Learning From Humanity with Simon Funk: Recent Episodes
Simon Funk
One man's quest to learn how to live well by having open and honest conversations.
The home of The Old and The Bold.
Links to website and Instagram account found in episode descriptions.
How can we set ourselves up to perform at our best? Listening to this conversation would be a good start. In it, Kristina, who is presently training in preparation for the Olympics, shared many of the tools, techniques, and mindsets that she uses to work toward success. Thankfully, they are versatile, enabling practically anyone to put them to good use, just as I am striving to do at this very moment.
If you’re looking for more on high performance, Kristina also makes a podcast herself (Difference Makers on Spotify) where she interviews people who have made considerable contributions to their field or sport. A few last things about Kristina that may pique your interest are that she highly values relationships, grew up on a farm, and believes in the power of good old-fashioned hard work.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
Have a great day!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
"We are always freer than we think we are." During our conversation, Ruthi proved this to be the case many times over, before she got around to actually saying it. Born two days before D-Day she went on to become an avid scuba diver, explore much of Europe, including many archeological sites and natural wonders, return to traditional school during her mid-twenties and ultimately become a successful lawyer, and sail across the Atlantic ocean. As if she were not already interesting enough, Ruthi then became Jewish. This episode is an overdose of fantastic stories paired with some time-tested wisdom drawn from both Ruthi's life and Judaism itself.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Have a great day!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Trudy describes herself as an incredibly happy and adventurous person. Those are attributes that I, like many of you, want to cultivate within myself. Fortunately, Trudy shares some of the practices, value structures, and elements of life that enable her to maintain this positive state in this episode. Key among those are healthy relationships with friends and family.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
Have a great day!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Speaking with David left me with a whole lot to think about. How can I bring "warm curious attention" to every interaction? How can I be present while thinking about and planning for the future? How can I challenge a society that encourages us to think about everything as a transaction in order to form heart connections? How can I get the best out of myself without resorting to judgment or criticism? How can I help create a world where all people can thrive? As you can see I have a lot of questions. If you're interested in taking a first step towards some of the answers, I suggest you listen to my conversation with David, a dedicated Baha'i who generously gave me more than I bargained for.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Have a great day!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Emma started this conversation by defining living well as setting yourself up for success and then moved on to describe how she does that in her everyday life as an internationally competitive athlete. What does she compete in? She is a guide for para-triathlon who races at the world level and has had to change her approach to sport to compete successfully while staying healthy. This conversation was incredibly wide-ranging, touching on topics from the value of burnout to the power of gratitude, from creating your own luck to building a solid foundation for performance in all areas of life. Interested in useful frameworks to get the most out of your life paired with a healthy dose of good humour? Give this episode a listen.
This conversation was one of the most informative and fun that I've ever had and this description doesn't come close to doing it justice; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Have a great day!
Simon
Here is a link to the Huberman Lab Podcast which we mentioned on the episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/79CkJF3UJTHFV8Dse3Oy0P
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
When Imad was three and a half years old his parents emigrated from Saudi Arabia to Quebec Canada. That was the first international journey of many for Imad who went on to travel Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America extensively. While on those travels he and a friend founded Globe Jumpers (@theglobejumpers on Instagram and at The Globe Jumpers on Facebook), a nonprofit organization with the aim of doing good with their travels. Through that organization he helped run a summer camp in Burundi for the mentally challenged, fundraised for refugees, and spoke in schools, encouraging students to go out, explore the world, and do good. Another thing he did while on his travels was train in India to become a yogi. If Imad sounds interesting to you, listen to this episode where we discussed travel, yoga, and how he thinks about life.
I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and I believe that you will too.
Have a great day,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learningfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
There is so much to say about this conversation and I don't know where to start. Should I begin by mentioning that Hoyu is a Zen Buddhist reverend who was once a hippie? Or should I start with the main topic of the conversation, that life is transitory and "everything comes and everything goes"? What about the fact that Hoyu walked me through a meditation on the air? Or that we talked about the difference between mindfulness and meditation? And that once again the power of being present was discussed on this podcast and new insights were shared. Or that we talked about how the rigid structure of Zen practice is what sets you free to be completely present in the moment, feeling all that comes your way? In our conversation, when I was at a loss regarding what to ask next, Hoyu told me to "follow my heart." That's what I'm doing now. And, this is what you get out of it, an introduction that rambles and only gives you a taste of the wonderful person I interviewed. So, here's the short version. Hoyu shared wisdom with me that rattled my world and may very well rattle yours.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
You know those people who light up a room when they walk in? The people who leave you with a little extra bounce in your step? Ryan is one of those people. And no, he is not too good to be true, he’s just practiced being positive for quite a while. He is also a devoted Bahá’i and derives a lot of hope from that. Throughout our conversation, Ryan shared insights regarding how to live well and gave me a brief introduction to the Bahá’i faith. The first included discussion regarding nurturing one's self, moderation, and the value of diverse experiences. The second left me enlightened and encouraged by the faith that is described like this:
“To be a Bahá’i simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (A central figure of the Bahá’i faith)
If you’re interested in listening in on my conversation with one of the most radiant and caring people I have ever met, check out this episode.
