Shows / Encore Living
Encore Living
What if there’s more for you?
More possibility. More purpose. More of the life you’d really love to be living.
Welcome to Encore Living, a short weekday podcast with Dr. Thor Challgren about creating a life that feels more fully your own.
Each weekday, Thor shares a story, insight, question, or fresh perspective designed to help you think differently about what’s possible for your life.
Sometimes the biggest changes begin simply by noticing something you hadn’t noticed before, questioning an…
Episodes
- Encore Living
#065: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 5
I'm continuing my multi-part series on how I got and gave a TEDx talk. In this episode, part five, I talk about my own process of researching, applying for…
- Encore Living
#064: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 4
This is the fourth episode of my multi-part series on getting and giving in a TEDx talk. I share my personal experience of preparing for a TEDx talk. In…
- Encore Living
#063: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 3
In this episode of "Every Day A New Thought," I share my personal experience of giving a TEDx talk at TEDx Anchorage 2023. In case you missed them, I recommend…
- Encore Living
#062: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 2
I'm sharing my experience on crafting my TEDx Talk in a six-part series. Today's episode is part two, so if you haven't listened to part one, go back and check…
- Encore Living
#061: How to Get and Give a TEDx Talk - Behind the Scenes of my TEDx Talk - Part 1
Ever wondered what goes into getting and giving a TEDx talk? In this episode, I begin a multi-part behind-the-scenes series on my own experience of giving a…
- Encore Living
#060: Embracing Imperfection: What I've Learned from "Every Day A New Thought"
In this episode, I share my thoughts on the things I don't like about the show. This is the 60th episode, and as I reflect on beginning my third month of the…
- Encore Living
#059: Breaking Free From Invisible Fences: How to Make Your Limiting Beliefs Visible
Have you heard of invisible fences? They're used to keep dogs within a certain area without having a physical fence. Thinking about this recently, I wondered…
- Encore Living
#058: Encouraging Lunchbox Notes: The Power of Words to Lift You Up
In today's show, I talk about the power of giving lunchbox notes. Do you remember when you were a kid and you would open up your lunchbox and find a little…
- Encore Living
#057: Overcoming Nervousness: How I Reframed My TEDx Talk Experience
In today's episode, I want to share with you my recent experience giving a TEDx talk in Anchorage, Alaska. I was the first speaker of the day and I had to…
- Encore Living
#056: What To Do When You Lose Your Cell Phone
You could live without your cell phone, right? I mean if you really HAD to? In today's episode, I recount a recent mishap that almost derailed my trip to…
- Encore Living
#055: The Past in Our Present: How Our Thoughts Keep Us Stuck
In this episode, I explore the surprising percentage of thoughts we have each day that are focused on the past. According to research, the average person…
- Encore Living
#054: Did Teddy Roosevelt REALLY Say This Famous Quote?
In today's episode, we'll be exploring a quote that you've probably seen a million times on social media memes, "Do what you can, with what you have where you…
- Encore Living
#053: Merge Onto The Highway Your Dream Is On
In this episode of "Every Day A New Thought," I discuss the importance of matching the energy of our goals in order to achieve them. Using the metaphor of…
- Encore Living
#052: Living "The Four Agreements" - ACTION Plan
In today's episode, I wrap up my series on Don Miguel Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements." I've covered all four agreements in the previous episodes, which are…
- Encore Living
#051: Living "The Four Agreements" - Part 4 - The 4th Agreement
In this episode, I continue my series on Don Miguel Ruiz's book "The Four Agreements" by focusing on the fourth agreement, "Always Do Your Best." This…
- Encore Living
#050: Living "The Four Agreements" - Part 3 - The 3rd Agreement
I'm continuing my four part series exploration of Don Miguel Ruiz's book, "The Four Agreements." In today's episode, I focus on the third agreement, "Don't…
- Encore Living
#049: Living "The Four Agreements" - Part 2 - The 2nd Agreement
In today's episode, I look at the second agreement from Don Miguel Ruiz's book, "The Four Agreements." The second agreement is "Don't take anything…
- Encore Living
#048: Living "The Four Agreements" - Part 1 - The 1st Agreement
In this episode, I'm starting a four-part series based on the book "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz. The book is based on Toltec wisdom and describes…
- Encore Living
#047: Are You Using a Label Maker On Yourself?
