Everyday Better with Leah Smart

Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Jones Road, shares her journey from innovative makeup artist to entrepreneur. She discusses the freedom and challenges she faced after her contract cancellation, emphasizing the importance of trusting your gut and embracing change. Bobbi reveals how she revolutionized beauty by prioritizing inclusivity and natural looks, and she reflects on her lessons from difficult partnerships. Her memoir inspires listeners to understand that setbacks are not the end; reinvention is always possible.

Are you feeling stuck in a career you find meaningless, wondering if you’ll ever find your true calling? This week on Everyday Better, Leah Smart sits down with Sister Monica Clare — an Episcopal nun, spiritual counselor, and the creator behind the TikTok account @nunsenseforthepeople. Her path to the convent was anything but direct. For decades, she chased one career after another in Hollywood — acting, advertising, comedy, PR — all while ignoring the quiet truth she’d known since childhood: her true calling was to become a nun. In this powerful conversation, Sister Monica shares how she learned to stop listening to the world around her and finally start listening to herself. She opens up about the values exercise that changed everything, the somatic signals that told her she was on the wrong path, and why “plan A” doesn’t have to mean certainty — just courage. Together, she and Leah explore how any of us can uncover our calling, navigate fear, build self-esteem, and make meaningful changes one small step at a time. If you’ve ever wondered whether you're on the right path — or worried that you’re not — this episode will help you reframe failure, tune into what moves your heart, and get clearer on the life you’re truly meant to live. You can find her book ”A Change of Habit: Leaving Behind My Husband, Career, and Everything I Owned to Become a Nun” here. If you liked this episode, you’ll also love this one: Exploring the Universe: NASA’s Michelle Thaller’s Guide to Everyday AweFollow Leah Smart and Sister Monica Clare on LinkedIn.

Join personal growth educator Amanda Hilton as she dives deep into the importance of defining core values for decision-making. She shares insightful prompts to help identify what resonates most with you and emphasizes that unnamed values can leave you adrift. Amanda and the host discuss practical exercises like using reflective journaling and even pet peeves to uncover deeper values. Learn how to group these values into actionable themes and apply them in your daily life for clarity and confidence.

In a captivating discussion, Emily Kasriel, a former BBC journalist turned executive coach, shares her insights on deep listening, a skill crucial for meaningful communication. She details an eight-step framework to improve active listening, emphasizing psychological safety, presence, and curiosity. Emily reveals the distractions that hinder genuine interaction and offers strategies to enhance understanding in both personal and professional relationships. Dive into how deep listening can transform conflicts and foster trust.

Nicholas Thompson is a writer, a father, a CEO, and a champion long-distance runner. Nick says that running has taught him how to navigate the hardest things in life. This conversation is about running, but it’s really about what changes when we commit to doing hard things. Running has been a part of Nick’s life since his childhood, but it wasn’t until his forties that his running career skyrocketed. Even as he took on the demanding role as CEO of The Atlantic, Nick continued to break records as an elite runner. Together, Leah and Nick discuss the cumulative effects of discipline, why you should challenge yourself outside of work, and how developing strong habits will impact every area of your life. You can find Nick’s new book ‘The Running Ground’ here. If you liked this episode, check out our conversation with Michael Gervais, one of the world’s top high performance psychologists.Follow Leah Smart and Nicholas Thompson on LinkedIn.

Before she became a TikTok star, Eli Rallo had a clear vision for what her post-grad years would look like: she’d have a fulfilling career, fabulous friends, and would finally "feel like an adult." Instead, she found herself struggling with social anxiety, a directionless career, and a nagging fear that she’d never figure it all out: enter the 'quarter-life crisis.' Eli started sharing her unfiltered experiences online, building a community by being open about the highs and lows of her twenties. And now, in her new book of essays, she’s unpacking the lessons learned and unexpected moments of joy she discovered through embracing life’s uncertainties. Eli and Leah sat down to explore how Gen Z is coping with “adulting” and what you can learn from the other side of a big life transition. Plus, Eli talks about the unique challenges Gen Z faces and together, they unpack how cultivating real human connection offline confronts the strains and pressures of living in a digital world. You can find Eli’s new book ‘Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?’ here. If you liked this episode, check out our conversation with professor Erin Cech on the problem with passion. Follow Leah Smart and Eli Rallo on LinkedIn. 

Tal Ben-Shahar, a former Harvard professor and leading expert on positive psychology, shares his mission to promote societal happiness. He reveals that chasing happiness directly may be counterproductive and introduces the SPIRE model, emphasizing the importance of meaning, relationships, and emotional well-being. Tal discusses how small, sustainable habits can boost overall happiness, the concept of post-traumatic growth, and the necessity of restorative niches for recovery. He encourages valuing the journey over achievements and highlights kindness and mindfulness as key traits for a happier life.

Meg Josephson, a psychotherapist and author specializing in people-pleasing and boundaries, delves into the often-overlooked survival instinct of 'fawning.' She explains how this response leads to people-pleasing behaviors, impacting self-trust and relationships. Meg shares signs of fawning, why it has become more prevalent in modern society, and the challenging journey to healing. She emphasizes the importance of navigating conflict and understanding boundaries to reclaim personal safety and autonomy.

Oliver Burkeman, a journalist and bestselling author known for his insightful take on productivity, shares his revolutionary views on time management. He reveals why traditional tools often increase stress and how embracing life's limits can actually boost productivity. Oliver discusses the historical roots of our time anxieties and advocates for prioritizing high-value tasks while accepting imperfect action. With practical strategies like the “Buffett list” and the importance of self-compassion, he encourages listeners to redefine productivity for a more fulfilling life.

In honor of Back-to-School season, throughout September, Everyday Better is sharing conversations inspired by the essential life skills we didn’t learn in school… but should have. This week on the show, Gretchen Rubin—best-selling author of The Happiness Project—lets us into one of her secrets of adulthood: how to make decisions.  We’re all constantly making decisions, big and small. As we get older and become the “adults” in the room, we’re more often the ones who have to choose one way or another on some big life decisions. So when the stakes feel high, how are we supposed to pick the right thing? Is there even a “right” and a “wrong?” And how do we make sure we have no regrets and make a decision that will make us happy?  Spoiler alert: we can’t.  But! There are things we can do to make better decisions. In this episode, Gretchen shares some of her hard-won wisdom and helpful tips on how to make decisions that are right for us. If you’ve ever wondered how all the other adults are choosing their paths, and whether or not you’re on track, this conversation is for you.  If you liked this episode, you’ll also love this one: Case Kenny: How to Become an Optimist. Follow Leah Smart and Gretchen Rubin on LinkedIn.