Harvesting Happiness

Many of us are searching for a more simplified approach to life as we tackle everyday living during these complicated times. Some philosophies and religious traditions may seem antiquated when addressing modern conscious thought. To discover a better life practice to help us find conscious solutions and simplify life’s tough challenges, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who share their contemporary philosophies about how to transform life through consciousness. Leonard Perlmutter shares the practice of parenting our subconscious mind and details practices from his latest book, Your Conscience: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges. Dr. Eric Maisel shares his transformational practices of identifying and creating life purpose choices to create a guide for living the life we desire from his book, Lighting the Way: How Kirism Answers Life’s Toughest Questions.

The last few years have been topsy-turvy as far as human moral evolution is concerned. The global pandemic and civil unrest in many countries around the world have given rise to more questions than answers. Society’s moral fabric was torn politically and at the same time mended philosophically as we came to understand our interdependence. In the US, we took to our tribes, during the worst and the best of times. To discover the positives and negatives of our going tribal and how we might gain a better understanding of our place in the world, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two Philosophy professors and authors. Allen Buchanan recounts key chapters from his book, Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from Tribalism and discusses the shaky ground on which democracy sits. Simon Critchley shares philosophical takeaways from his book, Bald: 35 Philosophical Short Cuts, and what he thinks humans gained and lost during the pandemic, philosophically speaking.

We all have stories we acquire based on what happens to us as we live our lives. Some of us identify as mothers, fathers, artists, hustlers, hard-workers, and the list goes on. But, are those identities who we truly are? When we sit with ourselves in the present moment, is our identity our true essence, or simply an amalgamation of what happened to us in the past? To discern how we can perceive our true nature and commence on a spiritual journey, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have studied meditation and philosophy in India. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati exchanged her Western culture for eastern philosophy. She discusses the transformational journey that came from shedding her identities and embracing forgiveness from her book, Hollywood to the Himalayas: A Journey of Healing and Transformation. Peter Russell reveals the lessons in his book, Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature and unpacks the mantra let it go and let it be.

Becoming a caregiver for aging parents or someone you love can be a reversal of roles for you and the person you care for. Plus, if the person you care for has any form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, you will need to look at things differently. There will, most likely, be challenges and opportunities in relationships that may have never been addressed before. To gain a better understanding of the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual demands managing dementia can present, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors about their in-depth knowledge and personal experiences. Professor of Neurology, Andrew Budson discusses his latest book, Six Steps to Managing Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Guide for Families. His straightforward research and clinical information serves to keep those in the caregiver role healthy. He also shares basic strategies to help stave off memory loss and dementia for all of us. Patti Davis is the author of Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer’s. She shares a warm, personal account of caring for her formerly estranged father who lived with dementia long-term.

Are you concerned about the future? Tired of divisiveness? Join political commentator and changemaker Van Jones on a journey to find unifying solutions to our country’s biggest problems. Each week, Van and his guests explore topics that affect us all—from climate change to prison reform, from voting rights to political polarization. In Uncommon Ground with Van Jones, you’ll hear inspiring, hopeful and unique perspectives on what it takes to create meaningful change in a divided nation.

Secure, loving relationships are the cornerstone of happiness. The deeper and more intimate our relationships the less we have to resent and regret as we age. Many consider becoming an adult to be a number we grow into, but our chronological age differs vastly from what it means to mature. To explore processes that assist us in overcoming our childhood triggers and unconscious shadows, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two adults who examine what creates a purposeful life as we live and age. Dr. Connie Zweig is a retired therapist and Elder who explains the key processes from her book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. Ira Israel is a Coach, Counselor, and Therapist who discusses what it means to be a successful adult and the goal of his book, How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You Are an Adult.

Who benefits from making Americans fat, tired, and sick? Big food

and big pharma that’s who. Grocery stores are brimming with

ultra-processed, sugar-laden alternatives to real food, and doctors

benefit monetarily from dolling out pharmaceuticals that only

treat symptoms, not illnesses. To determine what individuals can

do to live a healthy life and make more nutritious food choices,

Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with

two doctors who have researched the effects of processed foods

and sugar consumption. Dr. Robert Lustig uses six simple words

as a golden rule when it comes to nutrition and health. He dispels

common food myths and chronic diseases as detailed in his book,

Metabolical. And, Dr. Robert Barrett discusses the dark sides of

social media, smartphone use, and the real drug problem in the

U.S., all from his latest book, Hardwired.

There are very few things in life that are within our control. Our

perspective, perceptions, and the actions we take are the only

things we truly have control of. If we want peace and joy, we must

make them for ourselves. To explore how meditation and

mindfulness practices can guide us toward our sacred sweet spot,

Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with

three authors who use meditation practices as tools for a more

satisfying and mindful life. Dr. Aria Campbell-Ganesh and Dr. Seth

J. Gillihan, both psychologists, co-authored A Mindful Year: 365

Ways to Find Connection and the Sacred in Everyday Life, after

the realization that we are in control of our own well-being and

special moments can be celebrated every day. Yogi and

meditator, Rebecca Pacheco is the author of the influential Still

Life: The Myth and Magic of Mindful Living. She imparts her

knowledge of mindfulness practices and how to adapt them to

individual lifestyles.

Traumas we experience in the early part of our life can become fear and anxiety we carry with us into our adult lives. But, patterns and behaviors that once served as successful coping strategies can sabotage our intimate relationships with others and more importantly with ourselves. To explore the mechanisms of change afforded to us by neuroplasticity and intuition, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who share the knowledge that life transformations are possible through energy activation. Sarah Peyton is a neuroscience educator who teaches about the impact of childhood trauma on our brains and how we can transform self-sabotaging patterns that carry on into our adult lives. She shares examples from her book, Your Resonant Self Workbook, about how every person can tame their inner critic and change their life. Melanie Dean is a psychologist and educator who describes the quantum physics of healing and how people can get what they want by becoming in tune with their power. She describes the process of energy activation and key learnings from her book, The Hidden Power of Emotions: How to Activate Your Energy Field and Transform Your Life.

The universe and our purpose in it remain vastly unknown. Many theories, beliefs, and reckonings exist about the “big scheme of things” but ultimately there are few concrete answers to our existential questions. To explore the impact space has on the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of humans, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two experts in outer space, professor of astroparticle physics and preacher, Heino Falcke and astronaut, Colonel Terry Virts. Heino Falcke created the first global telescope network to successfully photograph a black hole. He talks about his discoveries and his latest book, Light in the Darkness: Black Holes, the Universe, and Us. Colonel Terry Virts, a captain of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, shares how being in space has changed his spiritual outlook and about his book, How to Astronaut: An Insider’s Guide to Leaving Planet Earth.