On the 39th episode of the
What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to have
Aidan McCullen as our guest. Aidan is the host of the Innovation Show podcast and the author of the book "
Undisruptable." He is also a transformational consultant, leading workshops and giving keynote speeches, an adjunct professor at Trinity College, Dublin, and was previously a professional rugby player.
In this episode, Aidan shares his journey of transitions and transformations, both in his professional evolution from rugby player to author, podcast host, and consultant, and in his philosophical shifts, encompassing various outlooks and profound learnings. We delve into his perspectives and experiences of overcoming setbacks, cultivating resilience, developing empathy for the diverse ways in which we experience the world, and nurturing the ability to respond thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively. Throughout our conversation, Aidan highlights the significance of paying attention and listening to the signs and feedback life is sending us.
Whether you find yourself navigating one of life's troughs or are feeling apprehensive about the next steps on your journey, this episode offers a wealth of perspectives and inspiration for contemplation. While Aidan's unique blend of theory and metaphor, infused with personal realisations and experiences, makes his thoughtful insights highly relatable and applicable to your own life.
Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for shorter clips and reflections.
Contact me at
mark@whatisagood.life to book a
free 30 minute consultation for
one-on-one coaching programs or to hear about
corporate workshops I am offering around this question.
Running Order:
02:18 What am I here to do?
06:33 Your why needs to be bigger than your try
09:23 Philosophical perspective on life
14:01 The belief doing good yields good outcomes
17:01 Interpreting setbacks differently
23:44 We all experience the world differently
28:38 Paying attention to the feedback life is giving us
33:32 How do we react to life’s suffering
36:28 The space to create choice
40:14 Making big realisations in life
48:11 The importance of having experience as well as theory and frameworks
50:56 Listening to life’s feedback
53:53 Summary of points in the conversation
55:58 What is a good life for Aidan?
For further content and information check out the following:
- For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos
- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/
- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/
- Aidan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen/
- Aidan's podcast and website: https://theinnovationshow.io/
What is What is a Good Life??
A project to help you realise you are enough, by noticing and inhabiting life more fully.
What Is a Good Life? is a long-form conversation project exploring how people actually live, feel, and make meaning of their lives. Over the past four years, I’ve sat with more than 300 people — artists, parents, executives, wanderers, therapists, and strangers and invited them into a simple but profound inquiry, "What is a good life for you?"
The conversations explore presence, paradox, uncertainty, and the moments that shape a life - love and loss, trust and fear, clarity and not knowing. It’s an invitations to slow down, to listen deeply, and to bring you into conversation with your own life. There are new episodes every Tuesday.