Podcast Summary: All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins

Episode: Why Change Is Hard and How to Make It Your Advantage with Maya Shankar
Release Date: February 18, 2026
Guest: Maya Shankar, Cognitive Scientist & Author of The Other Side of Change

Overview

This episode dives deep into the psychology of change—why we fear it, cling to the status quo, and how we can actually use change as a catalyst for growth. Host Chris Hutchins is joined by cognitive scientist Maya Shankar, whose personal experiences and research illuminate the roadblocks—and opportunities—present at life’s many inflection points. They explore practical, science-based strategies for navigating unexpected and self-initiated changes, moving beyond platitudes to real, actionable tactics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Is Change So Hard?

• Change triggers uncertainty: Our brains are wired to dislike unpredictable scenarios, even when the “status quo” isn’t serving us. Maya references research showing people are often more stressed by a 50% chance of receiving an electric shock than by a 100% chance ([00:46]).

  "We would rather be certain that a bad thing's gonna happen and endure an expected amount of pain than to have to grapple with any uncertainty." — Maya Shankar ([00:46])

• Loss of control feels destabilizing: Both Chris and Maya share personal anecdotes about how unexpected changes shatter their illusion of control.

2. Status Quo Bias & “Apocalypse” as Revelation

• The Power of the Familiar: We’re taught “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” but this mindset can trap us in situations that limit growth ([03:05]).
• Reframing “Apocalypse”: Maya explains that the Greek root “apokalypsis” actually means “revelation,” not destruction—implying that profound change, though traumatic, can illuminate unseen aspects of ourselves and our values ([03:05]).

  “Change can upend us, yes, but it can also reveal really important things to us… The unique demands and stresses... can reveal things to us about our beliefs and our values and our ideas about the world and our perspectives.” — Maya Shankar ([03:05])

3. The “End of History Illusion”

• We Underestimate Future Change: People recognize how much they’ve changed from childhood but rarely anticipate further change in themselves—falling victim to the psychological concept called the "end of history illusion” ([05:47]).

  “The present as, quote, a watershed moment in which we have finally become the person we're going to be for the rest of our lives. What a funny quirk of the human mind.” — Maya Shankar ([05:47])

• Practical Upshot: Remember, you are a dynamic entity—you’ll change in response to future challenges, and the version of you who faces adversity will be different and often more capable than you predict ([05:47]).

4. Relating to Past, Present, and Anticipated Change

• Maya’s Framework for Change:
  • Coming to terms with past change
  • Navigating current change
  • Preparing for anticipated/future changes, or overcoming general discomfort with change ([12:50])
• Personal Story: Maya shares her struggle with infertility and loss, illustrating how platitudes like “change your response” felt hollow until she developed real, actionable strategies grounded in science ([12:50]).

  "It wasn't like there was a switch in my brain I could just flip on and off that would suddenly make me feel more enlightened..." — Maya Shankar ([12:50])

5. Toolkits & Tactics for Navigating Change

a) Maximizer vs Satisficer Mindsets

• Definitions:
  • Maximizer: Always looking for the “best” possible option; often paralyzed by overanalysis.
  • Satisficer: Settles once standards are met; less likely to overthink and more content ([16:43]).
• Chris's Experience: Analysis paralysis can keep maximizers from making even obviously beneficial changes ([17:45]).

b) Anchoring to “Why” Not “What”

• Identity Resilience: Don’t tie your identity solely to your current role or activity, but rather to the underlying “why” (your core motivations or values).

  "It can be quite precarious to anchor too much of who we are to what we do... I have since tried to anchor my identity to why I do the things that I love to do." — Maya Shankar ([18:51])

• Exercise: Reflect on childhood play—what did you naturally gravitate toward? Your “why” is often found here ([23:37]).

c) Navigating Change with Others

• Different Empathy Types:
  • Emotional Empathy: Feeling another’s emotions
  • Cognitive Empathy: Understanding another’s emotions
  • Empathic Concern: Wanting to help
• Key Insight: Recognize that differences in empathic styles can affect how couples or teams handle change; increased openness and understanding can smooth these transitions ([25:25]).

d) Tactics for Breaking Rumination

• Mental Time Travel: Imagine yourself five hours, five days, or five years from now to gain distance and perspective on your current struggle ([29:22]).

