Earn Your Happy

Open: having no means of closing or barring. It’s human nature to feel comfortable, whether it be in your relationship or your position at work, the workout class you take each morning etc…but the growth that we all crave and need comes from being open-minded to new life, new adventures. At first this may seem off and unfamiliar, like it doesn’t quite fit the perception we had around it. Is it fair to say that we may have even set a “prejudgment” about a certain topic? I’m sure we are all guilty of this at one point or another. “A lot of the time, our perceptions are blocking us from exactly what we need.” A lesson to be learned and one that isn't always easy, is that when putting others down or making someone/something feel “less than,” it’s really just a reflection of ourselves. “If I feel myself judging anyone, I ask myself, which part of me feels like I am lacking that I am looking for a flaw in them, so I can measure myself against it and attempt to win. Which never happens.” It’s time to take the blinders off. In This Episode You Will Learn: Open-mindedness Clarity Seeking new things Erasing prejudgment Elevation Triggers Mindfulness Resources: virtuesproject.com Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Subscribe to Earn Your Happy on iTunes. Gretchen Rubin is the author of several books, including the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project and Happier at Home. She has an enormous readership, both in print and online, and her books have sold more than two million copies worldwide, in more than thirty languages. On her popular weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft; they’ve been called the “Click and Clack of podcasters.” The podcast was named in iTunes’s lists of “Best Podcasts of 2015.” Gretchen Rubin started her career in law and was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she wanted to be a writer. She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters. Starting out in the filed of law, Gretchen started to realize the difference between a position and a passion. She held a renowned position clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, but knew her passion was really in writing, which led her to become a New York Time’s Best Selling Author. Lucky for us, this brought me one of my favorite reads ever, The Happiness Project. “A happiness problem, is a habits problem” Gretchen not only shares with us her beginnings, but also her on-going journey to a happy, healthy and more productive life. These are all the things she portrays in her podcast and books and helps others just like us, achieve. Becoming aware of our thoughts and mindset is one sure way of also becoming happier. Placing gratitude around all things instead of worry and fear will bring on more blessings than you could imagine. “It’s not about the things you have to do, its about the things you get to do.” We then start to realize it has nothing to do with having the glass half empty, or half full, its more about having the glass in general. She gives us the reminder to treasure each moment, and that even if something is unpleasant, it will be over soon. “The days can seem long, but the years are short.” Gretchen points out, that there is no one thing, that makes someone “happy.” Each habit must be personal, it has to coincide with what is true to you. With that being said, creating habits around the things that make you happy, whether small or large can change a mediocre life, to a rockstar world! We’re riding that happiness train, climb aboard! In This Episode You Will Learn About: Following your passions Happiness at home Creating habits Living happier, healthier and more productive lives Being aware of your thoughts Gratitude Perspective Resources: Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin Happier with Gretchen Rubin Podcast Get your daily dose of happy at GretchenRubin.com and follow her on Twitter @gretcehnrubin. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com  

Seek and you shall find. Today’s episode is meant to motivate the mind. It’s important to know that things do not just fall from the sky and into our laps. Seeking and therefore going after, is what will get you the prize. “To be truly mindful is an inner peace practice. It is a releasing practice, a letting go practice.” You are only in charge of YOU. After listening to one of my other favorite podcasts today Lewis Howes School of Greatness, I heard his guest say “Our control ends at our finger tips.” Being mindful of this will allow you to then control your reactions, greaten your experiences and allow you to find your inner peace. “That’s the difference between making heaven on earth, or hell on earth.” In This Episode You Will Learn About: Seeking and finding Peeling back the layers Mindfulness Awareness Letting go Control Resources: virtuesproject.com Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

