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  • 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
      Kate Bowler

      The Summer of Too Much

      Listen Now The Summer of Too Much
      Suleika Jaouad

      Survival Is a Creative Act

      Listen Now Survival Is a Creative Act
      Erin & Ben Napier

      Everyone’s From Somewhere

      Listen Now Everyone’s From Somewhere
      Stacey Heale

      The Aftermath of the Aftermath

      Listen Now The Aftermath of the Aftermath
  • 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

      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

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. 
 

Name

Follow along on socials

@katecbowler

Thrilled to be on @substack. I’ve been lurking in the comments, and it’s been such a treat watching you all interact with each other. COMMENTS! ENCOURAGEMENT! COMMUNITY!

It’s the best.

Tell me some of your favorite folks to follow on Substack. I’m still new around here and would love some introductions. 🤝

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18044773175643428
Thrilled to be on @substack. I’ve been lurking in the comments, and it’s been such a treat watching you all interact with each other. COMMENTS! ENCOURAGEMENT! COMMUNITY!It’s the best.Tell me some of your favorite folks to follow on Substack. I’m still new around here and would love some introductions. 🤝

If asking yourself, "WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE?" usually ends with you in an anxiety spiral on the floor, this one is for you.

I find it`s helpful to focus on the small and the ordinary.

Folding laundry to a favorite song.
Lighting a candle before emails.
Drinking coffee sitting down, like a whole human being.

As @suleikajaouad says, “it all goes by in a blink.” Take a moment, even if it’s just one quiet cup.

*No shade to St. Mary Oliver. She really wanted us to lay in grass and stare at trees.🌳

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17897825097251421
If asking yourself, "WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE?" usually ends with you in an anxiety spiral on the floor, this one is for you.I find it's helpful to focus on the small and the ordinary.Folding laundry to a favorite song. Lighting a candle before emails. Drinking coffee sitting down, like a whole human being.As @suleikajaouad says, “it all goes by in a blink.” Take a moment, even if it’s just one quiet cup.*No shade to St. Mary Oliver. She really wanted us to lay in grass and stare at trees.🌳

Pull up a seat—let’s talk about the language of purpose. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that every moment has to be meaningful, every choice strategic, every step part of a master plan. But what if that’s too much pressure for a human life?

Meaning, more often than not, is something we discover in hindsight. The ordinary moments—the ones that feel forgettable—are quietly stitching together a life. A sacred one.

So maybe purpose doesn’t have to be grand to be good. Maybe it just has to be faithful.

If you want to watch the full video about purpose, comment "SEAT," and I`ll send you a link to watch the full thing on YouTube.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18048867926201148
Pull up a seat—let’s talk about the language of purpose. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that every moment has to be meaningful, every choice strategic, every step part of a master plan. But what if that’s too much pressure for a human life?Meaning, more often than not, is something we discover in hindsight. The ordinary moments—the ones that feel forgettable—are quietly stitching together a life. A sacred one.So maybe purpose doesn’t have to be grand to be good. Maybe it just has to be faithful.If you want to watch the full video about purpose, comment "SEAT," and I'll send you a link to watch the full thing on YouTube.

Here`s your reminder that good things aren`t extinct. They`re just shy. But you found some.

Let`s keep this going: TELL ME SOMETHING (ELSE) GOOD.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17900976222232749
Here's your reminder that good things aren't extinct. They're just shy. But you found some.Let's keep this going: TELL ME SOMETHING (ELSE) GOOD.

Does everything we do—every job, every hobby, every mildly traumatic Tuesday—have to be redeemed for some grand purpose? When did existing become a group project? One that needed monetization and commodification?

I’ve been spiraling (academically), so I WROTE A SUBSTACK ESSAY to sort through our collective Purpose Panic™. Featuring a cameo from @elizabeth_gilbert_writer, who kindly dismantles the myth that we are what we do.

Link to join me in stories. Let’s be purposeless together. 💫

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18512633218035508
Does everything we do—every job, every hobby, every mildly traumatic Tuesday—have to be redeemed for some grand purpose? When did existing become a group project? One that needed monetization and commodification?I’ve been spiraling (academically), so I WROTE A SUBSTACK ESSAY to sort through our collective Purpose Panic™. Featuring a cameo from @elizabeth_gilbert_writer, who kindly dismantles the myth that we are what we do.Link to join me in stories. Let’s be purposeless together. 💫

In a world where Everything Happens...

...including the unthinkable.

God, meet us here.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18074360011782042
In a world where Everything Happens......including the unthinkable.God, meet us here.

It never hurts to check. 🥔

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18090942070630264
It never hurts to check. 🥔

It never hurts to check. 🥔

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18071414143983127
It never hurts to check. 🥔

 

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.

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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
      Kate Bowler

      The Summer of Too Much

      Listen Now The Summer of Too Much
      Suleika Jaouad

      Survival Is a Creative Act

      Listen Now Survival Is a Creative Act
      Erin & Ben Napier

      Everyone’s From Somewhere

      Listen Now Everyone’s From Somewhere
      Stacey Heale

      The Aftermath of the Aftermath

      Listen Now The Aftermath of the Aftermath
  • 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

      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