Music is a great tool for bringing people together, and during the days of lockdown, the Marsh Family from the UK began sharing song parodies to express what they were going through. As it turns out they were exactly what the world needed, and their viral videos now have received more than 30 million views. They were dubbed the “Von Trapped Family” by the New York Times, and in this episode of On a Positive Note, parents Ben and Danielle Marsh talk about how their family’s humorous approach to the pandemic helped them keep their own sanity while turning their family into a global sensation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What inspired them to start doing parodies.

June is Pride month, which makes it the perfect time to revisit the theme of unity. This week’s guest, Wes Schmitz, is co-host of the popular Two Bottles Deep Podcast, which is designed to open up conversations between the gay and straight communities. Wes has been connecting people his entire life and his podcast has picked up an unexpected following thanks to its honest, open conversational approach. Let’s hear what he has to say about how listening really can build a bridge and create more unity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s so important for the gay and straight communities to listen to one another.

In this always-on world, it can be a challenge to find downtime. But cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Sara Mednick, author of the new book, The Hidden Power of the Downstate, says that spending too much time in our upstate is leaving us unhappy, exhausted and unhealthy. In this episode, she explains the need for us to discover our downstate and leverage it to enjoy a healthier, happier life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the downstate is and why it’s so important.

• What led Wil to revisit his life in his new memoir.

Can a doodle improve your mental health? If it’s drawn by Danny Casale, it just might! Under the moniker of Coolman Coffeedan, Danny is using his art to provide encouragement, make people laugh, and even explore the challenges of mental health. His work took off during the pandemic, and now he has millions of followers who rely on his adorable characters to uplift and inspire them. His new book UR Special: Advice for Humans from Coolman Coffeedan, tackles topics ranging from loneliness and anxiety to grief and self-confidence. And just like this conversation, his art will make you smile.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Danny turned doodling into a mental health movement.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why music and mental health go hand in hand.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders today, and it affects more than 40 million people. Today’s guest, Liza Kindred is a licensed minister, reiki practitioner and meditation teacher whose work has been featured in publications worldwide. Her new Calm Your Anxiety Journal is a hands-on workbook to walk users through their anxiety, discover their personal triggers and use journaling and other practices to make peace with it finally.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we’re taking on some of the tough topics around mental health. This week’s guest is Mattie Cummins, a counselor, brain coach, and CEO of Cerebrations, which provides counseling and coaching for people with anxiety, chronic pain, neurodiversity and other life transitions. Her mission is to empower people to tap into their own inner strength, beauty and experiences to calm their mental chaos, and she talks about some of the tools we can use to create more calm and joy in our lives. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here at Live Happy, we realize that happiness and good mental health go hand in hand. So we’ve brought the whole crew together to talk about it! Throughout the month of May, we’re going to focus on tools for better mental health. But to kick it off, our team sat down for a conversation about how the past couple of years have affected each of us and some of the ways we’ve coped. Joining host Paula Felps for this special episode are Live Happy CEO and Co-Founder Deborah Heisz; e-commerce Marketing Manager Casey Johnson; Web Editor Chris Libby; Senior Marketing Manager Britney Chan; and Senior Digital Marketing Specialist Shane Lee.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s so important to talk about mental health.

We all want to live longer, healthier lives — and if we can get younger while doing it, well then, all the better! In this episode, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald joins host Paula Felps to talk about her new book, Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better. Kara is one of the leading voices in the intersection of nutrition, epigenetics and aging, and she’s here to talk about what her research says about how to not just become healthier, but to actually reduce our biological age from the inside out.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The difference between genetics and epigenetics — and how each one affects your health.