Live Happy Now

In this episode, therapist, author, and spiritual counselor Nancy Colier joins us to explore one of the most powerful forces shaping our emotional lives: the stories we tell ourselves. In her new book Narratives: Let Go of the Stories That Keep You Stuck, Nancy explains how our minds fill in the blanks of everyday life, often creating meaning that feels true but isn’t grounded in reality. Join Nancy as she shows us how to recognize when we’ve slipped into a “narrative trance,” how to question the assumptions that fuel our suffering, and how dropping our stories can bring us back into the present moment — where clarity, resilience, and new possibilities live. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why our minds create narratives — and how those stories quietly shape our emotional lives. How to spot a “narrative trance” and step out of it before it hijacks your reactions. How letting go of old stories helps you meet life with more clarity, compassion, and freedom.

For more than 35 years, Jennifer Buchanan has used music to help others heal. Now, with the release of her new digital platform, Wellplayed, the author and music therapist is helping all of us use music more intentionally for well-being. In this episode, Jennifer explains how reconnecting with our personal soundtrack can strengthen identity, boost resilience, and support emotional health. Join us as she explains how creating a daily music ritual can deepen our relationship with ourselves — and with the music that shaped us. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why intentional music listening can improve mood, memory, and motivation. How the Wellplayed platform helps you build a personal soundtrack that supports well-being. How a simple daily practice can reconnect you with the most meaningful music in your life.

Shame is one of the most misunderstood emotions we carry, and Dr. Frank Spinelli wants us to see it not as an enemy but as information that can guide us toward healing. In this episode, Frank shares how childhood trauma shaped his relationship with shame, how it resurfaced decades later, and how learning “shame literacy” helped him reclaim his identity and well-being. He explains why shame is so deeply rooted, how it affects our relationships and self‑worth, and how the COMPASS framework from his new book, The Shame Compass, can help us confront, understand, and integrate shame so we can live more authentically. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between guilt and shame — and why shame is tied to identity. How the COMPASS framework helps you confront, map, and integrate shame. Why sharing your story is one of the most powerful antidotes to shame.

Halloween isn’t just costumes and candy — it’s a well-being booster! In this episode, Paula Felps and Live Happy social media manager Michelle Jones dig into new research showing how Halloween decorations, traditions, and playful rituals can lift our mood, strengthen community connection, and even help regulate our nervous system. From the joy‑evoking color orange to the science of anticipatory savoring and permission to play, Paula and Michelle explore why this holiday is such a powerful emotional anchor as we head into fall. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Halloween decorations — especially orange — boost joy and emotional wellbeing. How Halloween rituals reduce loneliness and increase neighborhood connection. The surprising science behind permission to play and why adults need it.

Confidence isn’t something you’re born with — it’s something you practice. And this week’s guest is here to walk us through how we all can build this skill. In this episode, Dr. Cindra Kamphoff shares the powerful message behind her bestselling book The Confidence Habit: 7 Core Practices to Transform Self-Doubt to Self-Belief and opens up about a TEDx moment that reshaped her understanding of self‑belief. She explains why women and Gen Z are struggling most with confidence today, and teaches practical tools to silence the inner critic and bounce back from setbacks. Her insights are warm, actionable, and perfect for anyone ready to build confidence as a daily habit. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why confidence fluctuates — and how to rebuild it daily. A simple three‑step tool to recover quickly from mistakes. How to create a “dream team” that strengthens your confidence.

What if feeling calmer, kinder, and more grounded didn’t require long meditation sessions or major lifestyle changes? This week, psychologist Eli Susman joins us to share the science behind micropractices — tiny, 30‑second well-being tools that can make a real difference. He shares research from his new book that shows how just 20 seconds of self‑compassionate touch can improve stress and emotional wellbeing. Eli also explains how movement, breath, touch, and everyday awareness can help you build habits that actually stick. If you’ve ever felt “time poor,” this episode is your new favorite shortcut to feeling better. In this episode, you'll learn: Why tiny practices work better than long sessions — and why consistency beats duration. How micropractices regulate your nervous system through movement, touch, breath, and everyday awareness. Simple ways to make well-being habits stick, using cues, rewards, and repetition to build practices you’ll actually keep.

