Harvesting Happiness Podcasts

Επεισόδια

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  Elections Aren’t Enough: What Real Democracy Actually Requires 16.09.2026

  Do elected officials actually represent you? Once they take office, governance often seems to turn into a black hole where democratic accountability disappears. And, depending on your perspective, we may be living through the most frustrating political climate in U.S. history, leaving many citizens feeling unheard. Democracy thrives not on passive observation, but on everyday people’s enduring commitment to make their voices heard. Do you know what actions your generation must take to spark change? For expert insights on overcoming political anxiety, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Vermont, Minh Ly, PhD. Minh highlights the rights and responsibilities of democratic citizenship, reminding us that every historical advance in justice and inclusion has relied on mass political action. True democratic responsibility goes beyond voting; it includes adult civic education, grassroots organization, and active cooperation to keep authoritarianism from festering. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  An Anthropologist Rethinks Addiction, Community, and the Cult of Self-Control 09.09.2026

  Reflect on the judgments your culture holds regarding addictive behaviors. Do you proudly broadcast your intense gym workouts while quietly judging those on a smoke break outside the office? What makes their addiction different from yours? Many strive to amplify the habits our culture praises simply because they validate our commitment. When culture drives people into the shadows through shame and exclusion, it deepens the wound. Does healing begin not by policing willpower, but by replacing judgment with human connection? To frame addiction through the lens of harm reduction psychology, Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with Elizabeth F.S. Roberts, anthropologist and author. Rethinking addiction and shame, Elizabeth’s book In Praise of Addiction: Or How We Can Learn to Love Dependency in a Damaged World draws on her first-hand experience of living in Latin culture. In this addiction anthropology podcast, she explains how these communities handle dependency and human connection, revealing how isolation, rather than the addiction itself, is considered the true danger. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Cognitive Hygiene 101: Protecting Your Mind From Conspiracy Theories 02.09.2026

  Individual beliefs empower us. They embolden us with confidence and assuredness about issues we deem important. But what if some of our beliefs aren’t really ours? What if we are merely hosts to mind viruses that enter quietly and opportunistically, exploiting our trust and open-mindedness? No one is immune to misinformation. We all need to understand our vulnerabilities to protect ourselves and each other. To better understand our vulnerability to misinformation, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with philosopher, cognitive scientist, author, and founder of the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative (CIRCE), Dr. Andy Norman. To promote mental immunity, Andy examines signs of mental immune disorder, what makes some groups more susceptible to mind ‘bugs’ and mental hijacking, and how to talk to someone who believes misinformation. His cognitive hygiene habits offer mental immunity to those who prefer to think rationally and want to protect themselves from conspiracy theories. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Sex Talk: Why Men and Women Communicate So Differently 26.08.2026

  Do you wish your partner communicated better? Have you considered that they may not be wired to do so? Biology and chemistry play important roles in how we communicate. Testosterone and Estrogen play a major role in gender communication and social behavior from an early age. *This episode explores human sexuality and is intended for mature listeners. To better understand why men and women communicate differently, and the chemistry behind gender communication, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with sex and biology expert and author Dr. Stephen Furlich. Dr. Furlich shares the scientific findings at the core of his book Sex Talk: How Biological Sex Influences Gender Communication Differences Throughout Life's Stages, strategies for how both genders can communicate with each other effectively, and why men and women are the way they are. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Narcissistic Abuse: Healing, Navigating, and Ending the Drama 19.08.2026

  Understanding and navigating complex interpersonal dynamics is essential for building healthy relationships. In environments characterized by narcissistic abuse, with one or two narcissistic parents, children are denied the emotional safety needed to develop an independent identity. Instead, they learn to survive the abuse by stepping into predefined roles that serve the narcissist's needs. To define narcissism and discover how to navigate relationships involving narcissistic personality disorder, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has forty years of experience in public and private practice, Dr. Karyl McBride. Dr. McBride has focused on private research regarding parental narcissism, and the debilitating effects of narcissism in relationships. She describes the 5-step recovery process from her book, "Will the Drama Ever End? Untangling and Healing from the Harmful Effects of Parental Narcissism" and shares stories of the family drama experienced by clients on the road to recovery. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Procrastination: Skills to Overcome Fear of Failure and Anxiety 12.08.2026

