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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
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      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
      Libby Ward

      How to Break Generational Cycles in Motherhood

      Listen Now How to Break Generational Cycles in Motherhood
      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  
  • 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

Maybe our kids won’t remember the expensive vacations. Or whether we always knew exactly what to say. I’m fairly certain they won’t care that everyone’s clothes matched or that someone left the house with hair that could generously be described as “brushed.”

What they might remember is how it felt when we showed up.

Again and again. Imperfectly. Sometimes tired. Sometimes getting it wrong and coming back to try again.

Maybe being a good mom has less to do with getting all the details right and more to do with giving our kids the deep sense that, when they needed us, we were there.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18086411891692844
Maybe our kids won’t remember the expensive vacations. Or whether we always knew exactly what to say. I’m fairly certain they won’t care that everyone’s clothes matched or that someone left the house with hair that could generously be described as “brushed.”What they might remember is how it felt when we showed up.Again and again. Imperfectly. Sometimes tired. Sometimes getting it wrong and coming back to try again.Maybe being a good mom has less to do with getting all the details right and more to do with giving our kids the deep sense that, when they needed us, we were there.

May you stop treating every past version of yourself like a problem you were supposed to solve in a world where Everything Happens.

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May you stop treating every past version of yourself like a problem you were supposed to solve in a world where Everything Happens.

There are so many ways to feel like you’re doing life wrong. And then you become a mom and, somehow, the list gets longer.

Be more present. Be more patient. Make the memories. Pack the healthy snacks. Have a meaningful career. Don’t miss anything important. And please enjoy every minute because, as everyone keeps reminding you, it goes so fast.

This week on @everythinghappens, Libby Ward (@libbyward) and I talk about what happens when we start loosening our grip on all those expectations—and get a little more honest about the people we actually are.

Have you listened yet??

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18141862786586060
There are so many ways to feel like you’re doing life wrong. And then you become a mom and, somehow, the list gets longer.Be more present. Be more patient. Make the memories. Pack the healthy snacks. Have a meaningful career. Don’t miss anything important. And please enjoy every minute because, as everyone keeps reminding you, it goes so fast.This week on @everythinghappens, Libby Ward (@libbyward) and I talk about what happens when we start loosening our grip on all those expectations—and get a little more honest about the people we actually are.Have you listened yet??

You cannot be everything to everybody. This is inconvenient news, especially if you are a mother (or trusted adult).

Today over on Substack, I’m thinking more about my recent conversation with @libbyward: how we become the parents we didn’t have, and the difference between being a good parent and merely looking like one.

I also went down a small rabbit hole involving a 1950s pediatrician who believed one of the best things we can give our children is…disappointment.

Small, survivable disappointments, to be clear. The kind that teach our kids they can want something, not get it, and still be okay. Which may also be useful information for those of us exhausting ourselves trying to make sure everyone is happy all the time.

Comment “HUMAN” and I’ll send you the essay.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18116775274945925
You cannot be everything to everybody. This is inconvenient news, especially if you are a mother (or trusted adult).Today over on Substack, I’m thinking more about my recent conversation with @libbyward: how we become the parents we didn’t have, and the difference between being a good parent and merely looking like one.I also went down a small rabbit hole involving a 1950s pediatrician who believed one of the best things we can give our children is…disappointment.Small, survivable disappointments, to be clear. The kind that teach our kids they can want something, not get it, and still be okay. Which may also be useful information for those of us exhausting ourselves trying to make sure everyone is happy all the time.Comment “HUMAN” and I’ll send you the essay.

TODAY IS THE DAY! @everythinghappens is back, and we’re kicking off our newest season with one of my favorite truth-tellers, @libbyward, author of the book "Honest Motherhood."

Libby and I talk about motherhood in all its beautiful, exhausting, occasionally unhinged glory. The love. The guilt. The impossible expectations. The strange realization that you can adore these tiny people with your whole heart and still occasionally want everyone to please stop touching you.

Libby is hilarious, Canadian (important), and refreshingly honest about what it takes to be a mom—in this economy?! And I loved every minute of this conversation.

Comment "MOM” and I’ll send you the full episode. And maybe send this to the mom in your life who could use a little less pressure to pretend she has it all together. 💛

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TODAY IS THE DAY! @everythinghappens is back, and we’re kicking off our newest season with one of my favorite truth-tellers, @libbyward, author of the book "Honest Motherhood."Libby and I talk about motherhood in all its beautiful, exhausting, occasionally unhinged glory. The love. The guilt. The impossible expectations. The strange realization that you can adore these tiny people with your whole heart and still occasionally want everyone to please stop touching you.Libby is hilarious, Canadian (important), and refreshingly honest about what it takes to be a mom—in this economy?! And I loved every minute of this conversation.Comment "MOM” and I’ll send you the full episode. And maybe send this to the mom in your life who could use a little less pressure to pretend she has it all together. 💛

Bless what lingers past its season, and may joy surprise you in September`s new routines - in the fireflies, earlier evenings, familiar routes - in a world where Everything Happens.

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Bless what lingers past its season, and may joy surprise you in September's new routines - in the fireflies, earlier evenings, familiar routes - in a world where Everything Happens.

Why I didn`t text back. 🐦🛶💒🌓

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Why I didn't text back. 🐦🛶💒🌓

JOYFUL ANYWAY IS IN TARGET!!! 🎯📚

The next time you’re wandering the aisles contemplating whether you need a new candle/blanket/toothbrush/body wash, take a little detour through the book section and grab a copy of JOYFUL ANYWAY.

Honestly, seeing this book out in the wild never gets old. And seeing it at TARGET? Very fun.

If you spot JOYFUL ANYWAY at your Target, snap a pic and tag me—I want to see her in her natural habitat. 🎯💛

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18478349095109820
JOYFUL ANYWAY IS IN TARGET!!! 🎯📚The next time you’re wandering the aisles contemplating whether you need a new candle/blanket/toothbrush/body wash, take a little detour through the book section and grab a copy of JOYFUL ANYWAY.Honestly, seeing this book out in the wild never gets old. And seeing it at TARGET? Very fun.If you spot JOYFUL ANYWAY at your Target, snap a pic and tag me—I want to see her in her natural habitat. 🎯💛

 

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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  • 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
      Libby Ward

      How to Break Generational Cycles in Motherhood

      Listen Now How to Break Generational Cycles in Motherhood
      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  
  • 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