How one skeptic found solace through meditation… and how you can too

VPM | By Manoush Zomorodi, Harsha Nahata and Sanaz Meshkinpour

Published December 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM EST

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode Finding your bliss.

That nagging inner voice is your own worst enemy. Author and podcast host Dan Harris shares a meditation exercise for quieting that critic and improving your relationships.

About Dan Harris

Dan Harris is a former ABC News anchor who reported from all over the world, covering wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia and the Amazon.

After experiencing an on-air panic attack while hosting Good Morning America, he knew he had to make some big changes to his life. Despite initial misgivings, he turned to meditation.

Harris is the author of the book 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times bestseller. He is also the host of the Ten Percent Happier podcast and co-founder of the Ten Percent Happier meditation app.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Harsha Nahata and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].

Web Resources

Related TED Bio: Dan Harris

Related TED Talk: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes

Related TED Talk: Why we get mad — and why it’s healthy

Related NPR Links

TED Radio Hour: How to start a meditation practice

Life Kit: Our favorite tips on exercise, sleep, and play

Life Kit: Mindfulness 101: How to begin a meditation practice

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Manoush Zomorodi

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.

Zomorodi is a co-founder of Stable Genius Productions and is the co-host and co-creator of ZigZag, the business podcast about being human. She also created, hosted, and was managing editor of the podcast Note to Self in partnership with WNYC Studios, which was named Best Tech Podcast of 2017 by The Academy of Podcasters.

Prior to her time at WNYC, Zomorodi reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters, including a few years in Berlin.

She was named one of Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2018 and has received numerous awards for her work, including The Gracie for Best Radio Host in 2014 and 2018. Her book "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative Self" (2017, St. Martin's Press) and her TED Talk are guides to surviving information overload and the "Attention Economy."

Zomorodi received a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in English and fine arts. She is half-Persian and half-Swiss but was born in New York City, where she lives with her family.

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