What is normal and who would ever want to be it? It’s like picking vanilla over mint chocolate chip at the ice-cream shop…YUCK! Life, we only get one of those. It is time to make it everything you’ve always wanted. There is no right way to hold a relationship or marriage, no “perfect” way to dress, no correct subject to study in school, no religion is better than the other etc… It’s solely about what sets your soul on fire. Thinking outside of the box and blazing our own path in life, is what makes the world go ‘round. “Go explore the edges, that is where life happens, at the edges!” In This Episode You Will Learn: Normal in boring Living outside the box Trail blazing your own life’s path The big idea Living your purpose Being authentic no matter what others think Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Yuri Elkaim is a nutrition, fitness, and fat loss expert and the NYT bestselling author of The All-Day Energy Diet and The All-Day Fat Burning Diet. A former professional soccer player turned health crusader, he's most famous for helping people who've tried everything to lose weight and get in great shape, with little success, finally achieve breakthrough results. Yuri is on a mission to empower 10 million people to greater health by 2018 by making fit and healthy simple again. At a young age, Yuri found his interest in health and fitness through playing sports. Traveling and competing at the highest level that he could, he went on to play professional soccer by the time he reached his early twenties. “I never understood why people wouldn't want to be healthy and active. It’s such a great way of living.” He was healthy and stereotypically “fit” looking on the outside, but it took him awhile to realize that his athletic-built body, was actually just a mask to what was going on internally. Yuri later found out he had Eczema, Asthma, digestive issues and extremely low energy levels, causing him to fall asleep in class and finding it hard to concentrate on important issues. Adding to his list of health issues, at the age of 17 Yuri began losing all of his hair due to an auto-immune disease known as Alopecia. He then knew something had to change about his lifestyle or the way he had been eating. “I had been eating a lot of junk food. Not a lot of vegetables and not a lot of fruits.” Although he was extremely knowledgable in the fitness aspect of health, since he had played sports his whole life both for fun and professionally and was also a personal trainer on the side, Yuri says he was quite clueless on the nutrition spectrum. As soon as he changed his diet, he began to notice extreme changes. The Eczema and Asthma diminished and he started to grow all of his hair back. “It was unbelievable. It was an eye-opening experience for me.” Yuri’s drive to help millions of others has stemmed from his own health challenges. Enjoying the fact that he was helping people daily, as their personal trainer, he knew he wanted more from it. He wanted not to only help a handful, but millions at once which is why he turned to that internet for fast access to spreading his word, tips, diets and basic health knowledge. A quick tip he shares with us today, is one I hope you all write down. “Getting rid of allergenic foods and adding a ton of plant-based foods to your diet,” is what Yuri found to do the trick. “It doesn’t mean you have to be vegetarian or vegan,” he says, but adding mostly plant-based foods to anyones diet is the best thing you can do." “There is no secret sauce. It’s not a magic pill you've never heard of before. It’s the same old boring stuff, but it’s the reality that it works.” In This Episode You Will Learn About: All day energy Health tips Nutrition facts Fitness Auto immune diseases and other health issues Elevating your health Plant-based foods How food and energy intertwine Resources: The All-Day Energy Diet by Yuri Elkaim The All-Day Fat Burning Diet by Yuri Elkaim For more tips and guidance, visit yurielkaim.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Do you find yourself traveling a lot? Maybe for work, maybe for pleasure, or maybe your everyday schedule has somehow just become more hectic. Well…join the club! Today’s quickie is to remind you how to sustain self care, even when times get crazy. In just a little over one month’s time, I have traveled to 5 different cities. Being someone who enjoys habit and daily routine, this tends to throw me off track and being off track can lead towards crappier food choices, less time for workouts/meditation and occasionally an extra cocktail or two. I’m all about the extra cocktail or two, don’t get me wrong, but creating and continuing self-care during chaos is extremely important. “I want to enjoy my life no matter what time it is. I don’t want to be waiting to be home, or waiting to be back in my routine, I want to be in the NOW!” Realizing the positive things that recharge you, is the best way to stay on track. Of course taking the easy way out would be well…easy, but thats not what we are here for. Nothing good comes from “easy.” “Every opportunity is an opportunity to get stronger.” Feeling crazy and chaotic may not be your favorite feeling. Hopping on and off planes for work may not be the way you wanted you week to go, but each day we are blessed enough to rise and shine, is an opportunity to make it your own! Find your normalcy. Pack it up. Take it with you. In This Episode You Will Learn About: Self care Embracing the chaos Creating positive habits Self awareness of the NOW Maximizing the moment Finding normalcy while traveling Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com   bm35h2hj

