Explore every episode of the podcast Happy Rebel Podcast

Once upon a time, I kind of got into a little tiff with a friend who absolutely did not believe she needed to love herself in order to fully love another person. That was her hill. And I was like there are so many other hills. Why this one? 

Because our relationships with ourselves are so fucking complicated. And with a little work, we can uncomplicate them.

Do I love myself? Yes. Do I think I’m perfect, or close to it? Hell no! 

I think we need to understand what self-love is, what self-acceptance is, the importance of self-compassion, and learn to have a good relationship with ourselves because, look, we are stuck with ourselves all day, every day. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

I’ve said it before: When we start to get critical, we need to get curious. (Season 1, Episode 005.) Because there is a reason we have our backs up about something, whether it’s with ourselves or with others.

It’s really easy to be judgmental. It’s human. It’s also petty. I usually leave it as, “Well, that’s a choice,” and move on. Because I grew up with judgmental people. I was often judged. And, sure, that can cause you to become judgy. But you know what I’ve learned? Being judgy is boring AF. It adds nothing to the conversation. And if you have to tear down someone else to build yourself up, you need some serious introspection.

Which, BTW, is a good thing.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

I was going to title this episode “Care Less”, but I figured that would just piss off a bunch of people who didn’t need any more to be pissed off about. Because it’s not about not giving a shit, but understanding where our egos stir up distress when there really doesn’t need to be any. Caring less about things that don’t matter when we have so much going on that does.

Raise your hand if you ruminate over wrongs done to you and then concoct your perfect response to the wrongdoer. Go ahead. My hand is up. Because this is a very human response to an affront. We don’t like what was done to us and we don’t like how we handled it. And I would like to tell you that we are making a big deal out of shit that really doesn’t matter.

Let's talk about how we need to set boundaries with our ego and remind it who is really in charge. xo

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Let me ask you a few questions.

Do you use your turn signal? Do you return your shopping cart to the front of the store, not just near the doors, but where the shopping carts actually live? Do you participate in the “zipper merge”? Do you say “thank you” to people who are doing their job, even though “it’s their job”?

Be honest. It’s just you and me here. Because, if you don’t — and you’re not alone in that — you aren’t really participating in a productive, cooperative community, are you?

Because we are in a community. Both in the small and large sense. And we can make it better when we remember to contribute to it, hold up our end of the bargain. Especially when others around us aren’t. Let's talk about it.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

If you are an American, if you live in a capitalistic society, I'm going to hold your hand while I tell you this gently, with all the love in my heart: 

You are doing happiness wrong. 

You are. I mean, I could be wrong about that, but seeing how many un- or underhappy people there are in the world, I’m going to hedge my bets in that direction. 

In general, most people are doing happiness wrong. Why? Because we keep pursuing things outside of ourselves, thinking that they're going to make us happy, that they're going to change us. That one thing is going to change my life. That one person is going to change my life. Those shoes, that purse, those clothes, that house, that job, that money — they are gonna change my life. 

Just curious: Have you run across anything life-changing like that? That stuck?

Let's talk about it.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

You're not unhappy. You feel joy. You appreciate what you have, for the most part. You're happy. Kinda. You just know that you could be more happy. You're not unhappy, just underhappy. And it kind of sucks.

If you're underhappy, chances are you're still being led by hedonic happiness. The focus is still on the outside. People, places, material things. 

Somewhere along the line, hedonic happiness started leading the dance. Let's change that, shall we?

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

When it comes to being happy, or deepening our eudaimonic wellbeing, I’m going to stop being polite and start getting real…excited and aggressive about why this needs to be a f*cking priority. 

The shitshow continues. We are exhausted from all that’s happened in the last ten years, not to mention the last ten minutes. And, yet, we have so much to do and so far to go. How are we going to handle it all and make the changes we need to make? 

By changing ourselves.

Season 2 of Happy Rebel begins on Monday, April 6th. Listen wherever you prefer your podcasts…except Amazon. xo 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

One day, I’ll give you the full list of all the words I don’t like in the arena of self-development. We’ve covered Coach and Gratitude; now we can add Manifesting to it. Abundance, as well.
 
