Live Happy Now

Back‑to‑school season looks fun in commercials, but for many kids and teens it brings anxiety, uncertainty, and emotional strain. In this episode, Dr. Bonnie Mitchell, clinical director of the Mental Health Treatment and Stabilization Center of Sacramento, explains why the transition is so challenging and what families can do to help children feel grounded and supported. From clinginess and sleep disruptions in younger kids to academic pressure and social fears in teens, she breaks down the signs parents should watch for and offers practical ways to make the shift into a new school year calmer and more connected.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How back‑to‑school anxiety shows up differently across age groups.
Conversation starters to help children feel seen, supported, and understood.
Simple grounding habits that make the transition smoother for the whole family.

This week, Live Happy Now visits the mountains — not to climb them, but to learn from them. Alpinist and award-winning author Michael Schauch joins us to explore how nature, intuition, and the practice of “non‑self” can help us navigate a world that feels increasingly fast, loud, and divided. His stories from the Himalaya and his new book Anatta: Heart of Wisdom offer a grounded, hopeful way to move through troubled times with more clarity and compassion.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why understanding “non‑self” helps us reduce conflict and polarization.
How nature reveals our true patterns — and helps us reconnect with others.
Practical ways to quiet the mind, dissolve reactive habits, and respond with compassion.

Even in a world overflowing with tension, we are biologically wired for cooperation and connection. This week, Dr. Jeremy Pollack, a leader in conflict resolution and author of Wired for Peace, shares how we can keep disagreements from escalating and learn to regulate our nervous systems even during the most challenging discussions. Listen in to discover his practical tools for regulating our nervous system, staying curious, and building trust even in difficult relationships.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why your brain reacts to social conflict the same way it reacts to physical danger.
How curiosity and cognitive empathy open the door to real conflict resolution.
A five‑step, 60‑second brain hack to regulate yourself during an argument.

In this season‑closing episode, Paula Felps and Michelle Jones recap one of the busiest seasons yet for Live Happy Now and look at what’s coming. Tune in to learn about our new content offerings, including research‑based reports launching this fall, and an upcoming Substack. You’ll also learn about the Wake Up Happy weekly text series designed to help you start the week with humor and encouragement, and get a look ahead to Season 12, which will explore how to maintain well-being in chaotic times.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Live Happy is expanding its content offerings and store.
Why Season 12 will focus on thriving during turbulent times.
New ways to connect with Live Happy.

If you like your mindfulness served without BS, you’re going to love this week’s episode! Join us as mindfulness coach and yoga teacher Oneika Mays shares insights from her book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation. Oneika explains how yoga helped her reclaim her sense of self; why teaching mindfulness inside Rikers Island transformed her understanding of compassion, justice, and human connection; and how loving‑kindness (or metta) can help us navigate a world that feels heavy and chaotic.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How mindfulness helped Oneika move from reactivity to response — and why that shift changed her life.
Why loving‑kindness (metta) is a powerful antidote to fear, hate, and overwhelm in difficult times.
What meditation is really for — and why it’s not about feeling good.

As we close out our Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with cognitive and behavioral neuroscientist Dr. Sydney Ceruto to walk through her book, The Dopamine Code: How to Rewire Your Brain for Happiness and Productivity, which explores one of the most misunderstood forces shaping our motivation, mood, and modern wellbeing. Sydney explains why today’s overstimulated world leaves so many of us feeling restless, stuck, or burned out — and how understanding the true role of dopamine can help us reclaim clarity, satisfaction, and forward momentum.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why dopamine isn’t the “pleasure chemical” but is the “molecule of motivation” that shapes everything from restlessness to burnout.
How modern life overstimulates your reward system, making everyday joys feel flat and pushing you toward unhealthy dopamine defaults.
How to build your own “dopamine menu” to help you shift from cheap dopamine spikes to meaningful, sustaining rewards.

In this week’s episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with author Angelica Glass to explore her remarkable book, Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks, which chronicles her decision to walk every street in Santa Cruz County. What began as a stress‑relief habit unfolded into a profound journey of awe, healing, forgiveness, and rediscovery. Angelica shares how intentionally seeking beauty — one photograph, one street, one quiet moment at a time — opened the door to long‑buried memories, deeper self‑understanding, and renewed connection with her siblings. Through nature, silence, and curiosity, she learned to reframe her past with tenderness and compassion, ultimately transforming her internal landscape and her relationships.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How awe, silence, and slow travel can unlock emotional healing and neuroplasticity.
Why seeking beauty — even in life’s “wreckage” — reshapes how we see ourselves and our past.
How sharing personal stories with loved ones can strengthen connection, change perspectives, and open new conversations.

This week, as part of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with Elizabeth Margulis, a professor of music at Princeton University and director of the Music Cognition Lab, to talk about her book, Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.  Elizabeth explains why our minds naturally wander when we listen to music, how those imaginative journeys shape our sense of self, and why these experiences are far more meaningful — and scientifically important — than we realize. Listen as she reveals how reconnecting with this simple, often overlooked way of listening can deepen our relationships, boost our mental health, and bring us back to the joy that first made us fall in love with music.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why unfamiliar songs can trigger similar imagery across listeners.
How music helps us process memories.
Why daydreaming to music may be essential for creativity and emotional well‑being.

The Live Happy Summer Reading Program continues this week as host Paula Felps sits down with author and activist Deborah Santana to talk about Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, her powerful memoir about identity, courage, reinvention, and choosing a life aligned with your spirit. In this episode, Deborah candidly shares how she found the strength to leave a life that no longer reflected who she was, the spiritual practices that guided her, and the generational resilience that shaped her path. Listen as Deborah shares how stepping into your truth can transform not only your life, but the lives of those around you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Deborah found the courage to leave a life that no longer aligned with her spirit.
The role generational strength, family history, and activism built her identity — and continue guiding her work today.
What it means to “walk through the fire” in your own life, and how to recognize misalignment, reclaim your voice, and choose a path rooted in integrity and self‑reflection.

For Week 2 of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, award‑winning journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa sits down with host Paula Felps to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist. Donna explains that rumination is an evolution‑wired survival response that has gone rogue in modern life, trapping us in negative “mental movie reels” fueled by the brain’s default mode network. Using neuroscience, personal insight, and research‑backed tools, she shares how we can transform rumination into clarity, creativity, and a renewed sense of belonging.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why rumination happens and how the brain creates vivid “movie reels” of old stories, future fears, and intense emotional and physical reactions.
How the MIST framework works — and how to use it to interrupt rumination and reduce stress chemistry.
How to turn rumination into insight, using neuroscience‑based strategies that help you rewrite outdated beliefs, reclaim your voice, and use your mental energy for more meaningful, joyful pursuits.