One Happy Thing

Maddie Dawson spills her jitters and joy around the upcoming launch of Set Your Life On Fire —and the whole wide range of complicated emotions that authors feel about sending a new book out into the world. The three of us trade strategiesfor staying on the joy side of the book launch process, share some laughs, and celebrate the release of Set Your Life on Fire in advance. We are excited about Mad...

Today we’re getting rid of all of the boxes and embracing our bad-ass writer selves—and our books—for the weird and wonderful creations that they are. This episode is mostly about the books we love to read and write, but also about leaning intowho we are as humans instead of playing it safe and trying to fit in. The quote Kerry referenced but couldn’t remember about boldness is this: “Whatever you...

Maddie starts us off talking about 'The Science of WellBeing', a popular course designed by Professor Laurie Santos that was originally offered at Yale and is now free to anybody online through Coursera (see link below). From there we launch off on a number of tangents, including changing your Happiness Set Point, what to do when we feel like maybe we shouldn’t be happy, how to handle the...

Book lovers, both readers and writers, this one is for you! Don’t you just love a perfect title? We’re swapping stories about our most magical titles and the fun, surprising, and sometimes mysterious places they came from! Listen in, and then tell us about your favorite book titles in the comments! Or email us at mailto:onehappythingpodcast@gmail.com. You can check out our books and titles on our...

Have you done any of these things? A)   Hide a book you wanted to read inside your math or history textbook? B)   Read while walking down the street? C)   Sneak a quick peek at your book a stoplight when you were driving a car? D)   Stay up way too late because you just had to know what was going to happen next?  That’s the reading joy we’re claiming in this episode. So, if you’ve ever read a book...

We get it. We’ve all been laughed at for being too woo woo,so sometimes we hide our magical selves away from people who might not understand. But in this episode, we’re all in with sharing our favorite woo woo practices. From writing down what we want as if it’s already done, to believingthat everything we need (and maybe even the universe) lives inside of us, to secret fireside gatherings of magi...

We asked debut author Jacqueline Pennewill (nickname HappyWanderer) to tell us her One Happy Thing—which not surprisingly turned into all of us talking about a whole lot of happy things. Jacqueline started us off with a heartwarming story about her son, and from there we traded stories aboutkids, writing, and fur babies. You can find out more about Jacqueline's YA novel, THE BOOK OF ETERNITY(a...

Join us for a deeply felt (and sometimes passionate) conversation that starts out about writing and publishing but ventures into art of all kinds—including the art of creating the life that you want to live. We explore the question of how we can stay true to our own creative vision in a world that often tells us we should do it differently. Whether it's 'writing to the market', paintin...

Is your 'To Do' list always longer than your 'To Done' list? Do youtend to fall into a spiral of beating yourself up for not having done enough, or for not being farther along your chosen path? Are you beset by gremlin attacks of ‘the shoulds’ (or ‘the should-haves’)? Do you have difficulty resting, or taking time off, even when you’ve been working hard? Welcome to the Super Slacke...

In today’s episode, guest author Mallory Kass shares a storyabout a gift from her mother—that arrived after her mother’s death!! It gave us all goosebumps. In this wide ranging and free flowing conversation, we’re also talking about everyday magic showing up in surprising ways and unusual objects (a magicskirt, anyone?), and also about writing and publishing, memories, photograph, and a heap of ot...

Maddie calls it ‘set it and forget it.’ Jennifer calls it ‘bless & release.’ Kerry pretty much just calls it hard. But we all agree that sometimes the best way to get what you really want is to just give up on it. Just release your grasp and be willing to walk away and let it go. What about you? Are you a give it up and let it go kind of person? Or do you hold on like grim death? Let us know i...

If you’ve ever gotten caught up in the loop of being mad atyourself for being mad at somebody else... (come on, you know you have) then this is the episode for you! We’re talking about letting ourselves be human. About welcoming all of the emotions, including anger, and giving them a chance to tell us what they’re all about. Also—and this is huge— we're exploring the idea of taking responsibil...

