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. 348: Make a Choice (Lik...

10.20.2021

We discuss how we can make a choice (like an actor), how we can do a favor for our future selves, and we talk to Liz Lange about her podcast “The Just Enough Family,” where she explores her family’s spectacular ...

Happier with Gretchen Rubin episodes:

10.20.2021 Ep. 348: Make a Choice (Like an Actor). Do a Favor for Your Future Self. Liz Lange Talks About Secrets, Success, Loss We discuss how we can make a choice (like an actor), how we can do a favor for our future selves, and we talk to Liz Lange about her podcast “The Just Enough Family,” where she explores her family’s spectacular ...
10.18.2021 Little Happier: Happiness Doesn’t Always Make Us Feel Happy A friend didn’t want to spend Thanksgiving with his family, but he did it anyway. Happiness doesn’t always make us feel happy. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ...
10.15.2021 Bonus Episode: Staying Happy During a Sudden Move to a New Town—Sarah Fain Reports How do you stay happy when you suddenly decide it’s time for you and your daughter to move to a new town? And how do you make that decision in the first place? We talk to Elizabeth’s writing partner and ...
10.13.2021 Ep. 347: Consider: It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature. Help Someone Ease into a New Job. How to Deal with Big Change? We talk about why it can be helpful to consider, “Maybe this isn’t a bug, it’s a feature”; we discuss a hack for helping someone get situated in a new position, and we talk to Maya Shankar about how to ...
10.11.2021 Little Happier: Does a Teddy Bear Comfort You, Even Now? Author John Green’s reflection on the moment when he realized that he was no longer comforted by his teddy bear is a reminder that although we do outgrow much of the comfort we get from a warm, soft teddy bear, ...
10.06.2021 Ep. 346: Keep Lists in the Way That’s Right for You. Avoid a Routine. Celebrate Something Surprising. We talk about why we should keep to-do lists in the way that’s right for us (and we discuss the “Tackle Box” that give five options), why sometimes it’s helpful not to fall into a routine, and we share listeners’ ...
10.04.2021 Little Happier: Nebraska’s Tourist Slogan Offers a Valuable—and Hilarious—Lesson in Happiness Nebraska’s hilarious tourist slogan demonstrates that it’s often most effective to admit the truth, even when that truth might not be terribly flattering or impressive. Have a sense of humor, be willing to poke fun at yourself or the situation, ...
09.29.2021 Ep. 345: Escape from Zombie Mode, Help People Say “No,” and What Do You Want to Be Known For? We discuss strategies for escaping “zombie mode,” share a hack to make it easy for people to say “no,” and talk to Crystal Ellefsen about the know-yourself-better question of “What do you want to be known for?” Get in touch: ...
09.27.2021 Little Happier: Mindy Kaling’s “Rules for Writing” Show That We Can Be Funny Without Being Mean Mindy Kaling is a successful and productive writer, actor, and director. She’s hilarious and brilliant. In her “Rules for Writing,” she explains how to be funny—without being mean. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get ...
09.22.2021 Ep. 344: How to Do a Quick Good Deed that Could Have Big Consequences, a Hack for Cutting Ourselves Some Slack, and an Interview with Anderson Cooper We discuss a listener’s suggestion for an important way to help others, we talk about giving ourselves a “mercy week” during particularly busy or stressful times, and we talk to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper about his new book “Vanderbilt.” Get ...
09.20.2021 Little Happier: A Father Ate the Bananas Intended for His Children, and His Son Never Viewed Him the Same Way Writer Auberon Waugh tells the story of how his father, novelist Evelyn Waugh, ate the bananas—at that time, a very rare treat--intended for him and his sisters. “It would be absurd to say that I never forgave him, but he ...
09.15.2021 Ep. 343: Keep a Journal in the Way That’s Right for You, Check in with #Read21in21, and Health Hacks from Cassy Joy Garcia We talk about why you should keep a journal in the way that’s right for you—and discuss several different journal options, depending on what kind of journal you want to keep. We also hear hacks for healthier eating from Cassy ...
