Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership We're doing something a little different today. Instead of Dan interviewing a smart guest, Dan IS the guest — being interviewed live at the 92nd Street Y by the journalist Allison Gilbert as part of her Connected Lives series (an event held in honor of the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer). It's also, as it happens, the 10-year anniversary of this podcast, which feels like a decent moment to reflect. Allison Gilbert is a journalist, author, and co-author of The Joy of Connections. She’s also designed an app to help people deepen the relationships they already have. She writes and speaks about human connection, grief, and resilience. Learn more at BeingMoreConnected.com. She's a great interviewer, and this conversation ranges wider and more personally than most of Dan's own interviews on the show. In this episode: – Why "meditation's PR problem" has changed — and what it is now – You don't need to clear your mind. Full stop. – "Free-range" mindfulness — the new research showing you can get most of the benefits while brushing your teeth or standing in line – What Dan would have been like as a dad without a practice (and what his 11-year-old actually says) – The Good Morning America panic attack on June 7, 2004, and the shrink who leaned back and said "mystery solved" – How Dan met Joseph Goldstein — "the pope of Western Buddhism" — and what Joseph said about that first encounter – The tense phone call with Dan's book editor (and what Joseph and Bianca told him to do) – Why the point of practice isn't to become a better meditator — it's to become a better person – "Self-help without thinking about other people is just selfish" – The upward spiral vs. the "toilet vortex" – Bari the security guard who rode the elevator with Dan (and holds his hand) – The asshole voice in your head — and Kristin Neff's three-step self-compassion practice for shutting it down – The hand-on-heart move ("cheesy as f*ck" but it works) – Distanced self-talk — talking to yourself in the third person – Joseph's magic question: "Is this useful?" – How Dan copes when anxiety feels overwhelming — "never worry alone" – Is any of this self-indulgent when the world is on fire? Dan's honest answer – Joseph Campbell: "engage joyfully in the sorrows of the world" – Sleep hygiene, restless leg syndrome, and yes, ChatGPT diagnosed him – A quote from Bob Woodruff (who introduced Dan to Bianca in 2006) – A letter from Bianca that Dan didn't know was coming Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ 0:00:00 Dan's intro to the flip episode 0:02:00 Meditation's PR problem — then vs. now 0:04:00 You don't need to clear your mind 0:08:00 Free-range meditation — mindfulness while brushing your teeth 0:10:00 What Dan would have been like as a dad without practice 0:15:00 The June 7, 2004 Good Morning America panic attack 0:20:00 Meeting Joseph Goldstein — "the pope of Western Buddhism" 0:27:00 The point isn't to become a better meditator 0:29:00 "Self-help without thinking of others is just selfish" 0:30:00 The upward spiral vs. the toilet vortex 0:35:00 Bari the security guard and the elevator 0:37:00 The asshole voice and Kristin Neff's self-compassion practice 0:43:00 How Dan copes with overwhelming anxiety — "never worry alone" 0:45:00 Is meditation self-indulgent when the world is on fire? 0:49:00 Sleep, restless legs, and ChatGPT as diagnostician #10PercentHappier #DanHarris #Meditation This episode is brought to you by Notion. Notion is an AI-powered workspace that enables human collaboration — documents, meetings, projects, and more all in one connected system, with AI agents that have the context to help you do your best work. Learn more about how Notion can support your business at https://www.notion.com/happier.