How (and Why) to Hack Your Empathy | Jamil Zaki

Burnout is on the rise. Two experts show us how to combat it.   Dr. Kristin Neff is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion more than twenty years ago.    Christopher Germer is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He also co-developed a highly impactful program called Mindful Self-Compassion, which has been taught to over 100,000 people across the world.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: How to know if you are burnt out The three main symptoms of burnout, their causes, and their health consequences The three components of self-compassion and how they can help  The inner critic and why we kick our own asses How to draw appropriate boundaries with your boss The difference between tender and fierce self-compassion Tools for dealing with perfectionism without letting go of high standards   Related Episodes:  Do Life Better Sanely Ambitious  Kryptonite for the Inner Critic | Kristin Neff #360 Self-Compassion Ain’t Always Soft | Kristin Neff #310 The Scientific Case for Self-Compassion | Chris Germer For the Burned Out, Fried, and Exhausted | Emily & Amelia Nagoski   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: https://meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/neff-germer-894   Additional Resources: Self-compassion event with Kristin Neff & Dan Harris The Self-Compassion Test The Center for Mindful Self Compassion

20 Jan 1h 12min

A candid conversation about money: How much is enough? How to find real security?   Sebene Selassie, an author and meditation teacher. She writes the popular newsletter Ancestors to Elements and her first book is called, You Belong.    Jeff Warren is also an author and meditation teacher. He writes the popular Substack newsletter Home Base and is the coauthor, along with me, of a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. And he is the co-host of the mind/bod adventure pod.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.  We talk about: How much is enough  The illusion of security  The importance of being able to talk to your friends about this stuff The power of identifying your own money story, in other words, finding the point of origination for your own neuroses on the subject     Related Episodes: Do Life Better How to Avoid the Toilet Vortex of Anxiety | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren How to Stay Calm No Matter What’s Happening | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren Meditation Party: The “Sh*t Is Fertilizer” Edition | Sebene Selassie & Jeff Warren Meditation Party with Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren: Psychedelics, ADHD, Waking Up From Distraction, and Singing Without Being Self-Conscious Meditation Party: Magic, Mystery, Intuition, Tattoos, and Non-Efforting | Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren     Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes     Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/meditation-party-892   Additional Resources: Register for Meditation Party at Omega, October 24 - 26, 2025 Allison Strickland’s GoFundMe

15 Jan 1h 2min

A Wharton professor shares practical tips on increasing your financial security, and eradicating the taboo around financial conversations.   Dr. Wendy De La Rosa is an Assistant Professor at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She focuses on behavioral science to improve consumers’ financial well-being.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: Psychological and technological tools for taking control of your finances  How to get a handle on small frequent purchases The relationship between our environment and our finances Financial shame  How our parents relationship with money impacts us as adults The G.I. Joe Fallacy, and the misconception that “knowing is half the battle” when it comes to our financial health 10 financial questions to ask your romantic partner How to eliminate the taboo of financial conversations And much more   Related Episodes:  Do Life Better  543. The Psychology of Money | Morgan Housel #402. How To Work Around Your Own Irrationality | Richard Thaler #345 How to Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/de-la-rosa-891

13 Jan 1h 13min

The science and dharma of mindful eating. How it can stop over eating—and how to actually make the habit.   Brother Pháp Lưu is an ordained monk in the Plum Village tradition started by Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh. He’s worked with scientists at Dartmouth College and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to develop research on the effect of Plum Village mindfulness practices on children.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.    We talk about: The health benefits of mindful eating The line between moderation and restriction  The five contemplations before eating  The basic steps of mindful eating  How to ensure mindful eating doesn’t feel like a chore or burden Fasting and our culture's dysregulated relationship to food Mindful consumption in general The four nutriments And much more   Related Episodes: Do Life Better Get Fit Sanely The Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole The Science of Why You Eat When You're Not Hungry–And How to Stop | Judson Brewer   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/phap-luu-889

