A counterintuitive way to become more clear, creative, and persistent, via a writer who calls himself a “human guinea pig.”
A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, podcaster, and human guinea pig. His new podcast “The Puzzler” is produced by iHeart and is in the Top 20 Apple Podcasts. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Know-It-All.” He has told several Moth stories, has given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views. His latest book is “The Puzzler,” which Booklist called “ridiculously entertaining,” and The New York Times called “a romp, both fun and funny.”
In this episode we talk about:
Make peace with pettiness through good old understanding.
About Oren Jay Sofer:
Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication. He has practiced meditation since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India and is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. Oren teaches retreats across the country and works as Senior Program Developer at Mindful Schools, teaching and developing curricula for one of the international leaders of mindfulness in education.
Buddhist strategies for navigating tumult— and even becoming a node of sanity amidst it all.
Oren Jay Sofer teaches meditation and communication internationally and has practiced Buddhist meditation since 1997. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma. Born and raised in New Jersey, he is the author of several books.
In this episode we talk about:
This guest says you can thrive with anxiety. And the trick is learning to get comfortable with discomfort.
Dr. David H. Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, a program director at McLean Hospital, and founder of Center for Anxiety, which services over 1,000 patients/year in multiple states.
In this episode we talk about:
The difference between anxiety and stress
How anxiety and distress can, paradoxically, improve our relationships with ourselves and others
Why he’s a proponent of exposure therapy
How anxiety can be transmuted into love
Why we often use anger to cover up fear and anxiety
And the spiritual benefit of thinking the worst
Learn the skill of not taking sh*t for granted.
About Matthew Hepburn:
Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind up from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world. Beyond Ten Percent Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Daily Gratitude Booster.”
Practical tools for regulating your nervous system in stressful times.
Deb Dana is a licensed clinical social worker, clinician, and consultant who specializes in working with complex trauma.
In this episode we talk about:
We deal with difficult people over holiday meals, at work, and online. This guest says there is only one answer.
Father Gregory Boyle is an American Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
In this episode we talk about:
Bringing mindfulness to walking is an opportunity to build awareness and relax the mind as you move about your day.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity -- a style of practice that's particularly useful during our crazy lives. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Everyday Natural Walking.”
Today we are dropping down our feed a conversation that I listened to recently that had a huge impact on me. It's from a great show that I'm sure many of you have heard of, On Being with Krista Tippett. It's been around for decades, and it explores the question of what it means to be human, how to do life better, how to live with each other in complex times.
Krista Tippett is a recent friend of mine, somebody who I have long admired and really, like – she was on the show just recently. They've got a new season of their show going right now, over on the On Being feed, which I highly recommend you check out. They're doing episodes on the intelligence of the human body, what AI might be calling us to as human beings, and much more.
They've also got a 20 year archive of conversations with people like Mary Oliver, John O'Donohue, and Desmond Tutu, which is pretty extraordinary. And this conversation, which, as I mentioned earlier, has had a big impact on me seems unfortunately quite relevant. It's about conflict and how to do it right: the difference between healthy conflict, which is an unavoidable part of life, and high conflict, which we see all around us these days, but which is avoidable.
How getting your sh*t together can make you a better leader in your own personal orbit. It can maybe even change the world.
Jerry Colonna is a leading executive coach who uses the skills he learned as a venture capitalist to help entrepreneurs. He is a co-founder and CEO of Reboot, the executive coaching and leadership development company, host of the Reboot Podcast, and author of Reunion: Leadership and the Longing to Belong, and Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up.
In this episode we talk about:
In this episode we talk about:
Try this meditation with Alexis to explore an open, easy style of practice‚ which can lead toward more awareness throughout your day.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity -- a style of practice that's particularly useful during our crazy lives. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Continuity of Awareness.”
The meditation style that changed Dan’s entire practice.
Alexis Santos, has been practicing meditation for twenty years and was a student of a highly influential Burmese monk by the name of Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Alexis is also a core teacher in the Ten Percent Happier app and the lead teacher of our On The Go course.
Nirvana is a culturally confusing and freighted term. It’s the name of the best rock band of the 1990s and also the name of smoothie joints, vape stores and yoga studios. There’s a vape place near me called Nirvana. Nirvana’s been fully co-opted and sometimes corrupted by the culture… and yet it is also the clearly stated goal of the Buddha’s teaching. So what does it really mean?
We cover all of that today in what is an experimental episode for us. Not only because the topic is so unusual, but also because this is our first podcast recording of a live show. We recorded this at the Armory in Boston in front of a sold out crowd who did not know in advance that premier teacher Joseph Goldstein would be the guest. We would love your feedback, because if you like this, we’ll do more.
How to spend your money in ways that will really boost your happiness and a look at the state of happiness research.
Dr. Elizabeth Dunn is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Dunn conducts experimental research examining how time, money, and technology shape human happiness. She is the co-author of “Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending” with Dr. Michael Norton. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, Time, CNN, and more.
Setting intentions regularly can be an incredibly effective and deeply satisfying tool to map out how you want to live your life.
About Dawn Mauricio:
Dawn Mauricio discovered the practices of Buddhist meditation in 2005, and from then on, did what any well-intentioned perfectionist would do — plunge in head first! Since then, she's graduated from several teaching programs, including Spirit Rock's four-year Teacher Training. Her teaching style is playful, dynamic, and heartfelt, and she teaches extensively in her home-country of Canada, as well as the US, to teens, people of color, and folks of all backgrounds.
A former nun explains how to deal with doom-scrolling, despair, and rage in the face of world events.
Kaira Jewel Lingo spent fifteen years as a monastic in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village tradition. She is now a lay dharma teacher.
In this episode we talk about:
Plus: Why Lama Rod is "no longer interested in being a good person," why we need to let go of perfectionism, and the selfish case for sainthood.
Lama Rod Owens is making his fifth appearance on Ten Percent Happier. He describes himself as “a Black Buddhist Southern Queen” and is an authorized lama in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard.
In this episode we talk about:
Understanding the difference between ‘normal’ forgetfulness and actual memory loss, practical ways to stave off Alzheimer’s disease, and meditation’s role in brain health.
In this episode we talk about:
We’ve been trying to do a bunch of experiments here on this show, and our latest is a weekly newsletter. To celebrate this new endeavor, we’ve put together a whole episode about risk taking and experimenting. We thought this would be helpful and educational while also giving you a fun peek behind the scenes (and also allowing us to be blatantly self-promotional in the process—a win/win!). In fact, this episode itself is experimental in its format, because we don’t have a typical guest.
I sat down with the show’s Senior Editor Marissa Schneiderman—who has been collaborating with me on the newsletter—to talk about how we’ve been putting into practice the wisdom from some of our best guests, including Brené Brown, Adam Grant, Rick Rubin, Sarah Cooper. It’s a weekly roundup of life hacks, cultural recommendations, pod news, and upcoming events.
One of our most frequent and popular guests talks about how to develop the character skills to discover your hidden potential.
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at Wharton, where he has been the top-rated professor for seven straight years. His books have sold millions of copies, hisTED talks have been viewed more than 30 million times, and he hosts the hit podcastRe:Thinking. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021. He has been recognized as one of the world's ten most influential management thinkers.
In this episode we talk about:
Why character skills are so important and how to develop them What we learn from seeking discomfort The concept of scaffolding as a way to overcome obstacles The value of acceptable mistakes And How to see the hidden potential in others and champion them
The host of On Being shares lessons learned from 20 years of interviews, including: how to live with open questions, counterprogramming against your negativity bias, and getting over the God question.
In this episode we talk about:
Getting over the God question when it comes to contemplating religion
Why Western culture has such a dearth of ways to talk about love
Why she thinks the core of relationships is not about agreeing but about navigating differences
Tuning into our generative agency
Her definition of a wise life as distinct from a knowledgeable or accomplished on
Why she believes it is as important to know what you love as it is to know what you hate
Learning to love big open questions instead of rushing to answers
Why the things we get paid to do may not define whether we're living a worthy life
And getting our intentions straight and then trying not to tie them too tightly to our goals
You can use awareness of walking as a touchstone to help feel more connected to the moment in this simple walking meditation.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Basic Walking Meditation.”
Our friend Dr. Michael Gervais at the Finding Mastery podcast is a renowned sports psychologist who found meditation by happenstance. We wanted to share this conversation he had with Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn about the mind/body interactions for healing and clinical applications for mindfulness meditation training.
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is a Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where in 1995 he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society and in 1979, its world-renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic.
The difference between ADHD and human distractibility, and strategies for managing ADHD that can improve your focus, even if you don’t have it.
Today’s guest is Dr. Mark Bertin, a developmental pediatrician who specializes in ADHD and developmental disorders.
In this episode we talk about:
The difference between ADD and ADHD, and the subcategories: hyperactive and inattentive.
Whether ADHD is a new condition brought on by the distractions of a modern world, or one that’s always been around.
The difference between being human and distractible, and having ADHD.
Strategies for managing ADHD that can be used even if you don’t have ADHD.
Here's what might be preventing you from making better decisions and how to know what's even worth wanting.
Shane Parrish is the entrepreneur and wisdom seeker behind Farnam Street and the host of The Knowledge Project Podcast. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results.
In this episode we talk about:
Loving-kindness can sound incredibly sappy, but it's really just a way of paying attention. Sharon makes it simple.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
One of the most prominent western meditation teachers talks about how to take gauzy concepts and operationalize them in your actual life.
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
In this episode we talk about:
What Sharon means by “an authentic life”
Learning to be your own BFF
How the notion of self-love squares with the Buddhist notion of emptiness
Why it can be harder to receive love and help than to give it
This ain't daycare... Tough love and actionable insights on validation, gratitude, and self-alignment from the Peloton star. Plus, he shares the most important words he's ever heard.
Alex Toussaint, Peloton Instructor and Puma Athlete, is a titan of the fitness community sitting at the intersection of fitness, tech, music, sports, and entertainment. A hybrid of high-performance athlete and motivational coach, Alex is widely respected for his authenticity and positivity.
In this episode we talk about:
Alex’s remarkable life story
His thoughts on internal versus external validation
What he means by “activate your greatness”
The habits and practices he employs in service of his own greatness, including gratitude, self-alignment, and his “starting five”
Gutman also discusses imposter syndrome, grief and his experience with psychedelics.
Matt Gutman is ABC News’s chief national correspondent. A multi-award winning reporter, Gutman contributes regularly to World News Tonight with David Muir, 20/20, Good Morning America, and Nightline. He has reported from fifty countries across the globe.
Being aware of the breath is a foundation of mindfulness. The goal is to gently return, with growing kindness, again and again.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of several books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Finding Your Way. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Basic Breath Meditation.”
Hello my fellow suffering human beings! I’ve got something very special for you. My friend, Manoush Zomorodi – host of TED Radio Hour from NPR – has been working on a special series called Body Electric: an interactive investigation into the relationship between our technology and our bodies.
Do you ever spend all day at a computer…and then, in the evening, you only have the energy to look at your phone or TV? Ever wondered what all that tech time is doing to your health?
In this series, you’ll hear how our bodies are adapting and changing to meet the demands of the Information Age…and what we can do to end this vicious cycle of type, tap, collapse. There’s even an interactive study you can sign up for!
She also roasts me mercilessly. This one's really fun.
Sarah Cooper is a writer and comedian who has over 3.3 million followers across social media. She is the star of the hit Netflix comedy special, Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine. Her current projects include Unfrosted, an upcoming Netflix comedy written by, directed by, and starring Jerry Seinfeld.
In this episode we talk about:
Klein goes down the rabbit hole after learning she has a digital doppelgänger who has gone all in on conspiracies.
In this episode we talk about:
We’re all a little socially awkward. Learn to be gentle with yourself in stressful situations to reduce your social anxiety over time.
About La Sarmiento:
La Sarmiento (they/them) is a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP) and a teacher with Cloud Sangha. They have taught meditation retreats for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Teens, and Young Adults, and everyone in-between around the United States since 2010 and are a 2012 graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Training.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Self-Compassion for Social Anxiety.”
Aparna Nancherla is a writer, stand-up comedian, and actor. Her new book is Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself and Impostor Syndrome. You can hear Aparna as the voice of Moon on Fox’s The Great North, or have heard her as the voice of Hollyhock on Bojack Horseman. She’s also appeared on The Drop, Lopez vs. Lopez, and Corporate. She’s written for Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell and Late Night with Seth Meyers, as well as Mythic Quest on Apple+.
In this episode we talk about:
How rethinking these often twee concepts can change your life and maybe the world.
In this episode we talk about:
You don’t have to slow down and sit to be mindful. You can be busy and get things done while still growing your mindfulness muscles.
About Jay Michaelson:
Dr. Jay Michaelson is a Senior Content Strategist at Ten Percent Happier and the author of seven books on meditation, including his newest, Enlightenment by Trial and Error. In his “other career,” Jay is a columnist for The Daily Beast, and was a professional LGBTQ activist for ten years. Jay is an ordained rabbi and has taught meditation in secular, Buddhist, and Jewish context for eighteen years.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Meditate While You’re Busy.”
Wilkens talks about the stigma around substance abuse, potential alternatives to abstinence, and the role of meditation in recovery.
Carrie Wilkens, PhD, is the Co-founder, Co-president and CEO of the Center for Motivational Change: Foundation for Change, a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the dissemination of evidence-based ideas and strategies to professionals and loved ones of persons struggling with substance use through the Invitation to Change approach.
