Self-help for smart people. World-class insights and practices from experts in modern science and ancient wisdom. Hosted by veteran journalist and best-selling author, Dan Harris.
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Nobody makes it out of childhood unscathed. Here's a guide to letting go of the past. Allison Sweet Grant, graduate with dual master's degrees from the University of Michigan, is a psychiatric nurse practitioner, turned author. She has been published in The New York Times and The Atlantic. She is the author of two children's picture books, The Gift Inside the Box and Leif and the Fall, co-authored with her husband Adam Grant. I Am the Cage is her debut novel. In this episode we talk about: The i...
A Buddhist recipe for speaking, working, and living in a way that will make you happy. JoAnna Hardy has practiced in multiple traditions since 1999. She is currently a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+ , a visiting teacher at Black Being LA , a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society , and about to embark on a new mystery journey! In this episode we talk about: Sila, the Buddhist code of ethics Concepts such as right livelihood and right speech Why we lie The power of Buddhist ...
How to do "shadow work," interpret your dreams, and find your "self." Satya Doyle Byock is a psychotherapist and educator focused on the relationship with the unconscious. She is the director of The Salome Institute of Jungian Studies and the author of the book Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood . She writes weekly and hosts regular workshops on her Substack, Self & Society . In this episode we talk about: The vast impact of Carl Jung's work What separates Freud and Jung The...
Listening to your body… easier said than done? Sebene Selassie is here to help. All this month, we're sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Sebene Selassie exclusively available at DanHarris.com . Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – so today, we're giving you a sample of what you can expect for the rest of the month. Related Episodes: Sebene Selassie On: Resiliency, Rewriting Your Patterns and Finding a Teacher Who Speaks to You Get ready for another M...
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 proce...
Author Pico Iyer shares profound insights from decades spent at a silent Benedictine monastery, revealing how intentional solitude fosters a deeper connection to self and community, rather than being a selfish act. He explains how embracing silence helps dissolve feelings of separateness and prepares us for life's challenges. The episode offers practical strategies, like limiting news intake and decluttering, for cultivating calm and perspective even without visiting a monastery.
The psychology and neuroscience of revenge. James Kimmel, Jr. is a lecturer in psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, an expert on revenge, a lawyer, and the founder and co-director of the Yale Collaborative for Motive Control Studies. He is the creator of The Nonjustice System, the Miracle Court app, and SavingCain.org for recovering from grievances and revenge desires and preventing mass violence. His most recent book is The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World's Deadliest Addiction...
We're in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – we're now offering guided meditations to accompany each full episode of the show, available to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com . For the month of October, those meditations will come from Sebene Selassie , a Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition. In this episode, you'...
A playbook for finding financial success without compromising your values. David Gelles is a bestselling author and a climate correspondent for The New York Times. His new book, " Dirtbag Billionaire ," reveals how Yvon Chouinard turned Patagonia into one of the world's most remarkable companies. In this episode we talk about: What a 'dirtbag' means The innovative ways in which Chouinard ran his company The question of whether or not capitalism can be "done right" How to talk to your kids about ...
How to stay calm and steady in uncertain times. Trudy Goodman , Ph.D., is the founding teacher of InsightLA and cofounder of The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. Trudy has trained in mindfulness and Zen since 1973, holds a graduate degree in developmental psychology from Harvard, and is widely known for her role as the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series The Midnight Gospel . In this episode we talk about: How to trust yourself Why Trudy is interested in this topic...
Anyone with a passing familiarity with Buddhism will know that "delusion" is rarely, if ever, mentioned in a positive way. In fact, the Buddha included delusion (aka: confusion about the way things really are) on his list of "the three poisons." The whole point of meditation, per the Buddha, is to uproot delusion -- along with greed and hatred. Only then can you be enlightened. My guest today is here to valiantly make the case that delusion -- or self-deception -- has an upside. Many upsides, in...
From The Way Out Is In, the official podcast of Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, co-hosted by frequent 10% guest Brother Chan Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino. In this installment, Brother Phap Huu and Jo discuss the true meaning of Zen, finding beauty and meaning in simplicity, and how to practice so in everyday life. Also, what does it mean to be part of a Zen tradition? And how do we practice Zen? How do we see the world 'through the eyes of Zen'? The conversation also touche...
Because even doing the dishes can be an opportunity to wake up. We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we're hearing from dharma teacher Kamala Masters as chosen by our executive producer DJ Cashmere. Kamala reflects on the practice of equanimity, and how to be mindful even in the "hell realm" of raising young children. Full Episode: How To Be Okay No Matter What | Kamala Masters Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: In...
A toolkit for navigating your fears, finding your "core," and having sovereignty over your nervous system. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and the host of two award-winning podcasts. In this episode we talk about: The inspiration behind her new book (it involves a fateful game of pickleball) The importance of buil...
Practical ways to lead a good life. Kieran Setiya is the Peter de Florez Professor of Philosophy at MIT, where he works on ethics and related questions about human agency and human knowledge. He is the author of Midlife: A Philosophical Guide and Life Is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way. He also maintains a Substack newsletter, Under the Net . In this episode we talk about: How Kieran became interested in practical philosophy (and philosophy more generally) A brief history of philos...
