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Dan Harris Profile

  • Harris is the author of 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times best-selling book about a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who stumbles upon meditation.

  • Former co-anchor of Nightline and the weekend edition of Good Morning America.

  • Harris has received Murrow and Emmy awards for his reporting.
  • Dan Harris is the former co-anchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC News, as well as a former correspondent for such broadcasts as Nightline and World News Tonight. He is also the author of 10% Happier, a #1 New York Times best-selling book about a fidgety, skeptical news anchor who stumbles upon meditation. This ancient practice – too long associated exclusively with hippies and robed gurus – has been shown by modern science to boost resilience, focus, creativity, emotional intelligence, and overall mental and physical health. With meditation and mindfulness now being embraced by executives, athletes, educators, and entertainers, Harris has become a leading voice for pushing for the practice into the mainstream, using plain English and dry humor. He has spoken in front of a variety of audiences—corporations, health and wellness organizations, and schools and universities.

    In 10% Happier, Harris tells his story as only a reporter can: through deep research, tough questions, and a healthy dose of irony. The book is part investigation and part immersive journalism: one man’s accidental quest to boost his happiness quotient without losing his professional drive. After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower blood pressure to essentially rewire the brain, Harris took a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even Marines who use the practice to be calmer, happier, and less yanked around by their emotions. The book takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, leaving them with takeaways that could actually change their lives.

    The app Harris co-founded—called 10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics—mixes the irreverence of the book with simple, practical, down-to-earth instructions. Users receive short daily videos, in which Dan discusses the practice with some of the world’s greatest teachers. The app also comes with a personal coach, who can answer questions and keep users accountable.

    10% Happier is also available in podcast form, and features in-depth conversations about meditation and happiness with celebrities, doctors, scholars, and other icons, including the Dalai Lama.

    Harris’ new book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics,  quickly made its way onto the New York Time’s Best-seller list.

    Previously, Harris was the anchor of the Sunday edition of World News. He regularly contributed stories on ABC for such shows as 20/20World News Tonight with David Muir, and the weekday edition of Good Morning America. Harris has reported from all over the world, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine, and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. He has also spent many years covering America’s faith scene, with a focus on evangelicals — who have treated him kindly despite the fact that he is openly agnostic.

    Harris has been at ABC News for 16 years, receiving Murrow and Emmy awards for his reporting. Prior to joining ABC, he was in local news in Boston and Maine.

    Harris grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife, Bianca, and their son, Alexander, in New York City.

    Dan Harris Speaking Videos

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    Dan Harris's Speech Descriptions

    10% Happier: Unlike over-promising self-help gurus who guarantee overnight life-changing miracles, Harris advocates simple, secular, scientifically validated ways to boost your happiness.

    Emotional intelligence: How to not to get “yanked around” by your emotions, learning to “respond, not react” to events in your work and personal life.

    Focus: The new science on how to stay on task in the age of “omni-connectivity” and the “info-Blitzkrieg.”

    Resilience: How to bounce back more quickly and effectively from career and personal setbacks.

    Tackling the Myths, Misconceptions, and Self-Deceptions That Stop People from Meditating

    Behind the Camera: My Life and Work in Television News

    Mindfulness/Meditation: Why it's Being Embraced by an Elite Subculture of High Performers; The Science That Shows it Can Change Your Brain; a No-Nonsense, Namaste-free Explanation of How to Do It

    What People are Saying about Seeing Dan Speak

    Rating Entries

    “Dan accomplished an amazing feat when he convinced a crowd of busy, skeptical New York Googlers to “just sit there” for 5 minutes a day. Speaking as part of our Authors series, Dan’s light approach to meditation was both disarming and refreshing, entertaining and informative. Many in our audience remarked that the talk sparked or deepened their interest in meditating and that they planned to share the video with family and friends. Who ever thought a talk about doing “nothing” could be so engaging?’
    —Melissa Carroll, Google

    “Dan Harris did a fantastic job at our conference. He was rated the number one presenter of the day by attendees who called him ‘fresh, energetic’ and felt he put ‘new and exciting ideas out there.’ I know of at least two people who ordered his book online from the audience. I would highly recommend him as a presenter.”
    — Maya Draisin, Executive Producer, WIRED BizCon

    “Our audience loved Dan Harris and his book! In an honest and humorous presentation followed by moderated Q+A, he brought into clear focus a topic that many perceive to be so blurry. Our evening with Dan was delightful and truly engaging, like being with a best friend, but better. Each of us emerged heading further in the direction of mindfulness.”
    — Patricia Lynch, Executive Producer of Writers in the Loft at The Music Hall, Portsmouth NH

    “Dan was a surprise hit of our summit, offering a thought-provoking, timely and engaging presentation that was punctuated by candid dialogue with his audience. His personal journey that led him into the world of meditation is captivating, endearing and, at times, funny. All of this makes for a wonderful, motivating and memorable experience.”
    — Jack Blitch, Vice-President and GM, Walt Disney Imagineering

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    Books by Dan Harris:

    10% Happier – How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story

    Winner of the Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Memoir

    Nightline anchor Dan Harris embarks on an unexpected, hilarious, and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange worlds of spirituality and self-help, and discovers a way to get happier that is truly achievable.

    After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan Harris knew he had to make some changes. A lifelong nonbeliever, he found himself on a bizarre adventure, involving a disgraced pastor, a mysterious self-help guru, and a gaggle of brain scientists. Eventually, Harris realized that the source of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, which had both propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business and also led him to make the profoundly stupid decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out.

    We all have a voice in our head. It’s what has us losing our temper unnecessarily, checking our email compulsively, eating when we’re not hungry, and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. Most of us would assume we’re stuck with this voice – that there’s nothing we can do to rein it in – but Harris stumbled upon an effective way to do just that. It’s a far cry from the miracle cures peddled by the self-help swamis he met; instead, it’s something he always assumed to be either impossible or useless: meditation. After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain, Harris took a deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness.

    10% Happier takes readers on a ride from the outer reaches of neuroscience to the inner sanctum of network news to the bizarre fringes of America’s spiritual scene, and leaves them with a takeaway that could actually change their lives.

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