Conspiracy of Goodness Podcast

Goodness Exchange

More joy, less fear, and no end to the evidence that a bright future is possible. Hosted by Dr. Lynda Ulrich, co-founder of the Goodness Exchange, 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. Find more good news at the Goodness Exchange, a media outlet helping you cut through today’s negative noise, saving your time and sanity with instant access to positive news, fresh insights, and uplifting perspectives.

  1. 6d ago

    243. Play Isn’t Just for Kids: It’s the Fifth Pillar of Health! with Teresa Davis

    Most of us know the big health pillars: eat well, move your body, and get enough sleep. More recently, we’ve started to understand the importance of social connection. But according to Teresa Davis, there’s another essential part of being fully alive that many adults have forgotten: play. In this episode, Dr. Lynda Ulrich talks with Teresa Davis, founder of Davis Studio and Play Intention in South Burlington, Vermont, about why play is not a childish escape from real life. It may be one of the most intelligent, healing, connecting, and practical things humans can do. Together, they explore adult play, creative expression, “foraging for joy,” curiosity, resilience, and how small playful choices can help us feel less heavy, more connected, and more human. This conversation is a reminder that play is not a waste of time. It is a way back to ourselves. Learn more and find the full article on the Goodness Exchange. Chapters 00:00 — Intro & Welcome 04:45 — What If Play Was Seen as Wisdom? 07:26 — What Children Teach Us About Connection 13:28 — Foraging for Joy 19:16 — Is Play a Form of Intelligence? 20:55 — What Adult Play Actually Looks Like 33:13 — Break 35:28 — Bringing Play Into Everyday Life 41:10 — Teresa’s Story and Permission to Play 48:11 — Can Play Make Us More Hopeful? 57:05 — Play as the Fifth Pillar of Health 1:07:45 — How to Start Foraging for Joy 1:16:12 — Curiosity at the Core of Play 1:27:47 — Growing the Movement 1:31:52 — What Teresa Wishes People Knew

  2. Jun 30

    242. How To Human: Why Colleges are Putting Life Skills on the Syllabus with Marjorie Malpiede

    What if higher education measured success not only by grades and job placement — but by whether students are actually flourishing? Marjorie Malpiede, editor in chief of LearningWell magazine and host of LearningWell Radio, explains how a committed group of colleges and universities helping students build belonging, resilience, purpose, agency, and lifelong wellbeing in their students. Chapters 00:00 – Intro and Welcome 05:09 – Rethinking the Purpose of Higher Education 16:48 – The Problem With Achievement Culture 29:10 – Break 32:00 – From Mental Health Crisis to Human Flourishing 43:43 – Is College Becoming Too Transactional? 50:16 – Character Education Is Making a Comeback 01:00:50 – Relationship-Rich Education 01:13:05 – What Would an Ideal First Year of College Look Like?

  3. May 31

    241. When Technology Makes Us Better Neighbors with Michael Wood-Lewis

    When we know our neighbors, the world feels more human and much less scary. Michael Wood-Lewis is the co-founder of one simple, moderated platform that has helped rebuild trust, reduce loneliness, and strengthen communities in every town in Vermont. With 250,000 active members in a state of roughly 270,000 households, Front Porch Forum offers a hopeful model for how technology can bring us back to each other.  Chapters 00:00 – Intro and Welcome 05:45 – The Power of Neighborliness 08:38 – Front Porch Forum vs Big Tech 16:00 – Real Stories of Community Connection 22:55 – Break 25:12 – Redistributing Abundance Through Community 29:23 – Why Moderation and Tone Matter Online 39:15 – Building Social Infrastructure for Communities 47:57 – Surprising Insights From Front Porch Forum Data 57:20 – Designing for Decency in Digital Spaces 01:18:38 – Why Real-Life Conversations Matter

  4. Apr 30

    240. The Story in Your Head Might Be Holding You Back with Tom Schlesinger

    The voice in your head is what’s shaping your entire experience…but what if it wasn’t telling the truth? Master storyteller Tom Schlesinger reveals how the stories we repeat to ourselves can quietly limit—or liberate—and he offers a simple, surprisingly powerful way to step out of mental loops and back into a life that feels more present, grounded, and alive. Chapters 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 04:04 – How Self-Talk Shapes Emotions and Decisions 07:49 – Rehearsing Problems That Never Happen 10:13 – The Power of Breathing to Reset Your Mind 12:42 – A Story That Shaped a Lifetime Belief 18:39 – How Stories Create Emotional Patterns 22:48 – What Makes a Story Truly Connect 27:26 – Break 29:41 – How to Catch Harmful Thought Patterns 34:54 – Rewriting Your Inner Narrative 59:54 – Triggers, Boundaries, and Emotional Control 01:05:55 – Why We Get Stuck in Negative Loops 01:08:53 – Good Thing Bad Thing Who Knows 01:13:45 – Zooming Out to See the Bigger Picture 01:16:58 – Simple Daily Practice to Reset Your Mind

