Live Happy Now

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.”

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.