The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall
Episodes
Gregory Ripley: Going with the Flow: The Hundred Remedies of the Tao
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Could the ancient wisdom of Taoism help us with the emotional challenges of modern life? Author and Taoist priest Greg Ripley believes that a little-k...
Lisa Marchiano: Finding Your Fire: What's Holding You Back?
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For many women, intense caring and nurturing relationships cause their inner fire to dim, leaving them feeling they have lost themselves. Author and J...
Beth Wallace: How the Menopause Impacts Your Sex Life
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Menopause is a seismic transition for women, and for their partners. The physical and emotional changes it brings will undoubtedly reverberate into a ...
Jeremy Fox: How to Recover From Trauma
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve suffered serious trauma, you may well be feeling confused by the sudden ubiquity of the term. The concept of trauma is having its cultural...
My Best Relationship Tools: Bonus Episode
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
I’m excited to launch my new online course for couples: My Best Relationship Tools. This week, I talk with my friend and podcast engineer, Michael D...
Nataly Kogan: Breaking Negative Thought Patterns
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Each and every one of us is awesome in some way - but, we are also human. Author, speaker and entrepreneur Nataly Kogan wrote her Awesome Human Journa...
Erin Vandermore: Setting Intentions
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hopes, dreams and goals stretch far into the future, but intentions are about the present. Setting intentions means translating your goals into small ...
Philip Carr-Gomm: How to Improve Your Sleep
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
More than one third of adults suffer from insomnia or some other kind of sleep disorder. Left unaddressed, lack of sleep can lead to debilitated healt...
What We Learned in 2023
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Better sex, coping with strong emotions, healing your inner child and harnessing the power of compassion: these were some of the big themes that spoke...
Dr Cheryl Fraser: A More Loving Christmas
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christmas isn’t usually thought of as a romantic holiday, but this week Dr Cheryl Fraser explores some of the ways you and your partner can share in...
Mark Matousek: Stoicism: How Ralph Waldo Emerson can save your life
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson taught a path of self-reliance and self-knowledge. He emphasised self-knowledge and mindfulness as paths to h...
Dr Susan Schwartz: Imposter Syndrome
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of “imposter syndrome” has found its cultural moment - we hear it talked about constantly, and many of us resonate with the idea of feeli...
Krystal Mazzola Wood: Setting Boundaries
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Setting boundaries can seem really hard - you wonder how the other person will react, and whether you’re strong enough to manage such a task. You’...
Michelle Brown: Step-Parenting & What It Teaches Us About Love & Relationships
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody dreams of becoming a stepmother. Yet for Michelle Brown, a blogger and step-parenting expert, being a step-mother feels like something she was ...
Terry Gaspard: Making Your Second Marriage Work
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The divorce rate for second marriages is in most countries higher than the rate for firsts. If you’re onto a second or third marriage (or if you’r...
Bea Gonzalez: Fairy Tales and the Route to Wholeness
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Healing from profound exhaustion of the spirit requires more than just thinking of a good plan. Author and Jungian Bea Gonzalez believes in storytelli...
Shelia Rubin: Embracing Shame and Turning it into a Powerful Ally
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Shame is a powerful, universal, mysterious emotion. It can be incredibly painful and destructive AND it is designed to protect you” (Sheila Rubin...
Julia Keller: How do you Know When Enough is Enough?
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Quitting - jobs, marriages, musical instruments - is often seen as a sign of a weak character. Author and journalist Julia Keller is on a mission to r...
Fabian Edzard Schneider: Mismatched Levels of Sexual Desire
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most couples grapple with mismatched levels of sexual desire at some point. Some find destructive solutions - pornography, infidelity - but it IS poss...
Dr Susan Heitler: Forget ”Fair Fighting” and Learn How to Do Win-Win Problem-Solving
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Forget fair fighting, what you and your partner should aim for is win-win problem solving. According to psychologist Dr Susan Heitler, If you can lear...
