Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Health EN ↓ 1338 episodes

Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

Author

Gretchen Rubin / The Onward Project

Episodes

Little Happier: On My Wedding Anniversary, It Makes Me Happy to Remember What a Nurse Said. 12.10.2020 3:56

Jamie is the love of my life! I want to treat him that way, and so often, really, I don’t. But I try. It makes me happy to remember a time when, from observing us, someone assumed that we were in the early stages of love. Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS Challenge! You’ll get daily text messages with an audio message from me that gives you a simple challenge to create more outer...

Ep. 294: Imitate a Spiritual Master, a Hack for Toddlers, and a Conversation with Glennon Doyle About “Untamed.” 07.10.2020 37:33

We talk about why you might imitate a spiritual master, discuss a listener’s hack for keeping a toddler safe, and talk to bestselling author Glennon Doyle about her new memoir, “Untamed.” Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS Challenge! You’ll get daily text messages with an audio message from me that gives you a simple challenge to create more outer order in your home. Learn more: h...

Little Happier: Why You Should Never Knit Your Boyfriend a Sweater. 05.10.2020 3:32

A college friend advised me, “Never knit your boyfriend a sweater,” and that’s turned out to be very wise advice. Join my brand-new Outer Order Inner Calm 30-Day SMS Challenge! You’ll get daily text messages with an audio message from me that gives you a simple challenge to create more outer order in your home. Learn more: http://gretchenrubin.com/sms Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchen...

Ep. 293: Anticipate Pandemic Regret, an Easy Household Hack, and a Deep Dive into Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables 30.09.2020 35:34

We talk about why now is a good time to anticipate the pandemic regret you might feel in the future; we discuss a simple, effective, household hack about opening doors; and we do a deep dive into listeners’ suggestions about encouraging kids to eat vegetables. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the pod...

Little Happier: How Douglas Adams—Author of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”—Gave Himself Confidence. 28.09.2020 2:48

Teachers have enormous influence over our fates and our imaginations. Even a hugely bestselling writer like Douglas Adams took comfort in the words of his teacher. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER,...

Ep. 292: Create a Hidden Delight, a Hack to Encourage Exercising, and a Discussion about Accepting Something as a Gift vs. Paying for It. 23.09.2020 31:08

We talk about why you might want to create a hidden delight, a listener suggests a hack for using clothes as a way to stick to an exercise habit, and we discuss a challenging question related to gift-giving and gift-receiving. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week...

Little Happier: Sometimes, To Do a Simple Thing We Must Make a Huge Change. 21.09.2020 3:46

The Oracle of Delphi told the people of Delos that they’d cure their present ills if they doubled the altar—because to double the altar, they must change their values. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER OR...

Ep. 291: Get Out of Your Storage Unit, a Hack for Reducing Unwanted Talk, and a Conversation about Relationships with Esther Perel 16.09.2020 38:15

We talk about the benefits of getting out of a storage unit; we talk to relationship expert Esther Perel about love and work; and Elizabeth’s office treadmill-desk is finally set up. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter...

Little Happier: When Do We Tell Other People What We Think They Should Do? Two Beautiful Examples. 14.09.2020 6:27

In Mark Salzman’s memoir “The Man in the Empty Boat,” he gives not just one, but two, examples of times when one person is able thoughtfully to remind someone of painful duties, and that person recognizes the right action, and rises to the occasion to fulfill it. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email ev...

Ep. 290: Very Special Episode: An Extravaganza of Hacks! Hacks for Relationships, Productivity, Pandemic, Clutter, Travel, and More 09.09.2020 33:33

In this Very Special Episode, we present an extravaganza of listeners’ simple, concrete hacks that can help us make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter G...

Little Happier: Trevor Noah: “We Tell People to Follow Their Dreams, But You Can Only Dream of What You Can Imagine.” 07.09.2020 3:38

In his terrific memoir “Born a Crime,” Trevor Noah notes that “you can only dream of what you can imagine,” and tells the story of how his mother worked to give him a big imagination. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s n...

Ep. 289: Ask Yourself, “Do I Already Own This?” How to Feel Better in Just Five Minutes with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, and Our Next Book Club Choice 02.09.2020 37:07

We discuss why it’s helpful to ask, “Do I already own this?” We also talk to Dr. Rangan Chatterjee about his new book, “Feel Better in 5,” and announce our next book club choice: Yaa Gyasi’s brilliant novel “Transcendent Kingdom.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every...

