A Slight Change of Plans
A Slight Change of Plans
Playlist by A Slight Change of PlansWhat happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? In this award-winning podcast, cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar explores how we experience change and strategies we can use to better navigate …Follow the podcast:
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The Life-Changing Impact Of Showing People They Matter
Journalist Jennifer Wallace believes we can make the world a better place through small actions that help people feel like they matter. She’s written a book about this idea, called “Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose.”In today’s episode, she reveals why even those in hig…
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Michael Lewis and Maya Talk “The Other Side of Change”
In today’s episode, “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis (and Maya’s friend) flips the script and interviews her—in front of a live audience in San Francisco. They discuss her new book in a candid conversation about identity, loss, and what happens when the thing that once defined you falls away. Did …
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How To Be Happier This Year
2026 is off to a hectic start for Maya as she tours the country promoting her book, “The Other Side of Change.” To recenter, she’s revisiting a conversation with her friend and mentor, Yale Professor Laurie Santos, who studies the science of happiness. Together, they explore why the things we chase…
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A Sneak Preview Of Maya’s New Book
Maya’s book, “The Other Side of Change”, is officially out! To celebrate, we’re sharing an exclusive excerpt with our community – about what first sparked Maya’s interest in change, and the story of a woman named Olivia Lewis. Order “The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other P…
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Kicking Off the New Year Right
Booklist awarded Maya’s upcoming book, The Other Side of Change, one of its coveted starred reviews, saying “It’s impossible not to be moved.” The Other Side of Change hits shelves on January 13th and is filled with a rare combination of scientific wisdom and powerful stories (not featured on thi…
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The People-Pleaser’s Recovery Guide
Therapist Meg Josephson learned early on to put others’ needs before her own. It was a way for her to stay safe in a home that didn’t feel emotionally stable. But over time, she saw that her people-pleasing habits were eroding her sense of self, and straining the very relationships she was trying t…
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Why It’s Never Too Late To Bet On Yourself
After a turbulent adolescence and decades of reinvention, Zarna Garg found her voice somewhere she never expected: stand-up comedy. On today’s episode, she tells Maya why she believes courage is a skill you can learn, and how failure has been a key to her success on stage and off. Register for May…
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How to Stay Hopeful (When It Feels Impossible)
The world feels especially heavy these days, and it’s easy to feel cynical. So today, Maya is revisiting her conversation with psychologist Jamil Zaki, who offers an alternative to cynicism: a mindset he calls “hopeful skepticism.” Jamil explains why hopeful people are more resilient, more success…
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Malala, On Losing Herself
It’s been more than a decade since Malala Yousafzai, then a 15-year-old student and advocate for girls education, survived an assassination attempt. Malala is 28 now, and she’s written an intimate new memoir called “Finding My Way,” revealing sides of her the world has never seen before. In today’…
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What If Finding Community Wasn't So Hard?
When Dr. Vivek Murthy first appeared on the show a few years back, he and Maya discussed the science of loneliness and its impact on our long term health. Now, the former U.S. Surgeon General is back to share simple, practical steps we can take to nurture more meaningful relationships—and why makin…
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