Glennon Doyle on How to Be Broken

Glennon Doyle on How to Be Broken

Author: Pushkin Industries May 12, 2025 Duration: 41:38

For as long as writer Glennon Doyle can remember, she’s felt that something inside her was broken. 'Who am I really? What am I meant to do? And why does it feel so bad to be in this body?' These are the messy questions that Glennon has been grappling with for years. On today’s episode, Glennon, who hosts the wildly popular podcast We Can Do Hard Things, details her perpetual search for belonging, and shares the wisdom she's gained along the way.

Glennon’s new book, also called We Can Do Hard Things, is out now. 

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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
A Different Kind of Identity Theft [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:11
When world-renowned musician Min Kym first picked up a violin, she knew immediately that it would define her. And it did…until one day, in a London train station, everything changed. For a behind-the-scenes look at the s…
How Awe Transforms Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Psychologist Dacher Keltner shares the science behind the mysterious, powerful emotion of awe. He and Maya discuss where we can find awe in our everyday lives, including one common but surprising source. Dacher also expl…
Coming Soon: Awe, our “Future Selves,” and Navigating Uncertainty [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:59
We’re back with a new batch of episodes starting October 23. To kick things off, Maya does a deep dive into the emotion of awe. She talks to experts about where to find it, why it matters, and the powerful effects of exp…
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Best Of: A Blind Cook Becomes a Master Chef [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The Power of Imaginative Courage, our “Why”, and Awe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:41
Maya was honored to deliver a commencement address at the Juilliard School earlier this year. As an alumna of the school’s pre-college division, Maya shared three pieces of wisdom with new graduates that she wished she’d…
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Duration: 34:11
The story of John Elder Robison is one of Maya’s favorite episodes and it’s also a top choice in our listener favorites series. John is a gifted sound engineer whose rare ability to understand machines propelled him to w…
Best Of: Amanda Knox Wants Us to Move On [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:26
For our listener favorites series, many of you mentioned Amanda Knox’s story. She was just 20 years old when she was found guilty of a crime she did not commit — the murder of her roommate. Amanda spent four years in an…
Best Of: The Science of Regret [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:31
Next in our listeners’ favorite series: Author Daniel Pink teaches us how to transform our relationship with regret so that we can live happier, more fulfilling lives. If you enjoyed this episode, Maya suggests you check…
Best Of: A Black Musician Takes on the KKK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:02
We’re revisiting some of our listeners’ favorite episodes this summer. We kick off the series with our first ever episode: A conversation with the Black jazz musician Daryl Davis. During a performance, a member of the KK…