporate purpose into their mission. Often the results from doing this are nothing short of spectacular. She shares both why organizations should engage purpose, and she gives practical advise for how they can do so. In this episode,  you'll learn about:How businesses use purpose to connect with needsThe three elements of a purpose-driven organizationPurpose discovery versus purpose activationThe relationship between profit and purposeThe benefits of purpose for an organizationHaley's linksThe Purpose InstituteBookLinkedIn***Want to connect? Email me at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com or connect on my LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Artists epitomize purpose. They bring something out from inside of themselves to share with and contribute to the world. For most artists, art equals purpose.Katie Chonacas knows about art because she's done many different mediums of it. She's an actor, podcaster, voiceover artist, musician, filmmaker, and writer.  Here she shares her unique perspective about art and its relationship with purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about:Why artists create artThe difficulties of having a calling in lifeWhat happens when a calling is followedWhy being domesticated is the opposite of being an artistHaving courage in purposeKatie's Links:WebsiteInstagramLinkedInThriveGlobal* **Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

What's the relationship between spiritual health and purpose? They are related--but not identical--concepts. How can each one be used to increase the other?Sally Nash PhD is a priest, author, and expert on shame. She guides people into living purposeful, spiritually healthy lives. In this episode, she shares her experiences in spiritual living as it relates to purpose. In this episode, you'll learn about:A stable life and purposeSpirituality and purposeAvoiding regretsHow shame is a barrier to finding purposeCreating spaces for purposeSally's LinksPersonal WebsiteLinkedInBooks***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

What does it mean to integrate purpose in our life? How is that different than having work-life balance? How is it different than "finding our why"?Davin Salvagno is an expert on Purpose. He is a coach, consultant, speaker, and author. He is the founder of PurposePoint--a leadership and organizational development company. He's also organized The Purpose Summit, an annual conference on leadership and purpose. In this episode, Dan addresses critical questions about integrating purpose into personal life and organizations. Making space for purposeThe difference between finding "your why" and "purpose"The magic of combining personal and organizational purposeWork-live balance vs. work-life integrationThe relationship between purpose and profitConnect with Davin....LinkedInPurposepoint.comThepurposesummit.comBook***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

What is true leadership? Some view it as effective influence--getting more people to do what you want. But it's more than that. When leadership is rooted in values, it has the potential to change the world. Stuart Bunderson studies meaningful work and leadership. He is an organizational psychologist, and he heads the Bauer Leadership Center at Washington University. One of Stuart's seminal works explored how zookeepers find meaning in their work and the implications this has for them. In this episode, you'll learn about:Value-based leadershipStarting with one's own values as a leaderThe difference between values and purposeFinding meaning in workOne's calling as destinyConnect with Stuart:WebsiteBauer Leadership CenterPublicationsThe Zookeeper's Secret***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Do you have a life story waiting to be told? Storytelling provides a powerful structure for organizing how we think about our lives. It can be used to create a life of greater purpose.Jeremy Brown started is the founder and CEO of Throne Publishing. He works with people to convert their own life stories into books. This has given him insight into what makes for a meaningful, purposeful life. Here, he shares his perspective on living a life worthy of telling about. In this episode, you'll learn about:Fitting a business model to your lifestyleProactive vs. reactive purpose seekingBeing passionate about people Processing your life storyUsing our life experiences to help other peopleConnect with Jeremy:LinkedInThrone Publishing Group***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Leon El-Alamin started out life on the wrong path. Growing up in Flint, Michigan he got into the street life. He was a drug dealer. He was shot in the head. He was incarcerated. In prison, he was put into 22-hour-a-day lockdown. Amid these difficulties, he had a revelation. He discovered who he really was, and what he wanted to become. Upon release, he went looking for work, but no one would hire him because of his record. Rather than returning to crime, Leon decided to change the community. He started a non-profit to support at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals.  In this episode, you'll learn about:Taking a radically new path in lifeThe need to focus on one's selfThe power of reading Creating yourself into who you want to beThe impact of spirituality on self-disciplineConnect with Leon:Made InstituteFacebookLinkedIn***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

