The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall cover art

The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall

By: Andrew G. Marshall
Listen for free

About this listen

 Hello, I am a marital therapist, communications trainer and author. I have thirty-five years helping couples and individuals make better relationships. I have written twenty-plus self-help books which include the international best-sellers ‘I love you but I’m not in love with you’ and ‘How can I ever trust you again?’ My books have been translated into twenty languages. I trained with RELATE the UK’s largest counselling charity. Perhaps it has been turning sixty but I have become interested in spiritual as well as psychological questions. Who am I? What are my values – as opposed to my parents, my teachers and the wider society? What makes my life meaningful? What do I believe about life, the universe and everything? Although my clients might come to me because of destructive arguments, falling out of love and infidelity, they are also interested in having more meaningful relationships and a more meaningful life. So what is the meaningful life? Why do we so easily lose our way and get lost in depression, anxiety, doubt, addictions and obsessions: the swamplands of the soul? One thing I know for sure is that there is not one answer. Each of us has to find out for ourselves what makes our life meaningful. But we can learn from each other, share our experiences of how to navigate the journey, how to endure and learn from the swamp, and finally how to find solid ground. I have decided to use my original training in radio and journalism to interview witnesses for what makes life meaningful. Each week, I invite someone who is a therapist, academic, self-help coach or who has an enlightening personal story to share their knowledge or experiences. I hope our discussions will help you discover what makes your life meaningful and find more purpose and contentment.Copyright 2023 All rights reserved. Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Spirituality
Episodes
  • Cecily Mak: Free Yourself from Unwanted Habits

    Cecily Mak: Free Yourself from Unwanted Habits
    Jan 5 2026

    Many of us indulge in escapist or addictive behaviours that fall short of what society would define as problematic addictions. According to author CECILY MAK, however, such behaviours can dim the good parts of life along with the bad. If you want to live life with clarity and purpose, identifying and addressing your “dimmers” can make an excellent starting point.

    In this episode, Andrew and Cecily discuss:

    • Cecily’s own experience of giving up alcohol.
    • What happens when we avoid difficult feelings.
    • The Eight Awarenesses - a set of principles we can use for inspiration and guidance on the path to embodying a clear life.
    • Why dimmers are not always a substance: they may also include excessive exercise, disordered eating, or overworking.

    Cecily Mak is a mother, investor, advocate, and founder devoted to helping people live dimmer-free—with clarity, courage, and the freedom to change without stigma or shame. She is also the co-founder of Wisdom Ventures, a bold fund investing in a future of deeper human connection and well-being.

    If You’re Looking for More….

    You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50

    This week supporters will hear:

    • Free Yourself from Unwanted Habits
    • Three Things Cecily Mak knows to be true.
    • AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here

    Read Cecily Mak’s new book, Undimmed: The Eight Awarenesses for Freedom From Unwanted Habits

    Listen to Cecily Mak’s Undimmed podcast

    Subscribe to Cecily Mak’s Clear Life Substack

    Follow Cecily Mak on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

    Show More Show Less
    48 mins
  • Bea Gonzalez: Fairy Tales and the Route to Wholeness

    Bea Gonzalez: Fairy Tales and the Route to Wholeness
    Dec 22 2025
    Healing from profound exhaustion of the spirit requires more than just thinking of a good plan. Author and Jungian Bea Gonzalez believes in storytelling and myth as powerful tools for healing. In this reissued classic episode, Andrew and Bea discuss: Why fairy tales have so much to teach us.Rediscovering feminine wisdom (which both men and women need)How to analyse a fairy tale to find the message it contains for YOU.The tale of the Skeleton Woman - Andrew and Bea tell this story section by section, discussing its rich metaphors along the way. Bea Gonzalez is the creator of Sophia Cycles, a project to bring feminine wisdom back to the world. She is the author of several novels (including Invocation, The Bitter Taste of Time and The Mapmaker’s Opera). Bea is also a lecturer and educator, and has taught classes on the work of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell all over the world. If You’re Looking for More…. You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 This week supporters will hear: Code Breaking: Unlocking the symbolic lifeThree Things Bea Gonzalez knows to be true. AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees. Follow Up Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things Read Bea Gonzalez’s novel, Invocation Visit Bea Gonzalez’s website https://www.sophiacycles.com/ Follow Bea Gonzalez on Instagram, Twitter/X and YouTube @sophiacycles You might enjoy Andrew’s other episode on fairy tales, How Fairy Tales Can Refresh & Move You Forward, with Libby Nugent, or his interview with Jungian analyst and author James Hollis on How to be Resilient. Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall
    Show More Show Less
    54 mins
  • Laura Munson: How to Find Wonder Again and Why It Will Transform Your Life

    Laura Munson: How to Find Wonder Again and Why It Will Transform Your Life
    Dec 8 2025

    Why is the sky blue? Why do only birds get to fly? Why do people die? It’s natural for children to ask questions, big and small. But too often, adults brush off such questions as an annoyance, or scold kids for being rude, or even respond to their asking with punishment. When that happens, many children stop asking and grow up to become adults who believe it’s safer to stay quiet and squelch their inherent, and essential, sense of wonder.

    Author LAURA MUNSON joins Andrew this week to discuss:

    • Naming and inhabiting our own creativity
    • Rediscovering our sense of wonder
    • The power of surrendering to life’s mysteries.
    • Finding your calling
    • Finding meaning through slowing down.

    Laura Munson is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the novel Willa’s Grove and the memoir This Is Not The Story You Think It Is. Her latest book is The Wild Why. Laura also founded and continues to offer the top-ranked Haven Writing Retreats. Laura has been featured or published in Vanity Fair, Elle, Redbook, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times' “Modern Love” column, The New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, and many others. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, WGN, NPR, London’s This Morning, Australia’s Sunrise, and other global media outlets.

    If You’re Looking for More….

    You can subscribe to The Meaningful Life (via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts) and hear a bonus mini-episode every week. Or you can join our Supporters Club on Patreon to also access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50

    This week supporters will hear:

    • How to Cope Better with Criticism Again
    • Three Things Laura Munson knows to be true.
    • AND subscribers also access all of our previous bonus content - a rich trove of insight on love, life and meaning created by Andrew and his interviewees.

    Follow Up

    Attend Andrew’s men’s retreat near Berlin in April 2026: details here https://andrewgmarshall.com/mens-retreat/

    Get Andrew’s free guide to difficult conversations with your partner: How to Tell Your Partner Difficult Things https://andrewgmarshall.com/download/

    Connect With Laura Munson:

    Website: https://lauramunson.com/

    Book: The Wild Why

    Writing Programs and Retreats

    Modern Love Essay in the New York Times.

    Take a look at Andrew’s new online relationship course: My Best Relationship Tools https://courses.andrewgmarshall.com/relationship-tools

    Join our Supporters Club to access exclusive behind-the-scenes content, fan requests and the chance to ask Andrew your own questions. Membership starts at just £4.50 https://www.patreon.com/andrewgmarshall

    Andrew offers regular advice on love, marriage and finding meaning in your life via his social channels. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube @andrewgmarshall

    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.