Work Life Play with Aaron McHugh
234 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 74 ratingsGet the real stories of how entrepreneurs, artists, heretics, authors, liberators, athletes, and innovators pursue their ideas and aspirations.
From TED speakers, national broadcasters, New York Times best selling authors to Ultra-marathon runners and start-up CEO’s you’re guaranteed to be encouraged to swing for the fence in your own pursuits.
Accept my invitation to:
Do your best work
Live the life you want to live
Play a lot more
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Episodes
The Depressed Brain and Finding Hope Again with Andrew Jensen #180
April 10, 2020 23:26 - 23 minutes - 39.9 MBMy guest today is Canadian Andrew Jensen, PGA pro tour golfer and avid spokesman for the pitfalls and hope for those of us who struggle with depression and anxiety. "I turned pro and embarked on just this lonely, isolated life and isolation is not good for the depressed brain." Rich, earnest and real. I know you'll enjoy his story today.
Change Your Life by Unlocking Your True Motivation with Bryan Falchuk #179
April 03, 2020 16:55 - 23 minutes - 33.8 MBIn 2018, I interviewed Bryan Falchuk, author of Do a Day: How to Live a Better Life Everyday. What struck me about Bryan was how his lowest-life moment, became his redefining inspiration. Here’s what he had to say, “I walked into our room and my wife’s in bed, my son’s standing there and he’s looking at his mother who’s dying in front of his eyes and he turns and looks at me and it all smacked me in the face. It’s like, ’what are you doing? You’re failing her. You’re failing him. And I’m fe...
Transcending the Cult of Average with Tom Davis #178
March 27, 2020 16:06 - 50 minutes - 77 MBWhat is the Cult of Average? Today, my friend and guest Tom Davis liberates our thinking by guiding us to a values-based operating system for our lives. A ‘pay the rent’ lifestyle is one that is based on living life for other people. It's about paying the rent, paying my bills, going to my job, doing what everybody else tells me. What happens is, slowly but surely, I start to erode away. I start to disappear because the things that matter to me, my core values, the ‘why I do what I do,’ the...
Why We Need a Whole Heart | My talk from my book release #177
March 21, 2020 00:50 - 47 minutes - 73 MBUsually, I wouldn't write an introduction to a podcast episode that I am the "guest" or the speaker. But hey, this is the best talk I've ever given at my new book launch party on February 1st, Fire Your Boss: Discover Work Your Love Without Quitting Your Job, What makes that accurate? Ninety of some of my favorite humans on the planet were in the room transferred to me through osmosis, and I gained strength as the evening unfolded. Which meant I spoke with boldness and brightness that I lon...
Feast or Famine? Walking Over the Edge with Alastair Humphreys #176
March 19, 2020 17:24 - 46 minutes - 64.7 MBAlastair Humphreys is unusual. He cycled around the world (46,000 miles) and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean unsupported. Those feats are unusual, but more accessible for the commoner are his microadventures, short, local, burts of curious wanderings out your front door. I'd pair beautiful and unusual together to give a crisper coupling of his leadership invitation to each of us "Live Adventurously". Motivational speaker, Author, and Good Human, Alastair is the real deal.
Peb Jackson on Emptying Yourself and Blank Spots on the Map #175
March 05, 2020 15:52 - 49 minutes - 74.8 MBPeb Jackson is uncommonly attracted to risk and survival. Today at age 75 it remains true-it's in his bones. We talk about learning to empty yourself, living an adventurous life of the heart and in wild places where blank spots on the map still exist.
Connector. Inviter. Truthteller Leith McHugh #174
February 14, 2020 15:59 - 32 minutes - 45.6 MBLeith McHugh, my lovely wife of 26 years, is in the house today on the Work Life Play podcast. She's up to some amazing things in the world. We talk about "How McHugh's Roll" and the importance of inviting our children into our family ethos. She shares about her LEITH brand, and the coaching work she brings to women focused on identity and story.
