The Art of Accomplishment
The Art of Accomplishment is a podcast about applied self-exploration, hosted by Joe Hudson and Brett Kistler. It explores a unique way of relating in business, personal, and internal life that leads to more connection and satisfying relationships. The podcast provides practical tools for self-exploration that can be applied to meaningfully transform your life. Episodes feature powerful coaching sessions and discussions with business leaders, world-class performers, and a community dedicated to self-discovery.
Episodes
Enlightenment Is Porn for Perfectionists - Teaching from Joe
For years Joe treated spiritual practice like a self-improvement project - perfect diet, perfect posture, perfectly quiet mind. It made meditation miserable, so he didn't do it. In this video: why any practice built on correcting yourself slows you down, how to enjoy a practice you keep avoiding, what to actually do when your mind wanders, and what changes when you let the practice happen instead
3 Metrics Tell the Health of Every Relationship
What makes a company culture, a family, or a relationship actually functional? In this episode, Joe shares three simple metrics he developed while working with CEOs that turn out to apply far beyond business.Joe and Brett walk through how to use them as both diagnostic and lever, exploring why trust is only built through hard conversations resolved well, and why "being nice" is often the enemy of
You’re Still Trying Not to Get in Trouble - Coaching with Joe
She recovered from severe burnout and came to this session to rebuild her confidence and self-trust. In fifteen minutes, Joe traces the burnout to its root. Then the pattern shows up in the conversation itself and they get a chance to work with it in real time.→ The Connection Course - practice being yourself without all the correcting: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/rapid-coaching/burnout→ He
A New Definition of People Pleasing
Most of us think of people pleasing as being nice or considerate. But underneath it's often a fear-based survival strategy that leaves someone resentful and burnt out. In this episode, Joe and Alexa unpack what people pleasing really is, where it comes from, and why the way out isn't to stop pleasing people but to change who you're trying to please.They navigate the somatic cringe that signals the
The 7 Stages of Emotional Freedom - Teaching From Joe
There are seven steps to emotional freedom and trying to rush through them is the surest way to stay stuck in one. In this video, Joe walks the whole map: where each step comes from, how to tell which one you're living in, and the one thing that moves you to the next.Joe mentions emotional inquiry - try it here: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/emotional-freedom-eiYou can't read your way to em
The Art of Rest and Recovery
Research shows that top performers cycle between intense output and deep rest yet most of us live in a nearly constant state of doing, mistaking activity for productivity and never truly recovering. In this episode, Joe and Brett explore rest not as inactivity, but as the proper form of recovery for the specific kind of exhaustion you're actually experiencing.They break down the different kinds of
Replace the Story You Tell Yourself 100 Times a Day - Teaching from Joe
The practice that rewires how you see yourself: one of the foundational practices we teach → For more practices like this, try the Connection Course. A 3-week experience in having the conversations that change how you relate to yourself and others: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/gratitude-to-enough
What if feeling "not enough" is a loop you're running on yourself? You're doing it to yourself h
How You End a Relationship Shapes What Comes Next
When it comes time for a relationship to end in its current form, people often focus on saying the ‘right thing’ to make those final moments as smooth as possible. But this is rarely where the real work happens. In this episode, Joe and Brett explore how to end relationships gracefully with attention to the full arc: before, during, and after the big transition. Whether you're parting ways with an
How A Perfectionist Learns to Accept Herself - Coaching with Joe
→ Joe says it at the very end of this one: the stuff that got hurt in groups is often best healed in groups. That's what the Connection Course offers a space for: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/rapid-coaching/perfectionism
In this session, a woman asks Joe how to stop being a perfectionist "for good" and he points out that the question itself is perfectionist. From there he opens it up. Follo
How Self-Reliance Convinces You That You Can’t Rely on Anyone
Self-reliance sounds like a virtue until you see the ways it quietly runs your life, sabotages your relationships, and keeps you stuck in the very patterns you're trying to escape. In this follow-up to a previous episode on self-reliance, Joe and Brett go deeper into the five specific patterns that show up in people who learned early on that their needs weren't going to be met.
They walk through e
We Read Your Comments on Narcissism
In this special episode, Joe and Brett engage directly with the audience by reading and responding to comments from their recent episode on narcissism. They navigate what's true in the pushback as well as what they'd want to add or clarify.
