Jesmyn Ward

Original Air Date: December 25, 2017 How do you find your purpose? Jack Canfield is co-creator of the worldwide phenomenon “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series, which has sold more than 110 million copies and been translated into more than 43 languages. Based on the lessons in his New York Times bestseller “The Success Principles,” Jack explains how to align our vision and goals with the fulfillment of our purpose. “Everyone has a purpose on this planet,” Jack explains. “The key is figuring out what you really want, deep inside, by listening to your internal GPS.”

Original Air Date: December 20, 2017 The conversation with Harvard-trained researcher and New York Times bestselling author Shawn Achor continues. Shawn offers advice on how to turn down the noise of the electronic, hyper-connected world we live in, which he says is blocking us from true happiness. Shawn also shares how we can increase the levels of happiness for others in our lives.

Original Air Date: December 18, 2017 Do you want to be happier? Harvard-trained researcher and bestselling author Shawn Achor shares his simple, achievable steps to diminish depression, increase joy, and shift our perspective to be more positive. Shawn brings to life his research on the science of happiness and the techniques of what he calls positive psychology.

Original Air Date: December 13, 2017 Sebastian Junger, the New York Times bestselling author of “The Perfect Storm” and “War,” discusses his newest book “Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging.” Sebastian challenges us to rethink some of our culture’s most fundamental ideas about purpose and prosperity. He says, “It’s about what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning.” Read more about identity and belonging in the January 2018 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.

Original Air Date: December 11, 2017 Born in New York City, Pema Chödrön is one of the first Western women to be fully ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. Pema explains how difficult times can be an opportunity for growth and change if you're willing to embrace the situation and the feelings that come with it. One of the basic Buddhist tenets, Pema says, is that change is constant. "Things are going to keep changing," she says. "If you're invested in security and certainty, then you're not going to feel good a lot of the time."