{"podcast":{"title":"Office Hours with Arthur Brooks","slug":"office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626","podcast_index_feed_id":7443626,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/107fc00dc/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://arthurbrooks.com/","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/44189231/44189231-1754764801223-80431bcc2dada.jpg","author":"Arthur Brooks","episode_count":52,"summary":"Hi Friends, I’m Arthur Brooks, a social scientist, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, columnist at The Free Press. I write, speak, and teach about the science of human happiness, blending neuroscience, behavioral science, philosophy, and religion for insights on how to live better and be happier. Each week on Office Hours, you’ll get a glimpse into the cutting edge research on happiness, and explore how you can use it to improve your life—and share what you learn with those you love. Join me in the movement to build a happier world–starting with you.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-27T22:17:04.549075+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626"},"episode":{"title":"3 Steps to Embracing Your Fears","slug":"3-steps-to-embracing-your-fears","published_at":"2026-03-09T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626/3-steps-to-embracing-your-fears","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/arthurbrooks/episodes/3-Steps-to-Embracing-Your-Fears-e3fn3d9","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/APO5785435741.mp3","summary":"Some of the experiences that scare us most are also the ones that can change us for the better. The right kind of challenge increases confidence, deepens courage, helps us feel more fully alive, and connects us to a deeper sense of meaning. But not all risk is the same, and learning the difference matters. In this episode of Office Hours , I explore why deliberately stepping outside your comfort zone is almost always beneficial when approached wisely. I discuss how to distinguish bravery from recklessness, how to think about fear in a healthier way, and how to identify challenges that are genuinely right for you. Because our fears are deeply personal, the challenges that build happiness and meaning differ for each of us, and only you can decide which ones are right for you. But I offer advice to help you uncover what is most beneficial to you. If you’re ready to discover what else can give your life meaning, pre-order my new book The Meaning of Your Life , available March 31. — Where to find Arthur Brooks: • Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://arthurbrooks.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.arthurbrooks.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/arthurbrooks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/arthurcbrooks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ArthurBrooks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGuyFRjJQFGCKzfHTBvWM6A⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-c-brooks/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ • Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠officehours@arthurbrooks.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ — Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (05:57) Why you should find your “running of the bulls”…","meta_description":"Some of the experiences that scare us most are also the ones that can change us for the better. The right kind of challenge increases confidence, deepens…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2266,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626/episodes/3-steps-to-embracing-your-fears/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks-7443626/3-steps-to-embracing-your-fears.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}