So many of these words have been warped by toxic positivity and co-opted by grifters that I just can’t. So, I don’t. Even though I do have certifications in Law of Attraction and Trauma-Informed Abundance. LOL. I know. There is good work within these fields, but it’s also a little groady.
 
I’m not so much about manifesting as I am about attracting. Being magnetic in life and just drawing good things to you. Abundance? I’d rather have plenty, a profusion, a plethora or copious amounts. It makes it more fun, right?
 
Part of being a happy rebel is creating the life you want, being the person you want and having what you want. Not in a toddler-having-a-tantrum way, but in living a truly satisfying life. Satisfying for you, not by anyone else’s definition. Happy Rebels are free to be ambitious, successful, or totally chill with what some would call a quiet life. Do you.
 
This is also part of creating the world we want. Showing everyone there’s plenty of room at the table and wondrous amounts for all to share. So don’t think I’m going all The Secret on you. I’m going beyond that. We are going to be attractive. Not manifesty. Attractive.
 
Are you ready to attract what you want? Let's get into it! 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

One thing that we in the Western world do not do enough of is meditate. I think meditation is just as misunderstood as happiness. And just as powerful.

But if you’re picturing mediation as sitting in lotus position with a clear and quiet mind for a ridiculous amount of time, let that vision go. Meditation comes in many forms and the bennies begin in as little as three minutes a day. With that in mind, are you ready to give it a try? Good. Let’s go.

PS: Here's the link to the Mayo Clinic article cited in the episode. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Pick a cult, any cult. There are so many to choose from. Some active. Some defunct. But what do they all have in common? It’s not just the grift or the coercive control. It’s that good people go to them to find happiness. So, if you think you’re too savvy to fall into a cult, you might be right. But, are you happy enough?

I take back the savvy thing. Many smart people enter groups thinking they’re doing something for the greater good of humanity, or themselves. And many people don’t realize they’re even in a coercive-control group until it’s too late. Because they’re keeping their eye on the prize. 

We stay cult-proof by cultivating our eudaimonic wellbeing. Let's explore that.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Now is probably the worst time to talk about being happy. But, really, it’s the best.

Once again I have to stress what happiness actually is and is not. Happiness is not being giddy, or blissfully ignorant and it’s absolutely not toxic positivity.

Actually, happiness is really calm, and certain, and present and centered. When I say it’s a superpower, I mean it. And when I say it’s punk as fuck, I mean that, too. It’s self-confidence and resilience. It’s being fully empowered. And don’t we want and need all of that right now?

Easier said than done, I know. And I do know. The first version of this brought me to my knees. How are you coping with this version? Let's talk about it.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

One of the more effed up things about being human is how our brain works. Or maybe the malfunctions. For example: The Negativity Bias. This is where our wee melons decide to give more weight to negative information and experiences than positive ones. Talk about tipping the scale. 

And, to a point, I get it. We needed to be hyperaware of danger back when we were dragging our knuckles. But we aren’t now. Yes, we are living in a truly cruel and dangerous time at the moment. Which is why we need to be super cognizant of the negativity bias so we don’t ignore the positive. And, gawd, there’s no way that word doesn’t sound toxic right now, so bear with me here.

Where do you land on the negativity bias spectrum? Are you quicker to get a hit from the doom and gloom, or are you able to let some good news in and balance the scales? Let's talk about it.

Here's that nifty link to that research article as promised. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1908369116

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

First, I lost my favorite body lotion. Next, it was my favorite xylitol chewing gum. Don’t even get me started on our rights, liberty and what’s left of our humanity.

We see things we love, need and desire slip away from us on the daily. Or, at least, that’s how it feels. And we can’t get stuck in a scarcity mindset because of that. A slippery slope. 

Instead of going down that slide, we have to notice how much we do have rather than what we don’t. Nope. That’s not toxic positivity. That’s realism. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Are you quick to judge? Sharp with an opinion? And I don’t mean just in general; I mean toward yourself. 

Oh. Didn’t see that one coming? 

Yep, we are going to dip our toes into our self-criticism and why being curious is much more productive.

