What makes you happy? Many people would answer with the basics: family, friends, good food, and (of course!) a good book. But what brings deep joy and purpose to your life? What little habits and practices could make a big difference in your mood and outlook? In this episode, author Courtney Walsh, author of “The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley,” and Mayo Clinic Medical Director of Joy and neuropsychologist Anni Shandera-Ochsner, Ph.D., L.P., encourage us to think deeper about what makes us feel alive and gives us meaning. 

This episode was made possible by the generous support of Ken Stevens.

We talked with:

• Courtney Walsh is the Carol award-winning author of several low spice, small town romance novels. She’s committed to creating stories that bring joy and always promises a happy ending. Her debut novel, A Sweethaven Summer, was a New York Times and USA Today e-book best-seller and a Carol Award finalist in the debut author category. In addition, she has written two craft books and several full-length musicals. Courtney lives with her husband and three children in Illinois, where she co-owns a performing arts studio and youth theatre with her business partner and best friend—her husband.
• Anni Shandera-Ochsner, Ph.D., L.P., is an assistant professor of psychology at Mayo Clinic and a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Wisconsin. She is also the medical director of Joy for Mayo Clinic and directs the Midwest region's Mayo Clinic HABIT Healthy Action to Benefit Independence in Thinking®, which is a behavioral intervention program for people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

Purchase “The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley.”

From Barnes & Noble.

From Amazon.

From Bookshop.org. 

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