Live Happy Now

We all want and need relationships — but you might be surprised to find out how little we actually know about them! This week, bestselling author Eric Barker joins us to talk about his newest book, Plays Well With Others, that takes a deep dive into friendships, marital relationships and every other kind of relationship to explore what we’re doing right, where we could improve and how the pandemic has changed the way we look at our relationships. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why friendships are the most important relationships we have. What science says we can do to build stronger friendships. How the way we fight with our spouse predicts the outcome of our relationship.

If you’re one of those sensitive people out there, congratulations – you’re about to learn what an incredible superpower it is. This week’s guest is Katie Abey, author of the new children’s book We Feel Happy, which helps children explore their feelings. As a sensitive person herself, Katie is aware of some of the challenges that can bring, and her book is designed to help children learn more about their feelings and how to embrace them. And the great new is – it works for adults, too! In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important for children to learn to identify and embrace their feelings. How parents and other adults can help on this journey. How Katie uses art to help others “be proud of their weirdness.”

Music is a great tool for bringing people together, and during the days of lockdown, the Marsh Family from the UK began sharing song parodies to express what they were going through. As it turns out they were exactly what the world needed, and their viral videos now have received more than 30 million views. They were dubbed the “Von Trapped Family” by the New York Times, and in this episode of On a Positive Note, parents Ben and Danielle Marsh talk about how their family’s humorous approach to the pandemic helped them keep their own sanity while turning their family into a global sensation. In this episode, you’ll learn: What inspired them to start doing parodies. How humor has helped them tackle tough topics. How singing together has brought them closer as a family.

June is Pride month, which makes it the perfect time to revisit the theme of unity. This week’s guest, Wes Schmitz, is co-host of the popular Two Bottles Deep Podcast, which is designed to open up conversations between the gay and straight communities. Wes has been connecting people his entire life and his podcast has picked up an unexpected following thanks to its honest, open conversational approach. Let’s hear what he has to say about how listening really can build a bridge and create more unity. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s so important for the gay and straight communities to listen to one another. How this could help us find unity in other areas. Why Wes thinks the Two Bottle Deep Podcast has been so well-received by a surprising audience demographic.

In this always-on world, it can be a challenge to find downtime. But cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Sara Mednick, author of the new book, The Hidden Power of the Downstate, says that spending too much time in our upstate is leaving us unhappy, exhausted and unhealthy. In this episode, she explains the need for us to discover our downstate and leverage it to enjoy a healthier, happier life. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the downstate is and why it’s so important. How spending too much time in the upstate can harm your health. What activities we can engage in to get some of the same health benefits as being in our downstate.

Wil Wheaton burst into the spotlight in 1986 in the iconic coming of age movie Stand By Me. He went on to play many more roles throughout his teen and young adult years, including starring as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation and playing a version of himself on the hit TV show, The Big Bang Theory. But his success hid a childhood filled with trauma and abuse that led to a lifetime of depression, anxiety and complex PTSD. In his new memoir, Still Just a Geek, Wil opens up about his life and explains how he came to grips with his past. This week, he talks about why it’s so important to him to talk openly about mental health. In this episode, you’ll learn: What led Wil to revisit his life in his new memoir. How writing the book helped him find empathy and compassion for his younger self. Why it’s so important for him to normalize the conversation around mental health.

Can a doodle improve your mental health? If it’s drawn by Danny Casale, it just might! Under the moniker of Coolman Coffeedan, Danny is using his art to provide encouragement, make people laugh, and even explore the challenges of mental health. His work took off during the pandemic, and now he has millions of followers who rely on his adorable characters to uplift and inspire them. His new book UR Special: Advice for Humans from Coolman Coffeedan, tackles topics ranging from loneliness and anxiety to grief and self-confidence. And just like this conversation, his art will make you smile.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How Danny turned doodling into a mental health movement. Why it’s important to him to address mental health issues openly. Why he thinks so many people are connecting with his drawings.

Music is one of the most powerful — and accessible — tools we have for improving our mental health.  On this episode of On a Positive Note, host Paula Felps is joined by acclaimed music therapist Jennifer Buchanan, author of Wellness, Wellplayed: The Power of a Playlist, to talk about the many ways music can be used as a tool for healing and growth. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why music and mental health go hand in hand. How to make a purposeful playlist. What an “anchor song” is and how it can help change your mental state.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders today, and it affects more than 40 million people. Today’s guest, Liza Kindred is a licensed minister, reiki practitioner and meditation teacher whose work has been featured in publications worldwide. Her new Calm Your Anxiety Journal is a hands-on workbook to walk users through their anxiety, discover their personal triggers and use journaling and other practices to make peace with it finally. In this episode, you’ll learn: What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it. Why it’s important to acknowledge and talk about our trauma. How to start rewiring your brain and develop new habits to calm the chaos.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we’re taking on some of the tough topics around mental health. This week’s guest is Mattie Cummins, a counselor, brain coach, and CEO of Cerebrations, which provides counseling and coaching for people with anxiety, chronic pain, neurodiversity and other life transitions. Her mission is to empower people to tap into their own inner strength, beauty and experiences to calm their mental chaos, and she talks about some of the tools we can use to create more calm and joy in our lives.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it. Why it’s important to acknowledge and talk about our trauma. How to start rewiring your brain and develop new habits to calm the chaos.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here at Live Happy, we realize that happiness and good mental health go hand in hand. So we’ve brought the whole crew together to talk about it! Throughout the month of May, we’re going to focus on tools for better mental health. But to kick it off, our team sat down for a conversation about how the past couple of years have affected each of us and some of the ways we’ve coped. Joining host Paula Felps for this special episode are Live Happy CEO and Co-Founder Deborah Heisz; e-commerce Marketing Manager Casey Johnson; Web Editor Chris Libby; Senior Marketing Manager Britney Chan; and Senior Digital Marketing Specialist Shane Lee. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s so important to talk about mental health. How the pandemic increased anxiety and loneliness. Practices we use for improving mental health.

