Best Thoughts: Recent Episodes
Will Johns
In this podcast, the Johns brothers share and discuss the best thoughts they have come across in books and research and how these thoughts can improve your quality of life. Both brother's have doctoral degrees and love sharing what they have personally learned in the 40 plus years on this planet.
In this special edition, Noah Johns joins his father and uncle for an in-depth discussion on the existence of God. Listen to the end because Noah's personal story and resulting conclusion will surprise you!
Listen as the Johns Brothers discuss the strengths and weaknesses of number 1 on the Enneagram, the Perfectionist.
Listen as the Johns Brothers discuss the strengths and weaknesses of number 2 on the Enneagram, the Helper.
Listen as the Johns Brothers discuss the strengths and weaknesses of number 3 on the Enneagram, the Achiever.
In this concluding episode, the Johns' brothers look at Jesus' final words about building a life that can withstand the storms.
"Do not judge" and the power of the request--these are the two powerful teachings of Jesus we look at in this episode.
Jesus said, "Do not worry." A teaching much easier said than done! In this episode, we talk about how to reduce worry and lean into a trust in the goodness of God and life.
In this episode, learn about what it means to "live your life before the audience of One." Also, the Johns' brothers take you through the Lord's prayer and the deeper meaning in embedded in each phrase of this most famous prayer.
Jesus taught, "Let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no.'" In this episode, the Johns' brothers discuss how following this advice can transform your life and set you free.
Right out of the gate, Jesus addresses sex and violence, two issues that underpin so much of the great pain and suffering in our world. Imagine a world where they are managed in a healthy way! It's almost impossible. Listen to learn how you can manage these powerful desires and become more healthy and happy as you do so.
In episode two, the Johns brothers discuss this new religion and spirituality that Jesus presents to His listeners. It's very different than what most of us realize.
Rick and Will Johns are back in their new season focused on Jesus' teaching in His famous Sermon on the Mount. The catalyst for these episodes is Dallas Willard's classic book, The Divine Conspiracy, where he leads his readers through an in-depth and refreshing commentary on how incredibly relevant Jesus' teaching is for today.
In this final episode, we discuss the final pillar of happiness, Meaningful Work. Do you wish your job was more meaningful and rewarding? Learn how to improve the meaning of your work and life in this episode. Thank you to Arthur C. Brooks for his meaningful work on happiness and sharing these insights in his book, Building the Life You Want.
The third pillar of happiness is Friendships. While this pillar may seem obvious, it is the one most often neglected and treated like a luxury, not a necessity.
The second pillar of happiness is Family. The Johns brothers share we can lean into the foundation of family to increase our happiness, even when our family may have some relational challenges.
In this episode, we switch our discussion to the four pillars of happiness, focusing on faith in this episode.
We continue our conversation on the four idols that rob of us happiness-- in this episode discussing the idols of pleasure and money.
In this season, the Johns brothers discuss four pillars of happiness that can greatly add to your quality of life, along with four idols than can steal your happiness. This season is based on the work of Harvard Happiness researcher and author, Arthur C. Brooks.
In this season finale, the Johns' brothers discuss pain, pleasure, and spirituality. How do we find the balance with pain and pleasure on the spiritual journey?
Truth-telling is a powerful part of living in the healthy balance of pain and pleasure. Learn why you need to pay more attention to this powerful practice.
This episode is about self-binding, a practice that is necessary for all of us, but is especially needed when dealing with addiction. Learn more about it in this episode and how it can set you free!
It is our natural tendency to avoid pain, to run from pain, and to sometimes we go to great lengths to try to escape from pain. However, there is a healthy time to run towards pain and knowing this can greatly benefit your life!
In this second episode, the Johns' brothers go deeper with the subject of pain and pleasure and how to balance them in a healthy way in our lives.
A new season begins here with a discussion on pain and pleasure based on Anna Lembke's book Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence. Pain and pleasure are the two basic driving forces in our lives, but new brain research helps us understand how the brain processes them and seeks to find balance.
In this final episode of the season, the Johns' brothers discuss the intersection of gratitude and spirituality. Ideally, both can compliment each other, but the brothers deal with the topic of what happens when religion creates negative experiences and hinders our gratitude. Learn how spirituality, if done correctly, can be a tremendous asset to gratitude and how gratitude can greatly benefit our spiritual journey.
How do you make gratitude a regular and sustainable practice in your life? Tune in to this episode to learn how to incorporate gratitude into your life until it just becomes part of who you are.
How do you experience gratitude and its benefits? You practice it. Learn six simple, but life changing, gratitude practices you can incorporate into your life in this episode.