It's an honest, unscripted conversation about the limits of framing narcissism as a spectrum, the difference between abuse and narcissistic personality disorde
How Joe & Tara Stopped Trying to Change Each Other
What does it actually take to build a marriage that lasts? In this special episode, Joe sits down with his wife Tara for an honest, unfiltered conversation about the 29 years of their relationship: how it started, what they got wrong, what they figured out, and the lessons only decades of shared life can teach.
Together, they explore:
The single want that mattered most: someone who would grow wi
One Word That Changes Your Inner Critic - Teaching From Joe
Learn to have a better relationship to your inner critic - the Connection Course: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/inner-critic-cc
That voice in your head that's constantly riding you — telling you you're not enough, reminding you of every mistake, nagging you while you're trying to focus — where did it actually come from? And why do you still listen to it? In this video, Joe Hudson breaks down
How A Narcissist is Made
The word "narcissist" has been thrown around so casually that it has effectively replaced calling someone an "asshole." However, this reflexive labeling often prevents the very thing that could actually heal the dynamic. In this episode, Joe and Brett offer a different lens on narcissism: not as a category of "bad people," but as a spectrum we are all on, rooted in an inability to feel.
Together,
What’s Beneath Your Fear of Being Seen? - Coaching with Joe
Something unlocks in this session when she lets herself speak from the discomfort instead of past it. Connection Course is 3 weeks of practicing exactly this: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/rapid-coaching/beingseen
In this session, Joe works with a woman who is struggling with allowing herself to be seen and share her story. Through the coaching session, she finds out what's underneath it. Hos
What Joe Got Right (and Wrong) in Parenting… According to His Daughter
What's it actually like to be raised by two parents who teach emotional work for a living? In this special episode, Joe sits down with his 17-year-old daughter, Oona for an honest, unfiltered conversation about what she thinks he and her mom got right, what they got wrong, and what her generation is really navigating right now.
They talk about being seen by a whole community of adults, what it's l
Teaching Series: I Changed My Relationship with Money and the Money Changed
Joe tells the story of his whole life with money: where it started, what he turned it into, and the shifts that took him from debt to plenty.
→ The key insights from this episode - and the practices to try them yourself - on a single page: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/transform-your-money
→ The shifts in this story aren't something you think your way into - it's something you practice. That'
The Hidden Mechanics of Self-Sabotage
Why do so many of us self-sabotage right when we're on the verge of success? Bands break up right after getting signed. Entrepreneurs burn out the moment they hit their goal. Athletes choke when they realize they're winning. In this episode, Joe and Brett explore the surprising mechanics behind the fear of success — and why it turns out to be nearly identical to the fear of failure.
Brett opens wi
Teaching Series: After 14 Years of Coaching, This Is What I See Hold Most People Back
7 patterns. Almost everyone I've ever coached.
For about six months, Joe wrote down the stuck point he saw at the end of every coaching session, then sorted them. Thousands of sessions collapsed into seven categories. In this video he walks through each one in order. The order matters.
Each pattern comes with a story from Joe's own life — the friend who taught him the difference between dirty fuel
Should I Stay or Should I Go? How to Commit Without Losing Yourself
"Should I stay or should I go?" is one of the most common questions people bring to coaching, whether about a relationship, a job, or any major commitment. What if the hang-up is in the question itself? In this episode, Joe and Brett explore what's really being asked underneath the surface and why the path forward rarely lies in pros and cons lists.
Together, they unpack two distinct versions of t
Stop Pushing Love Away: How to End Self-Sabotage and Let Love In
Most of us say we want love. So why do we push it away the moment it arrives? In this episode, Joe and Brett explore the surprisingly complex reasons we sabotage the very thing we say we want most; and why love, more than almost any other emotion, requires a nervous system that can tolerate it.
Together, they unpack five core patterns that get in the way of receiving love, and offer concrete pract
The Fear of Being Seen: Overcoming Shame, Invisibility, and Social Anxiety
In this episode, Joe and Brett unpack the fear of being seen. They examine why this pattern is so often rooted in shame, how it quietly erodes intimacy and careers, and what to actually do when you find yourself frozen, hiding, or performing.
