Live Happy Now

What if practicing happiness was as simple as learning your ABC’s? This week, host Paula Felps talks with work psychologist and certified Chief Happiness Officer Klaudia Mitura, author of The Alphabet of Happiness. After a series of life challenges during the pandemic, Klaudia embarked on a hands-on happiness experiment, testing evidence-based practices and transforming them into accessible, everyday tools. That led to a podcast and her new book, which helps us cultivate happiness through small, intentional habits. From cold showers to gut health, Klaudia offers a fresh, practical take on what it means to thrive. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to create your own happiness experiments using science-backed micro-habits. Why cold showers can boost dopamine and improve mood for hours. How gut health directly influences emotional well-being and resilience.

We talk a lot about how trauma affects our mental health, but have you thought about what it does to your body? In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Aimie Apigian, author of The Biology of Trauma, to explore how trauma is stored not just in our minds but in our bodies — and how that impacts our physical health, relationships, and overall well-being. Drawing from her experience as a physician and foster parent, Dr. Aimie shares how traditional talk therapy often misses the mark, and why understanding trauma as a biological process opens the door to more effective healing. In this episode, you'll learn: How trauma differs from stress — and why trauma, not stress, is what makes us sick. Why stored trauma shows up in physical symptoms, emotional patterns, and relationship dynamics. How somatic self-practices can help shift your nervous system and begin healing —even when energy is low.

Labor Day is behind us, so that means we’re putting the lid on summer and getting ready to roll into fall. But that doesn’t mean we can’t take our lighthearted summer vibe with us. This week, on the heels of our Summer of Fun campaign with Mike Rucker, PhD, we’re telling you how to start planning now to use what we’ve learned from this campaign to make it a fun-filled fall. What you’ll learn: Why it’s so important to commit to fun during the fall and winter. Tips for incorporating more fun into life’s busy seasons. How scheduling fun adds joy to more areas of our life.

In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with psychotherapist and author John Tsilimparis about his transformative approach to grief. John shares insights from his new book, Magic in the Tragic: Rewriting the Script on Grief and Discovering Happiness in our Darkest Days, offering a that blends emotional healing with beauty, purpose, and resilience. Drawing from personal loss and clinical experience, John introduces powerful concepts like “constructive aching” and “painful joy,” encouraging listeners to move toward their grief rather than away from it. He also shows how grief can become a gateway to growth, meaning, and even happiness. In this episode, you'll learn: How to use “inspiration exposure” to activate healing and emotional resilience. Why pairing grief with beauty can transform your experience of loss. Practical tools to reframe painful memories and foster personal growth.

This week, meet Happy Activist Gabri Blankson, who is using film to illuminate teen mental health. Her award-winning short film MIME, created through the Black Girls Film Camp, explores the emotional impact of pandemic isolation through a fantasy lens, using mimes as metaphors for internal struggles. Drawing from personal experience and inspired by Inside Out, Gabri crafted a visually expressive story that resonates deeply with young audiences. She also developed a downloadable viewers guide to help audiences interpret emotional cues and access mental health resources — proving that storytelling can be both healing and transformative. What you'll learn: How Gabri used metaphor and fantasy to express complex emotional experiences. What led her to focus on the challenges of mental health and isolation during the pandemic. How she developed her viewers’ guide — and how it enhances emotional awareness and encourages open dialogue.

If you’re looking to lose the stress in your life, this week’s guest has a spoiler alert: The only people without stress are dead. But the good news is, you can learn to turn that stress into a powerful ally for change and growth. This week, host Paula Felps talks with stress physiologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss, whose new book, Springboard: Transform Stress to Work For You, explains how to make the most of it. She offers tips on how to harness stress and look at it in a whole new way to help you change your relationship with it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why self-help practices often fall short in managing stress and what to do instead. How transforming your physiology allows stress to serve you rather than causing you to spiral into fear. What the FEAR(less) Stress Formula is and how it can help you manage stress effectively.

