Sutterfaction

Sutterfaction

Evan Sutter

We live in arguably the most inauthentic epoch in history. Big business manipulates and confuses with another carefully crafted marketing campaign. Influencers have replaced elders and authors as the go-to place for advice and support. Capitalism and neoliberalism condition us and then dictate terms. House prices, floods, bushfires, stress, busyness, poverty, and the rest. How can we enjoy our lives amongst all the conflicts of interests, biases, and uncertainty? The Sutterfaction Podcast, hosted by author, speaker, and activist Evan Sutter, plays at the intersections of philosophy, psychology, society and culture, ethics, human flourishing, politics, business, happiness, and meaning; so we...

EP. 25 - The Best Gifts To “Buy” Kids For Christmas in 2023 (AND IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK)

EP. 25 - The Best Gifts To “Buy” Kids For Christmas in 2023 (AND IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK)

We all want our kids to be happy. We want them to be healthy. To be creative and curious. Interested and interesting. We want them to be liked, to form strong and beautiful friendships, to do well at school, and to have options. We want to hear them laugh, smile, think independently and critically, to be open, kind and full of joy. And, of course, so much of this is out of our control as parents and caregivers. So much is influenced by so many different things. So, we try to control what we can.

Dec 7, 2023 • 9:48

EP. 24 - Think Tranquillity. Not Happiness. Nor Fame. Not Success - (#7) 12 IDEAS TO CONSTRUCT A LIFE WORTH LIVING

EP. 24 - Think Tranquillity. Not Happiness. Nor Fame. Not Success - (#7) 12 IDEAS TO CONSTRUCT A LIFE WORTH LIVING

In this 30-minute discussion, various relevant subjects will be covered, such as technology, consumerism, capitalism, entertainment, competition, and success. The argument presented is that these factors make it significantly more challenging for individuals in the modern Western world to lead a good, healthy life. Supported by research and ideas from renowned thinkers like Socrates, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Bertrand Russell, the talk advocates for peacefulness and tranquillity over more desired thi

Jul 23, 2023 • 33:44

EP. 23 - The Queen is Dead and 13 Fast Ways To The Good Life

EP. 23 - The Queen is Dead and 13 Fast Ways To The Good Life

Welcome back, this is the Sutterfaction podcast. The show about looking deeper into society and culture, politics, current affairs, conditioning, and all that is around us, so we can then look deeper with more clarity and awareness into our own lives - so, we can enjoy our lives more - more deeply, more authentically, more vibrantly. In this episode we go around the grounds to get a unique look into the death of the Queen of Britain. Controversial - yes. Important - definitely. And we also

Sep 16, 2022 • 17:02

EP. 22 - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - #6 HEALTH IS WEALTH

EP. 22 - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - #6 HEALTH IS WEALTH

This is a very cool and important talk that will examine the wealth vs health conflict. It will look at how to:-Eat better, move better, think better-Find balance-Enjoy your life -Create a new recipe for optimum physical and mental health. -Find meaning at work -Make better use of your finite time. For many of us, when we think of preparing for retirement, we think somewhat automatically about what that looks like from an economic lens. In fact much of our lives is looked at from an economic len

Aug 26, 2022 • 23:20

EP. 21 - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - #5 LEARN FOR LIFE, NOT FOR A JOB

EP. 21 - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - #5 LEARN FOR LIFE, NOT FOR A JOB

Learning for a job or merely to advance your career is too often one dimensional and rigid, the other - learning for life - is interconnected, holistic and open, and then it flows into all areas of our lives. And, afterall, a life well lived, a good life, has to be connected. Our world is full of people with great careers and financial success, who are miserable in almost all other areas. They linger in the realm of quiet desperation, like Thoreau would say, appearing to be doing wonderfully wel

Aug 8, 2022 • 19:58

EP.20 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living #4 TRAVEL... AND MOSTLY YOUR INNER WORLD

EP.20 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living #4 TRAVEL... AND MOSTLY YOUR INNER WORLD

To construct a life worth living - a connected, interesting, interested and fulfilled life - we need to examine and explore everything outside and inside of us, and perhaps with a greater emphasis on the inside. We can tend to think of exploring in an external sense and think travel in this way is all the exploration we need. Travel is great, but in this day and age even this beautiful tool of self-discovery and emancipation is becoming slightly more superficial and limiting in what it can do fo

