A Slight Change of Plans
Pushkin Industries
What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? In this award-winning podcast, cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar explores how we experience change and strategies we can use to better navigate moments of upheaval.
Maya’s life took a dramatic turn when an injury ended her career as a violinist and inspired her to study the science of change.
Named Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year, A Slight Change of Plans features deeply personal stories and scientific insights about who we are and who we become in the face of a big change.
Past guests include Kacey Musgraves, Brené Brown, Ruby Bridges, Amanda Knox, Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth and more.
Whether it’s a sudden pivot or a slow transformation, each episode reveals how change can give us an opportunity to reimagine who we are and unlock greater possibility.
You can follow Maya on instagram @DrMayaShankar and read her free newsletter at changewithmaya.com.
Get early, ad-free access to episodes of A Slight Change of Plans by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.
Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus
Maya’s life took a dramatic turn when an injury ended her career as a violinist and inspired her to study the science of change.
Named Apple Podcasts’ Best Show of the Year, A Slight Change of Plans features deeply personal stories and scientific insights about who we are and who we become in the face of a big change.
Past guests include Kacey Musgraves, Brené Brown, Ruby Bridges, Amanda Knox, Adam Grant, Angela Duckworth and more.
Whether it’s a sudden pivot or a slow transformation, each episode reveals how change can give us an opportunity to reimagine who we are and unlock greater possibility.
You can follow Maya on instagram @DrMayaShankar and read her free newsletter at changewithmaya.com.
Get early, ad-free access to episodes of A Slight Change of Plans by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.
Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkinSubscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus
Episodes
Mentioned books
47 snips
May 12, 2026 • 46min
Why We Avoid Conversations That Would Make Us Happier
Nick Epley, social psychologist and University of Chicago professor who studies how we misread others, explains why many small conversations are avoided. He recounts field experiments on commuters, explores why pessimistic social predictions persist, and offers practical ways to notice and seize easy chances to connect. Short strategies and surprising findings about vulnerability and social practice are discussed.
May 5, 2026 • 15min
BONUS: How Small Businesses Endure for Generations
Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of The Unshakeables podcast, shares a mini-conversation about why family-run shops endure. He highlights adaptability, grit, and staying true to core values while adopting new tools. They explore how local businesses shape neighborhoods, threats like succession and competition, and simple ways communities can help them survive.
29 snips
Apr 28, 2026 • 1h 8min
Rainn Wilson and Maya on Navigating Change and Identity
Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and former behavioral adviser in the Obama White House, discusses language, identity, and the human side of change. Conversations range from how words shape meaning to crafting policy with behavioral science. They explore stories of transformation, moral elevation, awe, and practical tools for coping with uncertainty.
84 snips
Apr 21, 2026 • 32min
How to Feel More Loved
Sonja Lyubomirsky, a happiness scientist and psychology professor who studies well-being, explains simple conversational shifts that boost how loved people feel. She covers bodily feelings of love, everyday acts that matter more than grand gestures, five mindsets to increase connection, and why vulnerability and listening-to-learn deepen relationships.
24 snips
Apr 14, 2026 • 46min
What If Closure Never Comes?
Helena de Groot, radio producer and creator of Creation Myth, recounts a life-long certainty about not having children and how an unexpected pregnancy shattered that belief. She talks about shifting reasons, intense anxiety, choosing abortion, the marriage fallout, and learning to live with lingering what-ifs and recurring decisions.
33 snips
Apr 7, 2026 • 38min
Michael Pollan Changes His Mind
Michael Pollan, author and journalist who writes about food, plants, and consciousness, chats about psychedelics and their role in culture and healing. He explores the science behind mystical experiences and ego dissolution. They discuss neuroscience, therapeutic promise for depression and end-of-life care, set and setting, risks, and how altered states can restore awe and curiosity.
43 snips
Mar 31, 2026 • 49min
Michael Pollan on the Mind-Blowing Idea of Consciousness
Michael Pollan, bestselling author known for books on food, plants, and psychedelics, discusses consciousness and his new book, A World Appears. He describes how psychedelics reveal perception, debates leading theories like panpsychism and global workspace, and explores animal and plant sentience, inner experience sampling, meditation, and how writing changed his attention.
7 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 51min
Some Life Advice from “The Moth”
John Paul Bramer, author, illustrator, and advice columnist, shares a story about closeted love and a risky hike that leads to growth. Stacey Nicholson, a legal assistant turned live storyteller, recounts overcoming social anxiety by finding community through bridge. They discuss seeking and giving advice, the tension between vulnerability and rules, and unexpected lessons from risky moments and new friendships.
8 snips
Mar 17, 2026 • 38min
“I Felt Like an Alien Impersonating Myself”
Rachel Gross, a science journalist who covers medicine and biology, recounts her 2024 cerebellar stroke and curious investigation into its effects. She describes strange motor and voice glitches, the dissonance of conscious effort versus automatic action, and the slow relearning of movement and identity. Conversation touches on fatigue, masking normalcy, and unexpected moments of embodied presence.
33 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 45min
The Cost of Being the Strong One
Christy Warren, a former California firefighter and paramedic now writing a memoir, recounts decades of emergency calls and the hidden toll of holding it together. She discusses traumatic incidents that stayed with her, the pressure to always be strong, and the turning point when she sought help and began healing.
