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

Ep. 282: Do Good to Feel Good, Bruce Feiler Suggests Two Questions to Ask Yourself to Help Manage Transitions, and a Spotlight on Octavia Butler 15.07.2020 40:25

We discuss why one way to overcome COVID-19 listlessness is to do good for other people, explore some Know-Yourself-Better questions to help manage tough transitions with Bruce Feiler, and shine a spotlight on author Octavia Butler. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by email ever...

Little Happier: Do You Know the Famous Story of the Fox and the Sour Grapes? 13.07.2020 3:27

One of Aesop’s most famous fables, and writer Virginia Woolf agree: it’s important to resist the temptation to deny the truth about what we really want. 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...

Ep. 281: Start a Social-Issues Book Club, a Deep Dive into the Problem of Flaky Friends, a Hack for Great Quotations, and a Spotlight on Author Jason Reynolds. 08.07.2020 31:07

We discuss why you might start or join a social-issues book club, we talk about ways to incorporate your favorite quotations into everyday life, we take a deep dive into the challenge of flaky friends, and put a spotlight on renowned author Jason Reynolds. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast...

Little Happier: Often, It’s the Small Gestures of Thoughtfulness that Make Us Feel Loved 06.07.2020 3:28

A friend explained to me why her daily habit of making lunch came to have so much importance to her son. 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://outerorderinnercalmbook.com Leave...

Ep. 280: Very Special Episode: We Discuss Questions from Listeners about the Four Tendencies Personality Framework, and a Spotlight on Samantha Irby 01.07.2020 34:01

For this Very Special Episode, Elizabeth and I discuss listener questions related to my “Four Tendencies” Personality Framework of Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels—plus a spotlight on essayist Samantha Irby. 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:...

Little Happier: Someone’s Casual Comment Can Show Us an Entirely New Path for Ourselves. 29.06.2020 5:24

Acclaimed writer Nnedi Okorafor describes how a friend’s casual comment redirected her life. 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://outerorderinnercalmbook.com Leave a voicemail...

Ep. 279: Halfway Through 2020: Check In with Your #20for2020 list and #Walk20in20—and a Spotlight on “Just Mercy.” 24.06.2020 33:09

The year 2020 is halfway over, so we check in with our “20 for 2020” lists and our “Walk 20 minutes in 2020” projects, and we talk about Bryan Stevenson’s brilliant memoir “Just Mercy.” Plus a hack for social-distancing. 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:...

Little Happier: Illustrator Quentin Blake’s Use of Negative Space Is a Reminder of Its Possibilities. 22.06.2020 4:38

Illustrator Quentin Blake drew on the walls of a gallery exhibit—a great reminder that we shouldn’t overlook the possibilities of negative space. 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 Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book O...

Ep. 278: Why We Should Do Something, and a Conversation with Sofy Solomon about Lessons from Safer-at-Home in a Childhood Bedroom--and How to Make Systems More Just. 17.06.2020 30:10

Why we should do something, a hack for measurement, and a conversation with Sofy Solomon about what we can learn about ourselves from spending time in our childhood bedrooms—and why we should treat our budgets as a moral document. 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: We Really Don’t Have That Kind of Time. 15.06.2020 2:51

In this era of the coronavirus, I find myself thinking often about a passage from Anne Lamott’s book “Bird By Bird”—and reminding myself, “I really don’t have that kind of time.” 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 Orde...

Ep. 277: Schedule an “Empower Hour,” a Know-Yourself-Better Question about Confiding Secrets, and a Spotlight on Writer Nnedi Okorafor 10.06.2020 31:31

Why you might schedule a weekly “empower hour,” how a dollar bill can come in handy, a spotlight on the writings of Nnedi Okorafor, and a revealing question about secrets. 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 res...

Little Happier: I Remind Myself: It’s Not a Bug, It’s a Feature. 08.06.2020 5:13

A proverb from computer programmers can help us remember that sometimes, our limitations and weaknesses can also serve as our strengths. 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 Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDE...

Ep. 276: Design Your Summer, Solutions to Create Sibling Harmony, and How Cornstarch Can Enliven a Boring Afternoon 03.06.2020 23:41

We discuss why you might design your summer, how you can use cornstarch for a fun, science-based activity, and review listeners’ solutions for creating harmony among siblings. 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 th...