You've heard about hypnosis. Did you know that you can hypnotize yourself--easily and safely? Doing this can be a powerful way of clarifying lots of issues--including your purpose.David Spiegel is the Wilson Professor of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. His life work--for forty years--has been studying hypnosis using stringent scientific protocols. He knows what it is, how it works, and how it benefits people. He's also hypnotized thousands of people. Here he demystifies hypnosis and explains how to start practicing it. In this episode,  you'll learn about:What hypnosis isHow hypnosis worksThe connection between hypnosis and the unconsciousThe Reveri app-an easy, safe way to hypnotize yourselfHow self-hypnosis can clarify purposeReveri AppDavid's publications***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Do you have calling in life? Do you want one? How would you know if you have a calling?Bryan Dik is an expert on callings. As a professor of psychology, at Colorado State University, he has studied them for two decades. He even started a company to help young people choose purposeful careers. In this episode of the School of Purpose Podcast, Bryan teaches about callings--what they are and how to find your own. In this episode,  you'll learn :What a calling isHow knowing our gifts and strengths guides us to our callingHow to assess our deepest valuesThe power of starting with what we're most interested inStarting with possibilities and making informed choicesWhere to find Bryan:Personal WebsitePathwayUThe Purposeful Work Podcast***Want help in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

Have you ever dreamed of doing something that was entirely new, but  you have no idea how to do it? All too many people don't act on such a dream. It's too different, too difficult. Some people, however, try it. They take the risk and boldly walk into the unknown. Cam Anderson is a woodworker doing really interesting things. He makes extraordinarily beautiful tables--thick slabs of wood with gaps filled with resin. He also films himself making these tables, and posts the videos to YouTube. Many, many people watch these videos. The channel has 1.2 million subscribers! In this episode, Cam shares his secrets for getting into something new that feels purposeful.  In this episode, you'll learn about Being brave enough to suck at something newSerendipitous input from othersCore vs. manifest purpose in lifeEducating others about their purposeThe relationship between ability and purpose Connect with Cam:YouTube ChannelInstagramBlacktail Studio***Thank you for listening to the School of Purpose Podcast. Would you like assistance in finding  your own purpose? Email us at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. We'll do what we can.Want to connect? Make a connection on Bradley's LinkedIn page. Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com. He specializes in working with early podcasters.

What should a young person do when they passionate about doing many different things?Sierra RyanWallick is one such person. She's been a go-getter from early on. At age 11, she founded a fundraising organization that has since raised over $100,000 for local charities. Now, Sierra has turned her attention to social entrepreneurship and mentoring. In this episode, she shares her stories and struggles in creating something that will make the world a better place.In this episode, you'll learn about:Narrowing one's passions when you have many of themWhether passion precedes or follows purposeful behaviorParental support for one's purposeUsing social entrepreneurship to create meaning in lifeThe impact of mentoring on enacting purposeSierra's Links:InstagramLinkedInYouTube ChannelUpcycle Design***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

How can Christians find their calling in life? There's lots of teaching in the Church about God's "general" will-that is for all people. What about God's "particular" will-His individualized plans for a specific person?Chase Davis is the pastor of a thriving church in Boulder, Colorado. He's also a deep thinker-having recently authored the book Trinitarian Formation. He has both personal and professional insight into how Christians find purpose and calling in life. In this episode, he shares how to think about these issues, and he gives practical advice on finding one's calling. In this episode, you'll learn about:Finding purpose and identity in GodFeeling called to participate in a local churchThe difference between a general and particular callingThe value of getting feedback from othersThe first question that Chase asks people when they want to know their callingChase's links:LinkedInWebsiteBookThe Well Church***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

