The Cost of Standing Your Ground

Bestselling author Michael Lewis is back with a brand new audiobook, “Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State.”  In early 2025, when the Department of Government Efficiency arrived in D.C., a “blocker” became the label for federal employees who were seen as standing in the way. As these civil servants …

Adam Grant on How to Vibe with Just About Anyone

Ever unexpectedly hit it off with someone you thought you had nothing in common with? Or met someone who seemed perfect on paper, only to discover you had no chemistry? In this episode, psychologist and author Adam Grant talks with Maya about what makes us click with some people and not others. It…

A Theranos Whistleblower (Who Really Could See Everything)

Erika Cheung’s first job out of college was as a scientist at the now infamous biotech company, Theranos. Erika realized early on that the company’s proprietary technology, marketed to the world by its founder, Elizabeth Holmes, was not delivering accurate blood results to patients. And even though…

Letting Go of Control Through Tiny Experiments

Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff was climbing the ranks at a big tech company, and had ambitious plans for her future—when a health scare made her rethink her relationship with control.  In this episode, Anne-Laure explains why we cling to plans, scripts, and to-do lists when life gets uncertain…

Reckoning with the Empty Nest

Writer Kelly Corrigan always knew her daughters would grow up and eventually move out. But knowing this chapter of parenthood would end didn’t make it any less heartbreaking when the time came. In today’s episode, we’re revisiting Maya’s conversation with Kelly about learning to let go, and how our…

Why We Crave Closeness — and Run From It

Neuroscientist Amir Levine studies attachment styles – how comfortable we feel with emotional intimacy and how sensitive we are to disruptions in our relationships. For decades, scientists have believed that this wiring is fixed and largely determined by our early childhood experiences. But researc…

Leaving the Life You Trained For

Professional violinist Vijay Gupta grew up performing on the world’s biggest stages in order to fulfill his parents' dreams for him. But the pressure to play perfectly became too much, and over time he lost his love of the violin. Then Vijay started performing in homeless shelters and mental healt…

Petra Mathers and Her Michael | From Death of an Artist

Here’s a preview of another Pushkin podcast, one that explores many of the topics we cover here on A Slight Change of Plans: grief, jealousy, anger, and awe. It’s called Death of an Artist.  In February 2024, celebrated children’s book author and illustrator Petra Mathers and her husband, photogra…

What a Therapist Learned in Therapy

Psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb built her career helping people question the stories they tell themselves. But when an unexpected heartbreak left her reeling, she found herself sitting in the patient’s seat – and discovered just how hard it can be to rewrite your own story. This week, Lori joins May…

“I Have One Goal: Keep You Alive”

Stephanie Wittels Wachs and her younger brother Harris were best friends. So when he confided that he was struggling with opioid addiction, Steph believed they’d find a way through it together, like they always had. But Harris didn’t survive his addiction.  Steph immersed herself in research on ad…