In this episode, I reflect on the concept of labeling and its impact on our perception of others and ourselves. We often judge people and assign them labels in…
- Encore Living
#046: Create Your Own "Advance Team"
In this episode of "Every Day A New Thought," I discuss the concept of building your own advanced team. You may have heard of the idea of a team that goes…
- Encore Living
#045: Try This Valentine's Day Experiment
Happy Valentine's Day! (Or if you're listening to this on the other 364 non-romantic days of the year... Happy Whatever Day It Is.) In today's episode, I share…
- Encore Living
#044: Am I Going To Have This #%@! Cold Forever?
Recently, I had a long lasting cold that seemed to never end (and no, it wasn't COVID) It went on so long I actually said out loud, "Am I going to have this…
- Encore Living
#043: The Two Ways You Can Walk Into a Church
Do you know the correct way to walk into a church? Or if you are not someone who walks into churches, do you know the correct way to walk into a building or…
- Encore Living
#042: The Audience Wants You To Be Great (And Here's How To Be Great)
You’ve seen ice skating in the Olympics, right? Where the skater is being hyped because they are going to do some incredible jump in their program. ' And the…
- Encore Living
#041: The Truth About Thomas Edison's 10,000 Light Bulb "Failures"
Did Thomas Edison invent the light bulb, and is it true that he said he didn’t fail 10,000 times, he only discovered 10,000 ways it didn’t work? In today's…
- Encore Living
#040: The One Line from "Top Gun Maverick" That Gets Me Every Time
In today's message, I’m talking about a SINGLE LINE OF DIALOGUE from the massive hit movie, "Top Gun Maverick" with Tom Cruise. I talk about why that line is…
- Encore Living
#039: The Universe Is EXACTLY Like A Drive-Through Starbucks
You know how when you place an order at a drive-through Starbucks, then they say, "See you at the next window!" And then they give you what you asked for at…
- Encore Living
#038: The Past Version of You Already Got To Live Their Life
Do you ever have regret over things that have happened in the past? Like you look back and think, “why did I do that?” If so, in moments like that, say to…
- Encore Living
#037: Three Reasons to Put a Baby Picture on Your Mirror
Have you ever yelled at a baby? Probably not, right? Even if it was your own child and you were upset chances are, you would never yell at the baby. In today’s…
- Encore Living
#036: Why You Should Avoid Getting Rich Quick
In today's message, I explore the phrase "get rich quick." I ask the question, should we avoid the idea of getting rich quick? Most of us get that riches don't…
- Encore Living
#035: Putting Yourself First... And Neapolitan Ice Cream
In this episode, I ask the question, how often do you put yourself first? One way to test this is to ask what would happen if you and I were sharing a…
- Encore Living
#034: Get Into A Bidding War Over Yourself
Here's a question you probably don't get asked often: how much would you bid on yourself? Here's the scenario. You're at a fancy auction at Christies. You're…
- Encore Living
#033: Should The Phrase Really Be "Easier DONE Than Said"?
In today's message, I ask if maybe we have it all wrong when we use the phrase, "Easier Said Than Done." Maybe it should be "Easier DONE Than Said." Here's…
- Encore Living
#032: The Power of 30 Day Resolutions
In today's message, I explore the power of making 30 day resolutions, as opposed to year-long ones. We've probably all made New Years resolutions that lasted…
- Encore Living
#031: Insights on the First 30 Shows (Also Happy Birthday To Me!)
In today's episode, I'm celebrating. It's my birthday! Also, I've now done the first 30 episodes of the show, and I share three insights on the process of…
- Encore Living
#030: The Truth Behind "This is Fine" Dog Meme?
You know that meme picture of the dog in a bar that’s on fire? The dog has a smile on his face, as the bar around him burns. And his captioned comment is…
- Encore Living
#029: That Giant Fist In Front of Your Face
In today's show, I ask the question: is there a giant fist in front of your face? Let’s say there’s something you want to do or accomplish. You want to see it…
- Encore Living
#028: Should Working Toward A Goal Be Fun?
