Live Happy Now

How Children Grieve — and How to Support Them With Dr. Korie Leigh

This week on Live Happy Now, Paula sits down with Dr. Korie Leigh, an internationally recognized expert in childhood bereavement and author of When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief. Drawing from her work in pediatric palliative care and thanatology, Dr. Leigh explains why children grieve differently than adults and why honest, concrete communication matters when helping them navigate loss. She also shares how parents can support their children even while managing their own grief, and why resilience is a muscle families can build together.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why euphemisms around death can confuse children and increase fear or guilt.
How children “puddle jump” through grief and why their processing looks so different from adults.
How parents can support a grieving child even while grieving themselves — and why “good enough” parenting truly is enough.

The Mental Health We Inherit — and the Healing We Choose with Leslie and Lindsey Glass

On this Mother’s Day episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down once again with mother‑daughter duo Leslie and Lindsey Glass to explore how mental health patterns, coping strategies, and emotional habits are passed down through generations. Drawing from their own lived experience — including estrangement, reconciliation, and years of therapeutic work — Leslie and Lindsey share practical, compassionate tools for breaking unhealthy cycles, setting boundaries, rebuilding trust, and creating new family patterns rooted in safety and connection.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How generational patterns of anxiety, emotional suppression, and coping get passed down — and how to interrupt them.
What healthy reconnection looks like, from “baby‑step conversations” to shared activities that rebuild safety and trust.
How to navigate estrangement, boundaries, and forgiveness when one person is ready to heal and the other isn’t.

How Your Spaces Shape Your Happiness With Leidy Klotz

This week on Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with University of Virginia professor and author Leidy Klotz to explore a topic we rarely think about: how the spaces around us are quietly shaping our well-being. He explains why our homes, workplaces, and everyday environments can either nourish or drain our basic psychological needs for agency, competence, and connection. From choosing where you sit to spark creativity to reclaiming small freedoms in spaces you can’t control, Leidy shows how simple shifts in how we interact with our environments can profoundly change how we feel.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why your physical spaces influence your happiness more than you realize — and how they feed (or starve) your core psychological needs.
How to use your surroundings intentionally to boost creativity, strengthen family connection, and reclaim a sense of control — even in places you can’t redesign.
A simple practice for experiencing more awe in your daily life by noticing and revisiting the spaces that shift your perspective.

The Power of Playful Parenting With Kira Willey

In this joyful episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with bestselling author, musician, and kids’ mindfulness expert Kira Willey to explore how parents can transform everyday chaos into meaningful moments of connection. Drawing from her new book The Joyful Child, Kira shares simple, playful practices that help families navigate transitions, reduce stress, and build stronger bonds — without adding more to the to‑do list.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to turn stressful daily transitions into joyful, cooperative moments.
Why children struggle with structure — and how movement, music, and imagination help them thrive.
Simple one‑minute practices that calm your child’s nervous system (and yours).

Why Play Is the Antidote to Serious Times With Piera Gelardi

When times get tough, it’s time to play! This week, creativity expert Piera Gelardi — author of the new book, The Playful Way —   joins host Paula Felps to talk about why play is not a luxury; it’s a lifeline. Drawing from her own burnout, creative journey, and even profound grief, Piera explains how shutting down our playful selves limits resilience, narrows thinking, and fuels anxiety. Find out how everyday play can help us navigate heavy times with more creativity, connection, and joy.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why play deprivation leads to burnout, rigidity, and increased anxiety.
How play can coexist with serious times — and even help you move through grief.
Simple ways to build a daily play practice, even if you think you're “not playful.”

How Humor Makes You Happier (and Healthier!) With Chris Duffy

April is National Humor Month, so it’s time to dig into the amazing power of humor and laughter. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with comedian, TV writer, and podcast host Chris Duffy, author of the new book, Humor Me, to explore why laughter is more than a mere distraction. Drawing from personal experience, clinical research, and years of teaching and performing, Chris explains how humor strengthens connection, boosts resilience, improves well‑being, and even helps us navigate difficult moments.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why humor is essential for emotional and physical well‑being.
How self‑deprecating humor increases likability and perceived competence.
Simple ways to rebuild your “humor muscle.”

How the Dignity Index Can Heal Our Divides With Tom Rosshirt

What if we could get to the root of our divides and start bridging them? In this powerful episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with Tom Rosshirt, co‑creator of the Dignity Index, to explore why our public conversations feel so fractured — and how dignity offers a practical path back to connection. Tom explains how contempt, not disagreement, is what drives our divisions, and he shares the ways that dignity can heal what contempt has damaged.
Three things you’ll learn:
Why contempt is the real source of division — and how to recognize it.
How dignity strengthens trust, communication, and problem‑solving.
How small, everyday choices can shift the culture around you toward connection.

Gen Z to Boomers: Why Social Media Affects Us So Differently with Dr. Zeynep Özkök and Dr. Jonathan Rosborough

The latest edition of the World Happiness Report focuses on the effects of social media on well-being. In this episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Zeynep Özkök and Dr. Jonathan Rosborough, co-authors of one of the report’s chapters, to unpack their research on internet use, trust, social connections, and emotional well‑being. They reveal why social media affects Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers in dramatically different ways, and how online environments are reshaping foundational elements of happiness such as trust, safety, and real‑world social ties.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why the impact of social media on well‑being varies sharply across generations.
How Internet use is linked to declining trust, social comparison, and reduced in‑person connection.
What researchers believe this means for the future — especially for Gen Z and the emerging Generation Alpha.

Escaping the Indoor Health Crisis With Dr. John La Puma

In this episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. John La Puma — physician, chef, and author of Indoor Epidemic — to explore how our increasingly indoor lifestyles are quietly harming our sleep, mood, focus, and long‑term health. Dr. John explains why spending 93% of our time inside has become a “biological emergency” and reveals how simple, intentional practices like morning light exposure, green exercise, and reconnecting with nature can dramatically improve our well‑being.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why missing morning light can leave you “wired but tired” and shorten your longevity by up to five years.
How green exercise lowers stress hormones, reduces rumination, and boosts immune function.
What simple daily habits can counteract indoor toxins and restore your natural biological rhythms.

Discover The Power of Real Optimism With Dr. Deepika Chopra

In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with psychologist and author Dr. Deepika Chopra to explore what real optimism looks like in a world filled with uncertainty. Drawing from her new book, The Power of Real Optimism, Dr. Deepika explains why optimism isn’t about rose‑colored glasses or pretending everything is fine; it’s a trainable psychological skill rooted in authenticity, resilience, and the belief that challenges are temporary and navigable.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why optimism is a skill — not a personality trait — and how to strengthen it.
How your brain processes uncertainty and the small, science‑backed practices that help restore safety and regulation.
How tools like visualization, evidence‑collecting, and scheduled “worry time” can shift your mindset and build real resilience.