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Image: Dr. Lynda in Recording Booth

The Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast

Hosted by Dr. Lynda Ulrich, Goodness Exchange Co-Founder

The Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast is designed to give you more joy, less fear, and no end to the evidence that a bright future is possible. Each episode, we help you make sense of the world by introducing you to people tackling some of the world’s most difficult problems and show you why they still think the future is bright.

Image: Liesl Ulrich-Verderber
Image: Jonathan Reisman

Past Episodes

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.
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The Father-Daughter Business Fixing the Broken Chocolate Industry with Shawn and Lawren Askinosie (Episode #109)

If you or someone you know has aspirations to find more meaning and purpose in life, then today’s episode will serve as both inspiration and a bit of a roadmap. Our guests, Shawn Askinosie and his daughter Lawren, have each found their niche. In their working lives, their family business is reinventing one of the world's most important, and yet unsustainable, luxury items. And all the while they are enjoying wonderful personal lives of deep connection, travel, family and adventure.
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Image: Dr. Steven Shepard

Are You the Hero, Artist, Prophet, or Nomad? Why Generational Archetypes Matter with Dr. Steven Shepard (Episode #108)

If you’ve ever felt stuck in a problem, and yet sensed that you were just one key insight away from a “Eureka moment,” then you will enjoy today's interview with Dr. Steve Shepard. In today’s episode, Dr. Shepard helps us see the differences between generations as a tremendous asset, instead of a source of friction. And in the end, we realize that someone who seems a planet away because of their age (young or old) may have just the insight we need to leap forward!
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Image: Dr. Srikumar Rao

Misery or Mindfulness? Choosing Your Perspective Wisely with Dr. Srikumar Rao (Episode #107)

Turns out, we don’t have to solve any of our problems through struggle, trial, and error. No, there are pieces of wisdom out there that are as true today as they were 2,000 years ago. And today’s guest, Dr. Srikumar Rao, has done the work of gathering those pieces of insight and making them relevant to modern life. Dr. Rao is a sought-after speaker around the globe because the perspectives he shares have the power to help us make enormous leaps in our personal wisdom and use those leaps to rise above the chaos.
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Image: Mike Michalowicz

Let Your Work Run Itself By Declaring Your Big Promise with Mike Michalowicz (Episode #106)

If your head is sent spinning by a constant swirl of financial and business priorities, today’s guest will open a path to clarity and peace of mind for you. Mike Michalowicz’s “zone of genius” is in simplifying the most dizzying concepts. He is a master at using easy-to-remember stories and analogies that help his insights soak in for us all. In today’s episode, we talk about his recent book “Clockwork” and a few of the ah-ha moments can send your working life in fresh and fundamentally exciting new directions.
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Image: Liz McKenzie

Don’t Look for Connection in Nature, Listen for It with Liz McKenzie (Episode #105)

If there are times when a moment of delightful joy or wonder would save the day for you, then our guest today has a message that will be a gift that keeps on giving. Liz McKenzie is an expert in giving us all access to the quiet, small wonders - usually just steps away - in a window sill, balcony, our own backyard, or a nearby park. No vacations are necessary to “get out into nature” and feel its calming warmth. It’s all around us all the time, and listening for it might be the greatest joy of all.
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Image: Gen-la Lobsang Phuntsok

After Adopting 123 Kids, Former Buddhist Monk Transforms Education with Gen-la Lobsang Phuntsok (Episode #104)

There is nothing quite as enlightening as listening to the insights of someone who has been to the edge and back. Today’s guest - Lobsang Phuntsok - had been to many edges of human existence. He was abandoned at birth, left under dry leaves by his 13 year old mother, but rescued to grow up as a Buddhist Monk. After an amazing journey of insight, he is now “Dad” to 123 children in an amazing family that is also a school and community that could fundamentally change the goals of education worldwide.
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Image: Blaine Merker

Streets are for People, Not Cars? Bringing Joy & Humanity to Your Neighborhood with Blaine Merker (Episode #103)

If you wish your neighborhood brought more opportunities for delight and connection close to home, you will love our conversation with guest, Blaine Merker. His work with one of the most important Urban Design companies in the world is aiming at unique, inspiring “street cultures” in the future for us all. Blaine has some amazing stories of how our streets are being transformed from places for our cars, to places for people! If ever the future felt bright, this episode will fill you with a sense of possibility.
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Image: Dr. Hal Urban

“Do You Know What I Like Most About You?” And Other Ways to Make Life Happier with Dr. Hal Urban (Episode #102)

If you’ve committed to spending more time on things that add to your quality of life, then our guest today will bring delight to your everyday experiences. Dr. Hal Urban has traveled over two million miles talking about how small shifts in our positive character traits can help us celebrate the life we are living. He has written eight books on the power of positivity, but with a unique twist on how we can take control of our happiness.
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Image: Doug Barnard

From Unemployment to World Traveler: Turn Setbacks into Opportunities with Doug Barnard (Episode #101)

Ever dream of traveling the world? Is it possible to visit places less traveled with almost nothing more than a radiant smile? It is! Our guest today—YouTuber Doug Barnard—has attracted a global following of almost 500,000, at age 26. People in places like Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, and Alexandria, Egypt are recognizing him, and often embracing him on the street. Best of all, his popularity is not due to outrageous behavior, but rather his sense of celebration of every person he meets. His energy is contagious.
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Image: Liesl Ulrich-Verderber

Lessons Learned from 8 Years of Publishing Good News with Liesl Ulrich-Verderber (Episode #100)

If you want to hear a rare, fresh take on the present and future - a conversation full of progress and wonder - then join Liesl Ulrich-Verderber and I as we share what we’ve learned through 8 years of curating the internet for “good news.” The remarkable stories of newsworthy insight and innovation are out there, but going uncelebrated. Liesl will be changing that soon as she bursts onto the scene with a young, exciting, and brilliant voice, amplifying a “Conspiracy of Goodness” happening right now, across the world.
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Image: Jonathan Reisman

Take a Walk with a Doctor: Understanding Yourself Through Nature with Jonathan Reisman M.D. (Episode #99)

The best medicines for overwhelm these days are joy and wonder. Both, when you can get it! And today’s guest, Dr. Jonathan Reisman, brings us exactly that. He is a pediatrician and ER physician with a penchant for adventure travel, nature and food, and connecting ideas that no one ever thought to combine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Slate, and Discover Magazine and now he has a book that is one of the best “bedside reads” you might ever come across: The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy.
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Image: Stefanie Schaffer

Don’t Wait to Live: Turning Pain into a Teacher with Stefanie Schaffer (Episode #98)

Making an amazing hand out of the cards you’ve been dealt can seem impossible. But today’s guest - Stefanie Schaffer - has mastered the process and shares insights we can all put in practice tomorrow. The “bad hand” she was dealt, was very bad: losing both her legs in a tour boat accident while on a family vacation at age 22. But, in just 4 years, she has recovered from one setback after another, and managed her responses with so much clarity that she has recently found herself modeling for Kim Kardashian’s company, traveling, writing a book, and finding perspectives that are useful through every chapter of her recovery.
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Image: Dr. Marcia Reynolds

How to Have the Difficult Conversations with Dr. Marcia Reynolds (Episode #95)

If some of the chaos in your life comes from others, then our guest today, Dr. Marcia Reynolds, will give you no end to ah-ha moments. She is a master of making hard conversations easy. Marcia is a sought-after transformational coach known for her ability to change people’s minds in positive ways that serve everyone. Dr. Reynolds drops by to break down the truth behind hard conversations, and it only takes a few simple shifts to do it.
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