Jody Day: Find Hope and Meaning Without Children
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you wanted children but weren’t able to have them, you are tasked with making peace with a life you didn’t choose. This grieving process occurs...
Connie Zweig: Understanding Your Shadow
02 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our “shadow” is made up of the unconscious parts of ourselves that we try to suppress or deny. Acknowledging and understanding shadow can be a pow...
Dr. Paul Dobransky: How We Fall in Love: Differences Between Men & Women
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do we fall in love? And do men and women experience this differently? Psychiatrist Dr Paul Dobransky has combined science with the study of real-l...
Elaine Carney Gibson: Family Systems Theory: How do the Rules Growing Up Still Impact You Today?
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When families enter family therapy, they usually point to one person as the “problem” - this individual is seen as too much, or too angry, or too ...
Dr Avrum Weiss: Anxiety: Are you and your partner playing hot potato?
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety can be as contagious as a yawn. People who are feeling more anxious often try to get others to take some of their anxiety from them, and peopl...
James Hollis: Dispelling the Ghosts Running your Life
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you allowing your life to be run by “ghosts” - empty narratives, expired beliefs, tired fears, people who should no longer hold sway over your...
Barbara Zitwer: Happiness, Korean Style: Look Through the Lens of a Different Culture and Refresh Your Life
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What can Korean culture teach us about being happier and more fulfilled? New York literary agent and author Barbara Zitwer has spent decades figuring ...
Renee Mill: Practical Tools for Managing Anxiety & Stress
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Psychologist and author Renee Mill believes that practical, solutions-focused approaches to anxiety can be as important as deep psychotherapeutic work...
Karla McLaren: What is the Feeling Trying to Tell Me?
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“Stop crying now”, “cheer up”, “what a lovely smile” - these are the kinds of messages most of us hear from infancy. Karla McLaren’s wor...
John Papola: What Makes a Great Dad?
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Filmmaker and Dad Saves America host John Papola is on a mission to celebrate the inspirational force of fatherhood. Rather than dwelling on the dis...
Clark Strand: A Deeper Connection with Everything Through Haiku
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can we find the joy, connection, healing and sense of the miraculous that so many of us crave? For poet and spiritual teacher Clark Strand, the an...
Dr Friedemann Schaub: How to Get Out of Survival Mode, Feel Less Anxious and Start Living
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re living in survival mode, squashing down feelings of anxiety, depression and panic, then something needs to change. This week Andrew spea...
Dr Sharon Martin: How to Heal Stubborn & Unexplainable Health Problems
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Western medicine cannot cure all of our ills. Many of us experience stubborn aches, pains and fatigue that our doctors don’t seem able to touch, or ...
Dr Sam Carr: The Silent Epidemic: Loneliness
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re often told we’re in the midst of a post-Covid “loneliness epidemic”, but what exactly does that mean? Loneliness is a profound condition...
Conroy Harris: Rites of Passage and Mentoring: How to Become an Adult
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It can often seem that today's world rewards people who remain psychologically suspended in adolescence. Many people, particularly men, prolong and en...
Mara Glatzel: It’s OK to be Needy: How to Recognise & Advocate for Yours
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You have needs—your needs matter. And yet, you’ve been taught that pushing your needs to the back burner is the only way to get things done, that ...
Ayala Gill: What Can I Learn from this Moment?
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode spiritual teacher Ayala Gill shares three fundamental questions with which to approach difficult situations life throws our way: ⭐️...
Scott Simon: Small Acts of Courage to Change Your Life
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When fear presents itself, we are deterred from the essential work of holding tough conversations, defending new ideas against the status quo, and sta...
Tonya Lester: How to Have Healthy Conflict
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Psychotherapist Tonya Lester believes it’s OK to be difficult. This doesn’t mean being rigid, domineering or unkind. It means making sure that you...
Richard Nicholls: How to be Happier
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to decide to be happier, and then to go out there and make it happen? Hypnotherapist, author and podcaster Richard Nicholls believes th...
