Everything Happens with Kate Bowler Lemonada
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- Society & Culture
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Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens. Find her online at @katecbowler.
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Nicky Gumbel: Questions of Meaning
Our lives are rarely predictable or at all in our control. Sometimes what happens to us or around us can reshape our entire trajectory. Nicky Gumbel is someone whose life was dramatically changed. He thought he was going to be a very fancy lawyer… just like everyone else in his family, but that’s not what happened. Nicky became one of the pioneers of the Alpha Course where 30 million people have been introduced to Christian faith around the world.
In this conversation, Kate and Nicky discuss:
Nicky’s reluctant conversion to Christianity
How to stay open to the things we didn’t expect to happen.
How age isn’t necessarily the limiter we might assume—perhaps there are opportunities or new ventures that can open up in our later third of life
Why the church should be more like a hospital than a museum
Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.
Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.
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Emma Gannon: The Butterfly Era
So much of modern culture emphasizes success, hard work, and ambition. But what if we don’t conquer every problem or reach every mountaintop? How do you live with the hunger for more while letting yourself have limits and be tired and say no and shut it down too?
In this conversation, Kate and Emma Gannon discuss:
Why ambition isn’t necessarily a bad thing
How Emma reacted to a season of severe burnout and what wisdom she has for all of us
How bucket lists can inadvertently place us in a game we are never going to win (Psst… It’s okay to simmer down a bit)
Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.
Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Maggie Jackson: The Wisdom of Uncertainty
These are uncertain times for so many of us.
But, according to writer Maggie Jackson, perhaps there is deep wisdom to be uncovered too—surprising gifts of curiosity, creative thinking, open-mindedness, and ways forward through the (often) unpredictabilities of life.
In this conversation, Kate and Maggie Discuss:
How uncertainty might foster creativity, resilience, and mutual understanding
Why we avoid ambiguity and a few small steps to help us become more comfortable with not knowing
How the practices of imagination and perspective-taking can help us see the potential in others
Why focusing on outcomes can close you off from picking up new information, nuance, or other peoples' perspectives
Why experiences contrary to our beliefs take longer, sometimes even weeks, to process
Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here or visiting katebowler.com/podcasts.
Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler. Links to social pages and more available at linktr.ee/katecbowler.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
For Feeling Wonder Again
In moments of dull despair, I pray for wonder. There’s a delightful quote by Diane Ackerman that reads: “Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny fleck of it stops time.” So instead of trying to reach for some of the biggest positive emotions—Happiness! Joy!—let’s try to get at truth a little sideways by praying for a little fleck of wonder.
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Alan Alda: Stay Curious
We don’t usually have repeat guests on this podcast… except we’re making an exception for the wonderful and wise Alan Alda. Alan Alda, of course, is an award-winning actor, writer, director, and podcast host. You probably know and love him as Hawkeye on M*A*S*H or Senator Arnie Vinick on The West Wing. He is endlessly curious on just about every topic—which makes him the perfect person to talk to about empathy, learning across differences (and disagreement), and how we might age into new hobbies and careers.
In this conversation, Alan and Kate discuss:
Tricks for staying curious as we age
How to talk to someone you disagree with
How Alan hopes to destigmatize Parkinson’s Disease
The difference between empathy and compassion and how to practice these important skills
Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here.
Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Richard Grant: Finding a Pocket of Happiness
When we are in deep grief, we can anticipate some of the horrible parts—the sleeplessness, the denial, the loneliness. But what about the moments of surprising lightness and joy? Moments that don’t erase the pain, but make it a bit more bearable. Academy Award-nominated actor Richard E. Grant practices finding these pockets of happiness while grieving his beloved wife.
In this conversation, Kate and Richard talk about:
the gritty side of caregiving
how to support people in grief (even when it makes you uncomfortable)
the importance of knowing and being known
Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by clicking here.
Follow Kate on Instagram, Facebook, or X (formerly known as Twitter)—@katecbowler.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.