Stanford Professors: One Tool That Makes Every Life Decision Easier

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health, Health & Fitness

4.9 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 January 2026

⏱️ 102 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is a radical reframe of what a good life actually is, and how we can all get there. If you feel stuck, it’s gonna unstick you. If you’re struggling with problems that feel insurmountable, this episode will offer solutions you haven’t heard anywhere else. I’m talking with Stanford professors Dave Evans and Bill Burnett. Their books have sold millions of copies around the world. They’ve helped us design our lives, design our work, and now they’re back to teach us how to infuse our lives with meaning, purpose and flow. We get into all of their expertise, from the workplace to relationships to how to get the most of your one human life in this episode. It’s practical and deeply philosophical. It made me cry both recording it and then again looking back on the edit. 🎧 What you’ll learn: • How to use the life design thinking framework to make any decision • How to stop working on problems you can't solve and find the ones you actually can • The "reframing ladder" technique to unstick yourself from any life problem • The five mindsets that turn ordinary moments into a deeply alive life • How to escape the exhaustion trap without changing your schedule • Why Maslow got it wrong—and what actually sits at the top of the pyramid Check out our FREE “21 Days To Change Your Life Plan for Nutrition, Movement & Mental Health” we made for our listeners at https://pages.lizmoody.com/january. If you liked this episode, check out: You’re Not Behind In Life: Real Science + Mindset Shifts You Need To Hear For more from Bill Burnett & Dave Evans: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fullyalive_bydesign/ • Website: https://designingyour.life/how-to-live-a-meaningful-life/ • Book, How to Live a Meaningful Life: Using Design Thinking to Unlock Purpose, Joy, and Flow Every Day: https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Meaningful-Life-Thinking/dp/1668084899 Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome.Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: • Timeline: visit Timeline.com/Liz to claim my special offer. • Avocado: check out AvocadoGreenMattress.com for up to 20% off organic mattresses and more. • LMNT: head to DrinkLMNT.com/Liz to get a free 8-count sample pack with any order. • Lumebox: go to TheLumeBox.com/Liz for 40% off anytime. • Marley Spoon: check out MarleySpoon.com/offer/LizMoody to get up to 25 FREE meals. • Masterclass: head to MasterClass.com/LizMoody for an additional 15% off. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 400. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I used to think that someday I was going to create my dream life, that the pieces would snap into
0:04.8	place and I would just wake up with a big smile on my face every day. I thought that if I got the
0:10.4	right job, the right routine, the perfect habit stack, I would finally have my ideal life,
0:16.0	like the perfect version of what my life could be. But no matter what I did, that moment never came. Instead,
0:23.2	I often felt myself feeling stuck and burned out and overwhelmed and wondering why nothing
0:29.8	felt as good as it was supposed to. Today's episode is about exactly what I was getting wrong
0:35.8	and exactly how we all can fix it. This episode is a
0:39.0	radical reframe of what a good life actually is and how we all can get there, no matter where we are right now.
0:45.4	If you feel stuck, this episode is going to unstick you. If you are struggling with problems that
0:51.0	feel insurmountable, like wanting a partner and not being able to find one
0:55.2	or having a career that you hate but not knowing how to get to a job that you love, or feeling
1:00.5	like you cannot make enough money for the life that you want, feeling like the life that you
1:06.0	want is unattainable to you for some reason, somehow. This episode is going to offer you solutions that
1:12.3	you have not heard anywhere else. Today I'm talking with Stanford professors Dave Evans and Bill
1:17.6	Burnett. Their books have sold millions of copies around the world. I'm sure that you've seen
1:22.0	them on shelves. They've helped us design our lives, design our work. And now in their latest book,
1:27.2	they are back to teach us how
1:28.5	to infuse our lives with meaning, purpose, and flow. We get into all of their expertise from
1:34.6	the workplace to relationships to how to get the most out of your one human life, your one go-around
1:41.3	on this planet in this episode. It is practical and it is deeply
1:46.2	philosophical. It made me cry, both recording it, interviewing them, and then also looking back on
1:52.1	the edit. Welcome to the Liz Moody podcast, where we share real solutions that fit into your
	...

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