We all want and need relationships — but you might be surprised to find out how little we actually know about them! This week, bestselling author Eric Barker joins us to talk about his newest book, Plays Well With Others, that takes a deep dive into friendships, marital relationships and every other kind of relationship to explore what we’re doing right, where we could improve and how the pandemic has changed the way we look at our relationships.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why friendships are the most important relationships we have.
• What science says we can do to build stronger friendships.
• How the way we fight with our spouse predicts the outcome of our relationship.

If you’re one of those sensitive people out there, congratulations – you’re about to learn what an incredible superpower it is. This week’s guest is Katie Abey, author of the new children’s book We Feel Happy, which helps children explore their feelings. As a sensitive person herself, Katie is aware of some of the challenges that can bring, and her book is designed to help children learn more about their feelings and how to embrace them. And the great new is – it works for adults, too!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s important for children to learn to identify and embrace their feelings.
• How parents and other adults can help on this journey.
• How Katie uses art to help others “be proud of their weirdness.”

Music is a great tool for bringing people together, and during the days of lockdown, the Marsh Family from the UK began sharing song parodies to express what they were going through. As it turns out they were exactly what the world needed, and their viral videos now have received more than 30 million views. They were dubbed the “Von Trapped Family” by the New York Times, and in this episode of On a Positive Note, parents Ben and Danielle Marsh talk about how their family’s humorous approach to the pandemic helped them keep their own sanity while turning their family into a global sensation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What inspired them to start doing parodies.
• How humor has helped them tackle tough topics.
• How singing together has brought them closer as a family.

June is Pride month, which makes it the perfect time to revisit the theme of unity. This week’s guest, Wes Schmitz, is co-host of the popular Two Bottles Deep Podcast, which is designed to open up conversations between the gay and straight communities. Wes has been connecting people his entire life and his podcast has picked up an unexpected following thanks to its honest, open conversational approach. Let’s hear what he has to say about how listening really can build a bridge and create more unity.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why it’s so important for the gay and straight communities to listen to one another.
• How this could help us find unity in other areas.
• Why Wes thinks the Two Bottle Deep Podcast has been so well-received by a surprising audience demographic.

In this always-on world, it can be a challenge to find downtime. But cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Sara Mednick, author of the new book, The Hidden Power of the Downstate, says that spending too much time in our upstate is leaving us unhappy, exhausted and unhealthy. In this episode, she explains the need for us to discover our downstate and leverage it to enjoy a healthier, happier life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What the downstate is and why it’s so important.
• How spending too much time in the upstate can harm your health.
• What activities we can engage in to get some of the same health benefits as being in our downstate.