Everything Happens With Kate Bowler

During our summer break, we are re-airing some of our favorite episodes. In this live conversation recorded at Duke University, the indomitable Liz Gilbert (of EAT, PRAY, LOVE fame) joins Kate for a discussion about the courage to create. Listen as Liz helps us expose our exhausting American need to make everything useful and lets us embrace beauty as a way of really living. In this episode, Kate and Liz discuss:  Why we stop ourselves from being creative  How we are all capable of making anything (badly! medium-well!)  But how our creativity is best if it is for no reason whatsoever (not for impact or legacy or money or acknowledgement)  How curiosity quiets fear and control CW: some spicy adult language   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 availa

During our summer break, we are re-airing some of our favorite episodes! In a world that constantly demands more—more work, more achievement, more hustle—how do we learn to pause? Kate sits down with her sister Maria Bowler, a writer, creativity coach, and spiritual director, to talk about the pressures of the “producer self,” that voice inside us all that equates our worth with what we do, fix, or achieve. This conversation is an invitation to live differently—to embrace rest, love, and the sacredness of simply being. For the overachievers, the caregivers, and the deeply tired (you know who you are): you are already enough. In this conversation, Kate and Maria discuss: How to see one another (and ourselves) through a lens of love How to give yourself permission to rest and procrastinate The difference between meaningful work and the hustle that leaves us hollow If you liked this episode, you’ll also love:  Oliver Burkeman: New Year, Same Me Liz Gilbert: Wh

Sometimes, the bad thing happens—again. The kind of news that flattens your plans, your energy, your sense of who you are. And you think, surely that’s enough now. Haven’t we hit the quota for suffering? But there’s no quota, just the long middle where life doesn’t follow a script and you’re left figuring out how to be a person again. Suleika Jaouad knows this terrain well. She’s a writer, artist, and advocate, beloved for her memoir Between Two Kingdoms and her new offering The Book of Alchemy—a creative companion for those learning to live when life doesn’t go according to plan. Diagnosed with leukemia in her twenties and now navigating her third relapse, Suleika brings a voice shaped by experience, beauty, grief, and humor. Together again on the Everything Happens podcast, Suleika and Kate talk about: how illness reshapes the rhythms of a life the grief and freedom of falling apart—and not rushing to fix it the idea of “creative injuries&rd

Erin and Ben Napier didn’t plan on becoming household names. They were just trying to build a beautiful life in their beloved hometown of Laurel, Mississippi, one house, one neighbor, one Main Street at a time. In this heartwarming conversation, Kate talks to the stars of HGTV’s Home Town about what happens when our plans fall apart and something even better takes root.  They reflect on the surprising twists that led from political aspirations and magazine dreams to woodworking, parenting, and a television show that celebrates belonging. Along the way, they explore how creativity is born out of necessity, making a home, building a community, and loving the place where you are.  In this episode, they discuss: The ache and joy of making a home in the place that raised you How small acts of community build a life The beauty of third places and why talking to strangers still matters If you liked this episode, you may also like:  Angela Williams on The Caring Power of Community Sharon

When Stacey Heale’s husband, Greg, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, life became a blur of caregiving, grief, and trying to hold a family together with two small children and no time to waste. Overnight, Stacey became a caregiver, medical advocate, emotional buffer, and the person holding all the impossible pieces. In this tender and fiercely honest conversation, Stacey and Kate talk about what it means to love someone all the way to the end, and then somehow keep living. They explore the invisible labor of caregiving, the loneliness of anticipatory grief, and the weird sacredness of the small things that break you. There are no perfect endings here. Just the beauty and brutality of trying to live inside a love that doesn’t get to last. Heads up: There’s some strong language in this episode—because sometimes life is just too much for tidy words. In this conversation, Kate and Stacey discuss: Why we grieve the ordinary things like school plays and grocery store noodles What it means

When Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s mother was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia, life became a long stretch of uncertainty, grief, and surprising moments of delight. There were dinners to make. Kids to raise. A thousand tiny losses tucked inside ordinary days. In this tender and funny conversation, Kimberly reflects on the long goodbye of her mother’s illness, what she regrets, and what she’s still learning. She shares how her father’s openness to his own diagnosis reshaped the way she wants to live now—with more transparency, more humor, and more love. Together, Kate and Kimberly explore how love and loss keep unfolding, long after the moment you thought goodbye had already come. In this conversation, Kate and Kimberly discuss: How secrecy during illness can isolate the people who need connection most The absurd moments that helped their family survive the hardest days What it means to keep finding someone, even after they’re gone Parenting teenagers with more curiosit

Some people become the ones others depend on. They organize the plans, remember the details, carry the weight. They know how to fix things—quietly, efficiently, lovingly. That kind of strength can shape a whole life. Until it begins to hollow something out. Amanda Doyle has spent much of her life being that person. In this conversation, she joins Kate to talk about what happens when helping becomes a way to stay in control, when strength hides tenderness, and when receiving love might be the bravest thing we do. She shares her experience of parenting a neurodivergent child, walking through a breast cancer diagnosis, and learning to see herself as worthy of the care she so freely gives to others. This episode is about the ache of being the strong one—and the grace of letting that go, just a little. In this episode, Amanda and Kate discuss: How a lifelong habit of fixing became both a strength and a struggle The quiet, radical act of letting people show up for you What Amanda wishes more people kne

