Sep 24, 2026 · 40 min
Small experiments turn disappointment into a fuller life
Give Yourself a Year to Try 12 New Things and Embrace Change
The episode argues that meaningful change comes less from reinvention than from deliberate choices, manageable risks, and learning through failure.
- 1Trying one new experience each month can convert disappointment into curiosity, confidence, and renewed joy.
- 2Writing down dreams and fears helps turn vague ambitions into concrete plans and manageable acts of courage.
- 3A fulfilling life requires responsibility, effort, intentional choices, and accepting failure as part of the process.
Don't miss
Scott recounts hosting a dinner for 12 strangers, turning a simple experiment into a memorable lesson about connection and change.
The brief
Shonda Scott traces her book to a major professional disappointment, then explains how writing and trying new experiences helped her process sadness and recover joy.
The conversation turns dreams into practice: writing fears down, planning deliberately, and taking manageable risks can make intimidating changes feel possible.
Scott’s year included hosting dinner for 12 strangers, a vivid example of how small adventures can create connection without requiring a total life overhaul.
Jason McBride describes leaving an unsustainable legal career and replacing magical thinking with responsibility, effort, attitude, and the choice to act.
Together, Scott, McBride, and Oprah frame failure as temporary information rather than a permanent identity—and experimentation as a lifelong way to renew a life.
Books & mentions
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Give Me a Year, 12 New Things to Embrace Change and Live Your Best Life
The book develops Scott’s yearlong practice of using new experiences to embrace change.
How to Create a Life You Love, No Magical Thinking Required
McBride’s article expands the episode’s argument for practical experimentation and personal responsibility.