Dot to Dot Life Connected™ – Details, episodes & analysis

Fiona and Robert explore the importance of intellectual curiosity, self-understanding, and the trade-offs between traditional careers and entrepreneurial pursuits. They delve into the concept of hospitality, its impact on life satisfaction, and discuss practical advice for increasing happiness and emotional resilience. Robert introduces his research on hospitality, examining its role in well-being and social trust across cultures. The conversation also covers the complex relationship between happiness and economic context, offering practical advice for increasing life satisfaction and emotional agility. Finally, they highlight the importance of connection and belonging for well-being and the need to teach social and emotional skills in schools and workplaces.

Dr Biswas-Diener is a leading authority on strengths, culture, courage, hospitality and happiness. His extensive research, has taken him to places like Greenland, India, and Kenya and resulted in over over 60 peer-reviewed academic articles and seven books, including The Upside of Your Dark Side. His expertise in cross-cultural psychology and well-being policy, have led to him contributing regularly to the Global Council for Happiness and Wellbeing. His work has also made a lasting impact on the coaching profession. When he’s not researching, he enjoys rock climbing and drawing, and lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife.

For more from Fiona go to:

www.fionamurden.com

For more from Dr. Biswas Diener go to: 

www.robertdiener.com 

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

In 1942, Viktor Frankl faced unimaginable adversity as he was sent to Auschwitz. Amid the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp, Frankl observed a remarkable truth: those who found meaning and purpose, even in the darkest moments, displayed an unshakable resilience.These profound insights became the foundation of his groundbreaking work,Man’s Search for Meaning.

Building on Frankl’s work and modern psychological research, this episode of Life Connected™ unpacks the third pillar of resilience: Significance. 

Significance, purpose, and meaning are integral to resilience because they provide the "why" behind our actions, helping us navigate life’s toughest moments with clarity and determination. They ground us in our values and passions, offering a sense of direction when everything feels overwhelming. These elements do more than just help us endure—they empower us to grow, adapt, and find ways to contribute to something greater than ourselves. Viktor Frankl’s experiences remind us that even in the most harrowing circumstances, a connection to meaning can transform suffering into strength and purpose, offering an anchor of hope when we need it most.

Explore the power of the 3Ss—Self-Awareness, Social Connection, and Significance—to build your resilience muscle and create a life of deeper meaning and fulfillment.

To learn more about the Life Connected framework, read blogs and find upcoming courses go to:

www.fionamurden.com 

Mentioned in the podcast

Fiona's first book Defining You

Russ Harris' podcast discussion on Dot to Dot first episode 

Russ Harris' podcast discussion on Dot to Dot second episode 

The Values Exercise which can be found on Fiona’s website as a free resource. 

The Connection Tips which can be found here

The Strengths Exercises can be found here

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Tori's journey reflects her commitment to resilience and compassion, shaped by her experiences at Smith College and Harvard Divinity School, where she learned about the importance of empathy across cultures and religions. Her work with marginalized populations, including running a shelter for homeless women, led her to pursue a law degree to advocate for change. But perhaps more notable are her personal challenges, including growing up with a brother who has developmental disabilities. It's these which have fueled her passion for social justice and healing. 

A pivotal influence in her life was Muhammad Ali, whose compassion inspired Tori to overcome her own struggles. He encouraged her to finish what she started, leading to her successful second attempt at rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. But there were other lesser known figures from a boy at school who stood up for her brother to a teacher who taught her persistence who've also played a huge role in the values she holds closely even today. 

Join us as we explore Tori's incredible story, her insights on compassion, and her mission to inspire others to rise above their challenges. This is a conversation filled with wisdom and inspiration that you won't want to miss. 

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Ask us any questions on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fiona_murden

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fionamurden

Facebook: https://facebook.com/fionamurden

Or for Lou

Instagram: www.instagram.com/loupylou78

Twitter: https://twitter.com/louisejones78

There’s a chapter on empathy in Fiona’s latest book (out July 7th UK, 15th Sept rest of world) Mirror Thinking How Role Models Make Us Human:

https://bit.ly/MirrThink

https://amzn.to/2yKpf4j

https://bit.ly/2ylrc7H

#mirrorthinking #rolemodels #rolemodelschangelives #psychology #awareness #whoareyou #blacklivesmatter #personaldevelopment #rosaparks #insight #thinking #consciousness #mindful #mindfulliving #mindfulness #advise #help #tips #habits #behaviour #behavior 

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Some of the topics we explore this week – needing to look to part to get the part and how important 'non controllables' are to whether you land a role in acting (e.g. height, hair colour, eye colour), juggling 8 shows a week in a West End production with motherhood, the stresses and strains of failure that build up resilience, the issue of youngsters not having exposure to that in today’s social media reality and how self-assurance not cockiness is the way to success. 

In November 2009 Kirsty won the TMA Award for Best Supporting Performance in a musical for playing Young Viv in Spend Spend Spend at the Watermill Theatre, directed by Craig Revel Horwood; the production went on to tour nationally in 2010. Other work includes The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, The Three Musketeers, Arthur and George, HMS Pinafore, The Ghosts of Ruddigore and The Burglar’s Opera for Opera Della Luna (Covent Garden Festival, National Tour), The Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, King Cotton, Jerry Springer the Opera, Ken Hill’s Phantom of the Opera, The Beggar’s Opera, Sweeney Todd, Nunsense and Barnum and the 25th Anniversary Production of Side By Side By Sondheim. She has also performed as a lead vocalist in concerts and cabarets throughout the UK and abroad, most recently soloist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and at the Leeds Castle Classical Prom.

Kirsty also works as a session vocalist. She has recorded vocals for Warner Chappell, Disney, Sony and for numerous feature films including Mary Poppins Returns.  

