Reasonably Happy with Paul Ollinger

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  Life in the Soviet Union (w/ Vitaliy Katsenelson) 17.09.2026 58min

  Vitaliy Katsenelson grew up in the Soviet Union - in Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic Circle. Today, he is the CEO & Chief Investment Officer of IMA (Investment Management Associates).An award-winning writer, Vitaliy has authored two books on investing and the widely acclaimed Soul in the Game: The Art of a Meaningful Life, which has been translated into multiple languages. Forbes has called him “The New Benjamin Graham,” and his writing has appeared in the Financial Times, Barron’s, and The Wall Street Journal. His newsletter reaches a global audience of over 100k subscribers. In this Substack live-streamed conversation from last week, Vitaliy and I discuss:* Daily life up under a communist government* The rise in anti-Semitism from both the Right and the Left* Why he is so disturbed by President Trump’s profiting off of market-moving social media postsVitaliy lives in Denver with his wife and three children. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to classical music, playing chess, and writing about the intersections of investing and life.Subscribe to Vitaliy’s Substack here or his newsletter here.Subscribe to Paul’s Substack here. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Senator Phil Gramm Dispels Economic Myths 10.09.2026 1t

  This week, I sit down with Phil Gramm, economist, three-term United States Senator from Texas, former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and co-author of 'The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of American Capitalism'. In the book, Senator Gramm argues that much of what Americans believe about capitalism, inequality, and poverty rests on incomplete data and a misunderstanding of history. We cover the true math behind income inequality and the war on poverty, the reason the Great Depression lasted so long, what really caused the 2008 financial crisis, and just how the heck America is going to reckon with its $40 trillion debt. (Spoiler Alert: it won't end well!)Get the book here.Follow Me on Instagram: hereAnd X / Twitter hereTimestamps:00:00:00 Trailer00:00:55 Intro00:02:08 From Oil Economist To U.S. Senator00:07:15 The Industrial Revolution Myth Debunked00:14:21 Did Free Trade Really Hollow Out Manufacturing00:20:25 JD Vance, The Dollar, And Reserve Currency Myths00:22:33 The Sugar Tariff Racket And The Cost Of Protectionism00:24:44 The Real Inequality Numbers Behind The Headlines00:31:01 The Truth About The War On Poverty00:34:32 Why Political Opponents Exaggerate Bad News00:41:26 Debunking The 2008 Financial Crisis Myth00:49:48 America’s $40 Trillion Debt And The Coming Reckoning00:53:45 Outro Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  ‘Young Money’ with Jack Raines 03.09.2026 57min

  This week, I’m talking to Jack Raines, the guy behind the mega-popular Substack Young Money and author of a great new book called Young Money: A Field Guide to Wealth and Purpose in Your Twenties.After graduating from college and landing a finance job at UPS, Jack turned $6,000 in retirement funds into $400,000 trading SPACs in his spare time. Then, by continuing to trade SPACS, he turned that $400k into $200k! This experience was expensive but vital.Jack started publishing his thoughts about careers and finances on Young Money, and has built a following of over 60,000 “anxious but ambitious” readers. Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, called him “one of the best money writers around.”Perhaps that’s why he got a call from Penguin Random House and an eventual book deal. Like Jack himself, it’s a book of unbridled enthusiasm and optimism. It’s a trip to read about money through the eyes of a 29-year-old who’s had just enough interesting life experience but has lost zero of his youthful energy.If you have a young adult in your life who has found her way into adulthood, or one who is trying to figure himself out, Young Money might be the perfect read for them. In the meantime, check out my conversation with the pride of Tifton, GA, Jack Raines!We talk about travel, Macon, GA, billboards along I-75 (“Repent or die!”), working at UPS, the Allman Brothers Band, playing Call of Duty in his pajamas during COVID, Wall Street Bets, and the Wall Street Journal’s Spencer Jakab.Stay gold!Follow Paul on Instagram here and Twitter here.Get Jack’s book here. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  The Secret Economics Behind Only Fans, Tarrifs, and Government Grocery Stores 27.08.2026 56min

