Good Life Project

Growing up in a Minnesota suburb, twins Coco and Breezy Dotson ended up working three jobs to help support the family at the age of 16. Flash forward three years, that same work ethic and drive to develop their own sense of style and way to interact with the world landed the then 19 year-old twins in Manhattan's white hot fashion scene. With only a few dollars in their pockets, they began making their own bold sunglasses out of a tiny shared apartment. Almost immediately, people began approaching them in the street to ask where they bought their sunglasses and offering to buy them "off of their faces." The brand took off. In a few short months, Coco and Breezy's unique shades began appearing on the likes of Kelly Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Serena Williams and other mega-celebs. And, now, they're expanding the Coco && Breezy brand and business into a variety of new verticals. But, it wasn't all serendipity. Insanely hard work, street smarts, a sixth fashion sense and willingness to be authentic and walk to their own drumbeat and give back drove the rapid ascent. In this in-depth episode of Good Life Project, we take you behind the scenes of their story, sharing not only how they launched and grew their business, but how being true to who they were, embracing family and being positive role models for kids has been a touchstone of their success. As always, if you enjoy this episode, be sure to email it around and share it with friends online! And, if you haven't yet subscribed, get on it!    

It's hard enough to succeed in the restaurant business, especially in New York City. But, for more than 25 years, Candle Cafe co-owners, Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson, have not only created a powerhouse restaurant group, they've made organic, vegan farm-to-table cuisine soulful, delectable and seriously profitable. In this wide-ranging interview, Potenza shares how he an Joy built Candle Cafe into not only a thriving business, but a committed, deeply-connected community, a vital movement and an organic extension of their deepest convictions. You'll discover how they balanced planning with "providence," attracted people who were closely aligned with their mission, developed a mouthwatering vegan menu, brand extensions, frozen entrees in major retail stores, books and beyond. All the while, being true to themselves and to each other. FYI - Joy was in full-on launch mode for their latest restaurant when we were filming, so she didn't have time to come hang out on camera. BUT, as soon as we wrapped, Earth Mother Joy pretty much hand fed the entire crew and even may've made a few meat and potato converts!    

Imagine waking up one day to find your words trapped inside your head, unable to say what you feel, think, want or need with ease. That's exactly what happened to Katherine Preston, when she developed a stutter at the age of only 7. Seventeen years later, determined to get some answers, she decided to do something about it. At the age of 24, she left her life behind and set out on a quest. What started as a search for a cure, though, turned into a year long journey. One that would lead her into conversations with people like legendary GE CEO, Jack Welch, and actor Emily Blunt, who shared how more than anything, when people see others who stutter, they are willing to see courage. What she'd discover along her quest would surprise and, inevitably, release her. It wasn't so much a cure, but something far more transformative. Something that would lead her to embrace her stutter as, in her words, "the best part of me." Something that would open her vulnerability and inspire her to return to a passion for writing and eventually pen and sell her forthcoming book, Out With It: How Stuttering Helped Me Find My Voice (due out in Spring 2013). While this episode was in post production, a question that'd been on my mind but I'd forgotten to ask came back to me. So I emailed Katherine to ask: When you're really working to get a word or phrase said and it's not coming easily and that little smile comes, what exactly are you thinking at that moment? And, here's what she said: So, the smile... I think it's a compassion thing - for myself and for my listener. I do it subconsciously, but it stems from a desire to remind myself that I don't need to be scared of stuttering. Beyond that, I do it to put my listener at ease, to let them know that nothing terrible is going on, that stuttering does't need to frighten them or make them feel awkward. In general, I believe in laughing at my stutter, in addressing it and treating it with as much common sense as possible. How extraordinary that in the midst of her working to get her words into the world, she has the compassion and presence to be thinking about others and the desire to put whoever's on the other side of the conversation at ease. You can learn more about Katherine at KatherinePreston.com As always, if you enjoy this episode, please share it on twitter, facebook, reddit or wherever else feels right to you.

Ever wonder how to kill a bad habit or start a good habit? How to stop eating ice cream at 11pm or smoking or procrastinating? How to exercise every day, without fail? New York Times journalist and bestselling author of The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg, did too. But he went beyond wondering and spent a few years researching the science behind habit. What he discovered was pretty mindblowing. Not only is there a huge amount of mythology and misinformation around habit, but the people who understand the real psychology of habit formation are using it not just to change their own behavior, but to "influence" the buying decisions of hundreds of millions of consumers. Including you. In this episode of Good Life Project™, Duhigg reveals how one of the biggest retailers in the world, Target, uses habit analysis to figure out which customers are pregnant and leverages that information to cultivate new buying habits. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. He shares how to tap the neuroscience of habit to create your own positive behaviors (hint: chocolate after exercise may not be such a bad thing). He reveals why old habits never really die and what to do about it. Duhigg takes us behind the scenes of major corporations and shows how to use the science of habit to transform a failing businesses into a success story in ways you'd never suspect. And he shares how these ideas can be tapped to create larger shifts in cultures and societies for good or, if misused, not-so-good. If you've ever wanted to get past all the pop-wisdom and understand the real science of habit formation, this week's episode is a must watch. As always, if you enjoy this episode, please share it on twitter, facebook, reddit or wherever else feels right to you.  

Melissa and A.J. Leon were doing everything right....until it all fell apart. Four days before their wedding! High-school sweethearts, Melissa had become a much-loved teacher in Spanish Harlem and A.J. was a rising star in one of the world's leading consulting firms. But, along the way, A.J. had become a shell of who he really was. And, both of them were feeling the pain. As A.J. shares in this episode, he knew... "If I didn't leave that job right then and there, I was going to be that dude for the rest of my life. "Click to tweet What began as a shock to the system led them both out of their current careers and into an extraordinary life of boots-on-the-ground philanthropy, world-travel, entrepreneurship, service and the opportunity to be with each other as they built an extraordinary new venture - Misfit, Inc. In this episode we dive deep into that moment of reckoning, how they got through it together, and what this unusual blended-mission company they're building is all about. If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. And, feel free to share it with your friends! With gratitude, Jonathan

This episode features famed psychologist, behavioral-economist and bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Honest Truth About Dishonesty, Dan Ariely. In his late teens, a horrific accident burned 70% of his body and sent him into the hospital for three years. And it was that experience that incited a deep curiosity about how we behave in the world, how we experience and make choices about pleasure, pain and value, what we believe and the stories we tell ourselves. This led Ariely into a stunning career as a leading behavioral economist, psychologist, acclaimed professor and bestselling author and speaker. If you've enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share it around. Enjoy!