10% Happier with Dan Harris

The Massive, Underappreciated Power Of Apology | V (Formerly Eve Ensler) (Co-Interviewed By Dr. Bianca Harris)

Nov 25, 2024

V (formerly Eve Ensler), a Tony award-winning playwright and activist, joins Dr. Bianca Harris to discuss the profound impact of apologies on healing. They share a personal journey, exploring how structured apologies can foster accountability and emotional growth. V emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, particularly among men, and introduces a transformative four-step process for genuine apologies. The conversation also touches on the healing power of nature, gratitude, and the necessity of forgiveness in overcoming trauma.

59:45

Creator website

Episode guests

Dr. Bianca Harris

V (formerly Eve Ensler)

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Authentic apologies require personal reflection and responsibility, fostering emotional healing and deeper connections in relationships.

V's journey of overcoming childhood trauma illustrates how confronting past wounds can lead to personal growth and empowerment.

The four-step process for effective apologies emphasizes understanding impact and committing to change, crucial for accountability and healing.

Deep dives

The Power of Apology

Apologies are often overlooked in discussions about happiness, but making them a priority can have profound impacts. The podcast explores how apologies are frequently done poorly, illustrating the difference between genuine apologies and non-apologies, such as saying, 'I'm sorry if you were hurt.' It emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility and engaging in a process of self-reflection when issuing an apology. Such authentic apologies can lead to emotional healing and deeper connections between individuals.

Intro

5min

Healing from Trauma: A Journey of Apology and Liberation

26min

The Importance of Vulnerability in Men and the Power of Apology

5min

The Power of Apology

13min

The Dynamics of Conversation and Sponsor Promotions

3min

Nature's Healing Embrace

13min

The Healing Power of Gratitude and Forgiveness

5min

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

---

How learning to apologize can upgrade your life.

V (formerly Eve Ensler) is the Tony award-winning playwright, author, and activist. Her play The Vagina Monologues is an Obie award-winning, Olivier-nominated theatrical phenomenon that has been translated into 48 languages and performed in 140 countries. She is the author of numerous books, including the recently released bestseller Reckoning (2023), heralded by the Washington Post as “gutting and gorgeous.” Other best-selling books include The Apology (2019), translated into 20 languages, In the Body of the World, and The New York Times bestseller I Am an Emotional Creature. She starred on Broadway in The Good Body and, most recently Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club in the critically acclaimed In the Body of the World. She helped create That Kindness: Nurses in Their Own Words, presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music in collaboration with theaters across the US, as a tribute to nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. V is currently writing the story and co-writing lyrics for the musical Becoming (formerly WILD), which made its world premiere in December 2021 at The American Repertory Theater. She recently wrote This is Crazy, a play about mental illness commissioned by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Her film credits include The Vagina Monologues (HBO), What I Want My Words to Do to You (Executive Producer, Winner of the Sundance Film Festival Freedom of Expression Award, PBS), Mad Max: Fury Road (Consultant), and City of Joy documentary (Netflix). She is the founder of V-Day, the 26-year-old global activist movement that has raised over 120 million dollars to end violence against women, gender-expansive people, girls, and the planet—and founder of One Billion Rising, the largest global mass action to end gender-based violence in over 200 countries, as well as a co-founder of the City of Joy, a sanctuary and revolutionary center for women in the Congo who have survived sexual assault. She writes regularly for The Guardian.