Live Happy Now

We all know that love is important, but why is it sometimes so hard to love ourselves? This week, host  Paula Felps talks Dr. Shainna Ali, a mental health clinician and author who promotes a strengths-based approach to the journey of self-love. Her new children’s book, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self-Love Book for Kids, is designed to help children explore the principles of self-love in their own lives. She explains why this book is so valuable for families and why this was the right time to write it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why self-love is critical in mental well-being. Why it’s so important to teach self-love to children. Simple ways to practice self-love — at any age.

This week, we’re celebrating the 8th anniversary of Live Happy, which published its first magazine issue in October 2013. For this episode, Science Editor and Live Happy Now Host Paula Felps strolls down memory lane with Live Happy Editor Chris Libby to talk about 8 important principles we’ve learned over these 8 years.

Music can help heal our emotional wounds, but it heals us physically, too. This week’s guest, recording artist Paul Cardall, was born with a congenital heart defect that doctors believed he could not survive. But he proved them wrong, and as part of his healing journey, he discovered the power of music. Today, he is a classical pianist who not only creates healing music but shares with others how it can soothe the heart — literally and figuratively. In this episode, you’ll learn: What made Paul turn to music for healing. Why it is beneficial to both the mind and the body. How he uses what he’s learned about music to help others heal.

A Grumble-Free Life with Amy Parker & Tricia Goyer As moms, Amy Parker and Tricia Goyer were no strangers to “the grumbles.” As writers, that led them to team up on the children’s book, The Grumbles: A Story About Gratitude. Find out what inspired this book, how it changed their families and how it can help your family learn to live in gratitude. In this episode, you’ll learn: How (and why) to identify your “grumble style”. What you can do to adopt a more grateful mindset. Why it’s important to teach children a gratitude practice.

Anxiety is at an all-time high these days, but this week’s guest says that might not be such a bad thing! Dr. Wendy Suzuki is a professor of Neural Science and Psychology in the Center for Neural Science at New York University. Her new book, GOOD ANXIETY: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion looks at anxiety in a whole new way and explains how we can use the gift of anxiety to improve our focus, productivity, communication skills and so much more. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why anxiety can become our best ally. What languishing is and what we can do about it. How anxiety can help us build empathy.

Stanford professor and psychologist William Damon didn’t learn the truth about his missing father until he became an adult. That surprising discovery led him on a journey to make peace with his past, and he talks about that journey in his fascinating new book, A Round of Golf with My Father: The New Psychology of Exploring Your Past to Make Peace with Your Present. In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of finding your purpose. What a life review is — and how it can change your future. Why it’s never too late to reevaluate your past.

These days, most of us are taking a more hands-on approach to our health. And this week’s guest is going to explain why both physical and mental health are all in the gut. Dr. Sabine Hazan is a leading researcher and practitioner in the field of the gut microbiome. She’s here to talk about what a gut microbiome is, how it affects our overall well-being, and how to improve your own gut microbiome. In this episode, you’ll learn: What a gut microbiome is. How your gut microbiome affects your mental health. Why your gut microbiome is key to a healthy immune system.

Pets bring us a tremendous amount of joy, but their loss creates a deep sense of grief. This week, as we honor National Dog Day on August 26 and Grief Awareness Day on August 30, we’re looking at the complicated journey of pet loss. This week’s guest, Brittany Derrenbacher, has focused her mental health studies on the complicated journey of pet loss and is here to tell us more about how to navigate this journey. In this episode, you’ll learn: The “3 G’s” of pet loss. Why it’s so important to acknowledge the loss of our pets. The role of gratitude in grief.

Singer songwriter Mary Gauthier has been changing the world one song at a time for the past 20 years. This week, Mary joins host Paula Felps to talk about her new book, Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, which is a fascinating look at the healing power of music both for those who create it and those who listen to it. She also talks with us about her work with SongwritingWith:Soldiers and Frontline Songs, and how those organizations are using music to help individuals heal from the trauma they’ve experienced. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Mary found her calling as a songwriter. Why music is so important to our mental health. How music is helpful in healing from trauma.

The International Positive Psychology Association holds its World Congress to bring together the leading researchers and practitioners every other year. This week, host Paula Felps and Live Happy editor Chris Libby talk about some of the programs we enjoyed during this year’s virtual IPPA World Congress and discuss what research most intrigued and surprised us — and what we’re excited to learn more about. Here’s how that conversation went. In this episode, you’ll learn: The latest research in positive psychology. How the pandemic affected our mental health. The importance of resilience and post-traumatic growth.

