Fulfillment Equation

What does freedom look like to you? If your answer includes financial independence, then you’ll particularly enjoy this week’s conversation with FIRE (financial independence, retire early) legend, Bryce Leung, as part of our deep dive exploration into Fulfillment Concept #3: Finding Freedom. Bryce and I dig into the fundamental strategies of achieving and sustaining financial independence, such as the 4% rule, yield shield, cash cushion and geographic arbitrage. We also cover the softer, yet equally critical, side of things like the mental shift that has to take place when you transition from external structure and being told how to spend your time to internally-driving your purpose and daily activities. We talk about the tenuous balance involved in sacrificing present fulfillment for future fulfillment and we check in on life 10 years after retiring. As Bryce passionately describes, “Freedom never gets old, just like oxygen never gets old”. Plus, Bryce answers some questions from listeners! And, of course, we build Bryce's equation: 15wr + 10a + 7LMS + 0(→7)s

This month we’re kicking off our deep dive exploration into Fulfillment Concept #3: Finding Freedom. As my first guest for this topic, I’m thrilled to welcome entrepreneur and star of the TV series “Trailer Travels”, Alicia Simms! Together we talk about freedom in work, location freedom and adjusting to less (working less, having less, spending less). And of course we talk about RV living and travel. We also touch on how time is our most precious asset and how the changes you make don’t need to be dramatic. “Small ripples can lead to big waves”, as Alicia says. You don’t have to disrupt everything you know; just make little changes that move the needle towards the direction you want to be heading. Plus, we build Alicia's equation: 14pp + 6e + 5W + 7f + 3(→7)r + 14s + 7tv + T + ss

Are your beliefs limiting your opportunities for fulfillment? In this episode, we take a deep dive into challenging our unconscious beliefs, aligning our behaviors to our authentic values, adopting a growth mindset, inviting more gratitude and generally reshaping any thought patterns and social constructs that may be holding us back. It’s time to question everything!

Our month-long deep dive into Fulfillment Concept #2: Rewiring Your Brain continues with this inspiring guest episode featuring the incredible Dionne Nicholls-Germain. Dionne refers to herself as a "Chief Forgiveness Officer" and teaches us about the life-changing empowerment that can come from making forgiveness a lifestyle. Her personal story of forgiveness is fascinating and strongly illustrates how choosing forgiveness can be a key that unlocks all sorts of remarkable opportunities for us. Together, we discuss how forgiveness is one of the highest forms of personal transformation. Dionne also explains to me the three different forms of forgiveness and how "reconciliation takes two people, but forgiveness only takes one". Our conversation also touches on trading in perfectionism for a spirit of excellence, and why it's important to ensure our motivation is driven from our values and belief system rather than from a place of fear. Plus, it wouldn't be a rewiring your brain chat without digging into the topics of growth mindset and gratitude. Finally, we build Dionne's equation: 28g + 7n + 7s + 7d + 7j + 7m + 3e + 5gr + 4f + 5P It's worth noting that one piece of Dionne's equation is so unique to her that it might just have become my favourite equation element of all time. Listen to find out what it is!

This week I’m thrilled to welcome Brandon Epstein to the podcast to kick off our month-long deep dive into Fulfillment Concept #2: Rewiring Your Brain! Brandon is a world class mental performance coach who’s worked with numerous professional athletes, CEOs, and other high-achieving individuals, helping them reach their peak potential. In this episode, Brandon helps us walk through the process of rewiring our brain and reclaiming our energy through the specific steps of awareness, acceptance, surrender and transmutation. I love how spiritual Brandon's work is and how it focuses on transforming negative energy into positive energy. This is much deeper than just positive self-talk. It’s about unearthing your self-limiting code, unpacking layers of subconscious beliefs and ultimately reclaiming your energy. It’s powerful stuff and I really appreciated the sense of calm, curiousness and acceptance that Brandon brings to our conversation. Plus, we build Brandon's equation: 6C + 2fr + 6s + (F + 5f) + (1→7)n + 8c + 1sp + (0→1)a + T

