Live Happy Now

As we wrap up 2024 and head into the new year, many of us start thinking about what we’d like to accomplish in 2025. But it’s important to pause for a moment and look at what we’ve done over the past 12 months. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz to talk about the power of reflection. Find out why taking time to celebrate what you’ve done and review what you’d like to do better can have a profound impact on the way you approach the new year. In this episode, you’ll learn: How reflecting on the past year can help shape what you’d like to accomplish in 2025. Using a year-end review to remind you of what went well in 2024. Different types of reflection practices and why they’re useful.

It may be called the most wonderful time of the year, but for many people, it’s the most stressful. Nine out of 10 Americans report feeling stressed out right now, so this week host Paula Felps talks with author and mindfulness expert Julie Potiker about how her SNAP mindfulness method can help lower your stress level throughout the holiday season — and beyond.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why mindfulness is such an effective tool for managing stress. What the SNAP method is and how to use it. The importance of gratitude in a mindfulness practice.

With holiday gatherings just around the corner, many of us are experiencing a familiar feeling of anxiety. Annual gatherings can often unearth familiar arguments, so this week, host Paula Felps talks with author and success coach Dr. Andrea Goeglein to learn how to navigate those gatherings with less stress and greater success.     In this episode, you’ll learn: What drives anxiety around family holiday gatherings. How to set guidelines ahead of time to avoid common arguments. Tips for creating a more peaceful environment during the holiday season.

As we move toward the new year, it’s common to think about what we’d like to see unfold in the coming months. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Francesca Sipma, an international speaker, trainer, and author who created a process called hypnobreathwork to help people connect with their state of flow and discover their purpose. In her powerful new book, Unblock Your Purpose: Breathwork, Intuition and Flow, she walks readers through the methodology to tap into their unique purpose and find clarity for the future.   In this episode, you’ll learn: Why breathwork is such a powerful tool for releasing your intuition. How to identify the blocks that often keep us from reaching our true potential. The power of intuitive action and why it is so essential to our spiritual and emotional growth.

During this time of year, there’s a lot of talk about gathering with loved ones, but what does that mean for those who are estranged from their families? This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Gina Moffa, a licensed clinical social worker and author of Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss. Gina, who specializes in grief and loss, trauma, and painful life transitions, discusses estrangement during the holidays and offers tips for self-care as well as advice for those who know someone struggling with estrangement.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What it means to be estranged from family and some of the most common reasons for it. Why estrangement has become more prevalent in current times. Healthy ways to manage estrangement and how friends can offer support.

The holiday shopping season is here, and for many people, that creates stress and anxiety. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Bright Dickson, co-host of the Money and Mindset with Bright and Brian podcast, to talk about how we can change our approach to holiday spending for less stress and more joy. In this episode, you’ll learn: Some of the things to consider before you start buying presents this year. Why setting an intention about how you want to feel can help in your gift-buying decisions. The power of choosing experiences over gifts.

Resiliency plays a crucial role in how we recover from setbacks, solve problems, and navigate our personal and professional relationships. This week, we’re sharing an episode of our sister podcast, Built to Win, from the leadership team at Neora. Live Happy CEO Deborah Heisz, who also is co-CEO at Neora, sits down with Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe — an author, speaker, and educator who specializes in workplace well-being — to tell us how to cultivate everyday resiliency and what it can do for us. In this episode, you’ll learn: Robyne’s inspiring personal story that led her to discover resiliency. Practices we can use to become more resilient. The important role hope plays in weathering life’s storms.

By now, most people have a good idea of what outcomes they want from this year’s presidential election. But what happens if it doesn’t turn out as you had hoped? This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Lauren Cook, who created Live Happy’s Overcoming Election Stress email series. She’s here to offer tips on self-care this election day and how we can use the outcome to build resilience and lasting connections. In this episode, you’ll learn: What you can do on Election Day to minimize anxiety. How to respect the emotions of others if your candidate wins. Signs that you might need help managing your emotions about the outcome.

This week, we’re celebrating Halloween, but did you know that in addition to being fun, Halloween is good for you? In this episode, Live Happy’s Casey Johnson sits down with host Paula Felps to talk about why participating in Halloween traditions has a positive effect on our well-being and how this holiday offers a playful way to approach personal development. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why we need Halloween — especially now! How to use Halloween-themed affirmations to improve your self-talk. How to participate in Live Happy’s #HalloweenHappyActs.

We intrinsically know that animals and nature have a lot to teach us, but this episode’s guest takes that education to a whole new level. Vanessa Chakour is an author, naturalist, and former pro boxer whose new book, Earthly Bodies: Embracing Animal Nature dives into the parallels between our human struggles and the experiences of our wilder neighbors. Looking at 23 wild animals, from wolves to sea lions, Vanessa explores how developing empathy for wild animals can help with our own understanding of humanity and see just how interconnected we are with the planet. In this episode, you’ll learn: What rewilding is and why it’s so valuable to the human experience. How discovering empathy for wild animals can help us better understand our humanity. What we can learn from spending time in the natural world and what that will do for us.