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. behavio...
Jun 08, 2022•57 min
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" plans Making long-term plans for pur...
Jun 01, 2022•59 min
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...
Apr 27, 2022•47 min
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 ...
Apr 22, 2022•47 min
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 cla...
Apr 13, 2022•39 min
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 ...
Apr 08, 2022•44 min
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, s...
Mar 30, 2022•52 min
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 goals The role of intenti...
Mar 23, 2022•44 min
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 life How to change your identity How to discern what you really want in life How to follow your intuition ...
Mar 16, 2022•52 min
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 ...
Mar 07, 2022•52 min
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: Schoo...
Feb 23, 2022•47 min
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 pur...
Feb 16, 2022•52 min
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 art The difficulties of having a calling in...
Feb 09, 2022•46 min
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 purpose Spirituality and purpose Avoiding regrets How shame is a barrier...
Feb 02, 2022•45 min
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 person...
Jan 26, 2022•58 min
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 ep...
Jan 19, 2022•53 min
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 ...
Jan 12, 2022•47 min
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 ...
Jan 05, 2022•53 min
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 demystifie...
Dec 29, 2021•48 min
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 is How knowing our gifts and strengths...
Dec 22, 2021•51 min
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, ...
Dec 15, 2021•50 min
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 abou...
Dec 08, 2021•47 min
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 h...
Dec 01, 2021•52 min
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...
Nov 24, 2021•37 min
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 ...
Nov 17, 2021•52 min
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 ...
Nov 10, 2021•51 min
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...
Nov 03, 2021•50 min
(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 a...
Oct 27, 2021•39 min
(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 a...
Oct 20, 2021•24 min
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 ou...
Oct 13, 2021•47 min
