About this episode:

Karen Guggenheim is a pioneer in the global happiness movement, a leader in promoting the science behind well-being to an international audience, and a motivational speaker inspiring people about how to grow post trauma and rebuild a life focused on meaning, purpose, and happiness.

Kareni is author of Cultivating Happiness: Overcome Trauma and Positively Transform Your Life (2024), and has given a TED Talk entitled “The Bridge to Happiness.” She is the producer of the World Happiness Summit®, a leading well-being conference promoting the benefits of an evidence-based approach to increase happiness in all areas of life. She is also CEO of WOHASU®, the comprehensive wellbeing ecosystem named after the Summit which is inspiring a fast-growing movement sending a positive rippling effect around the world.

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Book: Cultivating Happiness: Overcome Trauma and Positively Transform Your Life (2024)
• TED Talk: “The Bridge to Happiness” (2024)
• World Happiness Summit: listeners get a 20% discount to the 2026 Summit with the code “FLOURISH”

00:00 Meet Karen Guggenheim

00:59 Why Trauma and Happiness

02:39 Loss and Choosing Life

05:28 Meaning as a Shield

09:09 From Accidental to Intentional

12:12 Relationships and Legacy

16:07 World Happiness Summit Origins

20:59 WOHASU Discount Details

21:48 Defining Post Traumatic Growth

25:31 Beyond Positivity Mindset

27:23 Gratitude As Reset

28:45 Presence Through Grief

30:02 Practical Happiness Tools

33:52 Design Your Day

37:53 Acceptance Not Suppression

40:13 Values As Lighthouse

43:23 Forgiveness Frees Energy

44:59 Choose Life Focus

46:38 Explorer Mindset

48:38 Summit And Farewell

About this episode:

Annie Duke is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space. She loves to dive deep into decision-making under uncertainty. Her latest obsession is on the topic of quitting. In particular, she is on a mission to rehabilitate the term “quitting” and get people to be proud of walking away from things.

Annie is the author of two bestsellers, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (2022), and Thinking in Bets (2018). As a former professional poker player, she has won more than $4 million in tournament poker. During her career, Annie won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship.

Annie retired from poker in 2012. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her master’s degree. In 2023, Annie completed her Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology.

Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• Substack
• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• The Alliance for Decision Education
• Make Better Decisions course on Maven
• Decision Education Podcast

00:00 Meet Dr. Annie Duke: Decision-Making, Poker, and the Case for Quitting

05:22 Defining a “Good Decision”: Goals, Values, and the Four Quadrants

09:14 Luck vs. Choice: Avoiding Nihilism and Leaning Into Uncertainty

12:49 Sponsor Break: The Anti-Fragile Academy

14:21 Decision-Making for Flourishing: Agency Without Illusions of Control

18:33 Quitting Well: Updating Beliefs, Identity Threats, and Mental Time Travel

28:03 Quitting, Happiness & the Forecasting Problem (Tying the Strands Together)

29:38 Why We Misread Our Values—and Resist Changing Course

30:52 The ‘Future Unhappy’ Exercise: Mental Time Travel for Better Decisions

32:42 Get Outside Perspectives (Independently): Friends, Mentors & Written Answers

34:11 Real-World Example: Forecasting Reveals It’s Time to Shut the Business Down

35:15 Why Focus on What Could Go Wrong: Optimism, Faster Pivots & Opportunity Cost

37:01 Flourishing Takeaway: Tech-Free Savoring Walks (and the Dog Rule)

43:26 Flow, Sports & Real Connection: Pickleball/Tennis as Tech-Free Joy

46:10 Wrap-Up: Courses, Decision Education in K–12, and Final Thanks

About this episode:

Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky is the world’s preeminent expert on happiness. She is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and is the author of The Myths of Happiness and the bestseller The How of Happiness, which have been published in 39 countries. Her next book, co-authored with Harry Reis, is coming out in February and is titled, How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most.

Sonja received her degrees from Harvard and Stanford. She has been awarded many grants and honors for her research, which focuses on how and why happiness can shift over time, and how to build lasting happiness via gratitude, kindness, and connection interventions.