As much joy as purpose gives us, it's often born in pain.Amber Hovanec-Carey grew up with suffering. At age 9, she was diagnosed with stage 4 of a very rare form of childhood cancer. She went through extensive treatment. At one point, she asked her father, "Daddy, am I going to make it?" Eventually, the cancer went into remission. At in mid-twenties, she was diagnosed with breast cancer--likely resulting from her earlier radiation therapy. She battles that today. This life of overcoming illness has given Amber a unique, deeply empathetic outlook on the world. In this episode, she shares how her suffering has resulted in a daily sense of purpose.In this episode, you'll learn about:The link between empathy and purposeHow writing can be a callingWhat it feels like to be called to an activityActing purposefully in a situation versus finding purposeful situationsHow past pain produces future purposeAmber's links:LinkedInFree-Form Feminist Blog***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Purpose is multifaceted. We experience it in different areas of our lives. Many different factors come together to move us into it. How do they come together?Ben Houltberg has done a lot of things that gives him insight into life purpose. He has been an elite track athlete, a marriage and family therapist, a developmental psychologist, and now the CEO of the Search Institute ("Helping Young People Thrive.") His professional life has been devoted to helping people live their best lives. In this episode, he shares lessons that he's learned along the way for living more purposefully.In this episode, you'll learn about:How fear robs us of purposePurpose being what holds our life narratives togetherA simple definition of purposeHow relationships foster purposeHow painful events can lead us to greater purposeBen's linksLinkedInSearch Institute***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What's keeps us from pursuing purpose? For many, it's what's inside of us. Our fears, worries, even negative expectations keep us from moving forward.Maya Nazareth knows all about this. When she started practicing jiu jitsu, she realized that the available gear was made for men, not women. As an aspiring entrepreneur, she saw an opportunity, and she started her own business making fightwear for women. There were many obstacles to overcome. The first and foremost was inside of her. Her internal chatter told her that she shouldn't do this and that she couldn't do this. In this episode, Maya shares how she overcame this barrier to launch a successful business.In this episode, you'll learn about:The importance of finding people pursuing purpose in a similar wayWhat it means to gamble on finding purposeHow our internal chatter blocks us acting on what matters mostBuilding the muscle of believing in yourselfHow to use purpose in brandingMaya's links:LinkedInAlchemize Fightwear***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Living in a digital world has many advantages, but living purposefully isn't one of them. Digital distraction affects us and our relationships in so many ways. What can we do to overcome it and live a life that matters? Ed Cyzewski is a writer and thinker who explores the boundaries of theology, spiritual practice, and daily living. His book Reconnect: Spiritual Restoration from Digital Distraction guides readers in living deeply in a shallow world. In this episode, he shares his thoughts on the many ways that digital distraction pulls us away from living meaningful, authentic lives and what we can do about it.In this episode,  you'll learn about:The effect of digital distraction How to figure out what matters most in lifeChoosing intentional versus reactionary actionsConnecting contemplation with purposeWhy social media is toxic for living purposefullyEd's websiteReconnect bookLinkedIn***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

(Part two of a two-part series)Have you ever wanted to get away from it all for a wild adventure? If you did, what would  you learn about yourself? How would you be different?Logan McDonald did this. He was a student in my class his senior year. After he graduated, he planned to hike the Appalachian trail by himself. Logan graciously agreed to a two-part interview--one shortly before he left for the trip and the other right after he got back. He shares with us thoughts about why to do such an adventure and what can gotten out of it. In these episodes, you'll learn about:The connection between challenge and purposeGrit, gratitude, and purposeThe value of solitude in discerning what's importantFinding purpose even in social interactionsHow challenging difficulties change usLogan's Instagram page***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

