This week, Pulitzer Prize winning science writer and Author of An Immense World, Ed Yong, brings the experiences of other animals to life by showing how their senses differ from ours and guide them through the world. In this conversation, he challenges us to build more reverence for all the living beings on this planet by going beyond our own perceptions and immersing ourselves in the richness of life through their eyes. 
 Follow Leah on Linkedin
Learn More about Ed Yong

Coming to Our Senses with Ed Yong

Everyday Better is your essential podcast for leveling up in personal development, life, and career success. Hosted by Leah Smart, an educator in self-improvement and positive psychology, this podcast offers transformative conversations with influential experts sharing real-life success stories, actionable insights, and research-backed tips.
Elevate your mindset, gain clarity, and unlock your potential as you journey toward becoming 'Everyday Better.' Whether you're at a crossroads or simply seeking more daily clarity, every episode leaves you inspired, empowered, and ready for more.
Find new episodes of Everyday Better, right here, every Tuesday.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Self-Improvement

Myisha Cherry is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside and a self-proclaimed “public defender of anger and proud withholder of forgiveness.” In her second book, Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better, she argues that forgiveness – a much-lauded moral good in American culture – rarely achieves what we think it does, and that in reality, forgiveness often does more harm than good. She puts forth her own, broader definition of forgiveness that holds space for anger, repair and accountability for the wrongdoer.
On today’s show, Myisha and Leah dive deep into forgiveness to understand its role at work and in society, as well as how race and gender complicate the act of forgiving. Myisha explains why withholding forgiveness can actually be a moral good, both for the wronged and for the wrongdoer. She also shares her revised definition of forgiveness and explains how to get better at asking for and receiving it.
For more on forgiveness, check out Myisha’s book Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better.
Sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

How to Forgive Better with Philosopher Myisha Cherry

Dr Tara Swart is a neuroscientist, leadership adviser and best selling author. She works with executives and leaders all over the world to help them achieve mental resilience and peak brain performance, helping them to manage stress, regulate emotions and retain information. Her scientific knowledge and expertise helps people optimize their brain health and achieve their full potential.
Tara joins Leah to discuss the brain-body connection and the importance of emotional well-being. She explains how chronic stress can impact the brain and body, leading to physical and mental health issues, and emphasizes the power of intention and visualization in shaping our brain's interpretation of reality. 
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn
Follow Dr. Tara Swart on LinkedIn

Understanding the Brain-Body Connection with Neuroscientist Tara Swart

Dr. Casey Means is a physician, tech entrepreneur and the author of Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. She is passionate about metabolic health and dedicated to helping people better understand their bodies. 
Casey joins Leah to highlight the interconnectedness of various symptoms and diseases, all of which she sees as stemming from metabolic dysfunction. She discusses the impact of the modern environment on our metabolic health and offers practical strategies for optimizing our metabolism through sleep, movement, stress management techniques, toxin reduction and light exposure. By adopting a metabolic framework and focusing on cellular health, we all can cultivate good energy and live happier, healthier lives.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Casey Means on LinkedIn.
For more on how to improve your metabolic health, check out Casey’s book, Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health.

Harnessing the Power of Metabolic Health with Dr. Casey Means

In part II of our conversation with Stephanie Harrison, author of New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong, we explore what it looks like to apply Stephanie’s New Happy philosophy to personal and work areas of our lives. We discuss strategies for setting and achieving your big goals, what the research suggests about the role of helping others in the context of happiness and how privilege and oppression shift our approach to and experience of happiness. We also contemplate the notion of the “best self” and take a hard look at wellness culture to better understand how mainstream ideas of happiness and well-being hold us back from achieving true contentment. 
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Stephanie Harrison on LinkedIn.
To learn more about Stephanie’s philosophy on happiness, check out her book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong.

Everything You Think You Know About Happiness Is Wrong (Part II)

Stephanie Harrison is an expert on the science of happiness. Her first book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong, explores the structural forces that prevent us from achieving true happiness and teaches us how to find it by looking outside ourselves. 
Stephanie joins Leah to discuss why so many of us are unhappy (despite trying our very best to be), and what we can do to experience more joy and contentment in our everyday lives. Helping others, Stephanie argues, is the key to improving our mental and emotional well-being. She also shares research-backed strategies for connecting with our true selves and quieting down the voice in our heads that tells us we’re not good enough.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Stephanie Harrison on LinkedIn.
To learn more about Stephanie’s philosophy on happiness, check out her book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong.

Coming to Our Senses with Ed Yong

Download our free app to listen on your phone