Running Home with Runner & Author Katie Arnold #173
February 05, 2020 17:53 - 48 minutes - 73.8 MBMy guest today on Work Life Play is Ultrarunner, Author, mom, and Outside contributing editor Katie Arnold. Katie's book, Running Home serves as the backdrop for our conversation, "A memoir about grief, motherhood, adventure, and finding your stride".
Closing the Gap- Launch Day #172
January 14, 2020 16:58 - 7 minutes - 6.18 MBToday. Closing the gap between where I was and where I am. Choices. Tradeoffs. Grace. Reboot. Start. Rest. Pray. Reflect. Celebrate. My book goes live today into the world. A decade ago, I sat on my back patio and wrote the first draft of this liberating idea for Firing My Boss. My life changed that day. Not all at once, but it sparked the beginning of a journey. I remember deciding to make that manifesto available in a print self-published version. A friend asked, "why self-publish?" Me, ...
Breaking Radio Silence-My New Book #171
January 08, 2020 16:17 - 19 minutes - 15.6 MBWake up to your life. It’s time to make a ruckus at work. Hi friends, new and old, after 10 years of soulful wrestle, iteration and innovation, I’m excited to announce the release of my new book. Fire your boss-discovering work you love without quitting your job is about becoming wholehearted. Yes it’s about work, and it’s about living true in all that you create in the world. Check it out anywhere books are sold. Keep going-Aaron *Join my 2020 Analog experiment
The Far Green Country with Eli Pyke #170
January 28, 2019 18:28 - 36 minutes - 29.5 MBThe Far Green Country, a documentary film about RV living in the national parks, marriage, and parenting. Eli Pyke shares his story of he and his family living in an RV for a year as they reset their lives.
When You Deny You're Burning Out with Jen Fisher #169
January 28, 2019 16:14 - 36 minutes - 29.2 MBOur world is fast-paced, being everything to everyone at all times (except to ourselves), and the demands of our modern world aren't sustainable if we don't learn to listen to our body, mind, and spirit to excel in our life, work and relationships. Here is Jen Fisher's story of burning out and today leads as the Managing Director of Well-Being at Deloitte consulting.
And Sons & The Young Man's Soul #168
November 16, 2018 17:36 - 41 minutes - 33.6 MBToday's interview is with Blaine and Sam Eldredge with And Son's Magazine. We talk about their eight-year dream of creating a print magazine, the power of transformation v.s. entertainment, masculinity as a lens by which we can view everything else, in defense of millennials, the joy of words, vulnerability and going first, the temptation to quit, brotherhood and hearing God's voice.
Mapping The Health of Your Relationships | Reboot Live Part 3 | #167
November 09, 2018 18:35 - 20 minutes - 16.6 MBWhich relationships bring you life? Do you know which relationships drain your energy? Begin by mapping your relationships across your work and life to gain insight about where you need to invest your time and energy.
What Do You Value Most? | Reboot Live Part 2 | #166
November 03, 2018 16:00 - 29 minutes - 23.9 MBWhat do you value most, not your stuff, but deeper than the stuff you own?
Mapping What Matters Most Reboot Live | Part 1 | #165
October 14, 2018 14:39 - 43 minutes - 35.5 MBToday's podcast is from session #1 from Reboot Live last October 2017. Last year, we held two Reboot Experience Workshop and took people on an inward journey to answer big questions like what do you want in life? And How do I find my path to a well-lived joyful life?
Listening To The Voice of Light and Easy #164
October 07, 2018 14:15 - 7 minutes - 6.25 MBWhat if you listened to the voice of light and easy? What would it tell you to do? What truth would it remind you of? Maybe things are about to go great for you in your career, with your relationships and in that new thing you want to try. Lean in and listen.
Revealing Light From Darkness with Artist Mark Evans #163
July 04, 2018 22:10 - 54 minutes - 44.3 MBMark Evans carves into leather hides to reveal light from darkness. As a kid, he started drawing and his Archimedes moment came when a drop of blood stained his new Christmas present, a leather jacket. He pulled out his boyhood knives to scratch off the blood which revealed this discovery of a now eighteen year career. To tell his story, we drove our JoyBus to an empty dirt road and retraced his life, love and art.