(Part one of a two part series)Have you ever wanted to get away from it all for a wild adventure? If you did, what would  you learn about yourself? How would you be different?Logan McDonald did this. He was a student in my class his senior year. After he graduated, he planned to hike the Appalachian trail by himself. Logan graciously agreed to a two-part interview--one shortly before he left for the trip and the other right after he got back. He shares with us thoughts about why to do such an adventure and what can gotten out of it. In these episodes, you'll learn about:The connection between challenge and purposeGrit, gratitude, and purposeThe value of solitude in discerning what's importantFinding purpose even in social interactionsHow challenging difficulties change usLogan's Instagram page***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Which aspects of your life do you need to manage to have more purpose? Naturally, we think of money, time, and energy. But, what about the space that you live in?Shawna Scafe, at Simple on Purpose, teaches people how to live on purpose. One of her main tools is decluttering. Decluttering is much more than just getting rid of things. It forces us to understand who we are and what is important to us. It's also a way of gaining control over our lives. Finally, we can set up our space to support our purpose as we understand it. Shawna shares her deep insight into this topic with us. In this episode, you'll learn about:The devastating effect of "safe" jobsDecluttering and purposeUsing space as a resource, just as we do money and timeHow to remember your whyNine areas of life in which to find purposeInstagramSimple on Purpose website***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Leadership in intrinsically bound to purpose. The best leaders know their own purpose, and they lead others with purpose. How can leaders learn to be more purposeful?Ryan Sanders approaches this issue from both a theoretical and an applied perspective. As a business school instructor, he knows the research literature on leadership. As an executive coach, he has plenty of hands-on experience helping leaders. From this background, Ryan shares a wealth of ideas about finding and using purpose as a leader. In this episode, you'll learn about:Why leaders need to continually ask "why am I doing this"Purpose vs. money as a motivator for leadersGood and bad reasons for getting into leadershipThe ego and purposeCreating vs. helping others as two basic forms of purpose expressionRyan's LinkedIn pageEducate, Innovate, and Inspire Consulting***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

In life, we go through different seasons. What about purpose? How does it reflect these changing seasons of our life?Jonathon Tucker played competitive soccer, started up a soccer coaching business, and became a teacher. In all of these, he had to work out what purpose meant in that stage of life. Each stage taught him something new about purpose. From his experience, he's developed a model of how purpose unfolds and what we can do to have more of it--at any time of our life.In this episode, you'll learn about:The cyclical nature of purposeWhy purpose is necessarily idiosyncratic to the personHow to equip people for purposeBecoming disillusioned with conventional successLearning lessons from any situationJonathon's LinkedIn pageThe Purpose Cycle bookJonathon's Indiegogo page***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Purpose is usually talked about as a destination. "What is the purpose of my life?" But, is it something that can be experienced every day? What does purpose mean as a day-to-day experience?Zach Mercurio spent two years studying how janitors found purpose and meaning in their work. Even though they were doing menial work, some of them found greater purpose in what they did. This research gave him deep insight into the lived experience of purpose. It involves less of what we actually do and more how we do it. This powerful idea opens up the door for any experience--no matter how seemingly mundane--being deeply purposeful. Zach explains how we can do this in our own lives as well. In this episode, you will learn aboutBeing educated for purpose vs. successExtraordinary people doing ordinary things in extraordinary waysPurpose as a lived experience Why organizations must actively maintain purposeThe importance of helping people know that they matterZach's LinkedIn page***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What do you do when you hit absolute rock bottom in your life--when you've lost all that matters in your past and in your future? You start living out any purpose that you can find.Shay Walters is a wife, mother, and a nine-time convicted felon.  She delved into the abyss of drug addiction. Having lost custody of her son and facing a possible two-decade prison sentence, she changed her life around completely. She gave up her previous impulsive ways of living only for momentary pleasure. She committed herself to vision for her life that was bigger than her.  Now, out of prison, she and her husband run an out-treatment rehabilitation center for others in addiction. In this episode, you'll learn about Why some young people don't engage purposeHow to live purposefully with few, if any, resourcesHaving a bigger picture for your lifeUsing the problems of our past to help othersHow a sense of entitlement can block finding purposeShay's Prison to Purpose Facebook page***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Awareness is an often overlooked aspect of experiencing purpose. This raises the question of how awareness increases purpose, and, conversely, how purpose increases awareness. It also ties purpose into mindfulness and other contemplative practices.Cortland Dahl works in the intersection of science and the spirit. In science, he is a research scientist working at the prestigious University of Wisconsin Center for Health Minds. He's spent his career studying contemplative practices--even going on a one-year silent retreat. He brings a wealth of insight about the relationship between the brain and our experiences of purpose.In this episode, you'll learn about:The relationship between mediation and purposeHow we experience purpose in everyday lifeThe power of reflecting on our own mortalityLooking on people who inspire usHow post-traumatic growth can lead to purpose***Find more at my Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

