Stay ConnectedVeteran TV writers Liz Craft and Sarah Fain demystify Hollywood by making career and personal struggles universal. Friends since high school and writing partners for over 20 years, Liz and Sarah have survived and thrived in Tinseltown’s male-dominated entertainment industry, guided by blind optimism and a Midwestern work ethic. Along the way they’ve learned a lot about kicking ass, kissing ass, and office yoga.
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Liz and Sarah have entered an era of completion. They’ve had so many open projects, but now some are wrapping up — or at least moving to the next phase. It feels good! In Take A Hike, Sarah shares her list of things to do instead of doom scrolling. Some ideas? Meditate, bake something gluten-free, or “organize a small space.” Next, they revisit an L v. S (Liz versus Sarah) about planners. Liz has come around to Sarah’s planner love! This week’s Hollywood Hack will help you end meetings smoothly: Announce when there are two (or five or twenty) minutes left. Finally, Sarah recommends the book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s Substack Newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
Get in touch on Instagram and Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
LINKS:
Legend Planner:
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Waterpik Sonic Fusion 2.0 Professional Flossing Electric Toothbrush:
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Liz and Sarah have decided that it’s time to embrace the identity of “content creator” — in the evolving world of Hollywood, it’s part of stepping into the future. In Take Two, they revisit the topic of allowing for “disproportionate joy.” Turns out the idea is catching! Next, in The Mailroom, they answer a question from Liz’s sister, Gretchen, about getting notes. This week’s Hollywood Hack is an upgrade of a past Hollywood Hack: Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Earplugs. Finally, Liz has a book recommendation — Dinner For Vampires, a memoir of her time in a cult by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz.
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/
LINKS:
Pasadena Humane Society:
Wildfire Recovery Fund:
https://www.calfund.org/funds/wildfire-recovery-fund/
LAFD Wildfire Recovery Fund:
https://supportlafd.kindful.com/?campaign=1040812
Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Earplugs:
Dinner For Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz:
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Along with everyone else in Los Angeles, Liz and Sarah are feeling so much love for their city. But they’re also suffering from crisis fatigue. Every time they think life in L.A. is getting back to “normal,” something else happens. This time, it’s the devastating wildfires that have taken lives and destroyed thousands of beloved homes and businesses. In Take A Hike, Sarah reveals the twenty-five categories of things she is NOT going to buy in 2025. Next, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share a tool of the trade that’s helping them with their new Substack newsletter — Notebook LM. This week’s Hollywood Hacks come in handy when the power is out (as it has been for Sarah and many Angelinos this week): a battery-operated neck light and a wireless bottle lamp.
LINKS:
Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google/
Carson Dual Headed COB LED neck light: https://amzn.to/3PsMzrH
Wireless bottle lamp: https://amzn.to/404dqz4
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s Episode 400 of Happier In Hollywood! Liz and Sarah are so grateful to all the listeners who are part of their dynamic podcast community! In honor of this milestone (and the state of Hollywood) Liz and Sarah are declaring a reset. They’re stepping into the future with all of the excitement and blind optimism they harnessed at the beginning of their career. Next, Liz and Sarah reveal their 2025 Team Theme — “Flower and Fly 2025.” Their symbol is a bee, and they both got rings to keep their theme top of mind. This week’s Hollywood Hack is earth friendly and fun: Facebook Marketplace. Finally Liz recommends Landman, starring Billy Bob Thornton, on Paramount+.
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s upcoming Substack at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
LINKS:
Facebook Marketplace:
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/
Landman trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxh49-bsIk
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Liz and Sarah are thrilled to announce that Happier In Hollywood has moved to Lemonada Media!
It’s 2025, and Liz and Sarah are VERY excited about their huge new undertaking — they’re going to have a Substack newsletter! They’ll be sharing Hollywood spotlights of the week, pro tips, HIH retreat and meet up info, and so much more. Sign up at happierinhollywood.com or send an email to happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com. In The Happiness Project Revisited, Sarah looks back at 2024 and shares what changes have come about because of her Happiness Project. One big development? She manifested an office in downtown Ojai! Next, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share a new metaphor they’re using when they break stories. This week’s Hollywood Hack will make next year’s gift giving season less stressful: Giftful. Finally, Sarah recommends one of her favorite Substacks: Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jess Craven.