Together, they explore:
The two flavors of fear of being seen: acute avoidance and the universal existential version
How childhood and culture teach us th
How to Delegate Without Micromanaging
Most leaders think delegation is about telling people what to do. But what if the real bottleneck isn't your team's capacity but your relationship with control, perfectionism, and hard conversations?
In this episode, Brett shares his own struggle with delegation across multiple growing businesses, and Joe offers a framework for moving from vision to execution without falling into the traps of micr
How to Change Your Interpersonal Patterns
In this episode, Joe and Brett break down a simple but powerful method for turning recognition into lasting behavior change. Joe walks through a real example from his own company, where he caught himself being "too helpful" in a way that was actually disempowering everyone around him, and explains how he used the Four A's to shift the pattern quickly and cleanly. Along the way, they explore why mo
How to Succeed in the Age of AI
As intelligence becomes something we can outsource, what becomes of us? In this episode, Joe and Brett explore what it means to thrive in an era where machines can handle knowledge work, and why the skills that matter most are becoming deeply human. From raising AI to being raised by it, they discuss how this technological shift is also an invitation to reclaim connection, purpose, and wisdom.
The
“This Is How You Love Yourself" (Coaching Session Breakdown)
In this episode, Joe and Brett analyze a rapid coaching session with an 18-year-old who says he hasn't felt good in years. Despite doing mindfulness, reading Eckhart Tolle, and preparing meticulously for the session, he can't seem to access the peace he's looking for. As Joe works with him to slow down and actually feel what's happening in his body, Brett and Joe unpack the self-reliance pattern:
“I Learned Forgiveness by Refusing to Forgive” with Tara Howley and Alexa Kistler
Forgiveness is one of the most charged words in our culture. For many of us, it was coerced out of us as children or held up as something good people do. But what if forgiveness isn't about being good or letting someone off the hook? In this episode, Alexa Kistler and Tara Howley reframe forgiveness as an act of self-care, a way to reopen your heart without abandoning your boundaries.
They discuss
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: "Do I Belong?" Is the Wrong Question
You think you don't belong because you're different. What if you feel different because you're not being yourself? → Learn to be yourself - Connection Course: https://yt.artofaccomplishment.com/imposter-belonging Joe had an observation from running retreats: Everyone walks in thinking they're the outsider. Everyone. The executives, the artists, the parents - they all think "I don't belong here." B
The Handbook for Accidental Awakening
What happens after awakening actually happens? In this follow-up episode, Brett and Joe dig into the messy, surprising, and often disorienting reality of what it's like when your sense of self starts to shift and what to do about it. Whether it arrives as a gentle fog lifting or a bolt from the blue, the integration process has its own terrain worth understanding.They discuss:How awakening shows u
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: Finding Your Purpose is Hard Until You Understand This
The traditional search for purpose is backwards→ Practical experiments to transform your life: https://artofaccomplishment.com/experimentsAfter 7 years chasing his "dream career," Joe discovered he'd been running toward exactly what he was trying to escape. This revelation changed how he approaches purpose entirely—leading to a method that's guided countless people from confusion to clarity.The tr
Awakening: Why We Waited 150 Episodes to Talk About It
Awakening is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean? In this episode, Brett and Joe finally tackle the topic head-on after 150 episodes of addressing it indirectly. They explore why awakening isn't a goal in the Art of Accomplishment work, what actually happens when people wake up, and why it might be both far bigger and far smaller than you imagine.They d
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: How To Break Free From Beliefs That Keep You Small
The beliefs you can't question keep you stuck→ Experiments to find freedom: https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/experimentsMost people never realize their deepest beliefs are holding them hostage. Joe Hudson shares a radical truth from 30 years of coaching the world's highest performers: The moment you stop defending who you think you are, you become truly free.Highlights:• The meeting room test:
Ending The War With Your Wants (Joe Hudson and Alexa Kistler)
Wanting is one of our most powerful levers for change. Not what you want, but your relationship to wanting itself. In this episode, Joe sits down with AOA facilitator Alexa Kistler to unpack why so many people are at war with their desires and how ending that war offers a path out of suffering.
