Live Happy Now

When we talk about becoming strong women, we’re often not talking about something physical. But this week’s guest explains how reclaiming our physical power can also build our inner strength. Anne Marie Chaker is a veteran journalist and professional bodybuilder who discovered the connection between strength training and inner transformation. In her debut book, LIFT: How Women Can Reclaim Their Physical Power and Transform Their Lives, she shares her personal story and the research showing how strength training can help women find true power and confidence. In this episode, you’ll learn: What led Anne Marie to discover the transformative power of strength training — and how it changed every aspect of her life. Why increasing physical strength has such a powerful emotional effect for women. Where women can start their own quest for strength.

In a time of deep division and unease, overcoming our loneliness and uncertainty is a massive challenge. This week, award-winning author, educator, lawyer, scientist, and meditation teacher Anu Gupta sits down with host Paula Felps to explain how — and where — we can start. His best-selling book, Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them, is a rich toolkit to help each of us understand how to cultivate the wisdom and compassion we need to transcend the bias, exclusion, and turmoil in the world around us. In this episode, you’ll learn: The five causes of biases and how they’re playing out today. How social media reinforces our biases and how to use it more intentionally. How to stay calm and mindful when we’re feeling emotionally triggered.

As we wrap up mental health awareness month, it’s a great time to talk with someone who is literally changing how we talk about mental health. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Dominic Lawson, an accomplished, award-winning podcaster whose new show, Mental Health Rewritten, is tackling stigmatized mental health topics head-on. By taking on issues surrounding addiction and recovery, he is changing the way we talk about such things as sex, suicide, and cultural identity — and is teaching all of us about the role of empathy in overcoming shame.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The connection between addiction, recovery, and mental health. Why it’s important to break through shame and isolation. The role of family in mental health and addiction recovery.

Our brains are incredibly powerful, and the trick is to learn how to make them work for us, not against us. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Kyra Bobinet, a physician, public health leader, and behavior change designer whose work focuses on how to build optimal health for a more fulfilling life. Her new book, Unstoppable Brain: The New Neuroscience That Frees Us From Failure, Eases Our Stress, and Creates Lasting Change explores a relatively new area of study that changes what we know about how our brain influences our habits, self-care, and addictions — and how we can use these findings to improve our well-being.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The role of the habenula in losing our motivation and managing failure. How growing up in trauma hijacks our brains and heightens our reactivity. How social media and doomscrolling affect your brain — and how an iterative mindset can help you get unstuck.

By now, we’ve all heard how important friendships and connections are for our well-being, but sometimes we’re unsure where to find those connections. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Lori Whatley, a clinical psychologist and author who specializes in the effects of digital usage on our relationships. Her new book, Happier Together: How to Find Your People and Make Friends That Last, walks us through how we can create new connections, deepen existing ones, and discover what we need from our friends. She’ll even tell us the exact number of close friends that we need for our well-being!  In this episode, you’ll learn: How to intentionally seek out friends. How to identify what you need in a friend. Tips for deepening your current friendships.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which makes it a great time to remind ourselves of some of the best practices to improve our well-being. Join host Paula Felps as she talks with Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz about some of the new research around happiness, why our mental health is at risk these days, and what we can do about it.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why our happiness is declining and how the lack of civil discourse is exacerbating it. The dangers of toxic positivity. Tips for preserving your mental health in trying times.

We are living in rapidly changing times, and many people feel exhausted by the events that are unfolding. But this week’s guest says that letting go of our attachment to what’s happening could be the best thing for our mental health. Host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Bob Rosen, a bestselling author known for his work on leadership and personal development, about his latest book, Detach: Ditch Your Baggage to Live a More Fulfilling Life. He explains how we sabotage our happiness with unhealthy emotional attachments to events we can’t control and how his strategies can help us detach from the political whiplash we’re experiencing right now.    In this episode, you’ll learn: The 10 attachments that hold us back and block our joy/fulfillment. The role that fear plays in our attachments – and how to confront that fear. How looking at world events objectively changes our response to them.

Scott Crabtree founded the company Happy Brain Science to help others discover well-being rooted in positive psychology. And, as a semi-professional musician, he knows firsthand how we can use music as a tool for boosting our mood and regulating our emotions. During difficult times, music can be particularly helpful, and in this episode, Scott sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about why music is so good for your brain, how it can help us find a state of flow, and how songwriting is a great tool for releasing emotions. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the science says about music and well-being. How Scott uses music to boost his mood. Scott’s top three tips for improving happiness during hard times.

What if the only thing standing between you and a more fulfilling life was your mindset? This week, host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman — a leading cognitive psychologist, professor at Columbia University, director of the Center for Human Potential, and host of The Psychology Podcast — about how today’s culture has helped foster a victim mindset. His latest book, Rise Above: Overcome a Victim Mindset, Empower Yourself & Realize Your Full Potential, explains what is driving a rise in victim mindset and how it impedes our development. He also tells us how we can start changing this mindset and take control of their lives.    In this episode, you’ll learn: How social media reinforces and rewards the victim mindset. The payoffs that keep us in a victim mindset. How overcoming the victim mindset creates full aliveness and cultivates a richer life.

When Sam Simon’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, he used his theatrical experience to chronicle his journey as a caregiver. And when he was diagnosed with cognitive decline in 2022, he turned that into a theatrical experience as well. Today, his one-man play, Dementia Man: An Existential Journey, recounts his journey and reshapes the narrative for families living with dementia and cognitive decline, offering hope and encouragement along the way.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Sam discovered the power of theater. How being on stage and talking about his journey has helped him see his condition differently. What others can learn about living with a terminal condition.