My guest today is Dr. Michael F. Steger, Professor of Psychology and founding director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. Mike has published over 150 scholarly articles and created two of the most widely used measures of meaning in the world, and somehow makes all of it feel like a conversation you’d want to have over dinner.

We unpack what meaning actually is significance, coherence, and purpose and then bring it straight into travel. Why do unfamiliar places sometimes make us feel more like ourselves? Can a trip be genuinely meaningful, or does it just slide into beautiful consumption? And what does it take to come home not just rested, but also more alive?

If you’ve ever wondered if travel makes life more meaningful, this episode is for you.

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Listen to hear:

• 02:10 – About the trip that shifted Mike’s perspective
• 05:53 – What meaning really is and how psychologists understand it
• 10:00 – Where meaning and purpose fit within Eudaimonia, and what Aristotle might say about it
• 14:33 – How we can actively cultivate more meaning in our lives
• 16:22 – Why curiosity may be essential to living meaningfully
• 22:30 – When travel becomes an expression of meaning-seeking behaviour
• 28:37 – Who we become when unfamiliar places help us feel more like ourselves
• 32:42 – How the three pillars of meaning come alive through travel experiences
• 38:48 – What we can do differently when designing trips that matter
• 44:08 – About practical ways to deepen meaning while travelling
• 58:17 – About Mike’s favorite choices on travel
• 63:08 – What travel can teach us about the world and humanity by traveling with intention