Sarah Swenson: Are You in a Neurodiverse Relationship?
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re in relationship with a partner who is on the autism spectrum, the following may feel familiar: My partner seems to lack empathy and doesn’...
Olivier Clerc: Forgiveness: Healing the Wounds of the Heart
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Forgiveness is a powerful spiritual tool that can bring profound relief, and unleash feelings of love blocked for years by personal resentments. In ...
Geraldine Walsh: Unraveling Motherhood
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Motherhood gets great PR: women are led by society to expect it to be continuously fulfilling and wonderful. The reality is, of course, more complicat...
Dr Geoffrey Greif: Adult Sibling Relationships: How Do You Get On With Your Brother or Sister?
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no-one in the world who can push your buttons like your brother or sister. Sibling relationships (whether you live in the same postcode or c...
Allison Raskin: OCD: How Overthinking Impacts Your Relationships
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Love and relationships are already complicated, but they can feel even more so if you’re living with a mental health condition. This week author All...
Robert Jackman: Healing Your Lost Inner Child
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you often feel depressed, anxious, victimised or disappointed, you may be carrying a heavy load of unresolved emotional pain. Psychotherapist and...
Eric Maisel: What If We’ve Gotten Meaning All Wrong
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if we’ve gotten meaning all wrong? Perhaps “searching for meaning” is completely the wrong way to think about things. If we can reconceptua...
Sherri Mandell: How to Grow Resilience: The Seven Cs & Why Creativity is Key
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After her 13-year-old son Koby was murdered by terrorists, Sherri Mandell was forced to explore the nature of spiritual resilience in the face of over...
Juliet Grayson: Self Differentiation: Do I Have to Give Up Me to Be Loved By You?
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the toughest challenges in a relationship is being able to forge our own individual selves. And it isn’t always something that gets easier ov...
Dr Ruth Ann Harpur: Narcissism: Helpful Diagnosis, or a Trap?
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
These days “narcissist” has become the insult of choice for many of us caught on the wrong side of arrogance, self-absorption or monotonous braggi...
Jan Day: Tantra: How to Make Your Lovemaking More Connected
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can we have more meaningful, connected sex? Many couples today are stuck in a low-sex or no-sex dynamic, while others struggle to break a routine ...
Mar Estarellas & Orsolya Szeverics: Unlocking the Gifts of Anger
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Anger is one of the main reasons couples seek out the help of a marital therapist. It is an emotion we often fear, and which we are frequently taught ...
Malcolm Stern: Slay Your Dragons With Compassion
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are you being held back by darker moments from your past? Would you like to find the courage to shine a light on some of the tragic or shameful moment...
Samantha Baines: Do We Need a More Honest Conversation About Divorce?
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone has a different divorce experience, but getting divorced is pretty much guaranteed to change your life. In this episode Samantha Baines, ho...
Dr Anna Colton: How to Sit With Anxiety
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re restless and irritable, or plagued by headaches or stomach upsets, then anxiety might be an issue. More and more of us are looking for sup...
William Ayot: Healing Men’s Souls
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the four pale horsemen of war, famine, pestilence and death, have broken into our comfortable lives once again. As the climate emergency and ...
Charlotte Fox Weber: What Do You Really Want? Why We Are Frightened of Answering This Question.
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Life brings to all of us long periods where we feel lost or confused. We don't know how to get what we want, or even what it is that we want. The st...
William Pullen: Run (or Walk) Your Way to Better Mental Health
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Throw away your FitBit, stop counting your daily steps, and instead learn to run mindfully. If you can find the three key elements of space, silence a...
Niamh Fitzpatrick: Tell Me the Truth About Loss
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do you cope when life suddenly and dramatically falls to pieces? In March 2017 psychologist and author Niamh Fitzpatrick’s beloved sister Dara w...
Dr. Avrum Weiss: Why Men Withdraw When Women Get Angry
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When women and men argue, women can often be more comfortable in expressing their feelings of hurt and anger. Men can feel distressed by this streng...
