Live Happy Now

Death is inevitable, but as with many things in life, music can change how people experience the journey. That’s the idea behind Threshold Choirs — an international movement in which a trio sings healing and comforting songs for people who are nearing the end of life. In this episode, Jan Stanley, a long-time Threshold Choir member, explains how sharing songs at this uncertain time not only brings comfort to the dying and their family members, but can be transformational for the singers as well. In this episode, you’ll learn: What a Threshold Choir is and how they began. How music provides such comfort to those who are ill and dying. How being part of a Threshold Choir can impact members. 

As children every new discovery filled us with wonder and awe. But somewhere along the way, most of us lost that — and this week’s guest is helping people rediscover it. Monica Parker is a renowned speaker and writer who has spent the past decade helping people discover their meaning and purpose at work. Her new book, The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead, explains why we lose our sense of wonder and how we can reclaim it. In this episode, you’ll learn: The power of slow thought and how to develop it. What a wonderbringer is and how to find them in our lives. Practices to build more wonder in your daily life. 

Every day we’re surrounded by sights, sounds, and smells — but we often take them for granted. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin, to talk about how tuning into our five senses can make us happier and healthier. Her new book, Life in Five Senses: How exploring the senses got me out of my head and into the world, takes a deep dive into what each of our senses has to teach us and explains how we can explore them to improve our well-being.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How dialing into our senses can reduce anxiety, boost productivity, and spark creativity. The connection between our senses and memories. Using our senses to stay grounded and live in the present moment.

We know that getting out in nature is good for us, but this week’s guest understands it better than most. Mya-Rose Craig is a 20-year-old bird watcher, environmentalist and diversity activist who was raised in a home that revered nature. At the age of 14, she formed the Black2Nature organization to encourage other teenagers of color to engage with nature. Bristol University awarded her an honorary doctorate for her pioneering work in this area and now her memoir, Birdgirl: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future, looks at the power of nature and birds, and the important role they have played in dealing with her mother’s mental illness. In this episode, you’ll learn: What nature has taught Mya-Rose about well-being and why she’s so passionate about it. Why access to nature is so important for mental health. How her family has used birdwatching to cope with mental health challenges. 

Every year on March 20 — the International Day of Happiness — the Sustainable Development Solutions Network releases its World Happiness Report. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy co-founder and CEO Deborah Heisz to talk about how we’re faring when it comes to happiness, what we learned from this year’s report and why it appears that our happiness is improving.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What kind of “happiness” the report is talking about and how we gauge it.  Why the U.S. is improving in happiness and what is holding us back.   How the past few years have encouraged us to become more altruistic. 

We know that pets and happiness go hand-in-hand (or maybe hand-in-paw), but did you know that your pet could also improve your brain health as you age? This week, Brittany Derrenbacher, a therapist and founder of The Healing Collective KY in Louisville, explains how pets can change how we age and help keep our brains and bodies healthy throughout our lifetime. In this episode, you’ll learn: The different ways that pets help keep us mentally sharp. What the latest research says about pet ownership and aging. How we can use our pets to create happiness for the older people in our lives.

When acclaimed jazz vocalist Allegra Levy became a parent, she began noticing that the lyrics of classic children’s songs didn’t fit in today’s world of equity and inclusion. As a mother, she was concerned about what messages children were getting from the music and as a musician, she didn’t want to raise her child with songs that had been musically “dumbed down.” So she began writing her own jazz-tinged children’s music with a positive spin on mental well-being. The result is a new album, Songs for You and Me, and in this episode she talks about the importance of experiencing music as a family. In this episode, you’ll learn: How the pandemic inspired her to rethink children’s music. Why children need to hear more inclusive music.   What parents can do to use music as a tool for learning and creativity.

Burnout is a common problem for women today, but it’s also something that isn’t openly discussed. This week’s guest, Dr. Mary Sanders, is on a mission to empower women over 40 to bounce back physically, emotionally and energetically from the stresses of balancing work and life. She’s here to talk about what burnout is, why it’s so prevalent today and how an integrative approach can help you overcome it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Some of the warning signs that you’re experiencing burnout. Why burnout is so common among women right now. How practices like meditation and mindfulness help ease the symptoms of burnout.

This week, we are celebrating International Women’s Day, which is a time to acknowledge the diversity and achievement of women. As part of that celebration, we’re talking to Texas businesswoman Linda Allen, who has made it her mission to make women feel seen by supporting them both in their careers and their personal achievements. In this episode, she explains why it’s so important for us to lift up the women around us and how it can change them — and the world they live in.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why a single simple interaction can be so impactful. What happens when women begin to feel seen and heard. How to adjust our mindset to be more supportive of other women.

As we begin the month of March, Live Happy is celebrating with an entire month of #HappyActs. Throughout this month, we celebrate happiness with special acts each day, and on March 20, we observe the International Day of Happiness. In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy CEO and Founder Deborah Heisz, E-commerce Marketing Manager Casey Johnson and Marketing Manager Laura Coppedge to talk about why we are so excited about this month – and how you can be a part of it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why we celebrate #HappyActs throughout the month of March. What the International Day of Happiness is all about. How you can be a part of the #HappyActs movement.