Jul 27, 2022 • 26:48

EP.19 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - - #3 BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO

EP.19 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - - #3 BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO

In each moment it is fascinating to observe just how many choices we are making. These choices shape our lives, our characters, our capacities. And, of course everything around us influences these choices. But, how many are really our own, and how many are merely the result of our schooling, the media, the TV shows and advertising we consume, even the area we happened to grow up in. And, how often are we easily influenced by a skillfully curated campaign by a big company, a political party,

Jul 16, 2022 • 17:33

EP.18 - - 12 IDEAS FOR A GOOD LIFE #2 Collect experiences, not things

EP.18 - - 12 IDEAS FOR A GOOD LIFE #2 Collect experiences, not things

Philosopher Nietske emphasised the lived life - a move away from a preoccupation with trivial concerns - he told us to avoid the unlived life, and to live boldly and fully. In today’s modern, uber connected, world it is easy to get lost in a pursuit of things - shinier, brighter, faster, better, more. Which makes the examination side, one preached by many a philosopher, and made popular by Socrates and his unexamined life is not worth living idea, all the more difficult. With limited time,

Jul 8, 2022 • 17:28

EP.17 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - - #1 GIVE UP

EP.17 - - 12 Ideas To Construct A Life Worth Living - - #1 GIVE UP

We are told to chase, and strive, to never stop, to just do it, to hustle. To wake up at 4am and keep pushing. That nothing good ever came to the person who doesn’t compete, who doesn’t get down and dirty. You get the picture. You know the picture. It’s everywhere! Sutter opens season 3 of his popular talk series, Sutterfaction, with a piercing look into the modern world’s addiction to doing. How did we become such ardent hard workers? Where did we learn to never give up? Is hustling merely

Jun 30, 2022 • 15:01

EP.16 - - Do We Have A Mental Health and Climate Crisis? Or Do We Have A Values Crisis?

EP.16 - - Do We Have A Mental Health and Climate Crisis? Or Do We Have A Values Crisis?

We continue to look at rising mental health and environmental destruction as if they emerge in isolation, we slap on another band-aid to offer short-term relief and wonder why we end up in the same place. In this powerful and punchy 40 minute talk, Sutter looks at Mental Health, Climate Change, Social Media, Consumerism, Capitalism, Neoliberalism, GDP, Authenticity, Leisure Time, Heroes, and introduces us to Greenwashing’s Ugly New Friend. Importantly, he investigates how they are all deepl

Dec 22, 2021 • 40:28

EP. 15 - - How To Find Meaning and Purpose In A Crazy World That Makes Us Doubt If It Is Even Worth Pursuing at all

EP. 15 - - How To Find Meaning and Purpose In A Crazy World That Makes Us Doubt If It Is Even Worth Pursuing at all

How does one find meaning and purpose in life? Is it even a worthwhile pursuit as we navigate an unpredictable and uncertain world? Can meaning bring us more joy? Does purpose lead to freedom? Is freedom the key to happiness? Turn on the TV, open up your phone, walk down the street, and we are bombarded by an abundance of well placed stories that tell us that we need something more, better, different. Trillion dollar industries, political movements, entire systems are built on the idea that

Dec 10, 2021 • 17:22

EP.14 - - Know Yourself or Suffer: The Greek Philosophers said ‘Know Thyself’ is the most Important Teaching. And It is More Important Today Than Ever Before.

EP.14 - - Know Yourself or Suffer: The Greek Philosophers said ‘Know Thyself’ is the most Important Teaching. And It is More Important Today Than Ever Before.

Sutter makes a case for ‘knowing yourself’ as a powerful antidote for unnecessary suffering. He challenges us all to value authenticity as a way to experience true freedom and fulfillment, and help us to not fall prey to the dangers of the pleasure trap. When have you asked yourself, “Why am I doing this?” When have you ever stopped and really analyzed what you are doing? Too many people find themselves in a circle, an unhealthy circle, chasing after one thing until it is acquired, before i

Dec 2, 2021 • 17:00

EP.13 - - How to Explore Life Like a Real Adventurer and Find Happiness on the Way

EP.13 - - How to Explore Life Like a Real Adventurer and Find Happiness on the Way