In this episode we talk about:
The stigma around substance abuse Defining terms: addiction vs. substance use disorder and why it matters How substance use disorder affects our brain How to diagnose a substance abuse disorder Whether there is an alternative to abstinence How we all need to be thoughtful about the relationship we want with substances How and why a substantial percentage of people naturally recover without going to treatment The strategies to use if you have someone in your life who you think is on a destructive path What positive communication is and how to practice it How we live in a quick fix society and recovery from substance abuse disorder is a slow process What actually makes people change The role of meditation in recovery—for the patient and the family And the importance of taking care of yourself so you can take care of others
Duncan Trussell is an American actor and stand-up comic. And he doesn’t like being called a Buddhist comedian. It makes sense… that label unfairly pigeonholes him in two ways. First, because he’s a legit, successful, hilarious comedian, no matter what his spiritual leanings. Duncan has written and appeared in sketches for two seasons of Fuel TV's Stupidface, Showtime's La La Land, Comedy Central's Nick Swardson's Pretend Time, and both seasons of HBO's Funny or Die Presents. His television credits include MADtv and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
And when it comes to the spiritual stuff, he’s not just a Buddhist. This guy is spiritually omnivorous. And he knows his shit. He has practiced extensively. And on his podcast, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour, he interviews meditation teachers like Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg. In fact, Netflix turned his pod into a cult favorite animated TV show, called The Midnight Gospel.
In this episode we talk about:
Depression, anxiety, death, and Duncan’s interpretation of God
How meditation helps him handle the insanity of Hollywood
The Buddhist hell realms as psychological states
Spirituality and psychedelics
If having a contemplative practice can hurt our job, form of expression, or ambition
Karmic and samsaric patterns – and enjoying your ego while you have one
If we’re all capable of love
Everything good must come to an end. Noticing endings teaches us how to savor the good in life, and even find courage to be with the hard.
About Jessica Morey:
Jess Morey is a lead teacher, cofounder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education which runs in-depth mindfulness programming for youth, and the parents and professionals who support them across the US, and internationally. She began practicing meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), and has maintained a consistent commitment to meditation since. Diving head first into meditation at such a key developmental stage makes the revelatory perspective of mindfulness & compassion her natural home turf, and gives her an easy, conversational teaching style anyone can relate to.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “As Things Change.”
Dan sits down with his friend Kelly Corrigan at the Aspen Ideas Festival. A few of the topics they break open: uncertainty, humility and practices to keep us connected. This was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Feiler also discusses why we no longer live linear lives, letting go of the idea of having a career, and redefining success.
In this episode we talk about:
These seven rules illustrate a middle path between completely stifling your emotions and bringing your whole self to the office.
Liz Fosslien is an expert on emotions at work and is also on the leadership team at Atlassian's Team Anywhere and previously served as the head of content and communications at Humu. She has been featured by TED, The Economist, Good Morning America, The New York Times, and NPR.
Mollie West Duffy is also the head of Learning and Development at Lattice, and was previously an Organizational Design Lead at global innovation firm IDEO, and a research associate for the Dean of Harvard Business School. She has worked with companies of all sizes on organizational development, leadership development, and workplace culture.
In this episode we talk about:
Find freedom from obsessive loops of fear by getting grounded in the body, dropping the stories, and bringing some kindness to the struggle.
About Sebene Selassie:
Growing up, Sebene felt like a big weirdo. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us. Sebene is a three-time cancer survivor of Stage III and IV cancer.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Loosening the Grip of Panic.”
In this episode from The One You Feed podcast, Dan sits down with host Eric Zimmer and discusses his original skepticism of meditation and the benefits he discovered from developing a regular meditation practice.
The office might be one of the most difficult places to not side with yourself, but it’s a concept that can help you navigate challenging situations at work.
Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world.
Beyond Ten Percent Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life.
In this episode we talk about:
How to change your relationship to your thoughts How to navigate the highs of praise and the lows of blame How to handle relationships at work when giving or receiving feedback How to bring your mindfulness practice to your workplace
Balancing happiness and ambition is a challenge, especially if you often define yourself by your work. Stolzoff covers why it’s good to have a job that’s simply good enough.
Simone Stolzoff is a designer and workplace expert from San Francisco, and a former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He is a graduate of Stanford and The University of Pennsylvania.
In this episode we talk about:
His argument for diversifying our sources for what makes a meaningful life
How passion for your job shouldn’t be a stand-in for pay or security
And how to balance the pursuit of meaningful work without letting it take over your life.
Mindfulness isn't about making your heart open. It's about feeling however you feel, respecting that, and sometimes, saying no.
About Cara Lai:
Cara Lai spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy, or at least avoid total misery, which landed her on a meditation cushion for the majority of her adulthood. Throughout many consciousness adventures including a few mind-bendingly long meditation retreats, she has explored the wilderness of the mind, chronic illness, the importance of pleasure, and a wide range of other things that she might get in trouble for mentioning publicly. In the past, Cara has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but at this point she’s given up on being an adult in exchange for an all-out mindfulness rampage. Her teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and UCLA; ultimately hoping to become as good of a show-off as Dan. And to help people be happier.
Welcome to the third installment of Meditation Party, an experiment we’re running with a chattier format – more of a morning zoo vibe, but way deeper, of course. Dan’s co-hosts in this episode are his two close friends: the great meditation teachers Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren. Sebene Selassie is based in Brooklyn and describes herself as a “writer, teacher, and immigrant-weirdo.” She teaches meditation on the Ten Percent Happier app. Jeff Warren is based in Toronto and is also a writer and meditation teacher. Jeff also hosts the Consciousness Explorers podcast.
Today’s guest is Linda Åkeson McGurk, a Swedish American writer and author. Her latest book is called The Open-Air Life: Discover the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature Every Day. She is the founder of the blog Rain or Shine Mamma, a resource for parents and other caregivers.
In this episode we talk about:
Why humans are so drawn to nature and what the many scientific benefits are
The historical roots of frilutsliv in Nordic countries
Why we should go outside even when the weather sucks
Why we should go camping
The benefits of cold plunges
The benefits of silence
The danger of seeing ourselves as separate from nature
And why she believes appreciation of nature and meditation are complimentary
Get out of the trance of thinking and explore what it’s like to be more generous with your attention directly, here, now.
About Pascal Auclair:
Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is a co-founder of True North Insight and one of TNI’s Guiding Teachers.
Mindfulness is a word that is in danger of becoming meaningless. In this episode, we dig into the meaning of mindfulness. how to practice without getting overwhelmed, and how to stop the judgment spiral.
Today’s guest is Diana Winston, the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center. Diana has been practicing mindfulness meditation since 1989, including a year as a Buddhist nun in Burma.
In this episode we talk about:
How Diana defines mindfulness How we know if we’re in a state of bonafide mindfulness The difference between mindfulness as a trait and mindfulness as a state Whether you have to meditate to achieve mindfulness as a trait What current scientific research says about the benefits of meditation The link between intuition, happiness and authenticity Her definition of happiness How meditation can help us relate to our bodies differently How to stop the self-judgment spiral Creating a top ten list to deal with difficult thoughts How to use meditation for chronic pain Striking a balance between reason and intuition The ripple effects of practicing meditation And how to start practicing mindfulness without getting overwhelmed
Gladwell On: the importance of flow states, why people should have a lifelong pursuit or practice, and how he personally relaxes.
In this episode we talk about:
The backlash Malcolm faced from his work from home comments
Pushing the noise aside when it comes to social media
Lessons in kindness from a recent Revisionist History episode
The importance of flow states
How he personally relaxes
Why people should have a lifelong pursuit or practice
What he thinks now about his famous 10,000 hours argument
Why we need to engage and investigate the views of others to be morally alert as human beings
And his biggest journalistic mistake
Content Warning: Brief mention of eating disorders.
The scientific case for self-compassion and why it doesn’t have to lead to passivity, self-absorption, or cheesiness.
Today's guest is Kristin Neff, an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
In this episode we talk about:
Our busy lives rarely afford us time to reflect on what’s truly important. Remembering what matters most empowers us to engage meaningfully.
About La Sarmiento:
La Sarmiento is the the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington's BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ Sanghas and a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and for Cloud Sangha. They graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader Training Program in 2012. As an immigrant, non-binary, Filipinx-American, La is committed to expanding access to the Dharma. They live in Towson, MD with their life partner Wendy and rescue pups Annabel and Bader.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Finding Purpose: What Matters Most?”
Ryan also talks about how meditation helped him ride out a brutal political campaign, escaping the grind, and whether he’ll run for office again.
Tim Ryan served for 20 years in the U.S. Congress. He is the author of a book on the power of mindfulness.
In this episode we talk about:
We also cover: What to do when you're feeling stuck, the difference between authenticity and sincerity, and his approach to work/life balance.
Rick Rubin is a nine-time GRAMMY-winning producer and a New York Times number one best selling author. He was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time and the most successful producer in any genre by Rolling Stone. He has collaborated with artists from Tom Petty to Adele, Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys to Slayer, Kanye West to the Strokes, and System of a Down to Jay-Z.
In this episode we talk about:
Rick’s meditation practice
The connection between meditation and creativity
Why creativity is a birthright for all of us
How good habits help facilitate the making of good art
The benefits of accepting the magical and mysterious aspects of creativity
His analogy of the vessel and the filter
The difference between authenticity and sincerity
The role of doubt when creating
The role of intuition
What to do when you’re feeling stuck in a creative endeavor
His approach to a work/life balance
His take on drugs and their effect on the creative process
And his thoughts on the creative capacity of AI
The great meditation teacher Sebene Selassie said this about today’s guests: “I think their work is going to revolutionize mindfulness.”
The guests in question are Jake Eagle, a licensed mental health counselor, and Dr. Michael Amster, a physician with a specialty in pain management who is also a certified yoga and meditation teacher. Together, they’re out with a new book called The Power of Awe: Overcome Burnout & Anxiety, Ease Chronic Pain, Find Clarity & Purpose―In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day. In it, they lay out a simple technique for “microdosing mindfulness” that just about anybody can work into their daily lives.
Plus: Dan’s wife, Bianca, joins Dan as co-interviewer.
In this episode we talk about:
How Jake and Michael stumbled upon this method (the story involves pancakes) Why Bianca has had trouble booting up a meditation habit (and why Jake says he’s “a terrible meditator”) Why people who have trouble sitting daily for extended periods might find that these microdoses are easier to work into their day How to do the A.W.E. Method The similarities and differences between A.W.E. and traditional mindfulness meditation Practical tips for trying out A.W.E. in everyday life, given how hard it is to form habits The early scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of the A.W.E. Method And, finally, whether Bianca and Dan were convinced to try the method!
Counteract negativity bias by appreciating the goodness in life: simple acts of kindness, moments of beauty, and even your own good efforts.
About Oren Jay Sofer:
Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication. He has practiced meditation since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India and is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training program. Oren teaches retreats across the country and works as Senior Program Developer at Mindful Schools, teaching and developing curricula for one of the international leaders of mindfulness in education.
The hidden influence that your surroundings can have on your happiness. And how to tweak things in subtle but powerful ways.
Today’s guest is Ingrid Fetell Lee, the author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. She is the former design director at IDEO and the founder of the website The Aesthetics of Joy. She holds a Master’s in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing from Princeton University.
This is the second installment in a three part series we’re running called, Mundane Glory about learning not to overlook the little things in your daily life that can be powerful and evidence-based levers for increased happiness.
In this episode we talk about:
Did you know that just 20 minutes of art a day is as beneficial as exercise and mindfulness? Or that participating in one art experience per month can extend your life by ten years? Our guests Ivy Ross and Susan Magsamen talk about their new book, Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Together they explore the new science of neuroaesthetics, which explains how the arts can measurably change the body, brain, and our behaviors.
This is the first installment in a three part series we’re running called, Mundane Glory about learning not to overlook the little things in your daily life that can be powerful and evidence-based levers for increased happiness.
In this episode we talk about:
Their definition of the arts and aesthetic experiences How they see nature as, “the highest form of art” How simple actions like humming in the shower & gardening can be categorized as art experiences How you don’t have to be good at making art to benefit from it The difference between “makers” and “beholders” of art What they mean by art being a part of our evolutionary DNA How engaging in the arts can help strengthen our relationships and connectivity How arts and aesthetic experiences create neuroplasticity in the brain How society’s emphasis on optimizing for productivity has pushed the arts aside The four key attributes that make up a concept called an “aesthetic mindset” The benefits of partaking in a wide array of art experiences The importance of infusing play and non judgment into the art you make How art can be a form of meditation and mindfulness How artistic experiences can extend your life, help treat disease and relieve stress How the arts affect the way we learn The emerging field of neuroarts and neuroaesthetics How food fits into the arts category Simple ways to integrate the arts into our daily lives Technology’s relationship to the arts And the importance of architecture and your physical space as a form of art
Guidance for any time you need to practice staying relaxed and ready for whatever life might throw your way.
About Matthew Hepburn:
Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind up from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world.
Beyond Ten Percent Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Becoming Dauntless”.
Our guests today trained an AI on the world’s most beloved texts, from the Bible to the Koran to the words of Marcus Aurelius, Maya Angelou, and Leonard Cohen. Then, they asked the AI life’s hardest questions. The AI’s answers ranged from strange to surprising to transcendent.
Jasmine Wang, a technologist, and Iain S. Thomas, a poet, join us to talk about not only the answers they received from the robot, but also why they are deeply concerned about where AI might be headed.
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jasmine-wang-and-iain-s-thomas
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jennifer Egan is not only a novelist, she's also written short stories and award-winning magazine journalism. She's one of those writers who can both spin a fascinating yarn and load it up with insights into everything from human nature to the future of technology, all while pulling off bewitching turns of phrase; what the writer Jonathan Franzen has called “micro felicities.”
Egan is as funny, fascinating, and open IRL as she is on the page although it’s not clear she feels that way given she talks about how much smarter she feels in writing than in speaking!