They discuss:
Wanting, craving, and aversion
Childhood patterns that take us away from wanting
Ident
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: The More Stuck You Feel, The Closer You Are To Freedom
You're about to discover why that promotion you won't ask for, that business you won't start, and that conversation you keep avoiding all come from the same illusion.→ Turn your fear back into excitement (free mini-course): https://www.artofaccomplishment.com/resources/procrastinationJoe reveals the counterintuitive reason you feel 'stuck' and can't seem to move forward on your goals. It has nothi
How I Learned To Stop Fighting Myself
Joe let Brett ask him anything at all about his life, and there were SO many questions, but ultimately his curiosity lead him to explore the story beneath the teaching: what was Joe’s path? How did he come to the work that he now shares with the world? Joe started out as a young man whose curious and open spirit blended with a serious rebellious streak that opened up a unique path. A bit of luck,
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: Ambition and Doubt
Doubt isn't protecting you from failure, it's protecting you from your feelings.For every ambitious person, doubt is the silent killer of greatness. Joe breaks down what he's learned from working with Silicon Valley's top performers: doubt isn't an intellectual problem, it’s a misunderstood emotional signal. It’s a protective mechanism to stop you from feeling something uncomfortable, whether it’s
Perfectionism
Brett and Joe have nailed the PERFECT episode, which means they can finally get this podcast launched! Now they just need to get the perfect album art, title, set…and the perfect list of everything they need to do before they can launch the perfect podcast!In this episode, our hosts tackle everyone’s favourite Achilles heel: perfectionism. It shows up in individuals, teams, organizations, and enti
Bite-Sized Teaching Series: Why Chaos Is Good For You (The Forest Fire Theory)
Chaos is evolution's favorite tool, learn how to use it for growth. When faced with chaos, we often react with fear, limiting our thinking. In this short format episode, Joe encourages us to fully feel the fear and to see opportunity within it. By learning to fully feel our emotions we can find greater wisdom and a path forward, even in the midst of chaos. For more, subscribe to the Art of Accompl
Slimy vs. Authentic Charisma — Joe and Dr. K on Charisma on Command
In this special crossover episode, we are republishing Joe’s appearance on Charisma on Command with Charlie Houpert alongside Dr. Alok “Dr. K” Kanojia. They explore what charisma really is and why genuine presence and emotional awareness matter far more than polished performance.Charlie’s opening question, “What is charisma?” unfolds into a deep exploration of authenticity, self-love, and emotiona
Overcoming Procrastination (Coaching Session Breakdown)
If you struggle with perfectionism, fear of success, or feeling like you have a "tyrant boss" inside your head, this breakdown reveals exactly how to shift that dynamic.In this episode, Joe and Brett analyze a rapid coaching session with a man who is a high-performer for others but frozen when it comes to his own business. They uncover how "stories" about perfectionism keep us stuck, and why tryin
A Company Culture That Moves At The Pace of AI
In this episode, Joe sits down with Johannes Landgraf, CEO of Ona, to dive deep on how bringing the tenets of AOA’s teachings to the company has transformed their leadership, culture, and performance in the fast-moving world of AI. From quadrupling revenue to spending their days with greater enjoyment, Johannes shares how the seeming paradox of scaling a company while deepening connection has impa
What To Do About Imposter Syndrome
Why do so many high achievers feel like frauds? In this episode, Brett and Joe explore a topic near and dear to the hearts of anyone who has ever thought they needed to be someone else to be loved: Imposter Syndrome. Together, they explore:Our relationship to shame and self-worthAntidotes to imposter syndromeThe childhood experiences that encourage imposter syndromeImplications in leadership and b
Leadership Is For Everyone
In this episode, Brett and Joe talk about leadership—not just the title or position, but about what it truly means to lead and be a leader. They explore how leadership emerges in every moment of life, from boardrooms to families to personal choices, and how emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and conviction shape the kind of leader we become.Research links: Emotional intelligence, leadership,
How to End Procrastination Now
Brett and Joe deliver a long-awaited episode on procrastination, exploring its real contours—the shame, the avoidance, the misplaced priorities. They reveal how it stems from self-criticism and avoidance, and show how a shift in perspective can turn it into prioritization, creativity, and authentic productivity.Together, they discuss:How procrastination depends on self-abuse and self-judgmentProcr
Why You Never Have Enough Time