Examining our beliefs can transform the way we see the world — and even change how we relate to the people we care about. This week, bestselling author Nir Eyal talks about his new book, Beyond Belief, and explains how our beliefs quietly shape our behavior, our happiness, and our ability to persist through life’s challenges. He explains how beliefs influence our motivation, our emotional responses, and the suffering we unintentionally create for ourselves. If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated by your own patterns, this episode offers a fresh, science‑backed way forward. In this episode, you'll learn: How examining our beliefs allows us to approach relationships with more clarity and compassion. How to identify limiting beliefs that increase suffering and sabotage motivation. A simple, evidence‑based technique for transforming painful beliefs into empowering ones.

Teen girls today are navigating a world that’s full of therapy‑speak, social media diagnoses, and labels that often replace real emotional language — and it’s leaving many parents unsure how to truly understand what their daughters are feeling. This week, Dr. Suzanne Garfinkle‑Crowell joins us to break down what’s really going on, why these patterns are showing up, and how simple “small acts of translation” can help families connect beneath all the jargon. In this episode, you'll learn: Why girls are increasingly using diagnostic labels instead of emotional language. How social media influences identity, belonging, and self‑diagnosis. A simple two‑step tool parents can use to translate therapy‑speak into real connection.

What if sensitivity was actually your greatest strength? In this episode, psychiatrist and author Dr. Sasha Hamdani explains the often‑misunderstood world of sensitivity — what it is, why it shows up the way it does, and how it can become one of our greatest strengths. Listen as she breaks down the science behind deep feeling and offers a fresh perspective on why sensitive people often thrive once they understand their wiring. In this episode, you’ll learn: How sensitivity enhances perception, intuition, and emotional attunement. Why sensitive individuals often excel at empathy, discernment, and nuanced communication. Practical ways to harness sensitivity as a source of resilience, clarity, and personal power.

Back‑to‑school season isn’t just a transition for kids; it’s a major emotional and logistical shift for parents and other caregivers, too. In this episode, therapist Robin Hamilton talks about the invisible mental load caregivers carry, why this time of year feels so overwhelming, and how to create calmer, more intentional routines for yourself and your family. Whether you’re juggling schedules, managing stress, or navigating school‑related challenges, this conversation offers grounded, compassionate guidance to help you breathe easier and feel more supported. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why back‑to‑school transitions feel so stressful — and how to make them smoother. Guilt-free ways to regulate your emotions and communicate your needs. What to do when your child is anxious, overwhelmed, or reluctant to return to school.

Back‑to‑school season looks fun in commercials, but for many kids and teens it brings anxiety, uncertainty, and emotional strain. In this episode, Dr. Bonnie Mitchell, clinical director of the Mental Health Treatment and Stabilization Center of Sacramento, explains why the transition is so challenging and what families can do to help children feel grounded and supported. From clinginess and sleep disruptions in younger kids to academic pressure and social fears in teens, she breaks down the signs parents should watch for and offers practical ways to make the shift into a new school year calmer and more connected. In this episode, you’ll learn: How back‑to‑school anxiety shows up differently across age groups. Conversation starters to help children feel seen, supported, and understood. Simple grounding habits that make the transition smoother for the whole family.

This week, Live Happy Now visits the mountains — not to climb them, but to learn from them. Alpinist and award-winning author Michael Schauch joins us to explore how nature, intuition, and the practice of “non‑self” can help us navigate a world that feels increasingly fast, loud, and divided. His stories from the Himalaya and his new book Anatta: Heart of Wisdom offer a grounded, hopeful way to move through troubled times with more clarity and compassion. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why understanding “non‑self” helps us reduce conflict and polarization. How nature reveals our true patterns — and helps us reconnect with others. Practical ways to quiet the mind, dissolve reactive habits, and respond with compassion.

Even in a world overflowing with tension, we are biologically wired for cooperation and connection. This week, Dr. Jeremy Pollack, a leader in conflict resolution and author of Wired for Peace, shares how we can keep disagreements from escalating and learn to regulate our nervous systems even during the most challenging discussions. Listen in to discover his practical tools for regulating our nervous system, staying curious, and building trust even in difficult relationships. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your brain reacts to social conflict the same way it reacts to physical danger. How curiosity and cognitive empathy open the door to real conflict resolution. A five‑step, 60‑second brain hack to regulate yourself during an argument.

In this season‑closing episode, Paula Felps and Michelle Jones recap one of the busiest seasons yet for Live Happy Now and look at what’s coming. Tune in to learn about our new content offerings, including research‑based reports launching this fall, and an upcoming Substack. You’ll also learn about the Wake Up Happy weekly text series designed to help you start the week with humor and encouragement, and get a look ahead to Season 12, which will explore how to maintain well-being in chaotic times. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Live Happy is expanding its content offerings and store. Why Season 12 will focus on thriving during turbulent times. New ways to connect with Live Happy.

If you like your mindfulness served without BS, you’re going to love this week’s episode! Join us as mindfulness coach and yoga teacher Oneika Mays shares insights from her book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation. Oneika explains how yoga helped her reclaim her sense of self; why teaching mindfulness inside Rikers Island transformed her understanding of compassion, justice, and human connection; and how loving‑kindness (or metta) can help us navigate a world that feels heavy and chaotic. In this episode, you’ll learn: How mindfulness helped Oneika move from reactivity to response — and why that shift changed her life. Why loving‑kindness (metta) is a powerful antidote to fear, hate, and overwhelm in difficult times. What meditation is really for — and why it’s not about feeling good.

As we close out our Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with cognitive and behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Sydney Ceruto to walk through her book, The Dopamine Code: How to Rewire Your Brain for Happiness and Productivity, which explores one of the most misunderstood forces shaping our motivation, mood, and modern wellbeing. Sydney explains why today’s overstimulated world leaves so many of us feeling restless, stuck, or burned out — and how understanding the true role of dopamine can help us reclaim clarity, satisfaction, and forward momentum. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why dopamine isn’t the “pleasure chemical” but is the “molecule of motivation” that shapes everything from restlessness to burnout. How modern life overstimulates your reward system, making everyday joys feel flat and pushing you toward unhealthy dopamine defaults. How to build your own “dopamine menu” to help you shift from cheap dopamine spikes to meaningful, sustaining rewards.

In this week’s episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with author Angelica Glass to explore her remarkable book, Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks, which chronicles her decision to walk every street in Santa Cruz County. What began as a stress‑relief habit unfolded into a profound journey of awe, healing, forgiveness, and rediscovery. Angelica shares how intentionally seeking beauty — one photograph, one street, one quiet moment at a time — opened the door to long‑buried memories, deeper self‑understanding, and renewed connection with her siblings. Through nature, silence, and curiosity, she learned to reframe her past with tenderness and compassion, ultimately transforming her internal landscape and her relationships. In this episode, you’ll learn: How awe, silence, and slow travel can unlock emotional healing and neuroplasticity. Why seeking beauty — even in life’s “wreckage” — reshapes how we see ourselves and our past. How sharing personal stories with loved ones can strengthen connection, c

This week, as part of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with Elizabeth Margulis, a professor of music at Princeton University and director of the Music Cognition Lab, to talk about her book, Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.  Elizabeth explains why our minds naturally wander when we listen to music, how those imaginative journeys shape our sense of self, and why these experiences are far more meaningful — and scientifically important — than we realize. Listen as she reveals how reconnecting with this simple, often overlooked way of listening can deepen our relationships, boost our mental health, and bring us back to the joy that first made us fall in love with music. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why unfamiliar songs can trigger similar imagery across listeners. How music helps us process memories. Why daydreaming to music may be essential for creativity and emotional well‑being.

The Live Happy Summer Reading Program continues this week as host Paula Felps sits down with author and activist Deborah Santana to talk about Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, her powerful memoir about identity, courage, reinvention, and choosing a life aligned with your spirit. In this episode, Deborah candidly shares how she found the strength to leave a life that no longer reflected who she was, the spiritual practices that guided her, and the generational resilience that shaped her path. Listen as Deborah shares how stepping into your truth can transform not only your life, but the lives of those around you. In this episode, you’ll learn: How Deborah found the courage to leave a life that no longer aligned with her spirit. The role generational strength, family history, and activism built her identity — and continue guiding her work today. What it means to “walk through the fire” in your own life, and how to recognize misalignment, reclaim your voice, and choose a path rooted in integrity a

For Week 2 of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, award‑winning journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa sits down with host Paula Felps to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist. Donna explains that rumination is an evolution‑wired survival response that has gone rogue in modern life, trapping us in negative “mental movie reels” fueled by the brain’s default mode network. Using neuroscience, personal insight, and research‑backed tools, she shares how we can transform rumination into clarity, creativity, and a renewed sense of belonging. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why rumination happens and how the brain creates vivid “movie reels” of old stories, future fears, and intense emotional and physical reactions. How the MIST framework works — and how to use it to interrupt rumination and reduce stress chemistry. How to turn rumination into insight, using neuroscience‑based strategies that help you rewrite outdated beliefs, reclai