Tenacity: Stories about perseverance | From The Story Collider

Tenacity: Stories about perseverance | From The Story Collider

Author: Pushkin Industries July 14, 2026 Duration: 36:45

As the great Rocky Balboa once said about life: Iit will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.” But in this week’s episode from our friends at The Story Collider, two storytellers share stories of their strength of will and persistence to keep going despite the scientific challenges.

Part 1: Coral reef conservationist Emily Darling is at loss when a journalist asks her if she still has hope for coral reefs. Dr Emily Darling is a coral reef scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto. Her research has won international awards and been featured on National Geographic, Forbes International, CNN, and PBS Nature. She is passionate about the importance of underwater science and works closely with scientists around the world to measure the impact of coral reef conservation. In her spare time, she is (still) learning to sail.

Part 2: James Gordon readies himself for another one of his daughter’s heart surgeries. James Gordon is an international award winning author and poet, champion storyteller, and acclaimed actor. James can be seen on Chicago Med as Kent Taylor, Detective Smiley on Amazon's The G, and PA Flanders in Background Extras.

Find The Story Collider wherever you get your podcasts.

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: 50

A Slight Change of Plans
Podcast Episodes
When Grief Remakes You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:51
In 2023, Allie Kramer’s three-year-old son Theo was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. In the months and years that followed Theo’s diagnosis, Allie tried to keep a steel grip on her “old” life. Until she realized tha…
Maya’s Advice to New Grads [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:29
A few years ago, Maya gave a commencement address to graduates of the Juilliard School of Music’s pre-college program. In honor of commencement season, with students around the world embarking on the next chapter of thei…
Why We Avoid Conversations That Would Make Us Happier [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:47
We often avoid social interactions out of fear that others don’t want to engage with us. But social psychologist Nick Epley says that fear is misplaced. Today, Nick joins Maya to talk about why we’re missing out on posit…
BONUS: How Small Businesses Endure for Generations [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:36
How do some small businesses stand the test of time? In today’s mini episode, Maya talks with Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of “The Unshakeables” podcast, about what helps businesses endure across genera…
Rainn Wilson and Maya on Navigating Change and Identity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:21
Earlier this year, Maya did a bunch of interviews for the launch of her book, “The Other Side of Change.” Today, we’re sharing one of those conversations, from the podcast “Soul Boom,” with the actor and comedian Rainn W…
How to Feel More Loved [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:11
To feel more loved in our relationships, we often think we need to change ourselves or wait for others to change. But happiness scientist Sonja Lyubomirsky shares a better approach in her book, How to Feel Loved. Today,…
What If Closure Never Comes? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:15
Helena de Groot spent the majority of her life assuming she would never have kids. But as she got older, people's criticism of that choice started to intensify. Then, a few years into her marriage, she was forced to conf…
Michael Pollan Changes His Mind [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:17
Last week, Maya talked to author Michael Pollan about his newest book, “A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness.” He says that the seeds for this book were planted by his exploration of psychedelics – a topic that…
Michael Pollan on the Mind-Blowing Idea of Consciousness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:02
Bestselling author and journalist Michael Pollan has reshaped our understanding of everything from food to psychedelics. Now, he’s taking on a subject that has stumped thinkers for thousands of years: consciousness. This…
Some Life Advice from “The Moth” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:24
What do telenovelas, situationships, and card games have in common? All can be sources of unexpected life lessons. This week, we’re sharing an episode of the podcast “The Moth” that’s all about advice—seeking wise counse…