Harvesting Happiness Podcasts

Eldercare is often over-medicalized and approached as a service in long-term and late-life care facilities. But, this method of care can stunt the mental faculties of those whose cognitive abilities are waning. Stories from more mature family members can ripen the lives of younger members of our families and society as a whole. So, why aren’t preventative measures and creative solutions common in the realm of elder care? To better understand the cognitive process of aging, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who strive to maintain mental wellbeing in their aging patients. Dr. Dan Gibbs is a retired neurologist with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease who describes key learnings from his book A Tattoo on my Brain: A Neurologist's Personal Battle against Alzheimer's Disease. And English Professor, Dr. Anne Basting describes her work in reimagining late-life and long-term care based on a creative approach as detailed in her book, Creative Care: A Revolutionary Approach to Demen

One of the most complicated relationships in our lives is the one we have with our mother. At conception, our bodies are intrinsically connected to our mother for the first nine months of our existence. At birth, and throughout the rest of our lives, we are emotionally affected by the nurturing, or lack of it, we receive from our mothers. Do we have unrealistic expectations of what a mother should be? Why do we remember the traumatic experiences from our childhoods rather than joyful ones? To unveil the process of nurturing our traumas and soothing our nervous system in times of stress, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who coach people through the trauma of early childhood experiences. Dr. Judith Ruskay discusses key takeaways from her work and book, The Girl in the Red Boots: Making Peace with My Mother. And, Dr. Patti Ashley shares methods for reducing body trauma during times of stress and fear.

The COVID pandemic has most of us thinking about having our physical systems vaccinated. But, what about the disease of disinformation? Is it possible to inoculate our minds and make them immune to untruths and bad ideas that spread through social networks? Is there a proven method to keep probable mind parasites at bay? To better understand how to thwart misinformation and converse with those whose minds have been targeted by pirates, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who specialize in disarming disinformation. Andy Norman created a new spin on aged philosophy to vaccinate minds. He shares key takeaways from his book, Mental Immunity. Climate Scientist John Cook designed a cartoon and game based on a ‘Crazy Uncle’ amalgam to teach our minds how to have conversations with people who think differently than we do.

People feel happier when they are emotionally engaged in meaningful conversations and when actively invested in learning something they care about. Successful people are not only knowledgeable about facts and figures, they also have multiple intelligences in several modalities. To discover how we can redesign our post-pandemic future to bring forth a more meaningful and happier life, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors whose latest books focus on creating emotional connection through communication tools. Fred Dust discusses his book, Making Conversation: Seven Essential Elements of Meaningful Communication and details the benefits of deeper, meaningful conversations in society. And, Dr. Thomas Hoerr describes the framework of his book, Taking Social- Emotional Learning Schoolwide: The Formative Five Success Skills for Students and Staf, and how it can positively affect teachers, faculty, students, and learning.

For most people, finding happiness and meaning isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when they think of work. But what if it was? What if individuals funneled their creativity and a little of their personal magic into designing a new work-life that was meaningful and fulfilling? To extract advice about designing a life of meaningful work, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have channeled their creativity into new careers and serve others through their books. Dr. Katharine Brooks revamped the famous career guide, What Color is Your Parachute? for 2021 and wrote two additional books during the pandemic. And, Forensic Psychiatrist, Dr. Amber Fossey found herself with a substantial Instagram and Etsy following when she tapped into her creative inner child. Her sense of childlike wonder is accompanied by her poetry and illustrations in the book, Be Wild Be Free.

Food history is our history, there is no untangling the two. Industrialized food processing may be whittling away at our appreciation of how deeply certain foods are rooted in our families and culture but not everyone forgets. There are people who still lovingly employ age-old methods of food cultivation. In this episode, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors and chefs who translated their life journeys into recipes and their recipes into cookbooks. Katie Quinn’s hands-on approach has given rise to the revered tradition of fermentation. She shares highlights from her food adventures as documented in her book, Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France. And, Mandy Lee shares her experience of fusing foods from the East and West while living in a polarized, authoritarian culture from her personal story inspired cookbook, The Art of Escapism Cooking: A Survival Story, with Intensely Good Flavors.

