Book · 2026 · Body, Mind & Spirit
The Other Side of Change
Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans
Why people recommend it
The Other Side of Change by Maya Shankar is an insightful book focused on how individuals can successfully navigate and reinvent themselves when life takes unexpected turns. Jay Shetty heavily championed the book on On Purpose with Jay Shetty, stating that he planned to gift a copy to a friend who had recently lost her job and praising the work for being packed with incredible, actionable insights rather than mere abstract ideas. Shetty congratulated the author on producing such an amazing guide to handling life transitions. Similarly, Mel Robbins welcomed Shankar on The Mel Robbins Podcast to discuss the process of personal reinvention, even reading a passage directly from the third chapter to explore the psychological dimensions of sudden life disruptions. Throughout these podcast discussions, hosts and guests analyzed the two distinct types of change outlined in the text, emphasizing that having practical mental frameworks is vital for turning major setbacks into personal growth and upgrades. The book resonates deeply with audiences because it directly addresses the universal anxiety of uncertainty, offering compassionate and scientifically grounded advice for anyone struggling to adapt after losing stability in their personal or professional lives.
Who recommended it
- Jay Shetty Recommended
- Mel Robbins Discussed
Jay Shetty — 4 mentions
“Well, this book that you wrote, the other side of change, I find it such a fascinating topic and read because I feel like there's two types of change.”
“and why I think you know, her book is the book I'm going to be giving to this lady straight after this conversation.”
“You know, I always feel like there's so much good advice out there now and it's like Maya's book is packed with these incredible insights and I'm like the biggest mistake we can make is go that's a really cool idea and then it just goes over our head.”
“Well, my I'm so happy that you took that brief hiatus and put together this amazing book, The Other Side of Change.”
Mel Robbins — 2 mentions
“Now you're the author of a book about how to reinvent yourself when life takes a turn.”
“I want to read to you uh from chapter 3 of your book.”
Other mentions (7: passing, ad reads, own books)
“Now, she's the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Other Side of Change.”
“One of the topics that I explore in the book is called possible selves.”
“As a podcaster, hosting a slight change of plans, writing the other side of change. All of these pursuits have been about forging deep emotional connections with people.”
“The title's not an accident. The other side of change.”
“And the people that I interviewed for the other side of change by and large aren't happy that they had to go through what they went through.”
“You know, and so it's so interesting because I was seeing I went into write, by the way, writing the other side of change pretty agnostic as to what I would find.”
“I realized, by the way, so one of the chapters in the other side of change is about a woman who has to revisit her relationship um with her family history.”