633: The psychology of uncertainty, growth & hope Maya Shankar, Ph.D.

“We are constantly a work in progress,” explains Maya Shankar, Ph.D. Shankar, a cognitive scientist, creator and host of the award-winning podcast A Slight Change of Plans, and author, joins us today to explore what science and lived experience reveal about navigating life's most difficult transitions, and how unexpected change can become a powerful form of revelation. - Change can be revelatory (~1:20) - Confronting all aspects of who you are (~3:15) - The illusion of control (~6:30) - How to navigate change (~9:30) - Cultivating faith without religion (~15:15) - Does everything happen for a reason? (~17:40) - Strategies to handle rumination & denial (~19:10) - Rethinking our beliefs (~26:45) - Ask yourself these questions (~30:40) - What is moral elevation (~32:50) - Generate new possible selves (~36:10) - How to do hard things (& make it easier) (~37:40) Referenced in the episode: - Follow her on Instagram (@drmayashankar) - Pick up her book, The Other Side of Change - Check out her website ( - Listen to her podcast, A Slight Change of Plans We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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633: The psychology of uncertainty, growth & hope Maya Shankar, Ph.D. is an episode from The mindbodygreen Podcast | motivational interviews covering health, fitness, nutrition, entrepreneurship, self-help and more by mindbodygreen.

This episode is 43:45 long.

This episode was published on Jan 18, 2026.

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