Are gratitude and pain incompatible? If we are practicing gratitude, what do we do in the painful times, in the trials and challenges? In this podcast the Johns brother discuss the relationship of gratitude and pain.
Much of our identity and self understanding is based on the narrative we tell ourselves about our life. In this episode, you will be challenged to examine your stories, how you create them and how they impact your quality of life. One of the most powerful things any human can do is start changing the negative story and start living into a positive one.
The Johns' brothers talk about 3 main barriers to gratitude and how they circumvent our attempts to live in gratitude. Recognizing these barriers can be huge in helping you move past them and into a healthier and happier mental space.
This is the first episode in this new season on the "superpower" of gratitude. Learn how your life is actually better than you think (and how that is really the fault of how your mind thinks!). Anxiety, depression, discouragement, sleepless nights, all tied to how how our mind thinks. Gratitude is the antidote and research shows it can significantly change your life for the better.
Best Thoughts is changing its name to the Everything Is Better Than You Thinkpodcast! Same brothers, just a new name, and great new content coming soon!
Coming up in Season 7, we talk to Will about his book on gratitude, Everything Is Better Than You Think.
The final two stages in the critical journey are "the journey outward" and "the life of love." Coming through stage 4, you are a different person and some say that stages 5 and 6 is where real life begins. Learn more in this final episode about how you can experience the peace and love of these latter stages in the spiritual journey.
This is the second part of the discussion on Stage 4 and what it means to hit the wall and enter the dark night of the soul. This is a time of doubt, fear and losing religion, but somehow it becomes the greatest spiritual blessing to our authentic soul and falling into the Divine.
You never saw this stage coming! Counter to what we would normally think, there is a stage in the spiritual journey where you feel like you are losing faith and you can no longer believe in what you were taught. Listen to learn more about this counter intuitive stage and how it can be the most spiritually rich stage of your spiritual journey.
Stages 2 and 3 in the Critical Journey are the life of discipleship and the productive life. Learn more about these first stages in your spiritual journey and what you can expect moving forward.
The Johns' brothers are back for Season 6, this time taking you through the book The Critical Journey. Learn about the six stages in the spiritual journey that you can expect to encounter as you navigate your way through this thing called "life." And you will be shocked, because these stages are probably not what you expected.
In Season 6 of the Best Thoughts Podcast, the Johns brothers take you through the book, The Critical Journey, which features fascinating research on the spiritual journey and what you can expect as learned from thousands of people who have gone before us. Spoiler alert, the stages in the spiritual journey are not what you would expect!
How do we learn to prioritize the relationship over the content, to stay connected to people who with disagree with? It's not easy, but it is necessary to navigate this world and maintain lasting relationships.
In the first of two episodes, the Johns brothers discuss how do we deal with people who are wrong? It's not easy when you're convinced someone is in the wrong and especially if you have to deal with them regularly! This episode wrestles with just that challenge.
Bonus Episode! In this episode we talk with our friend, fitness expert, and personal trainer, Darnyl Allen for a powerful conversation on all things fitness! It's a great conclusion to our summer fitness series and Darnyl will give you a lot to think about as you seek to be holistically fit!
For more information visit our website at www.soulcare.net
Will power and external factors can motivate us for a while, but any lasting improvement is birthed out of our inner spiritual journey. Listen to learn how this inner spiritual journey lies at the center of all we truly hope to change and transform in our lives. There's a Divine power that aids us in the journey and set us free from the habits that entrap us.
For more information, visit us at www.soulcare.net/podcast
Or email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
It's vacation time and family dynamics are on full display this summer. Family life is a challenge, now more than ever, and in this podcast the Johns brothers discuss the challenges as well as the things that work! Apply what you learn in this podcast and you can help your family take it to the next level of health and happiness.
More information at www.soulcare.net/podcast
Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
How would you like to improve you financial fitness--to manage your money more effectively and worry less? Who wouldln't, right? This episode reminds you of basic financial principles that work and pitfalls to avoid, so that you can be as financially fit as possible!
Do you like your job? Are you satisfied where you work? In this episode, the Johns brothers discuss reasons we dislike our jobs and things we can do to improve our overall job satisfaction or when it may be time to look for something else.
More about this podcast at www.soulcare.net/podcast
Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
Often sliding beneath our radar, our emotions are pulling the levers that motivate and move us. This episode is based on Susan David's excellent book, Emotional Agility and can be tremendously helpful to improve your emotional fitness. If you find it valuable, share it with a friend!
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Email us at BestThoughtsPodcast@gmail.com
How healthy is your thinking? Do you even think about what you think about? There are many things you can do to improve your mental fitness and you would be amazed at the difference a few simple changes can make! Listen to learn what you can do to improve your mental fitness.
