Good Life Project

Episode: "An Impossible Dream That Became an Incredible Life"

Guest: Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr.
Host: Jonathan Fields
Date: September 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr.—physician, NASA astronaut, venture capitalist, and philanthropist—shares his extraordinary journey from a childhood marked by hardship and isolation to making history as the first African American to complete a spacewalk. With reflections from his new book, Embracing Infinite: Letting Go of Fear to Find Your Highest Potential, Dr. Harris discusses what it means to refuse to let go of a dream, how adversity fueled his growth, and the profound shifts in perspective that space travel offers on humanity, purpose, and the meaning of a good life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life: Hardship and Dreaming Big

• Childhood Adversity:

  • Harris grew up in inner-city Houston, Texas, in a family marked by financial struggle and the trauma of his father’s alcoholism.
  • At age six, his mother left with the children to escape their difficult circumstances, relocating to live with relatives and eventually moving to the Navajo Nation.
  • The move introduced Harris to a striking new environment—vast, awe-inspiring desert landscapes—which became his refuge and ignited his fascination with space.
    • Quote:

      “I remember looking out of the bus window and there was a full moon, and the full moon was darting out from behind the trees. And with that question: where are we going? Where am I heading? What sort of future do I have?” (05:04, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• Cultural Isolation and Bonding:

  • On the Navajo Nation, Harris and his siblings were the only Black children in the community and attended a boarding school with Native students—an experience of double otherness, but also of common struggle and eventual camaraderie.
    • Quote:

      “I was the only Black kid... And nobody’s playing with me, right? Occasionally someone would come up and touch my hair...Thank God, as kids will do, we managed. The struggles that we have as people of color in this country, especially during that time, brought us together.” (10:22, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• Escape to the Stars:

  • Under the clear, vast skies, Harris became obsessed with the dream of space, especially as the 1960s space program unfolded on TV.
    • Quote:

      “The dream of traveling in space was what saved me. It was my refuge.” (08:35, Bernard Harris Jr.)

  • Yet, he also recognized the lack of representation; there were no Black or female astronauts on his TV, underscoring the magnitude of his dream.

Education, Representation, and Dual Passion

• Developing Direction & Exploring Talents:
  • Returning to Texas as a teenager, Harris felt like a “foreigner,” but began exploring his interests in music, science, and medicine.
  • A pivotal moment at a football game made him interested in medicine’s power to help others.
  • Meeting Joe Kerwin, the first US physician-astronaut, revealed it was possible to blend his passions.
    • Quote:

      “I could become a medical doctor and follow in Hoot’s footsteps.” (14:50, Bernard Harris Jr.)

  • Harris stresses the importance of self-discovery and pursuing personal talents, encouraging young people to “spend time with yourself, to figure out what are those natural skills that we’re born with...” (14:12, Bernard Harris Jr.)

Resilience, Setbacks, and Relentless Preparation

• Overcoming Rejection:

  • Upon first applying to the astronaut program, Harris was turned down, but rather than seeing this as failure, he used it as fuel to become “impossible to turn down.”
  • He doubled down:
    • Pursued high-impact research on bone loss in space at NASA Ames
    • Completed a residency in aerospace medicine
    • Earned a pilot’s license

• Persistence Pays Off:

  • Harris accepted a position at Johnson Space Center despite uncertainty (“my dream is closing... may or may not happen”), but kept preparing—ultimately gaining admission to the astronaut corps on his second try.
    • Quote:

      “I wasn’t going to take a chance of another ‘no.’ I was going to do everything I could so they couldn’t say ‘no’.” (25:57, Bernard Harris Jr.)

  • The moment of acceptance was profoundly emotional.
    • Quote:

      “[The commander] looks at me and he goes, ‘Welcome to the fold.’” (28:17, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• Integrity Under Pressure:

  • Harris recounts a situation where standing up for his professional judgment risked political fallout but ultimately earned respect.
    • Quote:

      “Do we give up on who we are? Do we set aside our beliefs... Or do we stand up for what we believe in? I’ve always felt that it’s important...to stand up for what they believe in.” (32:12, Bernard Harris Jr.)