What gets us stuck in the pleasure trap, the circle of distraction and dissatisfaction? How do we explore life in a way that is enriching long-term? Is our modern, Instagram fuelled travel the best way to learn about who we are and what we want? Sutter dives into what it means to travel and explore authentically. He brings some great philosophers and thinkers on the journey with us to ensure we get the most out of our adventures. From Von Goethe we plunge boldly into the thick of life, William J

Nov 27, 2021 • 4:49

EP.12 - - Life can be stressful: Here are 3 Simple Skills to Boost Your Wellbeing and Aliveness

EP.12 - - Life can be stressful: Here are 3 Simple Skills to Boost Your Wellbeing and Aliveness

We can get in the habit of churning through the days without ever giving things any real thought. We get stuck in a routine of monotony and forget all the amazing things we have every single day that we are grateful for. In this short 5 minute talk, in collaboration with 5 minutes for me, Sutter gives us 3 very simple and practical skills to enjoy our lives more. He blends philosophy and unique ideas to provoke thought and offer light encouragement to shift habits and play in the uncertainty of

Nov 26, 2021 • 5:31

EP. 11 - - Mental Health & The Modern World: Is Social Media Making Our Lives Unnecessarily Difficult?

EP. 11 - - Mental Health & The Modern World: Is Social Media Making Our Lives Unnecessarily Difficult?

We have seen so many incredible advancements in technology in recent times and we seem to have an abundance of choice like never before, but is it these advancements that were meant to make the world an easier place to live that are actually causing a widespread dissatisfaction with life?In this episode Sutter looks at the emergence of pseudo-vulnerability, and how social media platforms, influencers, and mental health ambassadors are adding to the mental health crisis we are living in. Sutter l

Sep 23, 2021 • 18:37

EP.10 - - Life is Hard: Here's Some Simple Ways You Can Make It Harder, And Some Simple Ways You Can Make It Easier

EP.10 - - Life is Hard: Here's Some Simple Ways You Can Make It Harder, And Some Simple Ways You Can Make It Easier

Sutter diagnoses the traits and habits of the unhappy, and provides a rich toolkit of ideas, philosophies, and research to transform our boredom, loneliness and dissatisfaction into joy, freedom, and fulfillment. So we can enjoy our lives, while we are alive. No doubt over the last 2 years as the world has undergone dramatic changes, you’ve experienced some gloom and tough times. A type of fatigue and dissatisfaction with life that is difficult to shake. But, despite all of life's challenge

Aug 30, 2021 • 22:50

EP. 9 - - The Most Radical Thing You Can Do To Enrich Your Life (and Possibly Save Humanity at the Same Time)

EP. 9 - - The Most Radical Thing You Can Do To Enrich Your Life (and Possibly Save Humanity at the Same Time)

Author, activist and social entrepreneur Evan Sutter is at it again with another controversial and highly thought-provoking talk. He tackles our consumer culture and its work in creating lacklustre human beings that just think like everyone else, who lead lives of quiet desperation, choosing things over experiences and TV over friendship. He calls for 3 radical changes in order to cultivate good lives worth living, ones that enrich our lives and the ones of those around us. He analyses how our a

Jul 7, 2021 • 19:27

EP. 8 - - Is The Modern World Killing Off Our Wise Elders? And What We Can All Do About It Before It’s Too Late!

EP. 8 - - Is The Modern World Killing Off Our Wise Elders? And What We Can All Do About It Before It’s Too Late!

Sutter dissects how our addiction to fast fixes and a modern world that cultivates distracted minds has left a gaping hole in how we receive wisdom and knowledge. He makes a case for how a shift is desperately needed to save our youth and our planet, and how our wise elders (and all of us) can play a key role in making that shift a reality. But, he also questions whether there are in fact wise elders still around, and whether the fast paced modern world has destroyed their perceived value.

Jun 24, 2021 • 13:59

EP. 7 - - The Business of Happiness: Is Business The Key To Making The World A Happier Place?

EP. 7 - - The Business of Happiness: Is Business The Key To Making The World A Happier Place?

