Happiness Sold Separately

Sara Haines has one of the most recognizable voices in American television, and she built it by refusing to pretend she had it all figured out.

In this conversation with Jason Hensley, Sara opens up about growing up as the third of four kids in Newton, Iowa, feeling invisible in her own family home videos, and spending her early years chasing the feeling she got on a volleyball court or a show choir stage, without quite knowing what to do with it.

She talks about moving to New York with no headshots, no connections, and no idea how to ride the subway, landing in NBC's page program, and eventually being told by someone she trusted that they didn't see her as a host. And why that was the moment she knew she had to leave.

She goes deep on postpartum, not the version you hear about, but the real one, where you want to pack up your Chihuahua and disappear. On motherhood and the love that didn't arrive on cue.

On being a proud independent in a world that keeps demanding you pick a side. And on why "happy" might be the most dangerous goal we've ever set for ourselves.

This one will stay with you.

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Scott Lackey has been fired from his own company twice. The first time cost him $3 million. The second time cost him $20 million and the company he built from nothing. He's a U.S. Army veteran. An Ironman. A pastor. A husband. A father. And now, an author of a book that does not flinch.In this conversation, Scott and Jason go where most men refuse to go.

They talk about the "make it happen" mentality that built Scott's life and then almost destroyed it. They talk about the day Scott drove home to his pregnant wife and toddler son with nothing left, and smiled anyway. They talk about the difference between power and control, and why confusing the two ruins men in business and in marriage. And Scott offers the most honest pushback on modern men's self-help you'll hear all year.

He doesn't say "there's nothing wrong with you." He says the opposite. "There IS something broken. And you need to break it the rest of the way so it can heal." This is a conversation about vulnerability as strength. About rage as fuel that eventually breaks the engine. About the photo Scott keeps over his shoulder of his two-year-old son grabbing his face on the worst day of his life. And about why his family loves vulnerable dad more than strong dad.

If you've ever hit the wall and asked yourself "how did I get here," this episode was made for you.Get Scott's book and connect with him at scottlackey.com.Follow Happiness Sold Separately on YouTube and Instagram @mccoshfilms. More from McCosh Films at mccoshfilms.com.A McCosh Films production. Hosted by Jason Hensley.

NYT Bestselling author Chip Leighton left a six-figure corporate career in his 50s to become a creator — and his kids wrote the foreword to his new book roasting him for it. This is that conversation.Chip is back on Happiness Sold Separately with Jason Hensley to talk about "Dad, Could You Not?: A Dad's Guide to Being Less Cringy" — but this goes well beyond dad jokes.They get into the real stuff: what humor does for our kids, the cost of betting on yourself when everything is safe, why letting go is the hardest part of parenting, and the moment that line — hold on loosely, but don't let go — changes everything.Plus: the Dad Meter Quiz. Are you Basic, Mid, or Extra?This is Happiness Sold Separately — a show about what it means to be human, the joy of it, and the cost of it. New episodes every Monday.📖 "Dad, Could You Not?" — available wherever books are sold📱 @theleightonshow | theleightonshow.com🎙️ Hosted by Jason Hensley | McCosh Films📱 @mccoshfilms🎧 Spotify · Apple Podcasts · All major platforms▶️ youtube.com/@mccoshfilms

There’s a quiet shift happening—and it’s not showing up in headlines, it’s showing up in how kids handle pressure, failure, and reality.

In this episode, Jason talks with MLB columnist Ken Davidoff and pediatrician Dr. Harley Rotbart about what youth sports used to teach—and what’s being lost. They get into entitlement, participation trophies, parental pressure, and the emotional consequences of removing failure from the equation.

This isn’t nostalgia.

It’s a real look at what happens when kids aren’t prepared for the world they’re walking into.

If you care about raising grounded, resilient humans… this conversation matters.

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Question: Are we protecting kids too much… or preparing them too little?

#HappinessSoldSeparately #SayWhatsReal #TheStoryEngine

She didn’t expect to end up there. What started as a way to survive in Los Angeles turned into something much heavier—something that changed how she saw herself, relationships, and the world. In this episode, Kendra Bates shares her journey from OnlyFans to Suddenly Amish, and the internal shift that forced her to walk away from everything she thought she wanted.

This is a raw conversation about identity, consequence, faith, and rebuilding your life when you realize you’ve gone too far down the wrong path. If you’ve ever made a decision just to get through a moment—and then had to live with it—this one will hit.

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Most men think they’re doing everything right — working hard, providing, showing up. But what if that’s exactly where things start to break down? In this episode, Jason sits down with leadership coach Mitchell Osmond to unpack the silent crisis facing men today. From emotional disconnection to identity loss, this conversation reveals why so many marriages fail quietly and what it actually takes to rebuild connection at home without sacrificing success in the world. This is a raw look at masculinity, fatherhood, and the cost of getting it wrong.

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What’s something in your life that’s slowly slipping… and you haven’t faced yet?

#HappinessSoldSeparately #TheStoryEngine #SayWhatsReal

Abby Johnson has shared her story publicly for years—but this conversation goes deeper.

In this episode, we explore what’s happening inside abortion clinics today through the eyes of former workers—many of whom are leaving with lasting psychological trauma. Some stories are so serious that attorneys had to be consulted before they could even be shared.

This isn’t about headlines or politics. It’s about what people are actually experiencing, the emotional cost that lingers long after decisions are made, and what happens when truth becomes impossible to ignore.

Can you live with a decision you can’t undo?

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What happens when the life everyone admires… isn’t actually the life you’re meant to live?

Jonathan Cave spent years climbing toward what most people would call success — a respected legal career and a clear path to senior partnership.

From the outside, everything looked perfect.

But inside, something didn’t feel right.

In this episode of Happiness Sold Separately, Jonathan shares the moment he realized the life he had built no longer aligned with who he truly was — and the courageous decision to walk away from it.

Jason and Jonathan explore the hidden fears that shape our decisions, the emotional conditioning many of us carry from childhood, and why so many high-achieving people quietly struggle with imposter syndrome.

Jonathan explains his philosophy of Dare to Become, a powerful framework that challenges people to stop chasing external validation and start understanding themselves from the inside out.

This conversation dives into identity, emotional resilience, leadership, authenticity, and the courage it takes to become who you truly are.

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Your support helps us continue producing meaningful conversations that explore the emotional cost of being human.

Stay curious, stay connected, and keep the conversation going.

Have you ever realized the life you built wasn’t actually the life you wanted?

What helped you change direction?

#PersonalGrowth #Authenticity #LifePurpose #SelfDiscovery #Leadership #MentalWellbeing

What if technology allowed you to talk to someone you lost years ago?

In this episode of Happiness Sold Separately, Jason sits down with entrepreneur Miles Spencer, founder of Reflecta, an AI platform designed to preserve a person’s memories, voice, and personality so future generations can interact with them long after they’re gone.

The concept is already sparking strong reactions. Some people believe this technology represents the future of family storytelling and legacy preservation. Others believe it crosses a moral boundary.

Miles shares the emotional story of speaking to his own father again through the platform, how the system builds a digital “reflection” using voice recordings and stories, and why families are beginning to use AI to preserve generational wisdom before it disappears.

The conversation explores deeper questions about memory, grief, and humanity. Can artificial intelligence truly represent a person who has passed away? Are we preserving legacy or simulating life?

This episode explores the intersection of technology, storytelling, and the human desire to hold onto the voices of those we love.

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At 18, Rob Scheer aged out of foster care with nothing but a trash bag and nowhere to go. Homeless and alone, he slept under bridges, hid in libraries at night, and still managed to graduate high school.

Decades later, he would turn that pain into purpose by founding Comfort Cases, an international nonprofit providing backpacks filled with essentials to children entering foster care — because dignity matters, especially in moments of crisis.

In this powerful episode, Rob shares the reality behind foster care myths, why so many former foster youth experience homelessness, how faith sustained him, and what it means to transform suffering into service. This conversation is both heartbreaking and hopeful, challenging listeners to rethink compassion, responsibility, and the role each of us plays in caring for the most vulnerable.

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