The Mindful Living

What if the problem isn't that you're moving too slowly? What if you've been chasing the wrong finish line?In this episode of The Mindful Living, host Sana welcomes Mark Fabian, Associate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Warwick and author of Beyond Happy: How to Rethink Happiness and Find Fulfillment, for a thoughtful conversation about what it really means to live a good life.Drawing on his personal journey, academic research, and work on public policy, Mark challenges the familiar idea that happiness comes after the next promotion, bigger paycheck, better house, or milestone. He explains why material security matters, but why relationships, community, personal values, and meaningful participation become increasingly important once our basic needs are met.The conversation explores the relationship between happiness and politics, the pressure created by competitive and materialistic cultures, and why societies should consider dignity, opportunity, and collective wellbeing rather than relying only on happiness scores.Mark also offers a practical way to rethink personal fulfillment: pay attention to your emotional and social experiences, understand what genuinely matters to you, and make choices that bring your daily life closer to those values.Because a fulfilling life may not be about reaching a perfect destination. It may be about learning to value the life you're building along the way.About Mark Fabian:Mark Fabian is a public policy scholar at the University of Warwick and an affiliated researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. His work explores happiness, wellbeing, public policy, and what helps individuals and communities flourish. He is the author of Beyond Happy: How to Rethink Happiness and Find Fulfilment.University of Warwick+2Key takeaways:Happiness is not a permanent destination. It can be understood as feedback that helps us assess how our lives are going.Material security matters, but it is not the whole picture. Food, shelter, healthcare, and financial security are essential. Beyond those foundations, relationships, community, and meaningful activity become increasingly important.Values give life direction. Our everyday choices express what matters to us, whether we realise it or not.Emotional discomfort can carry information. Rather than immediately pushing difficult feelings away, we can reflect on what they may be telling us.Wellbeing is also collective. Supportive relationships, community groups, and nourishing social environments can contribute to a more fulfilling life.Culture shapes what we chase. Competitive and materialistic environments can encourage endless comparison and the feeling that we never have enough.Look beyond inherited expectations. Reflect on what naturally interested you, moved you, or gave you joy before other people told you what success should look like.Respect the dignity of work. A person's contribution should not be measured only by income, status, or professional title.Be careful with comparisons. As life improves, remember what you once hoped for instead of constantly moving the goalposts.Build a life around what matters. Identify the experiences and relationships you want, then consider the skills and resources that can help you create them.Episode chapters:Timestamp Chapter00:00 The happiness treadmill: are we chasing the wrong finish line?02:15 Mark Fabian’s personal journey into the science of wellbeing04:58 Is happiness political? The role of values in everyday choices07:19 Why success and material wealth don't guarantee happiness08:27 The limits of material gains and the importance of relationships11:50 Happiness as feedback, not a final destination13:59 How culture and capitalism shape our idea of happiness16:29 Questioning society's definition of success18:12 Discovering your authentic values and intrinsic motivations21:31 Finding meaning, dignity, and satisfaction in everyday work23:38 The difference between contentment and limited opportunity26:47 Why we should appreciate what we once dreamed of27:27 Mark's book, writing, and where to find his workGuest links and resources:Book: Beyond Happy: How to Rethink Happiness and Find FulfilmentView book detailsSubstack: Prof. Mark FabianUniversity of Warwick: Academic profileCambridge University: Bennett Institute profileLinkedIn: Mark Fabian on LinkedInBluesky: Mark Fabian on Bluesky🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?Send me a direct message on PodMatch.👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.Refer a GuestKnow someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast📬 Contact & LinksBrand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️Contact UsBased in: India & USA🎧 All Podcast Shows🤝 Be a Guest📩 Newsletter Substack👉 Join the LinkedIn Community📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.If you have concerns about any content, please contact us hereBy listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.#TheMindfulLiving #MarkFabian #BeyondHappy #RethinkingHappiness #HappinessAndWellbeing #MeaningfulLife #PersonalFulfillment #EmotionalWellbeing #HedonicTreadmill #AuthenticValues #SocialConnection #CommunityWellbeing #MindfulLiving #PersonalGrowth

