What if the secret to reaching your goals is not grinding harder, but holding them more gently?

Kelly and Nyssa explore the final two intentionality slogans from Uncle Murray—“Keep your eyes on the prize” and “Easy does it”—and how together they create a powerful roadmap for pursuing meaningful goals without burning out.

Through stories of massage clients, canceled flights, blackout Airbnbs, nourishing meals, grandmothers in Depression‑era kitchens, and Buddhist teachings like “the obstacle is the path,” they show how attention, dedication, and ease can completely change your relationship to work, pain, and purpose.

If you’re craving a more sustainable, compassionate way to stay focused on what matters—whether that’s healing, creative projects, or showing up better for the people you love—this conversation on intentionality, mindset, and choosing a pleasant path is for you.

Main Topics Covered:

• How “Keep your eyes on the prize” can completely change what you think your real goal is
• The surprising power of “Easy does it” when you’re ambitious, exhausted, or stuck in hustle mode
• Why three bricklayers—and three different answers—might reshape how you see your work and purpose
• A simple journaling ritual Nyssa uses to turn boring focus blocks into meaningful, motivated time
• What chronic pain, canceled flights, and traffic jams can teach us about intentionality and resilience
• How helping someone else (on purpose) can instantly shift you out of self‑absorbed suffering
• The hidden influence of grandmothers’ cooking, Depression‑era kitchens, and one unforgettable meal
• Why your “prize” is often other people—and how knowing that changes the way you show up
• The essential balance between caring deeply and not taking yourself (or your goals) too seriously
• A complete read‑through of all Uncle Murray’s intentionality slogans, woven into one poetic finale

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy
• Episode #23 - Intentionality, Part 8: You’re Already Ready
• Episode #24 - Intentionality, Part 9: Life is a Joke – Either You Get It or You Don’t
• Episode #25 - Intentionality, Part 10: Whatever It Is You Feel, Remember You Don’t Have To
• Episode #26 - Intentionality, Part 11: Aim Yourself at Being with People Who Facilitate You Being the Person You Want to Be
• Episode #27 - Intentionality, Part 12: Find a Pleasant Path
• Episode #11 - How to Get What You Want (Without Toxic Positivity or Wishful Thinking)
• Episode #12 - How to Use the Moon Phases for Goal Setting, Time Management, and Productivity

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Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

Want your life to actually feel different—not just look the same with new intentions on top?

Kelly and Nyssa unpack two of Uncle Murray’s most quietly radical intentionality sayings, “You can’t be different by acting the same” and “Find a pleasant path,” exploring how tiny, sustainable shifts in behavior can transform habits, money choices, health, and even how you move through pain and aging.

Through stories about changing grocery stores, managing back pain, navigating construction chaos, and wrestling with nostalgia and resistance, they show how incremental change plus genuine enjoyment is more powerful (and realistic) than white‑knuckled self‑improvement.

If you’re craving practical, compassionate guidance on building new habits, aligning your daily actions with your values, and making your path more pleasant without spiritual bypassing, this conversation on intentionality, behavior change, and everyday joy is for you.

Main Topics Covered:

• How two simple sayings—“You can’t be different by acting the same” and “Find a pleasant path”—can quietly revolutionize your everyday choices
• Why tiny, almost laughably small changes (like putting on your shoes or switching grocery stores) can matter more than big dramatic goals
• The surprising emotional baggage hiding inside brand loyalty, money habits, and where you buy your food
• What chronic pain, back issues, and “mind medicine” teach about suffering versus sensation
• How 12‑step “slogans,” therapy wisdom, and Uncle Murray’s intentionality practices all weave together
• The Icelandic motto “it’ll work out,” antidepressants, and what truly happy cultures can teach us about resilience
• The role of curiosity, play, and even elves (yes, elves) in finding a more pleasant path through weird, hard human lives
• Why cutting expenses, changing habits, or aging well doesn’t have to feel like punishment or deprivation
• The difference between accepting life’s difficulty and unconsciously choosing a painful path you don’t actually have to stay on

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy
• Episode #23 - Intentionality, Part 8: You’re Already Ready
• Episode #24 - Intentionality, Part 9: Life is a Joke – Either You Get It or You Don’t
• Episode #25 - Intentionality, Part 10: Whatever It Is You Feel, Remember You Don’t Have To
• Episode #26 - Intentionality, Part 11: Aim Yourself at Being with People Who Facilitate You Being the Person You Want to Be

Newsletter Sign Up:

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Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

What if the people you spend time with — and the courage to ask for what you really want — are quietly shaping who you become?

Kelly and Nyssa dive into two of Uncle Murray’s core intentionality slogans, “Aim yourself at being with people who facilitate you being the person you want to be” and “The more I ask for what I want, the more likely I am to get it,” to explore how relationships, community, and self‑advocacy sculpt our lives.

They unpack the “bad apple” effect in groups, the link between unexpressed expectations and resentment, and why complaining is often just a wish in disguise, weaving in Jungian psychology, Buddhist ideas on noble friendship, family stories, and real‑life renovation drama.