  What’s that you say – you want an interview with an economist who has both a great sense of humor and movie star good looks? Well look no further, friends. Matt Hill teaches economics at the University of Southern California, and is the creator and host of Econ Nerds, a project devoted to finding the economics hiding in everyday life. It’s like Freakonomics for the YouTube and Substack age.Matt has the rare ability to take economic ideas that normally require a textbook, a slide rule, and three hits of Adderall to get your head around and turns them into entertaining stories about things like Ozempic, the lottery, OnlyFans, gentrification, and why it took humanity so damn long to put wheels on suitcases.In other words, he can help you learn about economics without making you feel like you’re studying economics!More importantly, Matt uses story-telling techniques to shed light on important issues where the data and the prevailing public rhetoric diverge. Examples include the true nature of inequality, what’s really happening with climate change, and the actual number of alleged police violence incidents. (HINT: it’s much lower than you might think.)He’s using his great mind, a sense of humor and the power of economics to help spread understanding.Follow Paul on Instagram and Twitter here.Find Econ Nerds here. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Can You Fake Happiness? w/Beth Cabrera 20.08.2026 44min

  “People do not decide their futures: they decide their habits and their habits decide their future.” – F.M. AlexanderIf you want to improve, be kind to yourself. That’s the message from this week’s guest, Dr. Beth Cabrera, a positive psychologist, professor, and author of the new book Being Well: A Positive Path to a Healthier, Happier You. Beth is also an old college friend who's now the first lady of Georgia Tech. In her new book, Beth argues that willpower and guilt are the wrong tools for lasting change (sorry, Catholic and Jewish moms). Because our brains are wired to survive, not thrive, and default to scanning for threats instead of good things, feeling good is actually the more effective fuel for building habits that stick. We cover the chicken-and-egg question of whether happiness causes success or success causes happiness, why optimistic salespeople at MetLife outsold others by 88%, how much of optimism is genetic versus learned, the brain's negativity bias and why social rejection registers like a broken arm. (So, please don’t reject me. Please!) Beth and I talk gratitude, hedonic adaptation, the basics of diet, sleep, exercise, and meditation, what it's actually like being the first lady of a major American university. And how the way to cheat death is to have a Purpose (capitalized intentionally).Get Beth’s book here. See her website here.Follow Me (Paul Ollinger) on Instagram here or on X (fka, Twitter) here. Timestamps00:00:00 Trailer00:00:35 Intro00:01:21 Beth Cabrera and her new book, Being Well00:04:53 How Beth got hooked on the happiness game at Arizona State00:07:07 The chicken and egg question: does happiness cause success, or the reverse00:08:31 Is optimism genetic, and how much of it we can actually change00:09:56 The brain's negativity bias, and why it kept us alive00:11:18 Gratitude assessments and noticing the good moments you'd otherwise miss00:14:06 Why social rejection registers in the brain like a broken arm00:19:04 Hedonic adaptation and why happiness set points reset00:21:07 The basics: diet, sleep, exercise, and meditation00:26:35 Life as the first lady of Georgia Tech, and putting on the game face00:30:45 Why want to beats have to as a driver of behavior00:35:03 Finding purpose, big P and little p00:36:47 A positive attitude about aging can add years to your life00:38:30 Why beating yourself up doesn't create positive change00:41:16 The three parts of self-compassion: mindfulness, common humanity, kindness00:42:35 The caddie metaphor: what would you say to a friend instead?00:43:46 Where to find Being Well and connect with Beth00:43:50 Outro Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Freeze the Rent! And Other Silly Policies ( w/ Paula Pant) 06.08.2026 1t 12min

  Last week, I received a bill from New York City for $71,1783.16. It was the balance due for my Non-primary residence surcharge, aka the pied-à-terre tax that is a premium on top of the $55k or so we pay in regular, old fashioned property tax. We got pinged because our home is owned by our trusts, which are not New York entities. The good news is that, since we are legit full-time residents, we will get out of this. Still, it’s pretty scary to get this kind of unexpected invoice. Suffice to say, it’s a wild time in New York city real estate. In addition to this new second—or third or fourth—home tax, there are a ton of policy changes in the works, including but not limited to:* The mayor and the Rent Guidelines Board just implemented a two-to-three year rent freeze for all the city’s rent stabilized units, comprising 41% of the supply of rental housing in the city.* Pending in the City Council is the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) that, when it passes, will impose major restrictions on a multi-family unit owners’ freedom to sell their building.* Potential “Mansion” Tax reform could lower the threshold from $1 million to $500,000 transactions, increase rates by 40%, and switch the liability from the buyer to the seller.In short, there’s a massive amount of uncertainty about the future, but all trends point to an increasingly hostile and expensive environment for property owners. To try to make sense of how it works, I interviewed Paula Pant, founder and host of the Afford Anything podcast, a former newspaper reporter, and Knight-Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University. Paula is a NYC-based landlord who has developed an expertise on the city’s rent stabilization system, where it came from, and how it works.Most people assume that rent stabilization exists to help poor people, but that’s not the priority. It operates more like a lottery system where random, lucky “winners” lock in below-market prices regardless of how much money they make. In fact, a recent Wall Street Journal analysis indicated that more than 86,000 rent stabilized households earn over $200,000 a year!The system and its adjacent policies protect bad tenants, disincentivize capital investment and construction, and have led to 57,000 apartments being left vacant because it’s less expensive to leave them empty than to participate in the city’s rigged game.The whole thing is wacky and totally non-obvious. I learned a ton talking to Paula and I know you will too. Check it out.Follow Paula on Instagram here, or X (aka, Twitter) here. Get your free download: 7 Expensive Rental Property Mistakes to Avoid Follow Me (Paul) on Instagram here, or X (aka, Twitter) here.Get tickets to see me live in Sarasota 8/13-16 here.Timestamps:00:00:00 Trailer00:00:59 Intro 00:03:03 Hyper frugal in her twenties, for all the wrong reasons00:05:31 A $27,000 down payment on an Atlanta triplex00:08:21 Never be a landlord in New York City00:08:33 The price to rent ratio, and how to run it on any apartment00:14:10 Nobody has a right to 12% returns, and what a 9.9% cap would actually do00:16:24 Rent control versus rent stabilization: 16,000 units against a million00:20:16 If it were designed to help poor people, there would be means testing00:23:36 True working class people are subsidizing the rich00:24:23 How the units actually get handed out, and the friend earning over $300,00000:30:32 The Rent Guidelines Board, the 7 to 1 freeze, and the resignation in protest00:37:07 Check credit or verify income, but not both00:41:21 The 2019 law and the $100,000 turnover no bank will finance00:49:25 57,000 vacant units and the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act00:54:22 Austin as the model, and where Paula puts her own capital00:57:13 Analyst, not advocate. Data over dogma00:58:36 Outro Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Nobel Prize Winner on "Moral Economics" 31.07.2026 49min

  This week, I sit down with Dr. Alvin Roth, Nobel Prize-winning economist, Stanford professor, and author of Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work. Al lays out why so-called repugnant markets like kidney sales, prostitution, horse meat aren't moral failures so much as trade-offs we refuse to name, and argues we should judge controversial markets by their real-world consequences instead of instinct alone. We cover why it's easier to buy heroin than hire a hitman, Iran's legal kidney market versus America's black market, the actual winners and losers of rent control in New York, why I can't buy a horse meat hamburger in California, and what a real accounting of scarcity and trade-offs actually looks like.Timestamps:* 00:00:00 Trailer* 00:01:07 Intro* 00:03:48 What market design actually means* 00:06:57 Markets are better at producing efficiency than equality* 00:10:08 What makes a transaction “repugnant”* 00:11:45 Same-sex marriage as the textbook repugnant transaction* 00:15:45 Why it’s easy to buy drugs but nearly impossible to hire a hitman* 00:17:32 Iran’s legal kidney market and America’s black-market problem* 00:22:10 The case against price-gouging bans, from Sydney to snow shovels* 00:27:07 The real winners and losers of rent control* 00:28:12 California’s ban on horse meat, and the loophole New York doesn’t have* 00:35:59 How a PhD in operations research became a career in game theory* 00:37:02 The 3 a.m. phone call that announced his Nobel Prize* 00:40:40 The kidney transplant shortage and what it will take to fix it* 00:41:51 OutroGet tickets to see Paul in Sarasota, Florida here.Follow Paul on Instagram here and on X (i.e. Twitter) here. Rate and Review Reasonably Happy here. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  How Empathy Is Destroying Western Civilization (with Gad Saad) 23.07.2026 1t 10min

  In this episode of Reasonably Happy, I sit down with Dr. Gad Saad, an evolutionary behavioral scientist, longtime professor, and author of the New York Times bestseller Suicidal Empathy: Dying to be Kind. Gad lays out why empathy, when it hyper-fires at the wrong targets, becomes a form of civilizational self-disembowelment. We cover open-border immigration, cultural relativism, the UK grooming gang scandal, DEI and the anti-meritocracy push, his move to Ole Miss, and what a real prescription for the West actually looks like.Timestamps00:00:00 Trailer00:01:28 Intro00:01:40 From marketing professor to cultural critic00:03:20 Born Jewish in Lebanon during the civil war00:05:03 Defining suicidal empathy00:08:29 Civilizations die by suicide, not murder00:13:47 How open-border immigration became the flagship case00:14:29 Cultural relativism and the parasitic mind00:22:12 UK grooming gangs and the fear of Islamophobia00:28:13 One-way tolerance and the parasite analogy00:34:10 Anti-meritocracy, DEI and attribution bias00:40:16 The career cost of speaking honestly in academia00:43:34 Why he chose Ole Miss over the Ivy League00:49:09 Hope through the Southern freedom centers00:52:10 The prescription: an inverted U-curve for empathy00:57:36 OutroFollow GadInstagram: @doctorgadsaadX: @GadSaadFollow MeInstagram: @paul_ollingerX: @Paul_Ollinger Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  The Richest Family You've Never Heard Of 08.07.2026 52min

  Investment management firm Fidelity is a private company that administers over $18 trillion in assets—that’s greater than the GDPs of Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and France combined. (Or, it’s18 Elon Musks.) Last year, the company earned almost $13 billion in profit, half of which goes to the family who started it. To be more precise, it goes to the founder's grandchildren, a few of whom have taken major roles inside the still-burgeoning business. My guest this week is Justin Baer, award-winning journalist at the Wall Street Journal and author of the new book House of Fidelity: The Rise of the Johnson Dynasty and the Company that Changed American Investing. In this conversation, Justin and I discuss:* How this financial family dynasty was built* Succession planning for a complex and massive family business* The rise of Abigail “Abby” Johnson, Fidelity’s Chairman CEO and founder’s granddaughter, with estimated net worth of $35 billion.Get Justin’s book here. Subscribe to Paul's Substack here. See Paul (aka, Me) Tell Jokes Live Near You!* Los Angeles: The Venice West, 7/21* New York: QED Astoria, 7/31* San Francisco: Cobbs Comedy Club, 7/23* Southampton, NY: Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, 8/1 Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  TRIGGERnometry's Francis Foster on Teaching, Comedy, and Why the U.K. is Fucked 02.07.2026 31min

  Francis Foster is the co-host of the massively popular TRIGGERnometry podcast and author of the new book (Un)Educated: My Life as a Teacher, and Why You Should Never Become One (which you should buy here).In this honest, fun, and sometimes stark conversation, Francis and I discuss:* Why teaching is a terrible job.* What he loves about TRIGGERnometry* His love for Buc-ees* (which are closer to 50,000 square feet than the 8,000 I mentioned)* How the United Kingdom is “fucked”* Why the Stone Roses won’t help incoming PM, Andy BurnhamGet his book, and watch the Francis Foster Show on YouTube.Follow Paul on Substack here. See Paul tell jokes live in July:* Philadelphia: Next In Line Comedy, 7/3* Los Angeles: The Venice West, 7/21* New York: QED Astoria, 7/31* San Francisco: Cobbs Comedy Club, 7/23* Southampton, NY: Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, 8/1 Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  W. Kamau Bell on Cosby, Comedy, and Father's Day 24.06.2026 27min

  I was most pleased to speak this afternoon with W. Kamau Bell, a Peabody Award and 4-time Emmy-winning comedian, filmmaker, and television host who is also a Celebrity Jeopardy champion!He is best known as the creator and host of CNN’s United Shades of America on which he spent seven seasons traveling the country exploring communities, subcultures, and perspectives that often go overlooked. The show demonstrated his unique skill of helping people conduct difficult conversations without losing their sense of humor.Not that he’s afraid to mix things up. Kamau’s 2022 HBO docu-series, We Need to Talk About Cosby dove deep into numerous allegations of sexual assault against legendary comedian and television icon, Bill Cosby, a comedian whose work Kamau deeply admired.Kamau has a new podcast called Who’s With Me? on which he has already talked to Ted Danson, Delroy Lindo, Daveed Diggs, and Kristen Kish.He spoke to me from his home in Oakland, CA where he lives with his wife and their three daughters. In this occasionally-serious, but most enjoyable conversation, we discuss:* The difference between craft and character* His love of podcasting* Comedy nerd-ship* The best part about Father’s Day* And—most importantly— Dave BarryLeave comments below. And follow / subscribe to this podcast. Also subscribe to Kamau’s ‘Who’s With Me?’ Substack here and to Paul’s ‘Reasonably Happy’ Substack here. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  5 Questions with Bruce Feiler 18.06.2026 36min

  Thanks very much to Bruce Feiler for joining me on the 5 Questions livestream to discuss his new book A Time to Gather: How Ritual Created the World—and How it Can Save Us.In this upbeat and positive conversation, Bruce and I discuss:• What came first, ritual or religion?• Why SEC football tailgating fits the definition of ritual• How Balinese tooth-filing ritual has much in common with modern Western dental customs• Why so many New Yorkers are jumping on the Knicks bandwagon (including someone’s wife who shall remain nameless)Subscribe to Bruce’s ‘The Nonlinear Life Substack and to Paul’s Reasonably Happy Substack. Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  5 Questions with Andy Borowitz 15.06.2026 31min

  On this third episode of 5 Questions, I speak with Andy Borowitz, whose massively popular newsletter The Borowitz Report tops out around 200 words per post. So this intro is going to be brief!Even if you belong to Andy’s army of loyal readers, you might not know that he is also the co-creator of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and wrote on classic 80’s TV shows, The Facts of Life and Square Pegs, which helped to launch Sarah Jessica Parker’s career.In this fast-paced conversation, Andy and I discuss:* His career in and out of Hollywood* How to write succinctly* His grammatical pet peeve(s)* Whether AI will ever be able to write comedy* The best advice he got from Susie Essman (aka, the secret to a happy life)Subscribe to The Borowitz Report here.Subscribe to Paul Ollinger's Reasonably Happy here. See Paul tell jokes near you:• June 19 and 20 - The Comedy Catch, Chattanooga• June 25 - ❤️Happy Couples Show❤️ West Side Comedy Club, NYC • July 21 - The Venice West, Los Angeles• July 23 - Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco• Aug 1 - Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY• Aug 8 - Atlanta Country Club (private show)• Aug 13-16 - McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota, FLThat is all - have a wonderful day! Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  A Political Family Black Sheep Tells All (with Rosebud Baker) 12.06.2026 50min

