Advertise on podcast: The Examined Life

Send us a text We trace how realistic hope sustains people through captivity and crisis, from the Stockdale Paradox to Sir Terry Waite’s agency in confinement, and preview Dr. Lucy Hone's reframe of resilience as steering through rather than bouncing back. A brief, grounded message closes for anyone in a hard season, with a request to share and stay connected. • what the Stockdale paradox really means • why deadline‑based optimism breaks people • agency as daily practice under pressure • sir Terry Waite’s memory and interior freedom • resilience as steering through, not bouncing back • pragmatism, optimism, and agency as core tools • a preview of the conversation with dr Lucy Hone See if you can think of one person who you think might find this helpful, who might need to hear about optimism and pragmatism and finding agency in dark times Sign up to the Substack This Examined Life if you haven't done so already, where you can receive the newsletter and upcoming episodes and events, and leave a review on the podcast channel if you get the chance. Wherever you get your podcast, it really helps others to find it. Support the show

Send us a text Living With Purpose: Insights from Victor Strecher In this episode of The Examined Life Podcast, host Kenny Primrose explores the profound questions of life's purpose and values with Professor Victor Strecher, a leading expert in the field from the University of Michigan. Strecher shares his deeply personal journey following the tragic death of his daughter, which led him to a renewed focus on what matters most in life. The conversation delves into how reflecting on death and one's core values can lead to a more purposeful and fulfilling life. Strecher also discusses the scientific and physiological benefits of having a strong sense of purpose, the distinction between self-transcending and self-aggrandizing purposes, and practical steps for individuals seeking to discover their own purpose. The episode touches on themes of identity, motivation, and the human condition, offering listeners profound insights and practical advice for living a more examined life. 00:00 Introduction: What Matters Most 00:34 Welcome to The Examined Life Podcast 00:44 Exploring Victor Strecher's 'Life On Purpose' 01:40 A Conversation with Professor Victor Strecher 03:35 The Big Question: Who Am I? 05:09 The Root System of Our Lives 08:09 A Personal Story of Loss and Purpose 14:15 The Mystical Experience and Its Impact 21:32 The Role of Death in Understanding Life 24:59 Exploring the Neuroscience of Purpose 25:26 The Role of Core Values in Purpose 26:16 Purpose and the Brain's Fear Center 26:53 Building the Brain's Purpose Muscle 28:08 Types of Purpose: Self-Transcending vs. Self-Aggrandizing 28:57 Historical Perspectives on Purpose 31:52 The Metaphor of the Camel, Lion, and Child 35:05 The Crisis of Meaning and Purpose 41:51 Practical Steps to Discovering Your Purpose 47:39 Final Thoughts and Reflections Links: Substack - https://thisexaminedlife.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips Examined Life Website - www.examined-life.com Victor Strecher - https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/strecher-victor.html Support the show

Send us a text Sir Anthony Seldon is one of the most influential voices in the UK on education. He has led three prominent independent school, and written or edited more than 40 books. In this episode we explore how education can honour what truly matters in a time when AI can outscore us on the tests we designed. Sir Anthony Seldon lays out a shift from human capital to human flourishing, urging schools to cultivate agency, character, and love of learning. • redefining the purpose of education toward human flourishing • harms of exam-driven systems and narrow metrics • every child’s unique gifts and “song” • AI exposing the limits of cognitive-only assessment • OECD’s human flourishing model and core competences • coaching pedagogy to build agency and judgment • practices for inner life, mindfulness, and body care • virtues and pro-social habits for a resilient future • choosing subjects you love to sustain motivation • balancing measurable outcomes with the immeasurable As ever, do please share this episode with others you think might like it or on social media Sign up for This Examined Life on Substack, where you can receive updates, bits of writing, and you can support the show Any feedback or ideas can be emailed to me at [email protected] Support the show

Send us a text In this brief episode we explore a short soundbite from a previous episode with philosopher of technology LM Sacasas. In it we explore the way that efficiency and ease might give with one hand, while taking with the other.  - check out the previous episode in full here -  https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/michael-sacasas-what-should-we-be-doing-for-ourselves/id1680728280?i=1000705506079 - LM Sacasas substack here - https://substack.com/@theconvivialsociety - This Examined Life substack here - https://thisexaminedlife.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips Support the show

