TED Talks Daily Book Club: Why change is so scary — and how to unlock its potential | Maya Shankar (re-release)

TED Talks Daily

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4.1 • 11.9K Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Unexpected change like an accident, an illness or a relationship that suddenly ends is inevitable -- and disorienting. With a heartfelt and optimistic take on life's curveballs, cognitive scientist Maya Shankar shares how these challenging moments can inspire transformation, offering three questions to ask when facing uncertainty, so you can let go of rigidity and embrace change.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, Wirtip and Cal Frizi from the fellas.
0:03.2	Our podcast is currently being brought to you by Costa Coffee.
0:06.5	Breakout of autopilot this autumn with the Maple Hazel range.
0:10.3	Change is in the air and I feel like it's time for something different.
0:13.7	Costa Coffee are helping customers break out into a new autumn ritual by crafting the taste of autumn.
0:19.9	Maple Hazel, available as a latte, ice latte or hot
0:23.5	chocolate. Break out of all-pilot and enjoy Costa Coffee's Maple Hazel range. Head to your nearest
0:28.5	Costa Coffee store or Costa Express machine to pick up. Sean has had some good ideas over the years,
0:36.7	but using Canva was a really good one.
0:40.5	Sean designed some social posts to promote his friend's car boot sale.
0:45.0	They looked good.
0:47.2	Really, really good.
0:49.8	Next thing he knows, someone came and bought the lot, including the car.
0:56.4	Now Sean doesn't know how he's going to get home.
1:00.0	Thanks, Canva.
1:04.1	Support for TED Talks Daily comes from The Financial Times.
1:07.5	Every day brings an avalanche of headlines.
1:10.4	Some are noise. Some are designed to distract.
1:12.8	So how do you know what's worth your attention? That's where the Financial Times comes in.
1:17.1	The FTs journalism delivers clarity, depth, and independence. No spin, no hidden agenda, just reporting
1:23.8	you can trust. It's why leaders in business policy and culture rely on the FT as their
1:29.2	source of understanding of what's happening now and what's coming next. So if you want to see the
	...

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