Mary Clavieres, a transformation guide specializing in mind-body connection and human design, joins host Eric Benson to explore what it really means to have a good day, and how your body is often the first to know when you're not. For Mary, a good day is built from small moments of alignment: a breath of gratitude before getting out of bed, a walk, or a meal appreciated before eating it. She's traded the hustle-culture survival mode of her corporate commuting days for a life of flexibility, self-awareness, and listening to what her body is telling her.

Mary Clavieres is a transformation guide and author based in France, specializing in mind-body connection and human design. Her book, Mind-Body Connection Unlocked, is available on her website and wherever books are sold. She hosts the podcast Find Yourself, Change Your Life.

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Host: Eric Benson → ericbenson.re-nourish.org

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Music by: John Opferkuch

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Veena Harbaugh, a sustainability strategist, author, and change-maker, joins host Eric Benson to talk about what a good day actually feels like, and how you know when you're in one. For Veena, it comes down to two things: creativity and connection. Whether she's writing, arranging flowers, or having an unplanned two-hour lunch with a fellow author, she feels what she calls her "life force." She rarely knows it's been a good day until later — when she notices she's chatting with strangers, or that even a dentist appointment went surprisingly well.

Veena Harbaugh is a sustainability strategist, writer, and change-maker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is currently writing Meet the Moment: How to Become and Stay a Force for Positive Change and hosts the Do-Gooders Book Club on Substack.

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Host: Eric Benson → ericbenson.re-nourish.org

Listen & Subscribe: re-nourish.org/podcast

Music by: John Opferkuch

Follow us on Instagram: @RenourishDesign

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• David Allen – Getting Things Done (GTD)
• Tiago Forte – Building a Second Brain & The PARA Method
• Lisa Congdon – Values Card Deck & Illustration Work
• The Harada Method
• Takashi Harada – The Harada Method: The Spirit of Self-Reliance
• Francis Frei – Harvard Business School / Leadership Consortium
• AJ Harper – Writing Workshops
• Laura Stone – Writing Community
• Veena's Do-Gooders Book Club (Substack)
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Flow

Retire, but don't stop. For Steven McCarthy, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota and lifelong designer, a good day is less about structure and more about staying curious, being aware, and having discipline.

For Steven, a good day starts with sleep you didn't have to set an alarm for. He's shaped a quiet retirement ritual (coffee, sunlight, pancakes, and the morning news) that leads to exercise and creative work. His ritual traces back to his father, who started walking four miles a day in his 40s and didn't stop until he was in his 80s, logging every step and every coin he found on the ground.

As a graphic designer and activist, Steven makes protest posters and marches with them. He thinks in longer time scales about his granddaughters and about trajectories that stretch past this year or this decade. He recognizes that a good day isn't always a smooth one, but it's one you show up for anyway to create a better future for all.

Steven McCarthy is a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He writes, publishes, and exhibits design work that lives at the intersection of art, culture, and activism. Learn more about him at www.stevenmccarthy.design

☕ Afuera Coffee Co. - Sustainable Coffee Get 15% OFF | Promo Code: AGOODDAY https://promocode.to/afuera-coffee-co/agoodday-2ao

☕ buymeacoffee.com/renourish (support the show!)

Host: Eric Benson → ericbenson.re-nourish.org

Listen & Subscribe: re-nourish.org/podcast

Music by: John Opferkuch

Follow us on Instagram: @RenourishDesign

Resources in the Episode:

• Transition Design Institute
• The Four Horsemen: The Conversation That Sparked an Atheist Revolution