As we wrap up our deep dive on Fulfillment Concept #1: Happiness vs. Fulfillment, I’m thrilled to welcome water woman, adventurer and ultra-endurance swimmer Catherine Breed to the podcast. Our conversation covers a breadth of topics from how the ocean is her safe space, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who support and inspire you, and breaking free from norms and limitations. As she says, “Whatever your pool, whatever your black line is that you’ve been following and not feeling fulfilled following it, maybe it’s time to go beyond that”. Catherine reminds us that we get to do things. Not want to or have to, but get to. It’s a privilege. My favourite part of our conversation was after we’d built her equation and she realized she was fully living it. She describes how it’s not by chance and reminds us that fulfillment takes some effort, but it’s worth the work. Of course, Catherine is an expert in the difference between happiness and fulfillment as it’s impossible to be happy every moment of a long-distance swim when you’re battling strong currents, white caps, frigid water, jellyfish and sharks. Yet as Catherine says, “my swims aren’t always fun or joyful, but they give me fulfillment”. Together, we build Catherine's equation: 12ff + 7S + 4n + 5W + g + 7SL

How is fulfillment different from happiness? Why does that difference matter? In this episode, I take a deep dive into the research to help us better understand the distinction between happiness and fulfillment. As it turns out, there are 6 key differences! When it comes to building your best life, understanding the relationship between happiness and fulfillment is crucial because it encourages an important mind shift. Listen to learn more! 

We're kicking off our deep dive for the month on Fulfillment Foundation Concept #1: Happiness vs. Fulfillment and I'm thrilled to have David Mead as our featured guest for this topic. David describes his purpose as "propelling people in their pursuit of a more meaningful human experience". What a perfect fit for our exploration into fulfillment! David is the best-selling co-author of Find Your Why, along with Simon Sinek and Peter Docker. The book contains a thoughtfully written description of the difference between happiness and fulfillment, which we dig into together. David and I also discuss how to "make a life, not a living", tips for creating fulfillment in the present, and how spirituality and faith is connected to fulfillment. It's an insightful conversation! Finally, we build David's equation: 7P + 5e + 10(→21)f + 6mr + 28p  

We're back baby! It's the beginning of Season 3 of the podcast and I wanted to launch this intro episode to give you a sense for all that you can expect. I also wanted to talk about our unique equations and how that’s shaping this upcoming season. There is so much good stuff in the fulfillment foundations to dig into and we’re going to go deep over the next year on Season 3. Get the full scoop in this intro!

Are you curious about the next season of the podcast? You don’t have to wait much longer. I’m excited to share a sneak peek with you in this short episode on what’s coming soon.  Get ready to take a deep dive into each of the Fulfillment Foundations as we launch into Season 3 of the podcast. This trailer gives you the inside scoop on all of the goodness that’s about to unfold. I think you’ll see why this is shaping up to be the biggest and boldest season yet!

In this special episode, Josh joins me as we once again come full circle - this time to wrap up Season 2! We reflect on the highlights of the season and talk about the themes that emerged across the conversations this time around. We also cover my favourite nuggets from each guest in the series. It's a great way to get a taste for what's covered in each episode so you can pick out the ones you're most interested in listening to. Wondering what you can expect in Season 3? There's a sneak peak at the end of this episode. I'll also describe the fun that's happening for FE Community members in between the seasons!

In my final guest episode of Season 2, I'm chatting with Fulfillment guru, Nancy Ho, who joins us all the way from Singapore! Nancy's work centres on what she has labeled as the "Professional Paradox", which is the odd duality in which many people who are talented and (by all traditional measures) "successful", often struggle to find personal fulfillment. Why is this? How is it possible to "have it all" and still be depressed? In our conversation, Nancy talks about the pitfalls of the "outside-in" mindset and the emptiness of chasing happiness highs. We dive into the importance of the "why" behind our dreams, taking an "I choose" approach, and being intentional about identifying what is important and scheduling it accordingly. Nancy gives us tips on how to redefine our own perceptions of success. She also shares some helpful wisdom around understanding your beliefs (e.g. expecting the world to be fair) and creating a healthy balance between what you can control and what you can't. Finally, Nancy walks us through 5 specific strategies we can all use to guide us toward a stronger sense of fulfillment. I love how this episode feels fun and light-hearted on the surface, but the content is deep and hearty. I anticipate it will leave you with a lot to reflect on. As usual, we finish the episode by building Nancy's equation: 7C + 5e + 4m +7sp + 3d + 2ch