Little Happier: Have You Ever Been So Impatient to Get to the End That You Couldn’t Start? 01.06.2020 4:29

Sometimes, we’re so eager for to reach the end that we can’t bear to start. It’s an irrational but real response. 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 Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER ORDER, INNER CALM here: htt...

Ep. 275: Choose a Magic Number, How an Ironing Board Can Make Working from Home Easier, and a Pandemic-Time Question to Ask Yourself 27.05.2020 32:43

We discuss why you might want to choose a magic number, how an ironing board can help you work more comfortably from home, and explore a know-yourself-better question for pandemic times. 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/#newslet...

Little Happier: Can You Call Spirits from the Vasty Deep? Sure, No Problem. 25.05.2020 3:24

A line from Shakespeare’s Henry IV summarizes a point that’s worth remembering: it’s not hard to put our words out into the world, it’s another thing to get a response. 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 Order a copy o...

Ep. 274: Change Your Life When You’re Changing Your Life, Hacks for Sibling Harmony, and a Deep Dive into COVID-19 Mantras. 20.05.2020 35:18

We discuss why it’s often easier to change our lives when we’re changing our lives, we take a deep dive into COVID-19 mantras, and we discuss hacks for keeping harmony among siblings. 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: This Nightly Ritual Gives Me the “New York City Feeling” During the Pandemic. 18.05.2020 3:28

I get my “America Feeling”— more specifically, my “New York City feeling”--every night at 7 p.m., when we all cheer and clap for the people working on the front lines of the pandemic. 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/#newslette...

Ep. 273: Get Grounded in Your Body Through Your Senses, an Idea for a Quick, Inexpensive Gift, and a Conversation about Tough Times with Kate Bowler 13.05.2020 39:19

We discuss how we can feel calmer by getting grounded in our body, through our senses; we discuss a gift that’s easy, inexpensive, and thoughtful, and Kate Bowler joins us to talk about how to stay happier during these very difficult times. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes by e...

Little Happier: My COVID-19 Song: “New York City, Lexington Avenue, Rush Hour.” 11.05.2020 6:48

As I stood in the middle of the unnaturally deserted Lexington Avenue at rush hour, I felt, “This is the moment when I should begin to sing.” 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 Order a copy of Gretchen’s new book OUTER...

Ep. 272: Make a “Power Hour After” list, a Conversation about Parenting with Dr. Elizabeth Schwarz, and Elizabeth Talks about No Alcohol April. 06.05.2020 42:44

We talk about you might make a “Power Hour After list,” Dr. Elizabeth Schwarz joins us to talk about how to deal with common parenting challenges, and Elizabeth celebrates her completion of No Alcohol April. We have been nominated for a Webby Award. Please vote for "Happier with Gretchen Rubin" for here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2020/podcasts/general-series/health-wellness Get in...

Little Happier: What’s the Best Time to Plant a Tree? 04.05.2020 3:39

A famous proverb illustrates why now is the best time to start anything—because it’s the only time we can start anything. We have been nominated for a Webby Award. Please vote for "Happier with Gretchen Rubin" for here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2020/podcasts/general-series/health-wellness Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Ins...

Ep. 271: Make Lists to Make Memories, an Easy Way to Make Zoom Meetings More Fun, and a Discussion about Meditation with Dan Harris of 10% Happier. 29.04.2020 35:07

We discuss why you might make lists to make memories, we talk about a fun, easy way to enliven Zoom meetings, and Dan Harris of 10% Happier explains how and why meditation can be helpful during these tough times. 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://...

Little Happier: “I Love You as Much as the Salt in My Soup.” 27.04.2020 4:07

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the COVID-19 situation took hold. Given the rapidly changing situation, it may be jarring to hear me ignore it—and that’s why. This folk tale is a good reminder that it’s often the most ordinary and familiar things—the things that we take for granted--are actually the most precious to us of all. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenr...

Ep. 270: Very Special Episode with Advice for Graduates 22.04.2020 39:56

We asked listeners for advice for graduates: What’s the best advice you ever got? What advice do you give to others--or that you wish you could give to your younger self? Plus suggestions for marking the special day during the time of COVID-19. Get in touch: @gretchenrubin; @elizabethcraft; podcast@gretchenrubin.com Get in touch on Instagram: @GretchenRubin & @LizCraft Get the podcast show notes b...