How To Succeed, Sanely—Without Toxic Productivity, Preconceived Notions, or Fear of Change | Anne-Laure Le Cunff
What does success look like? A neuroscientist wants you to question your cognitive scripts. Anne-Laure Le Cunff conducts research into the neuroscience of learning and curiosity at King's College London, and also runs Ness Labs. She is the author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World. In this episode we talk about: Her critique on our cultural obsession with "finding your purpose" The value of knowing your "cognitive scripts" Practical tools to live a more purposeful, curious, and fulfilled life Her mini-protocol for experimentation (based on the scientific method) Mindful productivity — and how it builds on moving us into an experimental mindset Whether procrastination is actually the enemy? And tools to work with it. The upside of making space for your imperfections Tips for navigating uncertainty Why you want to avoid having too many experiments at the same time The main difference between a habit and an experiment How to learn alongside with other people — and why this matters Collective "flow" states Tips for community building And this question: is legacy important? Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thank you to our sponsors: ZipRecruiter: To try ZipRecruiter for free, go to ZipRecruiter.com/tenpercent. IQBar: To get twenty percent off all IQBAR products—including the Ultimate sampler pack—plus FREE shipping, text DAN to sixty-four thousand. Fabric: Join the thousands of parents who trust Fabric to help protect their family. Apply today in just minutes at meetfabric.com/HAPPIER.
19 Jan 1h 13min
How To Handle Exhaustion, Disconnection, and Physical Pain | Meditation with Bart van Melik
A short, gentle body scan meditation from Bart van Melik, our Teacher of the Month for January. This isn't about fixing anything or achieving some special state. It's about finding one small place in your body that feels okay—not great, just okay—and seeing what happens when you meet that experience with a little bit of kindness. Bart is a meditation teacher and psychotherapist who has trained in Insight Meditation and Buddhist psychology. He's worked extensively in clinical settings with people dealing with stress, anxiety, and harsh self-talk. He's the guiding teacher for the Community Meditation Center in New York City. Check out more meditations from Bart throughout January in the 10% with Dan Harris app. Related episodes: Buddhist Strategies for Protecting Yourself from Everyday Chaos | Bart van Melik Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
18 Jan 12min
Seth Meyers On: Handling Performance Anxiety, Managing the Inner Critic, Hacks for Better Conversation, and Staying Joyful in Dark Times
Plus, much more from the famed late-night TV show host. Seth Meyers is the host of Late Night with Seth Meyers. Before that, he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live for 13 seasons. In recent years he has released two standup specials: Lobby Baby, on Netflix and Dad Man Walking, on HBO. He wrote a children's book called, I'm Not Scared, You're Scared. And he co-hosts two podcasts, Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers and The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast. In this episode we talk about: How Seth maintains sanity while hosting a late-night show amid the firehose of news Joy and humor as resilience His early struggles with self-doubt How raising children is potentially harder than hosting a late night TV show The upside of anxiety The art of listening Friendship, loyalty, and the emotional sustenance of creative partnerships. Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to our sponsors: LinkedIn: Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com/happier. Wix: Ready to create your website? Go to wix.com. Cozy Earth: Head to cozyearth.com and use code Harris for up to 20% off.
16 Jan 44min
The "Wellness" Industry Sells Us On Rigid Optimization. It Doesn't Work–But This Might. | Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya
A deep dive on Ayurveda, a sophisticated system for health that's been refined over millennia. Nidhi Bhanshali Pandya is a renowned NAMA-certified Ayurvedic Doctor, the bestselling author of Your Body Already Knows (2025), and international speaker/educator known for her modern approach to women's health and longevity. In this episode we talk about: What Ayurveda actually is beyond TikTok trends How ancient Ayurvedic principles align with (and differ from) modern medicine How to brace yourself in the face of an imbalanced ecosystem The human tragedy of overoptimization The value of awe, fascination, and pattern-seeing as more effective than discipline or force The three codes of life The framework to come back into our own intelligence in the kindest way How modern life (especially electricity) disrupted our biological rhythm and created chronic imbalance The concept of balance and the Buddhist middle path as echoed in Ayurvedic texts The "inner climate" framework Practical tools for sleep, including concrete daily practices to offset "imbalances" The concept of agni (digestive fire) and how to support it A three tiered toolkit for self-regulation The perils of jumping into change Why cold drinks and excessive water can disrupt digestion Radical acceptance and gratitude Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to our sponsors: HomeServe: Plans start at just $4.99 a month. Go to homeserve.com to find the plan that's right for you. Leesa: Go to leesa.com for 25% off mattresses, pllus get an extra $50 off with the promo code Happier, exclusive for our listeners.