  5. Mar 31

    239. New Life for What We Have: Stewards of Our Abundance with Kenny Williams

    Most of us have more abundance than we realize, and we are storing (often stuffing) all that we’ve collected without really putting it to good use anymore. This episode invites us to rethink generosity—not as charity, but as stewardship. Kenny Williams, executive director of the Arkansas nonprofit Pedal It Forward, shares how bikes become pathways to freedom, health, and dignity—and how letting go of unused things can unexpectedly transform both the giver and the receiver. Chapters 00:00 — Intro & Welcome 06:20 — How Pedal It Forward Works 16:01 — The Bike That Saved His Job 22:08 – Break 24:23 — Health, Transportation and Freedom 31:59 — The Volunteers Behind the Mission 50:57 — Movement Is Freedom 53:26 — What Pedal It Forward Needs Next

  6. Mar 12

    238. What Dogs Teach Us About Life — From a Master Storyteller with Tom Schlesinger

    What if the antidote to stress, overthinking, and constant mental chatter has been quietly walking beside us all along? Today we have a conversation with a master storyteller, consultant to the likes of Pixar, LucasFilms and Disney - Tom Schlesinger, on quieting the noise, returning to the body, and rediscovering joy. All through the lens of how dogs can remind us how to lead our best lives. Chapters 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 05:02 – Monkey Mind and Mental Chatter 07:22 – Storytelling Before Language 10:00 – Dogs, Humor, and Emotional Balance 14:30 – Remembering Dog Stories Brings Us Home 20:18  – Myth, Archetypes, and the Heroine’s Journey 31:09 – The Power of the Pause 32:40 – Presence, Time, and Stress 42:50 – Sensory Storytelling and the Body 47:20 – Break 49:37 – The Silent Evolution 01:12:35 – Perfectionism vs Creative Flow 01:28:39 – Returning to the Body and the Earth

  7. Feb 26

    237. Why The Ocean Glows, and How We Can Protect It with Dr. Edie Widder

    What if the darkest places on Earth are not empty, but teaming and alive with light, quiet beauty, and wonders that can help our planet thrive? In this luminous conversation with Edith Widder, we slip beneath the surface of our planet to explore glowing oceans, hidden migrations, and the astonishing ways life seems near magical, where sunlight never reaches. This episode is an invitation to feel awe again—to remember how little we truly know, and how much wonder is still waiting just beyond our sight. 00:00 – Intro & Welcome 04:11 – How Deep Is the Ocean, Really? 08:37 – Turning the Lights Off to Truly See 13:36 – How Life Communicates in Darkness 18:00 – From Jellyfish to Cancer Research 24:22 – Courage, Curiosity, and Her Mother’s Influence 28:52 – Break 31:30 – Near-Death, Blindness, and a Deeper Connection to Light 43:40 – Using Bioluminescence to Detect Pollution 53:53 – Wonder, Hope, and What’s Worth Saving

  8. Feb 12

    236. Look Up! Wonder is the Key To Unlocking Discovery with Dr. Macarena Garcia Marin

    The universe has been talking for billions of years—and we’re finally learning how to listen. Now, if we become “all ears” we can each enjoy a worldview of wonder! Astrophysicist Dr. Macarena García Marín joins us to explore how the James Webb Space Telescope is expanding our view of the cosmos—and why it matters. Chapters 00:00 – Introduction & Welcome 05:32 – Career path and following scientific curiosity 08:26 – Seeing the universe as a family photo in time 18:26 – Humility, scale, and what space teaches us 35:50 – Break 38:05 – How the Webb telescope actually unfolded in space 49:02 – Better questions, zooming out and zooming in 54:14 – Mind-blowing truths about galaxies and possibility

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More joy, less fear, and no end to the evidence that a bright future is possible. Hosted by Dr. Lynda Ulrich, co-founder of the Goodness Exchange, 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. Find more good news at the Goodness Exchange, a media outlet helping you cut through today’s negative noise, saving your time and sanity with instant access to positive news, fresh insights, and uplifting perspectives.

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