Dr. Maya Shankar: Transform Your Mindset to Navigate Life’s Biggest Changes in 2026 | Human Behavior | E381
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist and former White House advisor, returned to Young and Profiting to discuss insights from her new book "The Other Side of Change." Maya shares the science behind why unexpected change can be so disorienting, introducing concepts like identity paralysis and the illusion of control. (02:59) Through compelling personal stories and research-backed strategies, she reveals how change can actually unlock hidden strengths, reshape our values, and expand who we believe we can become. The conversation covers practical tools for navigating uncertainty, from mental time travel to self-affirmation exercises, showing how we can transform our relationship with change from something to survive into something that can genuinely transform us for the better.
- Core themes include identity paralysis, the psychology of change, resilience versus reinvention, and evidence-based strategies for navigating life transitions
Speakers
Dr. Maya Shankar
Dr. Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist, Rhodes Scholar with a Ph.D. from Oxford and B.A. from Yale, and host of the award-winning podcast "A Slight Change of Plans." She serves as Senior Director of Behavioral Economics at Google and previously founded the White House Behavioral Science Team under President Obama as a Senior Advisor. Her new book, "The Other Side of Change," explores the psychology and stories behind life's most disruptive transitions.
Hala Taha
Hala Taha is the host of Young and Profiting Podcast and CEO of YAP Media, a social media and podcast marketing agency. She's known for her in-depth interviews with successful entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and experts across various industries, focusing on actionable insights for ambitious professionals.
Key Takeaways
Define Yourself by Your Why, Not Your What
Maya experienced devastating identity loss when a sudden injury ended her violin career at 15, revealing how deeply she had tied her self-worth to her role as a musician. (05:30) She learned that defining yourself by what you do makes you vulnerable to identity paralysis when that role is taken away. Instead, she discovered that focusing on why you love what you do - the deeper motivation - provides a more resilient foundation. For Maya, violin was about human connection, which became her north star for every career choice since. This approach helps you maintain core identity even when external circumstances change dramatically.
Embrace the Revelation Aspect of Change
Maya explains that the word "apocalypse" comes from the Greek "apokalipsis," meaning revelation, which perfectly captures how devastating change can actually reveal hidden strengths and perspectives. (30:15) When we're thrust into new environments with different demands and constraints, we discover abilities we didn't know we had and beliefs we didn't realize we carried. This revelation process allows us to examine our values and assumptions consciously, rather than operating on autopilot with inherited beliefs from childhood or society.
Use Moral Elevation to Expand Your Possible Selves
Maya shares the story of Duane, who was sentenced to nine years in prison at 16, and how witnessing the moral beauty of a fellow inmate named Bilal transformed his vision of who he could become. (24:15) Moral elevation - that warm feeling we get when witnessing extraordinary kindness, courage, or resilience - literally changes our brains and expands our imagination about what's possible for ourselves. By actively seeking out moments of moral elevation through observing others' extraordinary actions, we can crack open constrained thinking about our own potential and discover new possible futures.
Break Big Goals into Small, Achievable Milestones
Maya explains how big goals are psychologically daunting because we only see returns months or years later, leading to discouragement and the "middle problem" where motivation dips between starting and finishing. (61:57) When she felt overwhelmed writing her book, she broke it into weekly mini-goals like "find fascinating people to interview over the next two weeks." This approach provides regular feelings of accomplishment, maintains motivation through shorter middle periods, and prevents falling off the wagon. Combining this with temptation bundling - pairing challenging tasks with immediately rewarding experiences - makes the process more sustainable.
Practice Self-Affirmation During Times of Crisis
After experiencing a second miscarriage, Maya initially resisted her husband's suggestion to list things they were grateful for, calling it "toxic positivity." (43:05) However, when she reluctantly engaged in this self-affirmation exercise, she realized her life was far more multifaceted than she'd given herself credit for during her single-minded focus on starting a family. Self-affirmation helps you recognize that while one identity may be threatened by change, many other valuable identities and sources of meaning remain intact, providing stability and resilience during transitions.
Statistics & Facts
- Research shows we are more stressed when told we have a 50% chance of getting an electric shock than when told we have a 100% chance, demonstrating how uncertainty is more psychologically difficult than guaranteed negative outcomes. (10:29)
- According to Indeed Data Worldwide, sponsored jobs get 45% more applications than non-sponsored ones, and 23 hires are made on Indeed every minute globally. (18:54)
- The "end of history illusion" refers to research showing that while people acknowledge they've changed considerably in the past, they believe they're essentially a "finished product" and won't change much in the future. (32:24)
