Dr. Jordan Grumet — hospice physician, author of The Purpose Code, and host of the Earn and Invest podcast — joins Dr. Dan for an energizing conversation about the difference between meaning and purpose, and why most of us suffer from "purpose anxiety." Through stories from his patients at the end of life and his own journey from childhood loss to financial independence, Jordan reveals why chasing Big P purpose (audacious goals driven by proving our worth) often leaves us empty, while embracing little p purpose (small, process-oriented actions that light us up) creates joy, resilience, and authentic connection. This conversation is a call to subtract what drains you, add what energizes you, and use every tool at your disposal to spend more of your days in flow, meaning, and happiness.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The difference between little p purpose and Big P purpose — and why one leads to happiness while the other leads to burnout
Why meaning must be healed before purpose can truly fulfill us
How to "win the game of life"
Why courage, not time or money, is the real barrier to living with purpose
How cognitive grounding connects past meaning to present purpose
What the dying teach us about living fully — and why addressing the hard stuff now is essential to dying well
Why narrative therapy and neuroplasticity matter
LEARN MORE
Get new episodes every Thursday
September 18, 2025
Dr. Jordan Grumet
Little P Purpose: How Small Actions Create Big Impact and Lasting Happiness
"Winning the game is filling as much time as possible with things you love, and subtracting the things you loathe."
TIMESTAMPS
00:02:46 – Little p vs Big P purpose: Process-oriented joy versus audacious achievement
00:07:21 – The power of meaning: How past stories shape present actions
00:15:15 – Purpose as present and future: Action-oriented fulfillment
00:22:14 – Cognitive grounding: Connecting past meaning to present purpose
00:29:23 – Winning the game: Subtracting what you loathe, adding what you love
00:32:05 – The courage barrier: Why most excuses about time and money don't hold up
00:46:58 – Narrative therapy and neuroplasticity: Rewriting stories and building new neural roads
00:56:54 – Living without regret: What hospice patients teach us about purpose
SHOW NOTES
In this energizing new episode, Dr. Dan sits down with physician, author, and podcaster Dr. Jordan Grumet (Doc G) to explore the difference between meaning and purpose—and how understanding this distinction can transform how we live, work, and love. During their insightful conversation, Dr. Dan and Doc G explore defining questions including: What does it truly mean to live a life of purpose? And why chasing big, audacious goals often leaves us feeling empty instead of fulfilled?
Dr. Grumet shares his powerful and personal story from childhood loss and finding community in a small baseball card shop, to his career in medicine and his profound experiences as a hospice doctor. His insights reveal why most of us suffer from “purpose anxiety” and how embracing “little p purpose”—the small, process-oriented actions that light us up—can create joy, resilience, and authentic connection.
Dr. Grumet’s wisdom, work, and books (Taking Stock and The Purpose Code) remind us that purpose is not about proving our worth or chasing achievement—it’s about choosing daily actions that energize us and connect us to others.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Dr. Jordan Grumet
Website — jordangrumet.com
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/jordan-grumet-38a506179
Podcast: Earn and Invest — earnandinvest.com
Book: Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life
Book: The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy
Upcoming: Book on healthcare system and shared storytelling (November 2025)
Upcoming: Book on meaning (Spring 2027, Harriman House)
Writing
Psychology Today blog — Jordan Grumet
Substack — The Purpose Code
Key Concepts
Little p vs Big P purpose — Little p is process-oriented, lights you up, rooted in joy; Big P is outcome-oriented, anxiety-inducing, driven by proving worth
Meaning vs purpose — Meaning is about the past (the stories we tell); purpose is about present and future (the actions we take)
Purpose anxiety — The cultural pressure to find a grand, world-changing purpose that often leaves us feeling inadequate
Winning the game — Filling more time with activities you love, fewer with ones you loathe; using all available tools (money, time, relationships, energy)
Cognitive grounding — Feeling your sense of meaning from the past in the present and future; infusing little p purpose with grounding
The courage barrier — Most people claim lack of time, money, or energy, but the real barrier is courage to pursue what lights you up
US Labor Statistics — Average American has 4-5 hours of free time per day; lower socioeconomic families have same or more
Narrative therapy — Externalization allows you to separate problems from yourself and objectively rewrite your story
GUEST BIO
Dr. Jordan Grumet (Doc G) is a hospice physician, author, and host of the award-winning Earn and Invest podcast. He has spent decades at the intersection of medicine, money, and meaning, walking with people at the end of their lives and helping others build lives of purpose and financial independence. Jordan is the author of Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life and The Purpose Code: How to Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave a Lasting Legacy. He writes regularly for Psychology Today and his own Substack, and speaks nationally about purpose, fulfillment, and living well. Based in Evanston, Illinois, Jordan's work bridges healthcare and personal finance to help people spend more of their days in joy, flow, and connection.
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