If you’re navigating friendships, partnerships, work dynamics, or simply trying to live more intentionally aligned with your values, this conversation on boundaries, asking for what you want, and choosing your people with care is for you.

Main Topics Covered:

• How “aiming yourself” at certain people quietly shapes who you become (for better or worse)
• The surprising power of one “bad apple” to derail a whole group’s mood, focus, and productivity
• Why we stay around people who don’t actually support who we want to be — and what it takes to choose differently
• The hidden link between unexpressed expectations and growing resentment in relationships
• How complaining often masks an unspoken wish (and how to translate rants into real requests)
• The vulnerability — and radical payoff — of asking directly for what you want
• What childhood, family culture, and early socialization teach us about whether it’s “okay” to have wants
• Using intentionality to navigate group dynamics, friendships, and romantic partnerships more consciously
• How spiritual ideas like dharma, noble friendship, and shadow work intersect with everyday choices about who we spend time with

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy
• Episode #23 - Intentionality, Part 8: You’re Already Ready
• Episode #24 - Intentionality, Part 9: Life is a Joke – Either You Get It or You Don’t
• Episode #25 - Intentionality, Part 10: Whatever It Is You Feel, Remember You Don’t Have To

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

What if your feelings weren’t the boss of you after all?

Kelly and Nyssa continue their Uncle Murray intentionality series with two deceptively simple slogans: “Whatever it is you feel, remember you don’t have to” and “An opportunity missed is an opportunity missed.”

They explore emotional regulation, tantrums (child and adult), grief, anxiety spirals, and perfectionism, sharing practices like 90‑second feeling waves, turning emotions into “little monsters” you can send to summer camp, and sending your inner critic on vacation.

Through stories about hard conversations, spiritual community, starting a podcast years “late,” and the pressure of the American Dream, they offer a compassionate, practical reframe for anyone who overthinks, overfeels, or obsesses about the chances they didn’t take.

Main Topics Covered:

• How to feel big emotions all the way through without getting stuck in them
• The difference between real fear, everyday anxiety, and “concern”
• Turning your emotions into little monsters you can lovingly send to “summer camp”
• Why your inner critic deserves an all‑expenses‑paid vacation (and how to send it)
• How we use feelings—consciously or not—to manipulate, control, or avoid others
• “An opportunity missed is an opportunity missed”: what it doesn’t say and why that matters
• The hidden cost of believing every missed chance will “ruin your life”
• What a spiritual celebration of life taught them about legacy, memory, and being named
• The quiet power of choosing not to send the angry text or chase instant reassurance
• Starting a podcast after years of talking about it—and what imperfect action can unlock

Links:

• Shante Cofield | The Movement Maestro
• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy
• Episode #23 - Intentionality, Part 8: You’re Already Ready
• Episode #24 - Intentionality, Part 9: Life is a Joke – Either You Get It or You Don’t
• SONG: Bang Bang by K’naan

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

Life is a joke … and a precious gift. Kelly and Nyssa explore how both can be true through two of Uncle Murray’s most powerful intentionality slogans: “When in doubt, choose the belief that is most useful to you” and “Life is a joke, either you get it or you don’t.”

They unpack how consciously choosing your beliefs shapes your emotions, relationships, spirituality, and even how you cope with grief, loss, construction chaos, and dying pets—without bypassing pain or pretending everything is “fine.”
Drawing on Tibetan Lojong teachings, existential philosophy, family stories, and Murray’s irreverent humor, they explore doubt, faith, openness, and what it really means to “get” life before it’s over.

If you’ve ever wrestled with what to believe, struggled to lighten up, or wondered how to honor both the absurdity and sacredness of being alive, this conversation on intentionality, mindset, and meaning‑making is for you.

Main Topics Covered:

• How choosing the belief that’s most useful (not “most true”) can transform your daily emotional life
• The hidden link between beliefs, resentment, and why we get so grumpy doing dishes or standing in line
• What it really means to “get” the joke of life—and what happens if you don’t
• The double meaning inside the slogan “Life is a joke, either you get it or you don’t”
• How Tibetan Lojong teachings and Uncle Murray’s sayings overlap in surprising ways
• Using intentionality to navigate grief, dying pets, and house‑under‑construction chaos without bypassing pain
• Why people with strong traditions may not feel “in doubt”—and how openness changes your relationship to belief
• The idea of a “precious human life” and how it can deepen love, gratitude, and presence
• Finding meaning in synchronicities (like the AC breaking during hospice) and the absurd timing of life
• How humor, irreverence, and not taking yourself so seriously can actually make you more compassionate

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy
• Episode #23 - Intentionality, Part 8: You’re Already Ready
• SONG: Everybody Cook by Sofi Tucker
• BOOK: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
• BOOK: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

In this episode of Being Different Together, Kelly and Nyssa continue their intentionality mini-series by unpacking two classic Murray Landsman sayings: "You're already ready" and "Trying is not doing it."

They explore how these deceptively simple phrases cut through resistance, perfectionism, and the “I don’t feel like it” mindset, especially around creative work, meditation, relationships, and everyday tasks like decluttering and home projects. Through stories about writing, inner critics, therapy, and the “great stuff shuffle,” they show how willingness, imperfect action, and giving yourself permission to be a beginner can transform how you show up for the things that matter.

