What is a Good Life?

What is a Good Life? #162 - What Comes After Optimising with Jasper Walshe

In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Jasper Walshe, coach, facilitator and founder of TRIPS Tank™, for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about identity, self-trust and what it really means to live well. Jasper traces his journey from fixating on high-performance coaching to a deeper, more grounded relationship with himself — touching on psychotherapy breakthroughs, psychedelic experiences, the trap of wrapping identity in achievement, and his present question: how can I live in wonder? This is a genuinely human conversation about accepting the full range of life, not just the optimised parts.Topics covered:- High performance identity & its hidden cost- Psychotherapy & the power of unfiltered honesty- Living in wonder vs chasing optimisation- Self-respect as a core value- Moments of unexpected clarity- What is a good life?This episode is for anyone who's hit the goals and found themselves asking — is this it?For more from Jasper Walshe:Company Website: https://tripstank.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasperwalshe/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney0:00 – Jasper's evolving life question02:30 – The high performance Kool-Aid06:00 – Curiosity beyond performance10:33 – Letting go of identity15:04 – "So, who are you?"19:30 – Dropping the filtered answers23:00 – The couch breakthrough moment28:30 – How "wonder" emerged36:30 – Visualising five years ahead45:44 – What self-respect looks like58:55 – What is a good life?

What is a Good Life? #161 - The Potential For Compassion with Rasmus Hougaard

What does it take to be happy? And why does happiness so often slip away?In this episode of What Is a Good Life?, Mark McCartney is joined by Rasmus Hougaard for a conversation that moves from childhood questions about happiness, to monasteries in Nepal, to the boardrooms where he now works to transform leadership. Rasmus is the Founder and Chairman of Potential Project and was nominated by Thinkers 50 as one of the eight most important leadership thinkers in the world today. He's the author of The Mind of the Leader, Compassionate Leadership, and More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead.Together, they explore:Why an eight-year-old's question about happiness became a life's workThe cultural wisdom Rasmus found in Nepal that the West is missingHow his brother's death inspired his life's purposeA profound encounter with an unknown monk that transmitted unconditional loveThe difficulty of being human, even with deep practice and good intentionsThe innate goodness we all carry (and why many of us have forgotten it)What changes when leaders ask "how are you?" before "what do we need to do?"This conversation sits with both the challenge of being human and the incredible capacity we have for loving kindness. It's about the practice of returning to what matters again and again.This episode is for anyone wondering if there's more to leadership, happiness, and being human than what we've been taught.For more of Rasmus' work:Potential Project: https://www.potentialproject.com/Books: https://www.potentialproject.com/resources#01-books LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rasmushougaard/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00  Why Aren't We Happy?05:30  Finding a Practice at Seventeen11:45  Wisdom in Himalayan Culture17:20  Life's Purpose from Tragedy24:30  Meeting Bodhisattva Charles31:15  Our Innate Human Goodness37:40  The Difficulty of Being Human43:10  Forced Surrender and Self-Compassion48:25  Transformation in Corporate Spaces52:15  Multiple Lives, Less Pressure54:30  What is a Good Life for Rasmus?

What is a Good Life? #160 - The Art Of Living With Coherence with João Sevilhano

What does it really mean to live a coherent life?In this episode of What Is a Good Life, Mark McCartney is joined by João Sevilhano for a deep, reflective conversation on coherence, something that goes beyond rigid moral ideals and is more a lived, imperfect practice. João is a psychologist and learning experience designer. Co-CEO of Way Beyond, where he works on human development and organisational transformation. His background is in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. He collaborates with Porto Business School and NOVA Doctoral School, and he tends to think meaningful conversation is underrated as a tool for change.Together, they explore:What coherence feels like in everyday lifeThe tension between values, actions, and changing our mindsWhy coherence is different from authenticity or consistencyParenting, work, and small decisions as tests of alignment“Slow activism” and the impact of how we show up with othersRather than offering quick answers or formulas, this conversation sits with uncertainty, contradiction, and the discipline of paying attention - particularly when no one is watching.This episode is for anyone feeling the pull between who they are, how they live, and what the world is asking of them right now.For more of João's work:Newsletter: https://useful-uselessness.com/Way Beyond Website: https://www.waybeyond.pt/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaosevilhano/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00  Questions as Companions07:00  Spirituality in Everyday Life13:00  Coherence as Purpose16:30  Flexibility and Awareness22:30  Discipline and Practice30:00  Helping Without Imposing36:00  Slow Activism and Stubbornness42:00  Living With Contradiction49:00  Reflection on Sacrifice54:00  Not Knowing as a Practice