This week, I cover the final step in Your Personal Strategy practice: Checking In & Assessing Progress. This describes the ongoing work you can do to connect with the progress you are making toward your vision and make adjustments to your strategy and action plan as needed. As much as we may like our strategy to be a “set it and forget it” thing, building fulfillment in our future takes our active participation to occasionally re-energize us and get us back on course. In the episode, I describe how to reflect on your progress through the occasional vision assessment, and then apply the insights from your assessment to make tweaks to your personal strategy model and update your action plan. All of this is done through an analogy to the famous Apollo spaceflight missions because, let's face it, space travel is super cool! One of the things I also cover in this episode is the notion of being both present and future-oriented at the same time. This is the sweet spot where your Unique Equation and Personal Strategy intersect! This is important because we want to be careful not to let our pursuit of future fulfillment take away from our fulfillment in the present. However, when working in balance, the two fulfillment practices will actually augment and fuel each other. This episode discusses how to approach keeping one foot firmly planted in each camp in order to embrace that ideal balance that leads us to long-lasting fulfillment.

Have you ever dreamed about taking a break from your daily routine and travelling the world with your family? This week’s guest, Charles Achampong, did EXACTLY that - put his regular life on pause and travelled the world for 6 months with his wife and two young kids. Through this experience, Charles learned a ton about himself and the people he loves the most. It also allowed him a chance to shift his perspective and acted as a catalyst for his own personal growth. In my podcast conversation with Charles, we talk about the power of taking a pause in life to reflect, reset and connect with the people you love. I dig into the details of his trip - the spark that started it all, highlights from specific destinations, and strategies for saving for a big adventure like this - so that we can all learn from his experience. Then we chat about why “your ego is not your amigo” and the importance of being able to think with your heart and not with your head. (We’re all pretty good already at the latter!) Charles describes how deep down inside we all know the things that bring us joy and how fulfillment comes from our ability to pursue those things. As Charles says, “This journey wasn’t just about seeing the world; it was about stepping away from routine to reconnect and find what truly matters". Finally, we build Charles's equation: 7e + 7o + 7m + 5s + 5k + 3fr + 2v + 7li

"Stop Working, Start Living". Those powerful words grace the cover of the life-changing book "Quit Like a Millionaire", expertly written by Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung. What I love about Kristy and Bryce's work, beyond all of the insightful financial stuff, is how it challenges us to think differently and question everything. When I talk to people about their dreams, the topic of financial independence often comes up. While money doesn’t bring you fulfillment, it can bring a form of freedom that you can leverage to live life to its fullest and spend your time the way you want to. If you're dreaming of bringing more financial freedom into your life, then this week's episode is for you! In it, I have the opportunity to chat with Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) guru Kristy Shen about all kinds of freedom - financial freedom, time freedom, freedom from stuff and location freedom. In our conversation, we touch on strategies such as optimization, the rule of 150 and geographic arbitrage. Then we go deeper to talk about how overcoming the mental hurdles of rewiring your brain, redefining your identity and letting go of outdated views of financial security is often the most challenging part of settling into a financially independent lifestyle. We discuss all that has happened in the 10 years since Kristy retired at the tender age of 31 (economic changes, a global pandemic, having a child) and Kristy shares what she's learned about FIRE since writing the book - primarily a beautiful, complex landscape of gray that exists beyond (and in complement to) the number crunching and black and white analysis. Finally, we talk about how to build "CRAP" (creativity, resilience, adaptability and perseverance) skills in our kids and we bond over our mutual love affair with playgrounds. Of course, we also build Kristy's equation: 7S + 3WR + 4o + 7fr + 2fa + 1s + T

In this week's episode, we get to know Crystal Richard (a.k.a. the East Coast Mermaid)! I stumbled across Crystal on our trip to Atlantic Canada when her online blog made it feel like our family had a new best friend giving us a private, guided tour of Grand Manan Island. Crystal's work in promoting small businesses through intentional storytelling and her passion for the magic of her home province of New Brunswick is infectious. Together, we explore the spark behind entrepreneurship ("I wanted something of my own, not realizing at the time that was entrepreneurship") and navigating through uncertainty by trusting in the universe and yourself ("And then you just say, 'I've got this. It's all going to work out because it always does'"). As a Public Relations expert, Crystal shares advice and ideas for the best way to promote your business. We also touch on how her creativity shows up as storytelling and how her relationship with "stuff" changed after turning 40. Of course, we also dug into the magic of Atlantic Canada travel! Crystal gives us insider tips on some of her favourite places and hidden gems in New Brunswick, and dispels the myth that it is a "drive-through" province. As our personal guide to the region, she helps us to develop a coastal crush on New Brunswick. Finally, we build Crystal's equation: 5W + 7wr + 4r + 9s + 4f + 2fr + 7m + 7c