8 Jan 1h 2min

What exercise does to your brain—and how to actually do it regularly.   Wendy Suzuki is a Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, where she is also the first Asian-American Dean of the College of Arts and Science. She is the author of two books, Good Anxiety and Healthy Brain, Happy Life.   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.   We talk about: How exercise not only enhances cognitive function but also protects against age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.  The difference between cardio and strength training Whether it matters if you track your steps How to sustain your motivation to exercise And practical tips on how to start, restart or increase an exercise habit We also talk about the brain benefits of sleep, meditation, and healthy eating (with a detour into ways to counteract the potentially unhealthy obsession with being healthy) And finally, we talk about the counterintuitive benefits of anxiety   Related Episodes: Do Life Better Get Fit Sanely Sleep Better The Anti-Diet | Evelyn Tribole   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes     Full Shownotes: https://www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/wendy-suzuki-888

6 Jan 1h 12min

Dan briefly whittles down his top 10 takeaways from the science of behavior change. In this episode we talk about: How our brain’s evolution for short-term survival makes long-term goals harder Picking the right goals Making it easy Leveraging fresh starts How to make goals a team sport The crucial role of mindfulness and self-compassion   This episode is part of our monthlong Do Life Better series.   Related Episodes: The Science of Making – And Keeping – New Year’s Resolutions | Hal Hershfield How To Change Your Habits | Katy Milkman Why Your Bad Habits (And Addictions) May Be Getting Worse – And How Mindfulness Can Help | Dr. Jud Brewer   Sign up for Dan’s newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/dan-solo-habit-formation   Additional Resources: Download the Happier Meditation app today.

3 Jan 25min

Contemplating your own death can feel like a massive bummer at first, but there’s good news: how you react to that inescapable fact really matters.  Vinny Ferraro has practiced insight meditation (vipassanā) since the mid-90s. He’s the Guiding Teacher of the Big Heart City Sangha in San Francisco and has led a weekly sitting group for almost two decades. As a fully empowered Dharma Teacher thru Spirit Rock/IMS, he has taught residential retreats at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and the Esalen Institute. Currently, he leads Spirit Rock's Year to Live course and teaches retreats and daylongs through Big Heart City and meditation centers across the country. He is a respected leader in developing and implementing interventions for at-risk populations. leading groups in schools, juvenile halls and prisons since 1987. He has led emotional intelligence workshops for over 100,000 youth on four continents.   In this episode we talk about: Why it’s important to think about your own death even if you’re not expecting it anytime soon The distinction between the actual conditions of your life and how much you suffer A practice called the five Daily Remembrances, which Dan started doing himself right after we recorded this — and which has made a real difference for him And some of other practices they do in the class, including the “life review” and “housekeeping”   Related Episodes: Three Buddhist Practices For Getting Your Sh*t Together | Vinny Ferraro How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur Join the waiting list for A Year To Live at Spirit Rock.   Find out more about the Young Adult Retreat at Spirit Rock (taught by Vinny Ferraro, Matthew Brensilver, Cara Lai, and Hakim Tafari).   Use code TENPERCENT for 10% off these two courses at Spirit Rock: Anxiety as Teacher: A Dharma and Yoga Daylong Cultivating the Beautiful Factors of Mind   Sign up for Dan’s weekly newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Ten Percent Happier online bookstore Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Our favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular Episodes   Full Shownotes: www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/vinny-ferraro-a-year-to-live   Additional Resources: Download the Happier Meditation app today.

1 Jan 1h 7min

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- “Radical self-love” — what it is and how to do it. It is incredibly common for many of us humans, whatever our gender, to be at war with our bodies -- trying to live up to the people we see in the movies, on social media, or even the versions of ourselves in old pictures. This never-enough-ness can lead to an ambient level of self-loathing that can be incredibly destructive. That's where "radical self-love" comes in. Our guest today is Sonya Renee Taylor. She is the author of three books, including The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love. She is the Founder and Radical Executive Officer of The Body is Not An Apology. She has come to this work as a result of her own personal pain, as a Black woman inhabiting a body that she says does not conform to societal norms.  In this conversation, we talk about defining radical self-love (and why she believes it's our natural state), tools for cultivating radical self-love, and the connection between being OK with yourself and the larger society. Full Shownotes: www.meditatehappier.com/podcast/tph/sonya-renee-taylor-rerun Additional Resources: Download the Happier Meditation app today.

23 Dec 202459min