[powerpress]
We are storytelling machines.
Our brains unconsciously select experiences from our past, assign meaning to them, and construct narratives we mistake for reality.
But all of our stories have loose affiliations with the truth—informed by such a small selection of experiences. Yet they become the Constitution upon which we run the government of our lives. We cling to these stories, and to the certainty they provide, even though impermanence and uncertainty are simply the fabric of reality.
Until they shatter.
My guest today is Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist who has devoted her career to understanding why we resist change and how we can navigate it more gracefully. A Yale and Stanford-trained neuroscientist, Maya founded the Obama White House Behavioral Science Team, is a Rhodes Scholar, hosts the podcast A Slight Change of Plans, and is a featured expert in Netflix’s Limitless with Chris Hemsworth. Back for her second appearance on the show (episode 674), her new book, The Other Side of Change, frames our conversation.
“Sometimes we don’t realize how much an identity defines us until it gets threatened—until we lose it.”
- MAYA SHANKAR
Today we discuss:
- Maya’s Career-Ending Injury at 15
- The Illusion of Control
- Why Change Threatens Identity
- The End of History Illusion
- Rumination & Mental Time Travel
- Moral Elevation & Expanding Possibility
- Change as Revelation, Not Burden
For those who prefer a visual experience, the conversation is available on YouTube. As always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Maya is a whip-smart delight who delivers a masterclass that will leave you better than before.
Peace + Plants,
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- Connect with Maya: Website | Instagram | Substack | LinkedIn | YouTube
- Book: The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans
- Podcast: A Slight Change Of Plans: Spotify | Apple Podcasts
- TED: Why change is so scary — and how to unlock its potential
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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Jason Camiolo for audio engineering, production, show notes and interstitial music; with additional audio engineering by Cale Curtis and additional music by Moby; Blake Curtis & Dan Drake for video, & editing; graphics by Jessica Miranda & Daniel Solis; portraits by Davy Greenberg, Grayson Wilder & Gizelle Peters; copywriting by Ben Pryor; and theme music by Tyler Piatt, Trapper Piatt & Hari Mathis.
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