In this classic episode, while working on an experiment to measure the age of the universe, astronomer Michelle Thaller is reminded once again about both the impersonal immensity around us, and the deeply personal significance of each one of us.
If this episode resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by ... Show More
Jan 13
Move forward without moving on, by Kelly Rizzo
When Kelly Rizzo’s husband Bob Saget passes away without warning, she’s faced with the challenge of moving forward day by day without leaving her memories of Bob behind. As she processes her grief, Kelly reflects on the way her father left his home country and never returned, but ... Show More
31m 15s
Jan 6
Rediscover the roots of your joy, by Dr. Kwane Stewart
CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year, veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart, has long had a passion for helping animals. Yet when a difficult work environment leaves him entirely depleted, he starts to consider walking away from his profession forever. It’s only when an unexpected encounter remi ... Show More
37m 18s
Dec 30
It's ok to be wrong, by Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is an expert on happiness, and she's spent her career helping people build the habits to achieve it. But she assumed that if something works for her, it should work for just about anyone. A series of chance encounters, and a healthy helping of curiosity, makes Gret ... Show More
30m 6s
May 2023
A Personal Story from Dan
<p>As you might already know, May is Mental Health Awareness Month – and, while mental health is important every month, it's an important opportunity to share resources that can help one another. </p> <p><br /></p> <p>So, in that spirit – we're going to bring you a bonus episode ... Show More
28m 11s
Nov 2021
Best of the Archives: How Your Emotions Are Made | Lisa Feldman Barrett
<p>Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is at the forefront of understanding human emotions: what they are, why humans evolved to have them, how they're different from feelings, and what science says about how to manage them. She is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at North ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2021
Improving Your Relationships - Buddhist Style | Martine Batchelor
This great deep-Dharma episode is all about using an ancient, fascinating, and readily-accessible Buddhist concept as a way to improve your interactions with other human beings. The concept in question is called vedana, or "feeling tone." Our guest, Martine Batchelor, will explai ... Show More
1h 8m
Aug 2023
Meditation Party: Magic, Mystery, Intuition, Tattoos, and Non-Efforting | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren
<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>Welcome to the third installment of Meditation Party, an experiment we're running with a chattier format – more of a morning zoo vi ... Show More
1h 2m
Mar 2021
The Profound Upside of Self-Diminishment | George Saunders
There is a powerful scene in a novel called Lincoln In the Bardo, where President Abraham Lincoln has come to the cemetery where his young son, Willie, is soon to be buried. Willie had passed away at the White House where he had gotten sick. Lincoln is so distraught that he goes ... Show More
1h 8m
Apr 2022
Prologue: What’s More Than A Feeling?
Before we dive deep into stories about fear, acceptance, jealousy, joy, shame and other big feelings, we have to get philosophical and ask: what are emotions anyway?
Host Saleem Reshamwala was always trying to figure this question out when he was growing up as a mashup kid: bounc ... Show More
35m 17s
Apr 2022
Acceptance: You’re Okay, I’m Okay
It can be quite rare to find yourself in a place where you feel totally accepted. In this episode, producer Reva Goldberg takes us to a truly unique beauty salon: it’s the ultimate safe space for its customers, many of whom are in their 80s and 90s. We take a close look at two ha ... Show More
51m 40s
Mar 2021
Uprooting Your Delusions | Andrea Fella
I know you guys, and it is pretty clear you love deep dharma episodes. Today we've got a dharma episode that is quite timely. As you all know, we live in a time when most people are getting their news from carefully curated information silos. As a result, we often create very spe ... Show More
1h 10m
May 2023
Meditation Party with Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren: Psychedelics, ADHD, Waking Up From Distraction, and Singing Without Being Self-Conscious
<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>Welcome to Round II of the Meditation Party. The feedback we got from our first episode was overwhelmingly positive, so we're going ... Show More
1h 7m