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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
  Miriam Toews
  Naming the Silences
  Listen Now Naming the Silences
  Learning to Be Joyful, Anyway: A Big Announcement
  Listen Now Learning to Be Joyful, Anyway: A Big Announcement
  Ellen Vora
  For Those Who Feel It All
  Listen Now For Those Who Feel It All
  Ai-jen Poo
  America’s Caregiving Crisis
  Listen Now America’s Caregiving Crisis
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

Read More Don’t Come Out Empty Handed

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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

Some days, saying yes to being alive feels like an act of defiance. When the world is heavy and your heart is tired, choosing to stay tender—to keep going, to keep loving—is its own kind of bravery.

My guest today on Everything Happens is the queen of that emotional tightrope—my personal Canadian legend, Miriam Toews. You might know her from "Women Talking" or "All My Puny Sorrows", but today she joins me to talk about the heartbreak and humor of living with mental illness in a family, what it means to carry despair, and yes—we absolutely talk about growing up Mennonite.

She is hilarious. Profound. Makes you feel like saying “yes” to being human, even when it’s complicated.

Comment "YES" and I`ll send you a link to watch our full conversation.📺

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18183405184340380

Some days, saying yes to being alive feels like an act of defiance. When the world is heavy and your heart is tired, choosing to stay tender—to keep going, to keep loving—is its own kind of bravery.My guest today on Everything Happens is the queen of that emotional tightrope—my personal Canadian legend, Miriam Toews. You might know her from "Women Talking" or "All My Puny Sorrows", but today she joins me to talk about the heartbreak and humor of living with mental illness in a family, what it means to carry despair, and yes—we absolutely talk about growing up Mennonite.She is hilarious. Profound. Makes you feel like saying “yes” to being human, even when it’s complicated.Comment "YES" and I'll send you a link to watch our full conversation.📺

“God never gives you more than you can handle.”

Me: Then please explain the insurance forms, the diagnosis, and my child’s math homework.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17926901277117284

“God never gives you more than you can handle.”Me: Then please explain the insurance forms, the diagnosis, and my child’s math homework.

Just got back from Finland with the @gambrellfdn where we met with mayors, priests, generals, and politicians—all quietly managing the same reality: living next to a 1,340 km stretch of Russia. No big deal. (It`s a very big deal.)

Are they still the happiest country in the world? YUP.

But their happiness has a basement. Literally. Over 50,000 bomb shelters—and 2 million SOW-nas (for a population of 5.5 million). One is for safety. The other, for sweating it out together. (Photo #3 is a wartime bunker turned hockey rink. Joy and preparedness are not mutually exclusive.)

There`s something deeply Finnish—and deeply wise— about how they hold threat and resilience side by side.

They build fences AND keep talking.
Plan for a crisis AND plan dinner.

Turns out, you can be both ready and kind of chill. That’s not denial. That’s Finland.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17918518404054178

Just got back from Finland with the @gambrellfdn where we met with mayors, priests, generals, and politicians—all quietly managing the same reality: living next to a 1,340 km stretch of Russia. No big deal. (It's a very big deal.)Are they still the happiest country in the world? YUP.But their happiness has a basement. Literally. Over 50,000 bomb shelters—and 2 million SOW-nas (for a population of 5.5 million). One is for safety. The other, for sweating it out together. (Photo #3 is a wartime bunker turned hockey rink. Joy and preparedness are not mutually exclusive.)There's something deeply Finnish—and deeply wise— about how they hold threat and resilience side by side.They build fences AND keep talking.
Plan for a crisis AND plan dinner.Turns out, you can be both ready and kind of chill. That’s not denial. That’s Finland.

Just me and my thoughts, auditioning for Worst Case Scenario: The Musical.

Save this blessing for the next time you`re wide awake, staring at the ceiling fan and wondering if sleep forgot you. May it slow your sweet, hamster-wheel brain—especially in a world where Everything Happens.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 18026402285547163

Just me and my thoughts, auditioning for Worst Case Scenario: The Musical.Save this blessing for the next time you're wide awake, staring at the ceiling fan and wondering if sleep forgot you. May it slow your sweet, hamster-wheel brain—especially in a world where Everything Happens.

