How to reduce negative thoughts, get deep rest, and improve cellular health.

Elissa Epel, Ph.D., is an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal aging and a best-selling author of The Telomere Effect, and The Stress Prescription. She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at the University of California, San Francisco, where she is Vice Chair of Psychology and directs the Aging Metabolism Emotions Center. 

In this episode we talk about:

• What telomeres are
• Why chronic stress  accelerates our rate of aging – and how to reverse it
•  How we have way more control over aging than we think
• Small, consistent lifestyle changes we can make to promote longer telomeres 
• The role of existential stress
• Meditation retreats as a reset for the nervous system
• How even 5-minutes of daily meditation can help
• Breathing practices that increase vagal tone 
• Deep rest, and other states of mind that are crucial for cellular repair and growth 
• How to counteract the impacts of stress eating 
• How to reframe stress as a challenge
• And much more

Related Episodes:

• Become an Active Operator of Your Nervous System | Deb Dana
• What Science and Buddhism Say About How to Regulate Your Own Nervous System | Deb Dana & Kaira Jewel Lingo

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! 

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Sponsors: 

AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.

We’re in the midst of an exciting evolution of the overall 10% Happier project. In our quest to make this podcast more actionable – to help you operationalize all the game-changing ideas you encounter on this pod – we’re now offering guided meditations to accompany each full episode of the show, available to paid subscribers at DanHarris.com. For the month of September, those meditations will come from Vinny Ferraro, a Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition. 

In this bonus episode, you’ll hear our head of content, DJ Cashmere, in conversation with Vinny, who shares his backstory: a tough kid from Brooklyn who found the Buddhist tradition to be the most helpful thing in his life. 

Related Episodes:

• A Radical Buddhist Approach To Making This The Best Year Of Your Life | Vinny Ferraro

• Three Buddhist Practices For Getting Your Sh*t Together | Vinny Ferraro

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here!

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Practical learnings from Dan and his CEO on: focus, feedback, self-talk, and expecting adversity.

10% Media head honcho Toni Magyar joins Dan for a candid conversation about how to reset after a professional setback, navigating some tricky transitions, and how self-compassion and clear communication can make it all a bit easier. 

In this episode we talk about:

• Celebrating the one-year anniversary of our new business, independent of the app company that Dan co-founded

• How acknowledging that change is constant helps us live with uncertainty

• What it means to operate with self-compassion and why that’s different from lowering your standards

• Some of our big plans for the next year, including more live meditation and Q&As with Dan and the Teachers of the Month

Related Episodes:

• I Just Went Through A Career Earthquake. Here’s What I Learned About Anger, Insomnia, and Bouncing Back | Dan Harris

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here!

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more here!

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

What to do when the voice in your head is an asshole.

Sebene Selassie is an author and meditation teacher. She writes the popular newsletter remind me to love and her first book is called, You Belong. 

Jeff Warren is an author and meditation teacher. He writes the popular newsletter Home Base and is the coauthor, along with Dan, of a book called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. And he is the co-host of the mind/bod adventure pod.

Aaron Schultz aka DJ DRM has crisscrossed the globe for decades playing his own unique brand of dance music. Aaron is also a longtime meditator and Dharma practitioner in the Dharma Drum lineage of Chan Buddhism, and is a passionate devotee of GuanYin Bodhisattva.

In this episode we talk about:

• How to relate to sticky stories and emotions 
• How to face unpleasant feelings 
• The 5 hindrances (that’s a Buddhist list of the main problems that arise in meditation) and how sneaky they can be 
• The potential pitfalls of a “good sit”
• The role of right effort in meditation 
• How expectations make us suffer
• Neurodivergence
• Working with shame (and how it differs from wise remorse) 
• The connection between dancing and the Dharma (and why Dan is too self-conscious to dance)

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! 

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Sponsors: 

Liquid IV: Savor the last bits of summer with Liquid I.V. Tear. Pour. Live More. Go to LiquidIV.com and get 20% off your first order with code HAPPIER at checkout. 

AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.

You talk all day. Here’s how to do it better, according to a professor from Harvard Business School.

Alison Wood Brooks comes from the Harvard Business School, where she teaches a course called “TALK: How to Talk Gooder in Business and Life,” which she has now turned into a book, called TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves.