  Do you have a chronic procrastinator in your life that just can’t seem to finish their task list? It’s easy to write it off as pure laziness or a lack of drive, but procrastination isn’t a time-management problem. At its core, the fear of failure and discomfort triggers a deep sense of shame, causing people to hit the brakes before they even start. To move past the cycle, we have to understand what is driving the behavior. In this productivity and mental health podcast, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen interviews Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona, a psychologist, author, coach, and TEDX speaker, about key ‘how to stop procrastinating’ skills. In Dr. Z’s book, “Acceptance and Commitment Skills for Perfectionism and High-Achieving Behaviors”, she lifts the veil of procrastination, demonstrating that it is not laziness but the fear of failure that inhibits people from completing tasks. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  LGBTQ+ Kids: Gender Identity and Well-Being 05.08.2026

  *This episode explores human sexuality and is intended for mature listeners. As the percentage of young people openly identifying as LGBTQ+ continues to rise, social media has become a vital catalyst for empowering youth who previously did not feel safe expressing who they are. Still, being seen is only the first step toward true acceptance. How can society shift the narrative from bullying to active allyship? To glean guidance from a researcher studying real-world experiences with LGBTQ+ identity development in adolescents, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with a Developmental Psychologist and Associate Research Scientist with the Kinsey Institute, Dr. Myeshia Price. Dr. Price describes the stages of identity development throughout the human life cycle with a focus on adolescence and offers guidance on parenting LGBTQ+ children during their gender identity development. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Humanity: Why AI Will Never Replace Connective Human Labor 29.07.2026

  Many have come to believe that AI is a universal solution for managing repetitive tasks and improving productivity. But, is it realistic to think that machines can replace humans in a world built on connection and belonging? Our soul, or life force, is the essence of who we are and cannot be replicated by a machine; instead, it relies on social architecture, human connectivity, and interdependence to thrive and flourish. As we navigate AI and the future of work, the question of human-machine coexistence looms. We are living in rapidly changing times in which AI is altering the way we learn and work, but it cannot replace the magic of human-to-human relational engagement. To explore loneliness in the digital age, and AI and the future of work, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen interviews Dr. Allison Pugh, a professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University and the 2024-25 vice president of the American Sociological Association. Allison discusses the research that led to her latest book, The Last Human Job, including the dilemma at the crossroads of AI and mental health, the impact of prioritizing data collection on human connective labor, and what is lost in technology and human relationships. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Changing Minds: The Neuroscience of Storytelling & Connection 22.07.2026
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  When Aging Gets Hard: A Physician’s Guide to Navigating the Journey with Dr. Surah Grumet, MD, MPH 15.07.2026

  Navigating the changing needs of an aging parent can feel like a sobering wake-up call, especially as you balance respecting their role in their own care decisions with the growing weight of caregiving responsibilities. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but you don't have to carry the load alone. Palliative care, including hospice, offers essential support to guide families through this journey. For sound advice on mindful aging-parent care, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Dr. Suragh Grumet, MD, MPH, the Chief Medical Officer for North Carolina at Eventus WholeHealth, and the founder of Mindful Aging LLC. In this caregiver support podcast, Dr. Grumet blends compassionate suggestions on relationships and spiritual connections with aging-parent care for the sandwich generation and beyond. She gently touches on end-of-life planning guidance and other caregiver tips taken from her book, Mindful Aging: A Compassionate Guide for Navigating the Journey. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Why Smart People Struggle with Money: The Emotional Side of Finance with Tari K. Vickery 07.07.2026

