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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If your inner narrator won't give it a rest — constantly judging, narrating, or second-guessing you — you're in good company. In this live conversation from our weekly Substack sessions, Dan sits down with meditation teacher Dawn Mauricio to explore how to work with the nonstop chatter in your mind. They dig into common pitfalls like self-judgment, overthinking, and the feeling that you're "failing" at meditation — and how small mindset shifts can turn those moments into wins. Dawn offers practi...
An antidote to boredom and stuckness. S arah Ruhl is an award-winning American playwright, author, essayist, and professor. Her latest book is Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the Present . In this episode we talk about: How to orient towards the world with an eagerness to learn How to approach our lives not only as students, but also as teachers Unpacking the moment when "the student becomes the master" What does it mean to have a meditation teacher? Being open to synchronicity or si...
An often overlooked secret, from a U. Chicago happiness expert. Shigehiro Oishi is the Marshall Field IV Professor of Psychology at the University of Chicago. He is one of the foremost authorities on happiness, meaning, and culture. His newest book is Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life . In this episode we talk about: How our obsession with productivity is flattening and dulling our lives The definitions of both happiness and meaning—b...
Sharing an episode featuring Dan from a podcast we love, Think Fast, Talk Smart . In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Dan and host Matt Abrahams discuss how mindfulness can transform our communication, sharing strategies for deeper listening, responding versus reacting, and reflecting what others say back to them. "Relationships are the most important aspect of your happiness," Dan says. "The quality of those connections goes up when you're less stuck in your own head." Episode References...
If the idea of "sending love to all beings" makes you roll your eyes, this episode is for you. Dan leads a guided meditation, suitable for all levels of experience. Originally recorded during one of our live sangha gatherings on Substack, which are open to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com . Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight M...
A performance coach and bestselling author shares practical tools for thriving in crisis, shaving down the ego, and designing the life you want. #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Murphy is a Performance Coach to some of the best athletes and leaders in the world. In addition to coaching professional athletes and executives, Murphy is the president of the Inner Excellence Freedom Project whose mission is to build communities to alleviate spiritual and physical poverty around the world. In ...
An acclaimed science writer on how to upgrade your mind by using more than your head. Annie Murphy Paul is a science writer and TED speaker. Her latest book is The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain . In this episode we talk about: Why upgrading your mind involves more than just using your head. How our bodies, surroundings, and relationships all have the power to enhance our thinking. Practical strategies for "thinking with the body," including interoception, the role of int...
A longtime cancer survivor — and our Teacher of the Month — has some suggestions for working with pain. 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 runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.or...
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...