During Covid—and the Writer's Guild strike—screenwriterLaura Lekkos chose to pursue a big dream. Instead of sinking into gloom and doom and worry, she wrote the novel that had been calling to her for years.  And now it is being published! Listen to her story and let it inspire YOU to go after your own dreams.   About ALL THE LITTLE WAYS: In the vein of  Pineapple Street  and  Such a Fun Age,  ...

Today we're talking about wonder - and the way it lives in tiny little moments that are easy to miss if we're not paying attention. Kerry shares her rough English translation from French of an Instagram post she stumbled over that touched her deeply (by Valentin Auwercx, @pticrayon on IG). And then we're all sharing small and wonderful things that light us up (sometimes literally!) and...

In today's episode, we're sharing some incredibly wise and helpful advice from Maddie's five-year-old granddaughter: experience your life! It's so easy to get caught up in one aspect of life, often something unpleasant, that we forget how wonderful it can be to experience everything! We've got a super simple grounding and getting present activity for you that literally only tak...

In this very honest and heartfelt episode we’re talkingabout how to thrive when it feels like nothing is happening. You know those times: when you’re waiting for the healing, or the book contract, or the financial situation to resolve, or the grief to lift. We’ve all been there, and it’s so tempting to get impatient or even become despondent, to believe that nothing is happening and nothing will e...

Sometimes happiness comes to us from unexpected places, and today we're talking about some life altering wisdom that Kerry stumbled over from... are you ready?.. the Mary Tyler Moore Show. We're talking about embracing the energy of enthusiasm and exploring how a simple shift can change everything in your current reality. Also? We triple dog dare you to give it a try! And then let us know...

Today we’re tossing around the idea of “Just One More Minute”—in a feel good way, not a sadness & loss kind of way. We talk about our thoughts, experiences, and  yes, challenges,around learning to revel in the experience of the unique, never-to-happen-again moment we’re in rather than always looking forward to what is coming next. Also the realization that the 'you' that you are in thi...

Anybody else feeling the cold and dark of winter pressing in? In this episode we're talking about some of our very favorite cozy and comforting rituals. It's amazing how a candle or a favorite blanket or a soak in a warm bath can raise your spirits. Listen in to hear some of the cozy things we love, and then do us a huge favor and share yours! We can use all of the comforting and cozy we c...

Whether you made some resolutions for 2026, or chose a word or set an intention -- there's something in this wide ranging conversation for you! Also, yes, we know it's the end of January already but hey, we actually recorded this one a while ago. No judging! Besides, this is the perfect time to give yourself grace or cut yourself slack if you haven't quite measured up to your own expec...

On this episode of One Happy Thing, we're talking about some creative ways of letting go of fear and worry by getting clear on what you do want, putting in a request with God or the Universe or whatever higher power you believe in -- and then letting go with trust. We cover God Boxes, treasure chests, pink bubbles and more... and we'd love to hear your ideas as well! Drop us a comment, ema...

In this fun and free flowing episode we’re bouncing around ideas for joyful, stress free collaboration. Whether you’rewriting a novel together with a group of friends like Jennifer, talking through plot ideas with a friend like Maddie, brainstorming book ideas with another writer like Kerry, or collaborating on something completely different, this lively episode is for you! We’d love to hear about...

In this episode we're asking some important questions about our relationship with our cell phones. How connected is too connected? Does that restless, uneasy feeling some of us get when we haven't looked at the phone for awhile signal an addiction? Do you know where your cell phone is right now and how long has it been since you last looked at your social media or played a game? Kerry admi...

Today we’re diving into a question that sounds, and feels, important: what does it mean to live with purpose? And how do we go about doing that? As we discovered in this conversation, all three of us  have slightly different ways of thinking about the idea, but really we’re all talking about the same thing in the end: finding something in your life that calls to you, brings you joy, and benefits o...

In this episode, we're delighting in remembering the childhood toys and games and ways of thinking that were full of magic and wonder. From Strawberry Shortcake to homemade paper dolls, elaborate games of house, and creating forts practically anywhere... our days were full of creativity and discovery. The joy of these memories leads to the question: how can we bring that playful and creative w...