Happier with Gretchen Rubin

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 V...

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....

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...

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'...

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 e...

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' mos...

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. Resourc...

In this Roundtable discussion, we explore the role of romance in fiction and real life. Author and political leader Stacey Abrams explains how she weaves it into her suspense novels by focusing on aut...

We explore how we can signal dedication to an aim by putting our money where our mouth is—though it’s important to note that merely spending money isn’t enough. We also share listeners' delightfully s...

Super-star musician Taylor Swift has three categories of imaginary pens that she uses to write her songs. Having the right tools helps to make work a joy—and in Taylor Swift’s case, even imaginary too...