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Kate Bowler
  • ABOUTExpand

    • 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
      Kate Bowler sitting in front of books

  • PODCASTExpand

    • 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)
  • BOOKSExpand

    • 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)

  • RESOURCESExpand

    • 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

  • MERCHExpand
    • Sweatshirts
    • Shirts
    • Hats
    • Goodies
  • SUBSTACK
Kate Bowler
Kate Bowler

Here’s Your Free Download

We also sent it to your email, if that’s easier.

May these words offer you a bit of courage to live inside of your life… just as it is.

Imperfect. Often heartbreaking. And still, somehow, beautiful.

Download

You might also like these conversations:

Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief

Listen Doubt, Depth, and the Future of Belief

 How to Love the World Anyway

Listen  How to Love the World Anyway

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

DRIVE-BY JOY. It’s a real thing. And to my girl Martha, who did the drive-by, I’m obsessed with you. Happy to keep making academia legitimate.

Best/most supportive/silliest fans ever.

Also, shout out to @chibeautyartistry - you made me feel like a million bucks.

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DRIVE-BY JOY. It’s a real thing. And to my girl Martha, who did the drive-by, I’m obsessed with you. Happy to keep making academia legitimate.Best/most supportive/silliest fans ever.Also, shout out to @chibeautyartistry - you made me feel like a million bucks.

I`m on the road!! And here are some things that help me pass the time in airports, on planes, between shows, and at night when I`m winding down.

For the full list, see the link in my bio!

What did you love this month?!

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I'm on the road!! And here are some things that help me pass the time in airports, on planes, between shows, and at night when I'm winding down.For the full list, see the link in my bio!What did you love this month?!

Bless the moments that delight you in a world where Everything Happens.

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Bless the moments that delight you in a world where Everything Happens.

Indie Bookstore Day feels like the right moment to say thank you.

To the bookstores who make space for real conversations, who hand-sell books they believe in, who gather people together in folding chairs and crowded aisles—this tour exists because of you.

JOYFUL ANYWAY doesn’t travel without your care, your risk, your community-building, your belief that stories still matter.

I`m so grateful to be on the road with you. 🤍

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Indie Bookstore Day feels like the right moment to say thank you.To the bookstores who make space for real conversations, who hand-sell books they believe in, who gather people together in folding chairs and crowded aisles—this tour exists because of you.JOYFUL ANYWAY doesn’t travel without your care, your risk, your community-building, your belief that stories still matter.I'm so grateful to be on the road with you. 🤍

Oh just reminiscing about the time an entire audience in Nashville started singing “Joyful, Joyful” and I was fighting for my life not to break down in tears.

@hollyaudreywilliams - should we hit the road together as the ultimate duet duo??!

@parnassusbooks and @thefishercenter and @belmontu - thank you for making all of this possible.

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Oh just reminiscing about the time an entire audience in Nashville started singing “Joyful, Joyful” and I was fighting for my life not to break down in tears.@hollyaudreywilliams - should we hit the road together as the ultimate duet duo??!@parnassusbooks and @thefishercenter and @belmontu - thank you for making all of this possible.

DIARY FROM THE ROAD (what day is it? Idk. But I`m having so much fun!): What continues to blow me away on this tour is just how committed we all are to letting joy surprise us—even while caregiving, raising kids, or just trying to stay human in a world that feels like it’s falling apart.

Somewhere between Winston-Salem and Nashville, it hit me: these rooms aren’t looking for easy answers. They’re full of people carrying real things, showing up anyway.

And that’s exactly where joy meets us. Not as an escape, but as something stubborn and unexpected—love, hope, service, and the quiet insistence that even here, something good is still finding its way to us.

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DIARY FROM THE ROAD (what day is it? Idk. But I'm having so much fun!): What continues to blow me away on this tour is just how committed we all are to letting joy surprise us—even while caregiving, raising kids, or just trying to stay human in a world that feels like it’s falling apart.Somewhere between Winston-Salem and Nashville, it hit me: these rooms aren’t looking for easy answers. They’re full of people carrying real things, showing up anyway.And that’s exactly where joy meets us. Not as an escape, but as something stubborn and unexpected—love, hope, service, and the quiet insistence that even here, something good is still finding its way to us.

Why start the tour in Winnipeg?

Because this is where my people are—the ones who raised me, steadied me, and showed up long before there was anything to celebrate. Because my parents are there, and the friends who became family, and @MeredithShaw in a jumpsuit powerful enough to launch a whole tour.

And yes, I know it’s a weird time to be asking people to feel joyful—but if I’m going to start that conversation anywhere, it had to be here.

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Why start the tour in Winnipeg?Because this is where my people are—the ones who raised me, steadied me, and showed up long before there was anything to celebrate. Because my parents are there, and the friends who became family, and @MeredithShaw in a jumpsuit powerful enough to launch a whole tour.And yes, I know it’s a weird time to be asking people to feel joyful—but if I’m going to start that conversation anywhere, it had to be here.

You may not always be happy, but you can be joyful, anyway. So may gratitude find you not as a command or project, but a surprise in a world where Everything Happens.

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You may not always be happy, but you can be joyful, anyway. So may gratitude find you not as a command or project, but a surprise in a world where Everything Happens.

 

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

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Everything Happens.

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moving forward
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  • 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
      Kate Bowler sitting in front of books

  • 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
    • Sweatshirts
    • Shirts
    • Hats
    • Goodies
  • SUBSTACK