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/
LINKS:
Lemonada Media:
To sign up for the HIH free newsletter, send an email to:
Happierinhollywood@substack.com
Giftful:
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jess Craven
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/about
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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“Is this just a dirge?” Liz and Sarah discuss how a question from mega-producer and friend of the pod David Hoberman about a show they were working on has stayed with them for years. Sometimes a single comment can put a filter on all future work — and that’s a good thing. In Take Two, they revisit the topic of authenticity. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share why it can be so helpful to color code scenes when they’re breaking an episode. This week’s Hollywood Hack is an app that helps organize thoughts and ideas: Muse. Finally, Liz recommends the reality show The Later Daters on Netflix.
Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s upcoming newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/?
LINKS:
David Hoberman IMDB:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387674/
HIH interview with David Hoberman:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/happier-in-hollywood/id1236845161?i=1000519248795
WritersRoom Pro:
https://www.writersroompro.com/
Muse App:
The Later Daters trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PutwAZwHIk8
Photo: Unsplash
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Liz and Sarah sit down with friend of the pod, Satellite Sister Liz Dolan, to talk about her new podcast Lizness School, which chronicles her fascinating year as a Fellow at Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute. What compelled her to move to Palo Alto for nine months? Which of the institute’s three pillars of purpose, wellness, and community is resonating most with her? This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from a listener who doesn’t like “to do” lists: Create a “want to do” list. Next, Liz had a Celebrity Sighting on her recent trip to New York — she saw Anthony Michael Hall. Finally Sarah has two recommendations: A Man on the Inside on Netflix and Bug MD Clothes Moth Boss Traps.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/?
LINKS:
Lizness School Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lizness-school/id1775855173
The Marriage Sabbatical: A Novel by Lian Dolan
Anthony Michael Hall:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001309/
A Man on the Inside - Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhsVj_4ONoA
BugMD Clothes Moth Boss Traps:
Photo: Ave Calvar For Unsplash+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inspired by the CIA (yes, really), Liz and Sarah talk about the notion of a “failure to be compelling.” From now on, they’re going to put every pitch through the Compelling Machine. In Take A Hike, they suggest organizing an Ask An Expert session in your field. It benefits the asker AND the expert. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share why a question they were asked at lunch with one of their favorite executives is a good conversation starter — “Who do you admire in your business?” This week’s Hollywood Hack is extremely practical: Memorize at least two phone numbers. Finally, Liz recommends watching The Day of the Jackal on Peacock.
LINKS:
The Day of the Jackal trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shsIx-ZVL0E
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
Photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In a Happier In Hollywood Bonus Book Club Episode, Liz and Sarah dive into their discussion of Richard Osman’s new book, We Solve Murders. Does it qualify as a “cozy mystery?” Which character did HIH listeners like the most? And do most of us talk to loved ones who are no longer with us like one of the main characters, Steve, does? Plus so much more.
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
LINKS:
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman:
The Marlow Murder Club: A Novel by Robert Thorogood:
The Quiche of Death: The 1st Agatha Raisin Mystery by M.C. Beaton:
The Charity Shop Detective Agency series by Peter Boland:
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (A Vera Wong Novel) by Jesse Q. Sutanto:
Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Liz and Sarah got notes on their latest pilot script — and they were knocked on their asses! But they’ve regrouped and are moving forward with a new structure. In Take A Hike, they talk about their new habit of hunting for disproportionate joy. Sarah never knew that a fresh journal could make her so elated! Next, in Take Two, Sarah shares her thoughts on Amazon’s Three Pines TV series, based on the Louise Penny books. Liz shares a Holiday Hollywood Hack — get ready for your holiday tablescape early! Finally, Sarah recommends a cookbook for anyone who wants to cook gluten free: How Can It Be Gluten Free by America’s Test Kitchen.
Note: Go to the Happier In Hollywood Facebook Group for Liz and Sarah’s extensive Teens/Tweens Gift Guide. Thanks to listeners for such great ideas! Link below:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/903150719832696/permalink/3081705578643855/?
Elegant Red Plastic Dinner Plates:
Caspari Dinner Napkins:
Amazon.com: Caspari Entertaining Pepper Berry Dinner Napkins, Red, 20-Pack
Red Plastic Forks, Etc.:
Red Plastic Forks, 20ct | Party City
Red & White Taper Candles:
How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook
Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft
Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com
Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/
Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward Project podcasts—Happier with Gretchen Rubin, andSide Hustle School . If you liked this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and tell your friends!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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