The Year for Irrational Hope: Dan Harris on Training the Mind Through Meditation
From Everyday Better with Leah Smart by LinkedIn
January 27, 2026 · 45 min
About this episode
Leah Smart interviews Dan Harris about mindfulness and meditation techniques to manage stress and build resilience.
In the final episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with bestselling author and mindfulness teacher Dan Harris for a practical conversation about how to work with your mind when everything feels overwhelming. In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize and loosen the grip of your inner critic, respond instead of react under stress, and build hope and resilience through simple, science-backed mindfulness practices. Whether you’re skeptical, overwhelmed, or just looking for tools that actually help, Dan breaks down meditation and mindfulness in a grounded, no-nonsense way, showing how mental training can help you feel calmer, more compassionate, and more in control, even amid uncertainty. Follow Dan Harris on LinkedIn and find his books 10% Happier here. For more from Leah Smart while Everyday Better goes on hiatus, follow her on Substack, LinkedIn and Instagram.
People in this episode
Host: Leah Smart
Guest: Dan Harris
Topics covered
- mindfulness
- meditation
- mental health
- resilience
- self-improvement
Keywords
- mindfulness
- meditation
- inner critic
- stress response
- resilience
- mental training
- self-help
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: LinkedIn
Books & works: 10% Happier
More episodes of Everyday Better with Leah Smart
- Welcome to Everyday Better! · March 2, 2026 · 3 min
- The Best of Everyday Better: Your Starter Kit for Creating Positive Change · February 3, 2026 · 59 min
- The Year for Irrational Hope: Gabby Bernstein on Accessing Unshakable Faith · January 20, 2026 · 39 min
- The Year for Irrational Hope: Debbie Millman on the 10-Year Plan · January 13, 2026 · 36 min
- The Year for Irrational Hope: Bruce Feiler on Navigating a “Lifequake” · January 6, 2026 · 52 min
- Wintering: How to Weather Difficult Times · December 30, 2025 · 45 min
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