We all want to live longer, healthier lives — and if we can get younger while doing it, well then, all the better! In this episode, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald joins host Paula Felps to talk about her new book, Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better. Kara is one of the leading voices in the intersection of nutrition, epigenetics and aging, and she’s here to talk about what her research says about how to not just become healthier, but to actually reduce our biological age from the inside out.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between genetics and epigenetics — and how each one affects your health. What nutrients can help slow aging and improve your health. How exercise suppresses tumors — and why it becomes more valuable as you age.

Every one of us has a dreamer inside, but as we grow up, we often forget to listen to them. On this inaugural episode of On a Positive Note, host Paula Felps sits down with songwriter and recording artist Sylvia, who’s best known for her mega hit “Nobody.” Now, Sylvia has released the concept album Nature Child – A Dreamer’s Journey, which is earning rave reviews and has put her back on the Billboard music charts. Listen to find out how this album was 30 years in the making and why it’s time to awaken the dreamer in all of us. In this episode, you’ll learn: How her early concert audiences inspired this album. Why the pandemic became the perfect time to explore these songs. Why it’s so important to rediscover our inner dreamer.

We celebrate Earth Day on April 22, so this week we’re asking not what our planet can do for us — but what we can do for our planet. On this episode, host Paula Felps is joined by Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, an assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and author of Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life. In this timely episode, Dana talks about how we can create a healthier, happier and more environmentally friendly life — and even get our kids involved!   In this episode, you’ll learn: How eating more plants and less meat helps the planet. Why taking care of our health is beneficial to the environment. The role of CSAs and community gardens in improving the environment.

A sense of humor – and a sense of purpose – are key ingredients for living a happy life. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Emmy Award-winning actress Sharon Gless about how she has used both of those attributes throughout her storied career. In her funny but touching new memoir, Apparently There Were Complaints, Sharon talks candidly about her journey to success as well as her struggles with alcohol, marriage and menopause. In this episode, she talks about some of the highlights of that journey and the important roles that gratitude and purpose have played in her life.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How humor has helped her handle life’s challenges. What she learned about taking responsibility for everything in her life — and how that changed her life. How the characters she’s portrayed have affected her.

There are many ways to practice happiness, but the key is to find what works for you – and make a habit out of it. This week, Jackson Kerchis sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about Rewired, his Happiness Habit Challenge beginning April 11 designed to help you develop three solid happiness-supporting habits over 30 days. Jackson is founder of the Happiness Studies major at the University of Alabama, and now he’s offering this crash course in creating happier habits. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to go from “knowing” to “doing.” The importance of training your brain for happiness. How small changes in daily habits can produce big results.

April is National Humor Month, which is the perfect time to talk about how to bring more laughter into your life. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Greg Kettner, a TEDx speaker, happiness coach and podcaster who helps organizations create happier, healthier cultures through his WorkHappy™ Game Plan. He teaches companies how to use laughter as a leadership tool, and he talks about the power of humor, how he turned the loss of a job into an entire happiness movement – and what you can do to work happier. In this episode, you’ll learn: How laughter makes our workplace — and our world — better. How humor can increase productivity and job satisfaction. How to apply the WorkHappy™ principles.

Throughout the month of March we’ve been taking on the issue of unity. Today, host Paula Felps is joined by Reverend Jennifer Bailey, who, in addition to being named one of the 15 Faith Leaders to Watch by the Center for American Progress, is the founder of Faith Matters Network. She’s also co-founder of The People’s Supper, which brings people together to engage constructively on issues affecting their communities. This project has brought together thousands of people to create a space for collective healing … all while enjoying a nourishing meal and civil conversation. She’s here today to share some of the tools she uses for bridging our differences.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why getting curious can help build a bridge. The role of radical hope in bridging our differences. The benefits of spending time with “senior saints and playground prophets.”

As we continue celebrating March as the month of happiness, we’re using this time to focus on the theme of unity. This week, thought leader and author Peter Montoya joins host Paula Felps to talk about how to restore civil discourse and promote healing in these challenging — and divided — times. Peter’s latest book,  The Second Civil War: A citizen’s guide to healing our fractured nation, looks at the challenges we’re facing as a society and how things like technology and media consumption increase our anxiety. Then he talks about what we can do to promote unity and civility. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the world feels so divided right now. Simple ways to avoid being triggered. How to change the conversation to promote civil discourse.

Throughout the month of March, we’re celebrating the International Day of Happiness and a whole month of Happy Acts. And, as part of this year’s celebration, we’re looking at the theme of unity. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Jessie Kanzer, author of Don’t Just Sit There, Do Nothing: Healing, Chilling & Living with the Tao Te Ching. Jessie talks about social media and how we can use it to become less divided. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why social media is so addictive. How to become more mindful about what you’re posting — and what you’re consuming. Tips for creating healthier relationships on social media.