Live Happy Now

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 t...

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 Chan...

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 ...

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 ...

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 Li...

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...

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 Yourse...

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 encoura...

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.

 I...

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 m...

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 s...

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:

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...

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.

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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 belo...

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 c...

We’ve all seen service dogs in action, but most of us don’t know just what heroes they are.  Today’s guest is here to tell us all about the secret lives of service dogs. Shannon Walker is the CEO & Founder of Northwest Battle Buddies, a nonprofit providing service dogs to combat veterans with PTSD. Inspired by her father, who was a veteran, she also founded Man’s Best Friend Dog Training and has worked tirelessly to not only tr...

From childhood, we’re taught that helping others is the right thing to do. But what happens when it goes too far? This week, host Paula Felps sits down with author and podcast host Amy Wilson to talk about her entertaining new book, Happy to Help: Adventures of a People Pleaser, to learn more about what turns us into people pleasers, when to know it’s a problem, and what to do about it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why women...

This is a time of year when we celebrate love, but we sometimes take for granted the special love that our friendships offer. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with professor and research psychologist Dr. Kimberly Horn to learn more about just how important friendships are for our health and happiness — and what we can do to make them stronger and more fulfilling.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What’s driving the lonelines...