What is a Good Life? #159 - Cultivating Interconnected Harmony with Cindy Forde

How do we live in harmony with each other and the natural world?Cindy Forde is a thought leader and acclaimed author with over 25 years dedicated to systems change. In 2023, she won the Change Champion Award alongside leaders such as David Attenborough and Malala Yusafzai for her children's book 'Bright New World,' which was adopted by the Australian National Curriculum. She founded Planetari, pioneering Earth-led education, earning a Climate Positive Award at UN COP28. Previously MD of Blue Marine Foundation and CEO of Cambridge Science Centre, she is an Associate Fellow of University of Cambridge Homerton College where she is currently co-founding the Centre for Systemic Change. She is a trained yoga teacher and sound healing practitioner.In this profound conversation, we explore the role of spiritual practice in sustaining changemakers, the paradox of living in systems misaligned with our values, and why "cosmic time" might offer a more realistic perspective on transformation than human urgency. Cindy shares why we need the courage to build entirely new models rather than fixing broken systems, and how current education systems crush the natural interconnectedness that children understand.For more of Cindy's work:Website: https://cindyforde.world/Planetari: https://planetari.world/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-forde-10668911/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney00:00 - The Guiding Question of Harmony 05:45 - Growing Up Between Two Worlds 12:30 - Discovering Spiritual Practice 18:45 - Inner and Outer Coherence 25:15 - The Corporate Paradox 30:00 - Understanding Cosmic Time 35:30 - Urgency and Thinking Differently 40:30 - Single Issues to Systems 44:00 - Courage to Call Out 47:30 - Crushing Natural Interconnectedness 50:00 - What Is a Good Life

What is a Good Life? #158 - Finding Self-Love Beyond Achievement with Alan Wilson

What is a Good Life? #158 | Finding Self-Love Beyond AchievementWhere do you belong? How do you best use your gifts?These questions have followed Alan Wilson throughout his life—from childhood football pitches to corporate boardrooms. In this deeply honest conversation, Alan shares his journey from seeking external validation to cultivating self-love, exploring how grief, self-inquiry, and simple presence have reshaped his understanding of a good life.Alan Wilson is a Director of People & Operations and qualified coach with 17+ years in senior leadership roles. He supports leaders and organisations navigating change by combining commercial insight with a deeply human approach—focused on self-awareness, integrity, and sustainable performance.In this episode:The childhood patterns behind our adult strugglesWhy achievement never feels like enoughFinding centre in an increasingly distracted worldHow children guide us back to presenceWhy self-love transforms leadershipThe agency we have despite feeling disempoweredThis conversation is for anyone questioning whether they're enough, struggling with validation, or wondering if there's more to life than the next achievement.For more of Alan's work:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-wilson-084b3324/For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/markcmccartney 00:00 - Where Do I Belong? 05:23 - The Validation Trap 10:47 - Self-Inquiry and Grief 16:12 - Moments That Allow Breathing 21:35 - Toxicity and Modern Life 27:43 - Children as Our Compass 33:21 - Beyond Material Accumulation 38:45 - Dismantling the Armour 44:02 - Agency in a Disempowered World 49:18 - Transmitting Our Gifts Daily 54:31 - A Life That's Evolving