We used to be afraid of teenagers. Now we’re afraid for them. Anxiety, depression, social media, school pressures, loneliness—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed about what it means to raise or support a teenager today. But Lisa Damour has spent decades helping us understand what’s actually happening in the emotional lives of teenagers—and what they really need from the adults who care for them. If you’ve ever wanted to be a steady, loving presence in a teenager’s life (without making things weird), this one’s for you. In this conversation, Kate and Lisa talk about: The difference between normal teenage emotions and when it’s time to worry Why “emotional does not equal fragile” (and why kids need us to believe that) How to talk to teenagers in a way that builds trust and connection The biggest factors that shape teen mental health (hint: sleep matters more than you think!) When social media becomes a problem—and how to set guardrails that actu

There’s an ache at the center of being human. The kind that doesn’t go away with a fresh to-do list or a good night’s sleep. It’s the longing for more. The grief of what wasn’t. The quiet ache of ordinary life—school pickups, grocery runs, scan results, and the slow accumulation of things we didn’t choose. In this tender and deeply wise conversation, Kate Bowler speaks with Father Ron Rolheiser—beloved Roman Catholic priest, theologian, and bestselling author—about the ache that lives in all of us... and why it might be the most holy part of who we are. This episode is for anyone who feels a little restless, a little disappointed, or just plain tired—and is looking for a spirituality big enough to hold the beautiful, unfinished life they’re living. In this conversation, Kate and Ron discuss: Why we all have an ache inside of us (and why that’s okay) The convalescence you may need from church communities that have hurt you How living in s

There are seasons when everything feels a bit undone. A marriage ends. A child grows up. A job shifts. And suddenly, we’re no longer who we were…and not yet who we’ll become. Melinda French Gates has lived through some of life’s biggest transitions. In this conversation, she reflects on what it means to stay open when life is changing—quietly or all at once. To hold your own hand when everything feels uncertain. To lean on the people who tell you the truth. And to remember that good enough is more than just survival—it can be a way forward. If you’re in the middle of something—grief, reinvention, or a season that feels like wandering—this conversation is a soft place to land. In this conversation, Kate and Melinda discuss: Why transitions—chosen or not—ask us to be braver than we feel How to listen to the inner voice that won’t go quiet The beauty of being a “good enough” parent, partner, or person Why our friendships might

What happens when the faith that once held you starts to unravel? When the certainty you clung to turns to dust? Sarah Bessey knows what it’s like to watch faith fall apart—and somehow find something more honest, more spacious, more real on the other side. In this Holy Week conversation, Kate and Sarah talk about what it means to sit in the wilderness of uncertainty, to be in the company of unanswered prayers, and to discover that faith was never about having it all figured out. If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong in the faith you once knew, if you’ve ever wondered whether there’s still room for you here—this conversation is for you. In this conversation, Kate and Sarah discuss: Why faith is meant to evolve–and why certainty was never the goal The grief of spiritual disillusionment and what comes after The beauty (and cost) of trying to be faithful together Why God is not just in the light, but in the dark, too. Watch clips from this conversation, read

What happens when the person you love is called to something that takes them away? Again and again and again. Journalist Simone Gorrindo never expected to become a military wife. Raised in a liberal anti-war family, she had her whole life mapped out–until she fell in love. And love, as it turns out, isn’t just about saying yes. Sometimes it asks for waiting. For loneliness. For a life built around someone else’s calling. For making a home inside a world you never planned for.  In this episode, Kate and Simone talk about: What it means to build a life that constantly asks for more—more patience, more sacrifice, more resilience than you ever thought you had. When your partner’s job becomes an identity—and you’re expected to adapt. The loneliness of waiting, the friendships that save us, and the pressure to be “strong.” If you liked this episode, you may also love: Cindy McCain Willie Jennings  Priya Parker Watch clips from this conversation, r

What happens when a journalist-turned-seminarian finds God in a pile of rotting vegetables? You get Jeff Chu—writer, pastor, and accidental theologian of compost. In this tender and funny conversation, Jeff and Kate talk about what it means to be changed—by grief, by love, by the kind of calling that makes zero practical sense. They talk about complicated families, appropriate smallness, and what it means to belong to one another in just-because texts, foreign potato chips, and a rice cooker packed in a suitcase. Sometimes resurrection doesn’t look like a clean slate. Sometimes it looks like compost. Hope grows slowly. But oh, it grows. In this conversation, Kate and Jeff discuss: Why God’s call often doesn’t add up (and still won’t leave us alone) The theology of compost: how death, rot, and loss make way for new life How to live like we are beloved—even when life doesn’t feel that way Why small, ordinary graces are how we build the world we want Watch clips