For more from me and to hear about upcoming guests go to

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fiona_murden

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fionamurden

Facebook: https://facebook.com/fionamurden

And for my latest book (out July 7th UK) Mirror Thinking How Role Models Make Us Human go to:

https://bit.ly/MirrThink

https://amzn.to/2yKpf4j

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

The questions we leave you with:

1. What’s worked before and what are you still doing with that?
2. What’s not working and what do you need to change and do differently?
3. Within this new situation what are the new skills that would actually support that?

It’s critical to remember to make time for yourself and to talk. It sounds obvious but both so often gets lost in the to do list. It’s also OK to be low and is fairly normal given the circumstances that we’re all living in currently. 

Ask us any questions on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/therealdot2dot

Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealdot2dot

Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealdot2dot

Or to contact Fiona go to:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/fiona_murden

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fionamurden

Facebook: https://facebook.com/fionamurden

There are lots of tools to help build resilience and self insight in Fiona’s book Defining You How to Profile Yourself to Unlock Your Full Potential 

UK: https://amzn.to/30wiMEy

USA: http://bit.ly/DefiningYouPaperbackUSA

Australia: http://bit.ly/DefiningYouAus

For Fiona’s latest book (out July 7th UK) Mirror Thinking How Role Models Make Us Human go to:

https://bit.ly/MirrThink

https://amzn.to/2yKpf4j

https://bit.ly/2ylrc7H

#mirrorthinking #rolemodels #rolemodelschangelives #psychology #awareness #whoareyou #blacklivesmatter #Mondaymotivation #personaldevelopment #rosaparks #insight #thinking #consciousness #mindful #mindfulliving #mindfulness #advise #help #tips #habits #behaviour #behavior 

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Jim regularly gigs on the comedy circuit (or did before lockdown), he has written and performed for sketch shows and presented for Yahoo's The Football Show and JOE.co.uk's Friday Football Live as well as featuring on BBC 5live, BT Sport, London Live and TalkSPORT. He also has a strong social media following for his original, sports-related comedy content especially on YouTube where he posts hilarious sketches regularly (under Jim Daly Comedy). 

Jim plays down his abilities. I laughed a bit too loud at some points during the interview so had to cut my sound out. He is a great guy who has an astute understanding of what it means to be human. Something that I personally believe comedians have to be incredibly skilled at. I admire his honesty about all things Jim and I’m sure you will too. 

Laughter builds emotional resilience which is surely something we all need more than ever before currently. We can’t lose comedy. Please sign the open letter at savelivecomedy.co.uk to put pressure on the government to include live comedy in their arts funding package. Please also share the #SaveLiveComedy hashtag and dont stop making a noise until a package is sorted to help comedians and clubs to survive.

Find Jim on:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jimdalycomedy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimdalycomedy

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jimdalycomedy

Website: http://jimdalycomedy.com/

For my latest book (out July 7th UK) Mirror Thinking How Role Models Make Us Human go to:

https://bit.ly/MirrThink

https://amzn.to/2yKpf4j

https://bit.ly/2ylrc7H

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Suzy is a mother of two, an author, Chartered Psychologist and coach. She specialises in self-care, helping people manage their stress, emotions, and energetic bank balance.It was her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care which she now teaches to her clients, young and old, to cope during periods of stress, loss and change and to boost their resilience in the face of future challenges. Suzy is on the editorial board for Motherdom Magazine, the Psychology Expert for wellbeing brand Neom Organics and is a founding member of the ‘Nourish’ app. She figure-skated her way through her childhood, growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, and now makes her home in hills of Hertfordshire, UK. Her first book ‘The Self-Care Revolution’ published by Aster came out in 2017, 'Stand Tall Like a Mountain: Mindfulness & Self-Care for Children and Parents' and 'The Little Book of Self-Care came out in 2019 and her new book ‘Self-Care for Tough Times’ is hot off the press.

Join Suzy’s Wellbeing Community at: 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/suzyreading/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SuzyReadingPsychologyAndYoga/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzyReading  

www.suzyreading.co.uk

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Louise Jones has been supporting Athletes, Coaches and Performance Directors within British sport for over 18 years. Throughout this time she has supported athletes at 4 summer Olympic Games, 1 winter Olympic Games and 5 Commonwealth Games. She has worked with Olympic medalists, World Champions, European Champions, Commonwealth Games medalists, X Games medalists and other top performers across a large number and variety of sports.

 

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com 

Emma Pears says ‘I don’t have all the answers but I want to help people find more joy in life’. She studied music, creative arts and composition at university before spending time  working in refuges for the homeless on a volunteer basis. There she saw the complexity of life on the streets, the myriad of reasons people find themselves there which can’t be fixed by simply ‘making them a cup of tea’. This sparked a desire for her to help these people move forward, if they wanted to and she went on to study for a Masters at Cambridge exploring how to do that. Emma went from that to starting ‘SingingNation’ bringing people from across generations together in community choirs.  Her choirs have allowed people to feel  that they belong, to feel a sense of connection, to feel valued and to often change mindsets. People who come afraid and faced only by psychological barriers begin to consider that change is possible. Time and again she has seen how individuals become empowered with the belief that they can make decisions that make them happy. 

We discuss giving your brain time to think and making thinking something that should be on our to-do list, especially given that it’s not something modern life gives us time for. Emma says ‘If I allow my brain time to think it will then come to the answer more quickly’.  We look at the process of writing a book and the process of writing a song ‘There’s a difference between writing a song on a whim and writing a song as a job’. Emma is an inspiration to me and to many others, I’ve no doubt that she will provide you with encouragement and curiosity simply through listening.

For more on Fiona visit www.fionamurden.com