Health and happiness go hand in hand, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start creating a healthier home. This week’s guest has been there, and she brought along a roadmap! Tonya Harris, a board-certified holistic nutritionist and author of The Slightly Greener Method, shows us how little adjustments can have a big impact on your family’s health. She shares how to create a cleaner, greener and healthier home. In this episode, you’ll learn: The danger of being “aggressively green.” What the READ method is and how it can guide you on your detox journey. How to spot the toxins in the products you use.

Last year, poet Maggie Smith gave us the book we needed with the bestseller Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity and Change. This year, she’s back with a new book that helps us rediscover the magic of living in the moment. In this episode, Maggie talks about her new book, Goldenrod, which explores such common themes as parenthood, gratitude, solitude, love and loss. Then she explains how she has learned to live in the moment. In this episode, you’ll learn: The importance of slowing down and paying attention to the world around you. How being less busy can make you more productive. The importance of taking time to see things from a new perspective.

As the song says, ya gotta have friends. But do you know just how good they are for you? This week’s guest, Hal Urban, is a lifelong teacher and author whose positive outlook has earned him the nickname, “The Good News Guy.” With his new book, The Power of Good News: Feeding Your Mind With What’s Good for Your Heart, he looks at the importance of positivity in our lives. In this episode, he explains what friendships do for us and how we can better understand and tap into their benefits. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important to seek out friendship. The health benefits we receive from our friendships. How friendships help build more positivity.

Summertime is a great time to catch up on your reading, and this week, we’re going to give you some tips on great positive psychology reads for the rest of your summer. Andrea Goeglein is an author, business consultant and co-founder of the Hey, Boss Lady! podcast. She also has advanced training in positive psychology and incorporates its elements into her work as a success coach for business leaders. This week, she talks about five groundbreaking positive psychology books that can make your summer happier and improve your well-being. In this episode, you’ll learn: What we can learn from the early positive psychology research. Why it’s important to know the roots of current research. How to start building your own reading list.

Stress and anxiety are something we’re all familiar with, but this week’s guest uses the science of epigenetics to discover how stress and trauma from previous generations are affecting us today. Dr. Valerie Rein’s book, Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment, looks at the research behind this reality and provides tools for identifying and managing intergenerational stress. Today, she’s here to talk about how this works in our lives and how we can identify and overcome it. In this episode, you’ll learn: How toxic stress from trauma is passed on through generations. What Patriarchy Stress Disorder is and why it is the cause of so much underlying stress. Why the pandemic was particularly challenging for women — and what to do about it now.

Our world has become increasingly divided, but this week’s guest tells us how we can begin to close that divide. Peter Montoya is a thought leader, speaker and author who promotes civility and self-leadership as tools for change. His new book, The Second Civil War: A citizen’s guide to healing our fractured nation, looks at the challenges we’re facing as a society, how technology and media consumption increases our anxiety, and what each of us can do to help stop the conflict. In this episode, you'll learn: What excessive news consumption and social media do to our brains. How to reduce your anxiety and create a new way to consume media. Actionable steps to begin healing damaged relationships.

Today’s technology-driven world allows us to connect with others and stay informed like never before. But it’s no secret that living in the information age is also keeping us distracted and drained. In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Charles Chaffin, a researcher, educator and the author of Numb: How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back. His research looks at how our attention is being affected by everything from social media and cable news to dating apps and pornography. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the information overload is doing to our mental health. How 24/7 news feeds are affecting our compassion. How we can better manage our attention in such a noisy world.

For almost 20 years, Dr. Kristin Neff has been teaching us about how to improve our well-being through self-compassion. Now, she’s teaching us how to get fierce. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion and her newest book, Fierce Self-Compassion, looks at an often-overlooked aspect of self-compassion. But fierce self-compassion is just as important to our well-being as tender self-compassion, and she’s here to tell us why. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between tender self-compassion and fierce self-compassion. Why it’s particularly important for women to learn how to practice fierce self-compassion. Simple ways to begin implementing fierce self-compassion.

Creativity is something that often gets put on the back burner in our busy lives filled with obligations and deadlines. But Jill Allison Bryan believes that saying “yes” to your creative dreams can help make you a happier, healthier and more fulfilled human being—while making the world a better place. Jill is the founder of Creative Oasis Coaching and she has devoted her life to helping people identify their creative desires and helps them lose their creative blocks to discover freedom, purpose and joy. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why using creativity affects your happiness. How to prioritize creativity — even if you think you’re too busy. How to create your own creativity summer camp.

When the pandemic struck, many people wondered how it was possible to be happy with all the stress and tragedy going on around us. But this week’s guest saw this as a perfect opportunity to understand happiness even better. With his new book, Happier No Matter What, New York Times bestselling author Tal Ben-Shahar looks at how we can cultivate hope, resilience and purpose during the most difficult times of our lives. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why happiness matters during challenging times. What the SPIRE method is and how it can help us. The difference between being happy and being happier.