When people find purpose, it often involves an inner compunction. Something inside of us "knows" that we should do something. This can be called inner wisdom. The question becomes how do we find this inner wisdom?Audrey Seymour started out as a software engineer with a background in mathematics. About 20 years ago, she changed to life coaching with an emphasis on helping people find purpose. She brings a deep and thoughtful approach to her work. She shares her insights on best practices for finding purpose.  In this episode, you'll learn about:The three sources of trusted inner wisdomWhether purpose is chosen, discovered, or imposedThe role of doubt and fear in finding purposeThe need to feel safe when looking for purposeThe value of the ego in our lives***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What would you do if knew that you had a terminal illness and would die soon--would it change what mattered to you? Change what you did?William McNeely knows the answer to this question. In his early 50s, he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable and terminal disease. For three years, his medical chart was marked EOL for end of life. Yet, William had a long-term vision for making a difference in his hometown of Charlotte. When he was within a week or two of dying, he received a double-lung transplant. He's recovered fully, and is now doing great things with his non-profit Do Greater Charlotte. He credits his sense of purpose for his community as keeping him alive.In this episode, you'll learn about:Making an impact locallyStating your purpose as an elevator pitchThe power of knowing that you've got things to do in lifeHow to plan a yearly family dinner for visioneeringHelping children to find purposeDo Greater Charlotte website***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

How is purpose linked to the most painful moments of our lives? Ferose VR was living his dream life--a successful career, marriage, and a child on his way. Then his child was born with autism. Ferose was in anguish. Then he spoke to a mentor about it. Instead of grieving, she congratulated him.  She told him that now he knew his purpose in life. Beautiful things have resulted, including Ferose's starting a movement to integrate people with autism into the workplace. These experiences, combined with extensive reading in the philosophy of Gandi, give Ferose a deep perspective how we live purposefully. In this episode, you'll learn about:Why purpose is complex but not complicatedThe potentially negative side of purposeHow purpose finds us rather our finding itThe importance of purity of intentionPreparing your inner-being for purpose***Find more on my Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

We often think of living a life of purpose as being extreme--quitting your job and taking up something brand new. This happens sometimes. But, how can purpose be meaningfully integrated into our existing lives? Attorney and self-discovery guide Lauren Krasnodembski sheds light on how to live purposefully in your current life. She's a successful privacy attorney and is raising a family. She also has found a way to help others find their way. She guides them in her writing, speaking, and coaching through the process of self-discovery. In this episode, you'll learn about:How following purpose leads to discomfortBalancing personal security and the risks of purposeHow to know what your heart is telling you to doLiving purposefully even when you're really busyResponding to live vs. reacting***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Mindfulness and purpose are two common themes in research on how to live a good life. How do they interlink? Does one lead to the other? Jon Macaskill turned to meditation out of need. He had experienced severe trauma in the battlefield. It lead him to find another side of himself such that when he retired from the Navy, he turned full time to helping others find mindfulness for themselves as well. Mindfulness, in turn, sets the stage for purpose. As both a mindfulness practitioner and a retired SEAL, Jon has a unique, insightful perspective on what makes humans thrive.  In this episode you'll learn about:The importance of being in a tribe for living out purposeGrowing a side interest into a full-time, purposeful activityA common pattern of purposeful activitiesThe relationship between mindfulness and purposeCommon mistakes people make when they start mindfulness***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