The Space Experience: Profound Perspectives

• The Launch and First Look at Earth:

  • Harris provides a vivid, technical narrative of the violent, exhilarating shuttle ascent (“seven and a half million pounds of thrust...catapulting five million pounds into space”) (33:48, Bernard Harris Jr.) and the abrupt transition from chaos to the silence and weightlessness of orbit.
  • The first window view of Earth was breathtaking:
    • Quote:

      “What I saw was this big blue planet as we’re traveling around at 17,000 miles an hour. It was just incredible...pretty awesome.” (36:14, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• The “Overview Effect”:

  • Viewing Earth from space dissolved all human-constructed boundaries, reinforcing a sense of humanity’s unity and its stewardship of a fragile planet.
    • Quote:

      “You don’t see any boundaries and you don’t see any designations…They would just say, ‘You’re Earthlings.’ And space reminds of this global view we should have of ourselves…” (42:20, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• On Spacewalks—Fear and Awe:

  • Harris describes opening the airlock for his historic spacewalk—the terror (“it gets our attention”) and the awe of floating above Earth, tethered to the shuttle, 17,000 mph beneath him.
    • Quote:

      “The first thing I saw was a hatch opening full of Earth whizzing by at 17,000 miles an hour…It felt like… Earth’s gravity was going to pull me out.” (49:18, Bernard Harris Jr.)

Legacy, Meaning, and Advice

• Return to Earth—Changed Perspective:

  • Harris says all astronauts “fall in love with planet Earth” and come home feeling kinship with humanity above borders and differences.
    • Quote:

      “We have this single thing that holds us together and that is our humanity...we’re all related in some way, in some fashion.” (52:03, Bernard Harris Jr.)

• Fear, Potential, and Destiny:

  • On transcending fear to honor one’s calling:
    • Quote:

      “We are infinite beings with infinite possibilities...It is your duty as an individual to discover who you really are...if you figure out what that calling is and you’re willing to work hard for that calling, you’ll have the greatest success you can have as an individual.” (55:38, Bernard Harris Jr.)

  • Harris cautions against comparing yourself to others, advocating instead for self-measurement (“use your own self as the milestone...as long as that yardstick keeps moving…” (54:38, Bernard Harris Jr.)).

• The Good Life:

  • Closing perspective:
    • “Fulfill your destiny. That is your duty as an individual—to discover who you really are…that’s where you become the complete person you ought to be.” (55:38, Bernard Harris Jr.)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• “The dream of traveling in space was what saved me. It was my refuge.” (08:35, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “I didn’t see him again until I was 18 years old, graduated from high school.” (07:17, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “I always say to young people that one of the things that really is important in your life is to spend time with yourself, to figure out what are those natural skills that we’re born with...” (14:12, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “When you have a goal and you set your heart to it, the universe conspires to make it happen.” (22:19, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “You don’t see any boundaries and you don’t see any designations…in space...they would just say, ‘You’re Earthlings.’” (42:20, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “We are infinite beings with infinite possibilities.” (53:28, Bernard Harris Jr.)
• “Fulfill your destiny. That is your duty as an individual—to discover who you really are…” (55:38, Bernard Harris Jr.)

Important Timestamps

• Childhood Trauma and Moving to Navajo Nation: 05:14 – 11:41
• Discovery of Space as Refuge: 08:35 – 09:46
• Identity and Representation in Early Life: 10:22 – 12:28
• Teenage Realizations and Exploring Talent: 13:25 – 16:47
• Choosing Dual Paths: Medicine & Space: 16:47 – 18:15
• NASA Application Rejection and Response: 21:07 – 25:48
• Moment of Astronaut Corps Acceptance: 25:48 – 28:28
• Standing for Integrity Under Pressure: 29:45 – 32:52
• Detailed Description of Shuttle Launch & First View of Earth: 33:14 – 37:28
• Human Boundaries vs. The “Overview Effect”: 41:26 – 42:20
• Spacewalk Experience & Emotions: 47:38 – 50:34
• Returning to Earth: Lasting Changes: 52:03 – 52:57
• Fear, Infinite Potential, and Destiny: 53:28 – 55:38
• What it Means to Live a Good Life: 55:38 – 56:14

Final Takeaway

Dr. Bernard Harris Jr.'s story is a testament to resilience, preparation, and the unshakeable pursuit of a dream, even in the face of systemic barriers and personal adversity. His journey from a childhood marked by loss to spacewalking astronaut reflects not only exceptional achievement but also a universal lesson: that each of us, by confronting fear and honoring our unique potential, can fulfill our destiny and live a truly good life.