Happier with Gretchen Rubin

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 SuitGretchen Rubin's Secrets of AdulthoodStage PerformanceAmazonBookshopRivalsAmazonBookshopA Town Like AliceAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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!" In this week’s very spooky episode, Jessica is on the lookout for sharks and June is avoiding crows. Plus we chat big dinosaurs, white on white cars, oral historians, and Jessica and June’s experiences working for the mafia. After you hear this episode, search for The Deep Dive wherever you get your podcast or head to https://lnk.to/thedeepdivefd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, 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 information.

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 worksheetNot That Kind of Girl AmazonBookshopToo Much 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 information.

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 TangentsLiz Craft and Sarah Fain's Happier in HollywoodGretchen Rubin's Secrets of AdulthoodThe Happiness Project ShopRivalsAmazonBookshopThe Egypt GameAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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/listener for privacy information.

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 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 information.

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: Four Tendencies quizSecrets of Adulthoodgretchenrubin.comDownload the Happier appThe Other Side of MidnightAmazonBookshopRound the BendAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: 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 information.

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: Secrets of AdulthoodAfter Hours with Jamie RubinThe Four TendenciesTake The "Four Tendencies" QuizDownload the Happier appClimbing in HeelsAmazonBookshopTwo Serious LadiesAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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 information.

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 this episode: Secrets of AdulthoodPlaying with Fire 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 information.

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: Secrets of AdulthoodSecrets of AdulthoodHappier in HollywoodLibbyClimbing in HeelsAmazonBookshopA Man Called OveAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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 Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: 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 Apple Podcasts app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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: Secrets of AdulthoodWhy Whimsy Is Having a MomentHappier in HollywoodHappier at HomeBookshop.orghappiercast.com/read25day 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 information.

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 privacy information.

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 be hooked right away on this funny, sexy, twisty story. Resources & links related to this episode: The Ministry of TimeAmazonBookshop 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 information.

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: Secrets of AdulthoodThe 5 Love LanguagesAmazonBookshopAfter Hours with Jamie RubinThe latest travel lingoA Little Happier: The Power of Telling the Truth: What Nebraska's and Oslo's Tourists KnowHappier in Hollywood SubstackSecrets of Adulthood Substack Design Your Summer WorksheetYear Zero: A History of 1945AmazonBookshopAll the Way to the RiverAmazonBookshop 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 information.