The Overexamined Life

We compare scenes from The White Lotus series with real teachings from Shunryū Suzuki and Thich Nhat Hahn.Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

What if we stubbornly choose optimism— practicing gratitude— even if it doesn't make sense, just to see if it makes life feel better?George Carlin and Dostoevsky weigh in.Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

Two-time Oscar winner and nine-time nominee Nancy Haigh joins us to explore the art of noticing.As a production designer, art director, and set decorator, her work has shaped iconic films like The Truman Show, Forrest Gump, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, No Country for Old Men, Moneyball, and Big Fish—not to mention one of my all-time favorites, Barton Fink.Beyond her incredible filmography, Nancy is kind, insightful, and a lot of fun.Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

We can't fix internal problems with external problem solving. An exploration on new beginnings and dissatisfaction, drawing on Hannah Arendt, Paulo Coelho, and Epictetus. Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening, bonus episodes, and mindfulness exercises that are actually fun: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

Author Kurt Vonnegut is our guru today, a man who truly believed humanity was one big cosmic joke. We study both his fiction and his personal life to figure out how someone who has seen so much horror can still have faith in humanity and find meaning.

Every time we do anything, it leaves a mark, a wrinkle. Those wrinkles can become our most valuable assets. Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening and bonus episodes: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

The idea gives me the 'ick'. But why? Today we look into whether or not a relationship with A.I. is actually a bad thing, drawing on Spike Jonez, Peter Singer, and other great minds. Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening and bonus episodes: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com

My guest today is David McMahon - a naturalist and adventurer who has spent his life exploring the world's most remote ecosystems. David has travelled the globe, coming face to face with some of the most dangerous species on the planet, learning from survival techniques from local and indigenous communities. In our conversation, David said he could be happy anywhere in the world. He knows the secret to fulfilment. I think we can all learn a lot from him. Sick of being ruled by your emotions?Join our Patreon for AD-FREE listening and bonus episodes: patreon.com/TOLclub Want to learn how to meditate? Get 30 days of the Waking Up App FREE: wakingup.com/primo  WATCH THE PODCAST on YoutubeFollow Jonah Primo on Instagram or visit his WebsiteEmail Jonah Primo at overexamined@jonahprimo.com