Atul Gawande was advised by a colleague to say yes to every opportunity until he turned 40. Since then he’s been a renowned surgeon, a public health leader and government policymaker, and a bestselling author and “New Yorker” writer. In this episode of ReThinking with Adam Grant, he dives into his fascinating career and how he balances his passions for different fields, why he works with a coach even in the operating room, and how he’s working in The White House to end our current pandemic–and prevent the next one.

ReThinking with Adam Grant is another show in the TED Audio Collective. For more episodes on the science of what makes us tick, follow the podcast wherever you're listening to this.

For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/RWAG3