Podcast

Doing good for others is good for us! With our new Happy Activist series, we’re spotlighting ordinary people who are changing the world around them just by doing good. Every few weeks we’ll introduce you to a new Happy Activist, and for this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Dawn McMullan, who found her calling when she met a woman who had fled the Democratic Republic of Congo. As Dawn learned more about the plight of girls and young women in the Congo, she was compelled to act. Today, she has helped change the future for hundreds of women while at the same time finding a greater sense of purpose. In this episode, you'll learn: Why giving back has become so important to her. How doing good for others and made her life better. How to find the “thing” that lights you up. Links and Resources Facebook: @CongoRestorationDRC Instagram: @congo_restoration Website: https://congorestoration.org/ Do you know a happy activist? Tell us about them! We want to share stories of people who are doing good in the world. Please email us at editor@livehappy.com to tell us about your Happy Activist and they might be featured in a future episode of Live Happy Now! Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

Can picking up a pen change your life? This week’s guest says it can! Beth Kempton has been writing nearly her entire life, and she’s learned the value of a daily writing practice. Her latest book, The Way of the Fearless Writer, looks at the many ways writing can help clarify our goals, reconnect us with our dreams, and teach us to listen to our inner voice. In this episode, she explains how becoming a writer is more about what it does for your soul than becoming a best-seller — and how just a few minutes of writing a day can change the way you see the world. In this episode, you'll learn: Why writing is good for your overall well-being. How writing can help you reconnect with your creativity. Tips for starting a writing practice. Links and Resources Facebook: @DoWhatYouLoveXx Instagram: @bethkempton Twitter: @DoWhatYouLoveXx Website: https://bethkempton.com/ Listen to The Fearless Writer Podcast Download a free chapter of The Way of the Fearless Writer. Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

We are now officially in the middle of summer, and that means it’s time to take it a little bit easier and take time for ourselves. So this week, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy brand marketing manager Casey Johnson to look at some of their favorite episodes offering great advice on how to have a happier summer. They revisit a few of their faves and tell us why these episodes are perfect for helping us make the most of this summer. Check out the full episodes behind these great tips for having a happier summer! Be a Kind Traveler Get Out in Nature Unplug From Social Media Turn Off Your Job Read a Book Celebrate Your Pet Links and Resources Facebook: @livehappy Instagram: @mylivehappy Twitter: @livehappy And be sure to check out our fit-for-summer tie-dye Live Happy Now podcast T-shirt in the Live Happy Store! Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

We know that the mind and body are connected, but how do we use that knowledge to create our best life? This week, host Paula Felps is talking with Dr Greg Hammer, a Stanford University School of Medicine professor, physician, and mindfulness expert who developed the four-step GAIN method of mindfulness. As he explains in his book, GAIN without Pain, this is an acronym for Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention and Nonjudgement. He teaches this method to reduce stress and increase well-being, and in this episode he talks about how we can learn to live with intention. In this episode, you'll learn: What it means to live an intentional life. How intentional living can change your brain—and your life. The connection between your physical and mental health. Links and Resources Instagram: @greghammermd Facebook: @greghammermd Website: GregHammerMD.com Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

As commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, Captain Brett Crozier made a choice during the pandemic to take a stand to protect his crew. His actions quickly led to his dismissal, but also were effective in providing the protection he was looking for. In this episode, he talks about his new book, Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain, and shares some of the life and leadership lessons he has learned along the way. In this episode, you'll learn: Why it’s imperative to choose your conscience over your career. The power of kindness as a leadership principle. The importance of creating a life/work balance. Links and Resources Twitter: @brettecrozier & @surfwhenyoucan Facebook: surfwhenyoucan and crozier92 Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

June is filled with holidays encouraging us to celebrate our pets. In addition to being Adopt a Cat Month and National Microchip Month, it is National Foster a Pet Month. To learn more about how fostering pets can improve your physical and mental well-being, host Paula Felps sits down with Brittany Derrenbacher, a clinical mental health counselor and founder of Luna Bells Moonbows Special Needs Rescue in Louisville, Kentucky. Brittany explains the many benefits of pet fostering for the entire family and offers tips on how to get started. In this episode, you'll learn: How fostering pets can improve mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression. Creative alternatives to full-time pet fostering. How fostering pets can teach children important emotional skills. Links and Resources Facebook: @lunabellsmoonbows Instagram: @lunabells_moonbows Learn how pets improve your brain health. Discover why pets are so good for us — and how to celebrate them. Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

It’s National Garden Week, so it is the perfect time to talk about what plants and digging in the dirt can do for you. This week’s guest is Joeleen Davis, a master gardener and owner of Wine Cottage Gardens near Nashville, and she’s here to talk about how gardening is much more than growing food or flowers; it’s also a natural way to improve mental health. In this episode, you'll learn: How gardening can help with mental health challenges like anxiety and depression. Why gardening is a fun way to build exercise into your life. How she is using Wine Cottage Gardens to give back to others — and you can too. Links and Resources Instagram: @winecottagegardens Facebook: @winecottagegardens Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

We all know vacations are fun, but did you know how good they are for you? This week’s guest is Dr. Andrew Stevenson, a social anthropologist, filmmaker and senior lecturer in psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University. Andrew’s new book, The Psychology of Travel, looks at what travel can do for us and how we can approach it differently to get the most out of it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why travel is so good for our mental health. Why we’re never really traveling “alone” and how other people affect our travel experiences. The link between memory and travel. Links and Resources Twitter: @adstevenson99 Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places:           

All of us procrastinate once in a while, but chronic procrastination creates stress — for ourselves and those around us — and damages our well-being. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with coach, author, and speaker Sherri Fisher to learn more about how procrastination affects us and what we can do about it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why procrastination isn’t just a time management problem. How mindfulness interval training can help overcome procrastination. Self-care tips to help beat procrastination. Links and Resources Facebook: @LearnAndFlourish & @PositiveEdgeParent Instagram: @learnandflourish LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherri-fisher-mapp-med-475903/ Website: http://www.learnandflourish.com Take Sherri’s procrastination survey: https://forms.gle/WNnVQjfDodWQqGe27 Free downloads: Self-Care for Procrastinators https://www.learnandflourish.com/beating-procrastination/ Three-part Series on How to Beat Procrastination: https://www.learnandflourish.com/how-to-bust-procrastination-part-one-push-past-probably/ Core Parenting Skills/Giving the Three Gifts of Motivation Workbooks for The Effort Myth: https://www.learnandflourish.com/portfolio/the-effort-myth/ “The Three Rules for Adulting” sample practice from Unleash Your Epic Self: https://www.learnandflourish.com/portfolio/uyes-busting-the-effort-myth/ Follow along with this episode's transcript by clicking here. Don't miss an episode! Live Happy Now is available at the following places: