The Voluntary Life

350 Why Predicting Doom Always Sounds Clever

12 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode presents some interesting research demonstrating that following the news and current events can make you more stupid. Understanding the ...

349 Free-Range Kids Reviewed By a Former Free-Range Kid

04 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode provides my perspective, as a former free-range kid, on the concept of free-range childhood. It is a review of the book Free-Range Kid...

348 Breaking Free

23 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chapter One from the audiobook of Becoming an Entrepreneur by Jake Desyllas. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus epodes and rewards! Bec...

347 Why I Am Passionate About Productivity

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ten reasons why I am passionate about productivity systems and getting things done. Show Notes: Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewa...

346 Nomadic Travel Vs Having A Base

29 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If you enjoy a travel lifestyle, is it better to go fully nomadic or have a base to come back to between trips? Here's an update about our experience ...

345 Emotional Challenges in Investing

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Investing brings emotional and psychological challenges. These challenges can lead to poor investment decisions, but they can also make you unhappy ev...

344 Voluntary Servitude

08 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most radical ideas I've come across is this: People are not free ultimately because they voluntarily consent to their servitude. Etienne de...

343 Listener Feedback on Questioning Education

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

I've had some interesting listener feedback from the recent episodes about questioning education. In this episode I respond to some of the points rais...

342 Review of The Paradox of Choice

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Paradox of Choice, by psychologist Barry Schwarz, is a book that has influenced many people interested in minimalism. Schwarz argues that the ext...

341 Peaceful Parenting, Unschooling, and Self-Directed Education

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A interview with James and Taylor Davis from the One Free Family podcast. James and Taylor explain their approach to peaceful parenting and unschoolin...

340 Review of The Case Against Education

08 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Most of what you learn in school and college is practically useless, yet education is (often) a very good investment. How can this be? This episode is...

339 Questioning Education

03 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the first in a series questioning key life choices around the topic of education. How valuable is education? How much education does i...

338 Leadership and Parenting

25 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What kind of leadership role do you have as a parent? What are the most important responsibilities of parents? This episode explores different answer...

337 Tracking Your Investments

17 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about managing and tracking investments, as part of your journey towards financial independence. I explain the calculations that I fin...

336 A Review Of Jordan Peterson’s Parenting Principles

09 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a review of Jordan Peterson's suggested principles for parenting, which he put forward in a chapter of his book "12 Rules For Life". ...

335 Freedom from Pretence

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Harry Browne's book, "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree world" had a huge influence on me. This episode examines the subject of one chapter in that ...

334 How Free Are You? The Tale of The Slave By Robert Nozick

26 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How free are you? This episode is about a thought-provoking story by the philosopher Robert Nozick called "The Tale of the Slave". It is taken from hi...

333 Residency in Portugal And Spain

16 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about some interesting opportunities that I am currently exploring for living in Portugal and Spain as an expat. I outline some of the...

332 Nietzsche’s Idea of Individual Freedom

13 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and whether or not there is anything useful in his work for those interested in finding ind...

331 Review of Think and Grow Rich

05 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill is a well-known and influential book about wealth and personal development. The topics covered by this book are...

330 Are You Ready To Have Children?

29 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Stephanie Murphy and I discuss a thought-provoking video by Daniel Mackler about the question: Are You Ready to Have Children? Show Notes: "Are You R...

329 Punished By Rewards Part 2: Incentives in Business

15 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Support The Voluntary Life on Patreon for bonus episodes and rewards! This is the second part of a review of Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards. ...

328 Punished By Rewards Part 1: Parenting and Schooling

12 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Become a Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! I found Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, both interesting and frustrating to read. So...

327 What Entrepreneurs Need To Know About Venture Capital

08 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is an interview with someone who's been involved in financing many famous Silicon Valley startups. Warren Hogarth was a partner at Sequoi...

326 Jim Rohn's Philosophy for Successful Living

23 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Rohn was an influential figure in the fields of personal development and financial independence. This episode is a discussion of his ideas includi...

325 Dealing With Manipulative People Part 2

21 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of a discussion about useful ideas in the book "In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People" by Dr. George K. Simon...

