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Life has a way of getting lifely — and this episode was born right in the middle of mine. In Episode 208, I get personal about a season that brought me to stillness, to my car, to my breath — and ultimately, to a word that changed everything for me this year. If you have ever found yourself waiting for the perfect moment to start again, or wondering if the hard thing you are going through has any light in it at all, this episode is for you. Come as you are. Start where you are. That is always enough.
From a beloved novel to a spontaneous act of love from my son, from peer-reviewed science to a 14th century poet — I weave together the stories, the research, and the reminders that the light within you has never gone out. It may be quiet. It may be flickering. But it is there, and it has been there your whole life. I hope this episode helps you see it.
Quote of the week: "I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being." — Hafiz of Shiraz
Fina's 2025 Reading List
- The 48 Laws of Power — Robert Greene
- The Prince — Niccolò Machiavelli
- The Art of War — Sun Tzu
- Quotations from the Works of Mao Tse-Tung — Mao Zedong
- Right Thing Right Now — Ryan Holiday
- Awaken the Giant Within — Tony Robbins
- The Big Leap — Gay Hendricks
- Emotional Intelligence — Bradberry & Greaves
- A Return to Love — Marianne Williamson
- No Mud No Lotus — Thich Nhat Hanh
- Tao Te Ching — Translated by Stephen Mitchell
- Mindful Investor — Maria Gonzalez
- Educated — Tara Westover
- Slaughterhouse-Five — Kurt Vonnegut
- 1929 — Andrew Ross Sorkin
Books Referenced
- Doerr, Anthony. All the Light We Cannot See. Scribner, 2014.
- Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning. Beacon Press, 1959.
- Greene, Robert. The 48 Laws of Power. Viking Press, 1998.
- Holiday, Ryan. The Obstacle Is the Way. Portfolio/Penguin, 2014.
- Hanh, Thich Nhat. Mud and Lotus. Parallax Press.
- Westover, Tara. Educated. Random House, 2018.
Peer-Reviewed Research
- Cunha, L.F., et al. "Positive Psychology and Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial." Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 10, March 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00584
- Martínez-Martí, M.L., et al. "The Effects of Gratitude Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10393216/
- Lundman, B., et al. "Inner Strength — A Systematic Review of Qualitative Empirical Studies." PubMed Central,1990–2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12375945/
- Holmedal Byrne & Gustafsson. "Resilience Theory: Core Concepts and Research Insights." Cited in Positive Psychology, 2024. https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-theory/
Poetry
- Hafiz of Shiraz. "I Wish I Could Show You." 14th century. English translation widely attributed to Daniel Ladinsky, The Gift, Penguin Compass, 1999.
Media
- All the Light We Cannot See. Netflix series, 2023. Directed by Shawn Levy. Based on the novel by Anthony Doerr.
Let’s go, let’s get it done.
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