Live Happy Now

Music has the power to help us heal, and that’s why one Musicians on Call delivers music where it might be needed most: the hospital. This volunteer organization connects musicians with hospitals to provide live and recorded music to patients. In this episode, host Paula Felps is joined by Katy Epley, executive vice president at Musicians on Call, to learn how this program came about and how it ha...

Enduring the Loss of Love With Clare Mackintosh Grief and loss are an inevitable aspect of love, and this week, best-selling author Clare Mackintosh sits down with host Paula Felps to discuss her new book, I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This. Written years after the death of her son, it’s filled with important insights about love, loss, and the journey to healing — and shares hope for those w...

This week, we celebrate Valentine’s Day, so today, we want to talk about the greatest love of your life — yourself. In this episode, host Paula Felps is joined by Brittany Derrenbacher and Sarah Pavey of The Healing Collective in Louisville, Kentucky. In their practices, Brittany and Sarah teach clients how to discover a deep lasting love for themselves, and they also hold workshops on creating se...

It’s February, which means the message of love and Valentine’s Day is all around us. But did you know this is the make-or-break time for many couples? This week, host Paula Felps welcomes Dr. Julia DiGangi, a neuropsychologist and author of Energy Rising: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power. She’s here to discuss some common mistakes we make in our relationships and how we can improve...

As we approach February, our minds turn to love. For the next few weeks, Live Happy Now will look at the many ways love shows up in our lives and how we can create more of it. To kick it off, host Paula Felps talks with Maria Baltazzi, author of Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct and Produce the Life You Want. In her book, Maria outlines eight happiness essentials and, not surprisingly...

Throughout January, we’ve been sharing practices that can help you create habits that increase your wellbeing. And now, it’s time for an adventure! This week, host Paula Felps talks with Steve Taylor, a best-selling author and senior lecturer at Leeds Beckett University in England. Steve has devoted his life to investigating spiritual awakenings for himself and others and his new book, The Adventu...

As we venture a little farther into the new year, it’s a good time to pause, take a breath, and – if you have three minutes – learn to meditate! This week, host Paula Felps is joined by  Richard Dixey, a lifelong student of Buddhism who has devoted the past 15 years of his life to teaching meditation. His new book, Three Minutes a Day: A Fourteen Week Course to Learn Meditation and Transform Your...

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore knows first-hand the trauma caused by grief and loss. And she also knows how animals can help us heal. On this episode, host Brittany Derrenbacher sits down with Dr. Jo, founder of the Arizona-based Selah Carefarm, which provides a compassionate, healing space for those who have suffered trauma and loss. Listen in as they discuss how humans and animals help each other heal fr...

What’s so funny about 2024? You’re about to find out! This week, host Paula Felps talks with Paul Osincup, a speaker, corporate trainer, and author of the forthcoming book The Humor Habit. Paul recognizes the importance of humor as a tool to relieve stress, improve our physical and mental health, and to make the world more enjoyable for ourselves and those around us. He’s here to tell us how to cr...

If you’re looking for an adventure to start the new year, why not take an inner field trip? This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Leesa Renee Hall, a mental health wellness advocate and author of the Inner Field Trip workbook, which helps explore what drives us, what oppresses us, and helps us identify our personal biases. Armed with that information, Leesa says we can change the way we move...

The holidays are here, which means we’ve been filling our ears with the sounds of the season. As we hit the final stretch, host Paula Felps sits down with Jasper Smith of the popular a capella group Straight No Chaser. Since being discovered on YouTube, this group has become an international sensation and has become part of a holiday tradition for many. In this episode, you’ll learn: How a 10-year...

Grief is a difficult path to walk any time of the year, but during the holiday season, it becomes even more challenging. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Gina Moffa, a licensed psychotherapist specializing in grief and trauma. Her new book, Moving On Doesn’t Mean Letting Go: A Modern Guide to Navigating Loss, is a travel companion guide to the most difficult journey people will take in t...