Many people today feel unfocused or overwhelmed, and that’s not just a challenge for our heads; it could be harming our hearts. Join us as host Paula Felps talks with cardiologist and health psychologist Dr. Alan Rozanski, who offers a groundbreaking look at how our mindset influences our heart and overall well-being. He explains how chronic stress, emotional negativity, and mental clutter can physically impact your heart function and increase disease risk. Then, he shares how to shift your thinking and cultivate energy, optimism, and a sense of purpose to thrive in today’s distracted world. In this episode, you’ll learn: How mental clutter and chronic stress trigger harmful physical effects like inflammation and heart dysfunction. Why focusing with intention and nurturing emotional vitality are key to sustained well-being. How the Six Domains of Health can guide you toward a more balanced, purpose-driven, and heart-friendly lifestyle.

Are you struggling to find hope these days? You’re not alone. But this week, resiliency expert Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe returns to share what hope can do for you and, importantly, where to find it. With her signature blend of science and soul, Dr. Robyne explains how hope calms the brain, strengthens resilience, and helps us navigate uncertainty. If you’re managing stress, feeling world-weary, or just need a reset, this conversation reminds us that hope is something we can build into our everyday lives. What you'll learn when you listen: Why hope is biologically and psychologically beneficial (hello, “hope molecules”!). How to design your day to support resilience and emotional well-being. The difference between hope and optimism — and why it matters.

Summer vacations aren't just fun; they’re essential for your mental well-being. In this episode, host Paula Felps and Live Happy CEO Deborah Heisz share how unplugging from daily stress can spark creativity and emotional clarity, and why even a staycation (if done right!) can deliver major mood boosts. Whether you're heading to Hawaii or hanging out in your backyard, this episode is your permission slip to reset, reflect, and reconnect. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why taking a vacation can make you a better parent, partner, and employee. The best ways to prepare for a vacation to make it more refreshing. How to make the “reset” of a vacation last longer.

Can you giggle your way to inner peace? In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with author Tom Rosshirt to explore the joyful — and surprisingly profound — power of silliness. Drawing from his book, Chasing Peace: A Story of Breakdowns, Breakthroughs, and the Spiritual Power of Neuroscience, Tom reveals how embracing our goofy side can be both spiritually liberating and scientifically beneficial. From dancing like no one’s watching to reciting nursery rhymes alone, silliness helps us sidestep rigid self-images, face embarrassing emotions, and retrain our brains for resilience. In this episode, you’ll learn: How silliness acts as a spiritual practice. Why laughter and childlike play can retrain the brain and reduce stress. Simple, everyday ways to embrace your silly side (even if it feels embarrassing at first).

This summer, recharge your happiness with a tech break! In this episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with digital wellness expert Amy Blankson to explore how an intentional digital detox can bring more joy, focus, and freedom to your day. Whether you're unplugging for five minutes or five days, Amy shares clever strategies to help you reconnect — with yourself and your summer bucket list. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why summer is the perfect time to ditch your device. How tiny tech-free habits can spark lasting happiness and calm. Smart tips for replacing screen time with soul-filling activities.

This week, host Paula Felps chats with Scott Crabtree, chief happiness officer at Happy Brain Science, about the surprising science behind music festivals. In this energizing episode, you’ll discover how live music fires up your brain with feel-good chemicals, why dancing helps bust stress and boost memory, and how festivals foster powerful connections that fight loneliness. Whether you're a seasoned festivalgoer or thinking about jumping back in, this episode makes the case for putting live music on your summer self-care list. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why music festivals support improved well-being. How music festivals can help us feel more connected. How to start your own “music therapy” practice.

This week on Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Emely Rumble — licensed clinical social worker, bibliopsychotherapist, and author of Bibliotherapy in the Bronx — to explore the healing power of stories. Emely shares how fiction, poetry, and even children’s books can help us reflect, process emotions, and build empathy in ways traditional self-help books can’t. With summer reading season in full swing, she explains how to create your own “book prescription” for better mental health and reconnect with the joy of reading — not as a task, but as a tool for transformation.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What bibliotherapy is — and why it works. How engaging with fiction can help us heal. How to start your own bibliotherapy practice.

