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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
  Molly Worthen | Ross Douthat
  The New Shape of American Religion
  Listen Now The New Shape of American Religion
  Patrik Hagman
  What If Happiness Isn’t What You Think It Is?
  Listen Now What If Happiness Isn’t What You Think It Is?
  Bishop Michael Curry
  There Is More Good Among Us Than We Think
  Listen Now There Is More Good Among Us Than We Think
  Anne Lamott
  Love, Shame, and Being Human
  Listen Now Love, Shame, and Being Human
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

Kate Bowler

Read More Life Worth Living

End of content

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

Lent isn’t about giving up sugar. It’s about giving up pretending.

It’s the season we get honest about what hurts.
The ache.
The disappointment.
The thing we keep calling “fine.”

Enter: THE LIST.

A sacred complaints department. A place to name what stings —without fixing it, spinning it, or baptizing it into a life lesson.

Just tell the truth. Because joy doesn’t start with forced gratitude. It starts with honesty, just like Lent.

Raise your hand if you’ve added a thing or two to THE LIST.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18123803635603191

Lent isn’t about giving up sugar. It’s about giving up pretending.It’s the season we get honest about what hurts.
The ache.
The disappointment.
The thing we keep calling “fine.”Enter: THE LIST.A sacred complaints department. A place to name what stings —without fixing it, spinning it, or baptizing it into a life lesson.Just tell the truth. Because joy doesn’t start with forced gratitude. It starts with honesty, just like Lent.Raise your hand if you’ve added a thing or two to THE LIST.

And just like that…it’s March.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18157686526426383

I am so, so delighted to share my conversation partners for the JOYFUL, ANYWAY tour. These are people I love. People who make me think harder and laugh louder. People who know how to tell the truth about life — the ache and the joy.

So grab a friend. Come join us. Tickets are at the link in my bio.

p.s. NYC and Durham, stay tuned! We have some very exciting things in the works!!

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18094964690075183

I am so, so delighted to share my conversation partners for the JOYFUL, ANYWAY tour. These are people I love. People who make me think harder and laugh louder. People who know how to tell the truth about life — the ache and the joy.So grab a friend. Come join us. Tickets are at the link in my bio.p.s. NYC and Durham, stay tuned! We have some very exciting things in the works!!

Bless you who say yes to what is good, and still name the ache that refuses to leave in a world where Everything Happens.

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Bless you who say yes to what is good, and still name the ache that refuses to leave in a world where Everything Happens.

I`m holding your hand as I say this, "Pretending you’re okay won`t work."

We live in a culture that treats people like problems to solve.

But sorrow is not a malfunction.
Longing is not a defect.

They are signs of life.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18108514654751688

I'm holding your hand as I say this, "Pretending you’re okay won't work."We live in a culture that treats people like problems to solve.But sorrow is not a malfunction.
Longing is not a defect.They are signs of life.

Okay, I double-checked. She really said yes.

On March 19 (4pm PT / 7pm ET), I’m hosting a virtual gathering before the Joyful, Anyway tour begins — and @jennifer.garner is joining me.

We’re talking about joy that doesn’t wait for life to be perfect.
Hope that can sit next to grief.

Music that plays...anyway.

Pre-order the book (any retailer, anytime) or grab a tour ticket and you’re in. JOIN ME AT THE LINK IN MY BIO!!

See you from your couch, kitchen, (safely parked) car, etc. 💛

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18082463564266178

Okay, I double-checked. She really said yes.On March 19 (4pm PT / 7pm ET), I’m hosting a virtual gathering before the Joyful, Anyway tour begins — and @jennifer.garner is joining me.We’re talking about joy that doesn’t wait for life to be perfect.
Hope that can sit next to grief.Music that plays...anyway.Pre-order the book (any retailer, anytime) or grab a tour ticket and you’re in. JOIN ME AT THE LINK IN MY BIO!!See you from your couch, kitchen, (safely parked) car, etc. 💛

@dukembb is better with friends. Full stop. Especially when the friend is @drvivekmurthy.

I have been an enormous fan of Vivek and his incredible NHS team forever, but it took a hilarious turn when our friendship became an unlikely trio — Coach Jon Scheyer, Vivek, and me — talking about belonging during the Surgeon General`s Made for Connection tour. A basketball coach, a Surgeon General, and a historian-writer-whatever-me trying to do leg presses in the Cameron gym. Completely normal origin story. Then the trio became a SUPERTEAM when @kenjeong became the great hype force of all of our hearts. WE HAVE OFFICIALLY CONNECTED ON THE MADE FOR CONNECT TOUR.

