Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Latest Episodes:

More Happier: How to Build Your Own Anxiety Emergency Kit [Revisited] Oct 11, 2025

Show notes

Feeling anxious or overwhelmed? This Revisited episode shares our Emergency Kit—small, practical strategies to interrupt the spiral when everything feels like too much.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Podcast 240: Very Special Episode: Use the Emergency Kit for Anxiety, Worry, and Stress.

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. 555: Invest in Tools, an Orange Theory Hack & a Sobering Fact about Books Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

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.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Ep. 548 Put your money where your mouth is
Join Secrets of Adulthood on Substack
Elizabeth is reading: All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West (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

Little Happier: A Happiness Lesson from Author Kurt Vonnegut’s Uncle Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

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 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: The Joy of Giving Away Toys, the Pleasure of Parasocial Relationships & TV Tourism Oct 04, 2025

Show notes

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.

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. 554: Take the Trip, Get Something Valuable for Free, and Listeners Talk about Their “One Big Thing” Oct 01, 2025

Show notes

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.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Listen to the new podcast Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Use NewsBank, PressReader, or the Libby app to get access to digital newspapers
Elizabeth is reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton (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

Little Happier: Good Idea or Bad Idea? Do I Regret My Experience, or Not? I Can’t Decide. Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

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 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: Introducing “Since You Asked with Gretchen Rubin and Lori Gottlieb” Sep 27, 2025

Show notes

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 feed.

Resources & links related to this episode:

Since You Asked with Lori Gottlieb and Gretchen Rubin
Have a question or advice to share? Leave a voicemail or write to us at thesinceyouaskedpodcast.com.
Follow along with Gretchen (@gretchenrubin) and Lori (@lorigottlieb_author) on Instagram for the latest on the show.

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. 553: Ask for Clarification, an Easy Way to Unclutter & a “Use It Up” Epiphany Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

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 (Amazon, Bookshop)
Gretchen is reading: The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin (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

Little Happier: Andy Warhol, Woolworth’s, Air Conditioning, and Roasted Peanuts Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

More Happier: For Travel, Familiarity or Novelty? Plus a Flossing Hack & the Pleasure of Routine Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

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: