10% Happier with Dan Harris

Six practical steps to harness the full power of your mind.

Our guest today is James R. Doty, a neurosurgeon who has just written a whole book about the science of manifestation – although, as you'll hear him admit, there's very little 'magic' involved in his process.

James R. Doty, M.D. is a Stanford neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, compassion researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He's the founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University.

In this episode we talk about:

• Doty's six steps to manifest
• His very interesting backstory
• The art and science of intention setting and the role of our neural pathways.
• How caring can ignite our parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn can help us manifest better
• Practical tips for embedding an intention into our subconscious
• The keys to understanding what we want vs. what we need
• And how to 'alert the bloodhound' to harness the full power of your mind

We originally aired this episode in July 2024.

Related Episodes:

• #388. The Science of Training Your Attention | Dr. Amishi Jha
• The Art and Science of Compassion: Thupten Jinpa
• #425. Compassion Is the Ultimate Tool for the Truly Ambitious | Paul Gilbert

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

On maintaining sanity in insane times.

Ezra Klein is an opinion columnist and host of the award-winning Ezra Klein Show podcast at The New York Times. His latest book is Abundance, co-authored with Derek Thompson. He is also the author of Why We're Polarized, an instant New York Times bestseller, named one of Barack Obama's top books of 2022. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Ezra maintains some degree of equanimity
• Digital hygiene
• Ezra's meditation practice
• Ezra's tattoo, which is a reminder to maintain intellectual humility
• Ezra's new end of the day ritual
• The future of the species at what appears to be a pivotal moment.

Related Episodes:

• How to Be a Good and Sane Citizen in Ugly Times | Ezra Klein
• Ezra Klein, How We Interact with Politics Matters

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

Plus: How to build a meditation practice you keep coming back to.

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 July, those meditations will come from Dawn Mauricio, a teacher in the Insight Meditation tradition whom we love.

In this kickoff episode, you'll hear our head of content, DJ Cashmere, in conversation with Dawn, who shares a little of her backstory and her journey to become a teacher. You'll learn about the hardest thing she's ever done in her life, how she describes herself as a meditation teacher, and how an injury she's currently dealing with has turned out to have some genuine upsides.

Related Episodes:

• How To Handle Difficult People | Dawn Mauricio
• What "Getting Out of Your Head" Actually Means | Dawn Mauricio

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

A scream-queen (and Dan's old friend) talks control, insecurity, friendship, and parenthood.

Allison Williams is an actress, producer, and singer best known for her breakout role on HBO's award winning TV series GIRLS, the blockbuster film GET OUT, the science fiction horror film M3GAN, and now its sequel, M3GAN 2.0.

In this episode we talk about:

• Self-improvement versus self-acceptance
• The "friendship recession" among men
• Aging authentically and "caring less"
• Catastrophizing in parenthood
• How to avoid passing your anxieties onto your children
• The making of her latest flick, M3GAN 2.0
• And much more

Related Episodes:

• Alexander Dreymon (Star of Netflix's "The Last Kingdom") on: Therapy, Marriage, Anger, Masculinity, Meditation, and Being Nice (Even If You're a Viking)

Join Dan's online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources:

• Listen to Allison's new podcast, Landlines. New episodes drop every Monday.

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

The Zen monk who burned out. How he fixed it. And how you can, too.

Brother Chân Pháp Hữu began training at the age of 13 with the legendary Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh — who was an author, activist, and founder of the Plum Village tradition. Today Brother Pháp Hữu is the abbot of Plum Village's Upper Hamlet and the co-host of the Plum Village podcast The Way Out Is In. He also recently co-authored a book, called Being with Busyness: Zen Ways to Transform Overwhelm and Burnout.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why humans today are busier and more overwhelmed than ever before
• Why monastics aren't immune to burnout
• How busyness is thrust upon us by the world, but it's also the result of us running from the shit we don't wanna face
• Practical tools for addressing busyness and burnout
• Why doing nothing is an art
• The role of perspective—and how contemplating your own death can be a huge source of perspective
• The practice of total relaxation
• How to have healthy boundaries without armoring up
• How to say no without pissing people off
• How to protect ourselves in toxic environments
• And much more

Related Episodes:

• The Buddhist Case For Laziness (And How It Can Make You More Productive) | Brother Chân Pháp Hữu

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

Why are many of Dan's favorite meditation teachers consulting a clairvoyant? A special collaboration with Search Engine.