In today's message, I ask if we have our goal-setting priorities backwards. We all have goals we want to accomplish, and we "work" at those goals until they…
- Encore Living
#027: Creating the Mold For What You Really Want
Have you ever been to a steel factory? Yeah, me neither. But I DO have a picture in my mind of what one looks like, when they pour the molten steel into a…
- Encore Living
#026: How to Increase Your Confidence in Just Two Minutes
In today's message, I explore how we can use our body language to increase our confident. In a TED talk given by Amy Cuddy, she talks about how our own body…
- Encore Living
#025: How To Resolve Any Conflict and Move On
In today's message, I recall the TV show "Lost" to discuss how to move forward after facing a conflict that *seems* to have no resolution. Sometimes there are…
- Encore Living
#024: Why You Should Give a TEDx Talk
In today's message, I ask if you've ever considered giving a TED talk. I asked this question six months ago, and it led me on a path to give a TEDx talk in…
- Encore Living
#023: Can I Be Right (Without You Being Wrong)?
In today's episode, I explore how to have a conversation without it ending in a zero-sum argument. There's a way to state your opinion on a subject without…
- Encore Living
#022: Perfectionism and Potatoes on Mars
In today's message, I explore the idea of perfectionism by way of a recent hit movie: "The Martian." The movie's lead character, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is an…
- Encore Living
#021: The Truth About Napoleon Hill
"Think and Grow Rich" is a classic in the field of personal development. But did its author, Napoleon Hill, truly live up to the teachings in his book? In…
- Encore Living
#020: What's The BEST That Can Happen?
You know the phrase, "What's the worst that can happen?" That's pretty common, right? But in today's message, I ask, why don't we say, "What's the BEST that…
- Encore Living
#019: Are You A Micro-Complainer?
Okay, be honest... how much of your day do you spend in "complaint mode"? You may not be a big complainer, but in today's message, I talk about how…
- Encore Living
#018: Conduct The Symphony of Your Life
Imagine your life is a being played by an orchestra, and YOU are the conductor of that orchestra. In today's message, I play with the idea that our lives are…
- Encore Living
#017: Juggling Chainsaws and Perfectionism
In this episode, I look at perfectionism and ask when we have to be perfect and when we don't. As far as I can tell, juggling chainsaws is one of the few times…
- Encore Living
#016: Draw A Bigger Circle Around Yourself
In this episode, I ask if it's possible to draw a new, bigger circle around ourselves. You have capabilities and experiences that you currently believe are…
- Encore Living
#015: Uplevel Your Game AND Have Fun? Yes!
In this episode, I ask the question, can you uplevel your game and still have fun? (HINT: It depends on your belief system.) Often we feel that working hard or…
- Encore Living
#014: Your Circle of Energy
In this episode, I talk about how we can imagine every solution we need being on the other side of a circle of energy. Where did this idea come from? The…
- Encore Living
#013: Waiting For the Other Shoe To Drop? Don't!
In this episode, I talk about the origin of the phrase, "waiting for the other shoe to drop." I discuss how, often, we use this phrase as shorthand for…
- Encore Living
#012: The "Something Awesome" Experiment
In today's episode, I begin a 30-day experiment. Inspired by Pam Grout's book, "Thank and Grow Rich," I will begin each morning with the phrase, "Something…
- Encore Living
#011: When to Just Let It Go
In this episode, I ask the question, are there times when it's better to let go over a perceived insult or slight? Inspired by a TEDx talk by Ashe Beckham, I…
- Encore Living
#010: There Is A Part of You That Does Know
In today's episode, I challenge the idea of us saying we don't know how to do something. Because I believe there is a part of us that DOES know. There is…
- Encore Living
#009: Spiritual Red Bull
In today's episode, I ask the question: do you have something in your life that acts as Red Bull for your spirit, for who you are, for your soul? Because in…
- Encore Living
#008: Creating From Out of the Blue
In today's episode, I look at the phrase "out of the blue," which we commonly associate with things happening in an unexpected or surprising way. But maybe we…
- Encore Living
#007: Brag On Yourself
In today's episode, I'm going to encourage you to brag on yourself. How often do you say good things about yourself positive things about yourself. Let's talk…
- Encore Living
#006: Could You Live Anywhere?
In today's episode, I ask, could you live anywhere? is there some place that you've ever thought about living? And why didn't you do it? I offer a process for…