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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
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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
      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

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

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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.

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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. 🤖

2943 139
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.

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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

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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.

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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...

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18609546592007297
If only I could rewrite the dictionary...

Can we please simmer down on the way we`ve turned gratitude into another assignment?

I love gratitude. I just don`t love what we`ve done to it.

Comment "THANKS" below and I`ll send you the rest of my thoughts. (I have... feelings.)

4306 644
Open post by katecbowler with ID 18129626503631703
Can we please simmer down on the way we've turned gratitude into another assignment?I love gratitude. I just don't love what we've done to it.Comment "THANKS" below and I'll send you the rest of my thoughts. (I have... feelings.)

 

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
Illness
nuanced hope
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inspiring lives
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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