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/jennifer-egan
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The simple yet effective technique of trusting your body will help you fall into a quiet, restful sleep.
About Jeff Warren:
Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “How to Fall Asleep.”
More information on the upcoming "Meditation Party" retreat at the Omega Institute with Dan Harris, Sebene Selassie, and Jeff Warren is here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In today’s episode, Dr. Donn Posner proposes a whole new way of thinking about sleep. First, he normalizes the sleep problems many of us experience. If you’re sleeping poorly right now, he says, don’t freak out; it’s natural and normal. Second, he has a bunch of tips for how to deal with insomnia, some of which you may have never heard before.
Dr. Donn Posner is one of the leaders in the field of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia. Dr. Posner is the Founder and President of Sleepwell Consultants, and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/donn-posner-268-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you're not sleeping well, it's harder to do anything you care about. It's harder to get healthier, to be more focused and productive, to be happier, to be more successful, to have good relationships—all of it.
Sleep may be the apex predator of healthy habits, and yet so many of us are getting terrible sleep because we don't prioritize it or because we've told ourselves a whole story about how we're just not people who sleep well, and so we just live with it.
In this episode, you’re going to meet somebody who decided she was not going to live with it any longer, and she launched an extremely detailed personal investigation in order to fix it. And luckily for us, she is a journalist, so she documented the whole thing and gathered extremely useful, heavily vetted information and insights we can all use.
Diane Macedo the author of the book, The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work, and More. She is an ABC News anchor and correspondent and she appears on Good Morning America World News Tonight with David Muir and Nightline. Diane is also the daytime anchor for ABC News Live, the streaming service.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/diane-macedo-444-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s episode is a wide-ranging Interview with Zach Braff, one of those rare famous people who’s really willing to go there.
You may know Braff from the TV show Scrubs or the movie Garden State but Braff is actually a genuine multi-hyphenate; a true triple threat. He acts, writes and directs his own movies and other people’s TV shows including Ted Lasso on Apple TV. Relatively recently he put out a new movie that he both wrote and directed called A Good Person starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman.
In this episode we talked about anxiety, depression, insomnia, addiction, grief, social media usage, and what he means by “learning to love your fate”—a notion that is literally tattooed on his wrist.
This Interview was conducted in person at the TED conference in Vancouver this past April.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/zach-braff
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Life is already complicated enough. Meditation doesn’t have to be, if we learn to be simple and easy.
About Joseph Goldstein :
Joseph is one of the most respected meditation teachers in the world -- a key architect of the rise of mindfulness in our modern society -- with a sense of humor to boot. In the 1970's, he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Since its founding, thousands of people from around the world have come to IMS to learn mindfulness from leaders in the field. Joseph has been a teacher there since its founding and continues as the resident guiding teacher.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Be Simple and Easy.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Every year, Joseph Goldstein does a three month silent meditation retreat by himself at his home in Massachusetts. In this conversation you're about to hear, Joseph had just emerged from one such retreat with a bunch of thoughts on what are called the three proliferating tendencies or three papañca to use the ancient Pali term.
These are three ways in which we perpetuate an unhealthy sense of self. Joseph has explained that you can think about the process of going deeper in meditation as a process of lightening up or getting less self-centered. You're about to get a masterclass in doing just that.
For the uninitiated, Joseph is one of the co-founders of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. His co-founders are two other meditation titans, Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has been a teacher at IMS since it was founded in the seventies and he continues to be the resident guiding teacher there.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/joseph-goldstein-364-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
These days, the word mindfulness has become a buzz phrase but very often people don’t know what the word actually means, much less how to practice it. One simple definition of mindfulness is the ability to see what’s happening in your mind without getting carried away by it. The benefits of doing so are vast and profound— from decreased emotional reactivity to being more awake to what’s actually happening in your life.
Today's guest Joseph Goldstein talks about a classic Buddhist list called the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which lays out various techniques for developing mindfulness within your practice.
Goldstein is one of the premier western proponents of Mindfulness. He co-founded the legendary Insight Meditation Society alongside Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. He also wrote a book called Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/joseph-goldstein-483-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this gentle meditation, Sebene offers support for grief. She guides you through a practice of kindness and compassion for yourself.
About Sebene Selassie:
Growing up, Sebene felt like a big weirdo. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us. Sebene is a three-time cancer survivor of Stage III and IV cancer.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Working with Grief.”
You can hear Sebene, along with teacher Jeff Warren, on the Meditation Party episodes:
#553. Meditation Party: The Sh*t Is Fertilizer Edition
More info on the upcoming Omega Institute Retreat (available in-person and virtually) with Dan, Sebene, and Jeff is here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This is a fun, weird, extremely interesting and inspiring episode.
It’s about lucid dreaming, something that people might perceive as hippie nonsense, but is actually deeply woven into ancient and time-tested Buddhist traditions.
Our guest today has been studying and practicing Buddhism and what he calls nocturnal meditations for more than four decades. And he has remarkably simple and down to earth tips for doing this in your own life. He argues anybody can do this. And the proposition is pretty compelling. We’re asleep for a huge percentage of our life, and from a perspective of contemplative development, or training your mind, that’s a huge stretch of land that is lying fallow.
Andrew Holecek is an expert on lucid dreaming and the Tibetan yogas of sleep and dream. He is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the author of scientific papers on lucid dreaming. He has also written many books on the subject, including: Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep.
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/andrew-holecek-620
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There seems to be one clear bug in the human operating system — most of us do not like talking about death. Yet when we do talk about it, it can genuinely upgrade the quality of our lives.
Our guest today is Alua Arthur, a former attorney who is now what’s called a death doula, which is someone who helps guide people through the end of their lives. Through this work, she has learned some extraordinary stuff about how to live life right now.
Alua is also the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. She is working on her debut memoir, which will be coming out next year called, Briefly Perfectly Human.
This conversation took place at the 2023 TED Conference in Vancouver, immediately after Alua delivered her triumphant talk, which is out now. Special thanks to the TED Audio Collective. You can listen to Alua's talk and other TED talks on the TED Talks Daily podcast.
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/Alua-Arthur-619
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
During major life transitions your emotional and mental world can kick into overdrive. Learn how to stay in the eye of the hurricane.
About Joseph Goldstein:
Joseph is one of the most respected meditation teachers in the world -- a key architect of the rise of mindfulness in our modern society -- with a sense of humor to boot. In the 1970's, he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Since its founding, thousands of people from around the world have come to IMS to learn mindfulness from leaders in the field. Joseph has been a teacher there since its founding and continues as the resident guiding teacher.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Calm in Big Transitions’’.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Our relationships are the most important variable in our health and happiness, but they may also be the most difficult. This is especially true when those closest to us turn out to be emotionally immature people.
Lindsay C. Gibson is a clinical psychologist and bestselling author who specializes in helping people identify and deal with emotionally immature people, or EIP’s. Her first appearance on our show was one of our most popular episodes of 2022. Now she’s back to offer concrete strategies for handling the EIP’s in your life, wherever you may find them. Her new book is called Disentangling from Emotionally Immature People.
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes:
https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/lindsay-c-gibson-617
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
“Mindfulness” has become a buzz phrase. There are books on mindful parenting, mindful lawyering, even mindful sex. But what does the word even mean? And how do you actually do it? In one of his most famous and foundational discourses, the Buddha was said to have laid out, in great detail, four ways to establish mindfulness. In today’s episode we’re going to walk through these four “foundations” of mindfulness with Sally Armstrong, who started practicing in 1981, began teaching 15 years later, and now leads retreats all over the world.
We posted this episode a few years ago, but thought it might be a good time to drop a good, old-fashioned, meat and potatoes, stick to your ribs dharma episode to help us get back to basics. Because, like Sally says, Guru Google can only get us so far…
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sally-armstrong-232-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Check out our friends at How to Be a Better Human podcast, as we take a look within and beyond ourselves.
How to Be a Better Human isn’t your average self-improvement podcast. It’s a show that understands that being a human is hard -- because no one tells you how to do it well! Join comedian Chris Duffy as he has conversations with the kind of brilliant experts you see giving TED Talks. Listen as they share how anyone can put big ideas into practice in their own lives, and make them a little less terrible. Because although we do our best to figure out life on our own, we can always use some help. Find How to Be a Better Human wherever you get your podcasts.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you’ve been listening to the podcast this week, you probably heard that we’re in the midst of a 3-week series on health and fitness – what we’re calling Get Fit Sanely. To state the obvious, one of the hardest parts of getting fit is to make and break habits.
In conjunction with this series, we’re doing something cool over on the Ten Percent Happier app: we’re bringing back our Healthy Habits challenge, a 7-day course that pairs behavior change expert Kelly McGonigal and meditation teacher Alexis Santos. Each day, you’ll hear a short conversation with Dr. McGonigal about how to actually change habits in a beneficial way, without beating yourself up, followed by a meditation from Alexis that helps bring mindfulness to the whole endeavor. If you’re an app subscriber, you can check out the course anytime, but what’s really helpful is to do it with other people.
The Healthy Habits Challenge kicks off in the Ten Percent Happier app on Monday, June 19. To join the Healthy Habits Challenge, just download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps or by visiting tenpercent.com (all one word, spelled out). If you already have the app, just open it up and follow the instructions to join!
And if you’re not already a Ten Percent Happier subscriber, you can join us by starting a free trial that’ll give you access to the challenge along with our entire app.
And for today’s bonus meditation, we’re sharing one of the meditations that Alexis contributed to the challenge. It’ll help you get in the right frame of mind to start making a small, effective, doable change. We’ll be sharing more of these meditations from Alexis over the next couple of weeks as well.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Starting With Mindfulness.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you want to opt out of diet culture, then what should you actually eat?
Today’s guest is endeavoring to answer this question. Rachel Hartley is a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and the author of a book called Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating.
In this episode we talk about:
For tickets to TPH's live event in Boston on September 7:
https://thewilbur.com/armory/artist/dan-harris/
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/rachael-hartley-615
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Most of us have an intuitive sense that there’s a pretty serious link between what we eat and how we feel. Today’s guest is here to explain the science behind that relationship.
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychiatry and an expert on both the gut-brain connection and the food-mood connection. She is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, a professional chef, and a nutrition specialist. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. And she is the author of a book called This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/uma-naidoo-614
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Have you ever noticed that no matter how much shit you buy, it never really does it for you? There’s always that next purchase.
I’m no anti-capitalist, but I don’t think it hurts to acknowledge the lie—or if you want to be generous, misunderstanding—at the core of the enterprise: that somehow acquisition will lead to lasting satisfaction.
This insight about the limits of materialism is what animates my friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, who together, are known as the Minimalists. Several years ago, they released a documentary on Netflix. It focuses on how to declutter your stuff and life and how that can lead to decluttering your mind and reduced anxiety.
They actually interviewed me for it—even though I am not really a minimalist—and to this day it is the interview that generated perhaps the most attention of any I have ever done. For years, people stopped me on the street about that one.
Anyway, Joshua and Ryan are now bringing their documentary – aptly entitled “Minimalism” – to YouTube, for free and without commercials. In honor of that, we are reposting an interview I did with them back in 2021.
We hope you enjoy this bonus rebroadcast, and don’t forget to check out the Minimalists podcast, Youtube, website…they’re everywhere. Oh, and just to say that when we originally posted this interview, we paired it with a supplemental conversation with the great meditation teacher Oren Sofer, so if you want to hear the original, you can check that out here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Happy Friday, everybody. It’s time for another bonus meditation, and we’re going to stick with our current theme of Get Fit Sanely. This week on the podcast we talked with mobility experts Kelly and Juliet Starrett about how to stay pain-free and flexible even as you get older, and then Cara Lai helped us think about how to exercise without being motivated by subtle self-hatred.
Obviously, a key part of fitness— from exercise to diet— is making and breaking habits. And that’s what today’s meditation is about: how when you’re in autopilot mode—a default setting for most of us— it is hard to change your behavior.
This meditation comes from the healthy habits course we produced over on the Ten Percent Happier app, which features Stanford psychologist Kelly McGonigal and meditation teacher Alexis Santos.
To access the Healthy Habits Course, just download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps or by visiting tenpercent.com. If you already have the app, just open it up and find “Healthy Habits” in the Course tab.
And if you’re not already a Ten Percent Happier subscriber, you can join us by starting a free trial that’ll give you access to the course along with our entire app.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s an urgent question for so many of us: Can we exercise, can we take care of our bodies, without being driven by shame, self-loathing, or noxious comparison to other people?
Our guest today has a unique perspective on this. Cara Lai is a former social worker and psychotherapist who is now a Buddhist teacher. She also used to be a marathoner. But in the last few years, her body has undergone some radical changes, leading her to some hard-won, fascinating, and deeply useful insights about how to strike the balance between taking care of your body and staying sane.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/cara-lai-612
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
From the way we sit while watching TV to the way we put on our shoes, our days are filled with opportunities to improve our mobility–without getting all sweaty. That’s according to today’s guests, who are here to teach us about some simple ways to keep our bodies durable for as long as possible.
Kelly and Juliet Starrett are the authors of the new book Built to Move: The 10 Essential Habits to Help You Move Freely and Live Fully. Their book covers 10 tests you can do to assess your mobility “vital signs” and 10 practices you can do to improve those vital signs and make your body work better.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/juliet-and-kelly-starrett-611
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you’ve been listening to the podcast this week, you probably heard that we’re in the midst of a 3-week series on health and fitness – what we’re calling Get Fit Sanely. To state the obvious, one of the hardest parts of getting fit is to make and break habits.