A cup of tea goes cold on the counter because someone else needed something. If you care for others and have quietly put yourself last, you are not alone, and this conversation is for you.Sana and Otanthia Williams-Brady talk about caregiver burnout, the guilt that keeps us saying yes, and why caring for yourself is not selfish. It is how you keep showing up for the people you love.About the Guest: Otanthia Williams-Brady is a board-certified nurse practitioner, a certified life coach and the host of the Making Space for Me podcast. She speaks from her own caregiving experience.Key Takeaways:Being dependable is not the same as being always available.Redefine what a good daughter, parent or caregiver means, and include space for yourself.The mental load of caregiving is heavier than the physical tasks.Try a guilt framework: name the guilt, find what is underneath it, replace it with truth.Ask what you can remove, reduce, delegate or respond to differently, and release the outcome.Connect With the Guest:Podcast: Making Space for Me (makingspaceforme.buzzsprout.com)Episode Chapters:[00:00] The Cup of Tea Gone Cold: you are not alone[02:39] A Host’s Honest Moment: caring for parents and yourself[04:16] When Caregiving Became Everything: a season of burnout[10:46] Why Not You? Rewriting what a good daughter or caregiver means[15:19] The Mental Load: what people rarely see[18:54] Releasing the Outcome: caregiver fear, guilt and small boundaries[21:45] A Gentle Framework: working through guilt and simplifying your week 🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?Send me a direct message on PodMatch.👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.Refer a GuestKnow someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast📬 Contact & LinksBrand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️Contact UsBased in: India & USA🎧 All Podcast Shows🤝 Be a Guest📩 Newsletter Substack👉 Join the LinkedIn Community📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.If you have concerns about any content, please contact us hereBy listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.#podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #themindfulliving #mindfulliving #caregiverburnout #selfcare #caregiving #mentalload #boundaries #guilt #womenswellness #selfcompassion #burnoutrecovery #emotionalwellbeing #makingspaceforme

What would it mean to carry every day of your life and still find peace? If old memories visit you at quiet moments, or stress has worn you down, this gentle conversation is for you.Frank Healy shares life with a highly superior autobiographical memory, how he learned to meet hard memories with kindness, and how balance and rest can keep us from burning out.About the Guest: Frank Healy is a licensed professional counselor and life coach with highly superior autobiographical memory. He is the author of more than 20 books, including Burnout Proof.Key Takeaways:You may not erase a memory, but you can soften the emotions attached to it.Try Frank’s exercise: recall a hard memory for one minute, then a good one for two, and repeat.Forgiveness is for your own peace. It does not mean excusing what happened.Let a hard time teach you: reassess priorities and reconnect with family.Protect balance with leisure, rest and meditation, so ambition does not crowd out what matters.Connect With the Guest:Website: healyshealing.comBooks: search Frank Healy on AmazonEpisode Chapters:[00:00] Sixty Years of Days: a question about carrying every memory[01:59] How It Began: a calendar, a sick week and a child’s curiosity[07:56] Being Studied: what the university research showed[12:12] Gift or Burden? Remembering the good and the hard[17:01] Letting Go: emotions, forgiveness and learning from pain[24:32] Burnout Proof: balance, leisure and meditation[27:08] Where to Find Frank: books and resources🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?Send me a direct message on PodMatch.👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.Refer a GuestKnow someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast📬 Contact & LinksBrand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️Contact UsBased in: India & USA🎧 All Podcast Shows🤝 Be a Guest📩 Newsletter Substack👉 Join the LinkedIn Community📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.If you have concerns about any content, please contact us hereBy listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.#podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #themindfulliving #mindfulliving #emotionalwellbeing #healingmemories #burnoutprevention #worklifebalance #forgiveness #memory #selfcompassion #mentalwellness #innerpeace #personalgrowth #healingjourney

