What is a Good Life?

Mark McCartney
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

What is a Good Life? is a podcast that invites us to question what we’ve been told makes for a good life, and to pay more attention to what really matters: our relationships, the moments that make us feel more human, and the experiences that connect us to one another. After more than 300 conversations over five years, I’m increasingly convinced that the good life we are sold and how people actually experience it are very wide apart. These conversations offer another way of seeing the world, and an invitation to live a little differently. New episodes every Tuesday.

  1. 2d ago

    The Pacifist Who Went to War with Dmytro Dokunov | EP 195

    I recently watched a documentary that blew my mind: Where Everything Disappears. It was hard to hold the beauty and the grief it shared at the same time. It follows Dmytro “Dok” Dokunov, a documentary filmmaker who was living in a countryside eco-community, practicing yoga, breathwork and meditation, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. He joined the Ukrainian army, became a commander, and kept recording his experiences.  This is one of the most fascinating conversations I’ve had in this series. We talk about: Leaving a community built around nature and connection for the front lineUsing mantras and the Bhagavad Gita in a war zoneWhy he saw going to war as a form of loveThe bonds formed when there are no masks leftLosing friends, and the weight of commanding othersWhy he still believes in humanity’s futureA really moving conversation about presence, connection and keeping our hearts open, from a remarkable life. The guest:Dmytro “Dok” Dokunov is a Ukrainian documentary filmmaker, photographer, digital artist and Armed Forces veteran. For over 20 years, he has explored human stories, the beauty of everyday life, and the relationship between people, nature, and technology. As a co-founder of Pixelated Realities, he has worked on preserving cultural heritage through photography, 3D scanning, and digital art. When Russia's full-scale invasion began, Dmytro became a soldier, continuing to document life through his camera. His personal footage and experiences became the heart of the documentary Where Everything Disappears, directed by Oleksandr Tkachenko. Today, he is developing a nature-based creative and rehabilitation space for veterans and their families in Ukraine. To support the podcast:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/whatisagoodlife? For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    The Pacifist Who Went to War with Dmytro Dokunov | EP 195

  2. Oct 20

    Living Fully While You Wait with Matt Hoffar | EP194

    What does a good life look like when your health is uncertain? Matt was born with a bone condition and has broken more than 40 bones. He’s had a liver transplant, and he’s now waiting on open heart surgery. He’s also one of the most positive, curious people I know, and I wanted to find out how he lives so fully. Matt has been a basketball coach, an equipment manager for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the NBA, a stockbroker, and a boxing promoter. He still trades and invests, and today he’s a writer and creator in animation, developing a comedy series. In this conversation, we talk about what living with medical uncertainty has taught him, and why he doesn’t let his health or his job define him. We also cover how saying hello to strangers has shaped his career and friendships, why you should change your mind when the facts change, what he learned from a boxing venture that didn’t add up, and his rule for new opportunities: if you can’t think of a downside, give it a go. It is a conversation about curiosity, relationships and keeping an open mind. To support the podcast:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/whatisagoodlife? For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Living Fully While You Wait with Matt Hoffar | EP194

  3. Oct 13

    Philippe Birker: Living Life With Open Arms | EP193

    What happens when a hard-working founder is told by “the spirit world” to slow down and become a father? Philippe Birker is the co-founder of Climate Farmers, an organisation supporting the transition to regenerative agriculture across Europe. In this conversation he shares the question he’s living by: What do I want to leave behind? We talk about: A transformative ayahuasca retreat, and the messages that reshaped his work and family lifeMoving from 70-hour weeks and near burnout to trusting the flow of lifeWhat teenagers in a South African township taught him about money and happinessFalling in love with regenerative farming, and the farmer who changed what he eatsReplanting a burned Portuguese hillside and what it means to increase a place’s “life-holding capacity”Love, friendship, and the unconditional love of fatherhoodOriginally from Germany, Philippe now lives in Portugal with his partner and two young sons. He also runs the social music label Hug Records and is rebuilding an abandoned village with friends. This episode is filled with inspiration to pay more attention to how we live, to whom we love, and the power of working at something you find meaningful. If you'd like to check out more of Philippe's work: Climate Farmers: www.climatefarmers.org To support the podcast:Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/whatisagoodlife? For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Philippe Birker: Living Life With Open Arms | EP193

  4. Oct 6

    The Truth Will Set You Free with Kat Miles | EP192

    What does it take to stand up when something doesn't feel right? In this episode, we speak with Kat Miles, a Brixton business owner, community organiser, and founder and Chair of the Brixton Traders & Community Association (BTCA). She has traded in Brixton Village since 2011, and her shop became an informal hub for advice and support, which led her to found BTCA to give traders and the community a collective voice. She is also the driving force behind Buy Back Brixton, a community-led campaign to bring Brixton Village and Market Row into community ownership. Kat takes us from a childhood spent pondering honesty on her bedroom windowsill to the struggles of traders working seven days a week with nothing to show for it. She explains why honesty with yourself is the foundation of everything else, how fear and love sit at opposite ends of the spectrum, and why a £50 million buy back vision appeared as the path she had to take. She also shares what makes Brixton so special: belonging, freedom and a community that steps in for one another. This episode is incredibly inspiring for standing up and doing what you feel has to be done – regardless of whether you have done it before. Something our world needs more of right now. If you'd like to support the campaign please check out: Buy Back Brixton: https://buybackbrixton.org/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btcassociation/ For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    The Truth Will Set You Free with Kat Miles | EP192