Western medicine rarely discusses the electromagnetic field that surrounds and permeates the human body. Commonly known as chakras or the biofield, these energy centers are a collection of our stored life events, both positive and traumatic. Medical Intuitives read a person’s mind, body, and spirit to discover the root cause of illnesses. To bring to light the difference between medical intuition from other energy healing modalities, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with three Medical Intuitives who steer patients toward healing using training and intuition. Wendie Colter created the accreditive Medical Intuitive Training Program. She discusses her practice and The Practical Path for intuitive development. And, Professor Paul Mills and Reverend Tiffany Barsotti describe the focus of Medical Intuitives and how positive psychology aids the healing process.

MD, Ph.D. & Julia Rucklidge Ph.D. Scientific research shows we can enjoy emotional freedom and dislodge ourselves from unrewarding habits. Becoming aware of where we find ourselves stuck and nourishing our bodies properly are the key elements to creating shifts in our lives. To understand what goes on under the human hood and how we can be our best selves, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who empower us with tools to take charge of our mental health beyond the therapist's couch and the prescription pad. Dr. Judson Brewer shares the three-step process for managing anxiety from his newest book, Unwinding Anxiety. And, Dr. Julia Rucklidge recounts the research that is the foundation for her book, The Better Brain, which centers around the micronutrients that balance our emotional and mental health

Men’s and women's brains share 98% of the same genetic structural makeup. So, why is it common to treat boys and girls differently? Why are boys shamed for displaying their emotions and girls not encouraged to become strong leaders? Why do we promote emotional differences in the all-to-common male versus female storyline? To discover strategies for creating more emotionally balanced humans, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two experts in gender-related topics. Dr. Gertrude Lyons discusses the transition back to a balance of feminine and masculine energies in positions of leadership around the world. And, Andrew Reiner discusses research from his book, Better Boys, Better Men about the disservice of promoting emotional detachment when we talk to boys and the benefits of communicating differently

Transitioning to working and learning online due to the pandemic has shifted the way we parent and the way our kids learn. There are many silver lining aspects of staying at home such as enhanced social connections between parents and teenagers, and increased collaboration skills but there are also several not-so-bright facets such as, it is easy for the mind to wander after several hours of screen time and critical social interactions between children are lost. To find out how parents can raise a solid, resilient citizen despite the challenges, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors of parenting books. Darby Fox discusses how modeling is the most effective tool a parent has to teach kids, and Jeanie Cisco-Meth offers tips on how we can help children tame internal and external bullies.

When we are children, unbeknownst to us, neural pathways are being wired together in our brains. This neural-biological wiring colors all our future decisions, how we deal with stress and trauma, and our level of contentment. If we experienced trauma as children, shifting how we interact with the world is not always easy. To discover strategies and concepts that help us heal, Positive Psychology Podcast Host, Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have their own personal, transformational journeys. Dr. Elizabeth Stanley studies the neural biological wiring in our brain as it relates to stress and trauma. She shares concepts and strategies from her book, Widen the Window. And, Blake D. Bauer found his way out of addiction through meditation and mindfulness which he describes in his book, You Were Not Born to Suffer.

The human brain contains multiple systems designed to protect us and aid in our survival. When we experience trauma the event is stored in our memory as a way to maintain vigilance when we are confronted with a similar situation. In our modern world, the likelihood of being cornered by a sabre-toothed tiger is null but our memory and trigger systems have yet to be updated. To hunt for the latest mind management techniques and attitude alteration strategies, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with three agents of change. Dr. Richard Lane is a Psychotherapist whose work has been instrumental in our ability to heal trauma. He discusses his groundbreaking therapy used to update emotions from his book, Neuroscience of Enduring Change. And, Gay Hendricks and Carol Cline share the second phase of their innovative process to alter attitudes, Conscious Luck and the Conscious Luck Workbook.

In North America, few people embrace death as a rich, transformative experience. For most, death is viewed as a physical or medical failure even when scientific research shows dying people feel comforted by pre-death dreams of loved ones, both living and deceased. Why is it so hard for some to believe that there is life after life? Or, that communication exists between terrestrial beings and spiritual beings? To discover more about the joyful process of moving through one's life to the exit door, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have written about life after life. Dr. Christopher Kerr, Ph.D., discusses his book and documentary film, Death is But a Dream. And, Mike Anthony shares inspirational stories from his book, Love, Dad about communicating with loved ones who have moved on to a different life experience

Who do you think of when you think of the wisest person you know? Did you think of a grandparent or a mature mentor? If so, it is because when we begin the process of accepting ourselves and appreciating our lives as gifts, we naturally embrace empathy and compassion to become more resilient and wise. These understandings usually go hand-in-hand with aging. It is possible to accelerate the gaining of wisdom and create balance in our lives earlier but, we must first understand our inherent personality traits and the essential elements that rule our emotions. In this episode, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Dr. Dilip Jeste about his book, Wiser: The Scientific Roots of Wisdom, Compassion, and What Makes Us Good and famed Astrologer Debra Silverman about her book, The Missing Element: Inspiring Compassion for the Human Condition to root out what causes us to feel compassion for ourselves and others.