The amazing work done by businesses around the world is limited if no one knows about them and it doesn’t affect how we spend our time and money, and vice versa, our great choices every day are limited if others choices aren’t great - and aren’t great on a much larger scale. Sutter takes us on his own personal journey to creating his startup, and delivers insightful and unique tips to boost our happiness and change our world. Dive inside to see how we can generate more happiness to live real

Dec 4, 2020 • 56:02

EP. 6 - - A Guided Meditation on Befriending the Moment

EP. 6 - - A Guided Meditation on Befriending the Moment

I’ve found the key is being present in whatever you’re doing. Otherwise we may just always be somewhere else, wanting something else. We may be having great sex and thinking about what we’re eating for dinner after. That’s an unhealthy habit to cultivate, one that zaps our zest and energy for life and living. I think aliveness doesn't start on the edge of a cliff or on some exciting adventure, and maybe it isn't always activity and action, but could be just as much found in the silence, the disc

Nov 27, 2020 • 11:33

EP. 5 - - The Art of Living a Good Life: The Explorer and the Peaceful Fool

EP. 5 - - The Art of Living a Good Life: The Explorer and the Peaceful Fool

7 years ago when Sutter was a lost, over-entertained, safety-seeking 20 something, staying in a Hut in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village, he stumbled upon a book called Happiness by Matthieu Ricard, and his views on happiness being a skill, one in which we can actually develop. Ricard wrote “One is not born wise; one becomes it,” and Sutter wondered if we become happy the same way we become wise. In this talk Sutter shares how he stumbled upon Happiness in the hut, and then dived deeper into why he

Nov 27, 2020 • 16:30

EP. 4 - - Is Being Hopeful And Positive The Best Way To Live A Life? The Dreamer, The Thinker & The Doer

EP. 4 - - Is Being Hopeful And Positive The Best Way To Live A Life? The Dreamer, The Thinker & The Doer

Sutter asks the big question: is being hopeful and positive the best way to live a life? He sets out to answer it in his own unique style and engaging commentary, cleverly picking apart his own experiences and the wisdom of great thinkers like Thich Nhat Hanh and Daniel Gottlieb, to create an antidote for fear and anxiety. Is there a better way than being hopeful? Can we change our stories? Is optimism preventing us from living a good life? Should we bother dreaming about something better? Is

Oct 19, 2020 • 20:53

EP.3 - - A Brief History Of Happiness and How It Can Make You Happier: The Seeker & The Controller

EP.3 - - A Brief History Of Happiness and How It Can Make You Happier: The Seeker & The Controller

Happiness is overused, over defined, over commercialized and productized, and thus it has lost its power and impact. But, Sutter uses the wisdom of philosophers to reimagine our view of happiness and how it can make our lives better. Gone is the boring, generic and mundane happiness, instead it is robust, gritty and cool. Sutter dissects the many, many ideas about happiness that have flooded our lives and creates clarity and, most importantly, a way to implement it into our lives to truly rejoic

Oct 8, 2020 • 23:51

EP. 2 -- How The Great Explorers Conquer Themselves First:  The Traveller, The Sandcastle & The Influencer

EP. 2 -- How The Great Explorers Conquer Themselves First: The Traveller, The Sandcastle & The Influencer

Sutter explores the adventures that lie within each of us as we navigate what to many is a closed off, COVID affected, planet. He sells us on a new vision for an extraordinary type of travel, one in which we don't have to wait for the borders to open. Using the wisdom from Pinker, Epictetus, Von Goethe, Proust and his own adventures and experiences in 60+ countries, Sutter cleanly and concisely shows us that there is clarity, peace and joy to be found, even in the most unpredictable of worlds.

Sep 29, 2020 • 21:05

EP. 1 - - How To Enjoy Loneliness, Play in Boredom & Thrive in Uncertainty: The Grasper, The Runner & The Ten-Chi Master

EP. 1 - - How To Enjoy Loneliness, Play in Boredom & Thrive in Uncertainty: The Grasper, The Runner & The Ten-Chi Master

In this episode Sutter compassionately tackles the concept of entropy, the falling apart of things, and the inevitability of suffering. Using powerful insights from great thinkers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Carl Jung, John O'Donohue and Bernie Siegel to highlight how we can all use the absurdity of life (Camus) to bring peace, joy and fulfillment to our lives. Sutter dissects his own recent experiences and tragedies to formulate a strong case for softening our egos and preconceived ideas and builds

Sep 21, 2020 • 20:01

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