A Slight Change of Plans

Hi Slight Changers — this past Friday, Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and CEO of the fraudulent biotech company Theranos was sentenced to 11.25 years in a Federal prison. I wanted to reshare my interview with Erika Cheung today. She had the courage to stand up for what was right and blow the whistle, even when her personal safety was at risk. Erika was instrumental in bringing Holmes to justice.  Y...

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is an expert on the science of loneliness. He offers advice for how we can build stronger, more meaningful social connections.  You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to  sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

After Nora McInerny’s husband died of cancer in his thirties, Nora became well known for writing about the messiness of grief. She also led grief groups, launched a podcast about grief, and started a non-profit. Nothing Nora did ever felt like enough, until a terrifying moment made her slow down and take a hard look at her own grieving process. You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar...

Jason Isbell is a singer-songwriter and four-time Grammy winner. After wrestling with addiction, he re-examines aspects of his personality that he once saw as his greatest weaknesses.  You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to  sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.co...

Annie Duke believes we should be quitting things more often, a skill she honed during her lucrative years as a professional poker player on the world stage. Annie talks about the science of quitting, and shows us how to get out of our own way and learn to quit when we should. You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and oth...

Priya Parker is an expert in group dialogue and conflict resolution, and she uses her unique background to rethink how we come together. Priya teaches us how to turn our gatherings into opportunities for more meaningful connection with others.  You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to ...

As a firefighter, Christy Warren made rescuing people her life's work. Her toughness earned her praise from her peers. But after decades of rescuing others, suddenly Christy became the one who needed saving. You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to  sign up for our email list at Pushkin...

Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges is our guest today. She shares what it was like to be the first African-American student to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana in 1960. Ruby was just six years old at the time, and it would be years before she fully appreciated her role in advancing civil rights in America. You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep u...

Author Daniel Pink teaches us how to transform our relationship with regret so that we can live happier, more fulfilling lives.  You can follow the show on Instagram  @DrMayaShankar . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to  sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey Slight Changers! (drumroll please…) We’re back with Season 5 of A Slight Change of Plans next Monday! Each week, we’ll hear stories of change from remarkable people and learn more about the science of change so we can live happier, healthier lives. Here’s a sneak peek. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other...

Hi Slight Changers — I recently recorded a deeply personal essay with my friends at Meditative Story. It's about my philosophy on life and existence. This essay took months to pull together because it required revisiting my childhood, as well some challenging years I had in early adulthood. But it was so worth it — this episode is so close to my heart and I hope you enjoy listening to it. As alway...

You can follow the show on Instagram @DrMayaShankar . 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 was not delivering accurate blood results to patients. And even though she had so much to lose by speaking out, she saw no other option. If you’d like to keep up with the mos...

You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. Dr. Ayelet Fishbach is a professor of psychology, and an expert on the science of motivation. She'll teach us how to set smarter goals, and give us science-based strategies to help us reach them. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . See om...

You can follow the show at  @DrMayaShankar  on Instagram. Edith Eger was just 16 years old when the Nazis forced her and her Jewish family onto a cattle car to the Auschwitz concentation camp. Today, Edith is 94 years old, and a psychologist who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder. She shares how learning to control her own mind helped her to survive the Holocaust. If you’d like to keep...

You can follow the show at  @DrMayaShankar  on Instagram. Scott Menke never thought he had a particularly compelling personality, but he did feel he stood out in at least one way: he had a natural ability to learn and remember interesting facts. He put that knowledge to the ultimate test as a contestant on the TV trivia game show Jeopardy! Scott was surprised when viewers responded not just to his...

Psychology professor Ethan Kross is an expert on the science of introspection, and the role our inner voice plays in shaping our sense of well-being. While our inner voice has a lot of benefits, it can sometimes turn negative and lead to what Ethan calls “mental chatter.” In this episode, we discuss science-based strategies for how to rein in our mental chatter so we can live happier,...

Kate Bowler certainly thought so, until her entire belief system was thrown into question when she was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Jodie Patterson’s son came out as transgender when he was just shy of three years old. Jodie knew her son would face many changes ahead, but what she didn’t anticipate was how much she would change too.  You can follow the show at  @DrMayaShankar  on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure  to&...

Hey Slight Changers — I’m guest-hosting the Radio Headspace Podcast all week! It was a really special collaboration and I wanted to share the first episode of the series with you. To check out the rest of the episodes this week, you can head to  headspace.com/podcast . If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up...

A Slight Change of Plans returns next week with guests who will help us think differently about change so we can live happier, more fulfilling lives. Here's a sneak peek of the upcoming season! You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list  at Pushkin.f...

Hi Slight Changers! We’re back at the end of this month with Season 4 of A Slight Change of Plans! In the meantime, we wanted to share a very special conversation Maya had with Max Linsky for his podcast, Longform. Maya talks to Max about her life story and her inspiration for A Slight Change of Plans. We hope you enjoy it! If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this a...

Dr. Richard "Harry" Harris is an anesthesiologist and expert cave diver who was tasked with a seemingly impossible mission: to rescue a boys' soccer team trapped 2.5 miles deep within a flooded cave in Thailand. He talks with Maya about his decision to heed the call. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushk...

Julia Samuel is one of the world’s leading grief therapists. She joins Maya to talk about why it’s important to engage with our grief, and offers strategies for how to do that. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm . Learn more about your ad-...

Quinn Lewis’ sister Dixie was 19 years old when she tragically died in a car accident. In the months that followed Dixie’s death, Quinn was left to grieve the loss of her little sister and the future relationship she had envisioned for them. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sig...

Dr. Dixon Chibanda, a psychiatrist in Zimbabwe, has been on a mission for years to help people gain access to mental healthcare in his community, where there's only one psychiatrist for every 1.5 million people. To bridge the gap and provide people with the help they need, Dixon turned to a rather unorthodox group for help: grandmothers. You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If y...