A Slight Change of Plans
By Pushkin Industries
What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? In this award-winning podcast, cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar explores how we experience change and strategies we can use to better navigate moments of upheaval. Maya’s life took a dramatic turn when an injury ended her career as a violinist and inspired her to study the science of change. Named Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year, A Slight Change of Plans features deeply personal stories and scientific insights about who we are and who we become in the face of a big change. Past guests include Kacey Musgraves, Brené Brown, Ruby Bridges, Amanda Knox, Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth and more. Whether it’s a sudden pivot or a slow transformation, each episode reveals how change can give us an opportunity to reimagine who we are and unlock greater possibility. You can follow Maya on instagram @DrMayaShankar and read her free newsletter at changewithmaya.com. Get early, ad-free access to episodes of A Slight Change of Plans by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows. Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus
27 episodes
All Episodes
Reframing Anxiety Through Psychological Distancing and Evolutionary Logic
Anxiety is not a sign of a broken brain. It is a highly tuned survival mechanism operating in the wrong context. Learn to recalibrate your internal narrative and turn debilitating stress into a tool for professional empathy.
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Quick Pivots Bypass the Dissolution That Transforms Creative Voice
Losing your creative voice is devastating, but rushing to "pivot and be amazing" usually backfires. Real change comes from staying in that dissolution, letting the wound do its work on you, and ignoring every story about someone who bounced back.
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Fun Is a Biological Necessity, Not a Luxury
Fun isn’t frivolous--it’s a biological necessity that builds resilience and connection. Most adults have lost the ability to access it, mistaking distraction for joy. The real payoff? Small, intentional moments of playfulness that compound into lasting energy and emotional endurance.
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Grief Dissolves Identity, Forging a New Self in Loss
Profound grief doesn't just change your life; it dissolves your old self, forging a new one. True resilience means embracing this radical transformation and learning to inhabit a new existence.
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Imaginative Courage and Intrinsic Motivation Foster Resilient Identity
Embrace "imaginative courage" to transform setbacks into growth, anchoring your identity to your core "why" for a more resilient and fulfilling future.
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Overcoming Pessimistic Bias Through Intentional Social Engagement
We avoid social connection because we wrongly prioritize conversational skill over warmth. By shifting focus to simple, reciprocal engagement, you can bypass this pessimistic bias and unlock hidden sources of happiness.
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Enduring Businesses Adapt Through Purpose, Grit, and Quality
Enduring businesses thrive by strategically adapting their methods while preserving core values and purpose, creating a lasting community connection that transcends profit.
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Identity, Language, and Adversity: Catalysts for Personal Evolution
Discover how anchoring identity to "why" not "what" builds resilience, language shapes reality, and "moral beauty" sparks transformation and freedom.
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Conversational Dynamics Cultivate Feeling Loved, Not Self-Improvement
Feeling loved stems not from self-improvement, but from strategically shifting conversational dynamics to foster genuine mutual understanding and deeper connection.
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Embrace Uncertainty--The Feature of a Life Well-Lived
Embrace life's inherent uncertainty; the relentless pursuit of absolute clarity in major decisions is futile and detrimental, leading to indecision and a life lived by external validation.
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Psychedelics Dismantle the Self-Narrative Through DMN Quieting
Our perceived self is a constructed illusion. Psychedelics can dismantle this narrative, offering radical recalibration of self, meaning, and mortality for profound healing.
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Pollan Explores Endangered Inner Lives and the Hard Problem of Consciousness
Our inner lives are complex, fragile, and endangered by modern distractions. Discover how to reclaim your subjective experience and understand the "smudged windshield" of perception.
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Embracing Vulnerability and Discomfort Forges Authentic Connection
Embrace vulnerability and iterative growth; true wisdom lies not in avoiding mistakes, but in leaning into discomfort to forge deeper connections and an authentic self.
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Cerebellum's Role in Identity: Stroke Reveals Body-Mind Disconnect
Your identity is not static; it's a dynamic output of your body's seamless, unconscious functions. Learn how disruption reveals this profound connection and builds resilience.
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First Responders' Trauma Suppression Creates Hidden Crisis
Demanding professions can break even the strongest by rewarding trauma suppression, creating a hidden crisis that incapacitates individuals and leads to burnout.
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The Tyranny of "Best": How Maximizing Undermines Satisfaction
The relentless pursuit of the "best" choice leads to less satisfaction and decision paralysis. Discover how accepting "good enough" can reclaim your agency and increase contentment.
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Embracing Change as Revelation Unlocks Self-Discovery and Transformation
Unexpected disruptions are not endings, but powerful catalysts for self-discovery. Learn how to embrace change to unlock latent potential and build resilience.
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Olympic Gold's Psychological Toll: Identity Entanglement and Self-Worth
* An athlete's identity becoming solely tied to their performance, rather than their intrinsic self-worth, can lead to severe mental health issues...
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When Relationship Templates Undermine Authentic Connection
Ditch relationship templates and societal "should be" scripts. Discover how embracing flexibility and honest communication builds deeper, more resilient partnerships that truly thrive.
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The SAID Framework: Building Resilience Through Mattering
Feeling valued and having value to contribute is a fundamental human need, not just a pleasantry. Discover how deliberate actions foster significance, appreciation, and interdependence, building resilience against life's uncertainties.
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Loss Reveals Identity's Unseen Architecture and Fosters Growth
Loss reveals your true self by dismantling external identity markers, exposing deep insecurities and resilient strengths forged in adversity. Navigate change with clarity and growth.
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Mispredicting Happiness--Hedonic Adaptation and Social Connection's Role
Mispredicting happiness is a universal bias; we overestimate joy from good events and underestimate distress from bad, yet adapt quickly and find lasting happiness in social connection and mindful time use.
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Change as Revelation Accelerates Self-Transformation and Unlocks Potential
Life-altering disruptions can accelerate personal transformation, revealing unexpected capabilities by reframing change as a "revelation" rather than an ordeal.
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Pre-Orders Drive Visibility and Reach for "The Other Side of Change"
Pre-order Maya's book to significantly boost its visibility and reach. Early sales signal demand to retailers, ensuring this blend of cognitive science and personal narrative on navigating life's transitions lands in more hands.
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Courage is Learned: Embracing Discomfort and Authenticity for Reinvention
Courage is a learned skill, not an innate trait. Discover how embracing discomfort and taking small steps unlocks personal growth and profound success, even later in life.
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Reclaiming Self From People-Pleasing Through Fawn Response Healing
People-pleasing, a childhood survival tactic, erodes your identity by prioritizing others' needs. Reclaim your sense of self and authentic connections by understanding and dismantling these patterns.
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Cynicism Hinders Well-Being and Action; Hopeful Skepticism Offers Resilience
Cynicism harms health and hinders progress, but hopeful skepticism offers a path to resilience. Discover how to actively cultivate optimism and build stronger connections.
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