According to some studies, over 80% of Americans experience time scarcity. In this episode, Joe and Brett explore what’s going on when we feel time scarce. They unpack why so many of us feel starved for time in an era of unprecedented efficiency, and provide clear, actionable insights into how presence and emotional awareness can change our perception of time itself.They cover:Why time scarcity is
How to Break Free from Loneliness
In this episode, Brett Kistler and Joe Hudson dive into the epidemic of loneliness and its impact on our lives. They explore the roots of loneliness, how it differs from solitude, and why shame and self-perception often amplify the experience. They explore how to transform loneliness into deeper self-connection and meaningful relationships with others.Join them as they discuss:How loneliness, soli
What To Do About Stage Fright
Tara Howley and Janine Parziale dive into stage fright and performance anxiety. Drawing from personal experience and professional expertise, they share how to work with fear rather than fight it—transforming it into a source of energy, presence, and even joy.They discuss:Understanding the physiology and psychology of stage frightHow to reframe fear as excitement and use it as fuelBody-based techni
How To Get Unstuck
In this episode, Brett and Joe break down the dynamics of feeling stuck and what to do about it. They reveal how subtle patterns from childhood continue to shape our adult experiences. They also share practical strategies to breaking free from emotional, intellectual, and nervous system blockages that hold the pattern of being stuck in place.Tune in to hear about:- Understanding the emotional root
What It’s Like To Live Your Purpose
Three former VCs turned coaches walk into a room…Steve Schlafman of the podcast Downshift sits down with Joe Hudson and Jerry Colonna (author of Re-Boot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up) to explore the journey of living one's purpose, especially in times of uncertainty and change. They share personal experiences and wisdom on navigating fear, grief, trust, and discovering deeper authenticity
Doubt: The Key To Authentic Confidence (Coaching Session Breakdown)
Joe and Brett break down a coaching session from one of Joe’s public coaching workshops. In this episode, Joe encounters a woman who feels like she’s trapped in her head and can’t move forward. As they dissect the shifts that occur during the session, the complexity of confidence and the subtle ways we evade self-doubt are laid out as an opportunity to reflect on how they show up in our own lives.
How Joe and Tara Became Joe and Tara (Modern Relationships Podcast)
Joe and Tara sat down with our friends at Modern Relationships for a conversation about their relationship—their meet-cute, what happened afterwards, the wisdom they have to share with us, and how they shifted their relationship from abusive to one that you can’t help but want for yourself. Together with Erik Torenberg, they discuss:How to navigate intense triggers and deep emotional challengesThe
How Do I Love Myself? (Coaching Session Breakdown)
We’re back with a coaching breakdown! In this episode, Joe and Brett dissect a rapid coaching session focused on self-love. They examine the subtle ways our guest has learned to turn away from himself in the presence of others and point out the breadcrumb trail he follows back to self-connection. This offers an opportunity for those of us watching to see ourselves more clearly and turn toward ours
What Is Attunement?
Attunement invites us to listen deeply not only to others but also to ourselves. But what, really, does it mean to attune? How does it work? What happens when you’re attuned? In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment, Tara Howley sits down with Janine Parziale to deep dive into the practice of attunement and discuss:How attunement differs from basic active listeningRecognizing when we are genui
Why Your Goals Are Making You Miserable
Brett and Joe uncover the often hidden complexities behind setting and pursuing goals. They reveal how our relationships with goals reflect deeper truths about ourselves and why embracing genuine desires leads not just to accomplishments, but to a richer, more authentic life.They talk about:- Why it's crucial for your goals to reflect what your heart truly wants- How goals reorient us toward creat
Making The Most of Uncertainty
Brett and Joe explore how we cope with life’s unpredictability—from global events to personal crises—highlighting why some of us thrive while others falter. In a world of rapid change and unpredictable outcomes, embracing the present moment and adopting clarity in intention can transform uncertainty into a powerful opportunity for growth. They delve into how uncertainty shapes us and how, surprisi
Money Worries, Identity, and the Trap of Being 'Good’ (Coaching Episode)
If your relationship with money has ever caused you grief, this glimpse into transformation could point the way to uncovering the root of your own challenges. Bobby Hobert comes to Joe with a question that sounds familiar to many of us: money struggles and how to step into the version of ourselves that feels so close, yet so elusive. What he finds instead is something deeper and messier: the recog
How to Be a Parent (Without Messing Everything Up) | Joe Hudson and Nathan Baschez
