Live Happy Now

This year, as you’re shopping for the perfect holiday gift, why not put forgiveness on your list? It’s always the perfect size, never goes out of style, and it’s also like giving a gift to yourself. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Barbara J. Hunt, a forgiveness specialist, speaker, workshop leader, and bestselling author of Forgiveness Made Easy. Barbara explains how forgiveness is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves and how we can use forgiveness as a practice to help us navigate those often-tricky holiday gatherings.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why forgiveness feels so hard. 

Studies show that our world is becoming less optimistic, but this week’s guest believes we can change that — and we can start this holiday season. Dr. Emily Bashah is a psychologist whose private practice specializes in mental illness, collective trauma, grief, and relationship dynamics. She’s also co-host of The Optimistic American podcast, where she and Paul Johnson create space for a positive and hopeful view of America and help us feel more optimistic about the future. In this episode, she shares how we can regain our optimism by changing how we think.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why we’re feeling less optimistic these days.

For many people, the holiday season marks an increase in anxiety. But this week’s guest explains why that’s not always a bad thing! Dr. David Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, program director at McLean Hospital, and founder of the Center for Anxiety. He’s also author of the new book, Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You, and in this episode he talks about why the holidays cause so much anxiety and offers tips for thriving throughout the season (and beyond!).

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between stress and anxiety.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet month, and that makes it the perfect time to talk to Dr. Julie Buzby, an integrative veterinarian with a special place in her heart for senior pets. She’s here to talk with host Brittany Derrenbacher about some of the misconceptions we often have about senior dogs and why in many cases a senior pet may be the best option for adoption. So listen in as she and Brittany talk about what senior pets can do for us—and what we should be doing for them.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What age dogs are considered seniors.

November is National Gratitude Month, and this year, we decided to look at gratitude through a new lens. Host Paula Felps and Social Media Marketing Manager Casey Johnson went on a quest to find fresh new ways to practice gratitude, and in this episode, they share several unique ways to bring gratitude into your life. They’re here to talk about what they found and how these new practices can help improve your well-being — and they even share ways to get the whole family involved.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why finding a new way to practice gratitude is a great way to change your daily routine. 

Now that we’ve turned back our clocks, it’s time for shorter days — and for many, that also means the onset of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with world-renowned researcher and psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, the doctor who was instrumental in identifying SAD and also pioneered light therapy as treatment. His new book, Defeating SAD: A Guide to Health and Happiness Through All Seasons, provides a roadmap for beating this disorder and in this episode, he explains how we can better prepare for the next few months.

In this episode, you’ll learn: 

• How Dr. Norm’s own experiences with seasonal affective disorder inspired him to research it.

When you’re going on a trip, it’s important to make sure you pack all the essentials. And when you’re starting a journey to well-being, you need to pack the happiness essentials. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Emmy Award-winning television producer, well-being teacher, and author Maria Baltazzi about her new book, Take A Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct and Produce the Life You Want. A world traveler who has developed and produced TV shows around the globe, including the hit reality show Survivor, Maria has truly used the planet as an extraordinary classroom. Her book explores the eight happiness essentials she’s discovered and teaches us how we can use them to improve well-being.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What she considers her three most important Happiness Essentials.

Sound frequencies can change not only our mental state, but change how we feel physically, too. Laura Widney first began using sound frequencies to help her wellness clients manage stress and anxiety. As she learned its many applications, she became chief innovation officer of Soaak, a company that offers sound therapy on the go. In this episode, she talks about how we all can use sound frequencies to boost our energy, enhance our focus, and improve our overall sense of well-being.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How different sound frequencies affect our physical and mental health.

The world is experiencing an extremely difficult time right now, and sometimes that can leave us wondering if it’s selfish — or even possible — to pursue happiness in such a chaotic time. This week host Paula Felps sits down with Matt Derrenbacher, Solo Rabbi for Congregation Beth Shalom in Columbia, Missouri, to talk about why searching for happiness right now is so important and how we can find — and offer — comfort in the face of so much uncertainty.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What we can do for others when we’re not sure what to say.

If you don’t love your life at work, you’re not alone. New research shows that workers are the unhappiest they’ve been in years, so this week host, Paula Felps sits down with Greg Kettner, founder of the organization Work Happy and an expert in workplace well-being. They’re here to talk about what’s making us so unhappy on the job and what we can do about it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why workers are less satisfied now than during the pandemic.