Personal Growth

Improving ourselves improves the world around us. Looking for inspiration? From curated TED Talks to stories of thought leaders providing actionable advice, there’s no better place to start your personal growth journey than right here.

Image: Two staircases headed in opposite directions, one beige and one teal. Representing the way there can be two sides to one story.

Middle Version: How to Interpret Two Sides of One Story

When two sides to one story sound completely different, how do you determine the truth? As humans, we are biased to believe the first version we hear, but what can we do when that bias doesn't serve us? Here's how to approach the situation when two stories don't match up.

Reintroducing Yourself as You Are, Not as You Were with Cheldin Barlatt Rumer (Episode #115)

Communication is a struggle for most of us. Either we don’t really know when to keep quiet, or we can’t muster the courage to speak up. Our guest, Cheldin Barlatt Rumer, is an expert in seeing our communication landscape, in every moment, with fresh eyes. She has some inspiring perspectives on how we elevate the voices of others, re-introduce ourselves to others after all we’ve been through, and how we can re-imagine the role of the internet in our lives as a tool for communication that can help us thrive.

Image: A stop sign half submerged in water. Is it a good thing, or a bad thing?

Good Thing, Bad Thing, Who Knows?

Go back in your life. Has anything happened to you that, at the time it happened, you thought was a ‘bad thing’? But, looking back at it today, you can clearly see that it was not so bad and, perhaps, was even a ‘good thing?’ Most people can recall many such instances. So, is it possible that what you are today about to label a ‘bad thing’ could, at some point in the future, turn out to have been a ‘good thing?’

Get Closer to the Good Life: Ditch the Fast Life with Carl Honoré (Episode #114)

If many days end with you feeling depleted and wondering what just happened because of your dizzying pace, Carl Honoré has insights that will help you break free from this need for speed. Carl is the originator of the “Slow Movement,” a growing way of thinking about how we spend our time: Should we continue rushing through everything, or consciously decide which things we will slow down for so we can truly savor the moments? Due to Carl’s work, there are growing communities around Slow Travel, Slow Food, Slow Schools, Slow Living, Slow Biking, Slow Money, and more.

Image: A woman turning around to face a body of water, symbolic of facing rejection

How to Deal With Rejection: 10 Dos and Don’ts

Rejection — the nine-letter word that can take us from rainbows and sunshine to utter devastation just like *snap* that. So what can you do in the face of dismissal? How can you learn how to deal with rejection?

Declaring Who You Are

Many of us define ourselves by what we do and what we have. This is a method of defining who you are in a way that can never be taken from you. You can access this tool to be your best self in absolutely any situation.

Patrick’s Rule for Being Happy Despite the Circumstances

Embracing your life circumstances and through it all, being true to who you have decided that you ARE.

Identifying Three Helpful Qualities You Can Bring to Every Situation with Christopher Ancona (Episode #112)

Have you ever talked yourself out of doing something important? If so, then our guest today may make that impossible for you to do, next time. Christopher Ancona is an expert in helping others see the limitations they are putting on themselves. And when I discovered his work, I absolutely had to share it here on the Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast. His work made me think that each of us has some vast pool of potential just waiting to break open, if only we could shift our way of thinking in a few key areas.

The Benefits of Showing Up in Meetings and New Places

Using “Consistency” and remember that you must “Show Up” in new places, in order to meet others who can help you progress. Putting one foot in front of the other every day.

Image: A man looking in the mirror, representative of befriending your inner demons.

Don’t Overcome Your Demons, Make them Your Friends

As kids we’re told to treat others as you’d like to be treated, but as adults many of us have trouble extending that “golden rule” to ourselves. How often do you find yourself thinking, saying, or believing things about yourself that are so unsavory you would certainly never say them to others? What if instead of trying to fight those inner demons, we decided to give them a high five, maybe even a hug?

Image: A boat creating a circular wave behind it in the ocean, representing how preventing things is much easier than dealing with their fallout.

How Forward Thinking Prevents Disaster

Have you ever heard the famous Ben Franklin saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?" And yet, our society is entirely reactive to existing problems, struggling to get the public interested in preventing tragedy before it strikes. Here's why that is, and what we can do to take more preemptive action both for the world and in our own lives.

10 Stories That Will Make You Feel Grateful Right Now with Michael Shields (Episode #110)

This episode will feel like "food for the soul" because it is chock full of quick insights and 10 recommendations for places to head to next if you want your hope in the future rekindled. My guest, Michael Shields, is also a podcaster, and like me, he speaks with amazing people every week who fill him with delight and wonder. So today, we are swapping stories about 10 of our guests (4-5 from each of us) who come to mind immediately when we think about ingenious ideas and helpful perspectives.

Podcasts

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