Kimberly Williams-Paisley Archives - Kate Bowler

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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
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
  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)
  Rowan Williams
  The Strange Gift of Joy
  Listen Now The Strange Gift of Joy
  Suleika Jaouad
  Living the Questions (Without Fixing Yourself)
  Listen Now Living the Questions (Without Fixing Yourself)
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
SUBSTACK

Read More Where The Light (Still) Gets In

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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

If you find a secret message about spontaneous combustion in your copy of Joyful, Anyway, please tag me.

I regret to inform you that I know exactly who combusted and where it happened, which feels like the kind of detail a person should not have ready at all times—and yet, here we are.

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If you find a secret message about spontaneous combustion in your copy of Joyful, Anyway, please tag me.I regret to inform you that I know exactly who combusted and where it happened, which feels like the kind of detail a person should not have ready at all times—and yet, here we are.

Just a little glimpse behind the curtain of life on tour.

I keep thinking: I can’t believe this gets to be my job.

I’m so grateful for the people who make it possible—conversation partners who show up with honesty, bookstores and churches and theaters that open their doors, my team who makes every detail of this possible, family who steadies me when it all feels a little too big, and, of course, all of you beautiful people I have the chance to see all over the country.

What a gift. What a privilege. What a joy.

And yes. I did forget my luggage at the airport. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR.

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Just a little glimpse behind the curtain of life on tour.I keep thinking: I can’t believe this gets to be my job.I’m so grateful for the people who make it possible—conversation partners who show up with honesty, bookstores and churches and theaters that open their doors, my team who makes every detail of this possible, family who steadies me when it all feels a little too big, and, of course, all of you beautiful people I have the chance to see all over the country.What a gift. What a privilege. What a joy.And yes. I did forget my luggage at the airport. IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR.

Bless you who refuse to let despair have the final word and find ways to be joyful, anyway in a world where Everything Happens.

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Bless you who refuse to let despair have the final word and find ways to be joyful, anyway in a world where Everything Happens.

Canada, I’m so grateful.

JOYFUL, ANYWAY is an instant #1 bestseller across @globeandmail, @thetorontostar, and @mcnallyrobinson. !!!

It was so meaningful to begin this tour in the places that first shaped me. Winnipeg. Toronto. Old friends, new conversations, and that strange mix of joy and disbelief and some serious nostalgia being among my people.

A huge thank you to @Indigo for making Joyful, Anyway an April Staff Pick. And to everyone who came to the shows, ordered your copy, and are sharing it with friends—my deepest gratitude. May we all be changed and carried by joy.

I`m already plotting my return. 🇨🇦

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Canada, I’m so grateful.JOYFUL, ANYWAY is an instant #1 bestseller across @globeandmail, @thetorontostar, and @mcnallyrobinson. !!!It was so meaningful to begin this tour in the places that first shaped me. Winnipeg. Toronto. Old friends, new conversations, and that strange mix of joy and disbelief and some serious nostalgia being among my people.A huge thank you to @Indigo for making Joyful, Anyway an April Staff Pick. And to everyone who came to the shows, ordered your copy, and are sharing it with friends—my deepest gratitude. May we all be changed and carried by joy.I'm already plotting my return. 🇨🇦

It feels, honestly, a little urgent that you come sit with me and @drvivekmurthy on April 16 at @fapc_nyc.

We’re going to talk about joy (the stubborn kind), despair (the kind that doesn’t leave on cue), bear bait—yes, really—and whatever small antidotes we can find to loneliness.

It all belongs together. The ache and the laughter. The needing and the being needed.

Come if you can. I’d really love to see you there.

Tickets are at the link in my bio.

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It feels, honestly, a little urgent that you come sit with me and @drvivekmurthy on April 16 at @fapc_nyc.We’re going to talk about joy (the stubborn kind), despair (the kind that doesn’t leave on cue), bear bait—yes, really—and whatever small antidotes we can find to loneliness.It all belongs together. The ache and the laughter. The needing and the being needed.Come if you can. I’d really love to see you there.Tickets are at the link in my bio.

