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We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment Once again, we’re going to take ordinary, day-to-day stories and use them as an opportunity to explore the practical application of wisdom. Today’s first story comes from a recent family reunion. It got us thinking about something we’ve talked about before—the sociology of family, and what happens when family and relationships are genuinely a priority. There’s something interesting about family. We have history together. We know each other well, sometimes too well. We may see the world very differently, hold different beliefs, and interpret events through very different lenses. And yet, when the relationship itself is important, it can create a space where conversations are possible that might otherwise become difficult, divisive, or simply avoided. That’s really where today’s story begins. As we unpack it, we’re also going to return to one of the important ideas in our Wisdom Project: the relationship between information, the quality and sources of that information, and the conclusions we draw from it. We’ll introduce a simple continuum that might help us think about that: Observation → View → Opinion → Belief → Conviction We won’t try to define or resolve all of that at the outset. Instead, we’ll use the story to explore what happens as we move along that continuum—and what happens when two people enter a conversation from very different places on it. And then Ron Medved brings us an extraordinary second story—one that puts some of these ideas to the test in a very real and unexpected way. Imagine being in the middle of a yoga class, a place we might normally associate with calm and reflection, when someone arrives wearing a MAGA hat. Suddenly, something as simple as a hat becomes a stimulus. It can trigger assumptions, interpretations, emotions, beliefs and perhaps even convictions. Ron’s story raises a wonderful question for our Wisdom Project: What happens when wisdom is challenged in the moment—not in theory, but in real life? Underneath both stories is perhaps a larger question: Can the strength of a relationship—or our willingness to create space for another person—allow us to remain curious even when we disagree? And can we pause long enough to distinguish what we actually know from what we have interpreted, assumed, or come to believe? So, let’s begin with the stories

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment Over the last couple of years, we’ve spent a lot of time exploring wisdom—developing some formulas, models, and constructs that have helped us think about what wisdom is and how it develops. Beginning today, and hopefully over the next period of time, we want to shift our focus a little bit—from exploration to application. One of the things we’ve learned over many years as consultants and leadership coaches is that stories are often one of the best ways to learn. They take ideas and concepts and bring them into real life. So that’s what we’re going to try to do. We’ll tell some stories, and then Ron, Dave, and I will provide a little colour commentary—looking at what happened, what we might learn from it, and how it connects to the practical application of wisdom. Today, I’m going to start with a story of my own. It requires a little vulnerability on my part, but I think that’s also what makes it a useful story. There’s an opportunity in it to learn, to reflect, and perhaps to see some of these ideas about wisdom at work in real life.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment In our previous episode, Podcast 123, we came across an interesting story that opened the door to a larger conversation about synchronicity and the different ways our knowledge can sometimes be informed. Synchronicity is a term coined by Carl Jung to describe a meaningful coincidence—two or more events that appear to be connected in a significant way, even though there is no obvious cause-and-effect relationship between them. In Ron’s story, a consultative psychic encouraged him to write a letter to his late mother. On the surface, the suggestion seemed a little unusual and certainly outside what we might consider a traditional source of knowledge. But then something interesting happened. As Ron shared the story, Dave discovered that Ron’s mother and Dave’s father had been born in the same month and the same year. It was a simple coincidence, perhaps—but one that suddenly felt meaningful. Ron shared this discovery with his family, and Dave did the same with his. What followed was something neither of them could have anticipated

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment This episode builds on the work we have been doing in the Wisdom Project, particularly our Knowledge Construct—the idea that wisdom depends not only on the information we receive, but also on the reliability of that information and the quality of its source. In this discussion a speaker offers a practical way to use the space between stimulus and response. In that pause, we can step back and ask whether the information being presented is reliable. He suggests listening for four clues:  ·      Is the speaker making the issue personal?  ·      Are they identifying a villain?  ·      Are they trying to provoke rage or outrage?  ·      And are they presenting themselves as the only person who can fix it? These signals can appear in almost any political or public conversation. The stories we examine in this episode—whether the B.C. condo initiative is a bailout for wealthy developers or an effort to create more affordable housing—provide an excellent example. So listen carefully for the difference between information designed to inform us and information designed to trigger us. Here we go

