On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie explores the subject of happiness. Because as a culture, we seem to be obsessed with achieving it. Just look to higher ed. Some of the most elite universities tout courses on happiness — the science of it, the value of it, the history and future of it. But the search for happiness has also seeped into our regular podcast consumption and our must-watch TV shows. So what’s the deal? Why is happiness the carrot dangling just outside of our reach? And what defines happiness anyway? To find out, Katie talks with one of those aforementioned happiness scholars, Arthur C. Brooks, whose most recent book is called “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happiness expert Arthur C. Brooks on why we’re all so desperately chasing down happiness

Katie Couric is back on the mic with a new season of intimate, urgent and unexpected conversations – this time with a new twist. Along with her signature in-depth one-on-one interviews, she’ll be joined by a number of special guest-hosts for a series of “Katie Plus One” episodes. Together they’ll get to know some of the world’s most interesting and influential people and explore the big ideas percolating in the zeitgeist--but with a focus on slowing down, diving deep, and connecting with each other, a reprieve from a culture obsessed with hot takes and surface-level small talk. Tune in every Thursday and join Katie Couric and her guests for a conversation that feels like a warm hug and a seat at the table.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

News

Documentary

Entertainment News

Like many influencers these days, Jay Shetty is much discussed, but not necessarily much understood. He seems like he’s everywhere–officiating JLo and Ben Affleck’s wedding, dispensing wise sound bites on TV, and connecting daily to nearly 50 million people across a variety of social media and other platforms. Shetty rejects the title “guru,” which some have used to describe him, but it’s easy to see that he’s a guiding light for many. Shetty strives to create spaces where true vulnerability and openness is possible, and he brought a sense of peace and calm to this wide-ranging interview which traces his path from “failed” monk to household name. Together, Katie and Jay explore the power of unconditional love, and how to take self-care from buzzy jargon to practical tactics for bringing more peace into our lives.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Balance of Being and Doing: Jay Shetty on Purpose in Work, Life, and Love

Kris Jenner has vision. From an early age, she knew she wanted a family–she even predicted she’d have six kids! From her origins working in retail stores owned by her mother and grandmother, Kris has built something with true staying power along with her accomplished kids–and now their own kids, her grandchildren! One of the joys of matriarchy is being able to sit back a bit and survey what you’ve built. In this personal and heartfelt interview, Jenner dishes about her love of celebration (she’s already started Christmas shopping!), grandkid dates, and realizing that what you promise one grandkid… you promise to them all. More tips for grandparents–including a new one by the name of Katie Couric!--in this delightful conversation with Kris Jenner. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie Is a Grandmother! With Special Guest and Grandmother of 13, Kris Jenner, on Family, Purpose, and Legacy.

Next Question is back for season nine, and the times, they are a changin’! Katie has big personal news to share in the season kick off with Kris Jenner–plus advice, memories, and humor from the Momager in Chief herself. Then it’s full steam ahead with Jay Shetty on balancing being and doing, valuable insights from Liz Cheney and Hillary Clinton for this major election year, and internationally renowned soprano Renee Fleming takes us inside music and the mind with her new book. All that and more from Next Question Season 9! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie's Back for Season 9 of Next Question!

One of Next Question’s more personal episodes, this conversation features a very special plus one: Katie’s daughter, Carrie Monahan! Katie and Carrie, along with their guest, author Emmeline Clein, have all grappled with disordered eating at certain points in their lives. The research bears out that this is a nearly universal experience for American women, and that was a central inspiration for Clein’s new book, Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm. 
 
So many of us know on a deep level how easy it is to be beguiled by the pressure to be thinner, that thin means “perfect”--and how hard it is to get out of that mindset because, as Clein explains, "society as a whole is 'colluding with anorectic reasoning.'" But something powerful happens when lived experience is borne out in research, data, and other types of “proof”: it becomes impossible to continue to blame the victims for what is a much more complex and insidious societal sin. That is a driving message of Clein’s book, and this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie Plus One: Our Society’s Disordered Eating with Emmeline Clein, author of Dead Weight: Essays on Hunger and Harm and co-host, Carrie Monahan

This episode of Next Question was produced in partnership with Capital One, and recorded live at the Capital One Cafe in Herald Square in New York City. In it, Katie and a panel of caregivers explore the vast spectrum of challenges facing caregivers — those of us who find ourselves taking care of a loved one when they can no longer take care of themselves.

As our panelists Chris Punsalan, Adrienne Glusman, and Capital One’s own Celia Edwards Karam share from personal experience, it can be a terrifying, overwhelming task — from the sudden windfall of money decisions and the struggle to sort out a workable financial plan at a time of immense uncertainty, to the psychological burden of simultaneously caring for a loved one while mentally preparing to lose them. But there are also moments of grace, connection, and priceless time together that will stay with our panelists for a lifetime.

This conversation is both a practical guide and, we hope, a source of real inspiration and comfort for navigating an enormously challenging phase — one that most of us will face at some point in our lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happiness expert Arthur C. Brooks on why we’re all so desperately chasing down happiness

Download our free app to listen on your phone