Janna Hockenjos is a published author and a full time yoga teacher living in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and their Golden Retriever. The summer Janna Leyde turned 14, her father was in a near fatal car accident that changed everything she knew. Upon earning her BA at Wittenberg University, Janna moved to New York City where she received her masters degree in magazine journalism at NYU and spent the her twenties in New York City, learning the in and outs of magazine writing and publishing. In 2011, she left the industry to become a yoga teacher and write her first book, He Never Liked Cake, a coming of age memoir that tells the story of growing up with her father’s traumatic brain injury. Three years later she moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to continue her writing and yoga career and publish her second book, Move Feel Think: Yoga for Brain Injury, PTSD, and Other Forms of Trauma. Janna is the owner of Inhale Pittsburgh, a yoga studio located in downtown Pittsburgh. She also represents her community as a lululemon ambassador with a passion to bring the physical and mental benefits of yoga to the brain injury, PTSD, veteran, and trauma population on both local and national levels. When she is not on her mat, she works as a freelance writer, her works appearing in magazines such as Time Out New York and SELF and websites such as mindbodygreen.com, brainline.org, and NEXT Pittsburgh. She is an influential advocate for traumatic brain injury awareness and is frequently is a guest speaker at TBI conferences sharing her experiences. Much like our mutual friend Gabby Bernstein, another amazing guest on Earn Your Happy, Janna started her career in NYC attending grad school at NYU for Magazine Journalism. Continuing your education and attempting to find a good job during the economic fall was difficult, which lead her to begin in advertising and party planning in the city that never sleeps. Looking ahead to the future, Janna realized that although the top of the ladder in the magazine industry looked fun and glamorous, it just wasn't for her. A new life path was in need, which meant personal brainstorming and soul searching. “I’m a word person, I like words. Words, repetition and lists help me plow through life. It was the words 'love over fear' that really had me choosing things based what I loved and the people that I loved, instead of things I was afraid of or doubtful that would come true.” Janna was looking to serve the world. She wanted to take what set her soul on fire and share it with others, which brought her to writing her first book and practicing yoga. “It’s about getting comfortable with what’s uncomfortable and thats what I like to work with.” As Janna tells us, you just need to show up in life, for yourself. It doesn’t matter what it looks like, just get there. "Everything is hard and unfamiliar the first time we do it." In This Episode You Will Learn: About choosing your life’s work About following your happiness The power of Love over Fear How to serve the world with your talents About forgiving your past How to clear space in your life More about Yoga Resources: He Never Liked Cake by Janna Hockenjos Move Feel Think: Yoga For Brain Injury, PTSD, and Other Forms of Trauma by Janna Hockenjos Add More -ing by Gabrielle Bernstein Learn more about Janna and all the wonderful things she does for her community at jannahockenjos.com and follow her on Instagram/Twitter @jannacabana. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Thankfully for my like-minded tribe, I had the honor to meet Ruby through Gabrielle Bernstein, earlier this year in New York City. Ruby Fremon is a coach, catalyst, and ignitor. She helps people radically boost self love so they can take back their power and create lives that make them ridiculously happy. Ruby empowers her clients to shift into the belief that they can have it all without sacrificing a damn thing. What makes Ruby a truly dynamic coach, is her ability to blend together practicality with spirituality while delivering her message in a loving, no-bullshit format. This fusion helps her clients create massive life shifts that stick. Let's cut straight to the point, just like Ruby’s happiness approach. Why beat around the bush, when the life you've always imagined is waiting on you? Quit pressing the snooze button. It’s time to rise and shine!! Ruby tells us how she took her life from self loathing, to nothing but self love. She hasn't always had the life we see now and she is more than willing to share her shift, in hopes it can shift you too. From a past of addiction and relationship abuse, Ruby woke up one morning to finally place the pieces together. All of these terrible situations must have a common denominator…herself. “We accept the love we think we deserve.” -Unknown Women, men, children, listen in. Ruby and I are here today to preach these three simple words with massive meaning. YOU. ARE. WORTHY. “It finally occurred to me that if I have the power to say yes, then I also have the power to say no. I also have the power to choose something different.” I’m sure we can all confess staying in a situation one way or another because it was “comfort-able.” It may have been what your major was in college, or your job, your romantic relationship or even just a friendship. Either way we can all raise our guilty hand, we are human. But no more ladies and gentlemen. Take out those rubber boots and find your way out of the BS muddy situation you may be in. There is no better time than now. “Yesterday is the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the pre-sent.” -Unknown In This Episode You Will Learn: 4 steps to creating your “F YES” life How to quit the “pity party” attitude Escaping abuse Self-love Finding your worth Accepting where you are at Becoming what you want to attract Resources: RubyTV on YouTube www.IAmRu.by Looking to become ridiculously happy? Find Ruby at www.iamru.by. Still wanting a little more Ruby love? Follow her on SnapChat @iamrubyxo and @iamruby on Instagram. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Today’s episode may contradict what you’ve heard before. But Hey! “In order to get something you’ve never had, you must do something you’ve never done.” - Unknown Give yourself a minute to think of the bigger picture, your biggest goal. Great. Now ditch it! Cut it up, throw it away, start your BBQ grill with it, whatever it takes. My quickie today is meant to teach you that it’s not just about the destination, its more about the journey. Confused? let me break it down for you. Is your biggest goal right now, to get that “Summer body?” While keeping the big one in the back of your mind, you must also realize that all the smaller goals that get you there are just as big, if not bigger! You can’t get that body without first taking yourself to the gym 3-4x per week, or cooking those healthy meals. So my point is to not hurt yourself over the MAIN goal, but to focus on all the little particles that will help you reach it! “It’s about finding the joy in taking those simple actions.” In This Episode You Will Learn About: Choosing your big goal Taking action Enjoying the journey to reach it Forgetting the worry and failures How to work backwards to achieve your goals Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com

Kate has gone to the depths of human pain, hitting rock bottom twice after an emotionally turbulent & violent upbringing. She overcame huge barriers, including anorexia, bulimia, depression & a drug addiction to go on to become a national leader in her field as a registered nurse, speaking at international health conferences, being nominated for a special regional health award for her national work in training doctors & nurses throughout New Zealand as powerful change agents & was a finalist for the New Zealand Emerging Speaker of the Year in 2013. She received high accolades for her work as a national project manager with her work being featured at national conferences. Despite a thriving career, Kate let it all go to pursue her life calling of empowering billions globally by combining heart and strategy. She founded GameChangerLive, her 2-day highly acclaimed transformational workshop which is run through Australasia & South East Asia, and her three month advanced breakthrough program, GameChanger High Performance. Alongside her husband Henare, she co-founded the GameChanger Global SummitTM, an annual event connecting the top thought leaders of our generation. On her stage, she attracts luminary greats such as Jack Canfield, John Gray, Brendon Burchard, Marci Shimoff, Dr John Demartini, T Harv Eker, Gregg Braden, Brandon Bays, Sonia Choquette, Eben Pagan and many, many more. Kate navigates her roles of mother, wife, spiritual partner, coach, speaker and author with a huge amount of commitment and love. She commits each day to stepping up further & further into her highest potential and use the gifts she was given to make a difference on the planet. Going back through Kate’s younger years, it is hard to hear some of the things she endured at such a young age. I sit here today with an open mind and heart for Kate and other women who I am sure can relate on various different levels. The vulnerability Kate shows on this podcast, is overwhelming in such an inspirational and beautiful manner. Taking her “mess” and therefore finding her incredible message is what I hope everyone listening today will do for themselves as well. Kate teaches us that no matter how dark your past may be, there is always, always, always a light at the end of the tunnel. “I actually wake up on a daily basis and cannot wait to get into my life, it is exciting” Showing up each day and stepping full force into the work is how Kate eventually found her life’s true meaning. “I’m not telling you that it’s going to be easy, but I am telling you that it is going to be worth it.” -Unknown Learn how to differentiate between the two voices we all have inside of us. There is the “noise” and then there is the actual “voice,” Kate says. The noise is all the fear and worry that consumes us, which to some, can manifest into very serious situations. Then there is the voice, the intuitive part of us that knows something greater. Treasure that voice, for it’s truly a gift. If anything, allow Kate to be that shot of inspiration that runs through your veins and reminds you daily that everything can be reached and achieved, if you only put your mind to it. In This Episode You Will Learn About: Eating disorders Overcoming struggles Loving yourself fully Forgiving your past Breakthroughs Finding the message in your mess Making a difference Resources: GameChanger Global Summit GameChanger Live Looking to learn more on how to forgive your past and set your future on fire? Follow up with Kate O’brien at henareandkate.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook. You can also see more at my website: LoriHarder.com