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 --- John Green has spent 25 years building a toolkit for living with OCD and depression — while also writing some of the most beloved novels of the last two decades, co-founding Crash Course, and raising a family. He's one of the most candid public voices on mental illness, and this conversation is a wide-ranging look at what actually helps. John Green is the author of *The Fault in Our Stars*, *Turtles All the Way Down*, and the new book *Everything Is Tuberculosis*. He is also the co-creator of the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers and the educational platform Crash Course, which he runs with his brother Hank Green. In this conversation, John shares: - What 25 years of working on OCD and depression has taught him — and why the periods of challenge don't go away, but can shrink - How OCD works: why it targets what you love most, and why compulsions make things worse over time - Why thoughts are just thoughts — and how to actually feel that, not just know it intellectually - The "anything mentionable is manageable" principle, and how writing fiction became a way to give form to shame - Why purpose, creative work, and collaboration are central to his mental health - His time as a chaplain in a children's cancer ward — and why he describes it as the axis of his life - What he means by hope — and why "everything happens for a reason" doesn't work for him - Why we conflate what's easy to measure with what's actually important - The two things about his teenage self he never wants to lose --- 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/ --- --- #mentalhealth #OCD #depression --- This episode is sponsored by: **Paleo Valley** — 100% grass-fed beef sticks made without preservatives or additives. Get 15% off at https://www.paleovalley.com/happier or use code HAPPIER at checkout **Square** — Business tools with AI, smart reporting, and payments all in one place. Get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://www.square.com/go/happier **Gainbridge** — Guaranteed-rate financial products with no hidden fees. Learn more at https://www.gainbridge.com **LinkedIn Ads** — Reach the right professionals with precision targeting. Spend $250 and get a $250 credit at http://www.linkedin.com/happier