Grow the Good

In this Mindfulness in Action, we’re taking the motivation and inspiration framework from my last solo episode and turning it into a real-time check-in.
Are you in a flow zone where motivation and inspiration are both high? Are you grinding with motivation but no inspiration? Full of ideas but struggling to act? Or are you in that flat zone where both feel low?
I’ll guide you through a series of reflection questions to help you notice where you are without judgment and figure out what you might need next. Maybe it’s one small action to get the flywheel moving. Maybe it’s rest, connection, movement, self-compassion, curiosity, awe, or a change in your inputs.
We’ll also look at some of the ways inspiration can find us, through excellence, novelty, movement, mind wandering, and experiences that make us feel part of something bigger.
You can do this while walking, running, driving, gardening, or simply taking a few quiet minutes to check in with yourself.
Key Zones:
High motivation + high inspiration: flow
High motivation + low inspiration: grind
Low motivation + high inspiration: inspired but stuck
Low motivation + low inspiration: flat
LINKS:
- Listen to last week's solo about motivation and inspiration
– Read Curious? By Todd Kashdan
– Explore Kristen Neff’s Self-Compassion Resources
– Read Dacher Keltner’s books, including Awe
– Listen to The Other Side of Frustration is Motivation
– Listen to Using Self-Talk for Mindset with Ethan Kross
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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

I sat down to record this episode without a topic. I was motivated to make the podcast. I wanted to show up. But I wasn’t inspired. And as I started wondering why, that curiosity became the thing that inspired this entire episode.
So what actually is the difference between motivation and inspiration?
In this solo episode, I explore how motivation gives us the energy and direction to act, while inspiration often feels like something that comes to us and opens up a new possibility. We can be highly motivated but completely uninspired. We can also have tons of exciting ideas and no motivation to actually do anything with them.
I break motivation and inspiration into four different zones and talk about what can help depending on where you are. We’ll explore curiosity, awe, movement, attention, role models, behavioral activation, mental contrasting, rest, self-compassion, and why waiting for inspiration can sometimes become another form of avoidance.
Because sometimes we need to take action before inspiration arrives. And sometimes the smartest thing we can do is stop pushing and recover.
Key Takeaways
Motivation and inspiration aren’t the same thing
Curiosity can create a bridge to inspiration
Know which “zone” you’re in
Don’t always wait to feel inspired
Protect yourself from inspiration overload
Sometimes low motivation is information
LINKS
- Read Curious? By Todd Kashdan
- Explore Kristen Neff's Self-Compassion Resources
- Read Dacher Keltner’s books, including Awe
- Listen to The Other Side of Frustration is Motivation
- Listen to Using Self-Talk for Mindset with Ethan Kross
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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

Why is it possible to listen carefully to someone and still completely misunderstand them?
In this episode, I’m joined by my friend Yael Schonbrun, psychologist, couples therapist, and author of Why Don’t You Understand Me? The Surprising Science of Connecting in a World of Missed Signals.
Yael’s work explores something all of us experience: we want to feel seen and understood, but we’re constantly interpreting other people through our own experiences, assumptions, fears, and stories. And the closer we are to someone, the more confident we often become that we already know what they’re thinking. Even when we don’t.
This conversation felt really personal for me. I’ve spent a lot of time learning how my own tendency to read the room, anticipate other people’s reactions, and people-please can actually prevent me from saying what I need and letting people truly understand me.
Yael and I talk about the difference between listening and understanding, why two people can honestly remember the same experience differently, and how humility and curiosity can help us create a more complete shared reality.
We also explore perspective-getting instead of mind reading, positive regard, resentment, parenting, difficult conversations, and the courage it takes to ask someone what they actually think instead of assuming we already know.

Key Takeaways
Listening and understanding are not the same thing: Hearing someone’s words is only the beginning. Understanding requires us to interpret what they mean and that’s where our own stories and biases can get in the way.
We are not as good at mind reading as we think: Especially with people close to us, our confidence about what they think or feel often exceeds our actual accuracy.
Try perspective-getting instead of perspective-taking: Rather than imagining what someone else feels, ask them.
Humility makes deeper understanding possible: Two people can experience the same situation differently without either person being dishonest or malicious.
Feeling understood requires vulnerability: If we hide what we need because we’re afraid of someone’s reaction, we may unintentionally prevent the very intimacy and trust we want.
Positive regard helps relationships recover: Seeing the whole person creates more room for repair, curiosity, and connection.
LINKS
- Pre-Order Yael's Newest Book: Why Don’t You Understand Me? The Surprising Science of Connecting in a World of Missed Signals.
- Learn more about Yael on her website
- Listen to Work, Parent, Thrive with Psychologist Yael Schonbrun
- Listen to Navigating Love: A Deep Dive into Relationships with Yael Schonbrun
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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

How often are you outside without really being with the place you’re moving through?
In this Mindfulness in Action, I’m taking last week’s conversation about nature connectedness out of the theoretical space and into your body. You can do this practice while walking, running, riding, sitting outside, or even moving through your everyday life.
We’ll use our senses to notice the ground, air, smells, sounds, and beauty around us. Then we’ll move into awe, compassion, and meaning. You’ll notice what changes when we stop thinking of nature as something we use for a workout or an experience, and remember that we are part of the ecosystem too.
I’ll also invite you to find something old, like a tree, rock, mountain, or landscape, and let its scale give you perspective on whatever you’re carrying today.
You don’t have to stop training hard or pursuing big goals, but I’ll encourage you to learn how to do those things while staying connected to the world you’re moving through.

Key Takeaways
Nature connectedness is a relationship: We can shift from simply using the outdoors to noticing how we belong within it.
Your senses are a doorway to presence: Touch, smell, sound, sight, and the feeling of air can bring us back into the moment.
Awe changes perspective: Feeling small beside something ancient or vast can create space around our everyday worries.
Compassion can extend beyond people: Paying attention to another living thing can remind us that we’re part of a larger community.
The more you notice, the more you begin to notice: Connection grows through small, repeated moments of attention.
LINKS
- Nature Connectedness & Well-Being with Molly Peterson & Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore
- Mindfulness in Action: Grounding in Nature
- Movement, Nature, and Connection for Optimal Well-Being with John Ratey

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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.

A lot of us spend time outside. We run, ride, hike, train, explore, and use nature as a place to play or pursue our goals. But does spending time in nature actually mean we’re connected to it?
This episode was inspired by something I heard during a recent breathwork session: many of us use nature without being in relationship with nature. That idea made me think about my own life as an athlete, and all the years I spent outside focused on intervals, performance, Strava times, and self-improvement without always noticing the world I was moving through.
In this solo episode, I explore the research around nature connectedness and the difference between simply being outside and actually feeling like you’re part of the natural world.
I talk about:
- Awe
- The “small self”
- Meaning
- Curiosity
- Sensory awareness
- Simple ways we can become more present outside without giving up our workouts or performance goals
I'm not encouraging us to slow down all the time. I'm talking about occasionally looking up, paying attention, and remembering that nature can be more than the backdrop for what we’re trying to accomplish.
What might change if we stopped only using nature, and started building a relationship with it? 
LINKS
- Nature Connectedness & Well-Being with Molly Peterson & Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore
- Mindfulness in Action: Grounding in Nature
- Movement, Nature, and Connection for Optimal Well-Being with John Ratey
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The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.