If you’ve never thought of cows as intuitive healers, this episode just might change your mind. Ellie Laks is the founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation, a national organization that rescues and rehabilitates abused and discarded farm animals. She is the creator of cow hug therapy and, as she explains in her book by the same name, she has learned amazing lessons from these animals about life, death, and everything in between. She’s here today to share some of those lessons with us.  In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The origins of Cow Hug Therapy.

If you feel like your workday never ends, you aren’t alone! This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Janelle Wells and Doreen MacAulay, partners in the consultancy WellsQuest and authors of Our (In)Visible Work: How Everyone Everywhere Experiences It Every Day. Their work focuses on the effect of the unpaid work we do both on the job and at home, and they’re here to talk about how taking on these essential tasks can tax our time and lead to burnout, anxiety, and exhaustion — and how we can manage it better.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to define invisible work and determine where it lives.

Students and teachers are heading back to school, but just because summer is ending doesn’t mean our fun has to end, too. This summer, Live Happy teamed up with organizational psychologist Mike Rucker, PhD, to offer the Summer of Fun email series, filled with ideas about how to bring more fun to your summer. As we head into fall and winter, host Paula Felps sits down with Mike to talk about how we can carry this commitment to fun with us as the days get shorter.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How (and why) to commit to fun when time seems to be in short supply.

As we head toward the end of summer, many of us are talking about the contentious election environment. In this episode, host Paula Felps is by Rob Volpe, an empathy activist, consultant, and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the empathy crisis one conversation at a time, who talks about how we can avoid some of the hazards that come with discussing differing opinions. He’ll also explain how learning to approach these conversations differently can change the way we interact with one another in the long run.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the discourse has become so heated and how social media has contributed to the problem.

As Live Happy Now wraps up its ninth season, we’re looking ahead to some exciting new things to share with our listeners. In this episode, Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz flips the script to interview host Paula Felps and find out what’s in store.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why we’re going to look at Election Stress in Season 10 and how to sign up for our related email course.

Acclaimed soprano Renee Fleming has performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, performing in operas, concerts, theater, and films. But now, the five-time Grammy Award winner is using her voice to help improve our wellbeing. In her new book, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, Renee has curated a collection of essays from leading scientists, artists, musicians, creative arts therapists, educators, and healthcare providers about the powerful impact of music and the arts on health and the human experience. She’s here to discuss how this project came about and why she is so committed to sharing this message.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What compelled Renee to advocate for the arts as a healing tool.

Summer is a recess for all of us, but what if you could prioritize play all year long? This week, host Paula Felps talks with Jeff Harry, who uses a combination of positive psychology and play to foster healing and help individuals overcome their biggest challenges. Learn why we all need to embrace the power of play and how to create your personal play practice.  

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to discover your “play values.”

We’ve all heard the advice to stop and smell the roses, but this week’s episode is a reminder to take a moment to arrange them. Talia Boone is a social entrepreneur whose work has centered around human and civil rights issues. A few years ago, she discovered flower arranging as a form of meditation and self-care, and in the height of the pandemic she launched Postal Petals to help others relieve the anxiety they were feeling. Today, her company’s mindful approach to flower arranging is being used by companies, individuals, and community groups who are discovering just how life-changing her workshops can be.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Talia discovered the impact of flower arranging on mental and emotional well-being.

For years, wolves have been revered as spirit animals and in many spiritual traditions, they’re believed to help people connect with their instincts and inner wisdom. At the Sedona Wolf Sanctuary in Arizona, rescued wolves on sacred land create a healing experience for those who have experienced trauma or who are looking for a renewing spiritual experience. In this episode, host Brittany Derrenbacher talks with Cynthia Heisch, founder and CEO of the sanctuary, to talk about how and why wolves can help us heal.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How wolves can help humans on their healing journeys.

If you’re feeling more stressed than usual these days, you aren’t alone. But this week, host Paula Felps is joined by author, psychology instructor, and resiliency expert Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe to find out why that is and what you can do about it. Dr. Robyne’s latest book, Stress Wisely: How to Be Well in an Unwell World, looks at why the stress of today’s fast-paced world is having such a devastating effect on us, both physically and mentally, and how we can learn to manage it better.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why our bodies aren’t designed for today’s always-on world and what to do about it.