Pursuing the Excellent Life

Live Well & Flourish

If you’re ready to think beyond material and external success, if you’re ready to take control of who you are and the kind of life you live, if you’re ready to flourish, this podcast is for you. The topics I cover help you understand what it means to live a flourishing life, a life of meaning, satisfaction, and enduring happiness.

(Formerly known as the Rational Ignorance Podcast.)

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Recent Episodes

March 25, 2024

Understanding and Overcoming Allostatic Overload: Navigating Stress for a Healthier Life

Ever find yourself inexplicably tense, fatigued, or on edge, as if your body is sounding an alarm? Your instincts aren't wrong; it's the distress signal of allostatic overload—the crux of our latest Live Well and Flourish di…
March 11, 2024

Being Smart Doesn't Mean Being Wise

Navigating the delicate interplay of intelligence and wisdom can be as complex as it is profound. Today's journey begins with a glimpse into a personal loss—a story of my beloved dog, Maggie—which opens the door to a much la…
Feb. 26, 2024

From Rational Ignorance to Practical Wisdom: Reflections on 100 Episodes

Discover seven powerful maxims that can redefine your approach to life and unlock a more fulfilling existence. As I, Craig Van Slyke, reflect on the journey of Live Well and Flourish, I'm proud to share the wisdom that has n…
Feb. 12, 2024

Are You a Good Person? 10 Questions to Consider

Reflecting on the profound legacy left by my late wife, Debbie, I was reminded of the incredible impact one individual's goodness can have. In our latest heart-to-heart podcast episode, I delve into the essence of what it me…
Jan. 29, 2024

Deconstructing Failure: The 3A's Pathway to Growth

Have you ever faced a setback and wondered how it could possibly lead to success? Let me, Craig Van Slyke, reveal to you the transformative power of the 3A's method: Acceptance, Analysis, and Adjustment, in the latest episod…
Jan. 15, 2024

You're an Adult with Agency: Taking Charge of Your Flourishing

Are you steering your life with conviction, or are you waiting for someone else to hand you the reins? Join me, Craig Van Slyke, as we unpack the concept of personal agency and its transformative impact on life. Life's compl…

Recent Blog Posts

Nine Country Songs that are Actually Philosophy

[This article was originally published on Medium.] My wife, Tracy, and I moved out to the country a year ago. Since moving to the country and acquiring a horse and two (very funny) goats, I’ve been listening to a lot of country music ……

Craig guests on The Toddcast Show

Recently, I had a wide-ranging, enjoyable conversation with Todd Murat, host of the Toddcast Show. We talked about how I came to be a professor (spoiler: it was a twisty path), the current state of political discourse, the power of thoughts and the …

Comfort Is The Enemy

  Today I'm bringing you the first of a new kind of article, which I'm calling 5 Minute Flourishing. These are gonna be short, focused articles. I'll release them in between the regular articles. I'm doing this because I want you to keep flour…

About the Hosts

Craig Van Slyke

Host, Live Well and Flourish ... and servant of three dogs, three cats, two horses and a goat.

Craig Van Slyke is the Mike McCallister Eminent Scholar Chair in Information Systems at Louisiana Tech University. Prior to joining Tech, he was professor and dean of the W.A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University. He has also held faculty positions at Saint Louis University, University of Central Florida, and Ohio University. He holds a Ph.D. in Information Systems from the University of South Florida. Dr. Van Slyke has published over 60 articles in respected academic journals including Decision Sciences, Communications of the ACM, European Journal of Information Systems and Journal of the Association for Information Systems. His fourth co-authored textbook, Information Systems in Business: An Experiential Approach, is in its fourth edition. Craig’s first trade book, On Leadership and Life: Essays on Leading and Living Well was published in June 2017. The book combines psychology and philosophy with his experiences to provide insights in to leadership and living well.

Craig also produces the AI Goes to College newsletter and podcast. If you're interested in generative AI, check it out at https://www.aigoestocollege.com.

Andrea Christelle

Former co-host, Live Well and Flourish

Andrea is an award-winning program designer, speaker, and facilitator whose innovations in philosophy create opportunities for personal development, and interpersonal understanding. For almost 10 years, Andrea has been pushing the boundaries of how and where philosophy is done. By returning philosophy to a practice of dialogue, Andrea fosters collaborative inquiry and dynamic outcomes. Andrea has customized philosophical programs for museums, movie theaters, private homes, high schools, historic hotels, artists’ studios, and small businesses. But her favorite place to do philosophy is out in the natural world, on trails and rivers. Whether it is one-on-one or in a small group, Andrea is passionate about advancing philosophy's practical value for everyday life, and helping people understand themselves, each other, and the world.

Andrea earned her PhD in philosophy from Tulane University, and serves on the boards of Benefactors of Red Rock State Park, the Public Philosophy Journal, Sedona XYZ, and the Society of Philosophers of America (SOHPIA). Her past board service includes the League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley, Sedona International Film Festival, the Verde Valley Forum, and the Verde Valley Regional Economic Organization.