Welcome to a new miniseries on Identity and Politics! In this episode, Nic and Adam discuss the objects they carry with them, as well as the ways in which we interact with material culture inform our identity and our politics. In the episode, Adam said that Danny Miller called blue jeans the first "post-semanitc" object, when he meant "post-semioti…

It's time! Our annual holiday special! Only a bit late! This is our annual episode, featuring Zac, in which we have a bit of fun, reflect on the year just passed, and make vague promises for the year ahead. Enjoy!

This week Nic and Adam are continuing their self-help kick by taking a look at Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People and Samuel Smiles' Self Help. As with the previous book, Nic is much more receptive than Adam who is bitter and jaded. Nevertheless, here at An Unqualified Guide to the Good Life, we are not snobby about where we ob…

Baby we back. Welcome to Season Six of An Unqualified Guide to the Good Life! This season is all about ambition. To start the season off, we're starting in the same place that a lot of people start in their pursuit of ambition: self-help books. In this episode we discuss one of the best selling self-help books of all time: Mark Manson's The Subtle …

In this episode, the boys discuss ritual in its myriad forms and ponder questions such as: What is ritual? What forms of ritual are there? Why should we bother with ritual? What actions deserve ritual? How can we incorporate rituals into our lives? What actions are indicative of ritual? What obscure academics can Adam introduce to the conversation?…

Ok, this is an episode for us. The wonderful Zac Wolf returns for his second holiday special and it is special to have him! Join us for banter around Zac's passtimes, quiz-o-the-year style games, and all manner of eclectic facts. There's some audio stuff, and perhaps a better editor could have fixed it, but we continue to learn. In the edit, I feel…

In this episode Nic and Adam host musician and martial artist Dr Koul aka Mike Azkoul. They rediscover some of the broader topics of the season, from what the difference between religion and spirituality is, to the definition of spirituality, the role of meditation therein, the practice of it, the world views that it can underpin and much more. A b…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss Brian Draper's "Soulfulness: Deepening the Mindful Life" as a jump-off point for discussing the idea of soul and what its role in helping us to live well is. Additional thought is paid to music as a particularly 'soulful' medium and why that may be. Adam also delivers an excellent introduction, 5 seasons in he's…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss the notions of resilience and spiritedness. A lot of the talking points are drawn from Viktor E. Frankl's book 'Man's Search for Meaning' and his psychology school of logotherapy.

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss consumption as it relates to spirituality. The conversation ranges from the use of different drugs in various religious ceremonies across various cultures and the current role of alcohol in society to religiously prescribed or recommended diets and their significance.…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss some of the different ways in which we interact with and perceive animals. Be it through domestication, co-operation, or food animals are an inescapable part of our existence. Additionally, they serve as potent symbols and representatives of their ecosystem and therefore can allows us to connect to the wider nat…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss nature and the degree to which nature is important for our spiritual experiences. We discuss how we relate to nature, especially in the urban environments in which most of us live. How can we overcome the alienation we feel and how can we become more connected to space? Is the language we speak part of the probl…

In this episode, Nic and Adam consider how travelling can become a spiritual practice. What can be learned from removing oneself from one's context and immersing ourselves in somewhere new? Do we need special training for this? Do we have to go far, or abroad? We still don't know the answers, but we have a wonderful time expressing our ignorance an…

In this episode, Nic and Adam continue pontificating about the distinction between religion and spirituality and discuss why certain experiences may qualify as one or the other. In the process of this debate, they discuss martial arts, the semantics of eating an apple, why Adam was once punished for high-fiving a vicar, and the best way to enjoy pi…

Nic and Adam are back for Season 5, this time discussing all about spirituality! This is a big topic and one we are particularly ill-positioned to address. In this episode, we discuss what spirituality means to us, the distinction between religion and spirituality, and how science might be reconciled with spiritual goals.…

In this episode, quite possibly the last of the season on the body, we discuss the role of technology in staying healthy, focusing mostly on smart watches. Apologies for the second somewhat lengthy hiatus, this was recorded a couple months ago but took a little while to edit and upload. Will be back on a regular schedule very soon!…

In this episode we discuss the notion of being one's own doctor ('physician heal thyself') and where alternative medicine and healing remedies belong in the modern world.

We're back, after a brief unjustifiable hiatus - hooray. In this episode we continue with the theme of the body by discussing the idea of 'excess': what it means to overindulge, over-exert, and just generally live in the extreme.

