Dr. Maya Shankar: From Violin Prodigy to the Obama White House

At six years old, Dr. Maya Shankar fell in love with the violin, and by thirteen, she was studying at Juilliard with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman. She was on her way to becoming a concert violinist when, at fifteen, a serious hand injury abruptly ended that dream. But what initially felt like a devastating loss would send Maya down an entirely different path, one that would ultimately lead her to the White House. On this episode of She Pivots, Dr. Shankar shares how she went from aspiring concert violinist to cognitive scientist, studying at Yale and Stanford, before building the first behavioral science team in the Obama White House. Today, she explores the science of change through her podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, and her book, The Other Side of Change, helping others understand how life's unexpected turns can reveal parts of ourselves we never knew existed. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to She Pivots 01:40 A Violinist's Journey Begins 12:40 A Rising Violin Star 16:50 The Injury 19:40 Walking Away from Her Violin Dreams 23:32 Maya's Start In Cognitive Science 25:53 Building A White House Behavioral Science Team 33:07 Navigating Change and Identity 36:07 The Why Behind Your What 37:41 Low Point to Launch 43:43 Reflections on Maya's Pivot 44:59 Podcast Production Credits Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a pivot story, leave us a rating (it really helps!), and share this episode with a woman in your life who you think needs a little inspiration. She Pivots is a podcast created by host Emily Tisch Sussman to highlight influential women voices, share stories of bold career moves, and inspire women with interviews about career reinvention and how personal pivots can redefine professional success. Join our Substack community! Subscribe here for exclusive content and to connect with other pivoters: shepivots.substack.com Learn more about the inspiring women in our pivoter community by following us on instagram @ShePivotsThePodcast, and check out our website shepivotspod.com for resources and updates. She Pivots is proud to be an iHeart podcast, and a 2026 Signal Award Winner. Support the show: https://www.shepivotsthepodcast.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.