Maya Shankar: What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans?

2026-08-04 · 54 min · 47 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

→ hosted by Vivek Murthy person

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→ hosted by Staying Human person

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→ discusses Medicine website

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→ discusses Happiness website

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→ discusses Community website

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→ discusses Loneliness book

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→ discusses Purpose person

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→ discusses Wellness concept

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→ discusses well-being concept

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→ discusses Inspiration website

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Feed category: inspiration
→ discusses social connection concept

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→ discusses health & well-being concept

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Feed category: health & well-being
→ discusses emotional well-being concept

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Feed category: emotional well-being
→ discusses meaning concept

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Feed category: meaning
→ discusses public health concept

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Feed category: public health
→ discusses isolation concept

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Feed category: isolation
→ discusses togetherness concept

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→ discusses personal growth concept

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Feed category: personal growth
→ references vivekmurthy.com website

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Link in episode "Maya Shankar: What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans?": https://vivekmurthy.com/

Entities found in this episode

concepts 27

mentioned Relationships concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
mentioned Spirituality concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
mentioned Health concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
mentioned Wellness concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
mentioned well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
mentioned social connection concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
mentioned health & well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
mentioned emotional well-being concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
mentioned meaning concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
mentioned public health concept

0.50

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
mentioned isolation concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
mentioned togetherness concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
mentioned personal growth concept

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth
mentioned What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans concept

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evidence rules-v5
Maya Shankar: What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans?
discusses Relationships concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: relationships
discusses Spirituality concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: spirituality
discusses Health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health
discusses Wellness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: wellness
discusses well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: well-being
discusses social connection concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: social connection
discusses health & well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: health & well-being
discusses emotional well-being concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: emotional well-being
discusses meaning concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: meaning
discusses public health concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: public health
discusses isolation concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: isolation
discusses togetherness concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: togetherness
discusses personal growth concept

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: personal growth

websites 10

mentioned Medicine website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
mentioned Happiness website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
mentioned Community website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: community
mentioned Inspiration website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
mentioned vivekmurthy.com website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Maya Shankar: What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans?": https://vivekmurthy.com/
discusses Medicine website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: medicine
discusses Happiness website

0.40

evidence rules-v5
Feed category: happiness
discusses Community website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: community
discusses Inspiration website

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: inspiration
references vivekmurthy.com website

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evidence rules-v5
Link in episode "Maya Shankar: What Happens When Life Changes Our Plans?": https://vivekmurthy.com/

persons 8

mentioned Vivek Murthy person

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Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
mentioned Staying Human person

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Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
hosted by Vivek Murthy person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Vivek Murthy
hosted by Staying Human person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed author/publisher: Staying Human
mentioned Mental Health person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: mental health
mentioned Purpose person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: purpose
discusses Mental Health person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: mental health
discusses Purpose person

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evidence rules-v5
Feed category: purpose

books 2

mentioned Loneliness book

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Feed category: loneliness
discusses Loneliness book

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Feed category: loneliness

Episode description as stored

Ten years ago, Vivek and Maya Shankar met in a meeting at the White House; he still doesn't remember what the meeting was about, but he remembers being struck by her brilliance, and even more by her warmth. They stayed in touch, became close friends, and now, a decade later, Maya has traded her work as a cognitive scientist and White House advisor for a new mission: helping people understand why change is so hard, and how to come out the other side whole. She's the host of the hit podcast A Slight Change of Plans and the author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Other Side of Change . In this conversation, Vivek and Maya talk about why uncertainty can feel worse than bad news itself, and why anchoring our identity in our "why" rather than our "what" can carry us through loss and reinvention. They dig into the mental spirals we all fall into — and the small shifts in perspective that can break them — plus the crucial difference between guilt and shame, and why community and service are often the surest way out of both. Maya also shares deeply personal stories from her own life, including experiences she writes about for the first time in her book, and what she's come to believe change reveals about who we really are. It's a conversation about the hardest parts of being human: uncertainty, identity, rumination, and shame. It’s also about the quiet, durable hope that even unwanted change can show us who we're capable of becoming. . . . Every episode offers a reflection question inspired by the conversation. Share your thoughts and ideas with us at hello@stayinghuman.us , on our Substack , or leave us a message at 1-833-74-HUMAN. IG @drvivekmurthy Substack vivekmurthy.substack.com/ More about your host, Dr. Vivek Murthy https://www.vivekmurthy.com