Relax into a flow of breath sensations, and hone your ability to decrease stress & resistance, and experience a more harmonious happy life. About Anushka Fernandopulle: Anushka teaches meditation, works as an organizational consultant, and does leadership coaching with individuals and teams. She has practiced meditation for over 25 years, including four years in full-time intensive training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India and Sri Lanka. Her work is informed by a BA in ant...
Dec 24, 2021•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast With the approach of the new year (and perhaps New Year’s resolutions) we’ve decided to replay a very popular episode, featuring one of the most prominent proselytizers for self-love, Karamo from Queer Eye. Karamo was the first openly gay black man on reality TV when he appeared on MTV's The Real World Philadelphia back in 2004. When he left TV and found out he was a dad, he got custody of his son, adopted his son's half-brother and worked for a decade as a social worker before returning to the ...
Dec 22, 2021•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re almost at that time of year where we contemplate making New Year’s resolutions. So we decided to rerun an episode about the blazingly obvious fact that creating healthy habits can be infernally difficult. But why? And what are the best strategies for getting around this? Katy Milkman has spent nearly two decades researching these questions. She's a behavioral scientist and professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She hosts a podcast called Choiceology and ha...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Being a parent is really freakin’ hard. Of course, it can also be incredibly rewarding and delightful. Either way, it consumes us. Childproof is a show about us, the parents, and how we can raise kids without losing track of ourselves in the process. Each week host Yasmeen Khan, a journalist and mom, brings us conversations and stories with fellow parents and experts on how to navigate this whole parenting thing — especially the shifts that happen within ourselves. Because parents are grow...
Dec 17, 2021•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett discuss the recent book they co-authored, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again . Robert Putnam is perhaps best-known for his seminal book Bowling Alone , about the increasing atomization and isolation of American society. He is the Malkin Research Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University. Shaylyn Romney Garrett is a writer and social entrepreneur who holds a BA in History from Harvard. &n...
Dec 15, 2021•52 min•Ep 405•Transcript available on Metacast If you want to make change in a world filled with all sorts of horrors and obstacles, does it help or hurt to stay cheerful while you go about your business? Robert Thurman argues passionately in favor of cheerfulness, although he will admit to still being miserable in his own way. This is an expansive conversation that covers everything from: what is nirvana to the Buddhist Four Noble Truths to why the Buddha was a scientist. Robert Thurman is a legend. As a young Harvard student, he got ...
Dec 13, 2021•40 min•Ep 404•Transcript available on Metacast Check out this sneak peak into an episode of our new podcast Twenty Percent Happier , available exclusively in the Ten Percent Happier app . About Matthew Hepburn: Matthew Hepburn is a straight shooting, clear thinking, and dedicated meditation teacher. His personal practice caught fire over the course of several extended meditation retreats and volunteering to teach buddhist meditation in prisons in his early twenties. Now he shares his love of contemplative practice with people on ...
Dec 10, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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. And the person who will be walking us through this list has an enormous amount of standing to talk about strength. Sister Dang Nghiem, who goes by Sister D, is a nun in the Plum Village tradition and a dis...
Dec 08, 2021•1 hr•Ep 403•Transcript available on Metacast This episode explores how to make the infernally difficult challenge of habit formation a little easier, with guest Richard H. Thaler, who won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 2017 for his pioneering work in the fields of behavioral economics and finance. Thaler is the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, where he also serves as the director of the Center for Decision Research. He i...
Dec 06, 2021•40 min•Ep 402•Transcript available on Metacast Gratitude practices are transformative. Experiment with gratitude for your own body, noticing the relaxation and ease that results. About Anushka Fernandopulle: Anushka teaches meditation, works as an organizational consultant, and does leadership coaching with individuals and teams. She has practiced meditation for over 25 years, including four years in full-time intensive training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India and Sri Lanka. Her work is informed by a BA in anthropology/re...