Vivek is one of the wisest, kindest, most quietly courageous people I know — the rare leader who can talk about loneliness in a packed arena and make everyone feel personally seen. His work is soulful, but also he lets me SCREAM AND JUMP UP AND DOWN AND WELCOME TO A DUKE GAME SIR!

Saturday was electric. The crowd. The noise. The team that conquered the Wolverines.

Slides 5–7 document Vivek’s field research experience:
Observation → Awe → Surrender.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17854793679586019

@dukembb is better with friends. Full stop. Especially when the friend is @drvivekmurthy.I have been an enormous fan of Vivek and his incredible NHS team forever, but it took a hilarious turn when our friendship became an unlikely trio — Coach Jon Scheyer, Vivek, and me — talking about belonging during the Surgeon General's Made for Connection tour. A basketball coach, a Surgeon General, and a historian-writer-whatever-me trying to do leg presses in the Cameron gym. Completely normal origin story. Then the trio became a SUPERTEAM when @kenjeong became the great hype force of all of our hearts. WE HAVE OFFICIALLY CONNECTED ON THE MADE FOR CONNECT TOUR.Vivek is one of the wisest, kindest, most quietly courageous people I know — the rare leader who can talk about loneliness in a packed arena and make everyone feel personally seen. His work is soulful, but also he lets me SCREAM AND JUMP UP AND DOWN AND WELCOME TO A DUKE GAME SIR!Saturday was electric. The crowd. The noise. The team that conquered the Wolverines.Slides 5–7 document Vivek’s field research experience:
Observation → Awe → Surrender.

Look, 2026 is going to be long but I’ve already peaked so I can wrap it up. Look at these cuties! @blackberryfarm, loveliest place on planet earth run by the kindest and coolest @marycelestebf.

@jennabhager and @barbara.p.bush led us in hilarity and inspirational words and asking me to stop laughing during yoga. One of my absolute fav-o-rave humans @hollyaudreywilliams sang, and her sweet daughter joined her on stage.

It was really nice to be able to unleash my family onto the grounds and then argue later about why none of us are good at chess.

I was especially excited to preview some of my upcoming JOY EXTRAVAGANZA, which I’ll be doing soon in an upcoming virtual gathering with the one and only @jennifer.garner, so come on down to that!

But Blackberry now has the closest place to my heart. I’m considering abandoning all my passports in favor of being simply a Blackberrian.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17859227595553856

Look, 2026 is going to be long but I’ve already peaked so I can wrap it up. Look at these cuties! @blackberryfarm, loveliest place on planet earth run by the kindest and coolest @marycelestebf.@jennabhager and @barbara.p.bush led us in hilarity and inspirational words and asking me to stop laughing during yoga. One of my absolute fav-o-rave humans @hollyaudreywilliams sang, and her sweet daughter joined her on stage.It was really nice to be able to unleash my family onto the grounds and then argue later about why none of us are good at chess.I was especially excited to preview some of my upcoming JOY EXTRAVAGANZA, which I’ll be doing soon in an upcoming virtual gathering with the one and only @jennifer.garner, so come on down to that!But Blackberry now has the closest place to my heart. I’m considering abandoning all my passports in favor of being simply a Blackberrian.

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.

About
Resources
Contact
Podcasts
Books
MERCH
Mural
Upcoming Events
Newsletter
Blessings

Everything Happens.

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
  Molly Worthen | Ross Douthat
  The New Shape of American Religion
  Listen Now The New Shape of American Religion
  Patrik Hagman
  What If Happiness Isn’t What You Think It Is?
  Listen Now What If Happiness Isn’t What You Think It Is?
  Bishop Michael Curry
  There Is More Good Among Us Than We Think
  Listen Now There Is More Good Among Us Than We Think
  Anne Lamott
  Love, Shame, and Being Human
  Listen Now Love, Shame, and Being Human
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

Meet Kate

Get to Know Me

How to Connect

Everything Happens.

Books

Joyful, Anyway

Everything Happens for a Reason

Have a Beautiful Terrible Day!

No Cure for Being Human

Resources

Types

Topics

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.

Follow along on socials

Everything Happens.

Browse by topic

Meet Kate

Get to Know Me

How to Connect

Everything Happens.

Books

Joyful, Anyway

Everything Happens for a Reason

Have a Beautiful Terrible Day!

No Cure for Being Human

Resources

Types

Topics

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.