What does it mean to live alongside people you don’t agree with? And love them anyway? Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet, theologian, and conflict mediator from Ireland, where belonging has always been complicated and peace is fragile at best. In this conversation, Kate and Pádraig explore what it takes to live together in the midst of disagreement—the beauty, the cost, and the messy, sacred hope of it all. In this conversation, Kate and Pádraig discuss: Why peace is exhausting, fragile, and still worth fighting for The surprising role of curiosity in transforming division How belonging can comfort us—and cost us If you liked this episode, check out: Safiya Sinclair on Rewriting Roots Nadia Bolz Weber on the Insight of Outsiders Lanecia Rouse on When Hope Seems Lost   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, Facebo

We all carry stories. Some smooth over the past, making things easier to bear. Others—the truer ones—break us open. Amy Griffin knows what it’s like to hold a secret so tightly, it starts to define you. As a child, she was sexually assaulted by a teacher—a painful truth she buried for years. But eventually, staying silent became harder than telling the truth. So what happens when the person who spends all their time championing others realizes they need to tell their own story? In this conversation, Kate and Amy talk about:  The relentless churn of perfectionism—and what happens when we finally let some of it go How psychedelic-assisted therapy helped Amy unlock long-buried trauma  The surprising joy of telling the truth—even when it feels impossible Why healing isn’t about erasing the past—it’s about learning to carry it differently   If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy:  Charles Spencer on Confronting the Past Rachel

What happens when someone believes in you–before you’re even ready to believe in yourself? In this powerful conversation, Kate sits down with legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) to talk about trust, leadership, and the important work of calling out greatness in others. From his storied career at Duke to coaching Team USA, Coach K shares what he has learned about the power of honest feedback, why trust is the foundation of meaningful relationships, and how four simple words–”I believe in you”–can change everything. There’s even a story where he hangs up on a player. Twice. (It worked.) In this humorous and heartfelt conversation, Coach K and Kate discuss: Why trust (not talent) is what makes a team great. The courage it takes to offer honest feedback—even when it’s uncomfortable. How to call out the best in others (and yourself).   Watch clips from this conversation, read the full transcript, and access discussion questions by

Lent is here—the season we stop pretending we’re fine and admit that life is…a lot. It’s forty days of naming what’s fragile, walking toward the hard truths, and resisting the urge to skip straight to the happy ending. In this special Ask Kate Anything episode, Kate answers your biggest, messiest questions: How do we stay soft in a brutal world? How do we practice Lent when life is already exhausting? What do we do when faith unravels? And because sometimes words aren’t enough, singer-songwriter Katelyn Tarver stops by to perform her song “Sh*t Happens,” an anthem for all of us who know that life doesn’t always make sense. In this episode, Kate discusses: Why Lent is for the weary, the doubting, and the grieving. How to hold both grief and hope. A faith that doesn’t demand you have it all figured out. You’re invited to join us for lent—ashes, doubts, imperfections, and all. Download The Hardest Part Lent Guide for free at katebowler.co

Loneliness is more than just a feeling—it shapes how we see ourselves and the world around us. It can make us withdraw, hesitate to reach out, or convince us that connection is for other people. But Dr. Vivek Murthy has spent years reminding us of what is most true: we are meant to hold each other up. As U.S. Surgeon General (twice!), Vivek confronted some of the biggest public health challenges of our time—addiction, youth mental health, the opioid crisis. But at the heart of it all was something deeply human: our need for each other. In this conversation, Kate and Vivek talk about what actually makes a life full—not perfect, not endlessly productive, but anchored in love and belonging.  Together, they discuss: The quiet ache of loneliness and why so many of us feel it Why relationships, purpose, and service are the real building blocks of a fulfilled life Small, practical ways to reach out, even when it feels awkward How asking for help might bring us closer, not pull us apart

Scripture can become a weapon in the hands of the ultra-certain. As if every pain or suffering is part of “God’s divine plan.” So how should we understand and apply the Bible to our real lives with our real-life problems?  NT Wright, a New Testament scholar, is a trusted expert to help us understand what truths resound across time and circumstance and which don’t. In this conversation, Kate and Tom dig in especially on Romans 8:28 which is the Pauline version of EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. Is that what Paul intended to say? Is there maybe another, more life-giving way to interpret it instead?  Kate and NT Wright also discuss: The importance of lament as a response to the human condition Why we have such a low tolerance for uncertainty Which scripture to turn to when life comes apart (and which to avoid)  What our response should be to others who are in pain or experiencing tragedy This is a bit of a Bible-nerd out, but I would trust no one else to help us better m

Everything is in flux. Nothing is the same anymore. How do we live amid all of this uncertainty? Well, psychologist and bestselling author Adam Grant believes we may have to do some re-thinking. In this episode, Kate and Adam speak about the courage it takes to think again about things that we once felt so certain about, how “imposter syndrome” might be a good instinct, and how we all need friends who challenge us (even if it makes us wildly uncomfortable… thanks a lot, Adam!).   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.