What does it mean to feel joy amid moments of real difficulty and even sorrow? Not in the sense of being falsely upbeat or pretending that everything’s ok—but as a way to sit with and honor what’s going on in our lives. <a href="https://katebowler.com/">Kate Bowler</a> is a bestselling author known for her writing about loss, grief, and hope. She’s also a professor at Duke University who studies the history of religion, and host of the podcast <a href="https://katebowler.com/podcasts/">Everything Happens.</a> Her latest book is called <a href="https://katebowler.substack.com/p/joyful-anyway">Joyful, Anyway.</a> In this conversation we explore how joy is very different from positivity or happiness, and how it can co-exist with struggle. We also get into how constantly seeking to optimize our lives can actually hold us back.  Every episode offers a reflection question inspired by the conversation. Share your thoughts and ideas with us at <a href="mailto:hello@stayinghuman.us">hello@stayinghuman.us</a>, on our <a href="http://vivekmurthy.substack.com/">Substack</a>, or leave us a message at 1-833-74-HUMAN. IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drvivekmurthy/">@drvivekmurthy</a>Substack <a href="https://vivekmurthy.substack.com/">vivekmurthy.substack.com/</a>More about your host, Dr. Vivek Murthy <a href="https://www.vivekmurthy.com/">https://www.vivekmurthy.com</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;What does it mean to feel joy amid moments of real difficulty and even sorrow? Not in the sense of being falsely upbeat or pretending that everything’s ok—but as a way to sit with and honor what’s going on in our lives.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://katebowler.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kate Bowler&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is a bestselling author known for her writing about loss, grief, and hope. She’s also a professor at Duke University who studies the history of religion, and host of the podcast &lt;a href="https://katebowler.com/podcasts/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Everything Happens.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Her latest book is called&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://katebowler.substack.com/p/joyful-anyway"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Joyful, Anyway.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this conversation we explore how joy is very different from positivity or happiness, and how it can co-exist with struggle. We also get into how constantly seeking to optimize our lives can actually hold us back. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every episode offers a reflection question inspired by the conversation. Share your thoughts and ideas with us at &lt;a href="mailto:hello@stayinghuman.us"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;hello@stayinghuman.us&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, on our &lt;a href="http://vivekmurthy.substack.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Substack&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;, or leave us a message at 1-833-74-HUMAN. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;IG &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/drvivekmurthy/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;@drvivekmurthy&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Substack &lt;a href="https://vivekmurthy.substack.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;vivekmurthy.substack.com/&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;More about your host, Dr. Vivek Murthy &lt;a href="https://www.vivekmurthy.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;https://www.vivekmurthy.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

A conversation about how to stay open to the possibility of joy

What does it mean to feel joy amid moments of real difficulty and even sorrow? Not in the sense of being falsely upbeat or pretending that everything’s ok—but as a way to sit with and honor what’s going on in our lives.



<a href="https://katebowler.com/">Kate Bowler</a> is a bestselling author known for her writing about loss, grief, and hope. She’s also a professor at Duke University who studies the history of religion, and host of the podcast <a href="https://katebowler.com/podcasts/">Everything Happens.</a> Her latest book is called <a href="https://katebowler.substack.com/p/joyful-anyway">Joyful, Anyway.</a>



In this conversation we explore how joy is very different from positivity or happiness, and how it can co-exist with struggle. We also get into how constantly seeking to optimize our lives can actually hold us back. 



Every episode offers a reflection question inspired by the conversation. Share your thoughts and ideas with us at <a href="mailto:hello@stayinghuman.us">hello@stayinghuman.us</a>, on our <a href="http://vivekmurthy.substack.com/">Substack</a>, or leave us a message at 1-833-74-HUMAN. 

IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/drvivekmurthy/">@drvivekmurthy</a>

Substack <a href="https://vivekmurthy.substack.com/">vivekmurthy.substack.com/</a>

More about your host, Dr. Vivek Murthy <a href="https://www.vivekmurthy.com/">https://www.vivekmurthy.com</a>

Staying Human with Dr. Vivek Murthy

Kate Bowler: Is Joy Possible When Things Are Difficult?

Kate Bowler: Is Joy Possible When Things Are Difficult?

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