All Episodes
Life Examined — 348 episodes · page 1 of 4
Lose your ego and find your soul
Mountains of Grief
The loneliness of the male therapist
Ask people about their grief. Then ask them again.
The therapy of Rumi and Joan Didion
The hidden wisdom of my espresso machine
The Millennial Midlife Crisis: Part IV
The Millennial Midlife crisis: Part III
The Millennial Midlife Crisis: Part II
The radical act of loving yourself
Now I'm seeing the Millennial midlife crisis
Therapy for overachievers
Joan Didion’s devastating vision of America
The Long-Distance Life, Part II: The Psychology
The Long-Distance Life, Part I: The Ironman
What if you're not anxious or depressed, but just bored?
What ski mountaineering teaches you about life, beauty, risk and happiness
What does the city of death teach us about the nature of grief?
The paradox of love: it begins with you
What I’ll miss about the single life
Is “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver the best grief poem ever written?
Some dreamers of the Caribbean dream
"Moby-Dick" remains a psychedelic enigma
The Japanese Art of Happiness
Is "Lonesome Dove" an answer to modern male loneliness?
In praise of quiet kindness, when the world is asking us to be loud
The Two Quotes I Think of — and Lean on — Every Day
Stay in touch with Life Examined over on Substack!
Robert Macfarlane: "Is a River Alive?"
When to medicate the mind with Laura Delano
Yale happiness guru Laurie Santos on the power of time off and modern parenting traps
Ocean Vuong: "The Emperor of Gladness"
“He showed us what simplicity could offer:” Pico Iyer and Paul Elie remember Pope Francis
Midweek Reset: Life: less itinerary - more flow
Brainwashing; the history and complexity of coercive persuasion
Midweek Reset: The Myths of Meritocracy
Fred Luskin: ‘forgiveness is being at peace with your life.’
Midweek Reset: Super communicators
Jillian Turecki; ‘when it comes to love, it begins with you.’
Midweek Reset: The Gift Economy
Are we wired for discovery? Alex Hutchinson on the Explorer’s Gene.
Midweek Reset: On having kids
Unlocking the teen brain: Lisa Damour’s guide to raising emotionally balanced kids
Midweek Reset: On Mind over Body
What it’s like to be an alcoholic: a renowned philosopher’s struggle with addiction
Midweek Reset: On failure
Life lessons from history’s greatest explorers
Midweek Reset: Connecting with teens
Poet David David Whyte on death, anxiety, and MDMA
Midweek Reset: Marriage Actually
Understanding anxiety — and its surprising upside
Midweek Reset: Toxic Positivity
Baratunde Thurston: how black communities are reclaiming their connection to nature
Midweek Reset: Sleep
The Black Utopians; vision, history, and legacy
Midweek Reset: On Attachment Styles
Dan Winter’s End; dementia and the controversial decision to accelerate one’s death.
Midweek Reset: On The Cosmos
Learning from Silence; Pico Iyer on the Transformative Power of Solitude & Monastic Life
Midweek Reset: On Arrival Fallacy
L.A. on Fire: trauma and the psychology of loss
Midweek Reset: On Trauma and Resiliency
Endurance and the edge of death: unraveling the mysteries of human resilience
Midweek Reset: On Variety
Exploring the cosmos: Astronomer Kelsey Johnson helps unravel the mysteries of the universe
The Japanese art of happiness: From ikigai, to ritual, to embracing old age
Winter wisdom: Katherine May on grief, loss, and the power of celebration
Tragic optimism and the male identity crisis with Brad Stulberg
Is digital addiction fuelling a teen suicide crisis?
Midweek Reset: Finding a way (or path)
Renowned psychologist Tara Brach on the power of Buddhism in modern therapy
Midweek Reset: On legacy letters
‘The Serviceberry’: Robin Wall Kimmerer’s guide to the gift economy
Midweek Reset: On Awe
Food, Farming, Faith and Hip Hop; Black earth wisdom and the fight for environmental and racial justice
Midweek Reset: On Resilience
Ryan Holiday: A Stoics guide to doing the right thing
Breaking beyond tribalism and apathy: The brighter side of politics
Midweek Reset: The Art of the Imperfect
Oliver Burkeman and the art of imperfectionism
Midweek Reset: On Friendship
The senses: A philosophical and sensual exploration of sound, taste, and touch
Midweek Reset: On Anxiety
Here’s what ‘Wild Rituals’ author Caitlin O’Connell learned from the elephants
Midweek Reset: On Trees
What does boredom do for us… and to us?
Midweek Reset: Rebranding Hope
Autism “it’s not a disease, it’s a different way of being”
Leading a good life doesn’t always mean leading an easy one
Midweek Reset: Sexual Recession
Positivity and hope: How to navigate society away from cynicism
Midweek Reset: Gaslight
Rediscovering sexual desire and eroticism with Esther Perel
In search of happiness: The secrets and science behind leading a good life
Midweek Reset: Life: less itinerary - more flow
Can contemplating death inform a better life
Midweek Reset: On boredom and kids
‘What do we want in a partner?’ Relationships and how to foster deeper connections
Could your friend be your life partner? The history and shifting nature of friendship
Midweek Reset: On Meditation