Send us a text Comfort is easy; appetite is sacred. We trace a surprising path to steadier happiness by leaning, gently but deliberately, into friction. Drawing on psychiatrist Anna Lembke’s insight that our modern environment is addictogenic, we look at how endless convenience and constant dopamine nudges can flatten mood, fog attention, and leave us restless. Then we put the theory to the test with a cold North Sea dip—short, sharp, and strangely joyful on the other side. Across the conversation, we unpack why the human nervous system needs stress in measured doses. Think hormesis: brief, voluntary challenges like hard exercise, short fasts from alcohol or sugar, or cold exposure that nudge the brain into balance and rebuild resilience. A greenhouse tree grows fast but topples without wind; without resistance, we also lose inner structure. By choosing small hardships, we earn the afterglow—a calmer baseline, cleaner focus, and a renewed appetite for simple pleasures. We also explore practical ways to invite healthy stress without going extreme. Start with one constraint you can keep this week, and notice the shift: food tastes better, sleep deepens, and mornings feel less rushed. The aim isn’t suffering for its own sake; it’s recalibrating reward so that life’s ordinary moments become vivid again. If abundance has dulled your edge, a little voluntary discomfort can turn the volume back down on noise and up on meaning. If this resonates, follow along for more short reflections, share the episode with a friend who needs a reset, and join our Substack community for deeper dives. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: what small hardship will you choose this week? Support the show

Send us a text Dr Alex Curmi is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who also hosts The Thinking Mind podcast, and is a gifted communicator on mental health and self-development.  Alex's clinical work and training has given him acute insights into troubling aspects of modern life, and how we might prepare for an uncertain future. The question which formed the spine of our conversation was ‘ In a world where technology has been quite disruptive psychologically for a lot of people, how do we prepare for an increasingly technological future? We examine how modern technology reshapes attention, confidence, morality and meaning, and Alex offers practical tips for staying human as machines grow more capable. Among the topics explored you will find: • tech-driven overstimulation dulling joy and focus • confidence built through voluntary discomfort • psychiatry and psychotherapy as complementary lenses • intolerance of uncertainty and stoic control • integrity, congruence and moral habits that scale • social skills as a proactive practice • AI as tool versus thinking crutch • career durability through uncommon skill stacks • financial resilience over consumerist drift • community as the container for lasting change If you do enjoy the show, please follow or rate it. It really helps others to find it. For future episodes and news on the show, please sign up to the substack - https://thisexaminedlife.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips Support the show

Send us a text Technology is taking on a mythic mantle as we look to our creations to supply us with a sense of belonging and purpose, but this is a category error because tech cannot honestly deliver on these promises. In this podcast Tom Chatfield explores some of the issues bound up with the ways we are thinking about technology. • Technology is not a bolt-on or optional extra, but has been integral to human existence since before our species evolved • The delusion of neutrality allows us to abdicate responsibility for design choices and embedded values in our tools • Technology has affordances that push us toward certain behaviors – email "wants" more emails, cars "want" highways • The delusion of determinism suggests technology drives history along a predetermined path, diminishing human agency • We've confused progress with salvation, imbuing tech with religious qualities like transcendence and apocalyptic narratives • Understanding ourselves as "dependent rational animals" helps us appreciate our fundamental interdependence • Each new generation must be taught a way into modernity, allowing them to question, change, and remix our culture • Being a "good ancestor" means considering how our technological choices will impact future generations "Even if you're the richest person in the world, let alone the poorest, you don't have perhaps as much leverage as you might wish to. Nevertheless, that's what you've got, and it does no good whatsoever to say, therefore I have no power, no control, no insight, nothing to give. You do what you can within the limits of what you can know and bring into being." Support the show