Sonja’s work has been written up in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, and she has appeared on multiple TV shows, radio shows, and feature documentaries worldwide.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• The Happiness Files Newsletter
• Elevate Your Happiness Membership
• LinkedIn

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Books
• Happiness and Mindset Quizzes
• Google Scholar

02:05 Defining Happiness

03:56 Happiness and Human Flourishing

07:17 The Benefits of Happiness

11:56 Effective Happiness Interventions

13:55 Gratitude Interventions

21:35 Acts of Kindness and Their Impact

23:38 Connection Interventions and Upcoming Book

28:14 Understanding Loneliness and Connection

29:51 Introducing the New Book: How to Feel Loved

33:26 Mindsets for Feeling Loved

39:23 The Role of Negative Emotions

41:20 The Power of Gratitude

45:33 The Secret to Happiness: Deep Conversations

50:11 Holiday Conversations and Final Thoughts

Sonya Looney is a World Champion mountain biker with nearly two decades of elite racing experience across 25+ countries, earning titles including 2015 World Champion and four times USA National Champion. Her unique background combines endurance sports with a deep expertise in positive psychology. She holds a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering with a focus on neuroscience.

Driven by her passion for personal growth and well-being, Sonya focuses on helping high performers navigate perfectionism and balanced striving while cultivating vitality, purpose, and resilience. Known for her infectious energy and relentless curiosity, she is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach dedicated to guiding others toward meaningful accomplishments – without burning out.

Through her work as a TEDx speaker, podcast host, consultant, writer, and professional speaker, Sonya brings her knowledge and experiences to life. As the host of the Grow the Good podcast, Sonya inspires listeners by diving into topics like grit, mindset, self-worth, purpose, success, and healthy striving.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Grow the Good podcast

Timestamps:

00:02:30 - Sonia's Background and Journey 00:05:00 - Interdisciplinary Approach to Well-being and Performance 00:07:00 - Defining Well-being and Balance 00:09:00 - Problems with Sacrificing Well-being 00:11:00 - The Role of Relationships in High Performance 00:14:00 - Mastery vs. Outcome-focused Goals 00:15:00 - Meaningful Accomplishment 00:18:00 - Social Contribution and Mattering 00:19:00 - The Dark Side of Meaningful Work 00:20:00 - Balancing Vitality and Meaningful Work 00:24:00 - Personal Fulfilling Goals vs. Meaningful Otherish Goals 00:25:00 - Building on the Initial Model 00:27:00 - The Six Striving Mindsets 00:29:00 - The Importance of Belonging 00:30:00 - The Role of Recognition and Self-acceptance 00:32:00 - Practical Advice for Finding and Maintaining Meaningful Accomplishments 00:33:00 - The Importance of Savoring and Celebrating Wins

Dr. Joanna Moncrieff, M.D., is Professor of Critical and Social Psychiatry at University College London, and a consultant psychiatrist for the NHS in London. She studies the effects, action, use and representation of psychiatric drugs, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, and has also written about the history and philosophy of psychiatry.

Joanna has published several books, the most recent of which is Chemically Imbalanced: The Making and Unmaking of the Serotonin Myth (2025). Her previous books include The Myth of the Chemical Cure, The Bitterest Pills and A Straight Talking Introduction to Psychiatric Drugs.

Joanna has written for The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Conversation, Literary Review, was profiled in The Spectator and has been interviewed for Channel 4’s Ways to Change the World Podcast, Dr. Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better, Live More podcast, The Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast and the Evening Standard’s Tech and Science Daily, among others.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• • Website
  • University College London webpage
  • Twitter
  • Publications
  • Google Scholar

• Psychology Today blog

Timestamps:

[00:03:04] Critical psychiatry's alternative perspective.

[00:04:10] Questioning the pharmaceutical industry's dominance.

[00:09:40] Emotional reactions to personal loss.

[00:14:00] Serotonin theory of depression.