  The interplay between money stress and mental health shapes how we perceive security, frequently trapping families in silent, inherited cycles of fiscal anxiety. Breaking these deeply entrenched patterns requires shifting our cultural discourse from financial judgment to financial empathy, allowing individuals to address their economic realities without shame. To discover the secret to embracing the abundance-vs-scarcity mindset, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Tari Vickery, author, Stanford-trained sociologist, financial well-being expert, and founder of Life Matters Financial Group. As a financial well-being expert, Tari brings a nuanced perspective to the often-fraught discourse surrounding personal finance, offering strategies for initiating compassionate money conversations. Taken from her book, The Emotional Side of Money: A Roadmap to Financial Wellness, she details the foundational financial conversations often absent from most American households due to inherited cycles of economic stress and offers positive psychology interventions that transform avoidant financial behaviors. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Strong Enough to Feel and Heal: Mental Health, Resilience, and the Stories We Survive with Dr. Suzan Song, MD 01.07.2026

  Chronic fear and anxiety are destabilizing to the human nervous system. Healing stories can help calm and balance us, serving as vital mental health wellness strategies. As we learn to re-craft our narrative and implement structured rituals as tools for building resilience through pain, we allow our trauma and the societal pressures dictating who we should be to dissipate. Rooted in resilience and positive psychology, this transformative process affirms that knowing we matter to someone else can guide us through the darkest moments, offering a profound sense of meaning, connection, and direction in our lives. To understand some small practices for building resilience through pain, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Dr. Suzan Song, an internationally recognized humanitarian psychiatrist and anthropologist. Suzan offers insights about the effects of trauma on the human psyche and the healing practices from her book, Why We Suffer and How We Heal. She describes how to release the stress of living in an environment of ambient threat through re-crafting our narrative, performing rituals, and embracing purpose. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  From Trauma to Healing: How Medical Science is Resetting the Biology of PTSD with Dr. Eugene Lipov, MD 24.06.2026

  Stigmas and a lack of hope afflict many who live through unimaginable traumas. PTSD is a common diagnosis, but it doesn’t quite fit the bill. By reframing the condition as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), the focus shifts from managing a lifelong psychological 'disorder' to treating a physical, healable sympathetic nervous system in need of a reset, transitioning people from trauma to healing. To better understand practices that migrate trauma to healing, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Dr. Eugene Lipov, a board-certified anesthesiologist, pain specialist, and a champion for reframing PTSD as PTSI (Post-Traumatic Stress Injury). Eugene offers a compelling rationale for the need to reframe the language associated with Post-traumatic Stress and a summary of The God Shot Book, which illuminates how resetting the autonomic nervous system can catalyze immediate biological healing. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Unlimited Love Part II: Sustaining Compassion in Difficult Times with Dr. Stephen G. Post, PhD 17.06.2026

  Sustaining compassion during difficult times requires tapping into what compassion science reveals as pure, unlimited love. The science of altruism tells us that unlimited love is available to us as an unlimited resource. Channeling and sharing love nourishes us and activates the brain's reward and attachment systems, generating positive biological feedback. Love research shows that it provides a profound source of inner peace that stabilizes and sustains us through any crisis. To discover the infinite potential of pure love, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen continues her conversation with Stephen G. Post, the Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. Stephen dissects the seven pathways to inner peace from his book, Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace, translating these principles into daily practices that deepen our connection with others. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Pure Unlimited Love Part I: Science and the Path to Inner Peace with Dr. Stephen G Post, PhD Part 1 10.06.2026

  What does it mean to practice pure unlimited love? Love research defines pure unlimited love as a state in which the security and well-being of another becomes as real and meaningful to you as your own. Embracing this mindset is a profound pathway to discovering lasting inner peace. At the heart of this approach is the activation of the ten distinct forms of love that allow us to engage with our modern, enraged culture. By applying the science of altruism, we can look past the anger and actively transform conflict into a deep, authentic connection.. To unpack the science of altruism, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Stephen G. Post, the Founding Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. Stephen breaks down the ten core principles of love from his book, Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace. He also explores the concepts of care-frontation, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and love as the ultimate reality. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Joy as a Practice: Happiness as Radical Resistance with Erica Brown 03.06.2026

