We grow up believing there’s a formula for success: work hard, follow the rules, chase the right goals, and happiness will follow. I built a career this way, as a software engineer.

But somewhere along the way, life shows itself to be messier, more complex—and a lot more fragile—than we were led to believe. Beneath the rhythms of everyday life and the buzz of innovation and career goals, we’re facing profound instability, from personal burnout to destabilizing democracy, destruction of ecosystems and the unfolding of the planet’s sixth mass extinction.

This podcast is my journey through that realization. Through wide-ranging conversations with historians, philosophers, ecologists, scientists, and even posture experts, I explain how my worldview shifted once I found the courage to question the stories and rules I grew up with.

Each episode invites you to step back, rethink what we value, and consider how a clearer understanding of ourselves and our world might help us navigate the future with more wisdom—and more heart.

I’m your host, Vicki Shaw.