324 Dealing With Manipulative People Part 1

14 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

How do you defend yourself against manipulative people? Part 1 of a discussion about some useful ideas in the book "In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding...

323 A Review Of Defying Hitler by Sebastian Haffner

31 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sebastian Haffner’s memoirs of his time in Berlin between 1914 and 1933 give a fascinating account of everyday life during the rise of a totalitaria...

322 Destroy Bad Ideas by Embracing Them

31 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An episode about the best way to inoculate yourself against irrational ideas. Show Notes: Become a Patron of The Voluntary Life for bonus episodes! ...

321 Barcelona: Our Adventure Continues

24 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion with Hannah Braime about our travel experiences and life as expats in Barcelona. We talk about travel with kids, Barcelona as a destinat...

320 Investing in Gold

15 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why invest in gold? What is the best way to do so? Is gold obsolete as an investment now that cryptocurrencies exist? This episode answers many listen...

319 Inheritance

10 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Should you leave your adult children an inheritance? Should you base your own financial plans around the expectation of receiving an inheritance one d...

318 Mind Mapping

29 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

An episode about how to use mind maps as a productivity tool to plan any project and support your creative thinking. Show Notes: The Mind Map Book by...

317 Investing In Bonds

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you are investing towards financial freedom, you face a decision: which asset classes should you put your money in? This episode is about one of th...

316 80/20 Parenting and the ACE Study

02 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How could you apply the 80/20 Principle to parenting? In this episode, Jake answers this question using evidence from a fascinating empirical study in...

315 Nonviolent Communication

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Many people who are interested in personal freedom and self-improvement find value in an approach to negotiation called Nonviolent Communication (NVC)...

314 The Best TV Show For Entrepreneurs

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I explain what I've learned from my favourite TV show and why I recommend that you watch it if you are an entrepreneur or are interest...

312 The Unjobbing Way

01 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

James Davis is a great example of an "unjobber". His unconventional work life has included making money as a professional poker player, transforming a...

311 What Is The Point Of Getting Married?

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Jake talks about growing up with a view of marriage as an outdated tradition with negative connotations, and how his view changed as ...

310 How I Became An Estonian E-Resident

18 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Estonian E-Residency program is worth considering for anyone running a business online as a digital nomad. In this episode I explain the backgroun...

308 Building A Tiny House

04 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The tiny house movement is relevant for anyone interested in minimalism, frugal living, and ...

307 Five Ways To Live The Voluntary Life

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jake's speech at the Freecoast Festival 2017, presenting five ways to live the voluntary life: Rational Thinking Personal Freedom Peaceful Parenting ...

305 What Is Forgiveness?

01 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What does forgiveness mean? What is it for? Should you forgive others in order to be free? Or is the idea of forgiveness a trap? Check out the episode...

304 Passive Investing with Index Funds

25 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode answers questions from TVL listeners on the topic of investing in stocks. It pr...

303 The Weekly Review For Productivity

18 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode is about suggestions for implementing a weekly review for productivity. It is a...

302 Against Therapy

10 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This week's episode is a discussion with Hannah Braime about a very interesting book called ...

301 How Old Are Entrepreneurs?

02 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode presents some very interesting data on the average age of entrepreneurs when t...

300 The Different Principles Of Peaceful And Non-Peaceful Parenting

27 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This episode presents the implicit principles that underpin non-peaceful parenting, and cont...

299 What Is Selfishness?

19 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! Is unselfishness a virtue? Or is the idea of unselfishness a trap used to prevent you from l...

298 Your Life Is Not On Loan

12 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This week's episode is a response to this listener email: "I am very close to the financial...

297 The Role Of Cash In Investing

03 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! There is a saying in investing that "cash is trash", because cash provides such low returns ...

296 No One Is Coming To Save You

26 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! This week's episode is a response to this listener email: "I've been a long term listener, b...

295 How To Sort Your Life Out Part 1 (and Patreon!)

19 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Become A Patron of TVL to get bonus episodes and rewards! The Areas of Responsibility framework is a very powerful productivity technique for sorting...

