Happier with Gretchen Rubin

By Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Education

What's Happier with Gretchen Rubin about?

Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Part of the Panoply Network.

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Ep. 257: Don’t Try to “Mind...

01.22.2020

Why we shouldn’t try to “mind-read,” a reading hack to strengthen habits, and a conversation about “The Joy of Movement” with Kelly McGonigal. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast ...

Happier with Gretchen Rubin episodes:

01.22.2020 Ep. 257: Don’t Try to “Mind-Read,” and Talking about the Joy of Movement with Kelly McGonigal Why we shouldn’t try to “mind-read,” a reading hack to strengthen habits, and a conversation about “The Joy of Movement” with Kelly McGonigal. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast ...
01.20.2020 Little Happier: The Fable “The Scorpion and the Frog” Warns Us to Stay Wary of the Dangerous Ones The fable “The Scorpion and the Frog” reminds us not to trust a scorpion. No matter what argument it makes or what the situation is, in the end, it’s still a scorpion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch ...
01.15.2020 Ep. 256: Use Up What You Have, and a Conversation about Stillness with Ryan Holiday Why we should use up what we have, how to find the most efficient route, and a conversation with bestselling author Ryan Holiday about “Stillness is the Key.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
01.13.2020 Little Happier: From Writer James Agee: Could He Learn to Be the Kind of Person He’d Always Detested? When his doctor told him that needed to quit drinking and smoking, James Agee wondered whether he could become the kind of person he’d always detested. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
01.08.2020 Ep. 255: We Reveal Our “20 for 2020” Lists as well as a Color-Related Hack, and Give a Happiness-Bully Demerit We reveal our “20 for 2020” lists and discuss some great ideas from listeners, discuss a color-related hack to make it easier to find lost objects, and talk about some advice from our mother--about not giving advice. Get in touch: ...
01.06.2020 Little Happier: The Right Thing to Say When Someone Says, “Whom Do You Love More?” One of my favorite parenting books, Faber and Mazlish’s “Siblings Without Rivalry,” explains the right thing to say to a child (or anyone) who asks, “Whom do you love more?” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: ...
01.01.2020 Ep. 254: Choose a One-Word Theme for the Year, and a Tough Question about Neighbors Why you might pick a one-word theme for the year; an idea for fun (but easy) date nights; and a tough dilemma involving a daily walk and neighbors who want to come along. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get ...
12.30.2019 Little Happier: A Mystery: In Order to Find Something Precious, We Must Possess It Already. In different ways, many people have expressed the very powerful and mysterious idea: In order to find something, we must possess it. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ...
12.26.2019 Ep. 253: Fight Through Post-Holiday Haze and How (Really) to Keep New Year’s Resolutions Fight through post-holiday haze, how to get more reading done, tackle the challenge of New Year’s resolutions—and an office-party demerit. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by ...
12.23.2019 Little Happier: We Don’t Always Know What’s a Waste of Time, or What’s a Good Use of Our Time. The career of a law-school friend reminded me of an important truth: it’s not always clear what’s a good use of our time. And it’s certainly not clear what’s a good use of other people’s time. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; ...
12.18.2019 Ep. 252: Walk for 20 in ’20! Plus We Discuss “Power Hour” and Answering Frivolous Questions During Job Interviews Let’s all walk for 20 minutes in 2020! The challenge is on! Plus a reminder to use Power Hour and Elizabeth gives a gold star to a “Fall Frolic.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: ...
12.16.2019 Little Happier: A Different, Happy Way to Think About Exerting Our Willpower (a Task that Doesn’t Usually Sound Appealing). Writer Christopher Isherwood remarked that he “raised his moral by asserting his willpower” by quitting smoking – a very interesting way to think about the benefits of habit change. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
12.11.2019 Ep. 251: Try the Eight Stones Method; Are You on Team “You Do You” or Team “Let’s All Join In”; and the Fun of Holiday Movies Actor, singer, and writer Melissa Errico suggests the Eight Stones Method for creativity, the fun of choosing a family holiday movies, and we talk about the two philosophies of food encouragement (a/ka/ food pushing): “You Do You” and “Let’s All ...
12.09.2019 Little Happier: I Love to See Justice in Action, and I Love to See Virtue Rewarded. I love hearing a story of justice in action, and also of virtue recognized and praised. Virtue doesn’t always get rewarded! It’s thrilling when it happens. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
12.04.2019 Ep. 250: Very Special Episode: We Review Our “19 for 2019” Lists In this Very Special Episode, we review our “19 for 2019” lists and report on what we did—and what we didn’t do—on our lists for 2019. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft ...
12.02.2019 Little Happier: You Can’t Protect Yourself from the Pigeon That’s Flying Overhead. A funny episode from a long-ago family vacation is a great reminder that we can take all possible precautions, but we can’t protect ourselves from every eventuality. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the ...