Dec 03, 2021•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is the second in our two-part Anti-Diet Series, and features guest Christy Harrison . Christy is an anti-diet registered dietitian and nutritionist, a certified intuitive eating counselor, and a certified eating disorders specialist who has struggled with disordered eating herself. She has come out the other side and written a book called Anti-Diet , and in this episode, she discusses how to transform your relationship with food and your body. This conversation explores Christy’s pe...
Dec 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 401•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest for our 400th episode is actor and activist Jameela Jamil, who you may have seen on such shows as The Good Place , The Misery Index , and Legendary . Outside of her acting career, Jameela is known for launching a movement and platform called I Weigh . She's also the host of the I Weigh podcast , where she talks to everybody from Reese Witherspoon to Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, to Gloria Steinem. This episode explores: how to develop what Jameela calls mental self-defense; how...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep 400•Transcript available on Metacast This meditation will explore an ancient meditation on the classical elements of matter, helping you connect more deeply with your body. 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...
Nov 26, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast It is a common desire to get out of our heads, to escape the internal noise, the chatter, the Sturm und Drang , the sound and fury, etc. You hear about it in pop songs and poetry, this urge to be blown away, to transcend. But how do you actually do it? Willa Blythe Baker can help answer this question and is a font of practical advice. She is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, MA and its retreat center Wonderwell Mountain Refuge in Springfield, NH. She was ...
Nov 24, 2021•50 min•Ep 399•Transcript available on Metacast Is there a good kind of suffering? Paul Bloom says, yes -- there is a kind of suffering that you choose. This voluntary suffering can reduce anxiety and make your life more meaningful. This episode explores that idea, along with: why we are hardwired to worry about bad things (and why that’s ok); the difference between chosen and unchosen suffering; post-traumatic growth and why it’s not always true that what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger; benign masochism and the blurring of pleasure and...
Nov 22, 2021•58 min•Ep 398•Transcript available on Metacast Joseph teaches you how to authentically accept difficult emotions to make them more manageable and less overwhelming. 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...
Nov 19, 2021•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is at the forefront of understanding human emotions: what they are, why humans evolved to have them, how they’re different from feelings, and what science says about how to manage them. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She’s written several books, including How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain and Seven and a Half Lessons Abo...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. David DeSteno has embarked on a project he calls “religio-prospecting.” In other words, he has been looking at the scientific evidence that many ancient religious traditions can confer all sorts of benefits, whether you’re a believer or not. He points out that many secular people practice mindfulness, even if they’re not Buddhists. His question is - what’s the next mindfulness? David DeSteno is a professor of psychology at Northeastern University , where he directs the Social Emotions Group ...
Nov 15, 2021•55 min•Ep 397•Transcript available on Metacast Check out this sneak peak into an episode of our new podcast Twenty Percent Happier , available exclusively in the Ten Percent Happier app . About Matthew Hepburn: Matthew Hepburn is a straight shooting, clear thinking, and dedicated meditation teacher. His personal practice caught fire over the course of several extended meditation retreats and volunteering to teach buddhist meditation in prisons in his early twenties. Now he shares his love of contemplative practice with people on intens...
Nov 12, 2021•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Work can be one of the most difficult places to apply meditative concepts such as mindfulness, patience, and kindness. But work can also be an amazing testing ground for your attempts at meditation and other forms of self-improvement. Unlike many meditation teachers, Matthew Hepburn has spent a lot of time in the professional world. He has worked at Apple and in the service industry. He’s also a long time leader at the Ten Percent Happier company and is the host of the new Twenty Percent Happier...
Nov 10, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep 396•Transcript available on Metacast It’s been a problem ever since the dawn of humankind: how do we deal with jerks? What do you say to them? And how do you not make everything worse? And what if the jerk is you? We’re going to get into this and other issues in this episode with a meditation teacher named Dawn Mauricio. This is the fourth episode in our five-part Work Life Series, and it is time to bring in some dharma. It turns out the Buddha had a not-insignificant amount of wisdom to offer that is directly applicable to b...
