I truly believe that your place in the community is as valuable as anybody else’s. Your gift is really important and we can’t function without everyone being invited to the table to do what they came here to do.

– Gareth Higgins

In this episode, we interview Gareth Higgins, a storyteller, writer, and founder of the Movies & Meaning festival (among many other projects).

Unlike most of our other podcast interviews, this episode focuses more closely on universal themes such as human connection, loneliness, and community. It extends beyond what it means to be a better entrepreneur to what it means to be a better human being.

But, as you’ll hear, the two overlap nicely.

We stumbled upon Gareth through the Movie & Meaning festival website. Little did we know that this Irish-born man would have so much to say about life and how to live it in the best way possible. Gareth is deeply empathetic, spiritual, and joyful —qualities that we think you’ll enjoy experiencing while listening to this episode.

Here’s What You’ll Learn

  • What inspired Gareth to become a “storyteller” and why he fell in love with cinema
  • How the meaning of stories can change based on how someone tells the story
  • How you might examine your own life and tell better stories about yourself
  • Gareth’s take on the antidote for loneliness
  • How to build a better community, both in the world and right here in Asheville
  • And a simple, but meaningful, challenge help you get to know your neighbors

 

Show Notes

Gareth Higgins was born in Belfast in 1975, grew up during the Northern Ireland Troubles and now lives in Asheville, NC. He writes and speaks about our connection to the earth, storytelling, the power of dreams, peace and making justice, and how to take life seriously without believing your own propaganda.

He founded the Wild Goose, New Story, and Movies & Meaning festivals (happening the weekend of Feb 24th in downtown Asheville). He also leads retreats in North America and Ireland and edits The Porch Magazine. Connect with him and his work at GarethHiggins.net (click here to visit his website).

Check out the show notes below where we list the various movies, books, places, concepts, events, and more mentioned during the episode.

Asheville Places & Events

Movies

People

Books & Reads

Concepts

Music by Commonwealth Choir

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Making It in Asheville is a podcast where we go behind the scenes with artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in Asheville. We learn about what they’re making and how they’re making it in Asheville.

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