How does purpose intrude into our everyday life? Even in middle age, can we turn our careers into something profoundly purposeful? Burton Fleischner has a successful career as the manager of a large retail bookstore. But, it didn't engage him at a deep level. Then, one day, a customer asked him a question that caused him to reevaluate everything. Not long after that, he left the safe, known world of retail and moved into medical care. He was inspired by a tragedy that his family had experienced decades prior. He's now a celebrated rehabilitation aide who powerfully helps patients in a rehabilitation hospital. He's so full of purpose that it doesn't even feel like he's doing work. In this episode, you'll learn about:How we can us our careers to complete unfinished business from our youthWhat it feels like being in an organization that doesn't have a compelling missionHow empathy brings us closer to our purposeHow friends and family can actually keep us from exploring our purpose as they encourage us to be risk averseHow a single conversation can change our whole lives***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Why aren't more people able to find their purpose? What is it about our past that makes it difficult to do so?This week's guest explores this topic with his work. Joey Drolshagen helps people overcome their blocks to living fully and purposefully. He has developed a system that enables people to overcome their unhelpful conditioning and move more fully into the life they are meant to live. Removing these barriers can make all the difference. In this episode, you'll learn about:What it feels like to not be doing what's purposeful to youCreating time to do what is purposefulHow past conditioning can take us away from our purposeThree things that everyone should do for more purposeThe distinction between hard work and inspired workLinks to Joey's work:BookWebsite Promotional ***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

If you're a person of faith, how do you connect what you're doing in life with what God wants for you?This is a big, meaty question that this week's guest, Dustan Christensen, unpacks for us. He identifies several steps that we can take to align our actions with God's will. He anchors this discussion the in the distinction between sacrifice and obedience, and he prescribes the right ordering of them. In this book, you'll learn aboutHow writing a book enables you to leave a legacyAsking yourself "who am I supposed to be?"Sharing our purpose with others in the context of a relationshipHow God uses pain and love to align us with our purposePurpose can be found in all areas of our livesDustan's book: Obedience vs. Sacrifice***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What is the story of your life? Are you willing to give yourself over to it fully?Robert Pardi lives a beautiful, meaningful life. He got there through living out stories. His wife died at a tragically young age, and Robert was her caregiver for 11 years. He transitioned from Wall Street to being a life coach. He stumbled upon a small town in central Italy where his family emigrated from and he made it his home. He shares the wealth of knowledge that he's gained through all of this about living a meaningful life.In this episode, you'll learn about:The value of sharing our life experiences with othersUsing a vision board to plot our purposeHow to think of your life in terms of the stories that you createThe need to surrender completely to what life asks of usSupporting others into the life that they want to liveRobert's website (check out the view from his balcony!)***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What does a young person need to find purpose in their lives? What are the skills, abilities, and experiences that will push them into a life that matters?As a fifth grade teacher, Kenneth Joyner saw a problem. Some of the boys in his school were lost. They didn't have father figures in their lives. They didn't apply themselves in school. They didn't know how to present themselves to others. They were acting out. In response, Kenneth and another teacher started an afterschool program called "Boys with a Purpose." They started off simply: teaching the boys how to dress well and observe basic etiquette. From there, they developed training for academic success as well as a wide range of life skills. Boys with a Purpose now partners with Boeing, the Charlotte Hornets, and other sponsors to make a profound difference in these boys' lives. At the heart of what Kenneth is doing is the question of what are the preconditions for finding purpose in life?  In this episode, you'll learn about:How pain points us to our purposeThe power of new experiences for showing us what is possibleThe power of thinking differently to act differentlyHow to mentor others in finding their purposeThe difference between passion and purposeBoys with a Purpose FB PageKenneth's book: Without a Father***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Do you need to be qualified to do what you find most purposeful? Probably not.Steven Lavine was the president of the California Institute of the Arts for 29 years. He had a very successful tenure, despite not being an artist.  He got the job through "dumb luck," and he constantly had to face what he didn't feel qualified to do. His story is that of following your passion regardless of perceived ability to do it. In this episode, you'll learn about:Surrounding yourself with people of purposeThe powerful role dumb luck plays in finding purposeLearning by making mistakesThe value of throwing ourselves into our incompetencyWhy purpose carries with it the idea of struggleBiography of Steven***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What, exactly, is meaning? How can we continually find it in our physical and spiritual world? Alex Pattakos is one of the world's leading experts in the study of meaning. He founded the Global Meaning Institute and is a scientist and philosopher. Guess who encouraged him to write a book about meaning? Viktor Frankl himself! Alex has thought deeply and lived fully when it comes to meaning. He shares his insights with us. In this episode, you'll learn aboutFinding meaning in every momentDefinitions of meaning and purposeLogotherapy as developed by Viktor FranklWhy leadership is always spiritualWhy awareness is the entry point into meaning***Find more at our Instagram page. Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

