Live Happy Now

Doing good for others is good for us! This week, we’re talking with Happy Activist Nancy Giammarco, a musician who rediscovered her love of art during the pandemic. She started enhancing children’s simple drawings for fun, which led to the creation of The Joanne Project, which she named after her late mother. Now, she focuses on bringing joy to children by turning simple drawings into works of art. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the pandemic served as a catalyst for starting this project. What creating art for others has done for her. Why it’s so important to celebrate the artwork of children. 

The International Positive Psychology Association held its semi-annual World Congress in July. Over the next several weeks, Live Happy Now host Paula Felps is talking with thought leaders about some of the main themes that emerged during this year’s event and what takeaways we can borrow to improve our well-being. This week, Andrea Goeglein addresses some of the growing concerns about loneliness and the lack of social connections as well as giving us a fresh perspective on the World Happiness Report. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why empathetic listening is so important. How individuals can take action to improve mental health policies — and why it’s so important. The difference between meaning and mattering.

Loneliness is a tremendous problem in today’s world, and solving it begins with understanding the root cause of it. In this episode, author and educator Dr. Randall Hansen sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about why loneliness has become an epidemic, what it’s doing to us, and what we can do about it.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it truly “takes a village” to combat loneliness. How to reach out to others who may be feeling isolated and lonely. How our social media habits can make us feel more isolated — and how to use it wisely.

It’s the start of a brand-new season for Live Happy Now and we’ve added some things to make your life happier! In this episode, Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz and host Paula Felps share some of the new ways we’re working to deliver happiness to you every day.  In this episode, you'll learn: What to expect from our new pet podcast, Happiness Unleashed with Brittany Derrenbacher. How to get happiness delivered to your inbox every week. Why we want to know about the Happy Activists in your life. 

It’s time to go back to school, and for some kids — and their parents — that means a whole lot of stress. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Dr Laura Phillips, the Senior Director and a Senior Neuropsychologist in the Learning and Development Center at the Child Mind Institute. Laura specializes in working with children who have learning disorders, mood disorders and anxiety, among other things, and in this episode, she explains how going back to school can create anxiety for kids of all ages and how it also can affect their parents. Then, she tells us what we can do about it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Some of the causes of back-to-school anxiety and why it is more prevalent today. The role that social media plays in cultivating greater anxiety — and how to manage it. Tips for starting the school year smoothly and creating new morning practices. 

Doing good for others is good for us! With our new Happy Activist series, we’re spotlighting ordinary people who are changing the world around them just by doing good. Every few weeks we’ll introduce you to a new Happy Activist, and for this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Dawn McMullan, who found her calling when she met a woman who had fled the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Dawn learned more about the plight of girls and young women in the Congo, she was compelled to act. Today, she has helped change the future for hundreds of women while at the same time finding a greater sense of purpose. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why giving back has become so important to her. How doing good for others and made her life better. How to find the “thing” that lights you up. 

Can picking up a pen change your life? This week’s guest says it can! Beth Kempton has been writing nearly her entire life, and she’s learned the value of a daily writing practice. Her latest book, The Way of the Fearless Writer, looks at the many ways writing can help clarify our goals, reconnect us with our dreams, and teach us to listen to our inner voice. In this episode, she explains how becoming a writer is more about what it does for your soul than becoming a best-seller — and how just a few minutes of writing a day can change the way you see the world.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why writing is good for your overall well-being. How writing can help you reconnect with your creativity. Tips for starting a writing practice. 

We are now officially in the middle of summer, and that means it’s time to take it a little bit easier and take time for ourselves. So this week, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy brand marketing manager Casey Johnson to look at some of their favorite episodes offering great advice on how to have a happier summer. They revisit a few of their faves and tell us why these episodes are perfect for helping us make the most of this summer.

We know that the mind and body are connected, but how do we use that knowledge to create our best life? This week, host Paula Felps is talking with Dr Greg Hammer, a Stanford University School of Medicine professor, physician, and a mindfulness expert who developed the four-step GAIN method of mindfulness. As he explains in his book, GAIN without Pain, this is an acronym for Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention and Nonjudgement. He teaches this method to reduce stress and increase well-being, and in this episode he talks about how we can learn to live with intention. In this episode, you’ll learn: What it means to live an intentional life. How intentional living can change your brain—and your life. The connection between your physical and mental health. 

We know that listening to music can help heal our hearts, but what can it do for the songwriter? In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Morgan James, a singer and songwriter who has appeared on Broadway stages and with symphony orchestras in addition to writing and recording her own music. While working on her latest album, she and Doug Wamble — her husband and cowriter —were grappling with the devastating illnesses of dear friends. Morgan explains how they put the tangled emotions of uncertainty, grief and loss into a song called I’ll Be Holding On, which also has become the album’s video centerpiece. In this episode, you’ll learn: How songwriting helps her process difficult emotions. Why it was so important to write about the grief she was experiencing. How performing songs helps her work through challenging situations.