  Conscious Joy Activism invites us to reframe our emotional lives, reminding us that joy as an active, intentional practice is a verb. In a world fraught with systemic challenges, happiness as resistance is a radical act. The privilege of being able to protest underscores our mutual responsibility. This intersection of positive psychology politics proves that our profound interconnectedness was never a "woo-woo" concept, but a tangible tool for collective survival. Ultimately, embracing this mindset serves as a powerful form of political anxiety relief, transforming personal well-being into a catalyst for societal change. To discuss the current state of affairs at a grassroots level, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Erica Brown, the Community Engagement Coordinator at Radio Kingston and a positive-change advocate. Erica describes the joy that occurs when we come together in community to transform outrage into positive action. She shares strategies for mobilizing those who haven’t yet been activated, creating a bottom-up solution to the top-down issues affecting our communities. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  The Taoist Path to Joy: Finding Flow and Freedom with Dr. Robin Wang, PhD 27.05.2026

  Eastern Philosophy describes a peace that is found when we fast our minds to release preconceived judgments and get out of our own way. The Taoist Philosophy of Joy teaches that when we are disharmonized with the world, we feel it physically and emotionally, becoming susceptible to being too rigid or totally submissive. But Taoism and happiness aren't just intellectual thoughts to be debated; they are our natural flow. By aligning ourselves with the natural current of existence, we naturally step into effortless living. To discuss the crossroads of Eastern philosophy and effortless living, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes Professor of Philosophy and author, Dr. Robin R. Wang, PhD. Dr. Yang describes the Taoist principles that offer a short lesson of ancient wisdom for our modern world from her acclaimed book, Yinyang: The Way of Heaven and Earth in Chinese Thought and Culture. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  The Connection Crisis: Decades of Research on Friendship and Belonging with Dr. Niobe Way, PhD Part II 20.05.2026

  Decades of data reveal a decline in our collective capacity to see other people’s perspectives. This signals a connection crisis that stretches across generations. During this friendship recession, we live in a socially starved society where indifference is considered fashionable. This trend has devolved into a social health crisis, fueling a surge in adolescent mental health issues. Ignoring our inherent emotional vulnerability, boys are taught to suppress their feelings and that feelings are invaluable and weak. To discuss the growing connection crisis, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes author and developmental psychologist, Dr. Niobe Way, PhD. Niobe shares her unique insights about how our culture can unravel the damage and foster our ability to be emotionally sensitive and emotionally regulated, so that we may move forward into a more caring society. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  The Connection Crisis: Decades of Research on Friendship and Belonging with Dr. Niobe Way, PhD Part I 13.05.2026

  The modern loneliness epidemic has cast a spotlight on a profound "crisis of connection," particularly within the realm of boys' friendships research. As children grow, developmental psychology suggests a sharp decline in emotional intimacy among males, often driven by rigid masculinity norms that equate vulnerability with weakness. This cultural pressure prioritizes hard skills over soft skills, forcing many young adults into social isolation, where the biological need for companionship is sacrificed to maintain a stoic facade. To discuss the developmental psychology behind modern masculinity norms, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes author and developmental psychologist, Dr. Niobe Way, PhD. Niobe shares her foundational research that was the source of her books Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves, and Our Culture, and the forthcoming Our Social Nature in an Anti-social Culture. She suggests that disconnecting from the softer side of being human goes against our nature and is a by-product of modern American culture. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.
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  Conscious Coupling: Relationship Maintenance Tune-Up with Raffi Bilek, LCSW-C 06.05.2026

  Long-term relationships require consistent relationship maintenance and a shared commitment to making it work. By embracing conscious coupling, we take the lead on our own emotional growth, learning how to handle the messy stuff instead of sweeping it under the rug. Improving our partner communication means listening to our partners even when we want to speak. To discover tried-and-true relationship maintenance techniques, Harvesting Happiness Podcast host Lisa Cypers Kamen welcomes author and couples counselor Raffi Bilek back to the show. Raffi doubles down on his straightforward and simple strategies designed to deepen partner connection and foster conscious coupling. He shares relatable examples taken from his book, The Couples Communication Handbook: The Skills You Never Learned for the Marriage You Always Wanted. Like what you're hearing? WANT MORE SOUND IDEAS FOR DEEPER THINKING? Check out More Mental Fitness by Harvesting Happiness bonus content available exclusively on https://harvestinghappiness.substack.com/ and https://medium.com/@HarvestingHappiness.