Live Happy Now

Mindfulness for Children With Kamala Alcantara

By now, most of us are aware of how important it is to be able to use tools like mindfulness and meditation to help create inner calm. But as tough as it can be for adults, imagine what it’s like for a child to master it. This week’s guest has found a way to teach children things like meditation, mindfulness, yoga and more with the help of some very cute ninja bunnies. Kamala Alcantara is co-founder and chief content officer of Ninja Focus, an app that helps young children learn breathing techniques, mindfulness and emotional regulation. Her goal is to help strengthen families and motivate children to be kinder, more compassionate and happier. Let’s hear how Ninja Focus can help them do that.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why learning breathing techniques is so valuable. How teaching mindfulness to children benefits them later in life. How to use Ninja Focus as a family.

Turning Social Isolation Into a Creative Outlet With Martha Alderson

Tapping into your creativity is a proven way to increase your personal well-being. It can put you in a positive mood, give you a sense of purpose, promote problem solving and reduce stress and anxiety. But sometimes, we get so busy with our lives that we lose touch with our creative side.  This week’s guest is an expert in tapping into creativity. Martha Alderson is an author who also works with bestselling authors, Hollywood directors, artists and performers all over the world to tap into their creativity. Now, you can try this at home! Martha’s new book, Boundless Creativity: A Spiritual Workbook for Overcoming Self-Doubt, Emotional Traps and Other Creative Blocks, can walk you through the steps back to discovering your creative self.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What the Universal Story is and how it relates to you. The spiritual value of connecting with your creativity. How working on creativity as a family can help build communication and solve problems.

Finding Positivity in a Pandemic With Deborah Heisz

For many of us, right now it seems a little bit harder than usual to find the good in the world, and finding things to be optimistic about can seem like even more of a chore. If you’re having struggling with that, you’re in the right place.  This week, Live Happy CEO and co-founder Deborah Heisz talks about how we can look for what's good in these trying times to find positivity and optimism—and make the most of this most unusual time. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to use the gift of extra time that we’ve been giving. Ways to interact with others in a time of social distancing. How to spend time evaluating what’s important to make the right decisions for your future.

Using Your Breath to Calm Yourself During COVID-19 With Victoria Albina

If ever there was a time to take a deep breath, it’s right now. And this week’s guest is uniquely qualified to walk us through how to do that. Victoria Albina is a functional nurse practitioner, certified breathwork meditation facilitator, life coach and host of the Feminist Wellness podcast. She not only understands the mind/body connection, but she has great tips for helping us use our breath to calm our stress response, boost our immune system and enjoy each moment just a little bit more. In this episode, you’ll learn: How your automatic nervous system and vagus nerve are affecting your reactions. How to restore and replenish yourself after experiencing substantial stress. How breathwork can calm your body and also improve your immune system.

Why Bother? With Jennifer Louden

With so much going on in the world today, you might have hit the point of asking “why bother?” A lot of situations feel pretty grim right now and some days it’s hard to find the energy and enthusiasm you need.  Today’s guest knows exactly what you’re feeling, and, even better, she has incredible insight to share on how to navigate these crazy times. Jennifer Louden is a personal growth expert and author of the new book, Why Bother? Discover the Desire for What’s Next, and she has a lot to say about why we should bother, how to discover our next steps and even how to enjoy the journey. In this podcast, you’ll learn: Why asking the important question, “Why bother?” is a good thing. Why your desires matter. The importance of self-care and self-forgiveness.

Make Your Home Your Happy Place With Rebecca West

We are spending most of our time at home right now, and no matter how much you love the space you live in, or the people you share it with, some days it might seem like it’s the last place you want to be. This week’s guest is an expert at turning our homes into our happy places. Interior designer Rebecca West, author of Happy Starts at Home and owner of Seriously.Happy.Homes, believes in putting the “om” back in home. To do that, she takes a holistic approach to discovering what you need from your home and how to make the most of the space you have. Listen in as she tells us how to make our surroundings support what we need—both physically and emotionally—during this time. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to create space for everyone—and everything—in your home. How tidiness makes a big difference in how you view your space. Simple improvements you can do both inside and outside of your home.

The Secrets of Wellness With Dr. Jeffrey Rediger

This is a time when all of us are thinking about healing and recovery. We have a lot of questions about wellness, and this episode’s guest offers unique insight into healing and well-being. Dr. Jeffrey Rediger is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and medical director of McLean Hospital Southeast adult psychiatric programs. He’s a board-certified psychiatrist with a master’s in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and his new book, CURED: The Life-Changing Science of Spontaneous Healing, provides a fascinating look into well-being and how changing our beliefs about ourselves can change our outcomes. In this episode, you’ll learn: What the four pillars of healing are and why they’re so critical. How to improve your immune system. The importance of reducing inflammation in your body.

Surviving Self-Quarantine with Your Relationships Intact With CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke

Now that most Americans find themselves self-quarantined, we’re learning to negotiate a completely different daily routine. Whether that includes a roommate, spouse, children or other family members, being in close quarters can create challenges for every relationship. That’s why we talked with CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke, who are therapists and co-authors of the book, The Beauty of Conflict for Couples. They offer some helpful tips for managing relationships and learning how each person can create space for themselves.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s important to identify what you need from others in the home. How to create time and space for yourself. The importance of taking a dance break … and other secrets to a happier, healthier self-quarantine.

Finding Calm in Chaotic Times With Erin Pickney

There’s no question that we are experiencing a chaotic time right now, and many people are feeling overwhelmed by situations that are out of their control. We’ve heard so many concerns from people who are worried about COVID-19, about the financial toll it is already taking and what this means for the future. We’re all learning how to manage this new normal that, frankly, doesn’t feel normal at all. This week’s guest, Erin Pickney, is a Nashville-based therapist specializing in recovery from anxiety and depression. She offers a few suggestions on how we can decrease our anxiety and increase our sense of well-being. In this episode, you’ll learn: How to manage some of our current anxiety. How to connect with others while practicing social distancing. How to make the most of time spent in self-quarantine.

Making Time for Meditation With Ariel Garten

This week’s episode looks at something we all know about, we all know we should do … but we often have trouble finding time for in our busy lives. Meditation has incredible healing value for both our mind and body, and this week’s guest is on a mission to get the whole world meditating. Neuroscientist Ariel Garten is a psychotherapist, mom, former fashion designer and the founder of the tech company Muse, which is designed to make meditation easier. She has spoken about the benefits of meditation on stages around the world, ranging from TED talks to MIT to SXSW. This week, she talks about the benefits of meditation, how we can master the art of meditating and how to find ways to fit it into our hectic lives. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why meditation is so important. How to make meditation part of your daily routine. Ways to make meditation easier.