Beyond Profits at Hari Mari with Jeremy Stewart #162
June 21, 2018 20:20 - 33 minutes - 27.1 MBJeremy Stewart and I talked flip flops, political science, pediatric cancer and the power of why. Learn from his wisdom in this episode. Wanting to do more than just create a great flip flop and stunned to learn that pediatric cancer is the most fatal disease among American children – more fatal than almost all other childhood diseases combined – Hari Mari set out to help.
How to Keep Hope Alive #161
June 11, 2018 23:36 - 27 minutes - 22 MBHope must be cared for, nurtured and protected. Hope stays alive when we steward even the smallest glimpse or the thinnest thread. An action is required for transformation to happen. Talking about, thinking about, and dreaming about change isn’t enough. Doing something and trying something different creates possibility. We are not failures. We fall short, we make mistakes, and we can screw stuff up, but we’re never beyond the reach of love and forgiveness. Love wins. Everyone gets a do-o...
I Bet My Life On What I Believe #160
June 04, 2018 14:17 - 33 minutes - 27 MBMy savings account just hit zero. We’ve bet our life on what we believe, and I’d like to shoot straight with you about what its been like the last seven months. In October, I left my cushy $six figure career. It was intellectually challenging, but it wasn’t soulfully and purposefully satisfying. With the support of my wife, family and close friends, it was time to leap. My big life experiment- the big bet, was to align the work I do every day with the person that I’ve become. If it sounds ...
Taking the Next Brave Step #159
May 14, 2018 15:36 - 28 minutes - 23.4 MBThe future is difficult to forecast, but our next brave step is the one thing we can do. Where are you suppressing the parts of you that appear to not fit in your world today? Where can you experiment with expressing the fullest version of you? Where do you feel that you don't fit in? Come join me on an adventure trip in June. More details here.
Are You Sure? Maybe There's Another Way #158
April 12, 2018 00:52 - 45 minutes - 36.4 MBToday's episode was previously recorded at our Reboot Live event back in October, 2017. In 2015, we sold everything we owned, pushed pause on our life and started over. Not everyone needs to jettison their life like we did. But everyone can benefit from the lessons we've learned from taking the road less traveled. Read our full story here. As your guides, we will take you on a journey to help you architect a sustainable life you want to live forward. Reboot is not a marriage conference. ...
The Hardest Part of Letting Go with Alex Woodard #157
April 06, 2018 16:44 - 40 minutes - 32.8 MBAlex Woodard reminded me of how pliable our lives and dreams are if we let go. Alex's story is a powerful example of driving hard towards his goal of playing his music to thousands. On the eve of achieving his dream, the bottom fell out. His record contract vanished, his dog died and his dream became a nightmare. Enter stage left; he received a letter from a fan telling her story about loss and love. Alex decided to write her (Emily) a song based on her letter and send it to her. A new dream...
Meaningful Work with Shawn Askinosie #156
March 24, 2018 10:35 - 45 minutes - 36.9 MBShawn Askinosie's book might change your life if you allow it. Meaningful Work is not a book about “saving the world”— but it is about how businesses can and should solve problems in the world, and how positive change begins with individual action.
Top Ten Reasons Why We Do Not Change #155
March 08, 2018 02:17 - 26 minutes - 21.7 MBMy top ten reasons why I believe we won't change. 1-No guarantees of an outcome. 2-We really aren't yet in enough pain in our current reality. 3-The devil I know is better than the devil I don't. 4-A template was installed in us a long time ago that is difficult to refute. 5- It's easier to bitch and complain than to do something about it. 6-We convince ourselves that everyone else must have won the golden ticket, found a shortcut, has a rich uncle, got to skip to the front of the line and...