What a treat it is this week to welcome Caroline Paul to the podcast! Caroline's most recent book, Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking - How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age, is incredibly insightful when it comes to learning about opportunities to pour into our own fulfillment. This is not just a book; it is a full-blown quest to explore and understand how to live a dynamic life, especially as we grow older. In this episode, we dig into redefining adventure and why being in nature matters. Caroline shares some of the key findings from her research, including how having a positive view of your own aging can lead you to be happier, healthier and live longer. We also talk about how outdoor adventure builds confidence and why novelty is so important to fulfillment. Plus, we discover how awe helps to rewire your brain, making you more curious and open-minded. Caroline also explains some of the science behind why so many women say their 60's was their favourite decade! Finally, we build Caroline's equation: 7r + 20w + 12e + 7A + 7O + 2a + 5fr + 5f + 7c. Caroline was the first person to add the concept of "open space" directly into her equation. I love it!

We now have a vision and personal strategy that give us clarity and direction when it comes to building future fulfillment. But how do we turn that strategy into action? After all, without action our dreams for the future will remain just that…dreams! Our action is what will ultimately turn those dreams into reality. Step 3 of Your Personal Strategy focuses on creating an action plan that will help you bridge the gap between your high-level strategy and your day-to-day activities. By celebrating our accomplishments so far, then identifying short-term goals and supporting behaviours for each pillar in our strategy, we can confidently move out of "thinking" mode and into "doing" mode. In this episode, I take a deep dive into the three parts of your action plan (reflection, goal-setting, behaviours) and provide loads of examples along the way to help you apply this in your own life. By the end of this step, you'll be able to clearly trace how your behaviour and choices today link you directly to getting closer to where you want to be in the future. Just follow the bread crumbs! In knowing this to be the case, we can comfortably set aside our strategy and action plan and focus our energies on the behaviours in our present living.

"Lovin' It, Livin' It" is the motto of this week's guest, Parveen Dhupar, and as he explains, the order matters! As Parveen describes so beautifully, "You have to love yourself first, you have to love life first, before you can live it to its fullest".  Parveen shares a moment of regret in his life that forever changed how he evaluates his priorities and controls his time. He also describes his gentle, mindful approach to starting each day and why it's important in the mornings to not feel rushed. Parveen introduces me to the Japanese concept of Ikigai (a passion that gives value and joy to life) and it's easy to see through our conversation how Parveen lives his values through his own ikigai of contributing towards building a united world. He also continues to reinforce the lessons I've been learning around mindset and positivity with his insightful "I get to do the dishes!" story.  Finally, we build Parveen's equation: 2m + 2j + 3r + 6e + 15b + 15so + 15f

In this episode, I'm talking with entrepreneur, real estate investor and world traveller, David Carley. Dave is like a modern-day MacGyver in his persistent (sometimes stubborn, as he describes) commitment to figuring things out and making things happen. I dig into the innate qualities that have led to Dave's success to see if we can learn tricks to adopt them too! Things like: ability to handle stress, learning the rules, positive attitude, confidence, courage, persistence and dedication. We discuss travel and Dave shares his 1:1:1 rule - 1 day/week, 1 week/month, 1 month/year. He describes why it's helpful to learn from others and how experiences are like a university degree. Dave also describes how he's currently researching and designing his own formula for retirement. He gives us a good trick for defining your "why", which can be really helpful in getting you through tough times. Plus, you'll never believe the crazy story he tells about swapping jobs with his Dad!  Finally, we build Dave's equation: 7F + 4W + 2T + 5e + 7ce

Erin and Josh are back with a fresh travel episode! In this one, we lift out of commentary on specific destinations and focus on the experience of what we call "life travel". This refers to the 4-5 months a year we spend as a family, immersed in a blend of work, school, vacation and adventure on the road. We cover the what, why and how of life travel. We talk about what’s worked well, what’s not worked well and what we’ve learned - and we don't shy away from sharing the good, the bad and the ugly of it all! We also address how our travel experiences are evolving now that one of our kids has started high school. If you're interested in getting the inside scoop on what’s involved with living away from “home” for chunks of time every year, this episode is for you!