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Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
With summer around the corner, the Johns brothers help you get motivated to get in shape and see for yourself how your physical health enhances all other areas of your life!
Visit us at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
Season 5 has arrived!!! Let's get fit and there's no better time than now! In this season we are here to help you get in the best shape of your life--physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, relationally, and spiritually! Tune in this season to discover practical ways you can get more fit and start new healthy habits.
Contact us at www.soulcare.net/podcast or at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com.
This is a bonus episode and the final one of Season 4 on Spiral Dynamics. Enjoy this humorous way to look at the colors and how they interact with each other.
More information at https://www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
Spiral Dynamics can help us better understand our spiritual journey and the spirituality of those around us. In this episode, the Johns brothers discuss the intersection between the colors and the spiritual journey.
Contact us at www.soulcare.net/podcast
The week to discuss the spiral of hope, Yellow, has finally arrived! Yellow is the first color on the 2nd level and it is very different than all the other colors before it! Listen to learn why the Johns brothers are so excited about this color and why it actually gives us hope for the future!
Contact us at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
The green spiral is currently leading edge in society today, so the Johns brothers take a deeper dive on this compassionate color that has surprisingly dangerous side effects.
In this episode the Johns brothers explore the unhealth of Orange that leads to the causes and compassion of Green.
Diagrams and more at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
Learn about how the Orange spiral rises out of the unhealth of blue rigidity and brings about a new era of understanding.
Diagrams of the stages at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
Stage three in Spiral Dynamics is the empowered Red, rising up out of the helplessness of purple! But beware, unfettered red brings its own host of problems which is why the structure and corporate focus of Blue comes to the rescue!
Diagrams and more at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
The first two stages in Spiral Dynamics are Beige and Purple. Learn more about the primitive beige spiral and the next one, purple, that is full of magical thinking. Your journey through the colors starts here.
A helpful diagram is available at our website www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
In this episode, the Johns brothers introduce Spiral Dynamics, what the theory is and what you need to know before we explore the different stages.
For a diagram of spiral dynamics or to contact us, visit our new website at www.mysoulcare.net/podcast
In the spirit of the holidays, three friends gather to discuss Christmas and what each of them struggle with at this time of year. It's fun, funny, and hopefully encouraging. Merry Christmas everyone!
A short follow-up episode talking about the power of gratitude with Dr. Will Johns. Learn simple ways you can develop a gratitude practice and reap all the health benefits that follow! You can find his book Everything is Better than You Think on Amazon, here.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, we check in with the gratitude expert, Will Johns, to learn the value of practicing gratitude all year long.
If you enjoy this podcast, check out Will's book Everything Is Better Than You Think at Amazon.com.
Also, you can interact with us on Facebook
In this final episode of Season 3, the Johns brothers host the six needs for a dinner party. After the party, they discuss how we can change the destructive and addictive ways we have been meeting these needs into positive and constructive ways.
Interact with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bestthoughtspodcast
The final need is unveiled in this episode and it something significant that can bring that missing piece to you life. Join us to learn what it is and why you want to meet this need.
Understanding this mystery need is vital to take your life from merely surviving to thriving! Listen to learn how you can join others who are getting the most out of life by meeting this important human need.
Join Will for an interactive Zoom class on the six basic needs starting Wed Oct. 13 at 7:30pm EST. To get the link, sign up at our Best Thoughts Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/dr.johns.brothers.bt
Space is limited so reserve your spot today.
Everyone needs to feel special at some point in their life. In this episode the Johns brothers discuss this powerful need and how we can move from being dependent on external validation to an abiding internal sense of worth instead.
Join our live interactive Zoom class on this topic! Sign up at our Best Thoughts FaceBook page, https://www.facebook.com/dr.johns.brothers.bt. It starts Oct. 13, 2021.
The need for love and belonging may be so obvious that we never actually pause to consider how it is influencing our lives in both positive and negative ways. Being aware of this need and how we can meet it in healthy and satisfying ways is key to our over all well-being.
Just as much as you need certainty in your life, you need uncertainty. We crave risk, adventure, new experiences, sights, sounds, food, and new friendships. This week the Johns brothers take you on a wild ride into the world of uncertainty!
Need number one is the need for certainty. Not sure you have this need? Then tune in to become aware of how much it does motivate your behavior--in healthy and unhealthy ways.
Season three will be spent unpacking and understanding the six core human needs we all have and how we can learn to meet them in healthy and satisfying ways. In this first episode, the Johns brother introduce these fundamental needs and lay the foundation for the rest of the season.
Season 3 features a discussion on the six most basic needs of every human, you won't want to miss it!