In conjunction with this series, we’re doing something cool over on the Ten Percent Happier app: we’re bringing back our Healthy Habits challenge, a 7-day course that pairs behavior change expert Kelly McGonigal and meditation teacher Alexis Santos. Each day, you’ll hear a short conversation with Dr. McGonigal about how to actually change habits in a beneficial way, without beating yourself up, followed by a meditation from Alexis that helps bring mindfulness to the whole endeavor. If you’re an app subscriber, you can check out the course anytime, but what’s really helpful is to do it with other people.
The Healthy Habits Challenge kicks off in the Ten Percent Happier app on Monday, June 19. To join the Healthy Habits Challenge, just download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps or by visiting tenpercent.com (all one word, spelled out). If you already have the app, just open it up and follow the instructions to join!
And if you’re not already a Ten Percent Happier subscriber, you can join us by starting a free trial that’ll give you access to the challenge along with our entire app.
And for today’s bonus meditation, we’re sharing one of the meditations that Alexis contributed to the challenge. It’ll help you get in the right frame of mind to start making a small, effective, doable change. We’ll be sharing more of these meditations from Alexis over the next couple of weeks as well.
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Starting With Mindfulness.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Everyone from the Buddha to the Stoics have exhorted us to remember that we’re going to die. So what are we to make of Dr. Mark Hyman? He’s a physician and a student of Buddhism who is just out with a new book, called, “Young Forever.” In it, he argues that your biological age can be reversed even as you grow chronologically older. So we decided to have him on, learn about his approach, and gently grill him on some of the things that made us most skeptical.
This is the second part of our new six-part series, Get Fit Sanely series, where we are trying to help you to make sense of the noise around getting fit–and to do so without losing your mind.
A little bit more about Dr. Hyman: He is a practicing family physician, the Founder and Senior Advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and a fifteen-time New York Times best-selling author. He also has his own podcast, called The Doctor’s Farmacy.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dr-mark-hyman-609
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Most of us want to stay alive — and healthy — for as long as possible. But how to actually do that, given all the obstacles? What advice should we listen to? How do we find the time and motivation to follow it? And how do we do so without succumbing to what has been called the “subtle aggression of self improvement”?
Today, we are launching an ambitious three-week series to tackle these questions. We are bringing on top experts from science and Buddhism who will talk about how to eat better, exercise smarter, and extend your lifespan. Guest number one is Dr. Peter Attia. He has trained at Stanford University, Johns Hopkins, and the National Institutes of Health. He’s the host of a popular health and fitness podcast called The Drive and the author of a new book called Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/dr-peter-attia-608
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Starting next week, we’re launching a six part series where we’re going to talk to a vast array of experts on longevity, exercise, and diet — we’re calling it Get Fit Sanely.
To kick the series off, I wanted to have our senior producer DJ Cashmere on, who’s the architect behind this project. You’re gonna hear him get really personal about how these issues have affected his own psychology, and you’ll hear a very thoughtful person talk about what he’s taken away from the months of research he’s done on these subjects. And, we’ll give you a taste of what it’s like here behind the scenes at Ten Percent Happier.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/buddhist-beach-bod
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mindful movement is an excellent way to integrate and even invigorate mindfulness while cultivating the power of curious awareness.
About Dawn Mauricio:
Dawn Mauricio discovered the practices of Buddhist meditation in 2005, and from then on, did what any well-intentioned perfectionist would do — plunge in head first! Since then, she's graduated from several teaching programs, including Spirit Rock's four-year Teacher Training. Her teaching style is playful, dynamic, and heartfelt, and she teaches extensively in her home-country of Canada, as well as the US, to teens, people of color, and folks of all backgrounds.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Gentle Mindful Movement.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s hard to be a human. No matter how good things are for you, being alive is still hard. Whatever your life circumstances are, we’re all subject to impermanence and entropy.
This episode dives into a five-part Buddhist list for being stronger in the face of whatever life throws at you.
Sister Dang Nghiem, who goes by Sister D, is a nun in the Plum Village tradition and a disciple of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. She was born in Vietnam during the war, and is the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier. Sister D experienced an unfathomable amount of loss before relocating to the US, where she became a doctor and later, after experiencing more loss, became a nun. She’s written several books and her most recent is Flowers in the Dark.
In this conversation, Sister D shares her story, and then walks us through The Five Strengths of Applied Zen Buddhism which include trust, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
Content Warning: This episode covers difficult topics including death, mental illness, and sexual abuse.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sister-dang-nghiem-403-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
So many of us suffer over the issue of time management.
Our guest today approaches the topic from research and personal experience and dives into how we can think more strategically about our time and aspire to build resilient schedules, rather than perfect ones.
Laura Vanderkam is the author of several time management and productivity books. Her latest is Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company. Laura’s TED Talk on “How to Gain Control of Your Free Time” has been viewed more than 12 million times, and she also hosts the podcast Before Breakfast. Her previous books include Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done, I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time, What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, and 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/laura-vanderkam-606
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Be like a robot and try this light-hearted noting practice. Give your anxiety a break by immersing yourself fully in your external senses.
About Jeff Warren:
Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."
More info on the Meditation Party retreat:
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Robots Don’t Freak Out.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The notion of “being your authentic self” might sound like too much of a tired trope, but getting real and stripping away your fears and hang-ups can help you live a more meaningful life.
In her new book, “Bold Move: A 3-Step Plan to Transform Anxiety into Power”, Dr. Luana Marques shares her story about growing up in chaos and learning early skills of cognitive behavioral therapy that helped her cope with anxiety and live boldly.
Dr. Luana Marques is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, a former president of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), and a renowned mental health expert, educator, and author.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dr-luana-marques-604
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As you might already know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month – and, while mental health is important every month, it’s an important opportunity to share resources that can help one another.
So, in that spirit – we’re going to bring you a bonus episode from a podcast we love called Meditative Story. We’re going to share my episode of Meditative Story with you, where I tell a personal story about a father-son trip that I went on with my son, Alexander, when he was four years old. And how this trip really changed our relationship.
If you’re not familiar with Meditative Story, it provides immersive storytelling with mindfulness prompts embedded right into the narrative, woven with a wonderful musical soundtrack.
I hope you enjoy this episode of Meditative Story.
x
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Why, you might fairly ask, am I interviewing Rainn Wilson, best known for his star turn on the sitcom The Office playing Dwight Schrute, the hilariously dysregulated paper salesman with a lust for power and a tragic haircut? Why, you may ask, am I interviewing that dude about mental health and spirituality?
Because in real life, Rainn Wilson has spent many, many years wrestling with religion, sobriety, and marital ups and downs, and he's got a new book called Soul Boom in which he cracks a lot of jokes and also makes a dead serious case for a spiritual revolution. (I'll explain exactly what he means by that.)
In this episode we talk about:
A little bit more about Rainn: he won three Emmys for his work on The Office. He hosts a podcast called Metaphysical Milkshake, and he's got a new travel series on Peacock called Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/rainn-wilson-603
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We’re going to start experimenting with these Friday episodes. Historically on Fridays, we’ve dropped guided meditations – and we will still do that – but we’re also going to try some different formats, including some shorter episodes with guests that might not be a fit for our traditional Monday and Wednesday shows.
Today we’ve got Dan’s new friend Geena Rocero. She has an incredible story about what it’s like to live with an all-encompassing secret.
Geena was born and raised in the Philippines. There, she became a star on that country’s thriving transgender beauty pageant scene. Then she moved to America to launch her modeling career. But here, in this new country, she was justifiably very worried about letting anybody in the fashion world know that she was transgender. So for many many years, she lived with a secret -- one that could destroy her livelihood at any moment. In 2014, she decided to come out publicly in a TED Talk that now has more than 4 million views. She’s now a public speaker, trans rights advocate and an award-winning producer/writer/director.
She is also an author, just out with a new memoir, called Horse Barbie. You’ll hear her explain what that title means. We also talk about the cost of living with a secret, why she decided to come out, and the overlap between gender and spirituality.
Where to find Geena Rocero online:
Book Mentioned:
Other Resources Mentioned:
Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/install
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Welcome to Round II of the Meditation Party. The feedback we got from our first episode was overwhelmingly positive, so we’re going for it again. Meditation Party is an experiment we’re running with a chattier format – more of a morning zoo vibe, but way deeper, of course. The real agenda here is to show that meditation doesn’t have to be a solo death march; it is vastly enhanced by having friends.
Dan’s co-hosts in this episode are his two close friends: the great meditation teachers Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren. Sebene Selassie is based in Brooklyn and describes herself as a “writer, teacher, and immigrant-weirdo.” She teaches meditation on the Ten Percent Happier app and is the author of a great book called, You Belong. Jeff Warren is based in Toronto and is also a writer and meditation teacher who co-wrote the book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics with Dan Harris. Jeff also hosts the Consciousness Explorers podcast.
In this episode, we talk to Jeff about what it’s like to be a meditation teacher who has ADHD. And even if you don’t have ADHD, there’s a lot of practical value to this conversation, because we all have unruly minds, and Jeff has found some great ways to work with this condition.
We also take listener questions, discussing topics like drugs. Specifically, psychedelics — and whether you’re violating Buddhist precepts if you take them. We also talk about how frustrating it can be to repeatedly wake up from distraction in meditation.
And finally, we have a segment talking about the stuff we’re psyched about right now… in which Sebene sings for us.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sebene-selassie-jeff-warren-601
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Historically on this show, we want guests who either have skills that they can teach us (i.e. meditation teachers or happiness researchers) or we want people who are willing to get super personal about their interior lives—and today you're gonna meet a bold-faced name who happens to have both qualifications in spades.
Mayim Bialik burst onto the scene in the 1990s as the star of the TV show Blossom. Then she stepped away, got a bachelor's and a PhD in neuroscience, and became a mom. She returned to TV with another sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. And now she has a very full plate as the co-host of Jeopardy! and the host of a podcast of her own called Mayim’s Breakdown. Oh, and she’s also written four books, including Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart, and Spectacular and Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold, and Brilliant.
In this episode we talk about:
A note that there are some mentions of suicide and addiction in this episode.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/mayim-bialik-600
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Through the protection of gratitude, the world becomes brighter and more hopeful, and the mind becomes more balanced. Gratitude: cultivate it!
About Pascal Auclair:
Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, sitting retreats in Asia and America with revered monastics and lay teachers. He has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is a co-founder of True North Insight and one of their Guiding Teachers.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Feel Good with Gratitude,” or click here: https://app.tenpercent.com/link/content?meditation=87b6a5f2-d37f-45a5-895e-c7bae73e5ac4
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It's always a big deal when we get the maestro Joseph Goldstein on the show. He's one of the greatest living meditation teachers—and we cover a lot of ground in this conversation both related to meditation and to life.
This is the third installment in a series we've been running this month on the Eightfold Path. If you missed the first two episodes, don't worry. Joseph starts our conversation with a brief description and explanation of this pivotal Buddhist list. The list is basically a recipe for living a good life.
In this episode we talk about:
A note that we initially conducted this conversation live via Zoom as part of a benefit in support of an organization called the New York Insight Meditation Center, which is an offshoot of IMS.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/joseph-goldstein-598
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s show features one of Dan’s personal musical heroes, Mike Diamond — “Mike D” from the Beastie Boys. Their conversation is wide ranging and covers topics from the role of failure in achieving success to Mike’s personal meditation practice. They say, “never meet your heroes”, but Mike D doesn’t disappoint in this smart and thoughtful discussion.
Mike D formed the Beastie Boys with Adam Yauch, aka MCA, in the early 80’s, winning a number of Grammys and spanning a multi-decade career. In 2018, along with his bandmate, Adam Horovitz, Diamond co-authored Beastie Boys Book, which told the story of the band in its own words and reached #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. A limited series of live shows, in which the two brought stories from the book to life, was captured in the 2020 film Beastie Boys Story.
Content Warning: The content is a little mature at points so take care if you’re listening with kids.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/mike-diamond-597
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Tame your inner curmudgeon and turn up the good vibes by wishing everyone well. And we mean e v e r y o n e.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Real Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Loving-Kindness for Everyone,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=f076298b-88ca-4fb7-a723-941f5e61913d
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Virtue is a tricky topic. It’s often sold to us by religious leaders who are thundering judgmentally, and sometimes hypocritically, down to us from the mountaintop. But from the Buddhist perspective, there is actually a deeply self-interested case for ethics and virtue. The Buddhists are not trying to get you to follow a bunch of very specific rules: they are trying to get you to do no harm because that will make you happy.
This is part two of our series on a venerable Buddhist list called the Noble Eightfold Path. The three middle items on the list all have to do with ethical conduct. They are: right speech, right action, and right livelihood.
Our guest today, Eugene Cash, is gonna talk about this stuff in super practical, non-dogmatic and non-preachy ways. Cash has been a Buddhist teacher since 1990. He's the founding teacher of San Francisco Insight and a senior teacher on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. His teaching is influenced by many streams of Buddhism— Theravada, Zen and Tibetan.
In this conversation we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/eugene-cash-595
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s guest is the legendary astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, the host of the Emmy nominated podcast, Star Talk, and the recipient of 21 honorary doctorates. He also has an asteroid named in his honor.
Tyson’s latest book is right up our alley on the show. It's called Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization and it’s basically about how taking a scientific perspective can improve your life—and the world.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes:https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/neil-degrasse-tyson-594
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Not thinking is not the point of mindfulness. We know, shocking! Emotions and thoughts are inextricably linked: know them to know yourself.
About Cara Lai:
Cara Lai spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy, or at least avoid total misery, which landed her on a meditation cushion for the majority of her adulthood. Throughout many consciousness adventures including a few mind-bendingly long meditation retreats, she has explored the wilderness of the mind, chronic illness, the importance of pleasure, and a wide range of other things that she might get in trouble for mentioning publicly. In the past, Cara has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but at this point she’s given up on being an adult in exchange for an all-out mindfulness rampage. Her teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and UCLA; ultimately hoping to become as good of a show-off as Dan. And to help people be happier.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Can’t Stop Thinking,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=e09bcee4-651b-4ca0-84ad-bb1f69eb8a18.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This episode kicks off our series on the Eightfold Path which will continue on Wednesdays for the next two weeks with Eugene Cash and Joseph Goldstein.