Who Am I with Ryan Miller #154
March 02, 2018 23:57 - 51 minutes - 41.5 MBToday is the Ryan Miller Show. I've titled this episode, Who Am I as we talk about their creative work in the world through 08Left, Mango Ink and his upcoming show on May 3rd in Spokane, Lights Like Us.
Start Balancing with Kristy Dickerson #153
February 21, 2018 18:17 - 26 minutes - 21.3 MBKristy Dickerson, keynote speaker, businesswoman, and active CEO and co-founder of Start Planner has devoted her life to providing hope for individuals who are looking to achieve balance, success, and happiness in their lives. She has been featured in numerous national media outlets and has shown thousands of others how to be productive, efficient, and live more fulfilling lives.
Permission Slips #152
February 20, 2018 19:27 - 15 minutes - 12.7 MBThis is your permission slip to cut yourself some slack. Take a break. Take a day off. Skip school. Skip work. Wear flip-flops. Punt on a meeting. Say No. Don’t go. Stay home. Call in sick. Be late. Take a nap. Do half as much and call it good enough. Tell “perfection” to take a flying leap. Go on a two-week vacation. Use your floating holiday tomorrow. See a movie at lunchtime. Stay in your jammies all day. Order pizza. Watch Netflix all day. Sleep in. Schedule a meeting in your work calend...
Adding Intention to Your Life Through Your Money with Jesse Mecham #151
February 14, 2018 13:45 - 40 minutes - 32.6 MBMy guest today is Jesse Mecham, author of his new book You Need A Budget. The money powers our lives and is a resource required for living the life we want. Jesse's team, and I agree, believes that when you approach your money with intention, you can more predictably influence the desired outcomes. I love Jesse's message, and I'm convinced that regardless of how much or how little money we have, we can give our resources purpose and clarity.
Fully Alive with Ben Moon #150
January 17, 2018 22:42 - 57 minutes - 46.5 MBBen Moon is a Pacific City, Oregon based photographer and filmmaker who enjoys working with a diverse range of adventurers, athletes and musicians. Surviving cancer in his twenties inspired a greater connection and appreciation for others and the natural world. Ben finds human emotion to be a source of constant fascination. He is best known for his viral short film Denali, which explored the friendship between Ben and his dog. #DenaliFilm on Vimeo.com/122375452
Essentialism: Less, But Better with Greg McKeown #149 Part 2
January 09, 2018 19:09 - 33 minutes - 26.8 MBPart 2 of my interview with Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. In this episode, he continues with practical advice on getting clear on the bigger picture and enabling for more regular course corrections. Even Greg struggles to be an Essentialist all of the time. Where and how do you start with Essentialism? How do you begin taking back control over the minutes and moments that you can influence? How to focus on the things you can control. Download the fu...
Essentialism: Less, But Better with Greg McKeown #148 Part 1
January 03, 2018 23:26 - 57 minutes - 46.4 MBMy interview with Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times Bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, produced poignant questions that warrant an accompanying question guide. I believe lasting transformation can occur when we internalize these issues and principles. Greg delivered so much succinct and dense insights during our interview that I chose to break the conversation into two parts. I hope that you will earnestly consider the implications of these questions in yo...
BIG LOVE Has Our Back with Ashton Gustafson #147
December 24, 2017 17:13 - 56 minutes - 45.5 MBAshton Gustafson believes that there is more to life than prestige, accomplishment, trophies and ladder climbing. He believes that if we listen, taste, and smell the melody, the texture, and observe the nuances-we will find what we are all looking for. Ashton leads a rich podcast called Let The Music Play and has killer guests like Rob Bell and Richard Rohr to top chefs. Ashton loves life and is incredibly curious.
Leave No Good Thing Left Unsaid #146
December 22, 2017 01:20 - 6 minutes - 5.43 MBI have an experiment for you. I know the holidays are stressful, over-scheduled, over-spending, over-eating and lots of time with friends and family. Here’s my idea-What if we left no good thing unsaid? We spend a lot of time with family during the holidays, and that can be very stressful. I heard once, “The reason they know how to push your buttons is that they installed them.” So if our buttons can be pushed quickly and we can push buttons with other people just as fast, what if we made ...