  My guest today is Rosebud Baker. Rosebud is one of the sharpest and most honest voices in comedy today. She’s an Emmy-nominated and Writers Guild Award-winning writer whose credits include Saturday Night Live, Inside Amy Schumer, and That Damn Michael Che.In her new autobiography, Fully Baked: A Messy Memoir, Rosebud shares the story of being the grand-daughter of James Baker, the former Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury who also served as White House Chief of Staff for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush.She also relates unfiltered observations on her parents’ divorce, her addiction to drugs and alcohol, her multiple miscarriages, and the death of her younger sister, Graeme.Her latest Netflix special is called The Mother Lode. She filmed half of it while eight months pregnant and the other half after giving birth. It was named one of the best comedy specials of 2025.See Rosebud’s upcoming dates and get the book here.✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️See Paul tell jokes live near you:• June 19 and 20 - The Comedy Catch, Chattanooga• June 25 - Happy Couples Show, West Side Comedy Club, NYC• July 21 - The Venice West, Los Angeles (on sale soon)• July 23 - Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco• Aug 1 - Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY• Aug 8 - Atlanta Country Club• Aug 13-16 - McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota, FL Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  5 Questions with A.J. Jacobs 10.06.2026 32min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️A.J. Jacobs is a journalist, bestselling author, self-described “human guinea pig,” and one of the most interesting people I know. He was a great choice to be my second guest on my 5 Questions series of Substack livestreams.Over the past two decades, A.J. has built a remarkable career by asking questions most of us would never think to ask—and then answering them by turning himself into the experiment.He’s read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, lived according to the Bible as literally as possible, pursued bodily perfection, traced his family tree to millions of relatives, thanked every person involved in making his morning cup of coffee, explored the world of puzzles, and most recently spent a year trying to live according to the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution.The result has been a string of New York Times bestsellers, including The Know-It-All, The Year of Living Biblically, Drop Dead Healthy, Thanks a Thousand, The Puzzler, and The Year of Living Constitutionally. Along the way, he’s become one of America’s most entertaining guides to the intersection of happiness, curiosity, gratitude, self-improvement, and human connection.What I love about A.J.’s work is that beneath all the humor and outrageous experiments is a serious question: How should we live? And instead of lecturing, he goes out and tests ideas on himself—often with hilarious consequences.We talk about:* The United States’ 250th Birthday* Geeking out on compound anniversary words like “semiquincentennial”* What I should keep in mind while I help my kids search for colleges* Summer blockbuster moviesSubscribe to A.J.’s Substack, A.J. Jacobs Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  I Read My Essays to You 03.06.2026 35min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️Hello friends, this week's Reasonably Happy is me reading some of my favorite posts from my Substack over the past six months. They cover the Manosphere, schadenfreude, career trajectories, and more. I understand that you don’t always have time to read everything I crank out—you’re on the move, working out, or re-arranging your sock drawer. And that’s okay. So today—as I do occasionally—I’m sending you this podcast version of me reading TO YOU. And now you don’t have any excuses to not enjoy my wonderful writing. You’re right - it’s quite generous of me, but I enjoy it. You can read all my stuff and catch some upcoming live streams here!COME SEE ME PERFORM COMEDY NEAR YOU (in Atlanta, Chattanooga, NYC, L.A., SF, Southampton, Sarasota)...* June 4: Atlanta Athletic Club (members only)* June 19-20: Comedy Catch, Chattanooga ON SALE* June 25: Couples Therapy Comedy at West Side Comedy Club, NYC* July 21: The Venice West, Los Angeles - On Sale soon* July 23: Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco - ON SALE* Aug 1: Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY -* Aug 8: Atlanta Country Club (members only)* Aug 13-16: Headlining McCurdy’s in Sarasota, FL - ON SALE* October 15: Capital City Country Club (members only) Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  5 Questions with Dave Barry 28.05.2026 30min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️Oh my goodness what a fun time I had chatting with Dave Barry on the first episode of 5 Questions, my bite-sized, live-streamed Substack interview show that I’ll be producing in addition to longer-form episodes of Reasonably Happy. Dave’s column was syndicated to hundreds of newspapers around the globe for several decades. He has published dozens of books on myriad topics that sold millions of copies—of books, not topics—in 22 languages. The New York Times called him “the funniest man in America.” (And when has the NYT ever been wrong?) In other words, he’s accomplished an incredible amount in the funny game, and I'm thrilled I got to talk to him. In this fast-moving 30 minute conversation, we talk about:• What he’s looking for in a nursing home.