Getting Back Up After You’ve Been Brought to Your Knees | Mark Nepo
Summary
Jonathan Fields interviews Mark Nepo about his new book, *Falling Down and Getting Up*, exploring how to navigate adversity with compassion rather than resistance. Drawing from his cancer journey and spiritual traditions, Nepo reframes suffering as sacred ground and argues that falling is a universal practice, not personal failure. The conversation covers the liberating realization that "no one is watching," the difference between grounding and chasing approval, and how grief permanently alters life's map. They also discuss the "art of netting," using community and intimacy to distribute li…
Topics discussed
Introduction and episode overview
Sponsor segments: Peloton, Kohler, Schwab
Origins of the book and the pandemic as a global sabbath
The rhythm of falling down and getting up
Learning to fall and the myth of Sisyphus
Sponsor segments: Vinted, Drip Drop, BetterHelp
The illusion of being watched and internal critics
Grounding vs. uplift and living in the present
Compassion, commonality, and the story of the medic
Sponsor segments: Sequencing, Apple Card, Capital One
Sacredness of suffering and the broken hallelujah
Grief as a landscape change and remapping life
The art of netting and distributing weight
Living directly vs. vicariously and the one assignment
Key takeaways and closing remarks
Sponsor segment: Metro by T-Mobile
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