Have a great day!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
When I initially reached out to Roc to record an interview it didn't work out. During the first half of the week where I had hoped to speak to him, he was riding his motorcycle, and during the second half, he was planning to climb a mountain. As you can probably tell by now, Roc likes his adventures. He has also learned a thing or two about how to live well. Throughout our conversation some of the key ideas that came up were the necessity of self-training, "never say can't", the power of spending fifteen minutes a day on developing yourself, the value of freedom, and the importance of giving everything in your life a tune-up from time to time. If you're feeling like a serving of life lessons with some stories sprinkled in for extra flavour, I would recommend giving our conversation a listen.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Lena is a firecracker. She is also the kind of person who sings about spaghetti sauce when she’s shopping, describes herself as a dork, and struggled with suicide for a large portion of her life. Curious about how all that can come together in a single person? Listen to our conversation to find out. It was heavy at times, but was also the funniest episode to date so that balances it out. A couple themes we touched on are the importance of learning to make mistakes and ask for help and how powerful and fun it is to exist as your full self.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Have a Great Day,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
I am extra excited to share this conversation with you for a couple of reasons.
The first is who I spoke to, Mariana Jimenez. Mariana is the host of the commitment to growth podcast where she shares actionable information on how to do the difficult inner work that is the prerequisite to human thriving. If you were to give it a listen you would find a large selection of useful content including Mariana's conversations with wellness experts and episodes about her own personal lessons. You would also find that it is hosted by someone who practices what they preach; throughout our conversation, it became clear to me that Mariana is actively trying to live the best life she can and that, above anything else, is why you should check out this episode and her content.
The second is that this episode was a special joint episode where Mariana and I went back and forth, asking each other one deep question after another. I had an amazing time as we talked about things including how we have both found (and continue to find) purpose in our early 20s, how we practice living well in accordance with our truth, how we cultivate meaningful relationships with ourselves and others, how some of life's biggest lessons have gotten us to where we are today, and so much more. You'll be hearing lots of useful, daily, easy-to-apply advice about personal growth from Mariana and myself if you decide to give it a listen.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did, but I'm not sure if that's possible this time :)
Simon
If you're interested in checking out Mariana's content her podcast is "The Commitment to Growth Podcast" on all platforms, and her Instagram account, where she frequently posts the best takeaways from her podcast can be found at @commitmentttgrowthpodcast.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Everything from little tricks to get the most out of every day to the ultimate nature of reality made it into this conversation, and I loved it. Specifically, it reminded me of how finite our lives are and how beautiful they can be. Some topics that Rafael specifically spoke to are the positive power of reflecting on death, the value of being present, and the importance of homing in on what captivates you. If sitting in on a useful, stimulating, and wide-ranging conversation seems like a good time to you, I would recommend tuning in to this episode.
If you’re interested in checking out any of Rafael’s art hit up his art account @alchemistdraw28.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
When Sophie was eight years old she was introduced to climbing and she hasn’t stopped since. She now competes at the national level. If a conversation about climbing, performance mindset, and living well interests you this is the one for you.
If you’re interested in checking out some of Sophie’s climbing you can find some gnarly videos @sophie_buitendyk.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Have a great day!!
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Kate’s done some pretty cool things like biking around New Zealand and backpacking Europe but that wasn’t what made our conversation interesting. That was taken care of by Kate’s unique approach to life. A few of her thoughts that struck me are that you can always go back and try again, to live well is to search for and create beautiful things, that we ought to walk lightly through life, and that the little moments often make the biggest differences. I repeatedly found myself rethinking the way that I approached life as we talked, just as I believe you will.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Rylee was raised to be grateful for all the good things in her life. From that place of gratitude she now advocates for an equitable society with a focus on challenging and dismantling systemic injustice. She is presently doing this as the president of one student organization and a founding member of another. A few of the things we discussed are the interconnectedness of equity and diversity, the importance of starting with yourself, being your own best friend and advocate, and how awesome journaling is.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
Advocacy Resources:
https://www.instagram.com/uvicedsea/ - The Instagram account of one of one of the student organizations Rylee helps run
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17WqGTE7Uj5KBsn9U-mQdq6hUarMBPmBA - a collection of resources that they have put together to help people educate themselves on how to help bring about a more equitable society.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
I have known Janet for my entire life... as my Grandma. Over the years the things that have defined her to me are her love for God, her family, and all others, in that order. As such it was no surprise to me that those were the themes that our conversation was centered on. For those of you who don't know her life trajectory, this is it in one sentence: Janet, born and raised in the woods, became a nurse, rejected and then found God, raised a family, and now tries to love those around her as best she can with Jesus' help. On a slightly comedic note, her mother told her "I think you've gone off the deep end" when she became a Christian.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,
Have a great day,
Simon
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Chris knocked my socks off. But I guess I should have expected nothing less from someone who just went all in on his dreams. What might those dreams be? Writing poetry, forming real connections, learning to love himself and others, caring for people as a vulnerability coach, and writing a book on how to love. Throughout our conversation his care, love, and desire for deeper connection amazed me as we dug deep into vulnerability, healthy masculinity, the power of writing, relationships, and how to live well. He even practiced vulnerability on the air by sharing a reading from his journal which was incredibly beautiful. A couple more cool things about Chris are that he has competed in slam poetry at the national level, lived in Central America for three months, and helped start and run a mindfulness meditation retreat.
