logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2021
1h 23m

Maya Shankar ON: How to Embrace Change G...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Maya Shankar sits down with Jay Shetty to talk about taking lessons from other people’s stories. While it is easy to inspire people to change when you have the tools and right environment to inspire them, it’s difficult to change a person’s mind. This is because our mind sticks to our own reality, it believes the circumstances that we are in, and it associates with the community that we belong to.

Maya is currently the Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google and is the Creator, Host, and Executive Producer of “A Slight Change of Plans”, a podcast with Pushkin Industries. Maya previously served as a Senior Advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as Chair of the White House's Behavioral Science Team. In 2016, she served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon.

Achieve success in every area of your life with Jay Shetty’s Genius Community. Join over 10,000 members taking their holistic well-being to the next level today, at https://shetty.cc/OnPurposeGenius

What We Discuss:

  • 00:00 Intro
  • 03:22 The passion to learn and play the violin
  • 07:57 Attach yourself to the traits of something
  • 11:24 “The biggest challenge one faces is growing into themselves.”
  • 17:22 A trait you didn’t always have but learned over time
  • 20:49 Disparities between gender
  • 23:36 Growing up in an Indian household
  • 28:14 If they don’t agree with you, you become a threat to their values
  • 39:18 Set up the right environment so people can experience it themselves
  • 43:20 Using behavioral change insights to motivate yourself
  • 46:19 Sustained behavioral change can be difficult
  • 50:07 A reminder for a new beginning and a fresh start 
  • 53:11 When you create a role you love to play
  • 56:42 Why start A Slight Change of Plans podcast?
  • 01:00:11 An interview with a cancer patient
  • 01:07:36 An interview with Morgan who joined the police force
  • 01:12:04 Maya on Final Five
  • 01:12:42 How do people find a good mentor 

Like this show? Please leave us a review here - even one sentence helps! Post a screenshot of you listening on Instagram & tag us so we can thank you personally!

Episode Resources:

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
Novak Djokovic: “I Never Felt I Was Enough” The Secret to Turning Your Self-Doubt Into HUGE Success (Use THIS Method Today!)
Have you ever doubted yourself? Has self-doubt ever held you back? Today, Jay welcomes back tennis legend Novak Djokovic for a deep and vulnerable conversation about what it truly takes to master both the external and internal journey to success. Novak reflects on the practices i ... Show More
2h 1m
Aug 22
7 Money Lessons I Wish Knew in My 20s! (The Step-by-Step Guide to Build Financial Freedom Faster)
Did anyone ever teach you about money when you were younger? What’s one money mistake you made in your 20s? Today, Jay shares the financial lessons he wishes he knew in his twenties. Insights that don’t just change how you handle money, but how you understand it. Jay reveals that ... Show More
28m 33s
Aug 20
Big Sean: Stop Wishing & Start Manifesting (THIS is the Secret Formula to Making Your Dreams a REALITY)
What’s one dream you really want to make real? Do you feel you’re wishing for it or working toward it? In this special live recording from The Met in Philadelphia, Jay sits down with Grammy-nominated artist Big Sean for a deeply vulnerable and inspiring conversation. Big Sean ope ... Show More
53m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Dr. Maya Shankar | Change Happens
Imagine being so drawn to a pursuit as a kid, it consumes most of your waking hours, rapidly becomes your identity, and is the thing you believe you’ll devote your life to, and then, in the blink of an eye, it’s taken away. That’s what happened to Maya Shankar, who fell in love w ... Show More
1h 1m
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Create New Opportunities
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! Today, she discusses how we can forge a new (and maybe even better) path when obstacles get in our way. Dr. Shankar also shares her personal story of how she found a new passion after a sudden injury ended her career ... Show More
6m 41s
Aug 2021
Dr. Maya Shankar: The Science of Decision Making | E126
Want to make better decisions? In this episode, we are talking with Dr Maya Shankar, behavioural scientist and podcast host. Maya is currently the Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google and is the Creator, Host, and Executive Producer of “A Slight Change of Plans”, a p ... Show More
1h 13m
Jul 2023
Maya Shankar
Cognitive scientist and host of the podcast 'A Slight Change of Plans' Maya Shankar joins Jameela this week to discuss what we attach to our identity, how there is a competitive advantage to being great listeners, what could be the antidote to loneliness and we find out the three ... Show More
1h 3m
Jul 2023
Dr. Maya Shankar: How to Shape Your Identity & Goals
In this episode, my guest is Maya Shankar, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist, former senior advisor to the White House and Chair of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. She is the creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. We discuss how our identities ... Show More
2h 31m
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Control is an Illusion
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! Dr. Shankar hosts “A Slight Change of Plans,” a podcast all about who we are and who we become in the face of a big change. Over the next several episodes, she’ll talk about how to work with change, instead of agains ... Show More
7m 25s
Jun 2022
The Science of Handling Uncertainty | Maya Shankar
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- It seems like a design flaw in our species that we live in a world of constant change yet most of us are not comfortable with uncertainty.  In this episode, ... Show More
59m 30s
Jul 2022
The joy of being an unwilling traveler through life, by Maya Shankar
Maya Shankar is a cognitive neuroscientist and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans. As a girl, she struggles with taking things too seriously: herself, the sufferings of others, the hypothetical misfortunes she imagines for the future. She turns to her fath ... Show More
30m 51s
Jul 2021
How to Deal With Change (feat. Dr. Maya Shankar)
Dr. Maya Shankar completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience at Stanford, after receiving a Ph.D. from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship and a B.A. from Yale in cognitive science. She is currently the Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google. Previously s ... Show More
45m 16s
May 2022
Headspace x Dr. Maya Shankar: Change for the Better
Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar is guest-hosting all week! Today, Dr. Shankar is shedding light on the science of human behavior and habits. She’ll explore how to make it easier to build new habits so you can achieve your long-term goals.If you'd like to hear some great stor ... Show More
5m 56s