11.27.2019 Ep. 249: Happier Podcast Book Club: The Legendary Isaac Mizrahi Talks about Fashion, Family, and Self-Knowledge in “I.M.” For the Happier Podcast Book Club, we talk to Isaac Mizrahi about the role of family, fashion, and making his way in the competitive, high-stakes world of New York City in his acclaimed memoir I.M. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; ...
11.25.2019 Little Happier: My Favorite Part of Going to the Philharmonic Isn’t the Music. I realized that although I don’t have much of a taste for music, I love the sound of the possibility of music. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ...
11.20.2019 Ep. 248: Write an Aphorism, and a Deep Dive into Food Pushing Try writing an aphorism, ways to use the UV index to protect yourself from the sun, and a deep dive into the question: “If you press others to take food and drink, why do you do it?” Get in touch: ...
11.18.2019 Little Happier: More Great Advice from My Father—About How to Succeed at Work When I got my first real job, my father gave me some advice that has proved to be very true. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week ...
11.13.2019 Ep. 247: Use the Solomon Paradox When Dealing with a Difficult Situation, and Would You Like to be a Twin? Why you should think about the “Solomon Paradox” when you’re dealing with a difficult situation, how to respond to a Rebel who refuses to wear a seat belt, a hack for staying in touch with distant friends and family—and would ...
11.11.2019 Little Happier: Who Is the Main Character, Who Is the Supporting Character? I realized that I often made the mistake of thinking of some people as main characters and some people as supporting characters. We’re all main characters, and we’re all supporting characters. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on ...
11.06.2019 Ep. 246: Have Your Words Ready, and a Conversation with Simon Sinek about “The Infinite Game” When facing a tough situation, have your words ready, a hack related to email subject lines, and a conversation with Simon Sinek about “The Infinite Game.” Elizabeth gives herself a suitcase-related demerit. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. ...
11.04.2019 Little Happier: At a Recent Dinner for Supreme Court Clerks, Even Longtime Lawyers Wanted This Table Gift. At a recent event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the statute creating the Supreme Court clerkships, I got my “America feeling” when I saw that everyone in the room was eagerly taking home this keepsake from the dinner. Get ...
10.30.2019 Ep. 245: Avoid the Trap of the False Choice, and How to Eat Healthfully in the Face of Halloween Candy or Social Pressure We discuss why it’s important to avoid false choices, and talk to Whole30’s Melissa Hartwig Urban about eating right when faced with Halloween candy or social pressure. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. Get in touch on Instagram: ...
10.28.2019 Little Happier: On “Game of Thrones,” Tywin Lannister Has the Right Thing to Say in a Difficult Situation. I’m always looking for good examples of people finding the right words, and I was very struck by this example from a crucial scene from the TV show “Game of Thrones.” Get tickets for our last live podcast events of ...
10.23.2019 Ep. 244: Go Out in the Early Morning Sunlight and Brush Your Teeth After Dinner Why it’s important to go outside into the sunlight, how brushing your teeth after dinner can help with night snacking, and a dentist demerit from Elizabeth. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
10.21.2019 Little Happier: I Get Choked Up When I Hear the Song “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music” The song and the scene “Edelweiss” from “The Sound of Music” is a reminder that our love for our country can burn brightly, even when events look very dark. Get tickets for our live podcast events in Seattle, Portland, San ...
10.16.2019 Ep. 243: Treat Yourself Like a Dog and How Obligers Can Resist Pressures to Indulge Why you should treat yourself like a dog, why telling someone, “Calm down” is usually a bad idea, and ideas for Obligers who are trying to resist expectations that they eat or drink. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; ...
10.14.2019 Little Happier: A Moment in the Life of JFK Illustrates How Hard It Is to Know Other People An episode from the life of John F. Kennedy is a terrific reminder of the fact that we don’t know, we can’t really understand, what other people are thinking, why they’re doing the things they do, or how they see ...
10.09.2019 Ep. 242: Buy Some Happiness, Plus Hacks for Taking Medication Regularly We discuss why and how we can buy some happiness, do a hack round-up with terrific ideas for remembering to take daily medications, and tackle a listener’s question about her husband’s brewing Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; ...
10.07.2019 Little Happier: Novelist John Steinbeck and King Arthur Show Me How to Think Outside the Box Novelist John Steinbeck’s decision to set his King Arthur story in the hazy “before” showed me a solution that I would never have devised—and taught me a great lesson. Get tickets for our live podcast events in Seattle, Portland, San ...
10.02.2019 Ep. 241: Malcolm Gladwell Talks About “Talking to Strangers” Plus a Delicious, Healthy Hack We talk to Malcolm Gladwell about “Talking to Strangers” and explore why taking a shower can boost your happiness, and I reveal the easy, new low-carb recipe I love. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. Get in touch ...
