This conversation between Kristi Nelson, executive director of A Network for Grateful Living, and Scott Barry Kaufman on The Psychology Podcast features a deep dive into the fundamentals of grateful living. Highlights include Kristi’s personal story of how her cancer diagnosis led her on a journey towards waking up grateful, differentiating gratitude from gratefulness, and how we might reclaim the curiosity, play, and wonder of our childhoods. It also features an overview of the five guiding principles of grateful living and Br. David’s foundational Stop.Look.Go practice. Settle in and enjoy the joyful 45-minute conversation below.

Watch or Listen to the Episode

This conversation is also available on Scott’s website.

About the Conversation

This episode features Kristi Nelson, the executive director of A Network for Grateful Living. Her life’s work in the non-profit sector has focused on leading, inspiring, and strengthening organizations committed to progressive social and spiritual change. Being a long-time stage IV cancer survivor moves her every day to support others in living and loving with great fullness of heart. She is the author of Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted.

In this episode, Scott talks to Kristi Nelson about gratefulness. She differentiates gratefulness from gratitude by describing the former as an orientation towards life, without being dependent on internal or external circumstances. Kristi shares the practice of Stop.Look.Go and her five guiding principles that can inspire you to live a life of gratefulness. We also touch on the topics of positive psychology, mindfulness, play, and self-compassion.

Topics include:

  • Kristi’s cancer diagnosis
  • Gratitude vs gratefulness
  • Gratefulness during hard times
  • Reclaim play, curiosity, courage
  • Life is a gift
  • Everything is surprise
  • The ordinary is extraordinary
  • Appreciation is generative
  • Say yes to your life
  • Love is transformative
  • Stop, Look, Go
  • Befriending our full selves
  • Leaving a grateful legacy

Kristi Nelson
Kristi Nelson

Kristi Nelson is our Ambassador for Grateful Living and the author of Wake Up Grateful: The Transformative Practice of Taking Nothing for Granted. She served as Executive Director at Grateful Living from 2014 - 2022. Her life’s work in the non-profit sector has focused on leading, inspiring, and strengthening organizations committed to progressive social and spiritual change. Being a long-time stage IV cancer survivor moves her every day to support others in living and loving with great fullness of heart.

See more content by Kristi Nelson →
Scott Barry Kaufman
Scott Barry Kaufman

Scott Barry Kaufman is a cognitive scientist and humanistic psychologist exploring the mind, creativity, and the depths of human potential. He is a professor at Columbia University and founder and director of the Center for the Science of Human Potential. Dr. Kaufman hosts the #1 psychology podcast in the world—The Psychology Podcast—which has received over 20 million downloads and was included in Business Insider’s list of “9 podcasts that will change how you think about human behavior.” Dr. Kaufman likes to share his enthusiasm and knowledge of the science of potential through his books, teaching, self-actualization coaching, podcast, blog, articles, and speaking engagements.

See more content by Scott Barry Kaufman →
Well-being
Interviews