Live Happy Now

Becoming Better Pet Parents With Wendy Lyons Sunshine

When award-winning journalist and bestselling child development author Wendy Lyons Sunshine adopted a difficult puppy, she found that traditional training methods didn’t work on her dog. So she began applying the evidence-based parenting practices she wrote about and found this new approach was life-changing for both her and her dog. In her latest book, Tender Paws: How Science-Based Parenting Can Transform Our Relationship with Dogs, Wendy offers therapeutic concepts designed to meet each dogs’ needs, and in this episode, she tells us why this approach is so effective.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What attunement is and how it affects the dog/human relationship.
How the essential HEARTS strategy works for both kids and dogs.
Why adopting a parenting perspective with our pets can improve our relationship with them.

Maintaining Relationships Through the Election Cycle With Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe

We are in the midst of a tumultuous election cycle, and that can take a toll on our sleep, our mental health, and our relationships. But the good news is it doesn’t have to be like that! This week, host Paula Felps talks with psychology instructor and resiliency expert Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe, author of Stress Wisely: How to Be Well in an Unwell World. Dr. Robyne offers tips to help us navigate potentially volatile conversations, understand the stress that we’re feeling right now, and learn how to better navigate this unusual time.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why we tend to take political discussions personally.
How to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed.
Setting boundaries on political discussions at work and home.

Overcoming Burnout with Chris Germer, PhD

Burnout and stress continue to create tremendous challenges at home and on the job, so this week, we’re looking at how we can reclaim our joy and energy. Join host Paula Felps as she talks with clinical psychologist Chris Germer who, along with researcher Dr. Kristin Neff, developed the world-renowned Mindful Self-compassion program. Their third co-authored book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout, looks at how self-compassion can help overcome burnout and offers simple anti-burnout tools to de-stress, recharge, and develop your inner kindness.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What self-compassion is and why it’s so important to practice.
Why burnout is so prevalent these days — and what’s causing it.
How self-compassion can help alleviate burnout.

Becoming Mindful for Life with Willem Kuyken, PhD

Mindfulness is known for preventing depression and improving mental health, but how do you create a practice that works for you? This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Willem Kuyken, the Ritblat Professor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science at the University of Oxford in the UK, to answer that question. Willem’s most recent book, Mindfulness for Life, offers three keys to living well through mindfulness and explains how to develop and sustain a mindfulness practice that works for you.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How mindfulness affects our psychological well-being.
The effect that living a mindful life can have on your relationships.
How to start a mindfulness practice that works for you.

Practicing Outrageous Kindness with Kristina Joy Carlson

Some days kindness seems in short supply, but this week host Paula Felps is joined by Kristina Joy Carlson, founder of the KINDd Method and managing director of global philanthropy at Carter Global. Kristina has turned her personal practice of outrageous kindness into an inspirational campaign that can be practiced by individuals and corporations alike. In this episode, she explains what it means to practice outrageous kindness and how it can change the world we live in.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why listening to people with different viewpoints fosters greater kindness.
What the KINDd Method is and how to practice it.
How to start looking for ways to make each moment better.

Overcoming Election Stress With Dr. Lauren Cook

Election season is now officially underway and that means that many of us are already feeling election stress. That’s why Live Happy has partnered with licensed clinical psychologist and author Dr. Lauren Cook to offer a free four-week email course, Overcoming Election Stress. In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with Lauren to talk about some of the symptoms of election stress and explain how this email course can help get you through the next couple of months. 
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What we mean by “election stress” and what’s causing it.
Practices to help you manage anxiety throughout the election season.
How Live Happy’s free email series, Overcoming Election Stress with Dr. Lauren Cook, can help.

The Healing Power of Hugging Cows With Ellie Laks

If you’ve never thought of cows as intuitive healers, this episode just might change your mind. Ellie Laks is the founder of The Gentle Barn Foundation, a national organization that rescues and rehabilitates abused and discarded farm animals. She is the creator of cow hug therapy and, as she explains in her book by the same name, she has learned amazing lessons from these animals about life, death, and everything in between. She’s here today to share some of those lessons with us.  In this episode, you’ll learn: The origins of Cow Hug Therapy. How farm animals can aid in emotional healing. What we can learn from barnyard animals and why they’re such great teachers.

Recognizing Our Invisible Work With Janelle Wells, PhD and Doreen MacAulay, PhD

If you feel like your workday never ends, you aren’t alone! This week, host Paula Felps is joined by Janelle Wells and Doreen MacAulay, partners in the consultancy WellsQuest and authors of Our (In)Visible Work: How Everyone Everywhere Experiences It Every Day. Their work focuses on the effect of the unpaid work we do both on the job and at home, and they’re here to talk about how taking on these essential tasks can tax our time and lead to burnout, anxiety, and exhaustion — and how we can manage it better.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How to define invisible work and determine where it lives. Why identifying your priorities can change the way you approach your to-do list. How to get help at work and home to share some of your invisible workload.

Make Your Summer Fun Last All Fall

Students and teachers are heading back to school, but just because summer is ending doesn’t mean our fun has to end, too. This summer, Live Happy teamed up with organizational psychologist Mike Rucker, PhD, to offer the Summer of Fun email series, filled with ideas about how to bring more fun to your summer. As we head into fall and winter, host Paula Felps sits down with Mike to talk about how we can carry this commitment to fun with us as the days get shorter.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How (and why) to commit to fun when time seems to be in short supply. Why it’s important to plan to have fun during the fall and winter. How scheduling fun adds joy to other areas of your life.

Standing Together in Divided Times With Rob Volpe

As we head toward the end of summer, many of us are talking about the contentious election environment. In this episode, host Paula Felps is by Rob Volpe, an empathy activist, consultant, and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the empathy crisis one conversation at a time, who talks about how we can avoid some of the hazards that come with discussing differing opinions. He’ll also explain how learning to approach these conversations differently can change the way we interact with one another in the long run. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the discourse has become so heated and how social media has contributed to the problem. How it changes to stop viewing someone as being on “the other side.” The power of the Curious Breath — and how to use it.