When Nathan Baschez saw a tweet from Joe Hudson about how he raised his girls—no punishments, no shame—he had to know more. So when Joe invited him onto the podcast to talk parenting, he jumped at the chance.What unfolds is an honest look at parenting in real time. Joe shares how Hand-in-Hand Parenting shaped his family life, how emotional presence trumps perfection, and how parenting became one o
How To Stop Seeking Approval
We grow up in a world where seeking approval is assumed, expected. Authority figures (like parents) assume the responsibility of approval or disapproval to teach their offspring how to move through the world. It’s also a kind of currency: it determines who we are, where we belong, what doors open for us. But at some point, some of us begin to wonder—what happens if I stop asking for permission? In
So You’re Not Dead Yet: Lessons From Chemotherapy | Tara Howley with Guest Michael Nagle
There is a moment when the body becomes foreign, when the timeline of your life no longer extends indefinitely but narrows into an unpredictable horizon. In this episode, Tara sits down with Michael Nagel, a beloved member of the AOA community, to speak candidly about what it means to love and be loved in the face of his cancer diagnosis. They discuss:The “psychedelic of mortality”—how the nearnes
How Generosity Improves Your Well-Being
Generosity is often relegated to a bit part in our lives, an incidental thing we appreciate when we notice it but not something we consider important to driving our happiness or success. What happens when we put generosity at the center?In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment, Brett Kistler and Joe Hudson unpack the ways in which giving—whether of time, resources, or presence—is a direct line
Self-Reliance Is A Trap
Our society glorifies self-reliance. We tell ourselves that it is the only way to survive in a world where no one is coming to save us and armor our hearts and mask our faces to avoid appearing weak or being disappointed when we show that we are in need.In this episode, Joe and Brett deconstruct the mythology of self-reliance and ask: What does it mean to truly receive? How does our fear of vulner
Your Obsession With Productivity Is Killing Your Productivity
In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment, Brett and Joe provide a guide to productivity that challenges the notion of productivity itself. Drawing from personal anecdotes and experience, they explore:The distinction between working hard and working meaningfully.How dopamine and cultural norms fuel a false sense of accomplishment.Practical methods for aligning productivity with personal purpose
The Secret to Thriving Company Culture
Why do some teams thrive in harmony while others crumble under pressure? How can leaders align aspirations with action, transforming their workplaces—and themselves—into engines of meaningful success? Brett and Joe recorded a special episode of the podcast in front of a live audience to discuss the impact of workplace culture on decision-making, organizational growth, and personal fulfillment. Th
How To Find Your Purpose
Purpose is not defined by what we do, but by how we show up to life’s callings—whether in moments of fear, effort, or surrender. In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment, Joe and Brett lead us on a journey to uncover what it means to live with purpose. Not as something to be found, but as something to be recognized. Together, they unpack the myths surrounding purpose, challenging the notion th
How Death Brings Life Closer
In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment, Brett and Joe take us on a poignant journey through the inevitability of death and the profound ways it shapes the experience of life. At the center of their conversation is Brett’s brother, facing a terminal diagnosis, and the extraordinary lessons his life—and the process of his dying—have imparted.Through anecdotes of BASE jumping, near-death experi
How to Build a Great Support System
“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future,” is a common expression that suggests who you surround yourself with will determine who you become and how you operate. Evidence suggests that there’s some truth to this.In this episode of The Art of Accomplishment podcast, Brett and Joe explore the makings of effective support networks. Through the lens of BASE jumping, self-discovery work, bu
The Elephant In The Room: How To Say What No One Wants To Say
There’s an elephant in the room! Everyone KNOWS there’s an elephant in the room, and they keep glancing at it—except for one person who is highly committed to ignoring the elephant. The elephant is making a mess. It’s taking up all the air and space in the room, and it’s already crushed poor Bob. Yet instead of talking about the elephant in the room, people are afraid to mention that there’s an el
How To Fight Well
Most people never consider that fighting can be a useful and healthy practice for our relationships — and that “fighting well” is a skill that can be learned. We resist conflict until it builds up and we reach a breaking point, and then BAM! Our trauma runs the show and we risk re-traumatizing ourselves and others. In this episode, Joe and Brett talk about how to fight well. They explore how: • H
