Live Happy Now

We know that the bonds we have with our pets are special, but this week’s guest may have you thinking about that connection at a deeper level. Jen Golbeck is the creator of social media’s popular The Golden Ratio channel, which shares photos and videos of her rescued golden retrievers. In this episode, she talks with host Brittany Derrenbacher about her new book, The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection, which provides the science behind those incredible bonds and offers new insight into how we can use that information to improve our relationships with our own animals. In this episode, you'll learn: Why our bond with our pets is so powerful — and so important. How pets help make us happier and healthier. What Jen learned from working with special needs and senior dogs.

If you’ve ever wished there was a magic way to make anxiety disappear, this week’s guest has the next best thing! Brad Yates is an expert in emotional freedom tapping, also known as EFT or tapping. This practice combines the principles of acupuncture and positive psychology to help people overcome fears, relieve stress, and enjoy greater well-being. In this episode, Brad — author of the best-selling children’s book The Wizard’s Wish and co-author of the book Freedom at your Fingertips — explains how tapping works, some of the different ways to use it, and how to get started.  In this episode, you’ll learn: The science behind tapping and why it works How tapping can help in stressful situations Simple ways to start a tapping practice 

Ten years ago, the happiness movement was just beginning to gain a global presence – and that paved the way for the birth of a company called Live Happy. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Deborah Heisz, CEO and co-founder of Live Happy LLC, to look back on 10 years of sharing happiness. Deb explains how her work in personal development led to discovering positive psychology and how that opened the door to launching a company that remains committed to sharing the many ways we can discover greater well-being and lead more fulfilling lives.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How Live Happy began and why it was so important to be rooted in science How the Live Happy mission has evolved over the past decade What to expect from the next 10 years

Anxiety is so pervasive today that more than 40 million adults in the U.S. are living with it. This week’s guest, Dr. Jud Brewer, offers new insights into this growing problem and provides simple steps to help end the cycle of constant worrying.  As New York Times best-selling author and director of research and innovation at Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, Dr. Jud released the book Unwinding Anxiety in 2021 and now the same techniques used in his book are available the Unwinding Anxiety app. In this episode, he tells us how we all can start breaking free from anxiety.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why willpower isn’t the answer to overcoming anxiety Three steps to breaking an anxiety habit How curiosity can help disarm anxiety

Creative arts such as painting, dancing, acting, and singing can play a powerful role in self-care and mental health, but they’re often overlooked – especially in rural communities. This week, host Paula Felps sits down Happy Activist Becca Finley, founder of This is Noteworthy, a nonprofit designed to help creatives explore their artistic gifts and discover what it can do for them and the community they live in.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important for creatives to learn how to express themselves through their gifts. How we all benefit from tapping into our creative side. How celebrating the arts can enhance a community. 

Animals play an important role in our happiness, and with this new podcast from Live Happy, you’re going to learn why they’re so good for us and how to nurture our relationships with them. Each month, therapist and pet loss expert Brittany Derrenbacher will sit down with a new guest to explore some of the many ways we benefit from our relationships with animals. In this inaugural episode, she’s joined by Paula Felps, host of the Live Happy Now podcast, to talk about why we’re doing this podcast, why you need to pet more animals, and why you should put down your phone. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important to understand what animals do for our emotional well-being. How petting other people’s animals is scientifically proven to be good for us. Why you should stop phubbing your pet. 

Gabe Howard, author, speaker, and host of Inside Mental Health podcast, discusses the challenges of mental illness and the need to talk openly about it. He shares his personal journey of being diagnosed with bipolar and anxiety disorders after being committed to a psychiatric hospital. The podcast explores the impact of mental illness on self-perception, the importance of familial support, and society's changing views on mental illness.

It’s a common belief that we must live with ailments and declining well-being as we age. But this week’s guest, Dr. Ellen J. Langer, has decades of research that tells a different story. Known as the mother of mindfulness, Ellen is highly regarded as one of America’s most influential psychologists. Her new book, The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health, shows how our thoughts and perspectives can change our health. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why embracing mind-body unity creates new possibilities for improving our health. How our thoughts could be undermining our health. Simple ways to change your way of thinking to improve your health.

Why More Money Doesn’t Equal More Happiness With Tal Ben-Shahar We’ve all heard that money can’t buy happiness, and new research is telling us why. This week, host Paula Felps talks with author and lecturer Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, co-founder of The Happiness Studies Academy and creator of the Master’s Degree in Happiness Studies at Centenary University. Tal talks about recent findings that show how our perception of money is damaging our happiness — and what we can do about it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why our perceptions of money have changed in a post-pandemic world. How social comparison can negatively affect our views on money. Why it’s so important to change our view of money for the sake of our well-being.  

We are now back in school, and this week’s guest is going to be everyone’s favorite science teacher! In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Marsha Goodman, a cognitive neuroscientist turned popular children’s singer, songwriter and recording artist who performs under the name Marsha and the Positrons. As the name implies, her music is imbued with positivity and teaches listeners about things like kindness, friendship, and taking care of the planet and the people who live on it. She also throws some science in there and makes learning as fun and easy as listening to a song. In this episode, you’ll learn: How she went from being a cognitive neuroscientist to becoming a popular children’s artist. Why she wanted to use her music to spread positive social messages. What to expect from her new album, “Energetic.”