Send us a text Rosie Spinks Substack - https://rojospinks.substack.com/about Kenny Primrose Substack - https://positivelymaladjusted.substack.com/ Moby Gratis Music - https://mobygratis.com/ Writer and journalist Rosie Spinks joins us to explore her powerful question: "What do we do now that we're here?" Drawing from her journey from ambitious journalist to burnout victim to advocate for a different way of living, Rosie offers a surprisingly hopeful perspective on navigating a world where traditional markers of success have lost their shine. After achieving what looked like career success—writing for prestigious publications like The Guardian and The New York Times—Rosie found herself profoundly unhappy. The pandemic provided an unexpected reset, challenging her assumptions about what's guaranteed in life and what truly matters. She describes straddling two worlds: "here" (where we've accepted the limitations of growth and progress) and "there" (the conventional world of consumption and productivity we still partially inhabit). The conversation takes a particularly powerful turn when Rosie discusses how becoming a mother revealed the transformative power of care. "I had never in my old life, in my twenties, in my ambitious journalist life, thought about anyone but myself. The work of caregiving is repetitive and you're never done, but in that is this extraordinary quality that you unlock within yourself." This insight extends beyond parenting—it's about redirecting our energy toward connection with others and our local communities. Rather than dwelling in despair, Rosie offers practical suggestions for building what she calls "the village"—trading childcare with other parents, learning neighbors' names, replacing consumption-based leisure with generative activities. These small shifts can rebuild our sense of belonging while preparing us for a future that may demand more resilience and mutual support. Support the show

Send us a text Ruth Taylor explores how our cultural conditions shape our values and beliefs, revealing how we can build futures where humans and other life forms flourish together on our planet. She illuminates the often invisible narratives that guide our thinking and behavior, showing how these shape everything from our personal happiness to our collective response to global challenges. • The "values perception gap" - most people prioritize intrinsic values like community and equality, but believe others are more motivated by wealth and status • Deep narratives like "growth is always good" or "humans are fundamentally selfish" shape our entire approach to social and environmental problems • Research shows prioritizing intrinsic values leads to greater well-being than pursuing external rewards like wealth and status • Our society lacks spaces for reflection on values, leaving us vulnerable to constant messaging promoting consumption and competition • Creating "glimmers" - spaces and experiences that demonstrate alternative ways of living aligned with our deeper human values • Cultural change requires both individual reflection on our values and structural changes to systems that currently reinforce harmful narratives • Real change happens at the deepest level, addressing the root cultural conditions rather than just symptoms of problems Find out more about Ruth's work on her Substack channel Culture Soup, or take her Values 101 course with the Common Cause Foundation. Support the show

Send us a text What does it mean to live a purposeful life? Is the way you're spending your time truly reflective of your deepest values and aspirations? These questions stand at the heart of my enlightening conversation with William Damon, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and a world-renowned expert on purpose and moral development. Damon brings decades of research to bear on understanding how purpose shapes our lives, offering a compelling definition that transcends simple personal satisfaction. True purpose, he explains, must be both meaningful to ourselves and consequential to the world beyond ourselves. This dual focus distinguishes purpose from mere ambition or self-interest, creating a pathway to both personal fulfillment and meaningful contribution. Our discussion explores how purpose evolves across the lifespan, with Damon sharing insights about why approximately 20-25% of people find themselves "drifting" without clear direction. Contrary to popular belief, purpose isn't something we discover in a single moment of clarity, but rather develops gradually through experimentation, feedback, and mentorship. Damon vulnerably shares his own journey of finding purpose through early writing experiences and later through reconciling with his absent father's legacy—a powerful illustration of how understanding our past can illuminate our future direction. Ready to examine whether your daily activities align with your ultimate concerns? This conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking to live with greater intention and meaning. Subscribe to The Examined Life podcast for more thought-provoking discussions about the questions that matter most. Support the show