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment After several episodes exploring some fairly deep topics, we decided to take a little detour and simply have some fun. With the recent World Cup soccer matches capturing so much attention, Ron kicked off a conversation about the Belgium–United States match and where both the U.S. and Canadian teams fit into the tournament. As three friends around the kitchen table, we quickly discovered that our perspectives were quite different. Dave brought a much deeper knowledge of the game, while Ron and I approached it more as interested fans. What surprised us was that, without planning it, the Wisdom Formula quietly found its way into the discussion. As we talked about competition, expectations, disappointment, and national pride, Red Card ,we realized that even sports offer opportunities to practice responding wisely rather than simply reacting emotionally. This episode is lighter than most, filled with good-natured conversation, laughter, and a little friendly Canada–U.S. banter. But, as often happens around our Kitchen Table, we stumbled onto another reminder that wisdom isn't reserved for life's biggest challenges—it can show up in the most unexpected conversations. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we enjoyed recording it.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment In our previous episode, Podcast 123, we explored how information becomes knowledge and how knowledge contributes to wisdom. What began with Ron sharing the story of Calli consulting both a traditional counsellor and a nontraditional psychic quickly became something none of us expected. As often happens around our Kitchen Table, the conversation moved below the surface. In reflecting on Ron's story, Dave and Ron discovered that Ron's late mother and Dave's late father shared the exact same birthday—same day, same month, and same year. What started as ordinary information unexpectedly became charmed information—information that opened the door to deeper meaning, insight, and ultimately action, as Ron and Dave decided to celebrate what would have been their parents' 100th birthdays. Whether you see it as meaningful coincidence, intuition, or what Carl Jung called synchronicity, the experience reminded us that some information does more than inform us—it invites us to see the world differently. Sometimes, charmed information opens the door to wisdom in ways we never anticipated.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment Synchronicity is a term coined by Carl Jung to describe a meaningful coincidence—an event where two or more things seem connected in a way that feels significant, even though there is no obvious cause-and-effect relationship between them. Non- Traditional Sources informing Knowledge in the service of Wisdom In our previous episode, Podcast 122, we continued building on the Wisdom Formula and the various models and constructs we've developed over the past several years. In particular, we introduced what we've come to call the Knowledge Construct—a framework that explores how knowledge is shaped by both the quality of information we receive and the sources from which it comes. The construct is built around a simple matrix: reliable and unreliable information on one axis, and traditional and non-traditional sources of knowledge on the other. Our friend Ron Medved was away while much of this work was unfolding, so part of today's conversation is spent bringing him up to speed. In the process, Ron generously shares a personal story that touches on many of the concepts we've been exploring. What emerged was a fascinating discussion about synchronicity, unexpected connections between Ron and Dave's families, and questions that led us into conversations about collective consciousness and the noosphere. We know this territory may feel a little unconventional—or even a bit weird—but it provided a rich opportunity to explore the role that non-traditional sources of knowledge can play in our understanding of wisdom. We hope you enjoy the conversation and that it helps you discover new ways to apply the learnings of The Wisdom Project in your own life.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment One of the key insights emerging from the Wisdom Project is that wisdom is not the same as accumulating information. When people think of a wise person, they often imagine someone who knows a great deal, and knowledge is certainly part of wisdom. But our exploration suggests that knowledge is only one component, and it is always incomplete. We are rarely, if ever, able to know with total certainty what is really going on. Because of that, wisdom is not about having perfect knowledge. It is about doing our best to gather, assess, and apply information in a way that leads to a response that creates benefit. In the Wisdom Project, knowledge is best understood as being in the service of a wise response. We gather information from diverse sources, weigh it carefully, interpret it through our own experience, and filter it through the maturity construct. The goal is not simply to know more, but to respond more wisely. Two Broad Categories of Information Our discussion suggests that information generally comes from two broad kinds of sources: traditional and non-traditional. Traditional sources include science, research, education, journalism, and other forms of observable or repeatable evidence. Non-traditional sources include intuition, spiritual insight, collective consciousness, and felt knowing. Both can influence how people come to understand the world, but both require discernment. Information Quality Also Matters Not all information is equally trustworthy. Some information is reliable — evidence-based, consistent, verifiable, and coherent. Other information is unreliable — biased, incomplete, emotionally distorted, or shaped by misinformation and disinformation. This means wisdom is not just about finding information. It is about evaluating the source, judging the quality, and using that knowledge in ways that are thoughtful, grounded, and beneficial  This means the challenge is not just to collect information, but to discern the kind of information we are receiving, evaluate its quality, and determine how it should be used.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment Today’s conversation is a tender one. Ron is going to generously share his experience of losing his 94-year-old mother-in-law. Loss like that carries real grief. Real weight. Real suffering. What stands out in this story isn’t an attempt to avoid the pain — it’s the way Ron gently creates space inside it. A pause between the shock of loss and the way he chooses to respond. Not denying the grief. Not rushing past it. But walking through it thoughtfully — and helping Kelly do the same. We’ve talked before about how suffering can be triggered in many ways — uncertainty, fear, change. But sometimes the stimulus is simply love and loss. And in those moments, the question becomes: how do we respond? Today we explore that space — the quiet pause where suffering is real, but wisdom can still guide the response