If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting to feel ready, told yourself you’re “trying” but not actually moving forward, or struggled with following your bliss without becoming self‑indulgent, this conversation will help you take compassionate, grounded action right where you are.

Main Topics Covered:

• How the sayings “You’re already ready” and “Trying is not doing it” can bust through resistance and procrastination
• The sneaky ways “I don’t feel like it” and “I’m not ready yet” block our goals (and what we’re really afraid of)
• Why following your bliss 24/7 can turn into hedonism—and how to stay intentional without being self‑indulgent
• The “great stuff shuffle” and what decluttering during a home renovation reveals about readiness and attachment
• How inner critics overprotect us like an overactive immune system—and how to lovingly turn down their volume
• Why it’s often easier to talk than to write about big ideas, and how writers can tolerate imperfect first drafts
• The difference between wanting to do something and being willing to do it (especially for unglamorous tasks)
• What therapy clients, creative practices, and meditation have in common when it comes to actually doing the work
• How giving yourself permission to be a beginner changes your relationship with learning, risk, and “getting it right”

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat
• Episode #22 - Intentionality, Part 7: Take the Hard Things Easy

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

In this episode of Being Different Together, Kelly and Nyssa continue their intentionality mini-series by unpacking another Murray Landsman saying: “Take the hard things easy.”

They explore how unconscious beliefs about suffering shape our identity—through stories like an anesthesiologist-turned-donut-shop-worker, navigating home renovations, and walking through grief in ways that don’t match other people’s expectations. Along the way, they weave in Zen and Buddhist teachings, the “strong back, soft front” practice, the body’s stress responses (hello, tight psoas and low back pain), and how vulnerability and courage can transform difficult conversations and life transitions.

If you’ve ever wondered how to meet hard things without hardening yourself—whether it’s loss, conflict, or everyday stress—this episode offers practical, compassionate insights for approaching life with more ease and intention.

Main Topics Covered:

• How much of our suffering is actually required—and how much is a secret performance tied to identity?
• The anesthesiologist who “lost everything” and found unexpected relief working at a donut shop.
• What happens when your grief doesn’t look like what other people expect (and why that can be unsettling for them).
• The surprising connection between low back pain, tight bellies, the psoas muscle, and feeling emotionally under threat.
• “Strong back, soft front”: a Zen-inspired way to meet hard things without hardening yourself.
• How Western individualism and Eastern contemplative traditions offer very different stories about who we are.
• Turning stressful life events—like home renovations and family decluttering—into chances to practice taking the hard things easy.
• The subtle ways we can get “inflated” around our suffering and slip into martyr mode without realizing it.
• Why vulnerability always comes with that inner quiver—and how courage depends on letting it be there.

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way
• Episode #21 - Intentionality, Part 6: There’s More Than Two Ways to Skin a Cat

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady

In this episode of Being Different Together, Kelly and Nyssa continue their intentionality mini-series with two Murray Landsman sayings: “Doing it does it” and “There’s more than two ways to skin a cat.”

They unpack how taking imperfect action creates clarity, how to move through overthinking and perfectionism, and why there’s never just one “right” way to build a life, business, or relationship.

If you struggle with procrastination, fear of doing it wrong, or waiting to feel ready before you start, this conversation offers practical, compassionate guidance for showing up more intentionally and creatively in your everyday life.

Main Topics Covered:

• How “Doing it does it” can break you out of overthinking and get you into real-life momentum
• The surprising link between intentionality and how you actually show up in your relationships, work, and daily life
• Why clarity comes from engagement, not thought—and what that means for dating, business, and big life changes
• How perfectionism disguises itself as “planning” and “strategy” (and keeps you safely stuck)
• The coaching question Nyssa uses to unlock action: “What’s the smallest viable step?”
• What Murray meant by “There’s more than two ways to skin a cat”—and how it challenges rigid social rules
• The connection between creativity, anti‑perfectionism, and emotional regulation (including Virginia Satir’s “10 solutions” idea)
• Why chronic stress and fight‑or‑flight shut down creativity—and how to find more options when you feel boxed in
• Real-life examples: podcasting with barking dogs, tired brains, and takeout dinners… and choosing to do it anyway

Links:

• Episode #16 - Intentionality, Part 1: Everything You’ve Done Prepared You For This Moment
• Episode #17 - Intentionality, Part 2: Feeling Good Needs No Excuse
• Episode #18 - Intentionality, Part 3: If You Think You Can Change the World, You Have a Better Chance
• Episode #19 - Intentionality, Part 4: Your Reality is as Good as Anyone Else’s
• Episode #20 - Intentionality, Part 5: It’s Useful to View the Past in a Friendly Way

Newsletter Sign Up:

• Going Upward Newsletter – Get Nyssa’s email newsletter here

Stay in Touch:

Nyssa Hanger: www.nyssahanger.com | IG: @nyssahanger

Kelly Brady: www.kellybrady.me | IG: @drkellybrady