[00:17:27] SSRIs versus benzodiazepines distinction.

[00:21:44] Biological vs. psychological treatment approaches.

[00:27:50] Flourishing despite mental illness.

[00:30:56] The role of suffering.

[00:36:09] Emotions as signals for change.

[00:42:07] Psychedelics and depression treatment.

[00:46:19] Depression's complex nature.

[00:48:38] Finding purpose in life.

Dr. Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology at Yale University and one of the world’s leading experts on the science of happiness. She is also an expert on the evolutionary origins of human cognition and the ways our minds lie to us about what makes us happy.

Laurie’s course at Yale, “Psychology and the Good Life,” teaches students how the science of psychology can help us make wiser choices and live a happier and more fulfilling life. It’s the most popular class ever taught at Yale, with almost one out of four students enrolled. It has been featured in media outlets including the New York Times, [and] NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, GQ Magazine and Slate. The publicly available online version of the class, called “The Science of Well-Being,” has attracted more than 4 million learners worldwide.

Laurie has won numerous awards, both for her science and teaching. She was recently voted one of Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” young minds and was named in Time Magazine as a “Leading Campus Celebrity.” Her podcast, The Happiness Lab, is a top-3 Apple podcast which has attracted over 100 million downloads.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• Yale webpage
• Yale course: “The Science of Well-Being” (publicly available version of the most popular class in Yale’s history)
• Podcast: The Happiness Lab
• Google Scholar
• Recent article: “Laurie Santos’ Pursuit of Happiness,” The New Yorker, March 19, 2025
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Facebook
• Twitter

Timestamps:

[00:02:46] Definition of happiness.

[00:04:09] Balancing affective and cognitive happiness.

[00:06:57] Happiness in vs. Happiness with.

[00:10:25] Misunderstandings about happiness.

[00:12:27] Evolutionary perspective on happiness.

[00:16:09] Happiness is within our control.

[00:19:08] Pursuing happiness the wrong way.

[00:23:14] Misguided happiness metrics.

[00:31:40] Social comparison and happiness.

[00:35:25] College student mental health crisis.

[00:39:05] Changing thought patterns for happiness.

[00:45:06] Parenting practices and discomfort.

[00:48:10] Practical steps for happiness.

Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University, where he directs the Center for Neuroeconomics Studies. He is ranked in the top 0.3% of the world’s most cited scientists, with over 200 published papers and more than 20,000 citations to his research. Paul’s two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing.

Paul has written four general audience books and is a regular TED speaker. His latest book, The Little Book of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Living Better (2025) aims to show people how to live a longer, happier and healthier life by investing in improved relationships. Zak’s other books are Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High Performance Companies (2017) and The Moral Molecule: The Source of Love and Prosperity (2012).

Trust Factor applies neuroscience to efficiently build high-performance organizations by creating a culture of trust. The Moral Molecule received much attention for Zak’s discovery of the key role played by the neurochemical oxytocin to explain virtuous behaviors and happiness. Zak delivered a TED Talk titled “Trust, Morality—and Oxytocin?” in 2011 that has been viewed two million times. He also co-founded the first neuroscience-as-a-service (NaaS) company, Immersion Neuroscience.

Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com

Follow us:

YouTube @flourishfmcast

Instagram @flourishfmpodcast

LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast

Twitter @flourishfmcast

Facebook @flourishfmcast

Links:

• Website
• Claremont Graduate University webpage
• Most recent book: The Little Book of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Living Better (2025)
• Other books
• Six: emotional fitness app
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Google Scholar
• “The Neuroscience of Trust,” Harvard Business Review, 2017

Timestamps:

[00:05:08] PlaySpan and human flourishing.

[00:09:46] Investing in relationships.

[00:10:41] Stress and bonding experiences.

[00:18:17] Strategies for improving relationships.

[00:28:55] Six high value experiences daily.

[00:35:35] Optimizing high-value experiences.

[00:39:12] Neuroscience of trust.

[00:46:27] Trust's role in flourishing.

[00:48:27] Strengthening relationships daily.