The power of the word success is in understanding that it is personal. YOU get to define what success means and YOU get to celebrate yourself when you meet your own criteria. Redefining success for yourself is one form of freedom. This involves letting go of everyone else’s definitions of success. As this week’s guest, Shawn Johal, says, “The only time you’re going to have the most liberating feeling of freedom is when you stop caring what other people think about you”. My conversation with Shawn is absolutely jam-packed with all sorts of ideas and tools you can use for your own personal growth. Shawn is an entrepreneur, business coach, author and speaker. We talk about personal success, how stress is the biggest killer of energy and passion, the time/anger gap, the 3-2-1 rule, how to cultivate open-hearted curiousity, and small changes you can make to your morning/evening routines to foster well-being. Shawn also discusses the 3 key ingredients to being a great entrepreneur. You’ll be surprised to hear that they aren’t what you think (e.g. “risk-taker”) and not only that, they can be learned! Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur, these are skills worth growing. Oh, and you’ll never guess the surprising translation behind Shawn’s birth name. Listen to find out!

Now that we have created a clear picture of our future fulfillment, we can start the journey of connecting that wild, beautiful, long-term vision to our present life. But how do we do that? What if the distance between where I am and that future state feels less like a direct, well-marked path and more like trying to leap over a giant chasm on a motorcycle, blindfolded! The goal of this next step is to create a personal strategy - a model - that will give us clarity and focus. It will be like taking off the blindfold so that we can see clearly, and constructing a bridge over the gap so that we can safely and efficiently navigate to the other side. Waiting there with anticipation, ready to greet you, will be your desired future self. In this episode, I’ll explain three different approaches that you can take to identify the pillars and priorities that make up your personal strategy. It's like a choose-your-own-adventure for your own strategy design! Similar to other steps, I’ve included tons of examples, tips and tests to help you apply this in your own life. Once developed, your personal strategy model will become your roadmap as you work towards building fulfillment in your future.

This week, I’m talking to talented musician and published poet, Lauren Best. As an experienced vocal coach, Lauren talks about the power of voice and how singing is a gateway to many of the fulfillment foundations - things like relaxation, movement, connection to others, connection to our bodies, intuition, etc. Whether you're wanting to sing or build some other skill, Lauren has some great insights and advice that applies to all of us. We take a deep dive to discover that attitude is a product of mindset and energy (attitude = mindset x energy) and that preparation is a combination of managing your expectations and doing the work (preparation = expectations + effort). We also discuss the importance of “3 P’s”: preparation, presence and purpose. One of my favourite parts of the conversation was building Lauren's equation together: 14k + 7h + 7fd + 7e + 7fi + 7n + 4le +20w

In this week’s episode, I’m talking to entrepreneur, adventurer and world triathlon athlete Kevin Brady. For Kevin, it took a near-death experience to realize that being fit and being healthy are not the same thing. Kevin talks about the four wheels of health and how he said goodbye to a lifestyle full of busyness and stress and instead adopted a lifestyle focused on health and well-being. We also explore how to build more of what you love into every day, the relationship between adventure and risk, and examples of how he’s rewired his brain. Finally, we build Kevin’s equation: (2i + 2c + 2bd)W +14e + 10s + [f + t]

When it comes to designing a personal strategy as part of your fulfillment journey, the first step is creating a vision. Our task: to write 7-10 sentences that clearly describe what our desired future looks like. But how do we do this? How do we dream big? And how do we craft our vision in a way that is most useful and powerful? In this week’s episode, I’ll walk you through all of this and more. I’ve included tons of examples, tips and tests to help you create a rock solid personal vision. Why is this important? Because your personal vision will become your guiding light as you work towards building fulfillment in your future!

