Hello from Team Simon! We’re taking a short hiatus, but A Bit of Optimism will return with brand-new episodes March 24th. In the meantime, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes. Episodes that many of you who listened, shared them, and told us what resonated.

This week, we’re bringing back Simon’s conversation with journalist, author, and longtime friend Maria Shriver.

Maria Shriver was born into the legendary Kennedy and Shriver families, arriving with a script already written for her—an identity shaped by legacy and expectation. From the start, the world had ideas about who she should be. But after decades as a journalist, years as California’s First Lady, and raising four amazing kids, Maria has been on a lifelong journey to peel back the layers and ask Who am I now?—and answer it for herself.

Maria also happens to be Simon’s best friend. They talked about how they became each other’s “8-minute friends,” the quiet questions that shape us, and Maria’s beautiful new book of poetry—which she reads from in this episode. It’s all about identity, self-reflection, and finding your voice in a world that keeps trying to define it for you.

If you’ve ever wondered who you are beyond what you do or how to rediscover yourself after life changes, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that identity is something we can reclaim again and again.

This… is A Bit of Optimism.
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For more on Maria Shriver, check out: her book: https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-am-mar...

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Revisited: The Kennedy Family and the Search for Self with Journalist Maria Shriver

A Bit of Optimism