Dan Harris On The Life-Changing Power of Meditation

Making Space with Hoda Kotb

NBC News

Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Society & Culture, Spirituality, Nbc News, Education, Motivation, Nbc, Today Show, Daily Boost, Self-improvement, Hoda, Today, Self Help, Make Space, The Today Show, Making Space, Feel Good, Making Space With Hoda Kotb, Inspiration, Hoda Kotb, Self Improvement

5 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dan Harris is an author, podcast host, and journalist. Harris worked for ABC News for more than 21 years and currently hosts the 10% Happier Podcast. His journey of self-discovery began in 2004, after suffering a panic attack while live on-air. In the aftermath of that episode, he turned to meditation to confront his drug use, his effort to cope with covering the post-9/11 war zones across the middle east. Harris opened up to Hoda on the power of meditation, self-improvement, and how to quiet your mind in a chaotic world.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you ever met somebody and then you realized, hang on a second, their path is almost
0:11.6	parallel to mine, except they are ever so slightly ahead of me time-wise. And then you just
0:17.8	want to know more, you want to ask more, you want to seek more, you have all
0:21.4	the questions. Well, that's the deal for me today. So Dan Harris was a TV news journalist who
0:28.2	covered everything from war zones to hurricanes to daily topics. He devoted a lot of his life
0:33.6	to journalism. And then he felt a calling to explore the wellness space. Does that sound familiar?
0:41.0	Oh, yeah, it does. Dan spent 21 years on network news from a career standpoint. He had it all.
0:48.6	But on the inside, it was a very different story. Dan was quietly struggling with anxiety,
0:53.9	depression, and addiction.
0:55.9	He masked it well on the air until one day he suffered a panic attack on live TV, and that was
1:03.6	the moment everything shifted. Dan ultimately decided to step away from television to explore a
1:09.1	different path, one of wellness and treatment.
1:12.5	He then wrote the best-selling book 10% Happier, which has since become a hit podcast.
1:18.6	The success, a testament to his commitment to not over-promise happiness, but instead offering
1:24.5	guidance on how to get just 10% closer to happy.
1:29.0	Dan joins me today in a very introspective and raw way.
1:33.8	He'll share what he's learned from stepping away and leaning in.
1:37.5	I've got my pen and paper ready, and I hope you do too.
1:40.9	I'm Hoda Kotby.
1:41.8	Welcome to my podcast, Making Space.
1:52.1	Thank you. do too. I'm Hoda Kotb. Welcome to my podcast, Making Space. So I've been waiting for this interview for a while because I feel like you and I are living
1:56.9	parallel lives. You're way ahead of me, but I'm on your track. And I just wanted to ask,
	...

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