Leave No Good Thing Left Unsaid #146
December 22, 2017 01:20 - 6 minutes - 5.42 MBI have an experiment for you. I know the holidays are stressful, over-scheduled, over-spending, over-eating and lots of time with friends and family. Here’s my idea-What if we left no good thing unsaid? We spend a lot of time with family during the holidays, and that can be very stressful. I heard once, “The reason they know how to push your buttons is that they installed them.” So if our buttons can be pushed quickly and we can push buttons with other people just as fast, what if we made ...
A Chat with Guy Kawasaki #145
December 19, 2017 00:01 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MBGuy Kawasaki was chief evangelist of Apple during the early 1980's Macintosh era. In this punchy, simple and short conversation Guy answers the following questions: What are you best at? What are you most proud of? What piece of advice do you give that people fail to follow? How are you GREAT at writing books, speaking, starting companies, and evangelising change? What key lesson did Steve Jobs teach you? The full transcript from our conversation is available on the show notes here.
Hidden Downsides of Being a Digital Nomad with Brian David Crane #144
December 08, 2017 22:45 - 23 minutes - 18.7 MBMy guest today, Brian David Crane decodes for us the challenges of living and working anywhere in the world like loneliness, developing community and being productive when on Tuesday at 2 pm there is always another waterfall to explore. The best locations to be a Digital Nomad according to BDC: Bali Poland Colombia Mexico Canary Islands Cape Town Explore your muse on Nomadlist.com for the best places on the globe to Work, Life and Play. Since 2014, he's lived on four contin...
Why We Should Ask For Help #143
November 30, 2017 18:00 - 26 minutes - 21.8 MBI find asking for help to be difficult. The truth is I don't like to ask for help. I'd prefer to do things on my own, to grit it out, use endurance and perseverance to push through. In this episode, I share a compelling story of how I learned why we should ask for help. I found myself in a maze that I was unable to escape and asking for HELP turned out to be the secret for escape. I could use your help in a couple of specific ways. My website and email list for Work Life Play have both b...
The Business of Being a Writer with Joanna Penn #142
November 25, 2017 00:06 - 43 minutes - 35.4 MBMy guest today is Joanna Penn, New York Times bestselling thriller writer. She writes inspirational non-fiction for aspiring authors. We talk about the business of being a writer, her habits, and routines, how she shapes her environment to fuel her creative work and shortcutting the process to get into the flow. I learned a lot from Joanna and appreciated her insights derived from her experience of leaving her day job to build a successful creative empire. She has excellent advice for self...
I Quit My Job Then Drive 3,000 Miles to Clear My Head #141
November 23, 2017 10:56 - 33 minutes - 26.9 MBLast month, I quit my job. I decided I needed to clear my head before starting a new gig. I just returned from a 3,000-mile road trip out west in our 1974 VW Bus. I put together a Best Of list from my experience. My Instagram @aarondmchugh feed has all of the photos I posted from five National Parks, the best hikes, the kindest human I met, quirky roadside Route 66 Wigwam Motel, impromptu unplugged acoustic guitar set in Sante Fe, to our favorite camp spots and sunrise. Full post details h...
Dispatch: Pausing For a VW Bus Road Trip West #140
November 15, 2017 02:56 - 11 minutes - 9.81 MBIn this episode, I recorded a dispatch update from my VW bus road trip from Colorado to California. I'm chasing wild as I visit National Parks and enjoy the drone of the highway. Thus far, I've visited Capitol Reef NP, Bryce Canyon NP and Zion NP. I laid down a few thoughts on the benefits of pausing to reflect during a change in season. Check out my road trip photos on Instagram @aarondmchugh
Regain Your Taste For Adventure with Family Man John Montgomery #139
November 09, 2017 18:47 - 39 minutes - 32.3 MBI met John Montgomery at an Explorer's dinner in Manhattan hosted by Stefan Loble (Bluff Works founder). Everyone invited had some new bent of curiosity that drove their exploration. John's is world travel. It all started when his dad used to load them in the family truckster as kids and go searching for anything new. John's spirit of adventure embodies the Work Life Play mantra. Hear John's heckle "Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor you guys might ride motorcycles across the world, but hav...