DaRa Williams is a trainer, meditation teacher and psychotherapist and has been a meditator for the past 25 years. She is a practitioner of both Vipassana and Ascension meditation and is a graduate of the Spirit Rock/Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program and is an IMS Emeritus Guiding Teacher.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dara-williams-592
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Actor Michael Imperioli is best known for a string of memorable onscreen performances that include Goodfellas, The Sopranos, and most recently on The White Lotus. What you may not know is that he has a deep Buddhist practice and has actually grown into something of a meditation teacher.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/michael-imperioli-591
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We’re bringing you a special meditation from another podcast that Dan is a fan of – and where he’s been a guest. It’s called The Science of Happiness, and it’s hosted by the great Dacher Keltner, a psychologist and author who has been on this show many times. Every other week, his show releases guided practices called Happiness Breaks. And the one we’re dropping here for you is led by Dekila Chungyalpa, founder and director of the Loka Institute at the Center for Healthy Minds. This meditation is about connecting with nature, and it’s from a series on The Science of Happiness about climate hope.
About The Science of Happiness:
What does it take to live a happier life? Learn research-tested strategies that you can put into practice today. Hosted by award-winning psychologist Dacher Keltner. Co-produced by PRX and UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
For more on the upcoming climate hope series on The Science of Happiness, click here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Perhaps nobody is better at helping people unlock themselves than the Buddhist meditation teacher George Mumford who taught meditation to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. He's also worked with inmates, police officers, and corporate executives. There’s a reason why they call him the “Performance Whisperer.”
George has an incredible story: he began teaching mindfulness and meditation after kicking a serious drug habit, leaving a career as a financial analyst, and then earning a master's in counseling psychology. He's got a new book, it's called Unlock: Embrace Your Greatness. Find the Flow. Discover Success.
His first book was called The Mindful Athlete: The Secret to Pure Performance. If you want to hear him talk about that book, we've put links in the show notes to his prior appearances on this podcast.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/george-mumford-589
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s guest is a happiness expert and devout non-meditator. In her latest book Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World, she describes how a routine visit to her eye doctor made her realize she’d been overlooking a key element of happiness: her five senses.
Gretchen Rubin is the author of many books, including the New York Times bestsellers Outer Order, Inner Calm; The Four Tendencies; Better Than Before; and The Happiness Project. Her books have sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide, and have been translated in more than thirty languages. She also hosts the top-ranking, award-winning podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/gretchen-rubin-588
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When the world feels like a dumpster fire, it helps to remember that your contributions to improve things matter—even the small ones.
About Matthew Hepburn:
Matthew is a meditation and dharma teacher with more than a decade of teaching experience and a passion for getting real about what it means to live well. He emphasizes humor, technique, and authentic kindness as a means to free the mind up from unnecessary struggle and leave a healthier impact on the world. Beyond Ten Percent Happier, Matthew has taught in prisons, schools, corporate events and continues to teach across North America in buddhist centers offering intensive silent retreats and dharma for urban daily life.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Celebrating Small Wins,” or click here: "https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=54fce040-7e26-4a25-a51a-fc73102db5ad".
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There’s so much to be grateful for in modern medicine. We can all agree that we would not do as well in a world with no Advil or dentistry. And yet, our guest today, who is a renowned doctor, says modern medicine is overlooking something crucial: the pernicious impact that modern living has on our minds and bodies. In other words, we are surrounded by these hidden societal and structural sources of stress and we aren’t thinking about how to treat and prevent these factors that are degrading our happiness and our immune systems.
Dr. Gabor Maté is a bestselling author with an expertise on everything from stress to addiction to ADHD. His latest book is called, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Content Warning: This episode has mentions of child abuse, sexual trauma, suicide and addiction
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/gabor-mate-586
To join a live coaching session, sign up at tenpercent.com/coaching.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Alexander Dreymon is the star of a great show on Netflix called “The Last Kingdom.” He plays a Viking, so you're literally not going to find a guy who is more stereotypically masculine. But I've gotten to know Alexander recently and he's also incredibly thoughtful.
We cover a lot of ground in this conversation: marriage, parenting, anger therapy, sleep, human connection, meditation, masculinity, and, uh, how to show your body on Netflix without developing body dysmorphia. We also talk a lot about his show, which is awesome, although it is coming to an end — just a few days ago, Netflix posted the series finale, a movie-length episode called “Seven Kings Must Die” that wraps up the whole story.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/-alexander-dreymon-585
To join a live coaching session, sign up at tenpercent.com/coaching.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Working through fear by anchoring in the breath and body gives you the capacity to be fully available to help when help is needed.
About Sebene Selassie:
Growing up, Sebene felt like a big weirdo. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us. Sebene is a three-time cancer survivor of Stage III and IV cancer.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Caring for Vulnerable People,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=bc7cb7bc-6883-466f-8626-cad27be2a5e6
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You may have heard our interview with Sharon Salzberg earlier this week where we talked about openness, not believing the stories you tell yourself, and why the most powerful tools often seem the most stupid at first. I’m a big fan of hers and everything she does, so we wanted to give you a special preview of her new book, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom.
In Real Life, Sharon sets a path out for us, merging the insights of inspiring voices with her own teachings to:
• Uncover a deeper sense of ourselves
• Expand our vision of what’s possible for ourselves
• Align our words, hearts, and actions with our core values
• Navigate loss without getting stuck in bitterness or disconnect
• Carry a sense of community with us, even in stormy times
• Recover from the emotional effects of crisis
• Learn the art of letting go and beginning again
• Build emotional intelligence to face times of difficulty without fear
• Seek out joy in everyday life, even when things don’t go our way
• Befriend ourselves on the journey of being human
Embark on the journey to embody a life of curiosity, authenticity, and freedom.
So enjoy this excerpt from her book, Real Life.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s likely uncontroversial to assert that Jennifer Senior is one of our finest living journalists. She’s currently a staff writer at The Atlantic and before that she spent many years at the New York Times and New York magazine. Jennifer’s written on a vast array of topics, but she has a special knack for writing articles about the human condition that go massively, massively, viral. One such hit was a lengthy and extremely moving piece for The Atlantic that won a Pulitzer Prize. It was about a young man who died on 9/11, and the wildly varying ways in which his loved ones experienced grief. That article, called “What Bobby McIlvaine Left Behind,” has now been turned into a book called, On Grief: Love, Loss, Memory.
In this interview, we spend a lot of time talking about this truly fascinating yarn, but we also talk about her other articles: one about an eminent happiness researcher who died by suicide, another about why friendships often break up, and a truly delightful recent piece about the puzzling gap between how old we are and how old we think we are. Jennifer has also written a book about parenting, called All Joy and No Fun which we also reference a few times throughout.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jennifer-senior-583
To join a live coaching session, sign up at tenpercent.com/coaching.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s episode is a rangy and fascinating conversation with a titan of the modern mindfulness scene: Sharon Salzberg. She is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, a renowned meditation retreat center and has written twelve books. Her latest is called, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom.
We get personal and talk about a fascinating question: why did so many Jewish kids of Sharon’s generation (the Boomers) get interested in meditation? Sharon was part of a whole crew called the JewBu’s — young Jewish people, mostly from New York, who found their way to India and other parts of Asia in the 1960s and 70s, learned about Buddhism, and then came home and taught it to so many of us.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sharon-salzberg-582
To join a live coaching session, sign up at tenpercent.com/coaching.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This four-part breathing technique calms the nervous system, relaxes the body, and is an effective antidote to obsessive over-thinking.
About Jeff Warren:
Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Breath Stressbuster,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=a93acc59-93ca-4002-9977-7ab1217fa1a3
For more information about Dan and Jeff's upcoming retreat (with Sebene Selassie) at the Omega Institute: https://www.eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A beautifully weird conversation with the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded its world-renown Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic in 1979, and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (CFM), in 1995. He is the author of many books including Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are.
His latest book, Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief, illustrates a range of evidence-based mindfulness meditation practices for those suffering with the challenges of chronic pain.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jon-kabat-zinn-580
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we have a truly incredible episode about how to meditate in hell. You’re going to meet a man named Jarvis Jay Masters, who I interviewed from his cell on death row at San Quentin prison in California. Any of us who meditate do our best to apply it to life’s ups and downs — but this person has been applying it in some truly extreme circumstances.
Jarvis has now spent more than three decades on death row, including more than two decades in solitary confinement. Shortly after Jarvis’s death sentence, he became interested in Buddhism, and started developing a rigorous practice under the tutelage of a Tibetan lama, Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche. Jarvis has now written and published two books about his life, Finding Freedom and That Bird Has My Wings. Both feature forewords by the renowned meditation teacher Pema Chödrön, who has been on this show, and his second book was endorsed by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and also by Oprah Winfrey, who selected the book for her famous book club last year.
Jarvis’s current appeal sits before a federal judge as we speak. A decision on his future could be reached any day.
Heads up there are frank discussions of suicide and domestic violence in this conversation.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jarvis-jay-masters-579
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As a wrap up to our Work Life series, we want to share a preview of another podcast we love: Prof G hosted by Scott Galloway. His interview, "Scott Galloway on: the Impact of Work on Mental Health, the Role of Luck in Success, and How Much is Enough," kicked off this latest series. Scott's show combines business insight and analysis with life and career advice, and we're big fans.
In this episode of Prof G, Scott shares his view on the "Future of Work"— from recruiting, to mentorship, to building teams. He touches on the role nepotism plays in the future of recruiting, to securing a job post-college, and team organization in the workplace.
You can hear more episodes of the Prof G podcast here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Accepting the unpleasant: easier said than done. Joseph demonstrates how to overcome reactivity and build the skill of acceptance.
About Joseph Goldstein:
Joseph is one of the most respected meditation teachers in the world – a key architect of the rise of mindfulness in our modern society – with a sense of humor to boot. In the 1970s, he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Since its founding, thousands of people from around the world have come to IMS to learn mindfulness from leaders in the field. Joseph has been a teacher there since its founding and continues as the resident guiding teacher.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Accepting the Unpleasant,” or click here: "https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=296ad59c-5122-4d9f-b6fd-de245aa50ac0"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
People have mixed feelings about the popularization of mindfulness and meditation over the last 10 or 15 years with some referring to it as “McMindfulness.”
The critiques can be worthy and the mainstreaming of meditation and mindfulness also have helped millions of people upgrade their lives. One of the many areas where mindfulness and meditation have made inroads of late is the workplace.
All sorts of employers are offering their teams access to meditation via apps or in-person training. But does this stuff actually work? Does it really make you happier at work or better at your job? And what techniques produce which benefits?
Professor Lindsey Cameron is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Management. Her research focuses on mindfulness as well as the future of work. She has a 20 year practice, having studied and taught primarily in the Vipassana and non-dual traditions. In her prior career, Professor Cameron spent over a decade in the US intelligence and in diplomatic communities serving the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lindsey-cameron-577
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This is the third installment in our Work Life series. In other episodes, we cover topics like imposter syndrome, whether mindfulness really works at work, and whether you should actually bring your whole self to the office.
Today's episode is one that many of us struggle with: interpersonal conflict at work. Our guest is a true ninja on this topic. Amy Gallo is a workplace expert who writes and speaks about interpersonal dynamics, difficult conversations, feedback, gender, and effective communication.
Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review and the author of a new book, Getting Along, How to Work with Anyone, Even Difficult People. She's also written the The Harvard Business Review Guide to Dealing With Conflict, and she cohosts the Women at Work podcast.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/amy-gallo-576
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You can refresh your energy in just a few moments. If you do it mindfully, you'll boost your presence and attention for the rest of the day.
About Anushka :
Anushka Fernandopulle teaches Insight meditation in the San Francisco Bay Area and other parts of the world. Anushka is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher's Council and has trained in the Theravada Buddhist tradition for 30 years in monasteries in Sri Lanka & India as well as urban US settings. Anushka has an MBA from Yale and works with organizations as a consultant and with individuals as a leadership coach. More about her teaching and work can be found at www.anushkaf.org
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Take a Work Break,” or click here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The phrase imposter syndrome has increasingly crept into the culture. If you haven’t heard of it, it basically means that you feel like you’re a fraud, despite evidence to the contrary. As this term has gained more purchase in our culture, it’s also been subjected to an increasing amount of scrutiny and criticism, and also confusion. So, today we’re going to try to cut through some of that with Dr. Valerie Young, who’s been an internationally recognized expert on imposter syndrome since 1982.
Young is the co-founder of the Imposter Syndrome Institute. She wrote a book called, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It. As you’ll hear her explain, imposter syndrome is not just for women — men deal with it, too, as do many other people along the gender spectrum.
This is the second installment of our ongoing work/life series.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/valerie-young-574
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This is the first of a four part series on work that we’re calling, “Work Life.”
Work can play a huge role in our sanity and happiness, or lack thereof. So today we're going to tackle some common and thorny questions with a guy who has been extremely successful at work and now teaches other people how to do so. We talk about questions such as how much work life balance should we really strive for? Is hustle culture really dead? What's the role of luck in success? How much is enough and should you bring your whole self to the office?
Scott Galloway is a professor of marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business. He's also a serial entrepreneur. He's founded nine companies, including Profit, Red Envelope, and Section Four.