When this week's guest, Sharon Bala, moved from a big city to a remote area, she found a door closed on her corporate communications career and a new one opened for pursuing her interest in being a writer. Fast forward years later, and Sharon has become an award-winning, best-selling author whose debut novel "The Boat People" has been a national hit. In this episode, we talk about her experience in letting go of traditional measures of achievement and instead redefining ambition in the work itself. We also explore developing resilience to failure and rejection, and how community is just as important to a writer as is solitude. Sharon also offers helpful advice for venturing bravely into something new, particularly for aspiring writers. Finally, we build her equation - and she is the first to rethink it as a pie chart with percentages! 60% v + 30% cf + 10% en

Today I’m talking to entrepreneur, author and global public speaker, Rich Mulholland. Rich teaches me all about gamifying life. He describes how to design small, finite games for yourself, how to set your own victory conditions and how to track your progress. Our discussion leads to an “ah-ha” moment for me about why the fulfillment equation practice works so well. As Rich says, “it’s freedom in a framework”! We also cover other interesting topics such as novelty vs. utility, why the best businesses are boring businesses, the importance of hobbies and reflections for budding entrepreneurs. And Rich gives some great advice to his 25-year old self! Finally, we build Rich's equation: 7W + 7sd + 5cd + 7er + 4 bg + 5e + 11f + fr(3m + 1c + 3b)

In this week’s episode, I have the wonderful opportunity to chat with Dr. Lawrence Loh. Lawrence is a public health and physician leader, a lifelong learner and a self-described extreme extrovert. Our conversation focuses on connection; both with others and with ourselves. When it comes to connecting with others, Lawrence offers some simple tips. We also talk about rebalancing after crisis fatigue, getting in touch with your inner voice and defining your own identity. And we bond over our mutual belief that most things work out and that most people are good. As Lawrence says, "it's just mentally easier" to believe that!

We're back! Welcome to Season 2 of the Fulfillment Equation! The first season was centred around the creation and practice of your unique fulfillment equation. This season is all about building and following along with your own personal strategy. These two pieces work hand in hand. The personal strategy sets the direction and the unique equation keeps you on track. Learn more in this kick-off episode for all of the great conversations that follow in Season 2!

In this special episode, Josh joins me as we come full circle to wrap up Season 1! We reflect on the highlights of the season and I share my biggest learning from the entire Fulfillment Equation podcast experience. We also cover my favourite nuggets from each guest in the series. It's incredible to look back and see how much ground was covered in the first 26 episodes! Wondering what you can expect in Season 2? There's a sneak peak at the end of this episode. Here's a hint...get ready to dream together!

This episode covers the last step (Making it a Habit) in the Unique Equation process for maximizing joy in daily living. You've already built your own unique equation, cultivated a daily practice, learned how to flex your week, and engaged in valuable analysis and adjustment. So what does all of this look like long-term? The simple answer is that if you are disciplined in building a practice around your fulfillment equation for any decent length of time, you will discover that it actually becomes an ingrained habit!  Here we dig into how daily habits turn into lifelong fulfillment and better understand what parts of the daily practice can become ingrained. Also covered is when to switch off "autopilot" and when to check in on the underlying architecture of your equation. (Note: Listeners will want to check out Steps 1-5 of Your Unique Equation before listening to this episode.)

My conversation with Manish continues in this Part 2 episode. Together, we discuss some of the challenges of raising kids these days and Manish shares the two best pieces of advice he received that changed the way he approaches parenting. We then take our time building Manish's equation, which is fantastic because it produces many interesting and insightful discussions around how to put family first, how to set up boundaries around work, why nature is so central to our wellbeing and how food can be a source of creativity and connection. Manish also talks about the importance of social connection. He totally wows me when he explains how he calculated his future time with a close friend and realized it wasn't nearly enough. As he said to his friend, "If I only get to see you once or twice a year, that is a cosmic rip-off". It's amazing how our priorities can become so clear when we zoom out to a perspective that highlights how short life really is. In the end, we summarize Manish's equation: 35f + 5W + 3e +4ns + 14fd + (→1)s

Wouldn't it be incredible to have a purpose as heroic as that of Manish Raizada? "To reduce the suffering of young people in terms of food, and to empower them in terms of their careers". Dr. Raizada's work is directly helping to reduce world hunger, and in his spare time he has helped to mentor hundreds of students. However, the reality is that the world would be a boring place if we all had exactly the same purpose. We each have our own unique purpose and that is our gift to the world. Manish describes, "If you put humanity together, it's a beautiful three-dimensional, colourful painting and everyone has a specific piece to contribute that enriches all of us". But how do you uncover your purpose? Manish discusses many of the probing questions he's found successful in helping people discover their unique gift. He challenges us to look for the thread in our answers and remarks that we can often trace that thread back to our 5-year old self. In his experience, this life-changing reflection takes very little time at all! How incredible would it have been to do some of this thinking at the age of 17? But it's never too late. Lots more to come in Part 2, including building Manish's unique equation.