In this episode we talk about:

• The evolution of conversation 
• Why conversation is a skill — not just a natural talent 
• How to develop conversational skills, including common conversational pitfalls to avoid
• Granular, tactical pieces of advice on how to have a conversation
• The science behind conversation that may surprise you
• Listening tips 
• Conversational repair strategies 
• How kindness can go pear shaped 
• How to handle difficult moments in conversation 
• The difference between focusing on other people and people pleasing 
• How to integrate these incredible learnings into your life 
• How soft skills are becoming increasingly more valuable with the rise of AI 

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources: 

• Alison’s band, The Lights

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! 

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Sponsors: 

Function Health: Learn more and join using our link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/HAPPIER to own your health.

Factor Meals: Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/TENPERCENT50OFF and use code TENPERCENT50OFF to get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year.

AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.

What to do when you're in the grip of grief, anxiety, or overwhelm. Our Teacher of the Month, Kaira Jewel Lingo, has some suggestions for finding your way through. 

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

We’re bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we’re hearing from dharma teacher Vinny Ferraro, as chosen by our producer Eleanor Vasilli. Vinny explores the concept of “alignment” and how you can actually choose your own attitude – and choose your own adventure. 

Full Episode: Three Buddhist Practices for Getting Your Sh*t Together | Vinny Ferraro

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

The highest form of self compassion (is seeing there’s no self in the first place).

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach, drawing from her eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. She's authored two books—The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together and A Kids Book About Mindfulness. Caverly is also the Founder and Lead Contemplative of two nonprofits—Peace in Schools, creating the first U.S. semester-long credited mindfulness course in high schools, and Realizing Freedom Together, dedicated to making practices that lead to liberation for all, accessible to all. Learn more at caverlymorgan.org

In this episode we talk about:

• How to move past a constricted view of the self 
• Relative vs absolute truth 
• Joseph Goldstein tips on getting a glimpse of no self 
• The perks of meat and potato dharma 
• More practices to help supercharge our practice
• How love and self-compassion factor into all of this

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources: 

Website: Things Caverly wished she said to Dan Harris 

A Practice: Fleshing Out Our Conditioning Prompts: 

• In order to be loved, I need to . . .
• During times of conflict, I should . . .
• My parents always taught me that . . .
• I deserve . . .
• I’ll be comfortable when . . .
• I’ll be happy when . . .
• I know I should avoid . . .
• If only . . .
• Other people would be happy if I . . .
• It’s best not to . . .
• I’m usually afraid of . . .
• To feel successful I need to . . .
• The thing I should most watch out for is . . .
• I never seem to be able to . . .

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here! 

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

SPONSORS:  Leesa Go to leesa.com for 30% off mattresses, plus get an extra $50 off with the promo code “happier”. 

StitchFix  Get started today at stitchfix.com/happier to get $20 off your first order, and they’ll waive your styling fee.

How it can help with stress, anxiety, and panic.

Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford School of Medicine. Standing on a lifetime of research and clinical experience (nearly 50 years), he is a world renowned expert on hypnosis and has treated more than 7,000 patients with it. He founded the Reveri app to make his methodology accessible to all.

In this episode we talk about:

• What hypnosis actually is — and how it does or doesn’t differ from the mainstream conceptions (ie stage hypnotists)
• The types of people who are — and aren’t — hypnotizable. And why. 
• We go over the steps of self-hypnosis, so you can do it at home
• We talk about the differences between hypnosis and a flow state
• The difference between hypnosis and meditation 
• What happens in the brain during the hypnosis
• And what hypnosis is helpful for, including stress, anxiety, and panic (sidenote: Dan agreed to do the interview because he really wanted to see if hypnosis could help him with his ongoing claustrophobia on airplanes and elevators. You’ll get to hear him try…)

Try Dr. David Spiegel's Reveri app: 20% off yearly or lifetime with code 10PERCENT

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

SPONSORS: 

Function Health Learn more and join using our link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/HAPPIER to own your health. Monarch Money Get control of your overall finances with Monarch Money. Use the code “happier” at monarchmoney.com in your browser for 50% off your first year.

All this month, we’re sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Kaira Jewel Lingo, exclusively available at DanHarris.com. Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – so today, we’re giving you a sample of what you can expect for the rest of the month. This meditation is about learning to sit with discomfort. 

Related Episodes:

• Are You Overcomplicating Your Life? Meet August's Teacher of the Month, Kaira Jewel Lingo

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris