Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen Rubin is HAPPIER, and she wants you to be happier too. The #1 bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before gets more personal than ever as she brings her practical, manageable advice about happiness and good habits to this lively, thought-provoking podcast. Gretchen’s cohost and guinea pig is her younger sister, Elizabeth Craft, a TV writer and producer living in Los Angeles, who (lovingly) refers to Gretchen as her happiness bully. Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/
Episodes
We discuss why investing in the right tools can boost both happiness and productivity—when it's worth spending money, and when it’s not. We share an easy happiness hack for finding accountability and community to keep up a good habit, and talk about a startling calculation that may change the way you read.
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Gratitude is a key to happiness, and while gratitude journals work for some, alternative practices also work—such as one simple approach suggested by author Kurt Vonnegut's uncle.
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 ...
We talk about the energy (and space) gained from giving away items that others will appreciate, and we explore the surprisingly positive aspects of parasocial relationships with podcast hosts and TV personalities. Plus, we dive into the phenomenon of TV tourism.
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We discuss the value of taking the trip. We also reveal something very valuable that is available for free, if you know where to look, and we share listeners’ thought-provoking responses about the “one big thing” they’ve successfully tackled.
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A simple childhood memory of jubilation raises a lasting question: Is it better to persist with activities we dislike and struggle with, or pursue what comes naturally?
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 p...
Introducing my new podcast: Since You Asked! This is the first episode of my new show with my friend, the therapist and author Lori Gottlieb. Each week, we tackle the daily problems of living—the pet peeve that’s annoyed you for years, the question you’re too embarrassed to ask, or the dilemma you just can’t solve. If you enjoy this episode, follow Since You Asked to get future episodes in your fee...
We talk about why asking for clarification is so important—yet it’s an easy step to skip. We also mention a listener’s great hack for nudging her kids to unclutter, and we discuss the urge to “use it up.”
Resources & links related to this episode:
- Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
- Elizabeth is reading: A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield ...
Our five senses constantly make adjustments and compromises—an observation that explains a cryptic comment by Andy Warhol.
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 ...
We explore whether it's better to seek out new experiences or enjoy familiar favorites when traveling. Plus, we share a surprising hack about alternatives to flossing, and how we’re approaching fall routines.
Resources & links related to this episode:
- Learn your Tendency and learn more about the "Four Tendencies" framework
- "Dentists know you hate flossing. Try this instead."
- GUM soft-picks
Get in touch: pod...
There are about 100 days left in the year, and we discuss why starting your 100-day countdown can make you happier. We also explore a hack that will help you read, learn, and get entertained, and we share interesting responses from listeners about the power of engaging.
Resources & links related to this episode:
- For the Happier Podcast Book Club: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss and Liberation by Elizabeth Gilbert (Ama...
Texas’s extremely successful anti-littering campaign illustrates an important principle about habit change: Sometimes changing our habits requires us first to change our identity.
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 ...
Feeling the end-of-summer slump? In this revisited episode, we share 7 practical strategies that can help you rebuild your routine for fall—especially if you're dragging your feet. September is the other January, and this “starter kit” for habit change will help you reset without forcing it.
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We talk about why it can be very valuable to question our assumptions, and we also share hacks for helping a child moving into a college dorm. Plus we discuss a listener’s feelings of Obliger-rebellion due to the unacknowledged work she does for her family.
Resources & links related to this episode:
- Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
- Love Life by Rob Lowe (Amaz...
A teaching joke from the legal world captures an important lesson: Sometimes the reward for an achievement is simply a bigger helping of the same challenge.
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 A...
During our recent Reading Retreat 2025, we made voice memos to record our sisterly adventure. We talk about our reading, plus we also report on the evening we spent clearing out a very crowded closet. Listen in and follow along as we report from Los Olivos and Encinco, California.
Resources & links related to this episode:
- Read 25 in '25
- Elizabeth's same-day book: James by Percival Everett (Amazon, Bookshop)
- Gretchen's sam...
Sometimes, to be happier, we need to confront one enormous, daunting goal that we would really prefer to avoid. We discuss what those kinds of intimidating goals might be, offer suggestions for how to approach them, and share many encouraging examples from listeners.
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Sometimes life achieves the formal perfection of art, or a moment can seem so transcendent that only art can allow us to express what we feel.
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 ...
Clear the Decks! We revisit one of our most popular episodes to help you prepare for the return to routine after summer—or anytime you’re gearing up for a change.
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 fr...
We explore the power of creating a "love list" to help us stay connected with the people who matter most. We share a clever way for getting someone’s honest opinions, plus, we dive into listeners' most practical back-to-school tips.
Resources & links related to this episode:
- Order my new book Secrets of Adulthood
- Request a signed bookplate here
- Elizabeth is reading: Summer in Sonoma by Robyn Carr (Amazon, Booksh...
A touch of levity can help us navigate awkward or painful situations by making it easier for people to hear difficult things—as illustrated by a funny moment from the popular TV show Friends.
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, produc...
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