Tracey Cox & Andrew: Ten Things We Learned in 2022 to Take Into 2023
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Better sex, building a stronger connection with your partner, coping with anxiety, and dealing with shame and fear: these were some of the big themes ...
Henry Emmons: The Road to Calm and Joy (Re-issue)
26 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you experience regular bad headaches, or a stomach upset that won’t go away? Do you have nagging aches you put down to getting older? Mind and bo...
Dr. John Kaag: Be Not Afraid: How Philosophy and William James Saved My Life
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” Philosopher William James (brother of the n...
Tara Blair Ball: Recovering from Toxic Relationships
12 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Leaving a toxic relationship is really just the beginning: how do you then pick up the pieces and build a new life? Certified relationship coach Tar...
Amanda Deibert: You Have All The Answers
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
⭐️What is something you could do right now to help your future self? ⭐️What is the most dangerous thing you have survived? ⭐️Who is a pers...
Dr. Galit Atlas: Buried Trauma: How the Past Can Unconsciously Trap You
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Family secrets can live on for generations, shaping our lives in ways we may not recognise or fully understand. In this episode Andrew talks to Dr Gal...
Andy West: Inherited Guilt: How Philosophy Helped Me Heal
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Prison makes a lot of life's big questions feel extremely urgent. Author Andy West explores such questions in his work teaching philosophy to prison...
Dr. Christopher Kerr: What Death Can Teach Us: Visions and Dreams of the Dying
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The end of life isn’t always a time of fear and suffering. Dr Christopher Kerr has cared for thousands of patients who, in the face of imminent deat...
Phil Poole: How to Find a Meaningful Job or Make Your Job More Meaningful
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If work leaves you feeling tense, unfulfilled or anxious, then it’s definitely time to make some kind of change. You probably know that already - bu...
Celia Dodd: Navigate Your Relationship With Your Adult Children
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Parenting adult children might not involve sleepless nights or dealing with detentions, but it can be highly challenging. Often, the balance of power...
Dr Suzanne Degges-White: The Unwritten Rules of Friendship: Why Things Turn Toxic
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There's endless advice on romantic love, but how can you nurture loving friendships? And what should you do if a friendship turns sour, or leaves you ...
Libby Nugent: Exhausted? How Fairytales Can Refresh & Move You Forward
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are you “world-weary”? Exhausted by life to the point where a day on the couch, a mini-break or a night out with friends won’t even touch the ti...
Dawn Kohler: When the Call to Be Yourself Can No Longer Be Ignored
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What happens if you ignore the voices in your head urging you to change your life? Most likely they will make themselves heard in some way, be it posi...
Machiel Klerk: Ask Your Dreams for Help
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re feeling stuck in your life, could the way forward be found in your dreams? Your dreams are direct messages from your subconscious, and can...
Dr Matthew McKay: Loving in the Face of Pain
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If we know anything for sure about love, it’s that our beloved will change as time passes. They will look different, believe new things and feel new...
Dr. Joanna La Prade: Surviving Dark Times
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How can we cope when life turns very dark? The culture tends to suggest we fix ourselves, work through the grief, and get back to normal as quickly as...
Dr. Cheryl Fraser: How to Stay in Love
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to fall in love with your partner over and over again? Can you hope to hold onto passionate sex as you grow older together? This week A...
Julia Samuel MBE: How We Inherit Pain from Our Parents & Grandparents
05 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are celebrating our 100th episode. To mark the occasion, we have a very special guest: Julia Samuel MBE, who is one of the UK’s foremos...
Joanna Harrison: How to Argue More Productively
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some of us spend years having the same arguments with our partner, on repeat. Others drift into a state of lonely togetherness where we don’t bother...
Prof. Paul Gilbert: Compassion: How to Develop Self-Acceptance
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Society encourages us to focus hard on “doing, achieving and having”. According to Professor Paul Gilbert, though, we would likely be much happier...
