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Dan Harris

Co-Founder at Ten Percent Happier

Dan Harris is a retired journalist, author, and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of the Ten Percent Happier app and host of the associated podcast. Born on July 26, 1971, he spent over two decades at ABC News as an anchor for Nightline and Good Morning America's weekend edition. Harris gained prominence after a live on-air panic attack in 2004, which led him to explore meditation as a way to manage stress and anxiety. This journey inspired his New York Times bestselling book, 10% Happier, published in 2014, which promotes mindfulness and meditation as tools for personal growth.123

In 2015, Harris co-founded the Ten Percent Happier app alongside Ben Rubin and Derek Haswell. The app has been widely recognized for making meditation accessible to skeptics and has won multiple accolades. Harris left the company in 2024 due to irreconcilable differences with his co-founders but continues to host the 10% Happier podcast, which remains a significant platform for mindfulness education.23

Harris graduated from Colby College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and resides in the New York City metropolitan area. He is also a sought-after keynote speaker and advocate for practical meditation practices.13

Highlights

Sep 2 · linkedin

As attentive followers know, I try to turn my photo dumps into PSAs.

In this one, I’m going to make the case for rest.

Many of us assume the only way to kick ass professionally is to be relentless. We all know the clichés from the world of hustle culture and productivity porn: Rise and grind; Thank God it’s Monday.

But work and rest are actually two sides of the same coin. This case is made persuasively in the great book, Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. He looks back at some of the greatest thinkers and scientist and artists of recent centuries— and shows that many of them worked shockingly few hours a day. Darwin, for example, did a few hours of work in the morning and then spent much of the rest of the day taking walks.

It’s counterintuitive, but the fact is: excelling at work requires excelling at rest. And it doesn’t have to be napping on the beach, although I’m a fan. It can be active rest, such as exercise or art or cooking.

I used to be terrible at taking vacations. But I’m definitely upping my game. Especially since I retired from my job as a TV anchor to focus full-time on my hitherto bizarre happiness side-hustle.

This summer, my family and I spent a cumulative 3 1/2 weeks at the beach with friends in Montauk.

These are pictures from the last two weeks. The waning days of summer.

If I’m fully honest, I definitely worked on many of those days. But I also did a lot of resting, which included: kid-time, friend-time, bonfires, naps, and even whales.

Side note: the reason I was working is that I have a pretty significant professional announcement coming up soon. Stay tuned for that. Should hit on September 10.

In the meantime, don’t forget to rest.

Inner peace mthrfkrs.

Sep 1 · linkedin

Just being aware of when you’re crossing the line is a great first step to not getting swept away by worry. Let me know in the comments if you’re going to try to be mindful.

#anxiety #worry #overthinking #stress #fear #mentalhealth

Related Questions

What inspired Dan Harris to transition from ABC News to mindfulness and meditation?
How did Dan Harris' on-air panic attack influence his career path?
What are some key takeaways from Dan Harris' book "10% Happier"?
How has the Ten Percent Happier app evolved since its inception?
What are Dan Harris' future projects or endeavors?
Dan Harris
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Location

New York City Metropolitan Area