Dreams aren’t just fleeting images; they’re powerful tools for transformation. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Bonnie Buckner, PhD, founder of the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery®, to explore how dreams can unlock creativity, solve life’s toughest challenges, and help us live with greater purpose. As an expert in creative dreamwork, Buckner blends insights from cognitive psychology, neurobiology, and leadership coaching to reveal how an ancient dreaming method can reshape personal and professional lives. Her new book, The Secret Mind: Unlock the Power of Dreams to Transform Your Life, explains how to embrace dreamwork for deeper self-discovery and creative breakthroughs. Get ready to rethink the way you dream! In this episode, you’ll learn: How dreams can tell us more about what we need. How to create a dreaming practice and use it to solve challenges. How children can use dreaming as a tool for creativity and transformation.

Summer officially begins on June 20, and that’s the perfect time to bring back Live Happy’s Summer of Fun! We’ve teamed up with organizational psychologist Mike Rucker, PhD, to offer a free eight-week email course based on the principles of his book, The Fun Habit: How the Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life. In this episode, he explains how this course will help you learn to program your life for fun this summer — and beyond. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why making a commitment to have fun is so important to your mental health. How to make room for more fun in your life. What to expect when you commit to having a Summer of Fun.

When we talk about becoming strong women, we’re often not talking about something physical. But this week’s guest explains how reclaiming our physical power can also build our inner strength. Anne Marie Chaker is a veteran journalist and professional bodybuilder who discovered the connection between strength training and inner transformation. In her debut book, LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives, she shares her personal story and the research showing how strength training can help women find true power and confidence. In this episode, you’ll learn: What led Anne Marie to discover the transformative power of strength training — and how it changed every aspect of her life. Why increasing physical strength has such a powerful emotional effect for women. Where women can start their own quest for strength.

In a time of deep division and unease, overcoming our loneliness and uncertainty is a massive challenge. This week, award-winning author, educator, lawyer, scientist, and meditation teacher Anu Gupta sits down with host Paula Felps to explain how — and where — we can start. His best-selling book, Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them, is a rich toolkit to help each of us understand how to cultivate the wisdom and compassion we need to transcend the bias, exclusion, and turmoil in the world around us. In this episode, you’ll learn: The five causes of biases and how they’re playing out today. How social media reinforces our biases and how to use it more intentionally. How to stay calm and mindful when we’re feeling emotionally triggered.

As we wrap up mental health awareness month, it’s a great time to talk with someone who is literally changing how we talk about mental health. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Dominic Lawson, an accomplished, award-winning podcaster whose new show, Mental Health Rewritten, is tackling stigmatized mental health topics head-on. By taking on issues surrounding addiction and recovery, he is changing the way we talk about such things as sex, suicide, and cultural identity — and is teaching all of us about the role of empathy in overcoming shame.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The connection between addiction, recovery, and mental health. Why it’s important to break through shame and isolation. The role of family in mental health and addiction recovery.

Our brains are incredibly powerful, and the trick is to learn how to make them work for us, not against us. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Kyra Bobinet, a physician, public health leader, and behavior change designer whose work focuses on how to build optimal health for a more fulfilling life. Her new book, Unstoppable Brain: The New Neuroscience That Frees Us From Failure, Eases Our Stress, and Creates Lasting Change explores a relatively new area of study that changes what we know about how our brain influences our habits, self-care, and addictions — and how we can use these findings to improve our well-being.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The role of the habenula in losing our motivation and managing failure. How growing up in trauma hijacks our brains and heightens our reactivity. How social media and doomscrolling affect your brain — and how an iterative mindset can help you get unstuck.

By now, we’ve all heard how important friendships and connections are for our well-being, but sometimes we’re unsure where to find those connections. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Lori Whatley, a clinical psychologist and author who specializes in the effects of digital usage on our relationships. Her new book, Happier Together: How to Find Your People and Make Friends That Last, walks us through how we can create new connections, deepen existing ones, and discover what we need from our friends. She’ll even tell us the exact number of close friends that we need for our well-being!  In this episode, you’ll learn: How to intentionally seek out friends. How to identify what you need in a friend. Tips for deepening your current friendships.