Send us a text What shapes our children's future? Who are they becoming? And why aren't we talking about it more? Katharine Birbalsingh, known as "Britain's strictest headteacher," has a clear vision for the role of school's in shaping the future of Britain. "Children are the future and families and schools influence who they will become, and we seem to care about neither," she observes with passion that's impossible to ignore. While politicians debate net-zero targets and immigration policies, Katharine argues we're missing something far more urgent – the values being instilled in children today will determine tomorrow's cultural landscape. At her Michaela Free School in London, Katharine has pioneered an approach that prioritizes character formation alongside academic excellence. She rejects the increasingly popular notion that teaching children boundaries somehow restricts their freedom. Instead, she offers a compelling alternative: structure actually enables maturity and growth. When children understand the difference between right and wrong, they develop the internal resources to resist harmful influences and make positive contributions to society. This conversation takes us into questions of belonging, personal responsibility, and moral formation. Katharine articulates a vision of education rarely heard in mainstream discourse – one where schools aren't merely credential factories but communities that shape virtuous human beings.  She insists that what matters most isn't test scores but "who they are as people." This isn't empty rhetoric – it's the foundation of her educational philosophy. By cultivating virtues through daily habits, children develop the character that naturally leads to success in all areas of life. Katharine's perspective seems quite distinct from those espoused in episodes 1 and 3 of this series - which share similar concerns. Where do you stand? Join the conversation on Substack - Positively Maladjusted | kenneth primrose | Substack, or on the youtube channel (1) Examined Life Podcast - YouTube Support the show

Send us a text If you’re a parent or a teacher, you’ve probably wondered about what the best conditions are for psychological development in children, and where we might have gone so wrong as a society. This week, we talk with psychologist Peter Gray about the developmental needs of children, and why long school days, risk free environments, and too much supervision are wreaking havoc with their psychological development. Other episodes on parenting/teaching: Michaeleen Doucleff on the universals of childhood - https://examined-life.com/interviews/michaeleen-doucleffe/ Links: Peter Gray's Substack - https://petergray.substack.com/ Peter Gray's TED talk on play - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg-GEzM7iTk Kenny's Substack - https://substack.com/@kennyprimrose?utm_source=user-menu Support the show

Send us a text Michael Sacasas writes about technology and human flourishing through his wildly popular newsletter The Convivial Society. I have been reading his work for a number of years and find it both winsome and wise. It was delight to have the opportunity to speak to him about a question he thinks we should be asking ourselves. In this conversation we explore the question of what humans should still do for themselves even when technology can do it better or more efficiently. This conversation challenges our assumptions about technological progress and asks us to consider what makes for a truly good human life. • Technology often promises efficiency but requires us to question what we might be losing in the process • Albert Borgman's concept of "focal things" versus "devices" helps us understand what's lost when we automate tasks • Central heating removed family participation and togetherness that came with maintaining a hearth • Writing by hand or thinking through drafts teaches us what we think in ways AI writing can't replace • Even mundane tasks like washing dishes can provide valuable moments for reflection and conversation • The Amish demonstrate thoughtful technology adoption by evaluating each innovation against community values • Getting outdoors, learning names of plants and animals, and cooking together builds connection with the world • Leading with positive practices rather than just limiting technology helps children understand family values • Face-to-face encounters and "weak ties" with neighbors become increasingly important in our mediated world If you've found this episode valuable, please subscribe to the podcast and newsletter,  to stay up to date with forthcoming episodes, and read regular reflections on these interviews. Support the show

Send us a text What if the Western approach to parenting is based on spurious cultural assumptions, not human nature? In this episode, science writer Michaeleen Doucleff takes us inside indigenous communities around the world to reveal what Western parenting gets backwards, as we explore her question - what are the universals of childhood? From the origins of modern parenting in orphanage manuals to the power of kids contributing to real family life, we explore what children actually need to thrive — and how small shifts can create big changes in connection, confidence, and calm at home. Support the show

Send us a text In this summary episode, we take the theme of attention which runs through most of conversations in the second season. In the episode you'll hear fragments of conversation from Iain McGilchrist, Dacher Keltner, Dougald Hine, Phoebe Tickell, Alex Evans, Elizabeth Oldfield, Jill Bolte-Taylor, Eve Poole and Todd Kashdan. Over this short episode, you'll hear discussion of a wide range of topics, from religion,  AI and smartphones, to the role of awe and imagination. Click here to access any of the podcast episodes in full - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-examined-life/id1680728280 Support the show