
Everything Happens with Kate Bowler
Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens. Find her online at @katecbowler.
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Latest episodes

Nov 5, 2019 • 27min
Vivek Murthy: The Loneliness Epidemic
US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy embarked on a listening tour to determine what was ailing Americans. The answer surprised him. In this soulful conversation, he speaks with Kate about loneliness as a public health crisis and how the experience of disconnection affects our ability to weather life’s most difficult storms. For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/vivek-murthy-the-loneliness-epidemic/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 22, 2019 • 24min
Jen Hatmaker: The Preacher's Wife
Author and speaker Jen Hatmaker ruled the Christian marketplace as the evangelical darling. But when her theology shifted, she learned how harsh the penalties could be. Kate and Jen speak about what it means to lead faithfully when you lose certainty. For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/jen-hatmaker-the-preachers-wife/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 8, 2019 • 25min
Sister Helen Prejean: The Face of Love
Sister Helen Prejean didn't know what she was getting into when she became pen pals with an inmate on death row, a story told in the film, Dead Man Walking. Now, she's a fierce advocate against the death penalty. Sister Helen and Kate talk about finding purpose as a discovery that often begins with gentle nudges and tiny yeses. CW: Death penalty For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/sister-helen-prejean-the-face-of-love/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 24, 2019 • 34min
Nora McInerny: It's Okay to Laugh
Nora McInerny had a miscarriage, lost her father, and lost her husband all within a few weeks. Much to her surprise, she kept living. But she didn’t “move on.” Nora and Kate discuss how grief is messier and less linear than we imagine. And even when you may feel like you might never “get over” what happened, love is there somehow. Nora shows us why it’s time to reframe how we think about a happy ending. CW: Miscarriage, death of spouse, death of a parent, brain cancer For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/nora-mcinerny-its-okay-to-laugh/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 13, 2019 • 34min
Sesame Street: How do we talk to kids about hard things?
How do we prepare our kids for a world we can't always protect them from? Sesame Street creates educational programs to make the most vulnerable among us smarter, stronger, and kinder in the face of difficult realities. On this episode, Kate speaks with Sherrie Westin, the President of Global Impact and Philanthropy at the Sesame Workshop on how to tell our kids the hard truths in age appropriate ways. For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/sesame-street-how-do-we-talk-to-kids-about-hard-things/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 30, 2019 • 31min
Andrew Solomon: The Stories of Who We Are
Writer Andrew Solomon discusses the importance of celebrating differences and finding our people. The podcast explores the challenges faced by individuals in accepting certain identities and the power of chosen family and community in providing a sense of belonging. It also delves into disability and the difference between disability and identity, emphasizing the importance of finding a community for acceptance. The chapter on parenting reflects on the transformative impact of children and offers support for those struggling to find their community.

Jul 16, 2019 • 25min
Jerome Adams: We Belong to Each Other
US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is committed to combatting the rising fatalities from opioids because he knows the struggle too well. His brother is one of the millions of Americans who is ensnared by addiction. Jerome talks to Kate about how a broken heart helped him understand his job as “America’s doctor.” CW: Melanoma, opioids, substance abuse, mental illness For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/jerome-adams-we-belong-to-each-other/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 2, 2019 • 33min
John Swinton: The Speed of Love
The quality of time depends on our abilities and disabilities, possibilities and limitations. In a world of speed and productivity, Kate speaks with disability theologian John Swinton on how slowing down deepens our ability to love. CW: Chronic illness For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/john-swinton-the-speed-of-love/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 18, 2019 • 30min
BJ Miller: Loving What Is
After an accident left BJ Miller with a serious physical disability, he had to learn how to be patient with his limitations. Now, he’s a palliative care physician who works every day to encourage people to be comfortable with limits and maybe even learn to love them, but not in a Pollyanna way. Kate and BJ discuss how living with the end in mind actually makes life… richer. CW: Amputation, doctor describing palliative medicine For show notes, the transcript, and discussion questions: https://katebowler.com/podcasts/bj-miller-loving-what-is/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 snips
Jun 4, 2019 • 30min
John Green: Chronic Not Curable
John Green discusses living with something uncontrollable in his novel. Kate and John talk identity with chronic illness and the power of love amid struggles. Dive into navigating illness with acceptance, exploring mental health, and facing the reality of pain in life.