  “What that does is it helps you zoom out and gain what psychologists call psychological distance.” — Maya Shankar ([29:22])

• Affect Labeling: Explicitly name the emotions you’re experiencing to create separation between you and your feelings ([29:22]).

e) Rethinking Beliefs with a Neutral Third Party—Human or AI

• Invite friends as “cognitive advisors”: They can poke holes in your narrative and help break out of mental loops ([33:09]).
• Self-Coaching: If you don’t have someone to talk to, imagine yourself as an impartial observer or refer to yourself in the third person to foster self-compassion ([33:09]).
• AI Tools: Chris and Maya discuss emerging value in using custom AI “coaches” to challenge your thinking effectively and impartially ([36:56]).

  "It won’t have the same emotional relationship with you… it can actually be even more effective at trying to help you see your problem from new angles." — Maya Shankar ([36:58])

f) Getting “Unstuck” at Inflection Points

• Choosing the Status Quo is Still a Choice: Remind yourself that not changing is an active decision, with opportunity costs ([40:26]).
• Possible Selves: Envisioning multiple futures (“selves”)—hopes, fears, likely outcomes—broadens your sense of potential ([40:26]).
• Moral Elevation: Witnessing acts of courage and resilience in others (even strangers or fictional characters) can spark inspiration and expand your sense of what’s possible ([40:26]).
• Fiction as “Identity Laboratory”: Reading stories lets you “try on” new identities safely and imagine alternative choices ([40:26]).
• Consider: “Who else can this person be?”: Transfer skills and strengths you’ve developed into new arenas ([40:26]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On identity and change:

  “When I lost the violin, I realized, oh my God, this instrument is entangled with so much of what makes me me. And now that I don't have it, I don't even know who I am or who I can be.” — Maya Shankar ([18:51])

• On rumination:

  “You feel the illusion that you're making progress, that you're on the verge of some kind of breakthrough, but in actuality, you're making no progress at all.” — Maya Shankar ([29:22])

• On shared psychologies:

  “There are so many similarities in the problem statement psychologically that you're up against… So the solution set will often look quite similar, too.” — Maya Shankar ([45:42])

Practical Segment Timestamps

• [00:46] — The discomfort of uncertainty
• [03:05] — Reframing “apocalypse” and the revelation of change
• [05:47] — The “end of history illusion”
• [12:50] — Relating to change: past, present, and anticipated
• [16:43] — Maximizers vs Satisficers discussion
• [18:51] — Anchoring to “why” you do things
• [23:37] — Identifying your “why” using childhood clues
• [25:25] — Empathy differences & navigating change with others
• [29:22] — Breaking rumination: mental time travel and affect labeling
• [33:09] — Using others (or AI) as cognitive advisors
• [36:56] — The emerging role of AI “coaches”
• [40:26] — Agency in the status quo, the power of “possible selves”, and moral elevation

Closing Guidance From Maya

• For those in the thick of change:

  “Be in community with others, irrespective of the changes that they've had to navigate in their lives. ...We all have a shared psychology.” ([45:42])

• You can draw wisdom from a wide spectrum of people's experiences—recognize the commonality in how we all engage with and adapt to change.

Stay Connected with Maya Shankar

• The Other Side of Change — Available wherever books are sold
• Podcast: A Slight Change of Plans
• Instagram: @DoctorMayaShankar
• Audiobook available for listeners

Listen to the full episode or read more at AllTheHacks.com

This summary provides core concepts, science-backed strategies, and memorable moments to offer actionable guidance—whether you’re anticipating change, in the midst of it, or processing the past.