Toronto, you overachiever. 🇨🇦

In a fairly surreal stretch of days: I got interviewed by @itsrickmercer (processing), laughed with @gerrydee, and sat on @thesocialctv like someone who absolutely knows how television works. (I do not.)

I even got to have an op-ed published in @globeandmail. (If anyone in Canada bought a print version of this, LET ME KNOW. I want to put it on the fridge...) AND got to see @libbyward, @nurturedfirst, and @yolanda_gampp.

I LITERALLY COULDN`T ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE.

Yes, there was snow on the ground in April, but man oh man, do I love being in Canada. The generosity, the humor, the warmth of the room, it all brought me such JOY.

Grateful for the welcome, the conversations, and the in-between moments that end up mattering most.
Proud to be Canadian.

Hair: @_cat.morales�
Makeup: @kelseybbeauty�(Thank you ladies for making me feel like a million bucks.)
Event Photos: @john_packman

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Toronto, you overachiever. 🇨🇦In a fairly surreal stretch of days: I got interviewed by @itsrickmercer (processing), laughed with @gerrydee, and sat on @thesocialctv like someone who absolutely knows how television works. (I do not.)I even got to have an op-ed published in @globeandmail. (If anyone in Canada bought a print version of this, LET ME KNOW. I want to put it on the fridge...) AND got to see @libbyward, @nurturedfirst, and @yolanda_gampp.I LITERALLY COULDN'T ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE.Yes, there was snow on the ground in April, but man oh man, do I love being in Canada. The generosity, the humor, the warmth of the room, it all brought me such JOY.Grateful for the welcome, the conversations, and the in-between moments that end up mattering most.
Proud to be Canadian.Hair: @_cat.morales�
Makeup: @kelseybbeauty�(Thank you ladies for making me feel like a million bucks.)
Event Photos: @john_packman

Today’s the day. JOYFUL ANYWAY IS OUT IN THE WORLD.

And somehow—truly, how is this real—I got to sit with the beacon of courage and joy herself, @savannahguthrie on the @todayshow.

Together, we talked about how joy isn’t loud or constant or easy. It shows up in the middle of our deep sadness, heart aches, and yes, even ordinary Tuesdays. In lives that don’t feel particularly shiny, perfect, or even all that noteworthy. And thank God for that.

Because we can’t always be happy, but we can be joyful, anyway.

Thank you, Savannah. What an honor and a gift. I just adore you and I can`t think of a better way to announce that JOYFUL ANYWAY is AVAILABLE wherever books are sold.

#JoyfulAnyway

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Today’s the day. JOYFUL ANYWAY IS OUT IN THE WORLD.And somehow—truly, how is this real—I got to sit with the beacon of courage and joy herself, @savannahguthrie on the @todayshow.Together, we talked about how joy isn’t loud or constant or easy. It shows up in the middle of our deep sadness, heart aches, and yes, even ordinary Tuesdays. In lives that don’t feel particularly shiny, perfect, or even all that noteworthy. And thank God for that.Because we can’t always be happy, but we can be joyful, anyway.Thank you, Savannah. What an honor and a gift. I just adore you and I can't think of a better way to announce that JOYFUL ANYWAY is AVAILABLE wherever books are sold.#JoyfulAnyway

Bless you who stay with what is not finished. Someday there will be no more tears. Someday Jesus who conquered death will be more real than every terrible truth today. May you carry hope knowing the story has not ended, but only just begun.

Happy Easter.

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Bless you who stay with what is not finished. Someday there will be no more tears. Someday Jesus who conquered death will be more real than every terrible truth today. May you carry hope knowing the story has not ended, but only just begun.Happy Easter.

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
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
  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)
  Rowan Williams
  The Strange Gift of Joy
  Listen Now The Strange Gift of Joy
  Suleika Jaouad
  Living the Questions (Without Fixing Yourself)
  Listen Now Living the Questions (Without Fixing Yourself)
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
SUBSTACK