Happier with Gretchen Rubin

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

July 5, 2025 24 mins

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 ...

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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.

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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.

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Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project...

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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.

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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...

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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.  

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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.

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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 – ...

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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.

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A double anniversary (of a wedding and of a life-saving medical cure) inspired this toast—with allusion to Gertrude Stein, Wendell Berry, and “The Office.”

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Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project ...

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We bring you a conversation with my friend Zibby Owens on her podcast Totally Booked. Taped in front of a life studio audience, we discuss my new book, Secrets of Adulthood, the beauty of frameworks, and why you should label your next email "confidential."

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Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

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We talk about why it can be helpful to set a tripwire for making a decision or moving forward. We also discuss a Secret of Adulthood that’s very relevant to the practice of keeping a storage unit (even one that’s not really needed), and a know-yourself-better question related to the use of gadgets and gizmos.

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Becoming a parent can be one of the most transformative, and instructive, experiences of our lives. These four “Secrets of Adulthood” examine some of the most important lessons parenthood can teach us.

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Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

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James Taylor and a new puppy are making us happier. We also explore the question of whether it’s common these days to have perhaps unrealistically high expectations from the people and organizations in our lives, from marriage to work to friendship. Plus we discuss an intriguing question: Do you love to "provision,” to stock up on essential items?

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We discuss the idea of the  “familect” and why it might be fun to create a  dictionary for our own familect. We also talk about a hack that makes it easier to use a smartphone, and we share dozens of listeners’ thought-provoking  “Secrets of Adulthood.”

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Winston Churchill was an extraordinary presence on the world stage, and among his strengths, he had a tremendous gift with words. Here are just a few of the powerful, insightful, or hilarious observations he made.

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The Roundtable Series tackles the subject of parenthood. With parenting expert Dr. Becky Kennedy and comedian Samantha Bee, we discuss the most helpful lessons we’ve learned, big challenges we’ve faced, the anxieties that we sometimes feel as parents, and more.

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Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com

Visit Gretchen's ...

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We discuss how creating before-and-after photo books of renovations or improvements can bring satisfaction and preserve memories. Our happiness hack suggests visiting your local library (or museum) for the first time; that first visit can be surprising to make. We also share listeners’ strategies for handling a spouse who asks too many questions at inopportune times.

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I love book titles, and when I finally tracked down the book attached to one of my favorite titles, I was astonished to learn where I heard about it.

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 App...

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We discuss why it’s interesting to consider our longest continuous non-family relationships. We spotlight a tool for spring: the Five-Senses Quiz that helps you discover which of our senses might be neglected. Plus, we explore how authors like Stephen King shape their creative landscapes from personal memories, and how viewing the own past through different literary lenses—Jane Austen, Judy Blume, Tolstoy—can reve...

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We discuss a fun summer challenge of focusing on a specific theme or goal. We also include a few helpful, fun hacks, and we share some of listeners’ favorite words—a delightful collection of language.

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