As adults, we forget that we are built with a need to belong to a group--with a desire to have a community we can call our home. Whether it's a bar where everyone knows our name or a church that feels like our family, we are healthiest when we live our lives in community. Tune in to learn more about how joining a community can enhance your life.
Just because you are committed to having healthy relationships doesn't mean everyone else is! In this episode the Johns brothers talk about how to deal with difficult people and keep your sanity in the meantime.
In this bonus episode, the brothers are joined by their single friend Matt Gal and they talk about love, break-ups, unrealized dreams and ultimately, how to have a healthy relationship with yourself.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
The Johns' brothers have a powerful, fun, and insightful conversation about marriage and relationships with John and April Nixon. John and April are the creators of the Just John and April YouTube Channel and The Intimacy Bootcamp.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
There is an epidemic of loneliness and disconnection in our culture today. This loss of connection produces negative effects on all areas of our mental and physical health. In this episode, the Johns brothers talk about the importance of friendship and how to have quality friendships in your life.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
In Epidsode 4 we discussed Gottman's 4 horsemen, now we continue the conversation to a deeper level. Marriage can be difficult, but there are tools that can really help. Listen to this episode to take your marriage or intimate relationship to the next level!
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
There are four horsemen of the relationship apocalypse that will destroy any marriage. John Gottman's research on marriage is unparalleled and he is recognized as the foremost authority on intimate relationships. If you don't know what his four horsemen are, you need to listen and learn how to keep them from destroying your marriage.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
Balancing healthy boundaries is difficult even for the most emotionally intelligent person. In this episode, the Johns brothers discuss what healthy boundaries look like and how you can save yourself from the personal destruction that comes when you live without them. Listen to learn how to have healthy boundaries and develop happy relationships.
In Part 2, the Johns brothers conclude their discussion discussing Murray Bowan's System Theory and the concepts that can revolutionize your relationships.
For more information on this subject see Roberta Gilbert"s book Extraordinary Relationships.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
Systems theory as developed by Murray Bowan in the 1970's is ground breaking in it's approach to understanding relationships and our emotional well being. Once you see this, it will forever change how you understand yourself and how you relate to others. In this first of two episodes on the subject, the brothers explain systems theory and how it can make a powerful difference in your life.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
Season 2 is all about relationships! Join us for this upcoming season to learn how you can have healthy, happy relationships with all those in your circle of life.
Season one concludes with a discussion on the value of laughter, music, and dance as part of a wholehearted life.
One of the secrets of healthy and happy is they choose to do meaningful work and do not run their lives by all the "suppose to's" hovering around them. We are all made to do something meaningful and energizing, but too often we spend all our time on things that drain us. This episode will inspire to find the meaning and let go of the "suppose to."
How would you like to more moments of calm and less moments of feeling anxious? Listen to this episode to find out how you can cultivate calm and stillness and let go of anxiety.
We live in a culture that wears exhaustion as a badge of honor and confuses productivity with self-worth. But healthy individuals learn that play and rest are top priorities in their weekly schedule! Whole-hearted people create a lifestyle that is balanced. Listen to this episode to learn why the great C. S. Lewis would dare to say, "Only lazy people are busy."
Comparing ourselves to others seems to be hard wired into our DNA. If we allow it to dictate our lives, we waste a lot of energy trying to be like everyone else and never develop into the creative, unique individual we were made to be. Cultivating creativity is often seen as a luxury in adulthood, but this week we talk about how important it is to take time to create and find your artistic outlet.
It's human to crave certainty and want to know you are making a right decision, but our world offers no guarantees. Thus we look to faith and intuition, two friends of whole-hearted people who have learned to live with the uncertainty that life in this world certainly brings!
Research shows there are tremendous benefits to having a gratitude practice. Tune in to this episode and learn from the Johns brothers how you can bring more gratitude and joy into your life.
In this episode, we take on the topic of becoming resilient and moving away from numbing (as seen in addictions) and the feeling of powerlessness.
In this episode the Johns' brothers discuss our perfectionistic tendencies and all the ways it can negatively affect our well being. What can we do about it? Enter self-compassion, a practice that can forever change your life.
In this podcast, the Johns brothers discuss how to cultivate authenticity and let go of pleasing others.
We would love to hear from YOU! Email us at bestthoughtspodcast@gmail.com
In the first ever Best Thoughts Podcast, the Johns brothers discuss what this podcast will be about and tell a little of their own journey and what they've learned along the way.
If, like us, you're always looking to improve your life . . . then have a listen, be encouraged, and we'll share the best life secrets we've learned so far.
More information at https://www.mysoulcare.net/podcast