100,000 Downloads: Then & Now Morgan Snyder Interviews Me #138
November 07, 2017 16:42 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBMorgan Snyder, host of Become Good Soil podcast, and my close friend interviews me on Work Life Play in celebration of this podcast reaching 100,000 downloads. We titled it "Then and Now" as we retrace through our friendship over the last thirteen years. We talk through the original seeds of Work Life Play starting back when I'd run at lunch and shower with baby wipes before putting my suit back on.
How Our Disappointments Reveal What We Believe #137
November 07, 2017 16:02 - 32 minutes - 26 MBHow we handle disappointment reveals what we really believe about life. Everyone experiences some level of disappointment in life, but not everyone moves forward from the imprint of disappointment. Moving forward in a positive way is challenging. In this episode, I tell a story about a disappointment I experienced in 2014. I trained to race an IRONMAN triathlon in Lake Tahoe, CA. Unfortunately, it was canceled two minutes prior to the event start due to a raging forest fire nearby. Disa...
The Art of Reframing Episode #136
November 01, 2017 12:45 - 21 minutes - 17.5 MBThis episode is powered by the new Joy Bus T-Shirt in the Work Life Play store. Last year, our city was unfortunately ranked among the highest for teen suicide. We were directly impacted. We knew our pending move-in day was going to be impacted by the grief and loss. We decided to shift the story-disrupt the inertia by infusing our day with joy and fun. We gave away free ice cream to one hundred of our friends, strangers, new neighbors, kids from school and construction workers. We set...
Reboot Your Life Recap #135
October 25, 2017 17:54 - 26 minutes - 21.5 MBI wanted to give you a Reboot recap from our live event a week ago. I think the best way to start is to share a few quotes from Rebooters, “The world needs to hear this.” “Excursions were amazing & life-giving!” “This changed my life. I’m leaving with a whole new perspective on life and how I need to change it.” "IT was awesome to step away from the insanity of our lives for a bit and reflect upon the life we want to craft." It is a big deal for people to brave change, even the ide...
Drafting On An Elbow #134
October 24, 2017 18:28 - 10 minutes - 8.66 MBJoe was a recovering alcoholic who upgraded his addiction from booze to running. He told me if I tucked in close to his elbow and ran hard, he promised it would be tough, but he wouldn’t drop me. He’d won duathlon world championships, and I was trying to complete a Xterra off-road triathlon. Predictably every day there was a workout-no two-days the same. There was banter before the run and color commentary and coaching afterward. Drafting behind his 150lb frame eased my pain while my legs ...
Looking to the Finish Line #133
October 23, 2017 01:49 - 20 minutes - 16.8 MBI yelled his name printed on his race bib, “Tim, YOU’VE GOT THIS.” I didn’t know him, but he picked his head up, stared 1,000 yards ahead and got going again. I was working an aid station at the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championship triathlon. These athletes were thirteen miles into the final leg of the 140.6-mile race. He had hours to go before he’d cross the finish line, but his eyes were fixed beyond the present moment, the pain and the fatigue. He had a vision for what was waiting at the end...
Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce of Jackopierce #132
October 17, 2017 03:01 - 57 minutes - 46.3 MBIn this episode, I caught up with Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce from Jackopierce in Napa Valley from the Motor Lodge Inn in Calistoga, CA just before their live destination show. We talk about their music, their thirty-year journey, and the grit it required to get here. Twenty-five years, we talked, they sang, played and Jack blew his harps. They tell stories of their blue VW bus adventures and driving their 27' foot RV across the US one university town to the next. In 1988, Jack O'Neill ...