Harvesting Happiness Podcasts

Latest Episodes:

Redefining Spiritual Practice for Skeptics and Seekers: Contemplating Ethics, Evolution and the Divine with Rabbi Wayne Dosick & Jan Phillips Dec 15, 2021

Show notes

According to Pew Research, about one-quarter of Americans identify as spiritual, but not religious. It is becoming apparent that communicating with the divine need not be done in a church or a place that identifies with one religion, as many have done in the past. As universal consciousness awakens, how will our relationship with God transform? Will we be able to embrace stillness and quiet moments to allow God, the Divine, Source, or the Universe to speak to us in a way that lights the way toward compassion and love? To seek out guidance on how we can redefine our spiritual practice, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two theologists who have contemplated ethics, evolution, and the divine. Rabbi Wayne Dosick is the host of Spirit Talk Live!, a visiting professor at the University of San Diego, and the author of many books including Radical Loving: One God, One World, and One People, which he discusses during the conversation. Jan Phillips is a speaker and award-winning author. She was excommunicated from the catholic church for her lifestyle choices. Jan recounts her life experiences as a former nun, an activist, a spiritual guide, and a writing coach in her memoir, Still on Fire: Field Notes from a Queer Mystic. She shares stories from the book and the spiritual journey of following her truth.

How to Find Hope in the High Stakes World of Medicine and Healthcare with Dr. Deane Waldman & David Weill Dec 08, 2021

Show notes

Navigating the bureaucracy of the US healthcare system for patients and their families can be a trauma over and above the adverse medical event. Over 100,000 Americans are waiting for an organ transplant and many of them may not have enough insurance coverage to cover the cost of the operation and the required post-op pharmaceuticals during recovery. To determine what can be done to repair our failing healthcare system and what it will take to have a nation of healthy people, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two medical doctors who wrote books about their respective fields of care. Dr. Deane Waldman is on a mission to cure the US healthcare system. He describes how the system is ill and the key takeaways from his book, Curing the Cancer in U. S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine. Dr. David Weill details the stories of the organ transplant process in his book, Exhale: Hope, Healing, and a Life in Transplant. He shares information about the donors, the recipients, and the vast network of people involved in the logistics of organ transplantation.

Winterize Your Health: Preventing and Managing Colds, COVID, and More with Aaron Hartman MD & Neil Schachter MD Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

‘Tis the season for spending most of the next few months indoors. Many of us will be breathing recycled air while we do our best to avoid COVID, prevent colds, and the flu. But, with the holidays approaching people will be out en masse. So, what can we do to decrease our chance of infection and keep ourselves and the people we care about healthy? To discover a remedy for a possible health crisis, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen asks doctors who promote preventative medicine to their patients. Dr. Aaron Hartman, founder of the Virginia Research Center and is board certified in Integrative and Functional Medicine, shares a plethora of foundational lifestyle basics and supplements to boost the immune system when it is needed the most. And, Dr. Neil Schacther, author of The Doctor’s Guide to Colds and Flu: How to Prevent Strep Throat, Pneumonia, and COVID at Any Age offers tips and tricks that help keep bodily systems running smoothly and help stave off infection.

Pragmatic Parenting: Managing Digital Delirium and Raising Sane Kids with Dr. Alex Packer & Neil Brown LCSW Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Parenting in the digital age is a journey none of our ancestors had to traverse. And, until now, there were very few guidebooks for parents who are negotiating this new territory. Questions such as — How involved should parents be in their young adults’ digital life? Can a child’s developmental journey be disrupted by excess social media usage? Or, Do well-known parenting rules of the past, such as modeling the behavior you want your child to exhibit, apply to technology? were only recently studied. To reveal the data, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen asks two educators to discuss their parental guidebooks and provide their expert insights on this newly charted subject matter. Award-winning author, Dr. Alex Packer describes the key takeaways from his newest book, Slaying Digital Dragons: Tips and tools for protecting your body, brain, psyche, and thumbs from the digital dark side. And, therapist Neil Brown LCSW shares actionable strategies from his work Ending the Parent-Teen Control Battle: Resolve the Power Struggle and Build Trust, Responsibility, and Respect

A Better Life Practice: Conscious Solutions to Tough Challenges with Leonard Perlmutter & Dr. Eric Maisel Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

Many of us are searching for a more simplified approach to life as we tackle everyday living during these complicated times. Some philosophies and religious traditions may seem antiquated when addressing modern conscious thought. To discover a better life practice to help us find conscious solutions and simplify life’s tough challenges, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who share their contemporary philosophies about how to transform life through consciousness. Leonard Perlmutter shares the practice of parenting our subconscious mind and details practices from his latest book, Your Conscience: The Key to Unlock Limitless Wisdom and Creativity and Solve All of Life's Challenges. Dr. Eric Maisel shares his transformational practices of identifying and creating life purpose choices to create a guide for living the life we desire from his book, Lighting the Way: How Kirism Answers Life’s Toughest Questions.