294 The Five Laws Of Stupidity

06 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

"Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging power of stupid individuals. In particular non-stupid people constantly forget that at all times...

293 Girona: Our Adventure Continues

29 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode features Hannah and me discussing our move to Girona. We talk about adapting to a travel lifestyle with a baby, the challenges of...

292 The Decision To Have Kids

22 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A response to this interesting listener question: "Hi Jake, I would like to hear your thoughts on making the decision to have a child. I am 33 years ...

290 Escaping The Identity Trap

01 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The identity trap is an idea from Harry Browne's book How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World. Harry suggested that some widely held assumptions about ...

289 Managing Your Productivity System

24 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This weeks episode is about how to manage your own productivity system for getting things done. It comes from an interview that I did a while ago on ...

288 Working Hard And Missing Out On Life Experiences

16 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A response to this listener question: "From what I gather, for much of your 20s and 30s you worked very hard on building your business and for long ...

287 Freedom Surfer Interview

09 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

  Simon writes for digital nomads, perpetual travellers, and location independent entrepreneurs on his blog Freedom Surfer. In this interview, he ta...

286 Wireless Life Interview

02 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, my guest Sebastian Kühn talks about the benefits and challenges of running a location-independent business. He shares his o...

285 Making It All Work

26 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This week's episode is a review of David Allen's book, Making It All Work. This book is about applying principles of productivity beyond work, to life...

284 What The Founder Shows About Entrepreneurship

19 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It is not often that Hollywood makes movies which explore real business challenges. The Founder is a movie about how Ray Kroc created a global restaur...

283 Minimalism and Parenting

09 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Does becoming a parent mean giving up a minimalist lifestyle? In this episode Hannah and Jake discuss their experience of minimalism and parenting. S...

282 The Fear That Motivates Me

03 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jake is interviewed on The Sample Hour podcast with the host, Drew Sample. We had a wide-ranging discussion covering options for living a job-free lif...

281 Listener Feedback on Peaceful Parenting

24 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I respond to listener feedback about peaceful parenting. Some of the topics covered include: Is spanking justified? What about minor...

280 How To Disagree

16 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Although it might not seem like it, disagreeing is a skill. To disagree well is not only an important skill, but also a learnable one. Most people dis...

279 Designing A Life Without Regrets

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah and I discuss ways to design a life without regrets. Hannah talks about how to use journaling to stay conscious of what really matters to you...

278 Three Principles Of Philosophy Applied To Parenting

31 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about three principles of philosophy applied to parenting: Children own themselves (all people are self-owners). Parents have positiv...

277 Why It Is Worth Striving To Achieve A Job Free Life

22 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What will you do when you reach financial independence and job freedom? In this episode, I suggest some of the major opportunities that make this life...

276 Society Is Your Relationships

09 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Johnson's book, Intellectuals, provides many examples of the disastrous personal lives of intellectuals like Jean Jaques Rousseau, Karl Marx, Jea...

275 The Best Books On Productivity

27 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jake's guide to the most helpful books on productivity, including why each one is recommend and what to expect from it. Show Notes: Getting Things D...

274 Imaginary Teams

19 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Personal freedom comes from individual choice and individual responsibility, as opposed to collective identity and collective responsibility. If you ...

273 The Best Books On Entrepreneurship

13 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jake's guide to the most helpful books on entrepreneurship, including why each book is recommend and what you can expect from it. As mentioned in the ...

272 Why I Choose Peaceful Parenting

04 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

I choose to parent without violence or aggression. This means I eschew various actions that a lot of parents still consider acceptable- actions such a...

271 The Best Books To Start Learning About Financial Independence

27 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jake's guide to the best books on pursuing financial independence. Some of the books are must-reads, whereas others are suggested for specific purpos...

270 Harry Browne's Article "A Gift for My Daughter"

21 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A discussion of a very thought-provoking article by the late Harry Browne, called “A Gift for My Daughter”. The episode includes a recording of Ha...

269 Review of A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine

13 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I am joined by my wife Hannah Braime to discuss William B. Irvine's book, A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy. This...

