When the World Happiness Report was released on March 20, Finland was named the World’s Happiest Country for the sixth year in a row. This week, Heli Mende of Visit Finland joins host Paula Felps to talk about why the country has earned that designation so frequently and explain how it inspired the country to offer a Masterclass of Happiness that will be held in June. Heli talks about happiness, Finland-style, how they developed the masterclass, and shares some of the things we all can do to enjoy that same kind of well-being no matter what country we’re in.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How being named the World’s Happiest Country has affected Finland.
• The value of connecting with nature and how that influences Finland’s happiness.
• The surprising role that saunas play in the country’s overall well-being. 

Death is inevitable, but as with many things in life, music can change how people experience the journey. That’s the idea behind Threshold Choirs — an international movement in which a trio sings healing and comforting songs for people who are nearing the end of life. In this episode, Jan Stanley, a long-time Threshold Choir member, explains how sharing songs at this uncertain time not only brings comfort to the dying and their family members, but can be transformational for the singers as well.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a Threshold Choir is and how they began.
• How music provides such comfort to those who are ill and dying.
• How being part of a Threshold Choir can impact members. 

As children every new discovery filled us with wonder and awe. But somewhere along the way, most of us lost that — and this week’s guest is helping people rediscover it. Monica Parker is a renowned speaker and writer who has spent the past decade helping people discover their meaning and purpose at work. Her new book, The Power of Wonder: The Extraordinary Emotion That Will Change the Way You Live, Learn, and Lead, explains why we lose our sense of wonder and how we can reclaim it.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The power of slow thought and how to develop it.
• What a wonderbringer is and how to find them in our lives.
• Practices to build more wonder in your daily life. 

Every day we’re surrounded by sights, sounds, and smells — but we often take them for granted. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin, to talk about how tuning into our five senses can make us happier and healthier. Her new book, Life in Five Senses: How exploring the senses got me out of my head and into the world, takes a deep dive into what each of our senses has to teach us and explains how we can explore them to improve our well-being. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How dialing into our senses can reduce anxiety, boost productivity, and spark creativity.
• The connection between our senses and memories.
• Using our senses to stay grounded and live in the present moment.

We know that getting out in nature is good for us, but this week’s guest understands it better than most. Mya-Rose Craig is a 20-year-old bird watcher, environmentalist and diversity activist who was raised in a home that revered nature. At the age of 14, she formed the Black2Nature organization to encourage other teenagers of color to engage with nature. Bristol University awarded her an honorary doctorate for her pioneering work in this area and now her memoir, Birdgirl: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future, looks at the power of nature and birds, and the important role they have played in dealing with her mother’s mental illness.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What nature has taught Mya-Rose about well-being and why she’s so passionate about it.
• Why access to nature is so important for mental health.
• How her family has used birdwatching to cope with mental health challenges.