In this episode my guest is Maya Shankar Ph.D., a cognitive scientist, former senior advisor to the White House and Chair of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. She is the creator and host of the podcast A Slight Change of Plans. We discuss how our identities develop and change, how our beliefs and internal narratives shape our perception of self and how to use structured introspection about our values to determine our goals. We discuss how to cope and grow through uncertain situations, especially those that force us to reexamine our roles and identity. Dr. Shankar shares her experience of redefining her identity after an early career-ending setback. She also explains numerous science-based strategies to effectively define goals, structure our goal pursuits and maintain consistent motivation. This episode provides a science-supported toolkit and roadmap to assess your identity and goals and positively transform in the face of change. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Maui Nui Venison: https://mauinuivenison.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://hubermanlab.com/neural-network Dr. Maya Shankar Website: https://mayashankar.com A Slight Change of Plans: https://apple.co/slightchangeofplans TED Talk: https://youtu.be/Tt0arZN6EBM YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmayashankar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmayashankar Twitter: https://twitter.com/slightchangepod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmayashankar Publications: https://mayashankar.com/publications Articles On the dimensionality of odor space: https://bit.ly/475304P Computations of uncertainty mediate acute stress responses in humans: https://go.nature.com/43y8IJG The End of History Illusion: https://bit.ly/3KcPkeh Achievement Goals and the Hierarchical Model of Achievement Motivation: https://bit.ly/3rFmrkz They Saw a Game: A Case Study: https://bit.ly/44YMphc The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior: https://bit.ly/46Tszps Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling: https://bit.ly/44Zax3d Books Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It: https://amzn.to/3pZl4g6 Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life: https://amzn.to/3QaS0Nw Get It Done: Surprising Lessons from the Science of Motivation: https://amzn.to/3pRxtTu The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World: https://amzn.to/3Kailra Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://amzn.to/3q3u1VN Other Resources Identity Paralysis: https://bit.ly/3rFjEYE Reginald Dwayne Betts: https://nyti.ms/3O52uLx Rick Rubin: How to Access Your Creativity (Huberman Lab episode): https://bit.ly/44Bjb8B Dr. Arie Kruglanski & Cognitive Closure: https://bit.ly/3KanqQ4 Dr. Ethan Kross & Venting: https://bit.ly/3Qbrt2E Slight Change of Plans - Daryl Davis episode: https://bit.ly/3Y6cCbA Let’s See a Game: https://bit.ly/44Oca3U Peak-end Rule: https://bit.ly/3rIyo9i Timestamps 00:00:00 Dr. Maya Shankar 00:02:37 Sponsors: Maui Nui Venison & Eight Sleep 00:05:15 Identity Foreclosure, Identity Paralysis, Throughlines 00:12:10 Identity & Adolescence; “Essence” & Shame 00:16:58 Delight & Awe 00:23:00 Delight & Possibilities for Self 00:29:28 Playing Violin, Childhood 00:34:54 Sponsor: AG1 00:35:58 Intrinsic Motivation; Juilliard & Courage 00:45:43 Competitive Environments; Curiosity & Growth 00:53:46 Re-Creating of Self 01:00:51 Pop-Science, Science Accessibility 01:05:25 Sponsor: InsideTracker 01:06:32 Passions & Curiosity 01:13:20 Change, Cognitive Closure, End-of-History Illusion 01:22:29 Self-Awareness & Critical Feedback 01:30:48 Tools: Flexible Mindset; Reframing & Venting; Gratitude 01:40:13 Tool: Framing Goals 01:47:13 Tool: Agency in Goal Pursuit 01:52:25 Tool: Like-Minded People & Goal Pursuit; Challenging Beliefs 02:01:27 Cultivating Open-Mindedness & Empathy 02:08:15 Building Self Narratives: Empathy, Burnout 02:13:56 Tools: Goal Setting 02:19:54 Tool: “Middle Problem”, Maintaining Motivation 02:24:55 Tool: Aversion & Memory, Peak-End Rule 02:31:41 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com Disclaimer: https://hubermanlab.com/disclaimer