Today we welcome Maya Shankar to the podcast. Maya is a cognitive scientist and the creator and host of the podcast, “A Slight Change of Plans”. It was awarded as the Best Show of 2021 by Apple and received an Ambie award from the Podcast Academy in 2022. Maya has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience from Stanford and a Ph.D. in cognitive psyc ... Show More
Dec 2025
End of an Era — Reflections on 11 Years of The Psychology Podcast w/ Annie Murphy Paul
After 11 years, 478 episodes, and countless conversations exploring the depths of human potential, this episode marks the final chapter of The Psychology Podcast in its current form. In this deeply meaningful farewell episode for Scott, he sits down with acclaimed science writer ... Show More
46m 52s
Nov 2025
How Mindsets Shape Reality w/ Dr. Alia Crum
This week, Scott sits down with his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Alia Crum—one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of mindsets. Dr. Crum’s groundbreaking work investigates how our subjective beliefs and interpretations can produce real, measurable changes in b ... Show More
1 h
Nov 2025
The Gentle Power of Sisu w/ Dr. Elisabet Lahti
This week, Scott welcomes Dr. Elisabet Lahti—educator, applied psychology researcher, and founder of the Sisu Lab. Dr. Lahti is the world’s leading expert on sisu, a Finnish concept that embodies extraordinary courage, resilience, and determination in the face of adversity. Toget ... Show More
48m 45s
Oct 2022
What Motivates Us: Cognitive Scientist Dr. Maya Shankar on the Power of Change, Habit Formation, And Behavioral Science
<p>On this week’s episode, Dr. Maya Shankar – a cognitive neuroscientist and creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans – sits down with VP of Performance Kristen to how to change our patterns of behavior when it comes to our health. Maya shares the secrets of stay ... Show More
39m 4s
Jul 2023
How to Shape Your Identity & Goals | Dr. Maya Shankar
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
Oct 2021
Dr. Maya Shankar | Change Happens
<p>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 lov ... Show More
1h 1m
Aug 2024
The Science of Handling Uncertainty | Maya Shankar
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p>---</p> <p>Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar talks about how to get comfortable with uncertainty in an ever-changing world. </p> <p>It seems li ... Show More
59m 47s