09.30.2019 Little Happier: The Right Thing to Say to a Person Who Has Big Hopes I remind myself and other writers, “There are many ways for a book to succeed.” And many ways for a vacation to succeed, or a college student to succeed. It’s a comforting thought, because it’s true. Get tickets for our ...
09.25.2019 Ep. 240: Use the Emergency Kit for Anxiety, Worry, and Stress For this Very Special Episode, we talk about the Emergency Kit for Anxiety—a long list of strategies to put to work immediately to manage anxiety, worry, stress, and fear. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. Get in touch ...
09.23.2019 Bonus Episode: A Deep Dive into the “Four Tendencies” Personality Framework Want to learn whether you’re an Upholder, Questioner, Obliger, or Rebel—and what that means? Gretchen gives a quick overview of her popular personality framework, and explains how you can use it to end procrastination, reduce conflict, and stick to good ...
09.23.2019 Little Happier: My America Feeling: I’m Grateful for the Sound of Many Languages As a child growing up in Kansas City, I loved to listen to languages other than English, but I rarely had the chance—so I remind myself to feel grateful for hearing so many languages here in New York City. It ...
09.18.2019 Ep. 239: Tackling Life’s Big Questions with Kate Bowler Why you should make a concrete offer when someone needs a hand, how to break the ice using a simple button-maker, and a thoughtful conversation about life’s big questions with writer and podcaster Kate Bowler. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; ...
09.16.2019 Little Happier: Like Oscar Wilde, Do You Find It Hard to Live Up to Your Blue China? I Sure Do. Oscar Wilde famously observed: “‘I find it harder and harder every day to live up to my blue china.” What do you think he meant by that? Get tickets for our live podcast events in Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Chicago, ...
09.11.2019 Ep. 238: Back-to-School Habits, and Marie Forleo Talks About How Everything Is Figureoutable Strategies to help you and your family create good back-to-school habits, the fun of undertaking a library quest, and author and host of MarieTV Marie Forleo talks about happiness and productivity. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com; happiercast.com/238; 774-277-9336. Get ...
09.09.2019 Little Happier: An Old and Famous Story about How We Can’t Outrun Our Fate The ancient and haunting teaching story about “an appointment in Samarra” is a wonderful illustration of the inevitability of fate. Get tickets for our live podcast events in Seattle, Portland, San Fransisco, Chicago, Kansas City, Providence, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta ...
09.04.2019 Ep. 237: #HappierLaborDay: What Career Aims Make Our Work Lives Happier We can use the Labor Day holiday as a catalyst to think about making our work lives happier, healthier, more productive, or more creative. #HappierLaborDay Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get ...
09.02.2019 Little Happier: The Musical “Song of Spider-Man” and the Problem of the Unknown Knowns A memoir about the failure of the musical “Song of Spider-Man” is a sobering example of how sometimes, we choose not to know the things we know—with very bad consequences. Get tickets for our live podcast events in Seattle, Portland, ...
08.28.2019 Ep. 236: Stay the Course with Your Good Habits Why you should stay the course with your good habits, the challenge of taking daily medication, and a return to a favorite question, “What’s your signature color?” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & ...
08.26.2019 Little Happier: Dolly Parton and Oprah Winfrey Talk about Humility and Hubris Back in 1992, Dolly Parton and Oprah Winfrey talk about pride, humbility, and hubris. Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Links and notes related to this episode can be found in the latest post here: https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/ Get the ...
08.21.2019 Ep. 235: Talking Happiness with Bestselling Author Rachel Hollis Why you might recreate a childhood menu, a conversation with blockbuster bestseller Rachel Hollis about how to be happier, and technology hack to help keep your phone charged. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin ...
08.19.2019 Little Happier: I Love an Emotion that I Call the “Varsity Team” Feeling. I love being part of the “varsity team,” or witnessing a varsity team at work—and even knowing the phrase varsity team. Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Links and notes related to this episode can be found in ...
08.14.2019 Ep. 234: Try the SLANT Approach to Listen Better and How to Deal with a Sweetheart’s Unenthusiastic Support Try the SLANT approach to help yourself listen and learn more effectively, an easy way to do a happiness-boosting good deed, and how to deal with a sweetheart who responds very unenthusiastically to good news. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; ...
08.12.2019 Little Happier: What Friendships Tend to Stick? An Observation from Game of Thrones In an interview, Game of Thrones’s John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) makes an important observation about relationships: hard times make strong friends. Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Links and notes related to this episode can be found in ...
08.07.2019 Ep. 233: Get Rid of Your Wart (Literal and Metaphorical) and Connect Better with Friends Get rid of your wart, an internet-related hack (is it just me?), and a question to help you figure out how to connect better with other people. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & ...

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