Martha Beck: Letting our hearts take the lead

Martha Beck: Letting our hearts take the lead

March 17, 2026 · 39 min

About this episode

Martha Beck shares her journey from high achiever to finding happiness through self-acceptance and mindfulness.

It’s not surprising that Martha Beck, best-selling author and columnist for  O, The Oprah Magazine , grew up as a high achiever. Attending Harvard University for both undergraduate and doctoral degrees, Martha spends years fighting to be the smartest person in the room and contending with serious anxiety. It’s only after a revelatory trip to Japan that Martha learns to put her rigid pursuit of intellect aside and find true happiness in the peaceful empty spaces between all things. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Martha Beck

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: O, The Oprah Magazine, Harvard University

Places: Japan

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