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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

Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier

Discussion Questions

More Like This

Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon

Option B by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant

Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

All BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

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

Please stop trying to live with so.many.reasons.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18088206389413261
Please stop trying to live with so.many.reasons.

Happy Father’s Day to the men who taught us love can look like steady presence, terrible jokes, fixed appliances, unnecessary advice, and one more text asking if we got home safe.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18085359776571537
Happy Father’s Day to the men who taught us love can look like steady presence, terrible jokes, fixed appliances, unnecessary advice, and one more text asking if we got home safe.

In the spirit of turning 46, I have undertaken a small archaeological dig of myself. I am stacking up so many versions of whatever I am that I am beginning to suspect I am several women in a trench coat.

Here`s to the hopeful one. The chaotic one. The one who committed deeply to her PacSun shirts having never once seen the ocean. The one whose Tonya Harding era was, I would say, formative.

Here`s to the people we didn`t know we`d become. And the one we are now. It is crowded in here, ladies. Happy birthday to the whole stack. 🪆

Comment and I`ll send you a link to the full essay (aka "small archaeological dig of myself").

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18181967701400009
In the spirit of turning 46, I have undertaken a small archaeological dig of myself. I am stacking up so many versions of whatever I am that I am beginning to suspect I am several women in a trench coat.Here's to the hopeful one. The chaotic one. The one who committed deeply to her PacSun shirts having never once seen the ocean. The one whose Tonya Harding era was, I would say, formative.Here's to the people we didn't know we'd become. And the one we are now. It is crowded in here, ladies. Happy birthday to the whole stack. 🪆Comment and I'll send you a link to the full essay (aka "small archaeological dig of myself").

You`re not a "before" photo or a project to be mastered.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17892102774474506
You're not a "before" photo or a project to be mastered.

Bless you, trying to return to yourself anyway, in a world where Everything Happens.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18056819351725970
Bless you, trying to return to yourself anyway, in a world where Everything Happens.

Life Goal: Live as a Goblin

Slide 1. @wizardofbarge
Slide 2. @its.megankelley
Slide 3. @katiegrossbard
Slide 4. @sophia.joan.short
Slide 5. @trashandtypos
Slide 6. @stephpase_
Slide 7. @taylorparra

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18320351632278593
Life Goal: Live as a GoblinSlide 1. @wizardofbarge
Slide 2. @its.megankelley
Slide 3. @katiegrossbard
Slide 4. @sophia.joan.short
Slide 5. @trashandtypos
Slide 6. @stephpase_
Slide 7. @taylorparra

Nostalgia is having a renaissance.

We miss the days before smartphones, before streaming, before the internet turned every idle moment into a chance to check email.

But what if nostalgia isn`t just about looking backward?

What if remembering who we were could help us become who we want to be? Not as an escape route. More like a compass.

Comment "COMPASS" and I’ll send you today’s post on why our longing for the past might be one of the most useful guides we have for moving forward.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18117781051697240
Nostalgia is having a renaissance.We miss the days before smartphones, before streaming, before the internet turned every idle moment into a chance to check email.But what if nostalgia isn't just about looking backward?What if remembering who we were could help us become who we want to be? Not as an escape route. More like a compass.Comment "COMPASS" and I’ll send you today’s post on why our longing for the past might be one of the most useful guides we have for moving forward.

Consider this my official pitch for @andersoncooper to retell every story in JOYFUL ANYWAY.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17883640557427117
Consider this my official pitch for @andersoncooper to retell every story in JOYFUL ANYWAY.

 

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.


Browse by topic
Complicated Families
grief
resilient faith
what not to say
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