10% Happier with Dan Harris

Radical advice on rethinking success, individualism, and the American dream.

Mia Birdsong is a pathfinder, culture change visionary, and futurist. She is the founding Executive Director of Next River, a think tank and culture change lab for interconnected freedom. In her book How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community, Mia maps swaths of community life, and points us toward the promise of our collective vitality.

In this episode we talk about:

• How to build community
• What it looks like in her own life
• Mutuality vs reciprocity
• How to work with resentment and rejection
• The etymological connection between friendship and freedom
• The transformative power of asking for help
• And why she thinks the idea of bootstrapping—or going it alone—is a kind of self-hatred

This episode originally aired on May 22nd, 2024.

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What if the problem isn't you—but the idea that there's only one "right" way to meditate?

In this episode, DJ Cashmere talks with meditation teacher Jeff Warren about how to build a mindfulness practice that actually fits your brain, nervous system, and life. Drawing from Jeff's experience with ADHD and bipolar disorder—and DJ's reflections on OCD and neurodiversity in his family—they explore why there's no such thing as a truly neurotypical mind, and why one-size-fits-all meditation advice often falls short.

Rather than prescribing a single approach, Jeff emphasizes experimentation: noticing what settles you, what feels intolerable, and what helps you come back to presence. That might mean focusing on the breath, opening awareness, moving the body, journaling, or simply taking a walk.

They return repeatedly to a simple litmus test for any practice: Is this helping me be here? And they frame that question through three core skills of mindfulness—clarity, concentration, and equanimity—which can be cultivated in many different ways.

This episode is especially helpful if you've ever felt restless, frustrated, or "bad" at meditation—and are looking for a more flexible, compassionate way to practice.

You can get more meditations from Jeff, our Teacher of the Month for DanHarris.com, by checking out our new app, 10% with Dan Harris.

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Worry has a way of sneaking into everything—even gratitude, loving-kindness, and joy.

In this episode, Dan Harris sits down with meditation teacher and psychologist Christiane Wolf to explore how to work skillfully with worry without suppressing it, indulging it, or turning meditation into yet another way to beat yourself up.

Together, they unpack some of the most common pain points meditators face:

• Why trying to force certain feelings (gratitude, calm, compassion) often backfires

• Whether worry is ever actually helpful—and how to tell when it's not

• How to work with fear while waiting for a health diagnosis

• What to do when gratitude or loving-kindness practice triggers sadness or anxiety

• How consumerism (hello, holiday season) fuels craving and unease

• When mindfulness is enough—and when psychological work is needed to avoid spiritual bypassing

Christiane offers practical tools for meeting worry with kindness, curiosity, and clarity—including how to "name it to tame it," how to gently redirect attention without suppression, and how to relate to anxious or critical thoughts as parts rather than as who you are.

This conversation is honest, grounded, and deeply humane—especially for anyone who worries that they're "doing meditation wrong" or feels guilty for not feeling better fast enough.

Recorded live during a subscriber Q&A session – join us at DanHarris.com to be part of these sessions as they happen!

Related Episodes:

How to Outsmart Your Pain | Christiane WolfIs Your Ambition Rooted in Trauma? | Christiane Wolf

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How to find your voice when you need to be heard, learn when it's smart to choose silence, and communicate better with the people who matter most.

Elaine Lin Hering is a former Lecturer of Law at Harvard Law School. She works with organizations and individuals to build skills in communication, collaboration, and conflict management. She is the author of the book Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully.

In this episode we talk about:

• How we learn silence and self-editing
• How we often miscalculate the cost-benefit when it comes to speaking up or staying silent
• Elaine's four steps to learn how to speak up and find your voice
• How we can unintentionally silence others, especially those closest to us, and what to do about it

This episode originally aired on May 15th, 2024.

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Your blindspots and biases block your success and happiness. Here's how to navigate that.

Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM is an award-winning leadership expert, author and columnist, ranked among the top 50 management thinkers in the world. Her career began in the Royal Australian Air Force and includes roles as CEO of a global consultancy and Acting Chair of the ABC. She holds a PhD in leadership and culture, writes the popular 'Got a Minute?' column in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, and is a Member of the Order of Australia.

In this episode we talk about:

• The concept of blindspotting – what it is and how to do it
• The power of intellectual humility and how to practice it
• The difference between seekers and knowers – and when each mindset is useful
• The three major thinking traps
• How to disentangle ego from identity, manage defensiveness, and turn feedback into growth
• The role of curiosity in finding truth, building psychological safety, and leading more effectively
• How to "read the room" in workplaces, relationships, and global contexts
• The key to good leadership
• The importance of modeling uncertainty as a leader

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In this episode, our Teacher of the Month Jeff Warren guides you through a meditation practice inspired by Zen and the Diamond Sutra: "Don't Know Mind."

