Harvesting Happiness

Do you remember the last time you had an uninterrupted couple of minutes to yourself, no pings, no dings, just a quiet moment for your mind to make its own decisions about what it wants to think about? Yeah, us neither. Today’s habitual ‘now’ culture has caused underlying anxiety and worry in many people. To discover strategies to open the release valve and alleviate anxiety’s grip on the subconscious, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who offer up ideas for those venturing back into the world of work. Dr. Jud Brewer shares tips from his book, Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind, about how to re-engage with our peers post-pandemic. And, Juliet Funt describes the strategies from her book, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work, about the opportunity we have to redesign our new normal.

A neurodivergent person is one whose neurological development is atypical. People with ADHD, Aspergers, and autism are generally considered to be neurodivergent. It is common for neurotypical thinkers to misunderstand those with neurodivergent perspectives in social interactions and in the workplace. To discover more about how and why we should embrace neurodiversity immediately, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who are experts on living with neurodivergent perspectives. As one of the first children to be diagnosed with ADHD, Joe Newman understands the misdirection of labels. He describes how he overcame them and how he helps parents foster a growth mindset by way of his acclaimed parenting methods as detailed in his book, Raising Lions. And, Eric Garcia recounts his research about living with autism in the United States. The research, originally part of a magazine article, led to his breakthrough book, We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation.

As the pandemic wanes and the world goes back to work, employees are re-evaluating their life and career goals. Furthermore, the great global reset has offered leaders the opportunity to transform and rehumanize workplaces by introducing healthy practices into the corporate culture. To explore the ways leaders can increase their chances of retaining and hiring the best and brightest thinkers and doers for their organizations by creating climates of wellbeing and joy, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who are experts in expelling toxicity from the workplace. Rosie Ward describes the key principles from her book Rehumanizing the Workplace: Future-Proofing Your Organization While Restoring Hope, Well-Being, and Performance and how individuals can ground and reset before reentering the workplace after the pandemic. And, Alan Willett, a Fortune 500 preferred consultant for leadership coaching, details the essential components of his two leadership books, Leading the Unleadable: How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, and Other Difficult People & Lead with Speed: Fire Up Your Team, Power Your Engines of Development, and Make Your Organization Soar.

We turn to science for the pharmaceuticals and supplements we ingest but few people consider scientific research when it comes to the body as a machine run by nutrients. To heal the world’s population, many of whom are sick with chronic illnesses or debilitating diseases caused by lack of nutrition, a proven strategy is eating green. To explore how we can reverse inflammation and disease in our bodies, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who have seen the effects of eating for optimal health. Dr. Aujla is an expert in food science. He is the author of Eat to Beat Illness: 80 Simple Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Science of Food as Medicine. He shares excerpts from his book and tips about how we can easily add nutrition to our diets for optimum mental and physical health. And, Dr. Joel Fuhrman shares key takeaways from his book, Eat for Life: The Breakthrough Nutrient-Rich Program for Longevity, Disease Reversal, and Sustained Weight Loss, and important statistics from his work in nutritional science that proves the connection between proper nutrition and living a disease-free life.

Happiness and joy are high vibrational states of being and with awareness and practice, we can move into those states at will. Two practices that enhance our ability to raise our energetic vibration are reverence and gratitude. To explore how we can extract support from the universe, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who energetically raise their vibrations and relish in peace and joy. Agapi Stassinopoulos is the Greek writer behind the classics Unbinding the Heart and Wake Up to the Joy of You. She shares tips on how to rediscover the positive energy of essential connection and joy. And, creator of the website Vibrate Higher Daily, Lalah Delia describes how she lives her life with mindfulness and intention to enlighten others.

Neuroplasticity offers us the ability to change our brains and transcend stress, fear, and anxiety. By rewiring neural pathways, we can transform the emotional strain past traumas hold over our subconscious minds. There are successful methods to overcome patterns and behaviors that serve as blocks to our happiness. To ascertain the secrets to making monumental shifts toward contentment, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two neuroscience experts who reveal their strategies for rewiring the mind. Dr. Mike Dow has a mission to help people heal their brains by replacing negative experiences in their subconscious minds with emotionally charged positive ones. And, Don Goewey works within corporate America about how to circumvent stress and increase life satisfaction.

There is no perfect way to help children build resilient,

empathetic, and emotionally secure foundations that support

them through adulthood. There is no instruction manual and there

is no definitive right way. One approach parents can take is to be

mindful and compassionate, with themselves first and then with

their children. To find out more about how parents can raise

optimistic and self-assured kids, Positive Psychology Podcast Host

Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two psychotherapists about

parenting strategies that help create stability in a child’s life. Dr.

Tina Payne Bryson describes enlightening approaches from her

book, The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and

Resilience in Your Child. And Dr. Shauna Shapiro discusses the five

essential elements of mindful discipline from her book, Mindful

Discipline: A Loving Approach to Setting Limits and Raising an

Emotionally Intelligent Child.

Financial fitness is different for all of us as we all have different needs and dreams. The concern we feel about having sufficient money to meet our needs or fulfill our dreams can be emotionally taxing. Partner that with the absence of a financial education and it becomes a profit-driven boon for predatory financial institutions. Understanding the basics of investing, which companies have an honest track record, and how to get out of debt can be life-changing for many. To better understand the psychological effects of how finances affect our lives and relationships, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two investors/authors about how they overcame their early beliefs about what their financial outlook could be. Danielle Town describes how she overcame her emotional trauma surrounding money as detailed in her book, Invested. And, Remit Sethi discusses strategies on how to grow what you already have from the second edition of his book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich.

The journey of our lives can be pockmarked with disappointment and trauma, as well as contentment and joy. It is the nature of our existence. Learning to cope with trauma and unmet needs without the use of addictive behaviors and substances can be trying and cause anxiety and depression. Often, what we cling to first to ease our pain may be the very thing we need to recover from later. Ultimately, internal work is the key to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual recovery. To bring to light natural and expansive methods of addiction and trauma recovery, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two former addicts who transformed their lives and healed themselves through natural practices. Johann Hari shares the research he unearthed about the underlying causes of anxiety and depression while writing his book, Lost Connections. And, Noah Levine recounts the trauma at the base of his addiction to substances and the mindfulness practice that led him to heal himself and others by way of his Refuge Recovery program.

Finding true love is not a quest for the meek. Some men and women search for years for a partner in which to share their lives. But, not everyone can handle the task alone. Many single people employ counselors and matchmakers to increase their chances of finding the ‘one’ and to maintain a healthy relationship. To find out more about the business of connection, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two women who help men and women maintain healthy relationships and sustainable love. Dr. Jacquie describes communication methods for couples who want to reignite their love lives. And, Cristina Pineda is a matchmaker in major metropolitan areas. She and her team help men and women do the internal work necessary to find a healthy sustainable relationship.