Skip to content

ABOUT
- Meet Kate
  Hi, I’m Kate. I’m a Duke professor, podcaster, and author with a single mission: giving you permission to feel human. After years of being told I was incurable, I was declared cancer-free. But there’s no going back. I am forever changed by what I discovered: life is so beautiful and life is so hard. For everyone.
  ABOUT KATE
  Get to Know Me
  HUMAN
  AUTHOR
  PODCAST HOST
  SPEAKER
  How to Connect
  NEWSLETTER
  BOOKING
  EVENTS
  CONTACT
  PRESS
PODCAST
- Everything Happens.
  Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.
  See All Episodes
  Tomáš Halík
  Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief
  Listen Now Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief
  Nadia Bolz-Weber | Sarah Bessey
  How to Love the World Anyway
  Listen Now How to Love the World Anyway
  Jenny Lawson | Rhett McLaughlin
  Joy, Absurdity, and the Weird Ways We Survive
  Listen Now Joy, Absurdity, and the Weird Ways We Survive
  Joyful Anyway (Yes, Even Now)
  Listen Now Joyful Anyway (Yes, Even Now)
BOOKS
- Books
  Let’s untangle our culture’s obsession with toxic positivity and self-help, shall we? Kate studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. She is the author of seven books including three instant New York Times bestsellers.
  All Books
  Joyful, Anyway
  
  Everything Happens for a Reason
  (And Other Lies I’ve Loved)
  
  Have a Beautiful Terrible Day!
  Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens
  
  No Cure for Being Human
  (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
RESOURCES
- Resources
  Our goal with Everything Happens is to create rich language and vibrant community that sustains us when life comes apart. Below, you’ll find categories that may be good starting points for you. Inside are a mix of podcasts, blessings, support guides, and bonus resources that we hope will be useful.
  ALL RESOURCES
  Types
  BLESSINGS
  DEVOTIONALS
  SUPPORT GUIDES
  COURSES
  FREE DOWNLOADS
  Discussion Guides
  FOR MINISTRY
  Topics
  ILLNESS
  GRIEF
  WHAT NOT TO SAY
  RESILIENT FAITH
  INSPIRING LIVES
  NUANCED HOPE
  CARING AT HOME
  CARING AT WORK
  COMPLICATED FAMILIES
  MOVING FORWARD
MERCH
SUBSTACK

The thought of my family living on without me being there because of my terminal brain cancer diagnosis.

Every week I usually forget most of the basics:
a) you are loved. b) life is absurd. c) it’s hard to be a human.

If you want some smart, kind, and funny encouragement to get you through your week, sign up for my newsletter. I’d love to be your reminder.

Follow along on socials

@katecbowler

Join Tim Shriver (@timothyshriver) and me for a special live taping of the @EverythingHappens podcast at the Carolina Theatre (@carolinatheatredurham) on October 12 at 7 PM. Together, we`ll chat about what it means to truly see one another, serve without losing yourself, and choose hope in a divided world.

Come for the honest conversation. Leave reminded that grace often begins in the smallest acts—and that we belong to one another. 💛

Comment "BELONG" and I"ll send you a link to tickets!
@dukedivinity

230 79

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18100815473360383

Join Tim Shriver (@timothyshriver) and me for a special live taping of the @EverythingHappens podcast at the Carolina Theatre (@carolinatheatredurham) on October 12 at 7 PM. Together, we'll chat about what it means to truly see one another, serve without losing yourself, and choose hope in a divided world.Come for the honest conversation. Leave reminded that grace often begins in the smallest acts—and that we belong to one another. 💛Comment "BELONG" and I"ll send you a link to tickets!
@dukedivinity

Bless you who trust that the ordinary moments quietly hold everything together in a world where Everything Happens.

3250 5

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18102267344244228

Bless you who trust that the ordinary moments quietly hold everything together in a world where Everything Happens.

Welp. I think that pretty much covers it. I AM WHO I AM.

1455 49

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18133423168554208

Welp. I think that pretty much covers it. I AM WHO I AM.

In a world of computers, be a person.

Thoughts on staying in human in this very AI age on Substack. Comment "ROBOT" and I`ll send you a link to read. 🤖

3075 144

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18114372974296395

In a world of computers, be a person.Thoughts on staying in human in this very AI age on Substack. Comment "ROBOT" and I'll send you a link to read. 🤖

Joy doesn`t ask you to deny reality. It helps you stay grounded in it. Joy doesn`t ask you to look away. It helps you stay present to the life you`re actually living.