He's served on the boards of directors of the New York Times Company, Urban Outfitters and Panera Bread. He's the best-selling author of many books, including, The Algebra of Happiness, Post Corona, and his latest book, which is called Adrift: America in 100 Charts. He's also the host of two podcasts, Prof. G. and Pivot. The latter, Pivot, which he co-hosts with the legendary tech reporter Kara Swisher.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/scott-galloway-573
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As skeptics, we can question if our lives have meaning. Reflecting on the impact of your good actions can counteract these desolate feelings.
About Jay Michaelson:
Dr. Jay Michaelson is a Senior Content Strategist at Ten Percent Happier and the author of seven books on meditation, including his newest, Enlightenment by Trial and Error. In his “other career,” Jay is a columnist for The Daily Beast, and was a professional LGBTQ activist for ten years. Jay is an ordained rabbi and has taught meditation in secular, Buddhist, and Jewish context for eighteen years.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When Life Feels Pointless,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=e752ae06-4213-4731-a92b-975108aee1d7
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s hard not to like Lewis Howes. He’s extremely open about his personal struggles, from childhood trauma to romantic challenges, from family drama to failure and self-doubt. Lewis is a voracious learner, relentless in his pursuit of his interests–and he’ll bust his ass to get to the bottom of things in his own life.
His main area of interest is what he calls greatness. He hosts a podcast, a very popular one, called The School of Greatness. He has spent many many years interviewing people who have excelled in all sorts of areas and has become a true student. Lewis now has a new book, called The Greatness Mindset, in which he shares what he’s learned via all of these interviews and his own personal work.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lewis-howes-571
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There’s so much compelling research behind the notion of self compassion. Even though many of us think we need an internal cattle prod in order to retain our edge, research shows that people who have a supportive inner attitude — who have their own back — are more resilient and effective. Not to mention happier. And nicer.
And yet, it is easy for skeptics to be turned off by some of the language and practices of self compassion. So today we brought in a guest who puts it in plain English, and is very funny.
Carla Naumburg PhD is a clinical social worker, author, and mother. She has a lot to say about self compassion, and she does so in a way that skeptics will find appealing.
One other note about Carla. A lot of her books are directed at parents, especially parents who are self critical. But this episode is aimed at everybody. We do talk a little bit about parenting at the end, but it’s not the main focus. Just so you have it, her books have titles such as: How to Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids and You Are Not a Sh*tty Parent. It’s common for parents to think they suck. It’s also common for humans to think we suck. That we are somehow terrible people. Sit back, relax, and let Carla disabuse you of that notion.
In this episode we talk about:
Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language. There is a clean version over on the TPH app and website.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/carla-naumburg-570
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Feel the true strength and happiness that comes from courageous vulnerability, the valuable art of knowing yourself deeply.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity -- a style of practice that's particularly useful during our crazy lives. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Strength from Vulnerability,” or click here.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The human animal doesn’t love paradox. We love a clear, simple story. Us versus them. Good versus evil. But life is rarely like that. This is especially true when it comes to wrestling with history. Our guest today calls it the patriot’s dilemma. How do you love your country while also acknowledging the painful and horrifying stuff that has happened in the past?
Dolly Chugh is a professor at the New York University Stern School of Business where she teaches MBA courses in leadership and management. This is her second time on the show. The last time she came on, she spoke about the concept of being “good-ish.” One of the reasons we get defensive when people criticize us is that we feel like it’s a threat to our precious notion of being a good person. But if you have a good-ish mindset, then there’s always room to grow. Her new book, A More Just Future, encourages us to do that for America.
Content Warning: This episode includes brief mentions of slavery and violence.
In this episode, we talked about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dolly-chugh-568
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Usually episodes of this show are organized around one big question, but today’s guest, Jonathan Haidt, is just too interesting for one clear focus. In this episode, we dig into a ton of fascinating topics, including: why it can make you happier to see your own irrationality and hypocrisy, the value of interacting with ideas you do not like, how to navigate social media sanely, how to get ahead at work (and stay happy in the process), the upside of striving, the wisdom of the Stoics, and more.
Jonathan Haidt is a renowned social psychologist from New York University’s Stern school of business and the author of many books, including: The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. Since 2018, he’s been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health and the rise of political dysfunction.
One other note: heads up that this conversation includes mentions of self-harm and suicide.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jonathan-haidt-567
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Go from "seeing red" to seeing the value in anger without being carried away by it and doing or saying things you'll regret later.
About Jessica Morey:
Jess Morey is a lead teacher, cofounder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education which runs in-depth mindfulness programming for youth, and the parents and professionals who support them across the US, and internationally. She began practicing meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), and has maintained a consistent commitment to meditation since.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Transforming Anger,” or click here: "https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=bf4246e0-89b5-47a2-a359-fbcae2103dbf".
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Very often, when somebody pisses us off, our first instinct might be to plan some sort of revenge even if we rarely, if ever, actually follow through with it. Obviously, the trait of revenge seeking is counterproductive and it happens to also feel terrible. All the great wisdom traditions tell us that we should be forgiving instead and this isn’t just some sort of finger wagging from the morality police; it’s just straight up good advice. It’s in your best interest not to be coiled up inside endless revenge fantasies. Of course, this is all easier said than done.
Today, though, our guest, sujatha baliga, both says it, and does it. She has an extraordinary story: she was horribly abused by a family member, and then, after an encounter with his Holiness the Dalai Lama, learned how to forgive the seemingly unforgivable. What’s more, she now helps other people do that. Perhaps, starting now, even you.
sujatha baliga is a long time Buddhist practitioner and internationally recognized leader in the field of restorative justice. She was named a 2019 MacArthur Fellow and is working on her first book.
Content Warning: This episode includes multiple references to violent and traumatic experiences, including homicide and incest.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sujatha-baliga-565
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Meditation and mindfulness doesn’t uproot your capacity to be judgmental, but it can help you see the value in being judgmental by learning how to work with the judging mind.
La Sarmiento has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1998. La is a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, a teacher with Cloud Sangha, and a contributor to the Ten Percent Happier app.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/la-sarmiento-564
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Learn how to grow your resilience by connecting to a positive attitude, resolve, and allowing yourself to say yes to difficult emotions.
About Sebene Selassie:
Sebene Selassie was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and began studying Buddhism thirty years ago as an undergrad who majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, she is a meditation teacher, speaker, and author of the book “You Belong: A Call for Connection.”
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Resilience.” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=460c0495-7971-4c98-8ed8-bb03a6c23ed0.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This is the last episode in our four-part series where we’re counter-programming against the way Valentine’s Day is often celebrated, and examining different kinds of relationships including romantic, friendship, and family.
Today we’re probing a mystery: Why, from an evolutionary standpoint do we take heartbreak and rejection so hard? It can send the body and mind into a vicious spiral. As one genomics researcher has said, “heartbreak is one of the hidden landmines of human existence.“
There are countless pieces of art dedicated to heartbreak. Songs, movies, poems, the list is pretty much endless. But what does science say? Why does this happen to us? How exactly does the body react to a bad break up, from a romantic partnership, or a friendship or even a job? And what can we do to get over it?
These are the questions the writer, Florence Williams decided to tackle after her own 25 year marriage fell apart. And the answers are fascinating.
Florence Williams is a science journalist and author, and a contributing editor at Outside Magazine. Her latest book is called, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey. It is just out in paperback, and has been nominated for the PEN/Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/florence-williams-562
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Did you know that having friends can make you less depressed? One survey found that the average American had not made a new friend in the last five years but 45% of people said they would go out of their way to make a new friend if they only knew how.
Our guest today, Dr. Marisa G. Franco, has written a bestselling book about how understanding your own psychological makeup and attachment style can help you make and keep friends. Franco is a psychologist and a professor at the University of Maryland. Her book is called Platonic: How the Science of Attachment Can Help You Make–and Keep–Friends.
This is episode three of a four part series in which we are doing some counter programming against the typical Valentine's Day fair.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/marisa-g-franco-561
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Mindfulness isn't about making your heart open. It's about feeling however you feel, respecting that, and sometimes, saying no.
About Cara Lai:
Cara Lai has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist. She teaches teens and adults at Inward Bound Mindfulness Education, Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and UCLA.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Boundaries: Saying Yes to Saying No.”
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you’re part of a family, you’ve probably experienced some level of drama. Maybe it’s minor annoyances, like an uncle who chews too loudly. Maybe it’s divorce, sibling rivalry, or abuse. There are lots of flavors in this noxious cornucopia.
Nedra Glover Tawwab is a licensed clinical social worker and the author of the new book Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships. She’s here to talk about how to handle family drama of all types.
This is episode two of a four part series in which we are doing some counter programming against the typical Valentine's Day fair.
Content Warning: There are some brief mentions of rape and incest in this conversation. We also talk about substance abuse, sexual abuse, and domestic abuse.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/nedra-glover-tawwab-559
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This episode is part one of our four-part series where we’re counter-programming against the way Valentine’s Day is often celebrated, and examining different kinds of relationships including romantic, friendship, and family.
Today’s guest hews a bit more closely to the traditional Valentine’s Day theme and will do some myth-busting around all the things we tend to get wrong when we talk about romantic relationships.
Myisha Battle is the author of the book, “This Is Supposed to Be Fun: How To Find Joy in Hooking Up, Settling Down, and Everything in Between.” She also hosts the podcasts Down for Whatever, and Dating White. Much of her public work focuses on the early stages of relationships, but in her private practice, she counsels people at all stages, and in all kinds of relationships.
Content Warning: Explicit language and conversations about sex.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/myisha-battle-558
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sharon expertly guides you through a body scan to help you feel relaxed and at home in your body.
About Sharon Salzberg:
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is a co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Basic Body Scan” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=c637cfaa-665c-4a37-9c03-af3ef321d17d
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
So many people are interested in their family tree. What kind of lives did our ancestors lead and what do their stories say about us? Today’s guest, Spring Washam, asks us to reckon with the people who have come before us in order to fully understand who we are and why we do the things we do.
Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA and has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999.
In this episode we talk about:
Content Warning: mentions of suicide
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/spring-washam-556
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There may be a temptation in some circles to dismiss intuition as witchy, folkloric, or unscientific but there’s actually a ton of science around this. Our guest, author, actress and director, Amber Tamblyn will guide us through this. Tamblyn argues that intuition is a trainable skill but that this south-of-the-neck intelligence is often obscured by being too stuck in our heads and out of touch with our bodies.
Tamblyn has been nominated for Emmy®, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Awards. Her work in television spans over two decades including starring roles on House M.D., and Two and a Half Men. On the big screen, she starred in movies such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and 127 Hours. She’s written seven books, including her latest, which is called Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/amber-tamblyn-555
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Instead of fruitlessly trying to control everything in your life, take a lighter approach and throw a party for all that comes your way.
About Jeff Warren:
Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto. He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Welcome to the Party,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=0a0c8786-37d5-4f61-9fd1-98986a05bc3d.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s episode is the first in an experimental new series called Meditation Party.
Dan takes listener calls with fellow meditators Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren and get candid about their practices and dealing with life
Sebene Selassie is based in Brooklyn and describes herself as a “writer, teacher, and immigrant-weirdo.” She teaches meditation on the Ten Percent Happier app and is the author of a great book called, You Belong. Jeff Warren is based in Toronto and is also a writer and meditation teacher who co-wrote the book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics with Dan Harris. Jeff also hosts the Consciousness Explorers podcast.
Call (508) 656-0540 to have your question answered during the Meditation Party!
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sebene-selassie-jef-warren-553
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The better you understand your brain – and the more effectively you can work with it – the happier and healthier you will be. This is the central contention of today’s extraordinary guest, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor and she makes this assertion based on two levels of deep expertise. First, Dr. Taylor is a Harvard-trained neuroanatomist. Second, back in the ‘90s, she experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain causing her to lose the ability to walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life. She later recovered, but that experience, which you will hear her describe in riveting detail, gave her incredible insight into how the brain works.
She wrote a massive best-selling book called, My Stroke of Insight, which she has now followed up with a book called, Whole Brain Living, where she lays out exactly how to understand your brain and how to work with it.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jill-bolte-taylor-552
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Let’s be real: relationships aren’t always easy. Connect in a more meaningful way to stay engaged and caring with balance and ease.
About Pascal Auclair:
Pascal Auclair has been immersed in Buddhist practice and study since 1997, sitting retreats in Asia and America with revered monastics and lay teachers. He has been mentored by Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where he is now enjoying teaching retreats. Pascal teaches in North America and in Europe. He is a co-founder of True North Insight and one of TNI’s Guiding Teachers.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Cultivating Balance in Relationships,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=f87533f5-7cee-4b03-bba3-89e299358936
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It can be difficult to grasp how much power of persuasion we actually have, or how to wield it wisely.
In today’s episode we look at science-based strategies for observing the effect we have on others, and how to better deal with our fear of rejection, and asking for favors.
Vanessa Bohns is a social psychologist and a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University. She is the author of You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why it Matters.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/vanessa-bohns-550
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We're sharing a preview of another podcast we love, The Happiness Lab. On The Happiness Lab, Dr. Laurie Santos explores all the ways we get our happiness wrong and what we can to do really feel better. She walks through the latest evidence-based strategies for improving your mental health, sharing practical advice on what will really bring more joy. In her latest New Year season of The Happiness Lab, Laurie tackles how to listen to the inner voice of what we really need in the new year. We're often looking into the future... hunting for the "next big thing." We can get so fixated with these events and the happiness we hope they'll deliver, that we forget to look for joy right now.
Actor and author Tony Hale (Veep, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Arrested Development) joins Laurie to discuss how he was always chasing new accomplishments, until he realized he was missing the chance to be happy living in the moment.
You can hear more from The Happiness Lab at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/thls6?sid=tph/.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today’s guest is the man in charge of the world’s longest scientific study of happiness, a study that has been running since 1938.
