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 Pop music covers romantic love with something like industrial scale. It doesn't cover grief nearly as much — which makes today's guest's new album, released this very morning, feel like a real event. Sara Bareilles has spent the last few years walking through a stretch of loss that would have shut most people down, and she has made a body of work out of it that is beautiful, funny, honest, and (as she'd want us to say) real. Sara Bareilles is a Grammy-winning songwriter, the composer and star of Waitress on Broadway, a cast member of Girls5eva, and one of Dan's actual friends. Her new album Good Grief is out today, and the accompanying documentary of the same name is in theaters starting September 2nd. In this episode: – The wobbliness of releasing a very personal record into the world – Good Grief — the double meaning of the title – Andrea Gibson's line that shaped the whole record: "grief is a shortcut to the truth" – The three losses behind the album — Chad Joseph, Gavin Creel, and Andrea Gibson – Sara on the "invisible web" of grief every person you meet is carrying – The tools Sara actually uses: therapy, meditation, and antidepressants – Sara's initial resistance to antidepressants — "who am I if I can't handle my life?" – Am I ever going to be enlightened enough to get off meds? (Dan and Sara share notes) – The Klonopin moment Joseph Goldstein and Bianca conspired to make Dan take – Being "stunned into silence" in 2020 — and the long interregnum before this record – "Wind is the Weather" — the song that felt more like a prayer than a composition – "Nothing to fix" — the countercultural idea in an era of relentless optimization – Ben Folds's writing advice: kick the editor out of the room – "A Love Story" — where Sara lands on God (spoiler: "God is my homie") – The improbable Colorado trip that produced the song and a Sundance documentary appearance – The theme running through the whole record: acceptance is not resignation – "Joyful narcissism" — Sara's phrase for what happens when service and self-interest overlap – "Heartland" — the song about grief of country, and the version of patriotism worth keeping For tour dates and everything about the record and film, visit https://www.sarahbmusic.com. 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/ 0:29:00 Am I ever going to be enlightened enough to get off meds? 0:34:00 Being "stunned into silence" in 2020 0:35:00 Wind is the Weather — the song that felt like a prayer 0:37:00 "Nothing to fix" — the countercultural idea in an era of optimization 0:44:00 Ben Folds's writing advice: kick the editor out of the room 0:46:00 A Love Story — where Sara lands on God 0:47:00 The improbable egg-retrieval trip to Colorado 0:57:00 Heartland — the song about grief of country 1:03:00 The Good Grief documentary in theaters September 2nd #10PercentHappier #SaraBareilles #GoodGrief This episode is brought to you by BiOptimizers. Magnesium Breakthrough Advanced Ten features ten bioavailable forms of magnesium plus active vitamin B6 and ionic trace minerals to support absorption — their most complete formula yet for sleep, recovery, stress, and metabolic support. As always, talk to your doctor before adding any new supplement. Every order comes with a 365-day money-back guarantee. Head to https://www.bioptimizers.com/happier and use code HAPPIER for 15% off your order. This episode is brought to you by Cash App. The Cash App Card is available to teens 13 to 17 with sponsorship by an eligible parent or guardian, with intuitive educational tools and instant access to money from family and friends. Download Cash App today and sponsor your teen. Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partners. Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms at cash.app/legal/podcast.