Sometimes the need to know—certainty about what's true, what's coming next, or how things "should" be—can create tension, anxiety, and overthinking. The antidote? Letting go of that need, resting in curiosity and openness, and cultivating a mind that dwells nowhere.

To get more meditations from Jeff and our other teachers — plus join our weekly live sessions (every Tuesday at 4pm ET) — you can sign up at DanHarris.com.

Related episodes: Working With a Brain That Doesn't Behave | Jeff Warren

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In this short solo episode, Dan shares a major update: after hearing from listeners and subscribers, he and the team have built a brand-new meditation app — 10% with Dan Harris. He explains why he returned to the app world, what makes this offering different, and how it's designed to help you build (and keep) a practice through community, live sessions, guided meditations, and more. Dan also announces a 30-day free trial and a special upcoming New Year's challenge with Joseph Goldstein.

Important links:

• Download the new app: iPhone/iPad: App Store / Android: Google Play Store
• Step-by-step guide for existing subscribers
• Contact support: [email protected] (hi, Roy!)

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It is okay—and even beautiful—to be the idiot you are.

Jiryu Rutschman-Byler is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, with dharma transmission from Sojun Mel Weitsman. Jiryu has trained residentially in Zen temples since 1996, and currently serves as a co-Abbot of San Francisco Zen Center through his role as Abiding Abbot of Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. Jiryu is the final editor of legendary Zen master Shunryu Suzuki's Becoming Yourself: Teachings on the Zen Way of Life.

In this episode we talk about:

• The legacy and teachings of legendary Zen master Shunryo Suzuki.
• What is Zen
• How to work with your day to day problems — and also life and death problems
• How to soften the mind
• Whether to meditate with your eyes open or closed
• What does it really mean to become "one" with everything
• Why life isn't something to be "figured out"
• The connection between the oft-misunderstood concept of "allowing" and being more effective in your life
• The concept and practice of faith
• The magic of the universe

Related Episodes:

• The Fundamental Mystery of the Mind, Annaka Harris
• A Radical Question To Put Your Problems Into Perspective | Annaka Harris

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A Darden School of Business professor explains how to use doubt to your advantage.

Bidhan (Bobby) Parmar, PhD, MBA, is the Shannon G. Smith Bicentennial Professor of Business Administration and Associate Dean for Faculty Development at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses on business ethics, collaboration, and creative and critical thinking.

In this episode we talk about:

• The common human allergy to discomfort and uncertainty
• The benefits of doubt
• The difference between choice fatigue and 'analysis paralysis'
• The nine subtle signs of analysis paralysis
• Why we need to be paying more attention to process vs. outcome
• How to have confidence in the face of doubt
• The role of rupture and repair in relationships
• The crucial final steps in the decision-making process – specifically one Bobby calls "After Action Reviews"
• And much more

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Additional Resources:

• 9 Subtle Signs of 'Analysis Paralysis'
• radicaldoubt.com

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Meditation can be gorgeous… and it can be absolutely bewildering. If you've ever wondered, "Am I doing this right?" or "Why does this feel so intense?", this conversation is for you.

In this vintage conversation from 2016, Dan sits down with legendary dharma teacher Steve Armstrong for a clear, compassionate walkthrough of the progress of insight—including why meditation sometimes gets harder before it gets easier, how to navigate the so-called "dark night" phases, and how to keep going without getting lost in the weeds of self-doubt.

Steve Armstrong, our dear friend, teacher, and the founder of Vipassana Metta Dhamma Sanctuary, passed away peacefully at home on December 23, 2025. His wife and teaching partner, Kamala, was by his side. We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the fundraiser we shared, and held Steve and Kamala in their hearts. Your generosity made it possible for Steve to receive the 24-hour care he needed in his final months, allowing him to remain at home with comfort and dignity. Your support also helped ease the many practical and emotional burdens Kamala carried during this time. Steve devoted more than 40 years to teaching the Dhamma and to building Vipassana Metta Dhamma Sanctuary as a place for deep and sustained practice. His wisdom, kindness, and unwavering commitment to the path touched countless lives and will continue to live on through this work. Any future donations to this fundraiser will go toward supporting Kamala as she moves through this period of grief and transition, and as she continues the work at Vipassana Metta Dhamma Sanctuary that she and Steve began together.

If you feel moved, you can find the GoFundMe at this link. Our company has also made a significant contribution to support Steve and Kamala.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why meditation can sometimes trigger emotional turbulence

• How to understand the "stages" of insight (without clinging to them)

• Practical ways to stay steady when your practice feels chaotic or confusing

• How to distinguish between a genuine opening and plain old overwhelm

• Why equanimity isn't passive—it's powerful

Steve has spent decades helping people wake up. This episode is a chance to receive that wisdom—and, if you're able, to reflect it back with your support.

Related Episodes:

• Get Happier Without Losing Your Edge | Kamala Masters

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