It finally happened! In this episode Nic and Adam discuss the joys of martial arts. Included in this episode are reflections on our own experiences of martial arts, the benefits of martial arts for fitness and culture, the distinction between martial arts and combat sports, and why on earth we voluntarily subject ourselves to getting beaten to a pu…

In this episode, Nic and Adam are joined by Devin Ibañez to talk all about team sports. Devin is the first openly gay Major League Rugby player and is dedicated to LGBTQ+ advocacy in sport. We talked about what it means to play on a team, how individual identity relates to team identity, how sports can be made more inclusive spaces, and why it is i…

This week we have the good fortune of being joined by London-based Personal Trainer Ellen Louise to talk all things working out. In keeping with tradition, we cover lots of key ideas in broad strokes, including but not limited to: setting goals with work outs, finding motivation to train, the concept of 'functionality', what we should be training f…

In this episode we discuss beauty standards of the contemporary era and times past, as well as how they differ among the sexes (we realised too late we should have had at least one woman join us for this conversation..). We also discuss whether it's healthy to train towards aesthetic goals and what the relationship between health and beauty is. Unr…

Welcome to the opening episode of our fourth Season: 'Body'. In this first session we talk about the dangers of living too statically and what we can do to redesign the spaces around us in order to encourage all peoples to live their lives dynamically, and in movement, in so far as they can. A fair few ideas are taken from Christopher Mcdougall's w…

Recorded live in Geneva, in this inter-seasonal episode we are joined by our friends Damon and Peter of The Reeds podcast/magazine in an attempt to try and answer whether or not learning philosophy does help one to live a good life. Given that is largely the premise of both of our projects, we thought it might be fun to potentially jeopardise our m…

In the closing episode of this season on Mind Adam and Nic discuss Artificial Intelligence. Nic looks at how it has been represented in culture and what some of the more sensationalist depictions of the topic are, whilst Adam dives into where we are currently at in our human endeavour of creating a machine as powerful as the human mind (pretty far …

In this episode we discuss what creativity actually is and how crucial it is to our functioning. We also discuss the merits of listening to music, both as a passive and interactive experience and whether or not it's good for you, can be bad for you, or whether it varies based on which genre you're listening to: In other words, if Mozart can make yo…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss what the impact of the diet and exercise are on mental health and healthy mind development. Grab a milkshake and find a place to slump.

In this episode Nic and Adam take a look at the histories of depression and anxiety, respectively. Insights include progress not being linear, superstition not necessarily being a thing of the past, and the occasional bright lights of the not so dark ages. A happier episode than you might expect.

We're very fortunate this episode to be joined by Dr. Jon Nuth. Jon lives in Auckland and is a New Zealand Registered Clinical Psychologist and Registered Neuropsychologist. He works both as a clinical and forensic psychologist. Nic and Adam discuss Jon's work with him, and Jon provides insights into how he conducts his work, troubles with outdated…

We went a little long on this one, but with good reason! In this episode, we are joined by Mr. Sam Riebel. We met Sam several years ago in a bar in central London, and have been regaled by his stories ever since. Sam spent almost two years teaching in English in Hong Kong and shares some of his experiences with us here now. In this episode, we talk…

In this episode we discuss habit-building and the concept of gamification and how it can be applied to self-improvement or skill-building. Adam draws a lot from James Clear's book Atomic Habits to propose a new framework for routine building, and Nic claims to have read upwards of 2 articles on his chosen topic.…

In this episode we discuss the extent to which we think in words rather than other mediums (be they sensory, emotional, or other) and why it is that we have a voice in our heads that needs to vocalise thought even when there's no one beside ourselves to talk to. Some consideration is also given to the notion of 'self-narrating' our lives, and the t…

In this episode we revisit, for the first time, a topic previously covered: the act of meditating and the practice of mindfulness. Adam talks to us about the Wim Hof method and how breathing techniques and meditation can help unlock more extreme elements of human resilience and fortitude, and Nic addresses the material impact of a meditative practi…

In this episode, Nic and Adam are joined by Franziska Müller for a discussion of how the mind works in more biological terms. Fran shares her wisdom on everything from her own research into neuroregeneration, to the parts of the brain you might remember from school, to whether the computer is an appropriate model for the mind. It was wonderful to t…

