
A Slight Change of Plans
You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram.
Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year 2021 Editor's Note: Maya Shankar blends compassionate storytelling with the science of human behavior to help us understand who we are and who we become in the face of a big change. Maya is no stranger to change. “My whole childhood revolved around the violin, but that changed in a moment when I injured my hand playing a single note,” says Shankar, who was studying under Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School at the time. “I was forced to try and figure out who I was, and who I could be, without the violin." Maya soon discovered a new path in the field of cognitive science, where she earned her PhD as a Rhodes Scholar studying how and why we change. Her insights into human behavior ultimately led her to create A Slight Change of Plans—Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year in 2021. You’ll hear intimate conversations with people like Tiffany Haddish, Kacey Musgraves, and Riz Ahmed, as well as real-life inspirations, like John Elder Robison, who undergoes experimental brain stimulation to deepen his emotional intelligence, Daryl Davis, a Black jazz musician who inspires hundreds of KKK members to leave the Klan, and Shankar herself, who had her own “slight change of plans” earlier this year. The show also explores the science of change with experts like Adam Grant and Angela Duckworth. "What I love most about this show is that the content is evergreen," says Shankar. "You can listen to episodes in any order and at any time."
Latest episodes

Mar 21, 2022 • 39min
Captured in North Korea
Korean-American journalist Euna Lee was captured by North Korean soldiers in 2009, and forced into captivity for 140 days. While Euna’s time in North Korea was harrowing, there was one aspect of her experience that surprised her and challenged some long-held beliefs she had about 'the enemy.'You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5 snips
Mar 14, 2022 • 38min
How Psychedelics Can Change Our Minds
Author Michael Pollan chats with Maya about the science of psychedelics — what’s going on in our brains that give rise to the extraordinary experiences people describe. Michael also gives us a glimpse into his personal experience with psychedelic trips.You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 7, 2022 • 37min
Life After Surviving Stage-Four Cancer
When we first talked to Scott (E10 “The Life-Changing Diagnosis”), he was in the midst of treatment for stage four bone cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. Since then, he has successfully completed his treatment and shares what it’s like to adjust to life back home.
You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 4, 2022 • 5min
Turning the Page with Well-Read Black Girl
Sharing a sneak preview of Pushkin's new show, Well-Read Black Girl. Glory Edim started the Well-Read Black Girl book club in 2015, and since then it's exploded into a passionate, worldwide reading community. She aims to amplify the voices of BIPOC writers and celebrate their literary achievements, using the power of conversation to help members connect and grow. On the Well-Read Black Girl podcast, Glory has deep, honest conversations with authors of color about the art, craft and power of the written word. You'll hear from luminaries like Tarana Burke, Gabrielle Union, Anita Hill, and more, about how they found their voices, honed their craft and navigated the world of publishing.Listen to more episodes of Well-Read Black Girl at https://link.chtbl.com/slightchangewellread Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 2022 • 37min
A Blind Cook Becomes a Master Chef
Christine Ha fell in love with cooking in college when she tried to recreate the Vietnamese dishes her mother had cooked for her as a child. But when a rare neurological condition left Christine legally blind by age 24, she worried she might never be able to cook again.You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to sign up for our email list at Pushkin.fm. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 2022 • 3min
New Slight Change Episodes Coming Soon!
A Slight Change of Plans returns February 28 with guests who will help us think differently about change so we can live happier, more fulfilling lives. Here's a sneak peek!You can follow the show at @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. If you’d like to keep up with the most recent news from this and other Pushkin podcasts be sure to subscribe to our email list here. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 1, 2022 • 21min
Heartbreak: A Journalist Studies the Science of Divorce
Hi Slight Changers -- We'll be back with fresh episodes for you on Feb 28th!! In the meantime, I wanted to share a new audiobook from Pushkin, the company behind A Slight Change of Plans. It’s called Heartbreak and it’s written and read by Florence Williams. Florence is a science journalist, and when her husband of 25 years broke up with her, she set out to understand what was happening to her, emotionally and physically, after the divorce. The result is an immersive listening experience that's geared at changing the way we think about loneliness, health, and what it means to fall in and out of love. You can order the Heartbreak audiobook now at pushkin.fm/heartbreak Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 10, 2022 • 5min
Listening to Negative Emotions with The Happiness Lab
Sharing something special this week while we’re working on new episodes. It’s a preview of the new season of The Happiness Lab, hosted by Maya’s friend Dr. Laurie Santos. On The Happiness Lab, Laurie shares evidence-based research that will challenge your understanding of means to live a happy life. Based on the popular psychology course she teaches at Yale, you’ll hear inspiring, surprising stories that will make you think differently about your own happiness. This season, she’s helping us navigate something we tend to avoid: bad feelings. Laurie asks: What if negative feelings are telling us something important? Laurie's joined by leading experts like Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and Susan David, who share practical tips to put guilt, anxiety, and burnout to good use in 2022.You can listen to more episodes of The Happiness Lab at https://link.chtbl.com/slightchangehappinesslab Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 13, 2021 • 37min
A Mother's Fight for the Truth
Shapearl Wells' son Courtney Copeland was fatally shot in 2016. He was 22 years old. Shapearl wanted answers to what had happened to her son in his final moments, but when she wasn't getting them, she decided to take matters into her own hands. You can follow Maya @DrMayaShankar on Instagram. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 3, 2021 • 33min
The Woman Who Changed Warlord Joseph Kony’s Mind
In an effort to bring an end to violence in northern Uganda in 1993, Betty Bigombe decides to engage directly with the notorious warlord, Joseph Kony. Today we hear about one woman’s approach to unlocking peace in the enemy.
You can follow Maya @DrMayaShankar on Instagram.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.