Hey all! This episode is a bit of a departure from our usual podcast format. This one is an exclusive Cheri Spiegel production on the topic of Empathy. As Cheri talks through in this episode, unlocking empathy takes a little bit of work, and it takes some skill to fully engage with it throughout a lifetime. Sometimes, when we really look around honestly at the world, as it is, it can break our hearts, and the pain and suffering of it can sometimes be too much to bear all at once. How can we know how much we can engage with it, and act upon it, without falling into despair, shutting it down in response, and turning it off completely? Give Cheri a listen on this one, and see what you think of our framework for engaging with empathy as a lifelong practice to live a full and complete life. Living with empathy is hard work sometimes, but we really do believe that empathy comes naturally to us, and that life really is richer, deeper, and more meaningful with a skillful empathy practice.

Of course, this includes self-empathy. More on this in the podcast!

Thanks all!

Do we have an interesting episode for you today? Well, we certainly think so! Ironically enough, we didn't intend to discover anything particularly new when we recorded this episode. Instead, we simply planned to share what we learned about the concept of discover through the workshop we've offered entitled "Discover: Exploring Needs as They Emerge In College Contexts." While we did share a bit from that experience, we got an invitation to really explore what it takes to be open to discovery when...a young man knocked on the door of the room we were recording in and asked, curiously enough, where he might be able to learn more about recording a podcast! You'll hear Cheri start to get distracted as she's finishing a sentence and then you'll be treated to Paul and Cheri debriefing the experience and using it as a tool to think through the things we agree one needs to accept if they're going to move into discovery mode! For quick reference, we provide them below here, but listen in to hear us talk through them - and for our most curious recording experience to date!

To become a discoverer, you must first meet and accept the following things:

• You do not know all there is to know.
• You do not currently see all that there is to see.
• Other beings know and understand things you do not.
• Other beings have occupied spaces and experiences that you have not.
• You are limited in your capacity to know, experience, and understand.
• Your current way of seeing may inhibit your ability to see as others do.

Depending upon your background, experiences, and abilities, some of these premises might be more or less difficult to accept.

This is Episode 117 of the This Most Unbelievable Life Podcast! This episode looks at the concept of reflection and its importance as a way of processing and moving us forward in our lives (more traction!). We contrast reflection with rumination, which can cause us just to spin our wheels! Building on our car metaphor, we walk through an exercise we love using in our shared spaces, "The Parking Lot Reflection." If you're interested in using this tool yourself and/or with groups you lead, consider purchasing the PDF and PPT downloads we offer up on the brand new TMUL Etsy Store!