Second Time Around: How We Fell Back In Love and Got Married Again
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What if divorce were not the end? This week’s podcast guests, Tommy and Gina Mulligan, share their journey from acrimonious divorce back to happy co...
Chris Partridge: Being a Rescuer: Why It Can Be a Trap & How to Break Free
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you fall too easily into the role of rescuer in your relationships? Being the eternal rescuer is exhausting, and it tends to cast those around you ...
Dr. Frederic Luskin: Forgiveness: What It Is & What It Is Not
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To forgive is one of the biggest choices we can make. It can allow us to let go of painful suffering, to move on and to find peace for ourselves. Ye...
Georgina Scull: Regrets of the Dying: Wisdom for Living Better Today
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After nearly dying from an ectopic pregnancy, writer Georgina Scull confronted some of life’s big questions: Why do we drift through life, planning ...
Irene Fehr: Why Desire Disappears in Committed Relationships
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why do women stop wanting sex? Why is it so hard to recapture the intoxicating desire of those wonderful early weeks and months of your relationship? ...
Dr. Patricia Hasbach: Reconnect with Nature and Yourself
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Creating a more meaningful life does not have to happen indoors. Whether it’s writing, meditating, repairing relationships or planning a big life ch...
Dr Susan Schwartz: Daughters and Fathers: the Impact of the First Man in Your Life
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Women often spend many hours considering their relationship with their mothers; but far less attention goes to the impact of fathers. For some, the re...
Veronica Valli: Does Your Relationship With Alcohol Still Make Sense?
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do you think about drinking alcohol more than you think about eating sandwiches? Do you spend significant amounts of time thinking about NOT drinking ...
Catherine Mayer: Embracing Life at a Time of Death
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How do you survive the loss of your life’s partner? How does grief relate to love? And how do you navigate the sometimes clumsy responses to grief f...
Linda Hershman: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many older people, particularly women, are “divorce-curious”. They wonder about life on the other side of a tired marriage, and feel that perhaps ...
Christina Patterson: Getting Out of Your Own Way: Are You Unknowingly Self-Sabotaging?
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Christina Patterson found herself in the heartbreaking position of being the last one left in a loving and beloved family. She took on the task of wri...
Erik Qualman: Being More Focused: the Art of Saying No
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Doing a lot of things won’t get you where you want to go. According to “Digital Dale Carnegie” and best-selling author Erik Qualman, it’s beco...
Julie Wald: Feeling Balanced: The Four Pillars of Self-Care
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes things feel way too complicated. You’re working hard, taking care of your family, you have enough money - but things still just don’t fe...
David Kessler: Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
David Kessler is one of the world’s best-known experts on grief, yet nothing could prepare him for the loss of his beloved son at the age of 21. Jus...
Dr. Stephan Poulter: Shame: How to Break Out and Start Living
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Shame is one of the emotions we find hardest to talk about. It can feel paralysing, and is linked to despair, imposter syndrome, fear and the sense of...
Daisy Turnbull: How to Talk to Teenagers
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Teenagers have a big reputation for being hard to talk to. How can you find that spark of connection with your teen? Is there a way to set up a channe...
Dr. Connie Zweig: From Role to Soul: How to Become an Elder Rather than Just Old
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Finding meaning and fulfillment in the second half of life requires us to make a conscious transition. We must explore “the unconscious denial and r...
Alan Lessik: How to Deal with Change: The Backward Step
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Everything is always changing, and nothing is ever the same. If we think about it, we all know that. But we tend to live differently, as though we can...
Dr Wendy Suzuki: Stressed? Worried? Can’t Focus?: The Neuroscientist’s Guide to Anxiety
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you dread parties, can’t face job interviews, or won’t start scary conversations with your partner, this is the episode for you. Dr Wendy Suz...
George Mumford: The Power of Mindfulness: How to Investigate Your Pain
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Within your mind, body and soul YOU have an untapped potential that wants to be unleashed. It calls to you in your dreams and whispers to you when ...