We discuss why embracing regret can help us make our lives happier, by helping point the way to a life that better reflects our values. We also share a listener's hack for using customized stickers to label children's belongings. Plus, we explore whether Upholders can experience Upholder-rebellion. Resources & links related to this episode: Take the survey here Memento Keepsake Journal with free companion guide The Power of Regret by Daniel Pink ( Amazon , Bookshop ) World Regret Survey Maki...
Aug 06, 2025•36 min•Ep. 546
This humorous collection of phrases, puns, and other kinds of wordplay is a good reminder of the delights of language. Resources & links related to this episode: Secrets of Adulthood Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...
Aug 04, 2025•5 min
“Money can’t buy happiness.” “It’s selfish to try to be happier.” These familiar ideas seem wise—but they often hold us back. This week, we revisit 7 common happiness myths and share how letting go of them can help us use our time, energy, and attention more effectively. Resources & links related to this episode: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, pro...
Aug 02, 2025•26 min
We discuss why a themed retreat can boost our happiness, and talk about different possible themes. We also share safety tips for staying safe when caught in a crowd, plus we explore a very simple solution for making water activities more enjoyable. Resources & links related to this episode: Neoprene Wet Suit Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood newsletter on Substack Stage Performance by Livingston Taylor ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Elizabeth is reading: Rivals by Jilly Cooper ( Amazon , Bookshop...
Jul 30, 2025•34 min•Ep. 545
Each week, comedians and best friends Jessica St. Clair and June Diane Raphael take a ‘deep dive’ into their real lives and discuss a wide range of topics including how to pursue joy amidst the insanity of motherhood and family, grief and loss, sh*t they put on their faces, and why they refuse to check their voicemails or unpack their suitcases. The Deep Dive captures the friendship of two women trying to survive adult womanhood. Their motto, shared by their loyal Deep Divers, is "Let Us Live!" ...
Jul 29, 2025•1 hr 2 min
The extraordinary story of two Olympics-prize-winners Japanese pole vaulters is a testament to the power of friendship—and also a great reminder that if we don't like the decisions being made around us, we may, with our own ingenuity and initiative, be able to find a different outcome. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, an...
Jul 28, 2025•3 min
We discuss the fact that a new Barbie has the gear of a Type 1 diabetic. We also talk about how having an additional monitor makes writing more enjoyable and a new TV show that we’ve both been watching. Plus we talk about Barnaby’s recovery from surgery, and the challenge of helping dogs heal when they don’t understand what’s happening to them. Resources & links related to this episode: Design Your Summer worksheet Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Too Much on Netfli...
Jul 26, 2025•26 min
The year is half over, and we review our “25 for 2025 Lists” to see what progress we’ve made—and to remind ourselves of our unfinished aims for the year. There’s still plenty of time to get a lot done. Resources & links related to this episode: Simon Haissel's Footnotes and Tangents newsletter on Substack Liz Craft and Sarah Fain's Happier in Hollywood newsletter on Substack Gretchen Rubin's Secrets of Adulthood newsletter on Substack Check out the sale in The Happiness Project Shop Elizabet...
Jul 23, 2025•39 min•Ep. 544
Important truths endure. Three different teachers across the centuries have commented, in their own way, on an important aspect of the human experience. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/list...
Jul 21, 2025•5 min
We’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes—our travel hacks extravaganza. These 30 tips range from the obvious (check the weather!) to the oddly specific (pack Downy Wrinkle Releaser), and as we get ready for our first-ever sisters reading retreat, we’re realizing how many of these tricks we’ve forgotten—and how helpful they still are. Some things really do stand the test of time. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website t...
Jul 19, 2025•36 min
We discuss how to make use of counterintuitive research that shows that our ability to change our minds often makes us less satisfied with our choices. We share a helpful smartphone hack for scheduling text messages. Plus we continue our discussion about handling a spouse who makes hurtful "jokes," with practical advice from listeners who've successfully addressed this issue. Resources & links related to this episode: Take the Four Tendencies quiz to find out whether you're an Upholder, Ques...
Jul 16, 2025•38 min•Ep. 543
In the “Four Tendencies” personality framework, tech legend Steve Jobs was a Questioner. At a crucial moment, his question was ignored—with profound consequences. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudi...
Jul 14, 2025•6 min
We discuss how we’re doing on some items from our “25 for ’25 lists,” and how book writing is going for both of us. Plus we talk about the joys of reading commercial fiction from the 1980s. Resources & links related to this episode: Sign up for the 30-day summer reading challenge at gretchenrubin.com For the Love with Jen Hatmaker Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection,...
Jul 12, 2025•29 min
We discuss why it’s useful to identify the "ugliest thing" in your life—i.e., what aspect needs the most attention? We also share an easy hack about enhancing family memories, and we explore a Four-Tendencies situation involving a young-adult son's surprising reaction to his father's lateness. We wrap up with listener suggestions for creative before-and-after photo books. Resources & links related to this episode: Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood After Hours with Jamie Rubin podcast T...
Jul 09, 2025•31 min•Ep. 542
With time and experience, we learn “Secrets of Adulthood,” and parenthood teaches us many of those lessons. Resources & links related to this episode: "Secrets of Adulthood" Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...