We know that being in nature is good for us, but this week’s guest shows us how tuning into our wild side can help us connect with the earth, our emotions and our creativity. Rebecca Wildbear is creator of a yoga practice called Wild Yoga that helps us learn to listen to the earth. She explains more about it in her new book, Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth, and this week she’s here to tell us how deepening our connection with the earth can help us better understand ourselves. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between Wild Yoga and other types of yoga. What Rebecca means by “Earth Grief” and what you can do if you are experiencing it. How practicing communication and yoga in nature can change the way we feel about the world we live in.

Sav Buist and Katie Larson were shy high school students when a music education presentation brought them together — and changed their future. Ten years later, they front a trio called The Accidentals and have earned glowing album reviews while packing venues with their live shows. But because they’ve never forgotten how that high school presentation changed their lives, they also host and lead workshops across the country to inspire young musicians to find their voice and use music to improve their mental health. In this episode, they talk about how it all came together and how they are changing young lives one song at a time. In this episode, you’ll learn: The importance of music education. How music helps us process what’s hard to express.  Why it’s so important to give back to others and help them follow their dreams.

What better time than Valentine’s Day to look at how to improve your relationships? This week’s guest, Michelle Becker, is a marriage and family therapist who also specializes in compassion. Through workshops, online education, and her Well Connected podcast, she shares her understanding of compassions and offers couples the tools they need to relate to each other better. Her new book, Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection, offers exercises and insight into how we can use compassion, and she’s here to explain why it’s so vital to a healthy relationship. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why self-compassion is the first step to a truly compassionate relationship. What happens to our brains when we fall in love — and why that changes over time. How compassion can change the way you view your significant other and deepen your relationship.

Would your life be happier if you were a unicorn? This week, we’ll find out as host Paula Felps talks with Andrea Goeglein about her 60-Day Unicorn Challenge. Andrea, who is also known as Dr. Success, holds a PhD in organizational psychology and hosts the Hey Boss Lady! podcast. She created the 60-Day Unicorn Challenge to offer small, daily tasks that will help you take steps toward reaching your goals — either personal or professional — while learning to make yourself a priority. In this episode, you’ll learn: How the 60-Day Unicorn Challenge came about. What to expect from the challenge. How prioritizing your own needs leads to success.

Creativity is a driving force of innovation, and in this episode, we look at how it can make us happier both at work and at home. Steven Kowalski, PhD, is a leading voice in the global movement for conscious creativity. In his new book, Creative Together: Sparking Innovation in the New World of Work, he explains that all of us are creative — whether we think we are or not. And recognizing that creativity is the first step in learning how to harness it and discover our true potential in all areas of life. In this episode, you’ll learn: What it means to be “consciously creative.” How to identify discover your personal creative style — and why that’s important. Why tapping into our creativity makes us happier at work and at home.

Learn How to Move Toward Happiness in Negative and Uncertain Times Life is full of inflection points. Divorce, career upheaval, illness, empty nests, retirement, and other life-changing events are full of uncertainty and stress. But what if those difficulties could become the doorways to positive possibilities? When approached in the right way, these challenges hold the opportunity to explore, strengthen, and move towards happiness. Join Paula Felps and Megan McDonough, Founder of Wholebeing Institute, and see how to take the next step toward happiness. Learn how the challenges you’re facing today — no matter how daunting they seem — actually hold the opportunity to explore, strengthen, and reshape your life. In this episode, you’ll learn: What inflection points are and how to identify them in your life. The concept of liminal space and how you can use it to thrive. The importance of “selfing” and “unselfing” — and what that means.

Most of us feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day — but what can we do about it? In her book, Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, Cassie Holmes, PhD breaks it down for us. And on this episode of Live Happy Now, the award-winning teacher and researcher on time and happiness talks about what it means to feel “time poor” and why that has become so prevalent today. Then she’ll explain how we can better structure our days and begin using our time instead of losing it. In this episode, you’ll learn: How much time you need to feel “time affluent.” How tracking your time can help you identify where to find more of it. The philosophy of “time left” and how it can help you enjoy your hours more.

David Fishof is a legendary music producer and founder of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, which invites everyday people to play alongside world-renowned rock stars. David has seen first-hand the incredible power of music and how it transforms people both in their personal lives and their professional aspirations. His amazing story is told in the new documentary, Rock Camp, available now on Amazon, as well as in the book by the same name. In this episode, he shares how Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp began and how he has seen music change the lives of hundreds of people along the way.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp was inspired by a backstage “fight” between Joe Walsh and Levon Helm. Why music is so powerful in bringing people together. How playing with their rock heroes has inspired campers to pursue new dreams off the stage.

Studies show us – and social media often backs it up – that we are becoming less empathetic. But this week’s guest tells us how we can begin to solve the empathy crisis. Rob Volpe is a thought leader in the role of empathy in the marketing and workspace and is author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time. Today, he offers some unique insights into what’s causing our lack of empathy and what skills we need to develop to bring it back. In this episode, you’ll learn: What is creating the empathy crisis in our modern world. The important role empathy plays in our personal happiness. The five steps you can take to begin restoring empathy.

After a busy holiday season, we all could use a bit of stillness in our lives. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Jeanine Thompson, a former clinical psychotherapist and Fortune 50 executive whose new book, 911 From Your Soul, is all about how to learn to listen for what you need and discover your greatest potential. Today, she’s here to talk about how important it is to learn to do nothing and listen to the lessons that are waiting for us in the stillness. And then she’ll teach us how to do that. In this episode, you’ll learn: What stillness is and how you can add it to your life. The five main benefits of creating stillness. How stillness can help you live more of your true potential.