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment On February 22, while we were in Mexico at our place in La Penita  my son-in-law Josh and I were having breakfast at a local restaurant when social media began reporting violence in our region following the killing of a major cartel leader in Jalisco. In a matter of minutes, uncertainty entered the room. The headlines were dramatic. The proximity felt real. And like any powerful stimulus, it had the potential to escalate quickly inside us. What became clear in that moment was this: the Wisdom Project isn’t theoretical — it’s practical. We created a pause between stimulus and response. We noticed the movement along the Experience Slider — from cognitive fact-finding to emotional reaction. And we located ourselves on the Concern Continuum, aware of how easily healthy concern can drift toward worry or anxiety when uncertainty goes unmanaged. This episode isn’t about cartel politics. It’s about what happens inside us when uncertainty feels close to home — and how having the tools of pause, awareness, and calibration allows us to regulate our response, minimize anxiety, and reduce unnecessary suffering in real time.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment In today’s episode, we introduce what we’re calling the experience slider. Every experience is a stimulus. From there, our response tends to slide in one of two directions — toward cognitive reaction (thinking, analyzing, interpreting) or toward emotional reaction (feeling, sensing, reacting from the heart or gut). Neither side is wrong, but where we land shapes what happens next. Layered onto that is what we call the concern continuum — a mental-state progression that helps us understand how our internal reaction can escalate. Concern is the healthy starting point. It’s awareness with proportion. Something matters, and we’re attentive, but we remain steady and capable of thoughtful response. Worry emerges when concern loops. The mind revisits the issue repeatedly, often imagining outcomes. Worry narrows our focus and can begin to crowd out perspective. Anxiety is worry amplified. The body joins the mind. There is tension, urgency, a felt sense of threat or loss of control. The emotional slider has moved further to the right. Panic is the far end of the continuum — when regulation drops significantly and the nervous system overrides reflection. Thinking becomes difficult, and reaction dominates. In this conversation, we explore how the experience slider and the concern continuum interact — and how the intentional pause between stimulus and response allows us to notice where we are, regain balance, and slide back toward wisdom