Dr. Robert Waldinger is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, the director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development at Massachusetts General Hospital, and co-founder of the Lifespan Research Foundation. He is also a Zen master and teaches meditation in New England and around the world. His TED Talk is one of the most viewed of all time, with over 43 million views. He’s the co-author, along with Dr. Marc Schulz, of The Good Life.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/robert-waldinger-549
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A busy city is an ideal place to cultivate loving-kindness and powerfully connect to those around you while you’re out and about.
About Jay Michaelson:
Dr. Jay Michaelson is a Senior Content Strategist at Ten Percent Happier and the author of seven books on meditation, including his newest, Enlightenment by Trial and Error. Jay is also a columnist for The Daily Beast, and was a professional LGBTQ activist for ten years. Jay is an ordained rabbi and has taught meditation in secular, Buddhist, and Jewish context for eighteen years.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Loving-Kindness in the City,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=8466115b-afe5-4323-8827-a8296031502d.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
According to guest Adam Grant, excellence does not require perfectionism, and rather than obsessing over the outcome of your work, there are better ways of measuring your own success.
Adam Grant is a frequent flier on this show and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 5 books that have sold millions of copies and have been translated into 35 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. He’s an organizational psychologist who has been the top-rated professor at Wharton for seven years. He’s also the host of a newish podcast, called Re:Thinking with Adam Grant, in addition to his other chart-topping podcast, called WorkLife.
In this conversation, we talked about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/adam-grant-547
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Our guest today is one of the most prominent happiness researchers in the world, and he has come to the conclusion that living the good life boils down to one thing: finding awe. We’re going to learn what awe does to your body, how it changes your sense of self and your relationship to the world, and why we evolved to feel awe. We’re also going to get eight simple strategies for mainlining awe into our everyday lives.
Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and the faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. His new book is called, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life.
In this conversation we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dacher-keltner-546
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Stressed about the strained economy? You’re not alone. Sebene offers tools to help see the abundance we all have in our lives.
About Sebene Selassie:
Sebene Selassie was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Money Worries,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=06cd264b-c462-4e87-8a9a-76be4093c7f2.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When we think about Buddhism or the dharma, we probably don’t think about money.
But when the Buddha laid out guidelines about how to make an ethical livelihood, this didn’t preclude material success. This episode is part two of this week’s series on money, and dives into how we can bring Buddhist principles to an area of our lives that can create so much fear, greed, and dread.
Spencer Sherman is the founding CEO of Abacus, a values-driven financial firm, and certified mindfulness teacher. He teaches the Fearless Finance program and The Mastery of Money program for NYU’s Inner MBA program. He is also the author of The Cure For Money Madness.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/spencer-sherman-544
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Money is often a messy and complicated topic that provokes a lot of anxiety.
Today’s show is the first episode of a two-part series on managing our relationship to money and understanding what role money really plays when it comes to our happiness.
Morgan Housel is the author of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. Translated into over 50 languages with over two million copies sold, Housel is a two-time winner of the Best in Business Award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, winner of the New York Times Sidney Award, and a two-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.
In this conversation we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/morgan-housel-543
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What is the Dalai Lama’s own meditation practice like? In this final episode, the Dalai Lama goes into great detail about the whys and wherefores of meditation, taking us way into the deep end. We cover single-pointed versus analytical meditation, gross and subtle levels of the mind, “true cessation,” and how we can use sleep as practice for the moment of death. Dr. Davidson returns to explain key, esoteric terms and to help us understand how we can apply elements of the Dalai Lama’s practice to our everyday lives.
Want more of The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness? Download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps.
Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-542
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/JoinChallengePod
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
One of the Dalai Lama‘s most challenging teachings, especially for secular western minds, is reincarnation. In this episode, His Holiness describes the Buddhist deity who he believes to be his “boss.” Dan then sits down with Richie again to discuss whether there is any scientific evidence for rebirth. The episode begins and ends with emotional moments, where members of our team respond with tears to being in the presence of the Dalai Lama.
Want more of The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness? Download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps.
Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-541
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/JoinChallengePod
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How can we get better at selfishness? That’s one of many fascinating topics we cover in this episode, in which we play snippets from Dan’s one-on-one interview with His Holiness, and then unpack it all with Dr. Richard Davidson, neuroscientist and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds. We talk to His Holiness about “wise selfishness,” how to handle our enemies, and whether he ever gets angry. Then Richie recounts a time when His Holiness exhibited a rare flash of anger— towards him, in fact.
Want more of The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness? Download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-540
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The Dalai Lama makes a risky move. When confronted by a young American woman coping with incredible loss, he does something surprising and counterintuitive. The incident surfaces a question that is more urgent now than ever: As social media, tribalism, individualism, and a global pandemic conspire to keep us separated from each other, how do we maintain what psychologists call “social fitness”?
In conversation with Dr. Richard J. Davidson, world renowned neuroscientist and longtime friend and collaborator of the Dalai Lama, we unpack the scientifically demonstrated benefits of the social connection embodied by His Holiness, and give easily accessible strategies to incorporate this wisdom into your everyday life. Also, Dan has a bit of an identity crisis.
Want more of The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Happiness? Download the Ten Percent Happier app wherever you get your apps.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-539
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/JoinChallengePod
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dan flies to Dharamsala, India to spend two weeks in the orbit of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This is the first installment of a five-part audio documentary series, something we’ve never done before now. Over the course of the episodes, we talk to His Holiness about practical strategies for thorny dilemmas, including: how to get along with difficult people; whether compassion can cut it in an often brutal world; why there is a self-interested case for not being a jerk; and how to create social connection in an era of disconnection. We also get rare insights from the Dalai Lama into everything from the mechanics of reincarnation to His Holiness’s own personal mediation practice.
In this first installment, Dan watches as a young activist directly challenges His Holiness: In a world plagued by climate change, terrorism, and other existential threats, is the Dalia Lama’s message of compassion practical — or even relevant?
Full Show Notes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dalai-lama-guide-538
Other Resources Mentioned:
Additional Resources:
Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/JoinChallengePod
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this practice you'll connect with your values and set an intention for how you want to show up today.
About Oren Jay Sofer:
Oren has practiced meditation in the early Buddhist tradition since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India with Anagarika Munindra and Godwin Samararatne. He is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and a graduate of the IMS - Spirit Rock Vipassana Teacher Training, and current member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.
Oren is the author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication, a practical guidebook for having more effective, satisfying conversations.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “A Fresh Start,” or click here:
"https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=b4a40731-798e-4f9e-87ac-e889dd0298e2"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Brené Brown has found that most people are only able to identify three emotions: happy, sad and pissed off.
In this episode we explore how better understanding the full spectrum of your emotions, rather than drowning in them, can become an upward spiral.
Brené Brown is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers. Her latest book is Atlas of the Heart, which is also the name of her HBO Max series. Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston and a visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. Her TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 50 million views.
In this episode we talk about:
Content Warning: This episode contains explicit language, but a clean version of the episode is available at tenpercent.com and on the Ten Percent Happier app.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/brene-brown-436-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The New Year is approaching and this is a time when many of us think about making and breaking new habits. So today we’re bringing on one of the smartest people when it comes to habits, best-selling author and speaker Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen’s contention is that before you embark on a self-improvement project, it’s crucial to have some self-awareness about what kind of person you are. She has devised a framework called the Four Tendencies, which helps you identify your personality type in order to gain powerful insights into how you make or break habits.
Rubin is a lawyer by training and began her career clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Gretchen then went on to write a series of books that examine small and doable ways to boost our happiness in everyday life. These include: The Happiness Project, which spent two years on the bestseller list and sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide, and Better Than Before. We initially conducted the interview you’re about to hear back in 2017, when Gretchen released a book called The Four Tendencies.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/gretchen-rubin-99-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Develop insight into your cravings and find some freedom by observing your thoughts and physical sensations when you are lost in desire.
About Alexis Santos:
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity -- a style of practice that's particularly useful during our crazy lives. Alexis has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Understanding Desire,” or click here:
"https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=14b7581a-9121-40a8-87a1-11bfbf50c3b3"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we’re tackling some thorny dharma questions. For example: How do you love someone without attachment? How do you love yourself when the self is allegedly an illusion?
Kevin Griffin is both a long time Buddhist practitioner and also a 12 step participant, and in another previous episode we talked to him about the nature of craving and addiction. In this popular episode from the archives, Kevin talks about his semi-skeptical take on loving kindness – that venerable if somewhat misunderstood Buddhist concept and practice. His book is being re-released this month, with a slightly new title Living Kindness: Metta Practice for the Whole of Our Lives.
In this conversation, we talk about:
Content Warning: The interview includes brief references to addiction and other forms of suffering.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/kevin-griffin-370-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you’re tired of the venom, preening, and predatory listening so common on all sides of our various cultural divides, this episode is for you.
My guest today is Loretta Ross, who believes that “calling out,” which is quite common on social media these days, is adding way too much toxicity to the discourse and alienating people who might otherwise be allies. Instead, she believes in “calling in,” which steadfastly insists on a large measure of grace, and rejects the impulse to dehumanize.
On today’s show, Loretta offers a compelling mode of engagement that is insistently open-minded and large-hearted, no matter where you stand on the political divide.
Loretta describes herself as a radical Black feminist, activist, and public intellectual. She’s a visiting Associate Professor at Smith College, and she also teaches an online course called, Calling in the Calling Out Culture.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/loretta-ross-316-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The delicate practice of self-forgiveness can help undo habits of self-judgment, self-criticism, and help you reclaim greater self-esteem.
About Diana Winston:
Diana Winston is the Director of Mindfulness Education at UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center and the author of several books including, The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering your Natural Awareness
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Self-Forgiveness,” or click here: "https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=73751265-07b6-4333-b2e6-a9d682e0b213"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s possible to actually be addicted to self-criticism, especially as a way to keep yourself safe. But evidence shows that’s not true, and today’s episode dives into strategies to deal with your own self-hatred.
This is part two of a series this week on forgiveness. In our last episode, Jack Kornfield focused on forgiving other people and in today’s episode, Tara Brach talks about forgiving yourself.
Tara Brach is a meditation teacher, psychologist and author of several books including Radical Acceptance, Radical Compassion and Trusting the Gold. Her weekly podcast is downloaded 3 million times a month. Tara is also the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/tara-brach-534
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The allure of resentment, of holding a grudge or nursing your rage can be super powerful.
In today’s episode, Jack Kornfield, one of the great western meditation masters, talks about Buddhist strategies for not holding grudges and the self-interested case for forgiveness. This episode is the first of a two-part series this week on forgiveness.
In this conversation we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jack-kornfield-533
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sebene guides you through using physical touch points to reduce anxiety. This is a great alternative to focusing on breathing.
About Sebene Selassie:
Sebene Selassie was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and raised in white neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., she was a tomboy Black girl who loved Monty Python and UB40. She never believed she belonged. Thirty years ago, she began studying Buddhism as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. Now, Sebene is a teacher, author, and speaker who teaches that meditation can help us remember our inherent sense of belonging, that our individual freedom affects absolutely everyone and everything, and that our collective freedom depends on each and every one of us.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Working With Anxiety,” or click here:
"https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=1fe8c559-04a4-4082-bf7c-e59d573c1252"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we’re taking a run at something that is simultaneously a contemplative cliché and also a deeply desired psychological outcome: getting out of your head and into your body. So many of us want an escape route from the spinning, looping, fishing narratives and grudges in our head and our guest today has some very practical suggestions to help us do that.
Kelly Boys is a mindfulness trainer and coach. She has helped design and deliver mindfulness and resilience programs for the UN, Google, and San Quentin State Prison. She is also the author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What's Right in Front of You
Today we’re going to talk specifically about a type of meditation that Kelly teaches called Yoga Nidra, which has been shown to help you sleep, improve your working memory, and decrease cravings.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/kelly-boys-531
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The subject of anxiety never seems to lose its relevance. In this special episode we answer listener voicemails with one of the world’s leading experts on anxiety.
Dr. Jud Brewer is the Chief Medical Officer at Sharecare and the Director of Research and Innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center. He is also the New York Times best-selling author of Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind and an expert in the field of habit change and the science of self-mastery.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/judson-brewer-530
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This simple but profound meditation will help you flip the judgment switch and genuinely welcome whatever your life presents.
About Jeff Warren:
Jeff is an incredibly gifted meditation teacher. He's trained in multiple traditions, including with renowned teacher Shinzen Young. Jeff is the co-author of NY Times Bestseller "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics," and the founder of the Consciousness Explorers Club, a meditation adventure group in Toronto.
He has a knack for surfacing the exact meditation that will help everyone he meets. "I have a meditation for that" is regularly heard from Jeff, so we've dubbed him the "Meditation MacGyver."
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Welcoming Your Imperfection,” or click here:
"https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=dfa31f5f-cf3e-40a6-ae63-ecf0ee524803"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We’ve all got parts of our personality or our past that we’re ashamed of. We might refer to these parts of ourselves as our demons, our baggage, or our secrets; no one is immune.
So, how do you want to deal with this situation? Stay coiled in shame and denial? That only makes the demons stronger. An alternative, per my guest Koshin Paley Ellison, is to approach your stuff with “healthy embarrassment.” That allows you to work more skillfully with your baggage so that it doesn’t own you. And once you’re cooler with yourself, that can improve your relationships with other people, which is probably the most important variable for your happiness. And healthy embarrassment is just one of many extremely useful things we are going to talk about today.
Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, Jungian psychotherapist, and Certified Chaplaincy Educator. He is the co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, an amazing place which, among other things, trains people to be volunteers in hospice centers. Koshin is the author of a new book called Untangled: Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion, which centers on a classic Buddhist list called The Eightfold Path, the Buddha’s recipe for enlightenment or, as Koshin puts it, “the most awesome combo platter.”