Little Happier: Zora Neale Hurston’s Vision Shows How Mysterious the World Is. 31.08.2020 4:41

In her thought-provoking memoir “Dust Tracks in the Road,” Zora Neale Hurston’s vision of her future reminds me of how mysterious the world is. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: ht...

Ep. 288: Learn Something with a Beginning, Middle, and End, a Know-Yourself-Better Question about Second-Guessing Yourself, and a Spotlight on Brit Bennett 26.08.2020 31:35

We talk about why it’s helpful (especially these days) to learn something with a beginning, middle, and an end; we explore the Know Yourself Better question of “Do you second-guess yourself in conversations?” and shine a spotlight on the novelist Brit Bennett. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podc...

Little Happier: What Can You Do When You Live in a Crowded, Messy, Noisy House? 24.08.2020 4:01

In a traditional Yiddish folk tale, a farmer complains about his crowded, noisy house—and his wise rabbi gives him a surprising solution. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: http://o...

Ep. 287: Steer Clear of Quicksand, Beware of Catastrophizing, a Whimsical Hack, and a Spotlight on Baratunde Thurston 19.08.2020 35:34

We discuss why you should steer clear of quicksand, beware of the happiness stumbling block of “catastrophizing,” suggest an affordable, whimsical hack, and shine a spotlight on Baratunde Thurston. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin....

Little Happier: Bryan Stevenson Points Out a Question: Are We There to Speak, or Are We There to Listen? 17.08.2020 2:46

In his brilliant memoir “Just Mercy,” Bryan Stevenson makes the distinction: Am I invited someplace to speak, or am I invited to listen? Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: http://ou...

Ep. 286: September Is the Other January, Jay Shetty Explains How to Think Like a Monk, and a Spotlight on Colson Whitehead 12.08.2020 38:36

Why we should remember that September is the other January; we have a conversation with podcaster and writer Jay Shetty about how to “think like a monk”; we suggest a surprisingly obvious kitchen hack; and we shine a spotlight on writer Colson Whitehead. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast sh...

Little Happier: The More We Talk to Someone, the More We Have to Say. 10.08.2020 4:04

In Karl Ove Knausgaard’s autobiographical novel My Struggle: Book Six, he reflects on the counter-intuitive truth that the more we talk to people, the more we have to say to them. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new b...

Ep. 285: Why It’s a Good Idea to Create a Catch-All, a Spotlight on Virginia Hamilton, and a Conversation with Susan Burton About Her Brilliant Memoir “Empty.” 05.08.2020 41:06

We discuss why it’s a great idea to create a catch-all to help boost creativity, memories, and inspiration, we shine a spotlight on children’s author Virginia Hamilton, and we talk to Susan Burton about her thought-provoking memoir “Empty.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by e...

Little Happier: How Eating a Second Ice-Cream Cone Can Be an Act of Obliger-Rebellion 03.08.2020 5:31

In Karl Ove Knausgaard’s essay “Summer,” he perfectly describes an example of Obliger-rebellion that’s turned toward the self: he eats a second ice-cream cone in front of the envious eyes of his children. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a...

Ep. 284: Why Buying Isn’t Doing, a Deep Dive into Ways to Display Your Favorite Quotations, and a Spotlight on Harriet Washington 29.07.2020 29:03

We talk about why we shouldn’t confuse buying with doing, reveal a happiness hack for staying in touch with grandparents, review listeners’ suggestions for displaying terrific quotations, and shine a spotlight on author Harriet Washington. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by ema...

Little Happier: A Lesson Learned from the End of Life: Make Time for the People Who Matter Most 27.07.2020 4:47

Eugene O’Kelley’s account of his experience of the end of his life is a reminder that our time and energy are limited, and we need to make sure to give them to the people who matter most to us. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gr...

Ep. 283: Happier Podcast Book Club: Renowned Writer Ann Patchett Talks about Family, Forgiveness, and Memory in “The Dutch House”—and a Spotlight on Trevor Noah. 22.07.2020 47:01

We talk to writer Ann Patchett about her powerful, compelling novel “The Dutch House.” Plus we shine a spotlight on Trevor Noah and his memoir “Born a Crime.” Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Get the resources and a...

Little Happier: Habits Are the Invisible Architecture of Everyday Life 20.07.2020 3:12

A passage from Christopher Alexander’s beautiful book The Timeless Way of Building is a good reminder of the importance of having habits that make our lives happier. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin Get the podcast show notes by email every week here: http://gretchenrubin.com/#newsletter Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDE...