What is a Good Life?

On the 46th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I'm delighted to introduce Dave Zaboski as our guest. Dave is a classically trained painter, was an animator at Disney, Sony, and Warner Bros., has showcased his fine art at galleries internationally, and has painted for the Dalai Lama. While his work includes timeless films like “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” he has also illustrated several acclaimed children’s books.

In this episode, Dave tells us why attention is our most valuable commodity and discusses the connection between love, attention, creativity, and interdependence. We also explore the role of acknowledging and processing grief and its importance in creating something new, and moving on from anger.

Dave also delves into the immense power of our storytelling and touches on the collective shifts we can accomplish through our stories. He also points to the universal laws of creativity and what we can extrapolate from them regarding life.

If your life is lacking some spark, if you are feeling frustrated or even angry about not expressing your potential, this episode will give you plenty to contemplate. Dave is a force of loving nature, and I suspect that after listening to him for an hour, you’ll love and appreciate life a little more, while feeling inspired for action.

Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts.

Contact me at mark@whatisagood.life to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs or to hear about corporate workshops I am offering around this question.

Running Order:

02:30 Love & Attention

07:52 On a path to mastery - creativity, interdependence, love

11:42 The importance of processing grief

19:03 Transmuting anger to grief to gratitude

23:15 Human potential 

29:20 What drives me for interviewing all these people 

34:51 Exploring the mysteries of the emergent

39:40 A collective shift from the stories we well

46:53 Considerable change has already occurred in the world

49:55 The role of creativity in living our fullest lives

56:20 What is a good life for Dave?


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/

- Dave's website: https://www.laetro.com

- Dave's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davezaboski/

Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life​

What is What is a Good Life??

What is a Good Life? is a podcast about the questions that shape our lives: how we live, who we become, and what truly matters. For the past five years, I've asked more than 300 people one deceptively simple question: What is a good life?
There isn't a single answer. Instead, each conversation offers a different way of seeing the world—through stories, ideas, struggles, joys, and moments of hard-earned wisdom. Together, they form a richer picture of what it means to be human.
Whether you're searching for clarity, purpose, or simply a thoughtful conversation, this podcast is an invitation to reflect on your own answer.
New episodes every Tuesday.