If your interested in Chris' work it can all be found @becoming_christopher.
I'd be surprised if you enjoy this one as much as I did but I still hope you do.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon
When Brennen was ten or eleven years old his dad dragged him in front of the tv to watch triathlon in the Olympics, and it changed his life. Thus far he has competed professionally for approximately six years all over the world, and continues to push himself to achieve the very best. He also lived and trained for extended periods in three countries; Canada, Spain, and Australia. If you're interested in getting into the head of a world class athlete and picking up some approaches to life that are working for him give this episode a listen. We also dug deep into the mindsets that lead to high-level performance.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
"Life is not fair ... but you do not know the end result yet."
Helen is a woman of faith, the Christian faith to be specific, and much of our conversation revolved around God. I was amazed by her trust in him, especially considering that she lost both her parents in a car accident at the age of twelve. That tragic event didn't prevent her from living one amazing life that continues to this day. Over the years she has hitchhiked to Alaska, lived in Japan for a summer, worked as a teacher for the blind and deaf, and raised a family. In our conversation, she described life as a path and living well as a process that is never-ending, I liked that; I liked the whole conversation. The content ranged from the importance of commitment in relationships to learning how to make mistakes to sunrises being a piece of art that has a special place in her heart.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
Stefan is an adventurer at heart and originally a plastic surgeon by trade. I have known him for a long time and never had any idea that he was as cool as this conversation showed him to be. Among many other things, we discussed honesty, his travels to South Africa and Nepal, and of course adventure. It seems like I'm saying this with every episode, but so far it's always been true; this conversation opened my eyes to the depths that hide in the people around me. I also left asking myself a question: What's my next adventure? If any of that interests you I would highly recommend listening to our conversation.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
A taste of our conversation:
Vitaliy's responses to my questions were beautifully poignant, thoughtful, and, most importantly, useful. They were so good that I thought he must have prepared them all in advance with great care for detail. That surprisingly wasn't the case; as we neared the end of the interview he informed me that he hadn't even looked at my questions. This speaks to the depth to which Vitaliy has thought through life up to this point and the large variety of experiences he has acquired to date. These include being raised in Ukraine, studying in Brazil, traveling the amazon, making his way to Canada where he now lives, and starting a business. He is also incredibly devoted to living the best life possible. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
If you're interested in what Vitaliy is up to you can check out his Instagram account @vitaliyshalukhin where he frequently posts insights and encouragement.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
Talking with Sara reminded me that there is far more to people than meets the eye. I went into the conversation excited and left it amazed. Over her life, Sarah has lived through World War Two in England, moved heaven and earth to pay her way to America, traveled the world as a flight attendant, skinned mink, overseen the construction of a federal prison, chartered a learjet, and started a landscaping business after retiring. On top of all that she has been described as “the most disgustingly well-adjusted person I know.” If you want to get to know her better than that you’ll have to listen to my conversation with her yourself.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Thanks for your interest,
Have a great day!
Simon funk
A brief introduction to Marko:
Marko is a relationally driven individual who also happens to be my best friend. Ukrainian by birth, he lived his first fifteen years there before coming to Canada as an international student. Everyone in the whole school knew who he was shortly thereafter. His secret? He let his charismatic, caring personality shine in spite of the challenges presented by the new culture and language. More recently he told me that if he came to my university he would be able to meet everyone who went there over the next four years, approximately twenty-five thousand in total. The crazy thing about that is that I believe he could. I hope you enjoy this first episode of the podcast where Marko and I dig deep into my questions.
You can find Marko on Instagram at @markizolot if you are interested in seeing what he's up to.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Thanks for your interest,
Have a great day!
Simon funk
This is an introduction to what the podcast will look like for the next eight months. Listening to it will make everything that comes after make far more sense so I highly recommend it.
For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk
This is where I let you in on the general gist of the show.
For even more information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.
Have a great day,
Simon Funk