Welcome to Season 3 of our podcast: The Mind. In this introductory episode on the topic we discuss the duality of body and mind, as put to us in the words of iconic, and pretentious, philosopher René Descartes (friend of the show). We reflect on how this distinction has existed both consistently and variously across cultures and epochs, and a signi…

Hello and welcome to our Christmas Special! Today we're joined by the enigma that is Zac Wolf to talk through the history of Christmas and the pagan festivals it absorbed and assimilated. We also discuss Christmas music, literature that we haven't read, and unorthodox traditions. A surprisingly fact-filled episode. Wishing you all some very merry f…

In this guest episode, which concludes 'Season 2: Virtue' we have the good fortune to be joined by Matthias Schmale, the head of UNWRA in Gaza, a lifelong humanitarian, and, also, Nic's dad. We discuss his current role and the conflict in which it is rooted, his personal experience of the humanitarian sector as it has developed across the decades, …

Thank you for tuning into the final episode of Season Two! In this episode, Nic and Adam discuss concepts of utopia. What makes a utopian society, and do the risks of such a vision outweigh the potential benefits? What can we learn about utopia from literature, and what would the role of culture in a utopian society be? Join us as we fail to answer…

What is the relationship of beauty to morality? we've spent a fair bit of time discussing and defining morality so how do we do the same for beauty? if there are different forms of beauty which of them relate to morality? Beauty may not play a significant role in our contemporary morality but has that always been the case, or is it even the case ev…

What does it mean to be a good person? is it about acting good everyday? about respecting moral law? religious commandments? is it about power? Who shall we follow? Aristotle? Jesus? Jordan Peterson? Seriously, if you have the answer to any of these questions then please write to us, we spent nearly an hour talking it through and are none the wiser…

In this episode we discuss the complicity of populations in the conspicuous evils of their states. As examples we consider Nazi Germany, from which we acquire our title, borrowed as it is from Hannah Arendt's long essay of the same name, and go on to think about the USA, particularly the southern states whilst they were governed by the Jim Crow law…

Having previously discussed charity as a sector and its role within society this episode sees us exploring how social enterprise can harness some of the resources of the private sector with more holistic goals in mind. This leads us on to a conversation about the merits of philanthropy, the limits to the power money can buy you, and the value of id…

In this episode Nic and Adam discuss international aid. In particular, we investigate the legacy of colonialism in aid work, the role of aid air interventions, how and when nations should intervene in other nations, and how the concept of the "white man's burden" remains relevant today.A couple of notes from the episode. At one point Adam said that…

Today we discuss the idea of charity and the means by which it entered mainstream British consciousness in the Victorian Era. This leads us to a conversation about the Red Cross and its origins and invites us to consider the role of charity in the modern day as well as under what form it might appear in an ideal society. Of course, keeping true to …

A few corrections from the podcast. I said Paddy McGuiness. I was thinking of Martin McGuiness. Paddy McGuiness is a comedian. Whoops. The other important figure I was trying to remember from the Troubles was Gerry Adams. Also, when I said child support, I meant child care. Child support would be wild. In this episode, Nic and Adam discuss politics…

On episode 3 of our second season we explore the history and definition(s) of Activism and its role within (political) society. Adam also takes us on a deep dive into the workings and objectives of Extinction Rebellion. @goodlifecast to reach us on instagram @katy.lay for the artwork

Join us for this episode as we discuss whether it is possible to be good in a system which seems like it conspires against us, what our responsibilities to society are (and vice versa), and what, if anything, we can do about it (the degree to which we come up with solutions to this last one are questionable).Get in contact with us via @goodlifecast…

In this first episode of season 2, Nic and Adam launch into the theme of virtue, starting with a crash course in moral philosophy where they discuss a few different ways to define and identify a good act. This takes them onto the idea of heroes and villains, both fictional and real, and what is both required and forgiven of such placeholders.…

We've been gone a while. We're sorry. In this episode we elaborate on why and also what we've been up to since our last episode. We also talk some about where we're going next! Talking points include: our holiday in the alps, stoicism, and the difficulties and problems involved in translation. Think of this episode as an interlude, but still with t…

In this episode Nic and Adam are joined by their second consecutive guest, the honourable Florian Blackburn. This episode concludes the series on food and so involves a discussion around hypothetical scenarios, concerning ideal meals and the conditions in which to host them in.