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/koshin-paley-ellison-528
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Today we explore the entire dread spectrum with Saleem Reshamwala, who took a deep dive on this very common, very uncomfortable emotion. What is dread, exactly? What evolutionary purpose does it serve? Most importantly, how do we deal with it? What are the antidotes?
Reshamwala has worked for The New York Times, PBS, and also TED, where he hosts a podcast called Far Flung. He is also the host of More Than A Feeling, another podcast here at Ten Percent Happier. Saleem and his team recently launched something called The Dread Project - we shared their first episode kicking off the series last week. It’s a five-day series that investigates dread. Each day of the challenge, listeners tackle dread in a different way. You can sign up for The Dread Project at dreadproject.com.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/saleem-reshamwala-527
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Setting intentions regularly can be an incredibly effective and deeply satisfying tool to map out how you want to live your life.
About Dawn Mauricio:
Dawn Mauricio discovered the practices of Buddhist meditation in 2005, and from then on, did what any well-intentioned perfectionist would do — plunge in head first! Since then, she's graduated from several teaching programs, including Spirit Rock's four-year Teacher Training. Her teaching style is playful, dynamic, and heartfelt, and she teaches extensively in her home-country of Canada, as well as the US, to teens, people of color, and folks of all backgrounds.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Daily Intention Setting,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=deaecaa8-6b71-43cd-b2f7-a406c93fafd4
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Can gratitude be more than just a platitude? Our guest today argues: yes.
DaRa Williams is a longtime practitioner and teacher of meditation. She is one of the guiding teachers at Insight Meditation Society, a graduate of the Spirit Rock Insight Meditation Society Teacher Training Program, and also has a clinical mental health private practice in Manhattan. DaRa also says, only semi-facetiously, that she believes gratitude can be considered the fifth Brahma Vihara.
In this conversation we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/dara-williams-295-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There are all sorts of ways to struggle with getting things done. Maybe you’re a procrastinator, maybe you’re somebody whose energy flags in the middle of a project, maybe you’re too stubborn and don’t know when to quit, or maybe you’re somebody who sets too many goals and gets burned out. Whatever your situation, we all struggle with motivation. The good news is that there’s a whole crew of scientists who study best practices for getting things done, including today’s guest, Ayelet Fishbach, PhD.
Fishbach is one of the most eminent players in the field. She is the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. She is also the author of Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/ayelet-fishbach-525
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Bring an open minded curiosity to your big emotions and get to know yourself more fully, developing resilience to deal with all the feels.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Real Love. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Being with Big Emotions,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=0606529f-6448-4fa4-8b87-d9c64666f743
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This episode is for anyone who has ever had a tough or tricky moment. In other words, everyone who is currently drawing breath on planet earth right now.
Today’s guests are powerhouse duo Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Daniel Goleman.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche is one of the greatest living Tibetan masters who has a whole toolbox of techniques for dealing with difficult moments, habitual patterns, and common meditation obstacles. He’ll be in conversation with Daniel Goleman, a trained scientist and science writer best known for his landmark book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Together, they have just written a book called Why We Meditate: The Science and Practice of Clarity and Compassion.
This is the fourth and final installment of our series called, The Art and Science of Keeping Your Sh*t Together. In each episode we bring together a meditative adept or Buddhist scholar and a respected scientist. The idea is to give you the best of both worlds to arm you with both modern and ancient tools for regulating your emotions.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/tsoknyi-rinpoche-daniel-goleman-523
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Is it possible to learn to spot which state your nervous system is in and move from suboptimal states to much better ones? The subject of how to work with your own nervous system is called Polyvagal Theory and today’s guests Deb Dana & Kaira Jewel Lingo will give us a primer on what that exactly means. They will also talk about how our nervous systems are connected to the nervous systems of other people, and how we can learn to co-regulate our systems for the betterment of others.
Deb Dana is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who is a clinician, consultant and author specializing in complex trauma. Her work is focused on using the lens of Polyvagal Theory to understand and resolve the impact of trauma, and creating ways of working that honor the role of the autonomic nervous system. She has written several books, including Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory.
Kaira Jewel Lingo is a Dharma teacher with a lifelong interest in spirituality and social justice. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen lineage and the Vipassana tradition, as well as in secular mindfulness, with a focus on activists, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, artists, educators, families, and youth. She is author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption.
This is the third installment of our series called, The Art and Science of Keeping Your Sh*t Together. In each episode we bring together a meditative adept or Buddhist scholar and a respected scientist. The idea is to give you the best of both worlds to arm you with both modern and ancient tools for regulating your emotions.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/deb-dana-kaira-jewel-lingo-522
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The team over at our sister show, More Than a Feeling, are diving deep into an emotion that a lot of us can relate to: dread. And while that may sound unappetizing, they’ve found a way to make this series delightful and useful.
It’s called “The Dread Project,” and today you’re gonna hear their kick off episode, and then next week, every day, in the More Than a Feeling podcast feed, you’ll find a short episode that will give you a new, short and fun exercise on how to work with your dread.
Sign up for The Dread Project Challenge at dreadproject.com, and you’ll get five days of emails with insights from each day’s episode and the exercise that goes with it.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A common idea in the west is that our feelings or emotions should be viewed with suspicion, superseded or overridden by rational thought, and that your mind is a battleground between emotions and rationality. But on the show today, guests Lisa Feldman Barrett and John Dunne are going to offer a very compelling science backed argument that disputes the notion that thinking and feeling are distinct. Furthermore, they argue that understanding how emotions are actually made can be a life or death matter.
Lisa Feldman Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University with appointments at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Barrett is among the top 1% most-cited scientists, having published over 270 peer-reviewed scientific papers. She has written several books, including How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, and Seven And A Half Lessons About The Brain. Her TED talk has been viewed more than 6.5 million times.
John Dunne holds the Distinguished Chair in Contemplative Humanities at the Center for Healthy Minds of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialog with Cognitive Science and Psychology. He earned his PhD from Harvard.
This is part two in a series we’re calling The Art and Science of Keeping Your Sh*t Together. In each episode we bring together a meditative adept or Buddhist scholar and a respected scientist. The idea is to give you the best of both worlds to arm you with both modern and ancient tools for regulating your emotions.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lisa-feldman-barrett-john-dunne-520
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In western culture, there's been a long held view that our ability to reason should be placed above our emotions. But the hard truth is that our emotions are there and they're non-negotiable— and If you don't know how to work with them, they can own you.
The good news is that you can work with them and that there are many systems for doing so. To boot, you can learn a ton by listening to your emotions in the right ways.
Today’s guests, Shinzen Young and James Gross will help us understand how to work with our emotions and offer both techniques in modern science and ancient wisdom in order to do so.
Gross is the Ernest R. Hilgard Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Psychophysiology Laboratory. Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant. He teaches something called Unified Mindfulness, which you will hear him describe in this conversation.
This is part one in a series we’re calling The Art and Science of Keeping Your Sh*t Together. In each episode we bring together a meditative adept or Buddhist scholar and a respected scientist. The idea is to give you the best of both worlds to arm you with both modern and ancient tools for regulating your emotions.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/shinzen-young-james-gross-519
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Cultivate resilience by choosing to turn towards joy, and transform difficult times into growth opportunities and heartache into gratitude.
About La Sarmiento:
La Sarmiento is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington's BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ Sanghas and a mentor for the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program and Cloud Sangha. They graduated from Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Community Dharma Leader Training Program in 2012. As an immigrant, non-binary, Filipinx-American, La is committed to expanding access to the Dharma. They live in Towson, MD with their life partner Wendy and rescue pups Annabel and Bader.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Opening to Joy,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=ad5f5edb-d41b-4419-8cdd-cbe4155ef6ae.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We’re sharing a very special episode from a frequent guest of the show, Esther Perel. In this episode, “Love in War with Esther Perel: Ukraine,” you’ll hear a couples session led by Esther, between a husband and wife whose family has been torn apart by the war in Ukraine. Through the lens of relationship, you experience both the horrors of war and the relatability of intimate relationships.
Esther Perel is a psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of many books, including Mating In Captivity. She’s also the host of the podcasts Where Should We Begin? and How’s Work?.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It is so easy to be pessimistic and, in fact, we are evolutionarily wired towards it with a built in negativity bias. This bias can be super useful, because it keeps us on guard for threats. But like all biases, it can warp the way we see the world. This is why optimism can be incredibly helpful. We’re not talking about blind optimism here but more about grounded, realistic and reasonable optimism.
Our guest today, Robin Roberts, has come by this skill the hard way. Not only is she one of the boldest of the boldface names in the news business, where she is forced to confront crime, war, and natural disasters on the regular, but she’s also come through two very serious bouts of cancer.
Roberts is the longtime co-anchor of Good Morning America. She has a new book called, Brighter by the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams in which she talks about how she has honed her optimism chops, and how you can, too.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/robin-roberts-516
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Friendship might not necessarily be something you’ve considered to be an urgent psychological and physiological issue. One thing we explore a lot on the show is that the quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life, and sadly, in many ways, it’s harder than ever to make and keep friends. With loneliness and disconnection on the rise, our society just wasn’t constructed for social connection, and recent data suggests we’re in a friendship crisis, with many of us reporting that we have fewer close friendships than ever.
Our guest today is Robin Dunbar, an Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Oxford University and the author of numerous books on the development of homo sapiens. Dunbar is perhaps best known for formulating “Dunbar's number,” which is a measurement of the number of relationships our brain is capable of maintaining at any one time. He is a world-renowned expert on human relationships, and has a ton of fascinating research findings and practical tips for upping your friendship game.
In this conversation, we dive into the science behind human relationships, the upsides and downsides of maintaining friendships on social media, the viability of friendships across gender lines, and what science says you can do to compensate if you feel you are currently lacking in close friendships.
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/robin-dunbar-372-rerun
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Conflict is inevitable in any relationship. By identifying what really matters to us, we can strengthen our most meaningful connections.
About Oren Jay Sofer:
Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation, and Nonviolent Communication in secular and Buddhist contexts. Oren has practiced meditation in the early Buddhist tradition since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India with Anagarika Munindra and Godwin Samararatne. He is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and a graduate of the IMS - Spirit Rock Vipassana Teacher Training, and current member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.
Oren is the author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication, a practical guidebook for having more effective, satisfying conversations.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “When We Fight With People We Love,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=4de9fcbb-c18d-44c0-bdca-328c38289a9f.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Relationships can be tricky. Especially if you find yourself upset with someone, and instead of talking it through, you let it fester until one moment you completely lose it and end up having to apologize. If you’ve ever felt like you had friction with the people in your life, or that you’ve been taken for granted, today’s episode offers you solid strategies to cope.
Sister True Dedication is a Zen Buddhist nun and teacher ordained by the great meditation teacher and author, Thich Nhat Hanh. She edited several of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books, including The Art of Living and Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet. She was born in the United Kingdom, studied history and political thought at Cambridge University, and worked for BBC News before ordaining as a nun at the age of 27.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sister-true-dedication-514
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You may remember hearing a massively viral story from a few years ago about a school in Baltimore that gave students meditation, instead of detention.
Ali Smith, Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzalez founded the Holistic Life Foundation and are the authors of Let Your Light Shine, which recounts the story of their work helping traumatized children in one of America’s most underserved cities, and how mindfulness tools can help children and communities not only survive, but thrive.
In this episode we talk about:
Content Warning: Explicit language. For a clean version of this episode, please listen on the Ten Percent Happier app or at tenpercent.com
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/ali-smith-atman-smith-andres-gonzalez-513
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Instead of letting your inner critic control you, turn it into a caricature so you can find a little space in the relationship.
About Sharon Salzberg:
A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.
Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Real Love. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Dressing Up The Inner Critic,” or click here:
"https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=cadfb39c-1d15-49bf-a628-ee718d84cfe4"
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
One of the great perils and problems of our age is that we sometimes become too entrenched in our views and attached to being right.
According to guest George Saunders, the antidote is something he calls “holy befuddlement.”
George Saunders is the author of eleven books, including Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the 2017 Man Booker Prize for best work of fiction in English. His most recent book, Liberation Day, is a collection of short stories that explore the ideas of power, ethics, and justice, cutting to the heart of what it means to live in community with our fellow humans.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/george-saunders-511
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It might be hard to find a more annoying cliché than self-love; it can seem empty and inactionable. And even if you could make it work, I think many of us suspect it would lead to complacent resignation or unbridled narcissism. But there is an enormous amount of evidence that self-love, or as the scientists call it, self-compassion, can make you more effective in reaching your goals as well as lead to better relationships with everybody around you.
On today’s show, the great meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg will walk us through the idea that love— both self-love and other love— is a skill that can be cultivated with massively positive impacts.
Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
This episode comes out in conjunction with Dan Harris’ recent TED Talk on self-love. You can watch the full talk here.
In this episode we talk about:
Full Shownotes: www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sharon-salzberg-510
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Relieve your anxiety by exploring the relationship between stress and thinking while learning to break unhealthy habit loops.
About Jess Morey:
Jess Morey is a lead teacher, cofounder and former executive director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education which runs in-depth mindfulness programming for youth, and the parents and professionals who support them across the US, and internationally.
She began practicing meditation at age 14 on teen retreats offered by the Insight Meditation Society (IMS), and has maintained a consistent commitment to meditation since. Diving head first into meditation at such a key developmental stage makes the revelatory perspective of mindfulness & compassion her natural home turf, and gives her an easy, conversational teaching style anyone can relate to.
To find this meditation in the Ten Percent Happier app, you can search for “Soothe Stressful Thoughts,” or click here: https://10percenthappier.app.link/content?meditation=eb664bd8-0560-439e-9e57-e5eddb622bfa.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.