Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

More Happier: Rethinking Resolutions with Gretchen Rubin on NPR’s “Life Kit” [Revisited] Jan 03, 2026

Show notes

Just in time for January, I joined NPR’s “Life Kit” to talk about New Year’s resolutions, why they fail, and a more effective way to build better habits and make real progress in 2026.

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.

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Ep. 567: Do You Feel Unprepared for the New Year? Plus Roller-Derby Names Dec 31, 2025

Show notes

We talk about a thought-provoking, helpful exercise to help prepare for the upcoming year. We also share an easy hack for making parties more fun, reflections on #Read25in25, and re-visit a whimsical know-yourself-better question.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Home cotton-candy machine
Listen to episode 355
Simon Haisell's Footnotes and Tangents on Substack
Last chance to sign up for The Happiness Project Revisited course
Elizabeth is reading: Full Tilt by Janet Evanovich (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The Rim of Morning by William Sloane (Amazon, Bookshop)

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Little Happier: Warren Buffett Talks about Good Jockeys and Good Horses Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

With his characteristic skill, and with a powerful metaphor, Warren Buffett makes the point that even talented people won’t succeed if they’re working in very unfavorable conditions.

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Happier: Do You Need Help Taking a Good Photo? Or Making a Tough Decision? Dec 27, 2025

Show notes

We talk about a whimsical way to take better photographs, a useful question for making a hard decision, and the joy of field trips.

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 566: Do You Ever Think “This Is Not Good; I Could Do This Better?” Plus Accountability Hacks Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

We talk about why the realization “I could this this task better myself” can help us identify possible opportunities. We also talk about how to give a bad review in a nice way, and share imaginative accountability strategies.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Obituary for John Charles Craft
Take the "Four Tendencies" personality quiz
Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill
In Our Time podcast by the BBC
Elizabeth is reading: Full House by Janet Evanovich (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: Possession by A. S. Byatt (Amazon, Bookshop)

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Happier Holiday Reading: “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

As a gift to listeners, I read O. Henry’s classic "The Gift of the Magi"—a timeless reminder of what really matters most for our happiness during the holidays.

Resources & links related to this episode:

"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry (Amazon, Bookshop)
I read "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens (Amazon, Bookshop)
I read "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen (Amazon, Bookshop)

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Little Happier: A Few Extra Words from Winston Churchill Make a Big Difference Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

When we’re quoting someone who has articulated an important idea, it’s important to make sure that we’re quoting their entire point. Winston Churchill, Stewart Brand, and apocryphally, Harry Gordon Selfridge, are frequently only partially quoted.

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More Happier: Hacks to Avoid a Holiday Meltdown This Week [Revisited] Dec 20, 2025

Show notes

With the holiday crunch in full swing, here are three practical hacks that can make this week easier to manage.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Listen to Happier episode 96

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep. 565: Did We Get Everything Done on Our “25 for ’25” Lists? We Review & Reflect Dec 17, 2025

Show notes

As part of “Design Your Year,” each of us made a list of 25 things we wanted to accomplish in 2025; here, we report on what we got done—and what we didn’t.

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Little Happier: Why the Holy Man Didn’t Tell a Boy to Stop Eating Candy Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

A familiar story about Gandhi is apocryphal, but nevertheless illustrates one of my Secrets of Adulthood: If we’re trying to encourage or enforce a particular behavior, we should be willing to observe that behavior ourselves.

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices