In Search of Wisdom

Woo-kyoung Ahn | Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better

Welcome to In Search of Wisdom, a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project. In this episode, my guest is Prof. Woo-kyoung Ahn, the author of Thinking 101: How to Reason Better to Live Better. Dr. Ahn is the John Hay Whitney Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Her main area of research interest is higher-level reasoning processes. In particular, the study of how people learn and represent concepts and causal relations and how causal explanations shape our thinking processes.In the conversation, Dr. Ahn and I discuss,Why cognitive psychology can make the world a better placeThe allure of fluency and why it mattersThe difference between rumination and contemplationThe reason “why” questions are generally unanswerableHow to think about the future selfWisdom in daily life and much more📩 Want daily meditations on the art of living? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeSTAY CONNECTED:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerennialPodsInstagram: https://instagram.com/PerennialPods Website: https://www.perennialleader.com/

Dean Rickles | The Shortness of Life

In this episode, my guest is Prof. Dean Rickles, the author of Life is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making it More Meaningful. Dean is a professor of history and philosophy of modern physics at the University of Sydney, where he is also a director of the Sydney Centre for Time. Learn more about Prof. Dean Rickles.In the conversation, Dean and I discuss, Why the shortness of life is what makes it meaningfulOvercoming the fear of deathSeneca’s influence on the bookThe need for uncertaintyHow to connect with the future youDiscerning our path in life and much more📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribeFollow the Perennial Leader Project: Instagram | Twitter | Youtube

Brandon Tumblin | On Becoming Stronger (and Wiser)

Welcome to In Search of Wisdom, a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project.In this episode, I welcome back to the show my good friend Brandon Tumblin from The Strong Stoic Newsletter and Paradoxically Speaking. Brandon is a strength athlete and coach and someone with a deep interest in the art of living. His podcast The Strong Stoic (which is approaching 250 episodes) explores all aspects of philosophy and what it means to live a good life! In the conversation, Brandon and I discuss:The connection between strength and virtueHow to adopt a strength mindsetThe difference between happiness and wisdomHow to integrate practical wisdom into daily life and much more📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe STAY CONNECTED:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerennialPodsInstagram: https://instagram.com/PerennialPodsWebsite: https://www.perennialleader.com/

Dr. Brittany Polat | How to Journal Like a Stoic

Welcome to In Search of Wisdom, a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project.In this episode, I welcome back to the show Brittany Polat the author of the new book How to Journal Like a Stoic. Brittany has a Ph.D. in applied linguistics, is the co-founder of the non-profit Stoicare (course on Stoic Love), and is the author of Tranquility Parenting (a book we discussed previously on In Search of Wisdom).  In the conversation, Brittany and I discuss:Discerning our pathStoic journaling vs. writing in a diaryThe role of acceptanceSearching for wisdomThe practice of reframing and much more---👉 Follow the Perennial Leader Project: Instagram | Twitter | Youtube ---📩 If you’re interested in learning more, consider becoming a member of Perennial Meditations (our daily meditations) to receive Wisdom Notes, which delivers some of my favorite quotes and insights from the conversation. 

David Richo | Five Ways to Say Yes to Life

In this episode, my guest is Dr. David Richo, the author of several books, from The Five Things We Cannot Change to his newest book, Ready: How to Know When to Stay and When to Go. Dr. Richo is a psychotherapist, teacher, workshop leader, and writer who combines Jungian, poetic, and mythic perspectives in his work with the intention of integrating the psychological and the spiritual. Learn more about Dr. Richo at davericho.com. In the conversation, Dr. Richo and I discuss, What it means to say yes to lifeThe meaning of the word egoThe five givens of lifeNavigating paradoxesWisdom in daily life and much more📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe STAY CONNECTED:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerennialPodsInstagram: https://instagram.com/PerennialPodsWebsite: https://www.perennialleader.com/

The Wisdom of Not Knowing

Welcome to In Search of Wisdom, a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project.In this episode, I’m sharing an audio lesson from The Wisdom School, a new private podcast for Perennial Meditations members (our daily email community on Substack). The first season of The Wisdom School is based on a 5-week course we just finished called The Timeless Art of Leading a Life. Throughout this course, we’ve explored timeless perspectives, principles, and practices for daily life. The lesson I’m sharing today is episode four of The Wisdom School, which is on The Wisdom of Not Knowing. If you’re interested in getting our daily meditations and access to The Wisdom School, our new private podcast. You can visit Perennial Meditations on Substack and become a member! Your support is deeply appreciated and helps me to keep this podcast completely ad-free and focused on wisdom for daily life! Alright, without any further delay, I hope you enjoy this episode on The Wisdom of Not Knowing! 📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe STAY CONNECTED:Twitter: https://twitter.com/PerennialPodsInstagram: https://instagram.com/PerennialPodsWebsite: https://www.perennialleader.com/

Dr. Kai Whiting | Stoicism and Sustainability

Welcome to In Search of Wisdom, a podcast by the Perennial Leader Project.In this episode, I welcome back to the show Dr. Kai Whiting the co-author of Being Better: Stoicism for a World Worth Living In. Kai Whiting is a researcher and lecturer in sustainability and Stoicism. His main research interests are how to better account for resource use and the practical application of Stoic philosophy to the challenges of the 21st century.In the conversation, Kai and I discuss,The meaning of sustainability and why it matters.The connection between wisdom and thinking sustainably.Why we need to change our language around sustainability.What Stoicism can teach us about changing the world, and much more.__________Connect with Kai & Learn More:You can learn more about Kai’s work in the world at StoicKai.com. If you’re interested in Philosophical Mentoring from Kai, you can sign up here. Check out some of Kai’s recent academic papers here.__________Follow the Perennial Leader Project: Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Substack__________Looking for more Podcasts & Essays on the Art of Living? Check out Paradoxically Speaking, a new joint venture with my good friend Brandon Tumblin from The Strong Stoic Podcast.

Sharon Lebell & Simon Drew | Faith, Hope, and Love

Are the cardinal virtues of courage, temperance, wisdom, and justice enough to live our highest good? Is there a need for the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love? These are just two of the questions we explore in this wide-ranging conversation of In Search of Wisdom.In this episode, I welcome to the show two friends from The Walled Garden, Sharon Lebell (author of The Art of Living) and Simon Drew (author of The Poet & the Sage). As you’ll hear in the episode, Sharon and Simon have thought deeply about what it means to live a virtuous life, and I’m grateful they took the time to come on the show. In the conversation, we explore the questions,What is faith, and what’s the opposite of faith? How should we think about hope in daily life?Why do some philosophers see hope as something to avoid? What roles do our views and beliefs play in living virtuously?Wisdom in daily life and much moreAlthough we covered much ground in the conversation, we only scratched the surface. Our goal is to connect again in the near future to explore the virtue of love — more to follow.Learn more about our guests: Sharon Lebell: You can learn more about Sharon’s writing, music, and work in the world at SharonLebell.com. Simon Drew: You can connect with Simon at TheWalledGarden.com and learn more about live events, philosophical mentoring, and much more. Follow us: Instagram | Twitter | Youtube

Emily Austin | An Epicurean Guide to Life

On today’s episode, my guest is Prof. Emily Austin, the author of the new book Living for Pleasure: An Epicurean Guide to Life. Living for Pleasure is part of the Guides to the Good Life series by Oxford University Press. As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of the series. It is dedicated to the idea that philosophy can, as it was for hundreds of years in the ancient world – be a way of life. Prof. Austin’s book is another wonderful addition to the series.
In the conversation, Emily and I discuss:
Finding Philosophy
Who is Epicurus (and why his philosophy matters today)
Tranquility
Pleasure
Virtue
Gratitude
The fear of death
Wisdom in daily life, and much more.
Register for the free 5-Week Wisdom 101 Course, The Timeless Art of Leading a Life, starting on Wednesday (18 Jan 23 at Noon EST). The course consists of an email meditation every Monday and a live meetup every Wednesday at Noon EST. We are going to explore timeless perspectives, principles, and practices to help us live our highest good. You can learn more and register at Perennialleader.com/leading-a-life. Again, the course is completely free for listeners and subscribers of our daily newsletter (Perennial Meditations on Substack). I hope to see you there!
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Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Living | Kevin Griffin, Shaila Catherine, and Nic Bommarito

📩 Want daily wisdom? Sign up for Perennial Meditations to receive ancient lessons for modern life: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe
In the episode, you’ll hear clips from some of my favorite conversations on Buddhist wisdom. The first portion of the episode comes from my conversation with Kevin Griffin (the author of Living Kindness), followed by my interview with Shaila Catherine (the author of Beyond Distraction). Then finally, the episode closes with a portion of my conversation with Nic Bommarito (the author of Seeing Clearly).
The conversations explore a wide range of topics,
Suffering
Four Noble truths
Training the mind,
Seeing Clearly
Memento Mori
The Art of Wisdom and much more
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