In this episode, my guest is Maya Shankar, Ph.D., a cognitive scientist, former senior advisor to the White House and Chair of the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team. She is the creator and host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans. We discuss how our identities develop and change, how our beliefs and internal narratives shape our perception of self, and how to use structured introspection about our values to determine our goals. We discuss how to cope and grow through uncertain situations, especially those that force us to reexamine our roles and identity. Dr. Shankar shares her experience of redefining her identity after an early career-ending setback. She also explains numerous science-based strategies to effectively define goals, structure our goal pursuits and maintain consistent motivation. This episode provides a science-supported toolkit and roadmap to assess your identity and goals and positively transform in the face of change.For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode.Thank you to our sponsorsAG1: https://athleticgreens.com/hubermanLMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/hubermanlabWaking Up: https://wakingup.com/hubermanMomentous: https://livemomentous.com/hubermanTimestamps

Dr. Maya Shankar

Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up

Identity Foreclosure, Identity Paralysis, Throughlines

Identity & Adolescence; “Essence” & Shame

Delight & Awe

Delight & Possibilities for Self

Playing Violin, Childhood

Sponsor: AG1

Intrinsic Motivation; Juilliard & Courage

Competitive Environments; Curiosity & Growth

Re-Creating of Self

Pop-Science, Science Accessibility

Passions & Curiosity

Change, Cognitive Closure, End-of-History Illusion

Self-Awareness & Critical Feedback

Tools: Flexible Mindset; Reframing & Venting; Gratitude

Tool: Framing Goals

Tool: Agency in Goal Pursuit

Tool: Like-Minded People & Goal Pursuit; Challenging Beliefs

Cultivating Open-Mindedness & Empathy

Building Self Narratives: Empathy, Burnout

Tools: Goal Setting

Tool: “Middle Problem”, Maintaining Motivation

Tool: Aversion & Memory, Peak-End Rule