What really drives us — power, pleasure, or meaning?

We chase happiness, convinced fulfilment sits one step away. But the harder we chase it, the faster it slips through our fingers.

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl thought we were asking the wrong question. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he flipped it from “What do I expect from life?” to “What does life expect from me?” — a shift from ego and comfort to purpose.

Welcome back to Matters of Meaning. I’m Olivia Hicks, and today I’m joined by Alex Vesely — psychotherapist, award-winning filmmaker, and grandson of Viktor Frankl.

This conversation isn’t one to rush, so I’ve split it into two parts.

• In Part 1, we unpack logotherapy — Frankl’s meaning-centred psychotherapy — and explore why meaning, rather than pleasure or power, truly drives us.

• In Part 2, we turn to the modern existential vacuum and how to notice meaning in each moment, cultivating a rich garden of values.

  
  

Chatting with Alex feels a bit like talking to Yoda — he brings intellect, warmth, and heart, leaving you reflecting on what, or who, still needs you.

I’m delighted to share this one with you. Enjoy!

Further Resources & Tools

Connect with Alex & the Viktor Frankl Institutes

• Instagram: @alex_d_vesely

• Viktor Frankl Institute (Vienna) — www.viktorfranklinstitute.org

• Viktor Frankl Institute of America — www.viktorfranklamerica.com

📖 Key Book

• Man’s Search for Meaning — Viktor Frankl

🎥 Documentary

• Viktor and I — https://viktorfranklamerica.com/films/

🌍 Other authors referenced

• Elisabeth Lukas

• Heidi Schönfeld

• Alexander Batthyány

• Pam Roy