Good Life Project

Menopause Mythbusting | Why Midlife Changes Your Brain and What Helps | Lisa Mosconi, PhD

Your brain isn’t breaking. It’s rewiring in ways no one explained, and for many women, menopause is the moment everything suddenly feels unfamiliar.Brain fog, sleep disruption, anxiety, memory lapses, and feeling unlike yourself can be deeply unsettling, especially when no one has given you a framework for what’s happening. In this conversation, we explore the science behind midlife brain changes and why menopause is a neurological transition, not a personal failure.Dr. Lisa Mosconi is an associate professor of Neuroscience in Neurology and Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program and the Women’s Brain Initiative. She is a world-renowned neuroscientist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Menopause Brain.In this episode, you’ll discover • Why Alzheimer’s risk begins in midlife, not old age • What estrogen actually does in the brain and why its shift matters • The hidden reason brain fog and mood changes show up during menopause • How the brain adapts and rebuilds after hormonal change • What science currently says about hormone therapy and brain healthMenopause can feel confusing and isolating, but understanding what your brain is doing can replace fear with clarity. Listen to learn how to navigate this transition with more confidence, compassion, and agency.You can find Lisa at: Website | Instagram | Episode TranscriptNext week, we're sharing a really meaningful conversation with psychiatrist and mental health educator Dr. Tracey Marks about what anxiety really is, why it feels so physical, and how understanding your brain can help you feel steadier and more at ease.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why Love Gets Uncomfortable & How That’s Not a Failure | Susan Piver [Best Of]

The deeper the love, the more uncomfortable it gets, and learning how to work with that truth may change the way you relate forever.If you’ve ever wondered why love sometimes feels harder over time, why irritation replaces ease, or why closeness can feel strangely destabilizing, this conversation offers a grounded and deeply wise and kind perspective. Rather than trying to fix or escape discomfort, you’ll learn how meeting it together can actually deepen intimacy and connection.In this Best of episode, Jonathan sits down with writer and meditation teacher Susan Piver, New York Times bestselling author of The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships. Susan has studied Buddhism for more than 30 years and founded The Open Heart Project, an online dharma community with nearly 20,000 members.In this conversation, you’ll discover:A simple reframe that explains why love feels hardest with the people we care about mostHow discomfort can become a doorway to deeper intimacy rather than a sign that something’s wrongThe subtle way self-criticism quietly shapes how we treat our partnersA powerful alternative to blame that changes how conflict unfoldsWhy intimacy can deepen even when romance naturally fadesLove isn’t meant to be comfortable or predictable. It’s meant to be alive. Press play to learn how to stay open, connected, and compassionate when relationships feel hardest.You can find Susan Piver at: Website | Instagram | Episode TranscriptNext week, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Lisa Mosconi about women’s brain health, menopause, and what it all means for long-term cognitive wellbeing.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Different Take on Excellent That Changes Everything | Brad Stulberg

What if excellence isn’t about winning, but becoming?For so many of us, the word excellence has become tangled up with perfectionism, obsession, and relentless hustle. No wonder it feels heavy, triggering, or out of reach.In this conversation, we explore a very different understanding of excellence, one rooted in meaning, care, and deep engagement. Together, we unpack why modern life makes it so hard to focus, why joy and rest are essential to growth, and how pursuing what truly matters can quietly reshape who you become.Brad Stulberg is a bestselling author, writer for The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, co-host of the podcast Excellence, Actually, and faculty member at the University of Michigan. His newest book is The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World.In this episode, you’ll discoverA powerful redefinition of excellence that frees you from perfectionismWhy mastery and mattering are essential for deep satisfactionA simple way to reclaim focus in a world designed to distract youHow joy, rest, and renewal fuel long-term growthA practical framework for balancing ambition with the rest of your lifeIf you’ve ever felt pulled to do meaningful work but exhausted by the way success is usually framed, this conversation offers a wiser, more human path forward. Press play to explore what excellence can become.You can find Brad at: Website | LinkedIn | Episode TranscriptNext week, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Susan Piver about why love feels hard and how that discomfort can deepen intimacy. Follow the show in your favorite listening app so it’s right there when the episode drops.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Life Meets Reality | Finding Grace When the Future Falls Apart | Lucy Kalanithi

When life upends everything, what still matters?When the future you assumed disappears, the questions get sharper. This conversation explores how meaning, values, and hope evolve when time feels uncertain and life breaks open in unexpected ways.In this deeply human and reflective episode, Jonathan Fields sits down with Lucy Kalanithi, a physician, storyteller, and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. She is the widow of neurosurgeon and writer Paul Kalanithi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller When Breath Becomes Air, for which Lucy wrote the unforgettable epilogue.Together, they explore what it means to live honestly in the presence of mortality, how our sense of time and identity shifts through loss, and how values can guide choices when certainty is gone.In this episode, you’ll discover:A simple but profound way to make decisions when the future feels unclearHow redefining hope can ease fear without denying realityWhy you cannot have everything, and how that clarity can be freeingA humane framework for navigating medical and life decisionsWhat it really means to build a life that fits who you areWhen life changes in ways you never expected, clarity does not come from control. It comes from listening more closely. Press play to explore what truly matters, and how to live with intention even when the path ahead is uncertain.You can find Lucy at: Website | Episode TranscriptNext week, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Brad Stulberg about what excellence really is, and how pursuing it can help you feel more alive, not burned out. And don’t forget to follow the show in your favorite listening app.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why You Feel Unloved | 5 Research-backed Shifts That Change How Love Feels | Harry Reis

You can be deeply loved and still feel alone, even when your life is filled with people who care about you.Many of us assume that love automatically translates into feeling loved. But research shows that isn’t how it works. In this conversation, we explore why connection can be present, yet the feeling of being loved never quite lands and what actually helps close that gap.My guest is Harry Reis, a longtime researcher of close relationships and professor of psychology whose work has shaped how we understand intimacy, attachment, and emotional connection. He’s the co-author of How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most.In this episode, you’ll learn: • A powerful relational dynamic that quietly determines whether love is felt or missed • The subtle reason giving more doesn’t always lead to feeling more connected • A listening shift that dramatically deepens intimacy without forcing vulnerability • Why being fully known matters more than being widely liked • The mindset that helps love feel genuine instead of performativeIf you’ve ever wondered why closeness feels harder than it should or why love doesn’t always register even when it’s present, this conversation offers clarity, compassion, and practical insight. Press play to learn what actually helps love land.You can find Harry at: Website | Harry's Bio | Episode TranscriptNext week, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Lucy Kalanithi about what still matters when certainty disappears.Check out our offerings & partners: Join My New Writing Project: Awake at the WheelVisit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.