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment In this episode, we’re taking a pause—a moment to check in, reflect, and go a little deeper into the questions that have surfaced during our exploration of uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering in Wisdom Study 2.0. But this time, the spotlight gently shifts to the circular nature of wisdom itself. Dave brings forward a few powerful questions about how wisdom doesn’t just move us forward—it often invites us back, full circle, to reflect on how we’ve changed and what we now see with clearer eyes. At the heart of this episode is Ron Medved—our friend, guide, and longtime companion in this work—whose personal practice of consciously engaging with the Creator or Source has shaped how he navigates the afternoon of life. Now in his 80s, Ron shares how his responses to life’s challenges have evolved from the striving of his 40s into something calmer, deeper, and—dare we say—wiser. His story is not just inspiring—it’s instructive. It shows what it means to live the wisdom formula, not just talk about it. So whether you’re new to this conversation or have been with us since the beginning, we invite you to listen in, reflect, and consider how your own relationship with uncertainty, anxiety, and wisdom has shifted over time.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment As we head into our 10th season, we’re continually humbled by how far this conversation has traveled. We’ve had listeners tuning in from more than 120 countries around the world, and that global community means a great deal to us. From time to time, we’ve invited feedback, comments, questions, and curiosities—and we want you to know that invitation is always open. If you’re willing, we’d love for you to click on the comments and share a thought or a wonder. We’ll keep everything private, and we promise we won’t respond directly. Your reflections simply help shape the ongoing conversation In  this podcast, we continue our ongoing exploration of the relationship between uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering, turning our attention more deliberately toward suffering itself—how it arises, how we interpret it, and how it can become a catalyst for wisdom rather than a source of ongoing distress. We begin by revisiting the anxiety continuum, moving from concern to worry, anxiety, and ultimately panic. Using several real-life stories, we examine how suffering shows up differently at each point along this continuum—not only as an emotional experience, but as a story we tell ourselves about what is happening and what it means. In this episode, suffering becomes the central focus. Rather than treating suffering as something to eliminate or avoid, we explore how different wisdom traditions understand suffering as an inevitable part of the human condition—and, when approached wisely, a profound teacher. To ground this exploration, we draw insight from five influential wisdom voices and traditions, including the Buddha, the Stoics, and depth psychologist Carl Jung. Each offers a unique perspective on how humans relate to pain, uncertainty, and meaning. A key part of the conversation centers on Jung’s description of the stages of life—particularly his distinction between the morning, noon, and afternoon of life. We explore how much of our early life is driven by achievement, control, and certainty, and how the “noon” of life often brings heightened anxiety when those strategies stop working. Jung’s afternoon of life, however, invites a different posture: one marked by integration, acceptance, and a deeper capacity to hold suffering without being defined by it Episode 117 invites listeners not to bypass suffering, but to slow down, examine the stories they are telling, and consider how suffering—held with awareness and compassion—may be shaping them toward greater wisdom.

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment In this podcast Gregg, Ron, and Dave continue their exploration of the relationship between uncertainty, anxiety, and suffering — but this time through the lens of practice. Drawing on the idea of a wisdom dojo, they look at how anxiety isn’t just something to understand, but something to train with. Just like a martial artist builds strength and skill through repeated drills, we can build a stronger pause — that space between stimulus and response — by doing small, deliberate “workouts” that help us recognize uncertainty, soften anxiety, and reduce suffering before it hijacks our judgment. This episode invites listeners into the dojo with us: to reflect, to practice, and to develop the inner strength required for wiser decisions in everyday life

We’d love to hear from you please leave a comment Over the last several podcasts, we’ve been deepening our work on what we’re calling Wisdom Study 2.0, an extension of our Wisdom Project. The driving question behind this phase of our study has been simple, but profound: how can we apply wisdom in ways that actually mitigate the psychological and emotional impacts of uncertainty—especially the anxiety that so often leads to personal and collective suffering? In our last episode, we shared a couple of stories—from illness to travel to politics—that illustrated just how disorienting uncertainty can be, and how easily it can pull us into anxiety or reactive judgment. Today, we want to build on that. We’re going to explore the significant challenge uncertainty presents in our daily lives—how it shapes our decisions, how it influences our well-being, and how it affects the people we care about. And, as always, we’ll be asking the practical question: What can we do about it?