Uploaded September 2022 | Updated September 2026, 13 minutes ago
SHOW BACKGROUND:
3 Books is an award-winning podcast discussing life's biggest themes through the 3 most formative books of an inspiring guest. Past guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Roxane Gay, Judy Blume, Quentin Tarantino, etc.
GUEST BACKGROUND:
“I want to make you dizzy.”
“I want to make you look up into the sky and comprehend, maybe for the first time, the darkness that lies beyond the evanescent wisp of the atmosphere, the endless depths of the cosmos, a desolation by degrees.”
These two lines begin an incredible poem called “Disorientation” by Katie Mack.
Did you feel dizzy reading it? I do!
What is the universe? Where did it come from? How long will it last? How could it end?
The vastness of these questions overwhelm most.
But, if you're Katie Mack growing up in California, you run toward them. You pick up a book called A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking and continue chasing these near-impossible questions and just never stop, through an undergrad in Physics at CalTech and a PhD in Astrophysics from Princeton.
Today Dr Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology (the study of the universe from beginning to end). Her wonderful book THE END OF EVERYTHING (ASTROPHYSICALLY SPEAKING) is a New York Times bestseller and goes through a helpful history of the universe before exploring a number of different ways the universe might end. At times complex, but thankfully accessible, reading her book is like hanging out with a really smart friend.
Since June 2022, Katie is the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics where we reached her. This is a relatively new institute based in Waterloo, Canada, and it's where Katie does research on the early universe and engages in conversations, like the one we are having today, or with her 426,367 twitter followers @AstroKatie, to make physics more accessible to the general public.
We talk: big puzzles, time, malleable fabric, wordplay, living on mars, the possibility of alien life, "colonizing" space, Katie’s 3 most formative books and so much more.
This is a mind expanding conversation. You'll hear me playing catch-up. Not sure I ever caught up, or ever will, but Katie is a gift to the world.
Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Katie Mack (@AstroKatie)
For full show notes: 3books.co/chapters/112
For more on the podcast: 3books.co
I will try my best to answer the comments below.
Thanks for listening!
Neil
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
SHOW BACKGROUND:
3 Books is an award-winning podcast discussing life's biggest themes through the 3 most formative books of an inspiring guest. Past guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, Roxane Gay, Judy Blume, Quentin Tarantino, etc.
GUEST BACKGROUND:
“I want to make you dizzy.”
“I want to make you look up into the sky and comprehend, maybe for the first time, the darkness that lies beyond the evanescent wisp of the atmosphere, the endless depths of the cosmos, a desolation by degrees.”
These two lines begin an incredible poem called “Disorientation” by Katie Mack.
Did you feel dizzy reading it? I do!
What is the universe? Where did it come from? How long will it last? How could it end?
The vastness of these questions overwhelm most.
But, if you're Katie Mack growing up in California, you run toward them. You pick up a book called A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking and continue chasing these near-impossible questions and just never stop, through an undergrad in Physics at CalTech and a PhD in Astrophysics from Princeton.
Today Dr Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology (the study of the universe from beginning to end). Her wonderful book THE END OF EVERYTHING (ASTROPHYSICALLY SPEAKING) is a New York Times bestseller and goes through a helpful history of the universe before exploring a number of different ways the universe might end. At times complex, but thankfully accessible, reading her book is like hanging out with a really smart friend.
Since June 2022, Katie is the Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics where we reached her. This is a relatively new institute based in Waterloo, Canada, and it's where Katie does research on the early universe and engages in conversations, like the one we are having today, or with her 426,367 twitter followers @AstroKatie, to make physics more accessible to the general public.
We talk: big puzzles, time, malleable fabric, wordplay, living on mars, the possibility of alien life, "colonizing" space, Katie’s 3 most formative books and so much more.
This is a mind expanding conversation. You'll hear me playing catch-up. Not sure I ever caught up, or ever will, but Katie is a gift to the world.
Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Katie Mack (@AstroKatie)
For full show notes: 3books.co/chapters/112
For more on the podcast: 3books.co
I will try my best to answer the comments below.
Thanks for listening!
Neil
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
