Untangle

Wow…I loved talking to today’s guest, Kieran Setiya, an Author and Professor of philosophy at MIT. I’ve always loved philosophy, but I was especially taken with the way Kieran applies it to our most challenging events, as well as to our day to day lives. In his book Life Is Hard, How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way — he offers us a roadmap for navigating rough terrain, from personal trauma to loneliness to grief to failure and the myth of the ideal life to injustice and even the absurdity of the world. It’s hard to summarize this discussion because there’s so much here, but his wisdom is rich with guidance on how we can face suffering and life’s inevitable hardships. He’s so eloquent in how he shares his insights on life >> from his rich archive of philosophy to his own personal journey. Life is a collection of small successes and small failures. And A good life, he says, is a way of living every day, DESPITE the hard stuff. He inspired me to reflect on quite a bit here. How do I live well, what makes a life meaningful, how do I face regret, aging, uncertainty…even what should I hope for given where I am in my own life. He was originally inspired to philosophy by his own sense of wonder and undertow of worry at 7 yrs old. I love that…a blend of worry and wonder, anxiety and awe. How perfectly true!!Kieran is also the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. His writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The New York Times,the Boston Review,the London Review of Books, The Atlantic, and The Yale Review.As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential. Check out choosemuse.com and use code untangle15 for your discount. Resource: ksetiya.net See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to a weekly special edition of Untangle, Meditation Mondays. We’re taking this time to share meditations from our sister app, Meditation Studio. We know that life gets messy and, when it does, Meditation is here to help us find a sense of calm and inner peace. Whether you’re facing daily work or relationship stress, unexpected challenges, or just want to improve focus, we hope meditation Monday’s will be your go to for a weekly guided meditation treat. And if you’re craving more…which I always do…the Meditation Studio app offers over 800 expert-guided meditations from over 70 of the world’s top meditation experts.And best of all, you can now unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's encore guest is Gretchen Rubin, one of today’s most influential and thought-provoking observers of happiness, habits and human nature. She’s a highly acclaimed writer, known for her ability to distill and convey complex ideas—with levity and clarity. She’s the author of many bestselling books, including The Happiness Project, Better Than Before, and The Four Tendencies, which have sold millions of copies in more than thirty languages. Her most recent book is Life in Five Senses. She’s also host of the popular podcast, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and founder of the award-winning Happier app. We invited Gretchen to talk with us about how we can inject more happiness into our lives and how we can cultivate new habits with greater ease. she reminds us, there is no one size fits all for happiness…but there are many great ideas here. Resource: Gretchenrubin.comAs always As always, we’re Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband dedicated to unlocking your brains potential AND Meditation Studio the five star app. Unlock 30 days of Meditation Studio for free at choosemuse.com/meditationstudio. Thanks, as always, to a few of our sponsors Rula, Quince, Born Shoes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Happy New Year! Enjoy this meditation to inspire a fresh start to 2025.(no ads. no intro. just a lovely meditation)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Favorite Encore. Today’s guest is one of my favorites of all time. When I first interviewed Parker Palmer, the writer, teacher, poet and all around wise and soulful human — it was near a birthday that was giving me some pause as I was feeling the weight of time passing. I felt such a rush of pure humanity from listening to his words. It was the best birthday gift. The book we discussed is called On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old. It’s one of 10 amazing books that he’s authored. He says we must accept all of who we are…our wholeness and our brokenness. Wholeness involves integrating your imperfections along with whatever degree of perfection you may have achieved. It means embracing brokenness as an important part of our lives. It all belongs. I loved when he said that our hearts stay supple when we learn to embrace the little heartbreaks of everyday life. Eventually, he says, we can say...Yes, I am my strengths and my weaknesses. I am my successes and my failures. I am a source of light and I can be dark. It's all there. Welcome it all as a part of being human. Parker has reached millions worldwide through his books, including the best-selling Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness.He also holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and 13 honorary doctorates. He has won numerous awards, which are listed in our show notes. Encore Episode. SPECIAL OFFER: The Meditation Studio App is now FREE for 30 days. Unlock hundreds of meditations here: (⁠https://choosemuse.com/meditationstudio⁠)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.