What if the body is quietly telling a story we have not yet learned to hear? If you are curious about nervous system regulation, trauma and whole-body wellness, this unhurried conversation is for you.Sana and Andrew Scheim explore breath, listening practices, cold, movement and the questions worth asking before you trust any approach.About the Guest:Andrew Scheim is an integrative wellness educator and former professional musician with decades of hands-on experience in bodywork, acupuncture, nutrition and nervous system regulation. He shares over 200 educational videos at Blue Z Water.Key Takeaways:Simple, automatic breathing tools can feel kinder when trauma is present: less thinking, more ease.Listening to your body, through pulse, muscle testing or five quiet minutes, is a practice in itself.Vet your practitioners: ask where their training comes from and bring your own questions.Small daily movement, like two minutes on a rebounder, can be part of your wellness toolkit.Build your toolkit one step at a time, for mind, body and structure.Connect With the Guest:Andrew's YouTube channel and practitioner site are both under the handle Bluez The Water, where he also offers a free one-hour wellness strategy session.WebsiteEpisode Chapters:[00:00] Welcome to The Mindful Living: the body as a whole system[01:44] A Gentle Three-Minute Reset: breathing without effort[07:33] Cold, Sound and the Nervous System: what shifts, and for how long[11:53] Curiosity and Caution: how to vet any approach[19:39] Learning to Listen: pulse, muscle testing and the intuitive self[25:39] Small Daily Tools: a rebounder and a home wellness toolkit[30:08] Finding Andrew: Blue Z Water and a hopeful close🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?Send me a direct message on PodMatch.👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.Refer a GuestKnow someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast📬 Contact & LinksBrand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️Contact UsBased in: India & USA🎧 All Podcast Shows🤝 Be a Guest📩 Newsletter Substack👉 Join the LinkedIn Community📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.If you have concerns about any content, please contact us hereBy listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.#podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #mindfulliving #nervoussystemregulation #holistichealth #wholebodywellness #somatichealing #traumainformed #breathwork #vagusnerve #mindbodyconnection #selfawareness #integrativewellness #bodywork #healingjourney

What if the thing that broke you is also the beginning of who you are becoming? If life has split into a before and an after, this slow, honest conversation is for you.Sana and Chris McCarthy explore rebuilding identity after loss, finding purpose beyond outward success, and letting each hard season teach you something.About the Guest:Chris McCarthy is an entrepreneur, speaker, father and author of Loss Built This, who shares his story of faith, self-awareness and intentional growth through his Limitless with Chris platform.Key Takeaways:Loss can mark a clear before and after. Your pain is real, and you do not walk it alone.Your job is what you do, not who you are. Ask who you are beneath the title.Goals reached without fulfilment are worth questioning. Build a meaningful life, not only a successful one.Hard seasons show who stays. It can be a gentle time to reset the circle around you.Every season passes. Treat each encounter as something that may teach you.Connect With the Guest:Website: limitlesswithchris.comBook: Loss Built This (Amazon)Instagram: @limitless_with_chrisFacebook and YouTube: Limitless with ChrisEpisode Chapters:[00:00] What Breaks You, Builds You: a question to hold gently[02:11] A Before and After: Chris on the loss that changed his path[06:41] You Are Not What You Do: identity beyond the job title[09:18] Living in Drift: why some of us need a force to alter our path[11:10] Success Without Fulfilment: the goal that felt hollow[14:44] Faith in the Silence: questions, anger and a quiet return[21:09] Everything Is a Season: a meaningful life, and where to find Chris🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?Send me a direct message on PodMatch.👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.Refer a GuestKnow someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast📬 Contact & LinksBrand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️Contact UsBased in: India & USA🎧 All Podcast Shows🤝 Be a Guest📩 Newsletter Substack👉 Join the LinkedIn Community📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.If you have concerns about any content, please contact us hereBy listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.#podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #mindfulliving #griefandloss #rebuildingidentity #lossbuiltthis #faithandhealing #purposedrivenlife #personalgrowth #selfawareness #lifeafterloss #resilience #mindsetshift #fatherhood #healingjourney