2526 42

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18376261987231369

Joy doesn't ask you to deny reality. It helps you stay grounded in it. Joy doesn't ask you to look away. It helps you stay present to the life you're actually living.

The older I get, the more I appreciate places where people are willing to ask good questions instead of pretending to have all the answers.

I`m looking forward to joining this year`s Atlantic Festival in New York City this September for conversations about the ideas shaping our lives—and the ones we`re still trying to make sense of.

If you`re coming, I`d love to see you. You can find the agenda and passes at theatlanticfestival.com.

#TAF26

506 6

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18107713229039081

The older I get, the more I appreciate places where people are willing to ask good questions instead of pretending to have all the answers.I'm looking forward to joining this year's Atlantic Festival in New York City this September for conversations about the ideas shaping our lives—and the ones we're still trying to make sense of.If you're coming, I'd love to see you. You can find the agenda and passes at theatlanticfestival.com.#TAF26

May you remember that the life you`ve been hoping for has not been waiting for your achievement, but for your attention, in a world where Everything Happens.

5273 49

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18117775748292959

May you remember that the life you've been hoping for has not been waiting for your achievement, but for your attention, in a world where Everything Happens.

If only I could rewrite the dictionary...

1538 38

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18609546592007297

If only I could rewrite the dictionary...

If you are reading this you have great eyesight. But also, thanks for being a person with me. The world is strange and hard for soft-hearted humans, but I think you’re a delight.

© 2026 Kate Bowler
Development by Penner Web Design

About
Resources
Contact
Podcasts
Books
MERCH
Mural
Upcoming Events
Newsletter
Blessings

Everything Happens.

Browse by topic

Complicated Families

grief

resilient faith

what not to say

moving forward

Illness

nuanced hope

caring at home

inspiring lives

caring at work

ABOUT
- Meet Kate
  Hi, I’m Kate. I’m a Duke professor, podcaster, and author with a single mission: giving you permission to feel human. After years of being told I was incurable, I was declared cancer-free. But there’s no going back. I am forever changed by what I discovered: life is so beautiful and life is so hard. For everyone.
  ABOUT KATE
  Get to Know Me
  HUMAN
  AUTHOR
  PODCAST HOST
  SPEAKER
  How to Connect
  NEWSLETTER
  BOOKING
  EVENTS
  CONTACT
  PRESS
PODCAST
- Everything Happens.
  Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.
  See All Episodes
  Tomáš Halík
  Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief
  Listen Now Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief
  Nadia Bolz-Weber | Sarah Bessey
  How to Love the World Anyway
  Listen Now How to Love the World Anyway
  Jenny Lawson | Rhett McLaughlin
  Joy, Absurdity, and the Weird Ways We Survive
  Listen Now Joy, Absurdity, and the Weird Ways We Survive
  Joyful Anyway (Yes, Even Now)
  Listen Now Joyful Anyway (Yes, Even Now)
BOOKS
- Books
  Let’s untangle our culture’s obsession with toxic positivity and self-help, shall we? Kate studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. She is the author of seven books including three instant New York Times bestsellers.
  All Books
  Joyful, Anyway
  
  Everything Happens for a Reason
  (And Other Lies I’ve Loved)
  
  Have a Beautiful Terrible Day!
  Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens
  
  No Cure for Being Human
  (And Other Truths I Need to Hear)
RESOURCES
- Resources
  Our goal with Everything Happens is to create rich language and vibrant community that sustains us when life comes apart. Below, you’ll find categories that may be good starting points for you. Inside are a mix of podcasts, blessings, support guides, and bonus resources that we hope will be useful.
  ALL RESOURCES
  Types
  BLESSINGS
  DEVOTIONALS
  SUPPORT GUIDES
  COURSES
  FREE DOWNLOADS
  Discussion Guides
  FOR MINISTRY
  Topics
  ILLNESS
  GRIEF
  WHAT NOT TO SAY
  RESILIENT FAITH
  INSPIRING LIVES
  NUANCED HOPE
  CARING AT HOME
  CARING AT WORK
  COMPLICATED FAMILIES
  MOVING FORWARD
MERCH
SUBSTACK