Live Happy Now

In this week’s episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with author Angelica Glass to explore her remarkable book, Scavenging Beauty: A Memoir in Walks, which chronicles her decision to walk every street in Santa Cruz County. What began as a stress‑relief habit unfolded into a profound journey of awe, healing, forgiveness, and rediscovery. Angelica shares how intentionally seeking beauty —...

This week, as part of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, host Paula Felps sits down with Elizabeth Margulis, a professor of music at Princeton University and director of the Music Cognition Lab, to talk about her book, Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.  Elizabeth explains why our minds naturally wander when we listen to music, how those imaginative journeys shape our sense...

The Live Happy Summer Reading Program continues this week as host Paula Felps sits down with author and activist Deborah Santana to talk about Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, her powerful memoir about identity, courage, reinvention, and choosing a life aligned with your spirit. In this episode, Deborah candidly shares how she found the strength to leave a life that no longer reflect...

For Week 2 of the Live Happy Summer Reading Program, award‑winning journalist and author Donna Jackson Nakazawa sits down with host Paula Felps to discuss her groundbreaking new book, Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist. Donna explains that rumination is an evolution‑wired survival response that has gone rogue in modern life, trapping us in negative “mental...

This week on Live Happy Now, we launch our Summer Reading Program with Jodi Wellman, whose book You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets invites us to rethink how we spend our days and start living with fewer regrets. Jodi joins host Paula Felps to explain how embracing the reality of our limited time can actually make life feel richer, more vibrant, and more meaningful. Drawin...

Summer is here, and so is our very first Live Happy Summer Reading Program. In this episode, Live Happy Now Host Paula teams up with Senior Happiness Editor Chris Libby to unveil six weeks of books designed to inspire, uplift, and spark real‑world joy. From science‑backed guides to deeply personal memoirs, they walk through each pick, explain why it made the cut, and tell you how to join the fun....

This week on Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Sherry Hamby, a leading researcher on trauma and resilience and author of Stronger Than You Think: Building Lifelong Resilience. Drawing from more than three decades of studying violence, healing, and human strengths, Dr. Hamby explains why our biggest misconception about trauma recovery is believing we must “push through” alone — an...

In a world where fake news and misinformation is rampant, what role does honestly play? This week, Wake Forest philosopher Christian B. Miller dives into the ideas behind his new book The Honesty Crisis, revealing why honesty is far more complex — and essential — than simply telling the truth. In this thoughtful conversation with host Paula Felps, Christian explores why honesty feels harder in tod...

This week on Live Happy Now, Paula sits down with Dr. Korie Leigh, an internationally recognized expert in childhood bereavement and author of When Everything Changes: Parenting Through Loss and Grief. Drawing from her work in pediatric palliative care and thanatology, Dr. Leigh explains why children grieve differently than adults and why honest, concrete communication matters when helping them na...

On this Mother’s Day episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down once again with mother‑daughter duo Leslie and Lindsey Glass to explore how mental health patterns, coping strategies, and emotional habits are passed down through generations. Drawing from their own lived experience — including estrangement, reconciliation, and years of therapeutic work — Leslie and Lindsey share practical, com...

This week on Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with University of Virginia professor and author Leidy Klotz to explore a topic we rarely think about: how the spaces around us are quietly shaping our well-being. He explains why our homes, workplaces, and everyday environments can either nourish or drain our basic psychological needs for agency, competence, and connection. From choosing where yo...

In this joyful episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with bestselling author, musician, and kids’ mindfulness expert Kira Willey to explore how parents can transform everyday chaos into meaningful moments of connection. Drawing from her new book The Joyful Child, Kira shares simple, playful practices that help families navigate transitions, reduce stress, and build stronger bonds —...

When times get tough, it’s time to play! This week, creativity expert Piera Gelardi — author of the new book, The Playful Way —   joins host Paula Felps to talk about why play is not a luxury; it’s a lifeline. Drawing from her own burnout, creative journey, and even profound grief, Piera explains how shutting down our playful selves limits resilience, narrows thinking, and fuels anxiety. Find out...