14 Jan 1h 18min
Why You Don't Exercise Even Though You Know You Should. And Strategies To Get Over the Hump. | Katy Bowman
A toolkit for bringing more movement into your life. Katy Bowman is a biomechanist who runs a movement education company, called Nutritious Movement. She's the author of 11 books, and her most recent is I Know I Should Exercise, But...: 44 Reasons We Don't Move and How to Get Over Them. In this episode we talk about: What a biomechanist does What Katy means by "movement as nutrition" How to determine your "movement diet" The distinction between movement and exercise Why people don't exercise Strategies for consistency The role of values and attention How to move if you don't like sweating How to find time to move The technique of "stacking your life" Overcoming embarrassment and shame related to movement Strengthening your "so what" muscle Getting comfortable with discomfort What to do when you're addicted to your screen And much more Additional Resources: Katy's Substack Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Thanks to our sponsors: LinkedIn: Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com/happier. Northwest Registered Agent: Protect your privacy, build your brand and get your complete business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes. Visit https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/happierfree and start building something amazing. Quo: Try Quo for free, plus get 20% off your first six months when you go to quo.com/Happier. To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
12 Jan 1h 17min
Buddhist Strategies for Protecting Yourself from Everyday Chaos | Bart van Melik
Ever lie awake at night replaying all the moments you lost it with your kids, your partner, or your co-workers? You're not alone. Bart van Melik is back on the show (his first appearance was four years ago) as our Teacher of the Month for January. Bart has one of the more interesting origin stories in the meditation world: from a small town in the Netherlands to Kenya on an exchange program (where he met his wife of 30 years), to studying in Thailand, to teaching meditation to teenagers in juvenile detention in the South Bronx. In this conversation with executive producer DJ Cashmere, we talk about: The difference between being mindful and knowing you're mindful (and why this matters when your 11-year-old is pushing every button) Why awareness feels like protection How to stop the cycle of: snap, regret, repeat What Bart learned teaching meditation to kids in juvie who told him his meditation was "lit" Why your kids might be your fiercest Zen teachers The surprising power of saying "no" without aversion How everything actually goes faster when you stop rushing His favorite teaching from a modern-day monk: "Keep calmly knowing change" Related Resources: Bart's previous episode on insight dialogue and relational meditation practice New guided meditations from Bart available throughout January Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
11 Jan 33min
How To Rewrite Your Story, Make Peace with the Past, and Break Old Patterns | Melissa Febos
Practical ways to upgrade your narrative. Melissa Febos is the national bestselling author of five books, including Girlhood, Body Work: The Radical Power of Personal Narrative, and a new memoir, The Dry Season. She is the recipient of awards and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and others. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review, The New Yorker, The Best American Essays and others. She is a professor at the University of Iowa. In this episode we talk about: How to "audit" your personal narrative with simple questions Melissa's five-step method for rewriting unhelpful stories Why community, and vulnerability are required for real change; in other words, why it's harder to do this work alone Melissa's own experiences running this playbook with regard to her relationships and her addictions. Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
9 Jan 1h 8min
How To Use Psychology and Buddhism To Handle Your Inner Critic | Amita Schmidt
How psychology and spirituality can work together. Amita Schmidt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Hawaii. She has taught Vipassana meditation for over thirty years, and was the Resident Teacher at Insight Meditation Society for six years. She is the author of the book Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master. Amita currently teaches and practices non-dual meditation and is a certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapist. In this episode we talk about: How psychology and spirituality can work together The basics of Internal Family Systems (or IFS) Amita's personal path through trauma, depression, and a pivotal insight that changed everything Why states like depression aren't as solid as they feel How to work with the inner critic Simple ways to access the sanest, wisest version of yourself The shift from psychological healing to spiritual insight The value of acceptance and surrender Simple pointers for sensing "aware presence" beneath all the mental noise Related Episodes: How (and Why) to Hug Your Inner Dragons | Richard Schwartz How To Handle Your Demons | Richard Schwartz Additional resources: Amita on InsightTimer Amita on DharmaSeed Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to our sponsor: LinkedIn: Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a $250 credit for the next one. Just go to linkedin.com/happier.
7 Jan 1h 1min