In this episode, I get the chance to talk with Sarah McComb-Turbitt about her transition from scientist to artist, what she’s learned along her journey and the specific steps she takes to create her amazing artwork. One theme that comes out in our conversation is finding balance in healthy tensions. These are often the tensions we’re leveraging in our own fulfillment equation practice. For example, balancing the drive to be productive with the mindset of staying present, or balancing deliberate planning with being flexible. Sarah shares an experience that taught her how to move away from a state of perfectionism in her approach to painting and set some boundaries around time. We also cover topics related to entrepreneurship and motherhood. Finally, together we build Sarah's equation: 25p + 10b + 14na + 14k + 2f + 3fr + 25s.

Get ready for some major "ah-ha" moments! My guest this week is the absolutely incredible Tom Benson. Tom has led a breathtaking life of adventure, while all the while knowing exactly what fear is. He teaches us not to be “fearless”, but rather to simply Fear Less. In our conversation, we also dig into understanding play, why it's important and how the opportunities for play show up in daily living. We explore mindfulness and meditation. We cover nature and solitude. And we tease apart passion and purpose. So many great learnings! We end the episode by building Tom's equation: 14s + 18mi + 20p + 40c + 10g.

Want a great way to lengthen out your summer? Head south! This episode covers our 2-month "life travel" adventure from Ontario to Texas and back through the Eastern US. In it, my husband Josh and I do a rapid fire walk-through of our favourite places to go, things to see and yummy eats from each location on our trip in order to give you ideas and inspiration for your own travels. We also share the lessons learned from this trip that helped to shape how we design our future life travel adventures. This episode of the podcast is a complement to the travel blogs posted on the Fulfillment Equation website.

Now that you're using your equation, what insights can you get from it? This episode outlines Step 5 of the Unique Equation process, describing how you can look for trends that will help you learn and evolve as you strive to maximize joy in daily living. Included in this episode are tons of tips and examples on how you can keep getting better at using your equation as a tool in nurturing your own fulfillment. (Note: Listeners will want to check out Steps 1-4 of Your Unique Equation before listening to this episode).

Get ready to take a deep dive into the Fulfillment Foundation “the importance of creativity and solitude”! In this episode, I’m talking to award-winning author and poet, Jaclyn Desforges. We discuss how the path to creativity involves overcoming the fear of not being good enough. Jaclyn describes how the experience of becoming a mom helped with that: "I was too tired to be afraid".  We explore Jaclyn's complex relationship with writing and she shares helpful tips for fostering your own creativity. Then we dig into why quiet is such a necessary ingredient for fulfillment.       Finally, together we build Jaclyn's equation: 6wr + 16b + 7wa + 1.5wo + 2by + 11p + 2d + 7r.   Hear how Jaclyn sets an intention to evolve her equation over time: 6wr → 12wr, 16b → 8b, 2by → 7by

What a treat to have the opportunity to learn from growth mindset expert, Alexandra Eidens! Alexandra is Founder and CEO of Big Life Journal, a world traveler and mom to two young boys. In this episode, we talk about what it looks like to adopt a growth mindset, the importance of defining our beliefs and how we get to choose what our own "big life" looks like. As Alexandra describes, when you identify who you want to be, claim that to the world, and define what you believe in, you actually have the power to make it become your reality. This is what it looks like to have a Big Life! Alexandra gives some practical tips and examples of how to bring growth-minded thinking into daily living. Check out how she helps me re-frame some of my thinking around life as an entrepreneur! We also talk about living a nomadic life and travelling the world with kids. Finally, together we build Alexandra's equation: 20w + 21k + 14f + 7c + 2fr + 7le