Welp, they say hindsight is 20/20, right?

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17957222724006000

Welp, they say hindsight is 20/20, right?

“God never gives you more than you can handle.”

Me: Then please explain the insurance forms, the diagnosis, and my child’s math homework.

4052 93

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18056418233231844

First stop with the amazing @gambrellfdn: Estonia. We began in Tallinn, a city that holds both medieval towers and digital infrastructure with equal reverence.

Two decades ago, Estonia made a radical decision: to become a digital society.

They did it because, frankly, they didn’t have enough leaders to populate a post-Soviet government. They were a fragile and small experiment in democracy, and they knew they had to innovate to survive.

Now, nearly all government services are online. Medical records, prescriptions, and even business ownership can be managed remotely. The citizens I talked to were so proud of how much trust it created in their systems.

What struck me wasn’t just the tech. It was the way Estonia built something resilient: responsive to crisis, grounded in transparency, designed to outlast its own fragility.

They know something about limits. It made me wonder about the gifts of assuming scarcity. Plus, holy, crap, what a beautiful city. And check out the “ferry” (re: cruise ship) that takes you from Finland to Estonia! Gorgeous.

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Open post by katecbowler with ID 17851750611525840

First stop with the amazing @gambrellfdn: Estonia. We began in Tallinn, a city that holds both medieval towers and digital infrastructure with equal reverence.Two decades ago, Estonia made a radical decision: to become a digital society.They did it because, frankly, they didn’t have enough leaders to populate a post-Soviet government. They were a fragile and small experiment in democracy, and they knew they had to innovate to survive.Now, nearly all government services are online. Medical records, prescriptions, and even business ownership can be managed remotely. The citizens I talked to were so proud of how much trust it created in their systems.What struck me wasn’t just the tech. It was the way Estonia built something resilient: responsive to crisis, grounded in transparency, designed to outlast its own fragility.They know something about limits. It made me wonder about the gifts of assuming scarcity. Plus, holy, crap, what a beautiful city. And check out the “ferry” (re: cruise ship) that takes you from Finland to Estonia! Gorgeous.

I have big news: I wrote a book. It’s called Joyful, Anyway.

It’s about the ache we all carry, the grief we can’t shortcut, and the ridiculous little flashes of joy that barge in anyway—like my son asking if there’s somewhere kids can practice grenades (our family’s commitment to pacifism seems to be hanging by a thread).

This is for anyone who has ever felt stuck, who has been undone by loss, or who believes that joy is just out of reach. Every time we ask is this it?, joy will answer: There is more.

It’s available for pre-order now.

May we all be joyful… anyway.

Comment “JOY” and I’ll send you a link to pre-order!!

5781 1063

Open post by katecbowler with ID 18060952961425821

I have big news: I wrote a book. It’s called Joyful, Anyway.It’s about the ache we all carry, the grief we can’t shortcut, and the ridiculous little flashes of joy that barge in anyway—like my son asking if there’s somewhere kids can practice grenades (our family’s commitment to pacifism seems to be hanging by a thread).This is for anyone who has ever felt stuck, who has been undone by loss, or who believes that joy is just out of reach. Every time we ask is this it?, joy will answer: There is more.It’s available for pre-order now.May we all be joyful… anyway.Comment “JOY” and I’ll send you a link to pre-order!!

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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Make your inbox a little more human.

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
  Miriam Toews
  Naming the Silences
  Listen Now Naming the Silences
  Learning to Be Joyful, Anyway: A Big Announcement
  Listen Now Learning to Be Joyful, Anyway: A Big Announcement
  Ellen Vora
  For Those Who Feel It All
  Listen Now For Those Who Feel It All
  Ai-jen Poo
  America’s Caregiving Crisis
  Listen Now America’s Caregiving Crisis
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

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

Make your inbox a little more human.

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.