Each year, the release of the World Happiness Report gives new insight into global well-being. On this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Dr. Lara Aknin, a distinguished professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University and one of the editors of the report. Lara explains why the U.S. fell out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time in the report’s history, which age group is thriving in the U.S., and shares some encouraging findings about how benevolence is changing worldwide.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What age group is happiest around the world — and how it differs in the U.S.
• What is driving unhappiness among America’s young people.
• Good news about well-being and dementia.

Plenty of research shows that pets can help us heal, and now even hospitals are warming up to the idea. On this episode, host Brittany Derrenbacher sits down with Heather Stohr, a certified child life specialist at Norton Children’s in Louisville, KY.  Heather manages the facility dog program at Norton Healthcare, which allows animals to play a very important role in the healing process for patients, families, and caregivers. Find out how they are changing lives one hospital bed at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What a facility dog does in a hospital — and how it changes the way patients heal.
• How dogs are trained to become facility dogs.
• How dogs are also changing the lives of prisoners as they are being trained.

March 20 is the International Day of Happiness, and that makes it the perfect time to meet Will Thomas, a Happy Activist who founded Good News magazine during the pandemic to give people a break from the steady stream of negative news. What was supposed to be a one-off publication has grown into a thriving media brand with magazines in eight communities. In this episode, Will joins host Paula Felps to explain how it evolved and why it’s so important to spread positivity in your own community.

Then, Live Happy’s Casey Johnson and Laura Coppedge talk about how you can celebrate the International Day of Happiness and share some of their favorite ways to make the most of the day. 

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How sharing positive stories can change the way people see their community.
• Why it’s important to celebrate the International Day of Happiness.
• How to spread happiness on Live Happy’s Digital Happiness Wall.

If you feel like you’re stuck in survival mode, this week’s episode is just what the doula ordered! Host Paula Felps sits down with life doula and author Brandi Sellerz-Jackson to talk about her new book, On Thriving: Harnessing Joy Through Life’s Great Labors, which is part memoir, part roadmap to leading a happier, healthier life. She’s here to offer tips on how each of us can go from surviving to thriving and discovering true joy.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why we should treat ourselves like a houseplant.
• The four labors of life that everyone experiences.
• Brandi’s three tips for cultivating joy.

This week, we celebrate International Women’s Day, which makes it the perfect time to talk about how women can help empower and support each other. In this episode, host Paula Felps talks with Amber Olson Rourke, an award-winning marketing executive, mom, co-founder of the direct sales company Neora, and co-host of the Built to Win podcast. Amber is passionate about empowering women to step into their full potential and reach for more than they think is possible, and she’s here to talk about how we can look for opportunities to support one another — and how that can change the world.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The importance and value of women supporting each other.
• How raising girls to support one another can change their future.
• How to create your own community of supportive women. 

To hear more from Amber follow her on Instagram and subscribe to the Built to Win podcast.