Everyday Better with Leah Smart

In this episode of In the Arena, Leah speaks with neurosurgeon, author & former NFL Player, Dr. Myron Rolle about his 2% methodology. Myron’s philosophy of incremental improvement has taken him from Oxford to a Rhodes Scholarship, and the NFL to a residency at Harvard.Follow Leah On LinkedinFollow Dr. Rolle on Linkedin

If you think you've found your favorite kind of meditation, maybe you haven't considered breath work yet. It can help reduce stress, restore your energy and improve your mental health. In this episode Leah and In the Arena’s former producer, Michele O’Brien, experimented with conscious connected breathing. Celebrity trainer and sober coach turned breathwork teacher, JP Crimi, has created a class where everyone gets an experience like personal training (for your breath) and leaves blissful. Follow Leah Smart of LinkedinFollow J.P Crimi on Linkedin

In this episode of In The Arena Leah talks with Kwame Christian, CEO of The American Negotiation institute, about how having tough conversations enhances the quality of our relationships. Leah and Kwame share past discomforts and anxieties with conflict and Kwame reflects on the what he’s learned over the years of teaching people to communicate better.Great News! Before the holidays we told you that In the Arena had been nominated for  Signal Listener’s Choice Award, for Most Inspirational Podcast and we asked for your vote. We received a gold award for most inspirational podcast. Thank you for voting and sharing with your friends. Thank you, thank you for helping us grow the show! We couldn’t do it without you.

Maria Failla, the author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover’s Guide to Cultivating Happiness, wasn’t always a plant lady: in fact, she was a self-proclaimed plant killer. But after some time, trust, and patience, she discovered that plants have a lot to teach us about growth, dormancy, and well-being – and she explores all that and more on her podcast, also called Growing Joy. She joined Leah in studio last year to dig into why our green friends are unexpected metaphors for meaningful life lessons.Follow Maria on LinkedInFollow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

Vision boards can get a bad rap, but there’s definitely something to the idea of writing down & saying what you want, loud and proud; it can help you recognize which opportunities are for you, and what to say no to. To that end, Leah walks through two different exercises – the Wheel of Life (which we’ve covered before on the show!), and a simple pie chart organizing how you’d like to be spending your time. Because you’re the only one who can decide what is important to you and make room for it to happen.Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

Even though our personal growth depends on it, we don’t always prioritize reflecting back on where we’ve been in order to move forward. But we can’t make a change unless we know where we’ve started. So today Leah offers a tool, the Lifeline, that can help you take stock of the positive, negative, and neutral events of your year, and focus in on how you can change the narrative you have around the negative emotions, and start moving beyond the negatives – because that’s where all the good stuff happens.Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

As the old year winds down, we’re sharing a favorite episode from the archives: influencer, artist, poet, and author Morgan Harper Nichols. Morgan shares how she got comfortable being creative, why your dream matters and the ways her community and curiosity drive her work.Follow Morgan on LinkedIn and check out her beautiful art on Instagram.Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn🚨 Great News! 🚨 In the Arena has been nominated for a Signal Listener’s Choice Award, for Most Inspirational Podcast. And we need your help! If you’ve gotten something out of In the Arena this year, please vote and share with your friends! Click the link above, or go to vote.signalaward.com and search for “In the Arena.” The deadline to vote is Thurs. December 22. Thank you, thank you for helping us grow the show. We couldn’t do it without you.

Katherine May’s moving memoir Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times resonated deeply with the audience who found it when it was published in 2020. It’s about her own journey through a personal “winter”: a period of time when she had to retreat into herself in order to cope with the world. Drawing on research about how Northern cultures have weathered the inevitable cold season, and interspersed with wisdom about moving through your own winter, Wintering is a balm. Leah and Katherine sit down to talk about how to make a better self-help genre, slowing down, and embracing the seasons of your life.🚨 Great News! 🚨 In the Arena has been nominated for a Signal Listener’s Choice Award, for Most Inspirational Podcast. And we need your help! If you’ve gotten something out of In the Arena this year, please vote and share with your friends! Click the link above, or go to vote.signalaward.com and search for “In the Arena.” Thank you, thank you for helping us grow the show. We couldn’t do it without you.Follow Katherine on InstagramFollow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

The Danish prepare for their cold, dark winters by leaning into hygge, which loosely translates to “coziness.” To understand how hygge and happiness are linked, Leah sits down with Meik Wiking, founder and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen – and author of the books The Little Book of Hygge and the new My Hygge Home. They dive into the art of hygge and how connection – and simple pleasures – are key to happiness.Follow Meik on LinkedInFollow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

In a favorite episode from the archives, Leah talks with bestselling author and podcast host Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project to get to the bottom of happiness – and why who you truly are may be your most important clue to how to be happier.Follow Gretchen on LinkedIn and check out her work at https://gretchenrubin.com/Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn