Live Happy Now

Can a doodle improve your mental health? If it’s drawn by Danny Casale, it just might! Under the moniker of Coolman Coffeedan, Danny is using his art to provide encouragement, make people laugh, and even explore the challenges of mental health. His work took off during the pandemic, and now he has millions of followers who rely on his adorable characters to uplift and inspire them. His new book UR Special: Advice for Humans from Coolman Coffeedan, tackles topics ranging from loneliness and anxiety to grief and self-confidence. And just like this conversation, his art will make you smile.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How Danny turned doodling into a mental health movement. Why it’s important to him to address mental health issues openly. Why he thinks so many people are connecting with his drawings.

Music is one of the most powerful — and accessible — tools we have for improving our mental health.  On this episode of On a Positive Note, host Paula Felps is joined by acclaimed music therapist Jennifer Buchanan, author of Wellness, Wellplayed: The Power of a Playlist, to talk about the many ways music can be used as a tool for healing and growth. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why music and mental health go hand in hand. How to make a purposeful playlist. What an “anchor song” is and how it can help change your mental state.

Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders today, and it affects more than 40 million people. Today’s guest, Liza Kindred is a licensed minister, reiki practitioner and meditation teacher whose work has been featured in publications worldwide. Her new Calm Your Anxiety Journal is a hands-on workbook to walk users through their anxiety, discover their personal triggers and use journaling and other practices to make peace with it finally. In this episode, you’ll learn: What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it. Why it’s important to acknowledge and talk about our trauma. How to start rewiring your brain and develop new habits to calm the chaos.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and throughout the month we’re taking on some of the tough topics around mental health. This week’s guest is Mattie Cummins, a counselor, brain coach, and CEO of Cerebrations, which provides counseling and coaching for people with anxiety, chronic pain, neurodiversity and other life transitions. Her mission is to empower people to tap into their own inner strength, beauty and experiences to calm their mental chaos, and she talks about some of the tools we can use to create more calm and joy in our lives.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What happens in your brain when you’re feeling anxiety and overwhelmed—and what to do about it. Why it’s important to acknowledge and talk about our trauma. How to start rewiring your brain and develop new habits to calm the chaos.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here at Live Happy, we realize that happiness and good mental health go hand in hand. So we’ve brought the whole crew together to talk about it! Throughout the month of May, we’re going to focus on tools for better mental health. But to kick it off, our team sat down for a conversation about how the past couple of years have affected each of us and some of the ways we’ve coped. Joining host Paula Felps for this special episode are Live Happy CEO and Co-Founder Deborah Heisz; e-commerce Marketing Manager Casey Johnson; Web Editor Chris Libby; Senior Marketing Manager Britney Chan; and Senior Digital Marketing Specialist Shane Lee. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s so important to talk about mental health. How the pandemic increased anxiety and loneliness. Practices we use for improving mental health.

We all want to live longer, healthier lives — and if we can get younger while doing it, well then, all the better! In this episode, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald joins host Paula Felps to talk about her new book, Younger You: Reduce Your Bio Age and Live Longer, Better. Kara is one of the leading voices in the intersection of nutrition, epigenetics and aging, and she’s here to talk about what her research says about how to not just become healthier, but to actually reduce our biological age from the inside out.   In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between genetics and epigenetics — and how each one affects your health. What nutrients can help slow aging and improve your health. How exercise suppresses tumors — and why it becomes more valuable as you age.

Every one of us has a dreamer inside, but as we grow up, we often forget to listen to them. On this inaugural episode of On a Positive Note, host Paula Felps sits down with songwriter and recording artist Sylvia, who’s best known for her mega hit “Nobody.” Now, Sylvia has released the concept album Nature Child – A Dreamer’s Journey, which is earning rave reviews and has put her back on the Billboard music charts. Listen to find out how this album was 30 years in the making and why it’s time to awaken the dreamer in all of us. In this episode, you’ll learn: How her early concert audiences inspired this album. Why the pandemic became the perfect time to explore these songs. Why it’s so important to rediscover our inner dreamer.

We celebrate Earth Day on April 22, so this week we’re asking not what our planet can do for us — but what we can do for our planet. On this episode, host Paula Felps is joined by Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, an assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and author of Recipe for Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life. In this timely episode, Dana talks about how we can create a healthier, happier and more environmentally friendly life — and even get our kids involved!   In this episode, you’ll learn: How eating more plants and less meat helps the planet. Why taking care of our health is beneficial to the environment. The role of CSAs and community gardens in improving the environment.

A sense of humor – and a sense of purpose – are key ingredients for living a happy life. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Emmy Award-winning actress Sharon Gless about how she has used both of those attributes throughout her storied career. In her funny but touching new memoir, Apparently There Were Complaints, Sharon talks candidly about her journey to success as well as her struggles with alcohol, marriage and menopause. In this episode, she talks about some of the highlights of that journey and the important roles that gratitude and purpose have played in her life.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How humor has helped her handle life’s challenges. What she learned about taking responsibility for everything in her life — and how that changed her life. How the characters she’s portrayed have affected her.

There are many ways to practice happiness, but the key is to find what works for you – and make a habit out of it. This week, Jackson Kerchis sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about Rewired, his Happiness Habit Challenge beginning April 11 designed to help you develop three solid happiness-supporting habits over 30 days. Jackson is founder of the Happiness Studies major at the University of Alabama, and now he’s offering this crash course in creating happier habits. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to go from “knowing” to “doing.” The importance of training your brain for happiness. How small changes in daily habits can produce big results.