Andrew Leigh

The Good Life, The Chronicle, 4 October

"One of the phoniest phrases in modern, contemporary language is quality time", Lindsay Tanner tells me, "There is only one form of quality time - that's quantity time."

I'm chatting with the former Finance Minister not about dollars, but about making sense of modern life. Being a good parent, he argues, isn't something you can do on a few hours a week.

The conversation was part of a new podcast I've started, which focuses not on politics and policy, but on living a happy, healthy and ethical life. Over recent years, I've become less interested in intelligence, and more in wisdom.

It seems to me that Australia probably doesn't need more parliamentarians with snappy slogans and incisive insults. But there may be a case for politicians taking a bit of time to explore the deeper questions, of how we make the most of our brief time on the planet.

The podcast is called "The Good Life", a phrase coined by Aristotle about 2300 years ago to sum up what it is to live life to the full. In the podcast, I’ve spoken with Michael Traill, who jumped ship from banking to become the founding head of Social Ventures Australia. I’ve explored food and fun with Australia's happiest epicurean Annabel Crabb.

I’ve delved into trauma, healing and meditation with SANE Australia head Jack Heath. With palliative care nurse Nikki Johnston, I discussed what makes a good death, and what the prospect of mortality can teach us about living well. And with Graeme Simsion, author of "The Rosie Project", we talked about autism, writing and the fine line between success and failure.

I'd love to get your thoughts on The Good Life, and who you look to for guidance on being healthier, happier and more ethical in your own life.

To download the podcast, search "Andrew Leigh Good Life" on iTunes, or go to www.goodlifepodcast.podbean.com.