  5. Sep 29

    Nikkolas Smith: Seeing The Humanity In Each Other | EP191

    This week we are joined by Nikkolas Smith, Hollywood concept artist, #1 NYT bestselling illustrator, and the creator of Sunday Sketch. We explore his journey from theme park designer to viral artivist. We talk about art as empathy, how art has helped him process grief and injustice, and the making of his hand-painted picture book The History of We – a 200,000-year visual journey back to humanity's first artists, astronomers, and storytellers in Africa. This is a conversation about holding onto our humanity as a way of meeting the broken bones of the world. Nikkolas Smith is an Artivist, #1 NYT Bestseller picture book creator, and Hollywood film illustrator and concept artist (Sinners, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, Space Jam II). He is the author/illustrator of the USA TODAY Bestselling The Artivist, and the illustrator of The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, a #1 NYT Bestseller, as well as Black Panther Wakanda Forever: The Courage To Dream and A Change is Gonna Come. His picture book The History of We is a 2026 Sibert Honor Book and winner of the 2026 Jane Addams Children's Book Award. As a Black illustrator, Nikkolas is focused on creating captivating art that can spark important conversations in today's world and inspire meaningful change toward social justice and equity. You can learn more about Nikkolas' work at www.NIKKOLAS.art For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Nikkolas Smith: Seeing The Humanity In Each Other | EP191

  6. Sep 22

    Harrison Gardner on Building Your Own Security | EP190

    Builder, broadcaster and author Harrison Gardner joins the show to talk about what it means to build your own security – the kind that comes from knowing you can meet your own basic needs. Harrison shares how he left Australia at seventeen with no plan beyond learning how the world works, the years he spent building preschools in an Indian slum, and how buying a derelict 200-year-old stone cottage in the west of Ireland led him to found Build School. We talk about learned helplessness, why he stopped building other people's houses to teach them to build their own, and how impact shapes his life. This is an inspiring conversation about building your own capabilities and committing more fully to your life. Harrison Gardner is an author, broadcaster and builder based on the west coast of Ireland. He presents Build Your Own Home on RTÉ, has written three books on self-building and the housing crisis, and hosts The Tools at Hand, a podcast about people who use whatever they have to hand to build exactly what they need. It all traces back to one belief: people don't need permission or expertise to fix what's broken around them. He's also Chairperson and co-founder of Common Knowledge, a social enterprise sharing practical skills with everyone. You can learn more about Harrison's work at www.harrisongardner.net For more from Mark McCartney:The Podcast's Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Harrison Gardner on Building Your Own Security | EP190

  7. Sep 15

    Toko-pa Turner: What Your Dreams Are Trying to Tell You | EP189

    Dreamworker and award-winning author Toko-pa Turner joins the show to talk about what it really means to let go – of the perceptions we project onto others, of the noise on the surface of life – so we can hear the "second attention" moving underneath. Toko-pa shares how she developed her own intimate relationship with dreams after leaving home at fourteen with no adult guidance, how a haunting nightmare revealed a core family wound, and the five keys of Courting the Dream. We talk about ritual as a way of honoring insight, the healing power of dream groups, and why she believes psyche doesn't end at the limits of our own bodies. A beautiful, grounded conversation about listening to the wisdom already moving through us. Toko-pa Turner is a Canadian author and dreamworker whose work explores the reciprocity between psyche and nature. Her first book, Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home, has been translated into ten languages and received the 2018 Gold Nautilus Award and the Gold Readers' Favorite Award. Her most recent book, The Dreaming Way: Courting the Wisdom of Dreams, is a depth-oriented guide to dreamwork and winner of the 2025 Gold Nautilus Award. Her course, The Dream Lodge, begins September 22nd: https://toko-pa.com/product/dream-lodge-sept-2026/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Toko-pa Turner: What Your Dreams Are Trying to Tell You | EP189

  8. Sep 1

    Your One Wild & Precious Life with Laura Costello | EP188

    This week we are in conversation with Laura Costello. Laura is Chief Communications Officer at Hometree, a nature restoration charity, and Ireland Lead with Purpose Disruptors. She led the Good Life 2030 Ireland project, which invited people across Ireland to imagine a brighter future and resulted in a national creative campaign promoting visions of wellbeing centred on connection rather than consumption. We talk about the question at the centre of her life and work – borrowed from a Mary Oliver poem – and how it shifted from a career question into something much bigger. We explore the difference between understanding the climate crisis intellectually and actually feeling it, the significance of our attention on each other, and what people across Ireland said when asked what makes a good life.  For more of Laura's work:Good Life 2030 project: https://www.goodlife2030.earth/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauracostello11/ For more from Mark McCartney:Newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/Website: https://www.mmcleadership.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife

    Your One Wild & Precious Life with Laura Costello | EP188
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

What is a Good Life? is a podcast that invites us to question what we’ve been told makes for a good life, and to pay more attention to what really matters: our relationships, the moments that make us feel more human, and the experiences that connect us to one another. After more than 300 conversations over five years, I’m increasingly convinced that the good life we are sold and how people actually experience it are very wide apart. These conversations offer another way of seeing the world, and an invitation to live a little differently. New episodes every Tuesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Mark McCartney
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    195
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Mark McCartney
  • Show Website
    What is a Good Life?

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