If you’ve ever wished you could talk to the animals, we’ve got great news for you: Today’s guest says you can! Join host Brittany Derrenbacher as she sits down with Joan Ranquet, a well-known animal communicator, author, TEDx speaker, educator, and animal advocate. Joan and Brittany talk about the many ways we can learn to listen to our animals and they also discuss the benefits of “tapping,” whic...

Holidays are the time for gathering with family and that can often be stressful. But having a good strategy in place can help make the season run more smoothly. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Trakida Maldonado, a licensed professional counselor for SonderMind who brings more than a decade of clinical experience to the table. In this episode, Trakida offers actionable advice for navigating...

This year, as you’re shopping for the perfect holiday gift, why not put forgiveness on your list? It’s always the perfect size, never goes out of style, and it’s also like giving a gift to yourself. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Barbara J. Hunt, a forgiveness specialist, speaker, workshop leader, and bestselling author of Forgiveness Made Easy. Barbara explains how forgiveness is one of t...

Studies show that our world is becoming less optimistic, but this week’s guest believes we can change that — and we can start this holiday season. Dr. Emily Bashah is a psychologist whose private practice specializes in mental illness, collective trauma, grief, and relationship dynamics. She’s also co-host of The Optimistic American podcast, where she and Paul Johnson create space for a positive a...

For many people, the holiday season marks an increase in anxiety. But this week’s guest explains why that’s not always a bad thing! Dr. David Rosmarin is an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, program director at McLean Hospital, and founder of the Center for Anxiety. He’s also author of the new book, Thriving with Anxiety: 9 Tools to Make Your Anxiety Work for You, and in this episode...

November is Adopt a Senior Pet month, and that makes it the perfect time to talk to Dr. Julie Buzby, an integrative veterinarian with a special place in her heart for senior pets. She’s here to talk with host Brittany Derrenbacher about some of the misconceptions we often have about senior dogs and why in many cases a senior pet may be the best option for adoption. So listen in as she and Brittany...

November is National Gratitude Month, and this year, we decided to look at gratitude through a new lens. Host Paula Felps and Social Media Marketing Manager Casey Johnson went on a quest to find fresh new ways to practice gratitude, and in this episode, they share several unique ways to bring gratitude into your life. They’re here to talk about what they found and how these new practices can help...

Now that we’ve turned back our clocks, it’s time for shorter days — and for many, that also means the onset of seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with world-renowned researcher and psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal, the doctor who was instrumental in identifying SAD and also pioneered light therapy as treatment. His new book, Defeating SAD: A Guide to Health and...

When you’re going on a trip, it’s important to make sure you pack all the essentials. And when you’re starting a journey to well-being, you need to pack the happiness essentials. This week, host Paula Felps talks with Emmy Award-winning television producer, well-being teacher, and author Maria Baltazzi about her new book, Take A Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct and Produce the Life You Want...

Sound frequencies can change not only our mental state, but change how we feel physically, too. Laura Widney first began using sound frequencies to help her wellness clients manage stress and anxiety. As she learned its many applications, she became chief innovation officer of Soaak, a company that offers sound therapy on the go. In this episode, she talks about how we all can use sound frequencie...

The world is experiencing an extremely difficult time right now, and sometimes that can leave us wondering if it’s selfish — or even possible — to pursue happiness in such a chaotic time. This week host Paula Felps sits down with Matt Derrenbacher, Solo Rabbi for Congregation Beth Shalom in Columbia, Missouri, to talk about why searching for happiness right now is so important and how we can find...

If you don’t love your life at work, you’re not alone. New research shows that workers are the unhappiest they’ve been in years, so this week host, Paula Felps sits down with Greg Kettner, founder of the organization Work Happy and an expert in workplace well-being. They’re here to talk about what’s making us so unhappy on the job and what we can do about it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why wor...

We know that the bonds we have with our pets are special, but this week’s guest may have you thinking about that connection at a deeper level. Jen Golbeck is the creator of social media’s popular The Golden Ratio channel, which shares photos and videos of her rescued golden retrievers. In this episode, she talks with host Brittany Derrenbacher about her new book, The Purest Bond: Understanding the...