Philosophically Speaking: Morality and Things that Matter with Allen Buchanan PhD & Simon Critchley PhD Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

The last few years have been topsy-turvy as far as human moral evolution is concerned. The global pandemic and civil unrest in many countries around the world have given rise to more questions than answers. Society’s moral fabric was torn politically and at the same time mended philosophically as we came to understand our interdependence. In the US, we took to our tribes, during the worst and the best of times. To discover the positives and negatives of our going tribal and how we might gain a better understanding of our place in the world, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two Philosophy professors and authors. Allen Buchanan recounts key chapters from his book, Our Moral Fate: Evolution and the Escape from Tribalism and discusses the shaky ground on which democracy sits. Simon Critchley shares philosophical takeaways from his book, Bald: 35 Philosophical Short Cuts, and what he thinks humans gained and lost during the pandemic, philosophically speaking.

Walking the Path of Purpose and Presence with Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati & Peter Russell Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

We all have stories we acquire based on what happens to us as we live our lives. Some of us identify as mothers, fathers, artists, hustlers, hard-workers, and the list goes on. But, are those identities who we truly are? When we sit with ourselves in the present moment, is our identity our true essence, or simply an amalgamation of what happened to us in the past? To discern how we can perceive our true nature and commence on a spiritual journey, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors who have studied meditation and philosophy in India. Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati exchanged her Western culture for eastern philosophy. She discusses the transformational journey that came from shedding her identities and embracing forgiveness from her book, Hollywood to the Himalayas: A Journey of Healing and Transformation. Peter Russell reveals the lessons in his book, Letting Go of Nothing: Relax Your Mind and Discover the Wonder of Your True Nature and unpacks the mantra let it go and let it be.

Seeing Beyond Alzheimer's: Guidance for Patients and Caregivers with Andrew Budson MD & Patti Davis Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Becoming a caregiver for aging parents or someone you love can be a reversal of roles for you and the person you care for. Plus, if the person you care for has any form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, you will need to look at things differently. There will, most likely, be challenges and opportunities in relationships that may have never been addressed before. To gain a better understanding of the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual demands managing dementia can present, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two authors about their in-depth knowledge and personal experiences. Professor of Neurology, Andrew Budson discusses his latest book, Six Steps to Managing Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: A Guide for Families. His straightforward research and clinical information serves to keep those in the caregiver role healthy. He also shares basic strategies to help stave off memory loss and dementia for all of us. Patti Davis is the author of Floating in the Deep End: How Caregivers Can See Beyond Alzheimer’s. She shares a warm, personal account of caring for her formerly estranged father who lived with dementia long-term.

Wondery Presents: Uncommon Ground with Van Jones Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Are you concerned about the future? Tired of divisiveness? Join political commentator and changemaker Van Jones on a journey to find unifying solutions to our country’s biggest problems. Each week, Van and his guests explore topics that affect us all—from climate change to prison reform, from voting rights to political polarization. In Uncommon Ground with Van Jones, you’ll hear inspiring, hopeful and unique perspectives on what it takes to create meaningful change in a divided nation.

The Grown-Up Inner Work of Aging and Adulting with Dr. Connie Zweig & Ira Israel Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

Secure, loving relationships are the cornerstone of happiness. The deeper and more intimate our relationships the less we have to resent and regret as we age. Many consider becoming an adult to be a number we grow into, but our chronological age differs vastly from what it means to mature. To explore processes that assist us in overcoming our childhood triggers and unconscious shadows, Positive Psychology Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with two adults who examine what creates a purposeful life as we live and age. Dr. Connie Zweig is a retired therapist and Elder who explains the key processes from her book, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. Ira Israel is a Coach, Counselor, and Therapist who discusses what it means to be a successful adult and the goal of his book, How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You Are an Adult.