Since 1995, the amount of stress Americans feel has skyrocketed and is still escalating. This time correlates with the accessibility of personal computing in our homes. Today, the constant barrage of distractions from smartphone notifications and other electronic media have penetrated our ability to concentrate and seriously slashed our productivity. So, how do we take back our lives and become better humans and a better society? To explore strategies to keep us awake and aware, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors about optimizing our lives. Dr. Stuart Shanker discusses the many types of stress and his latest book, REFRAMED and Jim Davies Ph.D. walks us through his book, Being the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are, and what science says about how we can become better people and a better society.

In the current me, myself, and I culture, humans may feel disconnected from each other like never before. Conflicts and crises cause divisiveness to grow in our hearts, minds, and spirits making individuals feel as if they are all alone in the world. But, what if a ‘butterfly effect’ exists and we are all collectively connected to a single source in the universe? What if the source sends humanity information beyond what our five physical senses can detect? To find out if we are being guided by an omnipresent source code of information and energy, Positive Psychology Podcast Host, Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Channeler and spiritual Scribe, Paul Selig about the channeled texts he receives from the source meant to guide humanity to discover our inherent divine nature. And, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Professor Ervin Laszlo about the information and energy that devise everything in the world and how we can use it to find realize love.

We all want a good return on our investment, especially when we invest in ourselves or our creative ideas. Decision-making can become cloudy when we limit the use of our intuition or when we are not in alignment with the purpose of our business. Without the right tools, it becomes easy to get stuck in the mire or to not advocate for ourselves in the best way possible. To unearth the tools experienced business leaders and educators use to advance the growth of themselves and their businesses, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two scholars who authored books on how to make lives and businesses sustainable. Paul Napper discusses key elements of his book, The Power of Agency, and the challenges many people face when making decisions in this overstimulated world. And, Philippe Bouissou shares takeaways that make his book, Aligning the Dots, a litmus test for entrepreneurs when creating a successful and sustainable business.

There are few things in life more fulfilling than a thought-provoking or heartfelt conversation with another human being. But, how many of us exercise our voice muscles by speaking authentically and with conviction? How many of us are truly curious about what someone else has to say? If we do not listen to different points of view, how do we know if our message is accepted or resonates with others? To discover the intimate nuances of conversation and collaboration, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who teach the art of communication. Sought-after voice coach Denise Woods talks about her book, The Power of Voice, and shares insights on how we can become better communicators. And conflict resolution expert, Jim Tamm describes the key elements of how to perfect the art of listening and the reason people use defensiveness as a communication style from his book, Radical Collaboration.

Anxiety, overwhelm, and fatigue are common afflictions for those of us juggling work, home, and/or parenting responsibilities, especially during the pandemic. The key to managing energy, including emotional energy that has been drained so intensely, is a combination of proper nutrition, rest, and meditation. But, how do many of us take the time to fit these essential wellness components into our daily routines? To bring to light simple ways we can all integrate mindfulness practices into our lives, Positive Psychology Podcast Host, Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two doctors who have written books about holistic practices to restore the body’s health and vitality. Dr. Amy Shah discusses key elements found in her book, I’m So Effing Tired about how vital nutrition is in overall wellbeing. And Dr. Christa Kuberru of the Yoga Alliance details the benefits of yoga on the mind and body as found in her upcoming book, Is This Yoga?

We all have the freedom to be happy or the liberty to be miserable with every new day. Suffering and challenges are occurrences we all experience. Some people prove to be resilient during difficult times, like this pandemic, using their unique perspectives to rise up and turn struggles into opportunities. Positive Psychology Podcast Host, Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with ever-ebullient Scott Hamilton and resilient Sebastian Matthews about they are the embodiment of a phoenix rising. Award- winning Figure Skater, Scott Hamilton describes why he created the Live Your Days Campaign and how he hopes the program will encourage resilience and strengthen emotional fitness in the world. And Writer, Sebastian Matthews details the life-altering accident that led him to author two books about the importance of examining our values