How Experiments Will Change Your Life
What’s all this fuss about experiments? What’s so great about them, and how does one even go about it? Join Joe and Brett for a deep dive on experiments! Hear about Joe’s early experiences that led him to place experimentation at the core of his self-exploration work and what makes them so important to the work we do at AOA.The characteristics of effective experimentsWhy it’s more effective to app
Pleasure
Joe’s favorite definition of pleasure is the noticing of sensations moving in the body—not just the good ones, but all of them. This week, Joe and Brett talk about pleasure and the role it plays in our lives. They discuss:The misconception that pleasure is separate from other emotionsHow allowing all emotions to be felt can lead to greater pleasureHow embracing intensity plays an important role in
Authority Issues
Whether we put authority figures on a pedestal or want to stick it to them, authority issues abound in our society. Joe and guest host Alexa Kistler connect over their shared history with authority issues. Together, they breakdown what the impacts can be for both the authority and the person with authority issues:How it distorts your worldHow it affects businessThe pitfalls of being an authorityWa
Loving the No (Coaching Session Breakdown)
We heard you! So many of you loved Joe and Brett’s last coaching breakdown that we are back with another. This time, they review a rapid-fire coaching session that starts out exploring jealousy but evolves into a deep dive into setting boundaries and fear of rejection. Together, they explore:- Opening the heart to opposing viewpoints- Feeling through fear of rejection- Grieving lost love to find t
The Desire To Be Seen with Tara Howley
The desire to be seen is a primal human need, and under the guise of many names it drives our behaviors and shapes society. Tara Howley, co-founder of AOA, joins Brett for a conversation about the importance of being seen, why many of us fear it, and how shame colors our experience of it. They also explore the role of curiosity in resolving conflicts and deepening connections, and how our societal
When Will I Be Enough? (Coaching Session)
What does it mean to be “enough” to have a relationship? In this episode, Joe coaches a woman grappling with feelings of inadequacy in relationships. Through their conversation, they uncover her underlying desire for control and fear of self-abandonment. Together, they examine her beliefs about love, worthiness, and connection.Topics discussed:the importance of self-lovesurrendering controlembraci
Failure
Our idea of failure and how we respond to it dramatically shapes our identity and, consequently, how we live our lives. When we fear failure as an end-all-be-all rather than viewing it as an opportunity to learn and iterate, it can significantly hinder our personal growth, creativity, and ability to reach our full potential. In this episode, Brett and Joe explore the transformative power of embrac
Passive Aggression
We’ve all experienced passive aggression and can often spot it when it happens to us. Whether we’re on the receiving end or dishing it out, our unowned anger seeps out of us and gets displayed in sometimes unexpected ways. In this episode, Joe and Brett get into the nitty gritty of passive aggression—what it is, how it comes up, some of the myriad ways it can present itself, and the impact it has
How Do I Get Unstuck? (Coaching Session Breakdown)
What do you do when you feel stuck? How do you get unstuck? Are you really stuck, or do you feel stuck? What’s the difference? This week, Joe and Brett unpack a rapid-fire coaching session with a woman who felt stuck in her life. They explore the feeling of stuckness and its underlying patterns, discussing what they notice in her real-time expression and the freedom she discovers through her self-
Joe and Esme — The Teenage Years
Joe sits down with his eldest daughter, Esme, to discuss what it was like to raise a teenager—and what it was like to be raised by Joe as a teenager. They talk about the difference between being a parent and truly knowing your child, teenage rebellion, the things you can see in teen behavior that sheds clues on what's happening at home, and share stories and memories along the way. Tune in for a t
Q&A #3—Ambition, Narcissistic Parents, Addiction to Stress, Parenting Emotional Experiences, Emotional Fluidity
You’ve got questions, we’ve got reflections on your questions! Join Brett and Joe as they address topics that have been asked of the podcast since the last Q&A. In this episode, they respond to questions about ambition, relating to narcissistic parents, addiction to stress and dysfunction, supporting children through their emotional experiences, and emotional fluidity. Send us your questions on Tw
Happiness, the New Way – Joe Hudson with Stephanie Harrison
When Stephanie Harrison’s perfect-on-paper life resulted in physical and emotional breakdown, she got curious and went in search of answers to what was causing it and what needed to change. It led her straight to the heart of happiness and flipped the achievement script on its head—much like happened with Joe. In this episode, Joe sits down with Stephanie to talk about her new book, The New Happy,
