What Makes Life Worth Living? A Conversation with Dr. Atul Gawande

WE’RE BACK. In today’s season opener of the Everything Happens podcast, Kate Bowler speaks with surgeon, author, and public health leader Dr. Atul Gawande about the deeply human questions that emerge at the intersection of modern medicine and mortality. What does it mean to be a good doctor when a cure isn’t possible? What are patients really asking for when they say they want “quality of life”? What does it really mean to have an end-of-life conversation? Together, they explore caregiving, end-of-life decisions, and how the most meaningful healthcare conversations begin not with solutions—but with questions. Whether you’re navigating chronic illness, caregiving for a parent, or wrestling with what it means to live a good life with limits, this conversation is full of grace, grit, and the kind of clarity that can only come from bearing witness.