Live Happy Now

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.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to remind ourselves of some of the best practices to improve our well-being. Join host Paula Felps as she talks with Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz about some of the new research around happiness, why our mental health is at risk these days, and what we can do about it.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why our happiness is declining and how the lack of civil discourse is exacerbating it. The dangers of toxic positivity. Tips for preserving your mental health in trying times.

We are living in rapidly changing times, and many people feel exhausted by the events that are unfolding. But this week’s guest says that letting go of our attachment to what’s happening could be the best thing for our mental health. Host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Bob Rosen, a bestselling author known for his work on leadership and personal development, about his latest book, Detach: Ditch Your Baggage to Live a More Fulfilling Life. He explains how we sabotage our happiness with unhealthy emotional attachments to events we can’t control and how his strategies can help us detach from the political whiplash we’re experiencing right now.    In this episode, you’ll learn: The 10 attachments that hold us back and block our joy/fulfillment. The role that fear plays in our attachments – and how to confront that fear. How looking at world events objectively changes our response to them.

Scott Crabtree founded the company Happy Brain Science to help others discover well-being rooted in positive psychology. And, as a semi-professional musician, he knows firsthand how we can use music as a tool for boosting our mood and regulating our emotions. During difficult times, music can be particularly helpful, and in this episode, Scott sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about why music is so good for your brain, how it can help us find a state of flow, and how songwriting is a great tool for releasing emotions. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the science says about music and well-being. How Scott uses music to boost his mood. Scott’s top three tips for improving happiness during hard times.

What if the only thing standing between you and a more fulfilling life was your mindset? This week, host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman — a leading cognitive psychologist, professor at Columbia University, director of the Center for Human Potential, and host of The Psychology Podcast — about how today’s culture has helped foster a victim mindset. His latest book, Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself & Realize Your Full Potential, explains what is driving a rise in victim mindset and how it impedes our development. He also tells us how we can start changing this mindset and take control of their lives.    In this episode, you’ll learn: How social media reinforces and rewards the victim mindset. The payoffs that keep us in a victim mindset. How overcoming the victim mindset creates full aliveness and cultivates a richer life.

When Sam Simon’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he used his theatrical experience to chronicle his journey as a caregiver. And when he was diagnosed with cognitive decline in 2022, he turned that into a theatrical experience as well. Today, his one-man play, Dementia Man: An Existential Journey, recounts his journey and reshapes the narrative for families living with dementia and cognitive decline, offering hope and encouragement along the way.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Sam discovered the power of theater. How being on stage and talking about his journey has helped him see his condition differently. What others can learn about living with a terminal condition.

We all have birthdays, but maybe we’re not getting as much out of them as we could! This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming, a birthday aficionado and author of the book and workbook, How to Have a Happy Birthday: Create Meaning, Fulfillment and Joy on Your Special Day. Tamar offers a new spin on how we approach birthdays and explains how we can use it as a yearly chance to drive lasting growth and change.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Tamar discovered the transformational power of birthdays. What happens when you make your birthday an opportunity for growth. Simple ways to change how you celebrate birthdays.

In tumultuous times, mindset matters more than ever. So this week, host Paula Felps sits down with Michael Pilarczyk, bestselling author of the book Master Your Mindset: Live a Meaningful Life and founder of the Meditation Moments app. Michael shares how we can create a happier life — even in the most challenging times — by changing our mindset.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How to let go of negative thinking patterns. Why meditation can be done anywhere — and doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Simple ways to start mastering your mindset.

The release of the World Happiness Report each year offers insight into our global well-being. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Dr. Felix Cheung, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and a faculty fellow at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. He’s also the Canada Research Chair in Population Well-being at the University of Toronto and one of the co-authors of this year’s report. Felix shares what the report tells us about social connections – and where the U.S. stands on this year’s list of Happiest Countries.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What a wallet taught researchers about well-being. The role that sharing meals with others plays in our happiness. Where the U.S. stands on this year’s list of happiest countries.

March 23 is National Puppy Day, which makes it a great time to talk about how and why we celebrate puppies. But before talking about how and why we celebrate that event, host Brittany Derrenbacher sits down with Paula Felps to dive into some new research on petting your dogs that just might change the way you leave the house. Then, Brittany explains what your dog might be thinking while you’re gone. In this episode, you’ll learn: How petting your dog before you leave the house helps ease their anxiety. The physical and emotional benefits humans receive by petting dogs. The origins of National Puppy Day and how to celebrate it.

Some of our most vital connections are those we make with our romantic partners, but they can also be our most challenging. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Greg Kettner, relationship expert Dr Gloria Lee, a professor of counselling psychology and clinical director at Brentwood Counselling Centre in Vancouver, Canada, and author of the best-selling book, The Connected Couple: 7 Secrets to Transforming Your Relationship. She explains what it takes to truly connect as a couple, how to navigate conflict for greater connection and shares a gratitude practice that can change your entire relationship.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why we need to learn our triggers and conflict habits. Tips for de-escalating conflict. Why women are more comfortable seeking therapy — and what men are often surprised to discover.

As we continue exploring the importance of connections, we can’t ignore the growing problem of loneliness in the workplace. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Greg Kettner, a speaker and workplace happiness expert who founded the Work Happy movement. Greg has studied how loneliness at work affects us all, and in this episode, he shares what he’s learned and what we all can do to become more connected and happier in our jobs.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Some of the factors driving loneliness at work. How loneliness affects leaders. The importance of creating deeper connections in the workplace.

As part of Happiness Month, we’re exploring the theme of Connections, so this week, host Paula Felps is joined by Dr. Nichole Argo, founder and executive director of the TogetherUp Institute, which has launched a national movement of Americans who want to connect and collaborate across our differences. Nichole also co-hosts the Reimagining Us podcast, which looks at how to heal division in our communities and create a sense of belonging. In this episode, she shares how we can learn to make connections in a time of polarization and how to start building more connected communities. In this episode, you’ll learn: The SAVE method for understanding our differences. How our differences can strengthen relationships. The 3 essential components of connection.

This week, as we move toward our Happiness Month, we’re bringing you what you might call a happiness double header. In this episode, host Paula Felps is joined by two influencers of the global happiness movement: Deborah Heisz, co-founder of Live Happy, and Karen Guggenheim, founder of the World Happiness Summit (WOHASU). Tune in to find out how connections and community are taking center stage in this year’s celebrations how you can be part of it! In this episode, you’ll learn: What to expect from Live Happy’s #HappyActs campaign this year. How Karen’s journey to happiness is rooted in unhappiness and loss — and how that led her to launch an initiative that is changing lives around the globe. How to be part of WOHASU this year.