09.13.2021 Little Happier: Writer Ann Patchett Describes How Sometimes, We Can Minister to the Spirit through the Body In her brilliant memoir Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett recalls how she helps a troubled friend by tapping into the power of the five senses: “Even if I couldn’t make Lucy deeply happy, I could provide the kind of happiness ...
09.08.2021 Ep. 342: Join the Work Happier Challenge, Use a Rubber Duck to Tackle a Tough Problem, and How to Fight Against Falling into Zombie Mode We suggest taking the free “Work Happier Challenge” by text as we head into the “other January” of September, explain why talking to a rubber duck can help us tackle difficult problems, explore the challenge of the “first night effect” ...
09.06.2021 Little Happier: Actor Andrew McCarthy Faces the Question of How, as a Parent, to Acknowledge a Child’s Pain When the young son of actor and writer Andrew McCarthy raised a tough issue, his father found the right words to respond. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ...
09.01.2021 Ep. 341: Find Something Unconventional to Celebrate, How to Deal with a Happiness Regret, and Listeners Suggest Ways to Deal with a Talkative Co-worker Inspired by “Garbage Eve,” we discuss about why we might find something unconventional to celebrate, we talk about listeners’ suggestions for dealing with a co-worker who interrupts constantly, and listener asks about how to deal with the regret of not ...
08.30.2021 Little Happier: For Writer Isabel Allende, January 8 Is the Right Day to Begin. In remembrance of her grandfather’s death, writer Isabel Allende starts all her new books on January 8, which for her is the right day to begin. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
08.25.2021 Ep. 340: Very Special Episode! Ask Us Anything Every tenth episode is a Very Special Episode, and this episode is an “Ask Us Anything.” We answer listener questions about our parents, career insights, our favorite hacks, why Gretchen calls Elizabeth “my sister the sage,” and more. Get in ...
08.23.2021 Little Happier: Ordinary Belongings Become Precious as They Persist—Like My Parents’ Brown Bowl Ordinary belongings become precious as they persist. They make us feel rooted in our own existence, with the comforting feeling that “Some things will never change.” Things will change, of course—but using my parents’ brown bowl makes me feel like ...
08.18.2021 Ep. 339: Why It’s More Helpful to Ask for Help than to Show Anger, a Listener Struggles with a Talkative Co-Worker, and What Textures Do You Enjoy Most? We discuss why, if we’re facing a challenge, it can be more helpful to focus on need than anger, explore a know-yourself-better question related to textures, and a listener asks: I’m back in the office; what do I do about ...
08.16.2021 Little Happier: Musician Rosanne Cash Reminds Me of a Paradox: Love Is Unconditional, and Love Is Demanding Musician and writer Rosanne Cash tells the story of a conversation she had with her husband, which was a terrific illustration of a paradox of love. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast ...
08.13.2021 Bonus Episode: Fantasy Island! We Explore the Making of the New FOX TV Drama In this bonus episode, we dive deep into questions about the making of the new FOX TV drama “Fantasy Island” and Elizabeth’s role as showrunner. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get ...
08.11.2021 Ep. 338: If You’re Under Pressure, Give Yourself Less Time, an Easy Hack for Listening to Podcasts, and an Interview with Ramit Sethi about Money and Couples. We talk about why, when under pressure, you might consider giving yourself less time, we suggest a hack that makes podcast-listening more convenient, and Ramit Sethi discusses his new podcast about the role that money can play in our romantic ...
08.09.2021 Little Happier: A Single Letter Reverses the Meaning of This Quotation from Leonardo da Vinci I’d long been haunted by a line from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Notebooks,” but I learned that I’d mistyped a single letter, and had utterly transformed the meaning of the quotation. (I like my version better than Leonardo’s.) Get in touch: ...
08.04.2021 Ep. 337: Take a Nap, an Easy Hack for Lowering Frustration, a New Way to Use Gold Stars—and Are You a “Song” Lover or a “Music” Lover? We explore the many benefits of taking a nap (if schedules permit), one listener suggests a simple organization hack and another listener finds a way to use demerits and gold stars in a hospital, and we discuss whether we’re “song” ...
08.02.2021 Little Happier: After Enron’s Downfall, a Massive Trove of Private Emails Were Made Public. Researchers Learned a Lot, and So Did I. The fascinating history of the “Enron Corpus,” the trove of private emails that were made public in the wake of the collapse of the energy company Enron, reminds me never to write anything in an email that I wouldn’t want ...
07.28.2021 Ep. 336: Allow Others to Share Your Enthusiasm, the Props Listeners Use to Manage Anxiety, a Deep Dive into Listeners’ One-Word Themes—Plus a Hack for Asking Tough Questions We discuss why it’s a good idea to allow others to share your enthusiasm, we review the props used by listeners to help manage anxiety, take a look at listeners’ one-word themes for 2021, and share a hack for asking ...
07.26.2021 Little Happier: To the Curious and Prepared Mind, Something Dull Becomes Interesting. A story about the small talk of two brilliant mathematicians reminds me that a curious and well-informed mind can find much of interest in the world. The taxi-cab’s number 1729 turns out to be a very interesting number. Get in ...
07.21.2021 Ep. 335: Walk Away from a Bad Mood, a Rebel and an Obliger Offer Tips, and a Great Hack for Giving an Easy Yet Thoughtful Gift We talk about how we can walk away from a bad mood, suggest an idea for giving very thoughtful gifts (that are easy to do), and discuss excellen suggestions from a Rebel and an Obliger about self-management. Get in touch: ...
07.19.2021 Little Happier: Both My Parents Made the Same Observation about Queen Elizabeth II. I was surprised when both my parents commented on Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to direct the Royal Family to wear mourning clothes (instead of traditional uniforms) to the funeral of her husband Prince Philip. Both my parents were impressed by ...
07.14.2021 Ep. 334: Happier Podcast Book Club: Writer and Musician Michelle Zauner Talks about Family, Identity, and Food in Her Memoir “Crying in H Mart” We talk to Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast about her compelling memoir “Crying in H Mart.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: ...
07.12.2021 Little Happier: Sometimes We Lash Out in Anger When In Fact We’re Feeling a Very Different Emotion A poignant scene from Meredith Hall’s novel Beneficence, where a husband and father speaks with harsh words to deny his regrets, reminds me to show my love; others can only see my actions. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in ...
07.07.2021 Ep. 333: We Review Our One-Word Theme for the Year, Suggest a Hot-Weather Hack, and Discuss the Power of Plants with Michael Pollan The year 2021 has hit the midway point, so we review our one-word themes to evaluate how we’re doing. We also suggest a hack for dealing with hot summer nights, and talk about Michael Pollan about his fascinating new book, ...
07.05.2021 Little Happier: Sometimes, When We Understand Someone’s Perspective, Our Anger Fades Sometimes, understanding someone else’s point of view allows our anger to fade. When writer Julie Lythcott-Haims understood that her mother’s definition of a “visit” differed from her definition of a “visit,” her resentment faded and her empathy grew. Get in ...
06.30.2021 Ep. 332: We Review Our “21 for 2021” Lists to Consider What We’ve Done (or Not) and Discuss a Happiness Hack for Managing Anxiety. The year is hitting the half-way mark, so we review our “21 for 2021” lists to mark our progress (and lack of progress). We also review a hack for clearing the mind, and Elizabeth gets both a demerit and a ...
06.28.2021 Little Happier: Novelist Amy Tan Didn’t Ask Her Unnamed Goddess for Good Reviews, But for Something Else. Novelist Amy Tan recounts that as she was writing her second book, she prayed to unnamed goddess that she “be able to write the best book I could, and that no matter what happened to it, I would have no ...
06.23.2021 Ep. 331: Give Yourself a Prop to Hold, Ways to Maintain Healthy Habits as Ordinary Routines Resume, and Hack for Little Kids and Chores We talk about why you might give yourself a prop to hold, discuss a friend’s hack for helping little kids to be independent, and explore a listener question about the common post-pandemic stumbling block of maintaining healthy habits that have ...
