Malala, On Losing Herself

Malala, On Losing Herself

Author: Pushkin Industries October 20, 2025 Duration: 52:55
A Slight Change of Plans
SocietySociety & CultureCulture

It’s been more than a decade since Malala Yousafzai, then a 15-year-old student and advocate for girls education, survived an assassination attempt. Malala is 28 now, and she’s written an intimate new memoir called “Finding My Way,” revealing  sides of her the world has never seen before. In today’s episode, Maya sits down with Malala to explore the tension that exists between the different versions of ourselves that we carry — who the world expects us to be, who our families raised us to be, and who we’re still in the process of becoming.

Watch the full video version of this interview here: https://youtu.be/q3y_-BP2Rmk?si=gVYmk-eTIOMzLP-L

Don’t forget to pre-order Maya’s book, “The Other Side of Change” at changewithmaya.com/book.

“Finding My Way: A Memoir” is out now. You can find it wherever you 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: 182

Official website RSS
instagramyoutubespotify
A Slight Change of Plans
Podcast Episodes
Part 1: A Million Little Losses [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:06
When Kelsie first met her co-worker Chris, she fell hard. They soon fell in love, got married, and had two kids. But then, Chris received a devastating diagnosis. In conversation with Maya, writer Kelsie Snow explores th…
A Novel Approach to Treating Chronic Pain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:10
A lot of chronic pain isn't actually caused by structural issues with the body, says psychotherapist Alan Gordon. Instead, it's often the brain misinterpreting safe bodily signals as dangerous. Alan joins Maya to explain…
Real Talk: The Transition to Motherhood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:24
Motherhood can be a time of profound internal upheaval, says clinical psychologist Molly Millwood. Molly offers an honest look at the transition into motherhood, drawing from scientific research, stories from her private…
A Syrian Refugee Fights for Olympic Dreams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:04
Swimmer Yusra Mardini grew up in Syria and dreamed of one day representing her home country at the Olympics. But when the civil war in Syria intensified, she fled the country and had to put that dream on hold. After esca…
“Surrender is not in my DNA” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:22
Brad Snyder was part of the U.S. Navy’s most elite bomb squad. In his role, he was rewarded for his intense independence. But after a bomb blast left him blind, he had to relearn how to depend on others. He talks with Ma…
What Comes After Gold, With Olympian Missy Franklin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:51
Swimmer Missy Franklin won four gold medals at her first Olympics. But as she trained for her second trip to the world stage, her mental health began to crumble. With so much to defend, the pool suddenly felt like a pres…
Maya on Brené Brown's Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:49
We recently shared a conversation between Maya and Brené on A Slight Change of Plans where they talked about Maya's appearance on Brené's podcast, Dare to Lead. Today we are sharing that conversation with you! In this ep…
Brené Brown on Our Flawed, Imperfect Selves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:51
Brené Brown is a bestselling author and social scientist known for her work on complex emotions like shame and vulnerability. She opens up to Maya about the evolution of some of her most important identities: big sister,…
Part 2: Life, Interrupted with Suleika Jaouad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:32
In part two of Maya’s conversation with writer Suleika Jaouad, they talk about Suleika's epic road trip following her cancer treatments and her friendship with a man who spent half his life on death row. She also shares…
Part 1: Life, Interrupted with Suleika Jaouad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:28
Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia when she was 22 years old. In this special two-part conversation, she talks with Maya about why she sees survival as a creative act, the problem with narra…

«1...34567891011...19»