Finding Satisfaction in a World of Endless Choice

Finding Satisfaction in a World of Endless Choice

Author: Pushkin Industries March 3, 2026 Duration: 29:07

Social Psychologist Barry Schwartz is an expert on decision making. His new book, (00:01:48) “Choose Wisely,” explores how the very tools we rely on to make “good” decisions can steer us wrong — and why endless options may be making us less satisfied, not more. In today’s episode, Maya sits down with Barry to unpack why choosing can feel so exhausting, the hidden costs of always trying to find the “best,” and what the rest of us can learn from people who are content with “good enough.”

And in case you missed it—Maya’s new book, (00:27:35) “The Other Side of Change,” is officially a bestseller! Order your copy at changewithmaya.com/book, or wherever you like to buy books.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Life has a way of rewriting our scripts, often when we least expect it. A Slight Change of Plans, from Pushkin Industries, sits with that universal truth through conversations that feel both intimate and expansive. Hosted by cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar, the podcast is shaped by her own pivotal shift-a violin career ended by injury, which led her to professionally examine how we process transformation. Each episode moves beyond theory, featuring deeply personal stories from a wide range of guests who share their own encounters with upheaval. What you’ll hear isn’t just about resilience, but the nuanced science and practical strategies that can help anyone navigate a redirected path. It’s this thoughtful blend of human experience and grounded research that earned the series Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year. Listening feels like gaining a wiser friend, one who helps you reframe life’s unexpected turns not as disasters, but as complex chapters in a continuing story. The podcast ultimately explores how our identities adapt, how we find meaning, and how even the most disruptive changes can lead to growth we never planned for.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

A Slight Change of Plans
Podcast Episodes
Maya’s Launching Something New This Fall! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32
In the run up to the release of her book, The Other Side of Change, Maya is starting an Ambassadors Program! Ambassadors will get access to all sorts of exclusive content – like a companion journal, an invitation to an i…
A Dream, Revisited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:38
Felicia Hsu grew up dreaming of becoming a doctor. Years of relentless dedication brought that dream within reach, but the toll it took left her wondering whether it was finally time to let it go. Have you had a slight c…
How To Talk About Hard Things [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:30
Anna Sale is what you might call a professional “haver of hard conversations”. As the creator of the podcast “Death, Sex, & Money,” she’s spent years exploring the big questions and taboo topics people tend to shy away f…
Maya Is Chris Hemsworth’s Brain Coach! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:59
It’s not every day that Maya gets to coach a literal superhero…but tomorrow is that day! Tune in Friday, August 15, to see Maya featured as a neuroscience expert on Chris Hemsworth’s TV show, “Limitless: Live Better Now”…
“I Feel So Wildly Lucky To Like Myself” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:58
Jessica Slice spent years working towards the day when she might actually like herself. If she just tried a little harder, achieved a little more, ate a little healthier, she thought she could earn her own self-respect.…
How Jacinda Ardern Turned Self-Doubt into a Strength [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:16
A few weeks ago, Maya joined former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for a deeply reflective, intimate conversation in front of a live audience in San Francisco. The event was hosted by City Arts & Lectures, whi…
When Productivity Becomes Pathological [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:48
These days, psychiatrist Judith Joseph knows joy. It’s the feeling she has after eating a delicious meal, celebrating the completion of a successful study in her lab, or watching her children play happily together. But j…
Sahil Bloom: Building A (Truly) Happy Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:46
Sahil Bloom spent years working in the financial industry, putting in long hours and cashing big paychecks. But even though he’d found career success, he started to question whether the life he was building was actually…
One Trauma, Two Different Paths [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:30
Tommy Caldwell’s experience being held captive in Kyrgyzstan unlocks a new state of mind that propels him to become the greatest big wall climber of all time. This conversation first aired in 2021. It is a companion epis…
A Climber Loses Her Grip [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:20
As a professional rock climber, Beth Rodden was taught to see pain as weakness. Fear and discomfort—mental and physical—were just things to be tolerated along the path to one record-breaking climbing feat after another.…