Self-help for smart people. World-class insights and practices from experts in modern science and ancient wisdom. Hosted by veteran journalist and best-selling author, Dan Harris.
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Gabor Maté: Five Steps To Stop Scrolling, Bingeing, and Self-Medicating — And Reclaim Your Brain
Episode 1123
Monday, April 6, 2026 • Duration 54:09
Practical tools to break "automatic habits" and take back your agency.
Gabor Maté is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver's Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Gabor is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness.
In this episode we talk about:
Practical strategies for dealing with both our addictive tendencies and scattered minds
The real question to ask yourself when it comes to addiction
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
What To Do When Your Mind Won't Quit | Bart van Melik
Episode 1122
Friday, April 3, 2026 • Duration 26:48
Buddhist tools for forgiveness, boredom, worry, and getting out of your head.
Meditation teacher Bart van Melik leads a live community Q&A — and the questions that come in are ones most meditators have quietly wrestled with for years.
Bart is the guiding teacher at Community Meditation Center in New York, where he leads weekly sessions grounded in Buddhist tradition. In this episode, he takes on four of the most common sticking points in practice: forgiveness, boredom, disconnection from the body, and the spiral of anxious "what if" thinking.
His approach throughout is warm, precise, and grounded — less about achieving a particular state and more about learning to hold whatever arises with curiosity and kindness.
Topics covered:
Forgiveness — why forcing it can backfire, what it means to "bypass" difficult emotions, and the reframe that changes everything: forgiveness as giving up all hope for a better past
Boredom — how to get genuinely curious about it instead of fighting it, and what it can teach you about why you reach for your phone
Getting into your body — why embodiment looks different for everyone, and how to find the activities (yes, even mindful salsa dancing or vacuuming) that make it easier
Worry and "what if" thoughts — the Buddhist framing of worry as an obstacle to clear seeing, and a simple breathwork technique from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche — exhale heavy, exhale calm — that works even in the hardest moments
Community as practice — the Buddha's teaching that friendship and community isn't half the path. It's the whole thing.
About Bart van Melik: Bart van Melik is a meditation teacher and guiding teacher at Community Meditation Center, a global and local community that meets weekly via Zoom. Monthly sessions are donation-based and open to all. Learn more at https://www.cmc-ny.org/.
Modern Life Is Designed to Leave You Empty. Here's the Antidote. | Arthur Brooks
Episode 1121
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 • Duration 01:14:45
Six steps to reclaim your brain, find purpose, and escape the doom loop.
The Neuroscience of Flourishing: Four Practices for Turning Stress and Anxiety Into Clarity and Calm | Richard Davidson and Cortland Dahl
Episode 1120
Monday, March 30, 2026 • Duration 01:06:49
The Dalai Lama's longtime collaborator on achieving fundamental okayness, transforming daily annoyances, and rewiring your brain.
Richard J. Davidson, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also the Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds and Founder of the non-profit Humin.
Cortland Dahl, PhD, is a scientist, author, translator, and meditation teacher for the Tergar community.
Davidson and Dahl's latest book is Born to Flourish. They also author the Substack newsletter, Dharma Lab.
In this episode we talk about:
What it really means to flourish
How difficult emotions like anxiety, fear, or grief can coexist with well-being
Why flourishing is a trainable skill set, not a personality trait or a self-improvement project
An introduction to the Healthy Minds Framework and its four pillars: awareness, connection, insight, and purpose
Why short, informal "micro-practices" can be just as effective as formal meditation
Stop Trying to Become Someone New: Get Past Constant Comparison and Return to What Works For You | Sam Sanders
Episode 1119
Friday, March 27, 2026 • Duration 53:35
What if the most meaningful thing you did for your mental health wasn't something new — but a return to what already brings you joy?
Dan recently sat down with journalist and broadcaster Sam Sanders on the Sam Sanders Show to explore exactly that idea. Sam has a concept he calls "modern scriptures": the movies, albums, and TV shows you return to again and again because they ground you, center you, and remind you what matters. Dan shares the pop culture that never fails to lift his spirits — and along the way, the two get into why beauty and art are actually central to human flourishing, why Ferris Bueller is more Buddhist than you might think, and what the research says about making resolutions stick — including the one upstream habit that makes everything else easier.
The Sam Sanders Show is a co-production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions. Sign up for Sam's newsletter for behind-the-scenes extras from every episode.
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026.
A Toolkit for a Noisy Mind: How John Green Manages Anxiety, Depression, and Intrusive Thoughts
Episode 1118
Wednesday, March 25, 2026 • Duration 59:42
Plus, how the bestselling author writes his way out of despair.
John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of books including Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, and The Anthropocene Reviewed. With his brother, Hank, John has co-created many online video projects, including Vlogbrothers and the educational channel Crash Course. His most recent book is Everything Is Tuberculosis.
In this episode we talk about:
John's toolkit for managing thought spirals and dispair
Why he wrote a whole book about the thing that terrifies him
How he maintains hope in a chaotic and unfair world
Finding the "self"
Shame reduction through naming
What John learned from his time as a chaplain in a pediatric hospital
His current view of God
And the question of how much––or how little––we should be sharing about ourselves with other people
A Practice for Fidgeters, Restless Minds, and Anyone Who Hates Sitting Still | Meditation with Sebene Selassie
Episode 1116
Friday, March 20, 2026 • Duration 13:09
Let go of your thoughts, stop getting caught in your stories, and try the ancient practice of walking meditation.
Walking meditation is one of the most practical and underrated tools in mindfulness — and in this episode, Dan shares a guided practice from his new audiobook, Even You Can Meditate (co-authored with Sebene Selassie), out now on Audible.
The practice is led by Sebene herself. The premise is simple: walk slowly and deliberately, pay attention to the sensations of each step, and when your mind wanders — just start again. It bridges the gap between formal sitting practice and everyday life, and it's a genuine game-changer for fidgeters, restless types, and anyone who finds stillness unbearable.
In this guided practice, Sebene leads you through:
Grounding yourself before you take your first step
Tuning into the physical sensations of lifting, moving, and placing each foot
Expanding awareness to include your whole body and your surroundings
Letting thoughts come and go — without getting caught in them
Closing with a moment of gratitude for your body and this moment of awareness
The Even You Can Meditate (audiobook) by Dan Harris and Sebene Selassie is available now at audible.com/danharris. And mark your calendar for the Even You Can Meditate 5-Day Challenge — running March 23–27 on the 10% with Dan Harris app. Each day features a different guided practice, plus two live online events with Dan and Sebene. Download the app at danharris.com
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming.Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026.Register here.
Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
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Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming.Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026.Register here.
This episode is sponsored by:
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Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
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Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.
Join Dan, Sebene Selassie and Jeff Warren for Meditation Party, a 3-day immersive retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, October 16–18, 2026. Register here.
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