April is National Humor Month, so it’s time to dig into the amazing power of humor and laughter. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with comedian, TV writer, and podcast host Chris Duffy, author of the new book, Humor Me, to explore why laughter is more than a mere distraction. Drawing from personal experience, clinical research, and years of teaching and performing, Chris explains how humor st...

What if we could get to the root of our divides and start bridging them? In this powerful episode of Live Happy Now, Paula Felps sits down with Tom Rosshirt, co‑creator of the Dignity Index, to explore why our public conversations feel so fractured — and how dignity offers a practical path back to connection. Tom explains how contempt, not disagreement, is what drives our divisions, and he shares...

The latest edition of the World Happiness Report focuses on the effects of social media on well-being. In this episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. Zeynep Özkök and Dr. Jonathan Rosborough, co-authors of one of the report’s chapters, to unpack their research on internet use, trust, social connections, and emotional well‑being. They reveal why social media affects Gen Z,...

In this episode of Live Happy Now, host Paula Felps sits down with Dr. John La Puma — physician, chef, and author of Indoor Epidemic — to explore how our increasingly indoor lifestyles are quietly harming our sleep, mood, focus, and long‑term health. Dr. John explains why spending 93% of our time inside has become a “biological emergency” and reveals how simple, intentional practices like morning...

In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with psychologist and author Dr. Deepika Chopra to explore what real optimism looks like in a world filled with uncertainty. Drawing from her new book, The Power of Real Optimism, Dr. Deepika explains why optimism isn’t about rose‑colored glasses or pretending everything is fine; it’s a trainable psychological skill rooted in authenticity, resilience, an...

A new Gallup poll says that Americans are feeling unusually pessimistic about the future, with optimism hitting its lowest point in two decades. This week, host Paula Felps and social media manager Michelle Jones dig into the poll results and explore why so many people are struggling emotionally, and — more importantly — what practical, evidence‑based habits can help us stay grounded, hopeful, and...

During chaotic times, our ability to adapt is more important than ever. In this episode, resilience expert and author Anne Grady sits down with host Paula Felps to share how to stay grounded in a world that’s changing faster than our nervous systems can keep up. Drawing on personal experiences and insights from her new book EvolvAbility, Anne explains why adaptability is not a soft skill but a cri...

Hope isn’t a soft emotion; it’s a powerful, science‑backed strategy for navigating stress, uncertainty, and the challenges of modern life. In this episode, resiliency expert Dr. Robyne Hanley‑Dafoe joins host Paula Felps to discuss strategies from her new book, I Hope So: How to Choose Hope Even When It’s Hard. Dr. Robyne explains how cultivating a hope practice can calm the nervous system, streng...

We know we need friends, but finding “our people” can be hard! In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with therapist and author Anna Runkle about why so many of us struggle to build meaningful friendships, how covert avoidance keeps us from true connection, and what practical steps help us identify the relationships that genuinely support who we’re becoming. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why fin...

As we kick off International Friendship Month, it’s the perfect time to talk about what it means to be a friend in a world that often feels disconnected. Join host Paula Felps as she sits down with award‑winning filmmaker and author Barnet Bain to explore the surprising origins of his fascination with friendship, the “bubble” we all live inside, and why genuine connection requires presence, curios...

We all have a deep desire to matter, but do we know why? In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with philosopher and author Rebecca Newberger Goldstein to explore the “mattering instinct” and why it shapes everything from our personal fulfillment to our political divides. She explains our longing to feel significant influences our choices, our relationships, and even our conflicts — and how r...

If you’ve been hearing everyone talk about the vagus nerve but aren’t totally sure what the buzz is about, this episode is your shortcut to understanding it. Trauma therapist, author, and polyvagal expert Rebecca Kase joins host Paula Felps to break down what the vagus nerve actually does, why it affects everything from your stress levels to your relationships, and how simple daily practices can h...