In this week’s episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with author Angelica Glass to explore her remarkable book, Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks, which chronicles her decision to walk every street in Santa Cruz County. What began as a stress‑relief habit unfolded into a profound journey of awe, healing, forgiveness, and rediscovery. Angelica shares how intentionally seeking beauty — one photograph, one street, one quiet moment at a time — opened the door to long‑buried memories, deeper self‑understanding, and renewed connection with her siblings. Through nature, silence, and curiosity, she learned to reframe her past with tenderness and compassion, ultimately transforming her internal landscape and her relationships.

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This week, as part of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with Elizabeth Margulis, a professor of music at Princeton University and director of the Music Cognition Lab, to talk about her book, Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.  Elizabeth explains why our minds naturally wander when we listen to music, how those imaginative journeys shape our sense of self, and why these experiences are far more meaningful — and scientifically important — than we realize. Listen as she reveals how reconnecting with this simple, often overlooked way of listening can deepen our relationships, boost our mental health, and bring us back to the joy that first made us fall in love with music.

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The Live Happy Summer Reading Program continues this week as host Paula Felps sits down with author and activist Deborah Santana to talk about Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, her powerful memoir about identity, courage, reinvention, and choosing a life aligned with your spirit. In this episode, Deborah candidly shares how she found the strength to leave a life that no longer reflected who she was, the spiritual practices that guided her, and the generational resilience that shaped her path. Listen as Deborah shares how stepping into your truth can transform not only your life, but the lives of those around you.

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For Week 2 of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, award‑winning journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa sits down with host Paula Felps to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist. Donna explains that rumination is an evolution‑wired survival response that has gone rogue in modern life, trapping us in negative “mental movie reels” fueled by the brain’s default mode network. Using neuroscience, personal insight, and research‑backed tools, she shares how we can transform rumination into clarity, creativity, and a renewed sense of belonging.

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This week on Live Happy Now, we launch our Summer Reading Program with Jodi Wellman, whose book You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets invites us to rethink how we spend our days and start living with fewer regrets. Jodi joins host Paula Felps to explain how embracing the reality of our limited time can actually make life feel richer, more vibrant, and more meaningful. Drawing from personal experience, positive psychology research, and her signature humor, she explains why we’re so prone to postponing our lives — and how small, intentional choices can help us feel more “astonishingly alive” every day.

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Summer is here, and so is our very first Live Happy Summer Reading Program. In this episode, Live Happy Now Host Paula teams up with Senior Happiness Editor Chris Libby to unveil six weeks of books designed to inspire, uplift, and spark real‑world joy. From science‑backed guides to deeply personal memoirs, they walk through each pick, explain why it made the cut, and tell you how to join the fun.

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This week on Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Sherry Hamby, a leading researcher on trauma and resilience and author of Stronger Than You Think: Building Lifelong Resilience. Drawing from more than three decades of studying violence, healing, and human strengths, Dr. Hamby explains why our biggest misconception about trauma recovery is believing we must “push through” alone — and why resilience is not a trait but a multidimensional journey. She introduces her four-part resilience portfolio, shows how nature and supportive relationships can accelerate healing, and shares why even those with heavy trauma histories can still move toward thriving.

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In a world where fake news and misinformation is rampant, what role does honestly play? This week, Wake Forest philosopher Christian B. Miller dives into the ideas behind his new book The Honesty Crisis, revealing why honesty is far more complex — and essential — than simply telling the truth. In this thoughtful conversation with host Paula Felps, Christian explores why honesty feels harder in today’s world and what’s at stake for our relationships, our well-being, and our society when we abandon it.

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This week on Live Happy Now, Paula sits down with Dr. Korie Leigh, an internationally recognized expert in childhood bereavement and author of When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief. Drawing from her work in pediatric palliative care and thanatology, Dr. Leigh explains why children grieve differently than adults and why honest, concrete communication matters when helping them navigate loss. She also shares how parents can support their children even while managing their own grief, and why resilience is a muscle families can build together.

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On this Mother’s Day episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down once again with mother‑daughter duo Leslie and Lindsey Glass to explore how mental health patterns, coping strategies, and emotional habits are passed down through generations. Drawing from their own lived experience — including estrangement, reconciliation, and years of therapeutic work — Leslie and Lindsey share practical, compassionate tools for breaking unhealthy cycles, setting boundaries, rebuilding trust, and creating new family patterns rooted in safety and connection.

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