A Slight Change of Plans

Amazon editors just chose Maya’s new book, “The Other Side of Change,” as one of the Best Books of 2026 So Far! To celebrate, we’re sharing a chapter from the audiobook with you today.  Journalist Matt Gutman spent years reporting live from high-pressure situations all over the world. Calm and collected on camera, he was privately dealing with panic attacks behind the scenes. Then, after an on-air mistake jeopardized his livelihood, Matt fell into a seemingly endless cycle of negative thoughts.  Order “The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans” at changewithmaya.com/book, or wherever you like to buy books. If you’ve already read “The Other Side of Change,” leave a quick review here:  Check out some of Maya’s favorite episodes of “A Slight Change of Plans” here.  A Black Musician Takes on the KKK - Daryl Davis (Spotify) (Apple) Wired for Change - John Elder Robinson (Spotify) (Apple) “Grieving the Man I Thought My Husband Was” - Susan Messing (Spotify) (Apple) A Theranos Whistleblower - Erica Cheung (Spotify) (Apple) The Science of Regret - Daniel Pink (Spotify) (Apple) The Science of Making (and Keeping) Friends - Marisa Franco  (Spotify) (Apple) How Awe Transforms Us - Dacher Keltner (Spotify) (Apple) Brené Brown on Our Flawed, Imperfect Selves - Brené Brown (Spotify) (Apple) Looking for more? Explore six years of inspiring stories of change and science-backed insights for a happier, healthier life here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re bringing you an episode from Proxy, a show built around a simple idea: Whatever you might be going through — no matter how specific or hard to explain – you’re not alone. There is someone else out there, somewhere, who truly gets it – and they might have just the advice you need to hear.  In this episode, a writer who loses her inner narrator grapples with what happens when you can’t do the thing you love the most anymore — the thing you’ve built your whole life and identity around — and gets help from another artist who’s gone through something similar. You can find more episodes of Proxy at https://www.proxypodcast.com/, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As adults, it’s easy to think of fun as a luxury – something we’ll get around to after everything else is done. But science journalist Catherine Price says fun is essential to our wellbeing. On today’s episode, Catherine joins Maya to talk about the difference between true fun and fake fun, and how making space for the real thing can leave us feeling more energized and restored. Check out Catherine’s book, “The Power of Fun: How To Feel Alive Again.” If you enjoyed our conversation with Catherine, we recommend our episode with Priya Parker, “The Art and Science of Gathering.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2023, Allie Kramer’s three-year-old son Theo was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In the months and years that followed Theo’s diagnosis, Allie tried to keep a steel grip on her “old” life. Until she realized that that life didn’t exist anymore. This week, Allie joins Maya to talk about what it means to survive something that changes you so completely, you cannot go back to who you were. For more on the topic of grief, we recommend this one from our archive: “Lessons from A Grief Therapist.”  Find Allie’s podcast, “Worst Club Ever” wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, Maya gave a commencement address to graduates of the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college program. In honor of commencement season, with students around the world embarking on the next chapter of their lives, we’re sharing it again. In it, Maya gives lessons she’s learned about embracing life’s unexpected changes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.