What is it like to being willing to go wherever your sense of purpose takes you? Steve Sorensen has been wine grower, film maker, executive, and, now, a highly successful mandolin maker. He's been willing to go wherever his interests take them, and he's created a rich, purposeful life in which each stage prepares him for the next. This week he tells us his story. In this episode, you'll learn about:The twists and turns in life that happen when we pursue purposeHow our natural skills and abilities can show us our purposeWhen it's time to leave a job that doesn't feel purposefulHow starting a hobby can lead to purposeHow purpose can organically grow with what we're doing***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

When we talk about finding purpose, our minds often go to young people who are just starting out or maybe people in the middle of life who want to make a course correction. Anna Hall makes a compelling case this week that we're overlooking a group that may need purpose more than others--senior citizens.Anna is the founder of The Purpose Equation. She brings years of research into the topic of purpose, and she uses her expertise to help people--not just seniors--to find more purpose in their lives.In this episode, you'll learn about:why purpose might be more important in old age than at any other time of lifeliving without purpose is heartbreakingwhy each of us have a unique way of living purposefullyhow purpose changes our perceptions of the worldhow we can make assisted living homes meccas of wisdom***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

It's easy to think that we need to find our purpose before we act on it. But, maybe it's the other way around. We act on what we think is purposeful--however little we understand it--and we then get clarity about our purpose as well as the resources to enact it. In short, take action first, find purpose second.Wayne Gill is someone who takes action. He started a very successful law firm. He has overseen a highly impactful non-profit organization. He's an accomplished speaker. From his experience, he has plenty of wisdom to share about finding purpose.In this episode, you'll learn about:Becoming a dream enactorNot being able to see the end from the beginningThe importance of having partners who believe in youHow action opens up possibilitiesThat gifts determine destiny***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com

Purpose is usually thought about in individual terms-"What is the purpose of my life?" But, organizations can have a sense of purpose as well. It's their mission. Having a sense of mission benefits organizations in many ways.Jeff Ikler and Kirsten Richert study organizational mission, especially in schools. They have written a book together and host their own podcast on the topic They bring unique insights into what it takes for organizations to develop a sense of mission as well as the problems in getting there.  In this episode, you'll learn about:What is a mission driven organization?Types of organizations by how clearly they understand their missionThe impact of having a clear mission in an organizationBest practices for creating organizational missionThe similarities between individual purpose and organizational mission***Want to connect? Have a question? Just want to say "hi"? Send me an email at bradleywrightphd@gmail.com. Would enjoy hearing from you.Want to start your own podcast? This podcast is edited and produced (and music too) by Josh Gilbert. He does a great job and is a joy to work with. Contact him at   joshgilbertmedia@gmail.com