• Advice for me on shepherding my kids through the college search process (even though it doesn’t matter where they end up)• The rock band he plays in with Stephen King, Amy Tan, Roy Blount, Jr., Scott Turow, and many other• Which other authors make him laugh• What Baby Boomers could learn from Gen Z (and vice versa)Listen now and share with all your friends! Also, come see me tell jokes (or give a talk), in person:* June 4 - Atlanta Athletic Club* June 5 and 6 - Laughing Skull Lounge, Atlanta* June 12 - Wade Hampton Country Club, Cashiers, NC (Talk)* June 19 and 20 - The Comedy Catch, Chattanooga* June 25 - Happy Couples Show, West Side Comedy Club, NYC* July 21 - The Venice West, Los Angeles (on sale soon)* July 23 - Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco* Aug 1 - Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY* Aug 8 - Atlanta Country Club* Aug 13-16 - McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota, FL Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Gretchen Rubin Will Teach You to be Happy 26.05.2026 58min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️“Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.” -Aeschylus Whenever I go back and re-listen to one of my podcast interviews, I always discover elements of the conversation I didn’t recall. Upon revisiting this 2025 conversation with best-selling author Gretchen Rubin, I of course remembered that she is a warrior for happiness and the practices that help her huge readership attain it. But listening again, I was struck by how cool Gretchen is. Not “cool” in a biker-jacket / beat poetry / clove cigarette way, but in the “I know who I am, what I’m committed to, and how I can add value to the world” way. I don’t claim to know Gretchen, but it seems logical to me that this self-awareness is a by-product of the kind of work she evangelizes. And it is work. As Aeschylus advised in the quote above, happiness is always there if we choose it, but only if—in the hard times—we are willing to get off the couch or smile through the pain. In times like these, Gretchen’s writing can help us find a path through the noise and, as she describes it, “identify ways we can take happiness from the transcendent to the concrete.” A great way to start that process is to listen (or re-listen) to this episode and take her happiness quiz here. You can also find many more applicable insights on Gretchen’s Substack, Secrets of Adulthood. Remember, happiness is growth—keep growing!---Come see me (Paul) tell jokes (or give a talk), in person:* June 4 - Atlanta Athletic Club* June 5 and 6 - Laughing Skull Lounge, Atlanta*June 12 - Wade Hampton Golf Club, Cashiers, NC * June 19 and 20 - The Comedy Catch, Chattanooga* June 25 - Happy Couples Show, West Side Comedy Club, NYC* July 21 - The Venice West, Los Angeles (on sale soon)* July 23 - Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco* Aug 1 - Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY* Aug 8 - Atlanta Country Club* Aug 13-16 - McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, Sarasota, FL Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  Money, Family & Comedy w/Roy Wood Jr. 14.05.2026 56min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️My guest today is Roy Wood, Jr. You know him from The Daily Show and from his acclaimed stand-up specials, where he proves that smart comedy can still hit hard. A native of Birmingham, AL, Roy has that rare ability to make you laugh while also making you think—whether he’s talking about race, class, media, relationships, or the strange little hypocrisies we all live with. In addition to The Daily Show, Roy has performed on The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, BET’s Comic View, Conan, and many other top TV programs. He is now the host of the CNN current events-comedy show, Have I Got News for You. His 2025 memoir, The Man of Many Fathers explores—among other things—Roy’s complicated relationship with his father, Roy Wood, Sr., a civil rights journalist and African American radio pioneer.Today, Roy and I talk about money, family, fatherhood, and we go deep on the craft of comedy.Speaking of comedy, see my upcoming shows below. Save the date / buy your tickets!COMEDY NEAR YOU - GET YOUR TICKETS!* May 16: QED, Astoria Queens, 9:30* May 20: Dunwoody Country Club (members only)* May 21: Atlanta Punchline - ON SALE* May 22-23: DC Comedy Loft ON SALE* June 4: Atlanta Athletic Club (members only)* June 19-20: Comedy Catch, Chattanooga ON SALE* June 25: Couples Therapy Comedy at West Side Comedy Club, NYC* July 21: The Venice West, Los Angeles - On Sale soon* July 23: Cobbs Comedy Club, San Francisco - ON SALE* Aug 1: Sticks and Stones Comedy Club, Southampton, NY -* Aug 8: Atlanta Country Club (members only)* Aug 13-16: Headlining McCurdy’s in Sarasota, FL - ON SALE* October 15: Capital City Country Club (members only) Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe
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  How to Get Rich in America 07.05.2026 1t 6min

  ✍️ Follow Paul Ollinger on Substack by clicking here ✍️“Capitalism is rigged!” cry the masses. “Nobody gets ahead anymore,” says the mainstream press. And 60% of young people believe that the American Dream is dead. But my guest today calls this hogwash, baloney, and complete malarkey. Joseph Moore is a historian, entrepreneur, investor, and the author of a new book called How to Get Rich In American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice that Worked (And didn’t) in which he explores how ambition, risk, and reinvention have shaped America from the very beginning. He also reveals the money myths, sacred cows, side hustles, and NAYsayers that have always been a part of our society. What if so-called timeless beliefs about money like “invest for the long run,” “compound interest builds wealth,” and “real estate always goes up” weren’t always true…and play out less often than you think they do. Joseph’s book is part history, part playbook, and part reality check. He brings lessons to life with rigor that is deeper than an oil well and a wit that is dryer than the Texas plains. And in so doing he demystifies the past in order to clarify the present for anyone thinking about money, success, and what it really means to “make it” in America.📕 Follow Joseph here. 📗 Get full access to Reasonably Happy at words.paulollinger.com/subscribe