06.21.2021 Little Happier: Why Is It So Hard to See and Hear the World from Someone Else’s Perspective? Despite all good intentions, an accomplished architect built a house with lousy acoustics, even though the owner—the writer Ved Mehta, who was blind--emphasized that the acoustical environment was the most important aspect of the house. It takes constant discipline to ...
06.16.2021 EP. 330: Very Special Episode: Best Advice for Recent College Graduates, for Career, Finance, Roommates, and a Warning About Drift Listeners contributed their best advice for people graduating from college, in areas including job search, finances, roommates, and life, and we also explore the dangers of “drift.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & ...
06.14.2021 Little Happier: What a Set of 3D “Magic Eye” Postcards Taught Me About Myself Just because something isn’t often used doesn’t mean that it’s useless. My 3D “Magic Eye” postcards are fun to look at, and they also tie me to my own past. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: ...
06.12.2021 Bonus Episode: Mad Men In this bonus episode, we talk about the TV show “Mad Men.” We discuss our favorite moments, questions, and listeners’ favorite scenes. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show ...
06.09.2021 Ep. 329: Explore the Five Senses of Summer, a Hack for Boosting Focus, and a Deep Dive into Solutions for Obliger-Rebellion We talk about you might explore the five senses of summer, suggest a simple hack that makes it easier to focus, and review listeners’ suggestions about how to ward off growing Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get in ...
06.07.2021 Little Happier: Re-Framing the Situation Can Mean that Someone Unexpected Wins a Prize Rebecca Caudill’s 1962 picture book “The Best-Loved Doll” tells the story of a little girl and her shabby, beloved doll, and the medal her doll won, when the truth was framed in a new way. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
06.02.2021 Ep. 328: Eat Something You Saw on the Screen or Page, a Reading Hack, and Annie Murphy Paul Talks About the Extended Mind Why you might eat something you saw on the screen or on the page, a clutter-clearing hack that makes reading more fun, and a conversation with Annie Murphy Paul about how to think outside the brain. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; ...
05.31.2021 Little Happier: My Brilliant Insight About the Title's Meaning for "The Phantom Tollbooth," Norton Juster's Classic Novel. I have a tremendous insight that springs from my love of Norton Juster’s novel “The Phantom Tollbooth” and my longstanding fascinating with Zen koans. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes ...
05.26.2021 Ep. 327: Something to Remember: Gretchen Passed Out on Live TV! Plus a Hand-Holding Hack, and Are You in an Age of Expansion or Concentration? We talk about why it’s helpful to remember that the things that go wrong often make the best memories—for example, I passed out on live TV! Plus a hack about holding hands, and we ask the know-yourself-better question, “Are you ...
05.24.2021 Little: Grover of Sesame Street and Arya of Game of Thrones Teach Me the Same Lesson. Two characters from two very different kinds of stories—Sesame Street’s Grover and Game of Thrones’s Arya—illustrate the important reminder that sometimes, when we feel trapped, we can remember that we may have more choices than we think. Get in touch: ...
05.19.2021 Ep. 326: Write a Tastes Timeline, More Wisdom from Teachers, a Hack for Getting Better Service, and Question about Obliger-Rebellion We discuss why you might want to write a Tastes Timeline; share a listener’s hack for getting easier, quicker service; discuss more terrific proverbs from teachers; and pose a crucial question about Obliger-rebellion. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; [email protected] Get ...
05.17.2021 Little Happier: “The Farm Was a Form: Not Like a Set of Rules on a Wall, But Like the Symmetry of Winter and Summer.” The poet Donald Hall wrote a beautiful memoir of the childhood summers he spent with his grandparents on their New Hampshire farm. In his account, he conveys the safety and orderliness of that country life. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; [email protected] ...
05.12.2021 Ep. 325: Design Your Summer, Splurge on Colorful Felt-Tip Pens, and a Conversation with Julianna Margulies of “The Good Wife” We have our annual discussion about why and how we plan to design our summers, I explain why I splurged on some colorful felt-tip pens, and we talk to award-winning actor Julianna Margulies about her terrific memoir “Sunshine Girl.” Get ...

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