The conversation with my long-time mentor and friend, Mark Walton, continues in this Part 2 episode.  Together we talk about the importance of curiousity and the power of a common set of values.  Mark also shares some of the best leadership advice he's ever received.  We then set out to build Mark's equation, and reflect on how he can use the equation to build in the white space he needs now in order to support the design of his equation in the future.  It's a great demonstration of how the equation can be a helpful tool during transitional periods in life! Mark's equation: 60p + 30k + 10i + 2m

This is Part 1 of the incredible conversation I have with one of my long-time mentors and friends, Mark Walton.  Mark's wisdom and leadership never cease to amaze me, and as usual he's left me with lots to think about!  Together we dive into topics like how to stay grounded during times of uncertainty, and the inextricable relationship between purpose, contribution and identity.  Mark describes what authentic leadership looks like and why it's important to surround yourself with people who are smarter and different from you.  Finally, Mark helps me consider how our accumulation of experiences coupled with trusting our intuition can build confidence.

Once you’ve built your equation and put it into a daily practice, you’ll need to know how to flex your week. This episode covers Step 4 of the Unique Equation process by describing how to master the balance between discipline and agility. "Flexing" is about understanding how to adjust the clusters in your equation mid-flight during the week so that you end the week feeling fulfilled.  In this episode, we'll cover the power of zooming out and how exactly to flex your week.  We'll also learn how flexing can help support your ability to say no to things and firmly keep you in charge of your time.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with one of the loveliest people you’ll ever meet, Joanne Pattison.  Joanne helps me better understand intentional community building and we talk about how community can help reinforce the practices around your own unique Fulfillment Equation.  Joanne and I also talk about staying healthy, having fun, fostering a sense of adventure and how these three can all work together.  Finally, we touch on the transition to retirement and finding fulfillment along the way.  Together we build Joanne's equation: 8f + 15e + 7v + 10n +3le + 4c + 7r

While money isn't everything, there is certainly a component of finding freedom that involves financial independence. In this week's podcast, I am talking to Omar Khan, a leader in the financial services industry and co-owner of Theta Trading, a financial education company. As Omar says of financial independence: "It's about putting yourself in a position to be able to own your own time and do what you want to do". In our conversation we touch on the topics of financial literacy, how buying stuff doesn't buy fulfillment, and the relationship between discipline and regret. Omar also gives practical tips and tricks on increasing your revenue and on teaching your kids financial literacy to prepare them for adulthood. Finally, together we build Omar's equation: 10W + 2g + 2k

In this week's episode with Chris Herbert (entrepreneur, professional marketer, former squash pro and expert community builder), we uncover the importance of connection and conversation, and how fundamental they are to our needs as humans. As Chris says, community is in our DNA! We talk about building relationships, what it means to be part of a community and finding moments of joy in shared experiences. We also dig into how technology can help or hinder community building. Overall, Chris breaks down how to foster networks by describing how "frequency builds familiarity, familiarity builds trust", and why community is such an important factor for fulfillment. Finally, together we build Chris's equation: 7W + 7s + 7d + 14lr + 4sq +21tv

One of our recent "life travel" adventures involved a 2-month trip to Atlantic Canada.  This episode of the podcast is a complement to the travel blogs posted on the Fulfillment Equation website.  In this episode, my husband Josh and I do a rapid fire walk-through of our favourite places to go, things to see and yummy eats from each location on our trip in order to give you ideas and inspiration for your own trip to the Maritimes.

Now that you've built your equation, the most important step is putting it into practice!  This episode covers Step 3 of the process by describing the small habits you can adopt in the morning, throughout the day and in the evening to use your equation to maximize joy in daily living. (Note: Listeners will want to check out Step 1 (Brainstorming and Organizing Your Word Cloud) and Step 2 (Building Your Equation) before listening to this episode).

In this episode, I am talking with Karen Grant who is a lover of nature, travel, a full life and also happens to be a legend in the Canadian angel investing world.  She shares with me her experience of transitioning from a busy, urban work life to a rewarding, rural, retired life and how fulfillment can transform during periods of change.  We also talk about travel with kids and "just saying yes" to new opportunities. Together, we build Karen’s equation: 2W/V + 3s + 3o + 7p + 7l

My conversation with Bryanna Royal continues in this Part 2 episode.  Bryanna is an entrepreneur, author, full-time RVer and mom of four.  Together we talk about freedom from stuff, what creativity looks like in an entrepreneurial mindset and we construct Bryanna's super-flexible fulfillment equation.