What is a Good Life? #92 - Looking Beyond The Veil with Rachel Donald

On the 92nd episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Rachel Donald. Rachel is the creator of Planet: Critical, the podcast and newsletter for a world in crisis with 15,000+ subscribers from 160 countries. Planet: Critical connects the dots of science, art, language, politics, media, philosophy and power to reveal the big picture. Rachel speaks internationally on this ecosystem as an independent researcher and writer. Alongside Planet: Critical, her world exclusive investigations into climate corruption have been published in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Mongabay, The Intercept, Byline Times and the New Republic.

In this wonderful conversation, Rachel takes us on her journey of looking beyond the veil, as for her, the world never seemed the way people said it was. She shares her experiences of questioning what is real and true, letting go of certainty, becoming more aware of and focused on the relationships between everything, and the joy that comes from doing work you love that serves others. She also explores finding ways to engage with the world while staying true to your own nature.

This entire conversation is filled with insights and realisations that deeply connect to experiencing a fulfilling life, while Rachel’s path may inspire you to think more critically and to reflect on what you are actively questioning and choosing in your own life.

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

For further content and information check out the following:

Rachel's Website: www.planetcritical.com
Rachel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-donald/

- For the What is a Good Life? 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/

Contact me at [e-mail] if you'd like to explore your own lines of self-inquiry through 1-on-1 coaching, take part in my weekly free silent conversations, discuss experiences I create to stimulate greater trust, communication, and connection, amongst your leadership teams, or you simply want to get in touch.

00:00 Introduction
02:52 Not holding onto answers or certainty
08:02 The shift towards accepting uncertainty
11:12 Getting out of our way to grow
14:52 No decision is permanent
17:52 Making big decisions with clarity
24:12 Empowered to choose your own struggle
28:22 Sensing something wasn’t true
31:52 Seeing the world differently
36:52 Engaging with the world while remaining who we are
43:02 New ways of lifting the veil
47:22 A network of responses
50:32 Developing empathy for different perspectives
56:22 What is a good life for Rachel?

What is What is a Good Life??

Over the last three years I've interviewed over 250 people around the question of "what is a good life?". I am not trying to find or prescribe universal answers to this question, instead to prompt your own inquiry into what constitutes a good life for you. While I am also trying to share more genuine expressions of the human experience, beyond the masks that we wear.