This is an episode from a podcast we think you'll love. It's called How To! and it's from Slate Podcasts.

Earlier this year, our listener, Rell, nearly failed a promotion. Not because she was unprepared or unqualified, but because she didn’t maintain enough eye contact with the interviewers. Rell’s eye hasn’t been fully receiving information since she was born, a condition that’s outwardly visible and known colloquially as a “lazy eye.” It’s beginning to affect her self-confidence and is this “ugly thing [she] can’t let go of.”

On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace brings on Sarah Ruhl, an award-winning playwright and author who wrote about her experience with Bell’s palsy in her recent book, "Smile: The Story of a Face." Sarah has some wonderful advice for letting go of your inner rage, making interactions with strangers less painful, and even finding people who light up your mirror neurons.

If you liked this episode you can find more of Slate’s How To! podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey here!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.