Related Episodes:

• The Science of Training Your Attention | Dr. Amishi Jha
• The Art and Science of Compassion: Thupten Jinpa
• Compassion Is the Ultimate Tool for the Truly Ambitious | Paul Gilbert
• The Science Of Manifestation: Can This Stanford Neuroscientist Convince A Skeptical Dan To Give It A Shot? | Dr. James R. Doty
• The Zen of Therapy | Dr. Mark Epstein

Additional Resources:

• Search Engine podcast
• Starter playlist of Search Engine favorite episodes
• Psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson

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

We asked listeners to tell us about some of their favorite episodes from our Get Fit Sanely series, and we'll be bringing you some excerpts of those episodes on Fridays this month. Today, we're hearing from listener Shannon who made a change in her eating routine after hearing our episode with Br. Chan Pháp Lưu from Plum Village.

Related Episodes:

• Rewire Your Relationship To Food | Brother Pháp Lưu
• How to Take Care of Your Body Without Losing Your Mind

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.

How to overcome inertia and research-backed plans that actually work.

Dr. Gary G. Bennett is Dean of the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. He is also a professor of psychology & neuroscience, global health, medicine, and nursing, and is the founding director of the Duke Digital Health Science Center.

T. Morgan Dixon is the founder and CEO of Girl Trek, the largest health movement in America for Black women– with over one million members.

This episode originally aired in June 2024 – and it's part of our Get Fit Sanely series.

In this episode we talk about:

• The two important questions to ask yourself in order to get out of bed in the morning
• Techniques to help you find your "why"
• Ways to combat the "three deadly i"s
• The power of community – and how to find one
• How to track your fitness and wellbeing
• And much more

Paid subscribers of DanHarris.com will have exclusive access to a set of all-new guided meditations, led by friend of the show Cara Lai, customized to accompany each episode of the Get Fit Sanely series. We're super excited to offer a way to help you put the ideas from the episodes into practice. Learn all about it here.

Related Episodes:

• Get Fit Sanely: the podcast playlist
• The Dharma of Harriett Tubman | Spring Washam

Join Dan's online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources:

• System Catalysts episode with Morgan and Dr. Bennett

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

You're getting the wrong kind of stress. Here's how to change that.

Jeff Krasno is the co-founder and CEO of Commune, a masterclass platform for personal and societal well-being, and co-creator of Wanderlust, a global series of wellness events. He hosts the Commune podcast and his new book is called Good Stress: The Benefits of Doing Hard Things.

In this episode we talk about:

• Practical strategies for bringing "good stress" into your life
• Fasting
• Communication techniques
• And much more

Paid subscribers of DanHarris.com will have exclusive access to a set of all-new guided meditations, led by friend of the show Cara Lai, customized to accompany each episode of the Get Fit Sanely series. We're super excited to offer a way to help you put the ideas from the episodes into practice. Learn all about it here.

Related Episodes:

• How To Take Care of Your Body Without Losing Your Mind
• Get Fit Sanely: the podcast playlist

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

Our guest argues that looking back on those who came before us can help us understand who we are and why we do the things we do. Plus, a very special request from Dan.

Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA and has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Spring came to write about Harriet Tubman's life
• Her work with plant medicine and the shamanic tradition
• The dream and the "conversations" Spring had with Tubman
• Why we are all so interested in ancestry
• How we can deepen our relationship with our ancestors
• Family Constellation Therapy as a modality for doing ancestry work
• Spring's own family history
• Why she is still processing the experience of writing her book about Harriet Tubman
• What she means by the "inner underground railroad" and how it is alive today
• And, how, in the inner underground railroad, freedom equates to nirvana

Content Warning: mentions of suicide

This episode originally aired in February 2023, and we're re-airing it today for two reasons: first, because it's awesome; and second, because Spring needs help. A few months ago, Spring was hit by a delivery truck while crossing the street in Atlanta. She suffered extensive injuries and has been largely unable to work since then. As a result, she's been experiencing some financial distress between her mounting medical bills and her inability to be fully employed.

We've teamed up with the meditation teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman to start a GoFundMe page to help Spring raise a little bit of money. Jack, Trudy and Dan have all contributed. If you can make a contribution, please do. No amount is too small.

You can find the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-spring-washams-healing-journey

Related Episodes:

• The Dharma of Harriet Tubman | Spring Washam
• Spring Washam, 'What Was Creating All This Suffering?'
• Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation Retreats But Were Afraid To Ask | Spring Washam (And Dan's Close Friend, Zev Borow)

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.