Our Teacher of the Month answers a common question: how do I find the time to meditate? Vinny turns this question on its head, and his answer might surprise you. Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram , TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event r...
A guide to navigating "the rodeo of life". Academy Award–winning actor and #1 New York Times bestselling author Matthew McConaughey is a husband and a father, an eternal optimist, a hopeful skeptic, and a man of faith who believes that we should all start sellin' Sunday morning like a Saturday night. His latest book is Poems and Prayers . In this episode we talk about: What Matthew's prayer practice looks like How to figure out what your beliefs are His relationship with doubt and humility How t...
A Buddhist recipe for reclaiming your sanity. Phillip Moffitt is a Buddhist meditation teacher and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He has written several books and is also the founder and president of Life Balance Institute . In this episode we talk about: A Buddhist recipe for navigating life's ups and downs Mindfulness tools for happier and smarter transitions We dive into the the Noble eightfold path Managing transitions with maximal happiness and resilience Join Dan...
Are you living by default or by design? A provocative question from an NYU business professor. Suzy Welch is an award-winning NYU Stern School of Business professor, acclaimed management researcher, and New York Times best-selling author, most recently with "Becoming You: A Proven Method for Crafting Your Authentic Life and Career." In this episode we talk about: The distinction between purpose and happiness What values actually are––and why it's so hard for people to name their own 15 of the mo...
Guess what: you don't have to fix yourself. All this month, we're sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Vinny Ferraro, exclusively available at DanHarris.com . Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – so today, we're giving you a sample of what you can expect for the rest of the month. Related Episodes: You Can't Hate Yourself Into Becoming a Better Person | Vinny Ferraro On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York In...
When life gets turbulent, is self-care self-indulgent? Emma Heming Willis is a mother, step-mother, wife, and an advocate. After her husband, Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, she became a passionate voice for care partners and families navigating neurodegenerative disease. Her new book is called The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path . In this episode we talk about: The moment Bruce was diagnosed The importance of self-care an...
A raw conversation about addiction, love, death, grief, recovery, and more. Elizabeth Gilbert is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nonfiction and fiction books such as Big Magic and Eat Pray Love. Her new memoir is All The Way To The River: Love, Loss, and Liberation. In this episode we talk about: Ways that Elizabeth fostered dependency in her life What Elizabeth means when she says "make other people into my home" The modalities and practices Elizabeth uses to ground in her daily lif...
When it comes to your demons, your baggage, you have a choice: transform or transmit. Sister Dang Nghiem, MD, ("Sister D") was born in 1968 in Vietnam during the Tet Offensive, the daughter of a Vietnamese mother and an American soldier. She lost her mother at the age of twelve and immigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen with her brother. Living in various foster homes, she learned English and went on to earn a medical degree from the University of California – San Francisco. Aft...
Then he got put in charge of a losing team, and he turned them into winners. Dan Quinn is Head Coach of the Washington Commanders. He was fired from the Atlanta Falcons back in 2020, then signed up for a "360 review" where he solicited feedback from former players, peers, and bosses. He then brought all those learnings to his new job at the Commanders, where last year (his first year with the team), he created a very interesting culture. They had a surprisingly great, headline-making season last...
The creator of somatic experiencing shows Dan how to heal trauma through the body. Peter A. Levine, Ph.D., has spent the past 50 years developing Somatic Experiencing . He holds a doctorate in Biophysics from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. His work has been taught to over 30,000 therapists in over 42 countries. He is the author of the new book, An Autobiography of Trauma. Content warning: This episode includes discussions of rape and violence. In this ep...
An expert trauma therapist offers a master class in resilience. Linda Thai LMSW is a trauma therapist specializing in cutting-edge brain-and body-based modalities for complex developmental trauma. As an educator, she adeptly communicates on trauma, attachment, and the impact of oppressive systems. Passionate about healing trauma, Linda is redefining what it means to be wounded and whole and a healer. In this episode we talk about: A primer on your nervous system Stress, distress, traumatic stres...
How to reduce negative thoughts, get deep rest, and improve cellular health. Elissa Epel, Ph.D. , is an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal aging and a best-selling author of The Telomere Effect , and The Stress Prescription . She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is Vice Chair of Psychology and directs the Aging Metabolism Emotions Center . In this episode we talk about: What te...
We're in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – we're now offering guided meditations to accompany each full episode of the show, available to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com . For the month of September, those meditations will come from Vinny Ferraro , a Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition. In this bonus episode...
Practical learnings from Dan and his CEO on: focus, feedback, self-talk, and expecting adversity. 10% Media head honcho Toni Magyar joins Dan for a candid conversation about how to reset after a professional setback, navigating some tricky transitions, and how self-compassion and clear communication can make it all a bit easier. In this episode we talk about: Celebrating the one-year anniversary of our new business, independent of the app company that Dan co-founded How acknowledging that change...
What to do when the voice in your head is an asshole. Sebene Selassie is an author and meditation teacher. She writes the popular newsletter remind me to love and her first book is called, You Belong . Jeff Warren is an author and meditation teacher. He writes the popular newsletter Home Base and is the coauthor, along with Dan, of a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics . And he is the co-host of the mind/bod adventure pod . Aaron Schultz aka DJ DRM has crisscrossed the globe for decades ...