Jul 07, 2025•6 min
In a recent Secrets of Adulthood Substack Live conversation, I talked to the terrific Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action (the nation’s largest grassroots group fighting gun violence. We discuss insights from her latest book and how we've arrived at several of our own Secrets of Adulthood, including why it’s important to ask yourself whether your life goals are your own or someone else's, the cost of indecision, and when to double-back or double-down. Resources & links related to th...
Jul 05, 2025•27 min
We share a treasure trove of creative, easy parenting hacks from our listeners, as well as a happiness hack about creating a "prep station" bin to stay organized for trips and special events. In our "Know Yourself Better" segment, we explore how the desire to manage our own worry can lead us to burden or try to control others. Plus, we share some ideas related to reading. Resources & links related to this episode: Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood Subscribe to Secrets of Adulthood on S...
Jul 02, 2025•36 min•Ep. 541
The familiar proverb “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature” is a reminder that one person may seek out a product, an experience, or a situation for the very reason that someone else avoids it. Resources & links related to this episode: Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Pod...
Jun 30, 2025•4 min
We talk about why it can helpful to trust our interests and inclinations about what to read, watch, or listen to, without imposing a lot of judgment on our choices. Resources & links related to this episode: Elizabeth's treadmill desk Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Appl...
Jun 28, 2025•28 min
In this Very Special Episode, we share dozens of ideas from listeners—and ourselves—about how to add an element of whimsy to everyday life, without needing to spend much time, energy, or money. Resources & links related to this episode: Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood My article: Why Whimsy Is Having a Moment Elizabeth's newsletter: Happier in Hollywood Gretchen's book Happier at Home Bookshop.org Join other readers in person at an in-store event! For a list, head to happiercast.com/...
Jun 25, 2025•33 min•Ep. 540
New Yorker magazine covers capture something both true and elusive about the city, by distilling New York in single images, so that the place feels simultaneously familiar and out of reach. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...
Jun 23, 2025•3 min
In honor of our upcoming Read 25 Day, we are excited to share an audiobook preview of bestselling novel "The Ministry of Time" from Lemonada's own "Your Next Listen" podcast. More about the book: This genre-bending time-travel sci-fi slash romance slash mystery slash spy thriller was a breakout hit for debut author Kaliane Bradley. It’s been recommended by everyone from Barack Obama to Cosmopolitan magazine – so what’s all the fuss about? Jump into this excerpt, and we are willing to bet you’ll ...
Jun 21, 2025•43 min
We discuss why we shouldn't downplay things that are actually important to us (such as saying “I don’t care about my birthday” if you do care). We also review some fun new travel terms, such as "townsizing" and "JOMO travel," and we address the problem of waiting until we're ready to make big decisions. Plus, we tackle a listener's question about dealing with a spouse who makes hurtful comments disguised as jokes. Resources & links related to this episode: Order your copy of Secrets of Adult...
Jun 18, 2025•31 min•Ep. 539
A double anniversary (of a wedding and of a life-saving medical cure) inspired this toast—with allusion to Gertrude Stein, Wendell Berry, and “The Office.” Resources & links related to this episode: The most purely happy day of my life Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the App...
Jun 16, 2025•6 min
We bring you a conversation with my friend Zibby Owens on her podcast Totally Booked. Taped in front of a life studio audience, we discuss my new book, Secrets of Adulthood, the beauty of frameworks, and why you should label your next email "confidential." Resources & links related to this episode: Zibby Owens Totally Booked Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and t...
Jun 14, 2025•35 min
We talk about why it can be helpful to set a tripwire for making a decision or moving forward. We also discuss a Secret of Adulthood that’s very relevant to the practice of keeping a storage unit (even one that’s not really needed), and a know-yourself-better question related to the use of gadgets and gizmos. Resources & links related to this episode: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood I'm partnering with Bookshop.org for Read ...
Jun 11, 2025•34 min•Ep. 538
Becoming a parent can be one of the most transformative, and instructive, experiences of our lives. These four “Secrets of Adulthood” examine some of the most important lessons parenthood can teach us. Resources & links related to this episode: Open-door stage Secrets of Adulthood A version of this piece was originally published on the CNBC site. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Pro...
Jun 09, 2025•7 min
James Taylor and a new puppy are making us happier. We also explore the question of whether it’s common these days to have perhaps unrealistically high expectations from the people and organizations in our lives, from marriage to work to friendship. Plus we discuss an intriguing question: Do you love to "provision,” to stock up on essential items? Resources & links related to this episode: Insight Timer Take the Gift-Giving Quiz Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's websit...
Jun 07, 2025•29 min
We discuss the idea of the “familect” and why it might be fun to create a dictionary for our own familect. We also talk about a hack that makes it easier to use a smartphone, and we share dozens of listeners’ thought-provoking “Secrets of Adulthood.” Resources & links related to this episode: Order your copy of Secrets of Adulthood Join Secrets of Adulthood on SubStack Look Back with Love by Dodie Smith ( Amazon ) Elizabeth is reading: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation by ...
Jun 04, 2025•34 min•Ep. 537
Winston Churchill was an extraordinary presence on the world stage, and among his strengths, he had a tremendous gift with words. Here are just a few of the powerful, insightful, or hilarious observations he made. Resources & links related to this episode: Secrets of Adulthood Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill Episode of “A Little Happier on one of Winston Churchill's most famous lines Painting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill ( Amazon , Bookshop ) Winston Churchill Didn't Hesitate to...
Jun 02, 2025•10 min
