Happy You Asked: The Podcast That Explores Joy, One Awkward Conversation at a Time

With me in this episode is Dr. Catherine Sanderson. She is the Poler Family Professor of Psychology at Amherst College, with degrees from Princeton and Stanford, and a sought-after keynote speaker whose talks translate the science of happiness, mindset, emotional intelligence, and moral courage into practical strategies for thriving at work and in life. Dr. Sanderson is the author of The Positive...

Dr. Kathleen Mackenzie is an award-winning Clinical Social Worker who recently retired from a multicultural urban school district after 27 years of service. She drew on this and her 33 years of clinical experience to write her new book, Exit Plan: Mapping a Way Out of the Youth Mental Health Crisis . Her recommendations are worth giving a listen by any parent, educator, or policy maker.

Life has taken Mark Winters from designing rocket parts in Houston to sharing uplifting stories as a songwriter. As he says, “My background in math and physics keeps me grounded, but it’s the haiku and wisdom I’ve traded with my grandmother that push me to see optimism everywhere.” His focus these days is on sharing messages that help others push through their own scientific, creative, or personal...

Eranda Jayawickreme is Harold W. Tribble Professor of Psychology and Senior Research Fellow at the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. His research focuses on post-traumatic growth, character, and well-being. He has been featured on NPR’s Hidden Brain, in the New York Times, BBC, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Scientific American, and Slate.

With me in this episode is Dr. Selin A. Malkoc, who is the FCOB Distinguished Professor of Marketing and Psychology at The Ohio State University. She has spent her career asking a deceptively simple question: why are we so bad at making choices that maximizes our productivity, happiness and well-being? Dr. Malkoc has long been fascinated by how differently people across cultures think about time —...

Mackenzie McGehee is the founder of Dear Humanity, I Love You (dearhumanityily.com), a mission-driven apparel brand built around the idea that small, visible reminders of love and connection can ripple outward in meaningful ways. Both her work as a personal coach and her brand share the same core philosophy: that people often need a gentle nudge back to what they already know about themselves.

With me in this episode is Dr. Lara Aknin, who is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. She is also an editor of the World Happiness Report, a former Fellow with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and recent Chair of The Lancet’s COVID-19 Mental Health Task Force. She talks with me about research that shows giving substantially increases o...

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas. She is the Science Director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley and a neuroscientist who studies compassion, gratitude, and awe. She co-teaches The Science of Happiness, one of the most popular online classes in the world with over 850,000 students. She also runs the Big Joy Project and has presented on the science of happiness...

With me in this episode is Dr. Aaron B. Daniels, Associate Teaching Professor of Psychology and a Senior Mindfulness Fellow at Northeastern University. He is a former psychotherapist and a Certified Spiritual Director who has published six academic books. We talk about how his work on Dante, Jung, aliens, and mindfulness led him to see spiritual direction as a key to a content life.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Kostadin Kushlev, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University who runs the Happy Tech Lab. He studies how smartphones, social media, email, and constant digital connectivity affect our happiness and health. It’s not all doom and gloom, though! There’s also practical advice for how to use digital devices to enhance our lives rather than make them...

This episode features Ray Raghunathan, author of If You're So Smart, Why Aren't You Happy? and the creator of a Coursera course on happiness that's one of the most popular MOOCs ever made. We discuss why happiness and success often do not go hand in hand, because we so often chase the wrong things.

Dr. Earlene Avalon joins me for this episode to discuss the self-care practices she’s developed over time that incorporate beloved aspects of her family’s background. We also reflect on how self-compassion has looked differently for both of us during different eras of our lives, which is a testament to the human ability to adapt.

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Jay Post, a professor of outdoor recreation and tourism. We discuss the history of the outdoors in the U.S., from European explorers mapping the “unknown” wilderness, to the Transcendentalists finding divinity within nature, to the creation of modern outdoor trails for different experiences. This episode reminded me of one of my favorite quotations from Thoreau’s...

In this episode I am joined by the Cleveland-based community leader, entertainer, and entrepreneur Ryan “Shug” Gilkerson. We discuss how a meandering career path is, for many of us, the way a life should be.

Dr. Latasha Holt--a professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette--joins me to discuss finding joy amongst the stress and challenges of caring for a loved one with medical needs.

In this episode, I am joined by the Executive Director of Main Street Russellville, Danielle Housenick, to discuss how we can intentionally create thriving central hubs and happier communities.

Elizabeth Franks--an educator with over 40 years of experience and a parent to nine children--joins me to discuss the best ways for a community to live as family.

Charles Parrott, a professor of storytelling and performance at Kennesaw State University, joins me to chat about how our brains lie to us and what we can do to help.

Join me as I discuss the top five things I've learned from hosting the first 25 episodes of Happy You Asked.

Dr. Lacqui Lowman—founder and president of the nonprofit Beyond Limits: Awaken Your Potential ( http://beyondlimitsawaken.org/ )--joins me to discuss how a near-death experience helped shape her purpose and led her to do the seemingly impossible.

Dr. Caroline Hackerott, a professor of Disaster Resilience and Emergency Management at North Dakota State University, joins me on this episode to talk about what disasters can teach us about happiness and about the line between anxiety and preparedness. Kitty litter and a five-gallon bucket, y’all!

Dr. Edward H “Ted” Miller is a Teaching Professor and Academic Director of the Social Science Unit at the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University, as well as a recognized expert on the historiography of the American right and an author of two books on the subject. He joins me on this episode to discuss the resiliency of the American spirit and the importance of gratitude.

Skila Ramirez--yoga therapist, YogaFit Master Trainer, and owner of Sankalpa Wellness--joins me to discuss how trauma affects us and what we can do to reclaim our peace. Skila is the author of A Way to Heal: Recalibrate the Nervous System, Optimize Immunity, Support Healing , which you can find at SankalpaWellness.com.

Dr. M. Heather Carver, a professor of performance studies and a 20-year breast cancer survivor, joins me to discuss how the ability to show one’s unmasked self and be appreciated is critical to both personal happiness and to a healthy society.

I am joined in this episode by Dr. Mamta Saxena, Senior Assistant Dean of Decision Support and Academic Quality Assessment at Northeastern University. She discusses the path to understanding happiness within an individualistic society as an immigrant from a collectivist culture, and why modern arranged marriages are not like many people in the West assume.