Nov 08, 2021•57 min•Ep 395•Transcript available on Metacast It turns out you can call up Laurie Santos and ask about any conundrum and she will respond with a veritable treasure trove of scientifically-grounded relatable wisdom. In this episode, we ask the question: how do you hit the reset button at work? This question can apply to a variety of contexts - maybe you’re leaving a job, looking for a job, starting a new job, or trying to do your current job more mindfully. Dr. Laurie Santos is a professor of psychology at Yale University and the host ...
Nov 05, 2021•55 min•Ep 394•Transcript available on Metacast One of the hardest things to do in any relationship is give feedback. It’s always dicey. You don’t want to be too aggressive. You don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But you also don’t want to be too indirect. That’s where radical candor comes in. This term comes from Kim Scott, who is the bestselling author of Radical Candor and Just Work . She has coached executives at Dropbox and Twitter, and has led teams at Google. In this conversation she’ll not only talk about how to speak with ra...
Nov 03, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep 393•Transcript available on Metacast This episode officially marks the launch of the Work Life Series, a brand-new, five-part series that’s all about how to live better lives at work. In each episode, we’ll be hosting meditation teachers, thought leaders, and top-of-their-field scientists to explore how to better connect with coworkers, boost our on-the-job resilience, and bring mindfulness to our work. And to help you put into action what you learn here on the show, you can join our free Work Life Challenge: a new meditation chall...
Nov 01, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep 392•Transcript available on Metacast Check out this sneak peak into an episode of our new podcast Twenty Percent Happier , available exclusively in the Ten Percent Happier app . About Matthew Hepburn: Matthew Hepburn is a straight shooting, clear thinking, and dedicated meditation teacher. His personal practice caught fire over the course of several extended meditation retreats and volunteering to teach buddhist meditation in prisons in his early twenties. Now he shares his love of contemplative practice with people on ...
Oct 29, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast The advice to “think like an entrepreneur” can, from a certain angle, come off as the kind of rote, tech-bro guidance you’d get from a millennial lifehacker. But Reid Hoffman makes a good case that all of us, whether entrepreneurs or not, can benefit from having what he calls an “entrepreneurial mindset.” He says this mindset is a trainable skill, and he believes that capitalism and compassion (two words you don’t often hear together) are compatible. Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of Linke...
Oct 27, 2021•52 min•Ep 391•Transcript available on Metacast We all know that change is inevitable and impermanence is non-negotiable. But somehow it can feel surprising, maybe even wrong, when we personally hit turbulence. The Buddha had a lot to say about this, and so does our guest. Kaira Jewel Lingo has come back to the show to talk about her new book, We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption . This episode explores a few of those strategies including: waking up to what’s happening right now; trust...
Oct 25, 2021•51 min•Ep 390•Transcript available on Metacast Regather your attention with this short meditation. Afterwards, you can use that newfound focus to make progress on whatever matters most. About Anushka Fernandopulle: Anushka teaches meditation, works as an organizational consultant, and does leadership coaching with individuals and teams. She has practiced meditation for over 25 years, including four years in full-time intensive training in monasteries and retreat centers in the US, India, and Sri Lanka. Her work is informed by a BA in anthrop...
Oct 22, 2021•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Friendship was important to the Buddha. In fact, there’s a whole passage in the Buddhist scriptures, or suttas , about friendship, with seven strategies for friendship, some of which we will discuss in this episode, with Kate Johnson. Kate has been meditating for over twenty years and is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s four-year teacher training program. She is the author of a new book that has drawn praise from people like Lama Rod Owens, Jack Kornfield, and Ruth King. The book is called Radical Fr...
Oct 20, 2021•47 min•Ep 389•Transcript available on Metacast Distraction is one of the top complaints of meditators -- and of pretty much every human being, in this era that has been dubbed the “info blitzkrieg.” In this episode, we’ll hear from Dr. Amishi Jha, who has spent years studying the impact of meditation on people who work in high stress professions and has collaborated with the military, first responders, and elite athletes. Her new book is about how to, in her words, focus without all the struggle, take back your attention from the pull of dis...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep 388•Transcript available on Metacast 
