On the 60th episode of the What is a Good Life? podcast, I am delighted to introduce our guest, Matthew Zoltan. Matthew is a former monk, an author, and co-founder of Undo App - an app that helps you rediscover what makes us human through natural meditation. In this conversation, Matthew takes us on his journey from being a monk for much of his 20s before realising his practice and methods weren’t supporting him to fully engage with the felt experience of his body. That for him, certain ideologies led to disassociations from the body and its experience. He shares with us the importance of experiencing life sensorily, how one can perceive the fully felt experience of life. We also discuss the role of our mental reactions in accentuating pain, as well as the problem with starting off from the belief that we are lacking and need to improve, suggesting that you are the perfect expression of everything you have been through. Ultimately, Matthew points to the significance of exploring our pain and resolving our hurt, describing pain as aspects of ourselves we need to give attention to. If you are having trouble with accepting yourself, embracing yourself as you presently are, or engaging with your feelings, this episode will give you a lot to consider. While Matthew may confront a lot of your beliefs, he is really highlighting the importance of connecting with our felt experience. Subscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel (link below) for clips and shorts. Contact me at [email protected] to book a free consultation (30 minutes) for one-on-one coaching programs or to hear about corporate workshops I am offering to build trust and connection amongst executive teams. Running Order: 02:45 Life provides answers not questions06:45 Realisations as a monk, letting go of ideologies, developing sensitivity15:15 Perceiving the felt experience of life20:15 Resistance and disturbance are a part of life28:15 The problem with the belief that we are lacking40:00 Understanding ourselves and relating through feeling rather than thought47:15 The importance of exploring our pain and resolving hurt53:45 The role of our thinking in accentuating pain1:00:20 We have been taught to avoid pain and suffering1:05:45 Embracing who and what we are and how we feel1:16:35 What is a good life for Matthew? For further content and information check out the following: - For the podcast's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos - My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/ - My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/ - Matthew's Website: https://mattzoltan.com/ - Matthew's Company: https://undoapp.com/