268 Family Pressure, Expensive Weddings, And Kids

08 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A listener asks: "How do you cope with family and friend pressure to buy bigger and better and to have an expensive wedding and kids, which leaves yo...

267 Consumerism Vs Saving: Four Theories

31 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people spend so much of their disposable income on consumption and save so little towards their own financial independence? This episode presen...

266 Self-Sufficiency And DIY: Good For Financial Independence?

23 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Many people who write about financial independence emphasise the benefits of self-sufficiency and DIY as part of their lifestyle. Will it help your jo...

265 A Review Of Escape From Childhood By John Holt

15 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

John Holt was a leading figure in the school reform movement, who became increasingly interested in how children learn outside of school—what he cal...

264 Thomas Stanley's Wealth Index

03 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In his book Stop Acting Rich, author Thomas Stanley explained a way to calculate your relative net worth, taking into account both your age and your i...

263 Thinking Rationally Part 9: Rational Ethics

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An historical overview of rational ethics, focussing on the revolution in moral philosophy that happened during the Enlightenment. Although there was ...

262 Thinking Rationally Part 8: Popular Irrational Biases

19 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Many ideas that have been debunked long ago nonetheless remain very popular. This episode highlights three popular irrational biases about economics, ...

261 Thinking Rationally Part 7: The Irrationality Of Politics

11 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Politics brings out the worst in people. As the economist Joseph Schumpeter put it, "The typical citizen drops down to a lower level of mental perform...

260 Overcoming Negative Emotions

04 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A review of Peter Breggin's book, Guilt Shame And Anxiety: Understanding And Overcoming Negative Emotions, originally published on another podcast ho...

259 Breaking Limits In Business And Life

28 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An interview with Jake by Fumnanya, host of The Limit Breaker podcast. The interview covers interesting questions on the topic of breaking limits in...

258 Getting Started With Productivity Systems

21 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is an interview of Jake on the Valiant Growth podcast about getting started with productivity systems. A lot of people want to start usi...

257 How To Rock The Someday Maybe List

14 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

One of my favourite productivity techniques is the Someday Maybe List— an idea from David Allen's book, Getting Things Done. Many people ignore this...

256 Perpetual Travel With Kids Part 2: Interview With Mike And Lauren

06 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Youtube presenters Mike and Lauren are back to talk about travel with kids. We catch up about all the things that they have been up to since I last sp...

255 The Path to Permanent Travel And Minimalism

28 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jake was interviewed on World Wanderers Podcast about he sold a business, an apartment, and all of his stuff except one bag, to move to Panama. Jake...

254 Perpetual Travel With Kids Part 1: Interview With Go Curry Cracker

19 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A fun conversation with Jeremy and Winnie from Go Curry Cracker. Back in Episode 162, we talked about their path to financial independence through e...

253 A Review Of The Power Of Less

15 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Leo Babauta's book, The Power Of Less, is about using habits to help you focus on what matters in life. In this review, I talk about some of the most...

252 Adapting To Big Changes

06 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Back in episode 217, my wife Hannah and I spoke about the beginning of our adventure moving to Panama. In this episode we talk about a lot of big cha...

251 Entrepreneurship And Personal Development

30 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Entrepreneurship is not just about building a business, it is also about building yourself. I see entrepreneurship as an intensive personal developmen...

250 Job Free: Introduction

17 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode contains the introduction of the audiobook version of Jake Desyllas' latest book, Job Free. Whether you want to achieve financial indepe...

249 How I Carry My 600-Book Library In Hand Luggage

07 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you are interested in minimalism or a travel-oriented lifestyle, moving to a digital-only book library is a great benefit. Even if you don't plan t...

248 Thinking Rationally Part 6: Your Superpower For Self-Determination

31 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is about the role of rational thinking in life. Rational thinking is a discipline of self-mastery, similar to the discipline of achieving...

247 Thinking Rationally Part 5: Reason And Emotions

21 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to think rationally, what role do your emotions play? Is there a conflict between thinking rationally and experiencing feelings? In this e...