Because being critical shuts the door. Curiosity, on the other hand, keeps it open.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Resistance comes in many forms, but the one I want to talk about is the one we do to ourselves. Which is the absurd version.

Why do we NOT do the things we know we need to do for our own betterment? It’s baffling, and something I’ve pondered for a while, because — HELLO! — I’m guilty of it, too. And here’s the nugget of it:

The reason we resist doing something that we know is good for us is not because we believe it will be hard or because we’re afraid to fail; it’s because we know it will work. And we will have to change. And how many of us really want that?

Let's get into the hows and whys of this other form of resistance, including the way our nervous system plays a role. And, as promised, here's the link mentioned in the post:

https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org/whatispolyvagaltheory

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Right up there with happiness, self-love is super misunderstood. What is your reaction to it? Did you get the ick? Does it make you want to put on Birkenstocks and touch grass? Or do you nod in acknowledgment that self-love is the shit and we should all be doing it?

I get it. Self-love is a bit on the woo end of things. It seems incongruous to being humble. Like you have a big-ass ego. That you think you’re perfect and your you-know-what doesn’t stink. Nope. It does. We know that. Light a match.

Let's talk about what self-love is and isn't, and why it can help change the world. Really. I'm serious. Let's go! xo

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Materialism or Consumerism. Doesn't matter what we call it, all it does is bring debt and dissatisfaction. Happiness doesn't come from things. Without giving you the ick, happiness comes from within. Deal with it. And start nurturing your eudaimonic wellbeing. 

Happily rebel against trends, against being told what you need, against being told you aren’t enough as you are. Let’s stop creating billionaires and start investing in ourselves instead. xo

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Let me back up to the beginning. How this all got started.

I was in a pretty bad mood from 2016 through 2022. Wonder why? And that meh mood lingered even after some of the dust settled. It was in late-December 2022 that I realized I couldn’t take feeling that miserable anymore. And what I was experiencing was internalized. I didn’t share it with the world. Much. But I knew that something had to change. That I had to change.

So I did what any smart, sane, self-caring woman would do. Call my therapist? LOL. Nah! I Googled “happiness”, and stumbled upon a course to be, of all things, a happiness coach.

My initial reaction was to laugh out loud, thinking, “Oh. My. Gawd. How absurd!” When I was done cackling, my second reaction was, “Oh my gawd. That’s exactly what I want to do.”

And, of course I started doing all this right when everything went wrong! As I've watched the last year unfold, I realized that fighting fire with fire doesn't work. Being angry doesn't work. Being sad doesn't work. (And, yes, there's a helluva lot to be angry and scared about.) What I believe will work (and no one will see coming) is a happiness rebellion. Because when we are truly, deeply, authentically happy, we are fully in our power. We just need to understand happiness a bit better to make that work. Change your life, change the world.

Are you ready to get happy and disrupty? Let's go! xo

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

This is the Happy Rebel Podcast. I’m Sandra Ann Miller, a.k.a. The Happyist, your certified guide to eudaimonic happiness. WTF is that? Stick around and find out. 

Let’s undo the anger and fear that got us here, and change the world by changing our lives. It’s possible. Probably probable. So why not give it a try since that whole fighting fire with fire thing hasn’t really worked.

We, as a culture, as a people, don’t fully understand happiness. We think it comes from outside of us. That it’s fleeting, something we have to earn or deserve. That we must pursue it. None of that is true. 

We also mistake happiness for toxic positivity, blissful ignorance or just ignoring what’s going on around us, saying, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine!” Nope. 

Happiness requires presence, intelligence and integrity. Which is why it may elude some people. But not you! You’re here for a reason. And that’s to understand happiness better and bring the real deal into your life.

Happiness is a super power. It is resistance, it is resilience, it is rebellion and punk AF. What it isn’t is difficult to have or keep…once you understand the hows and whys of it. Which are so basic, you will blush.

Fair warning: I am GenX, my first language is sarcasm, and I’m allergic to BS. And one of the things that makes me very happy is swearing. I’m good at it. You’ll get used to it.

The best thing about being a happy rebel is that you don’t have to give up things you love or become a different person. Nope. You will evolve, though, into the very true you. And that will start a ripple effect, inviting others to be happy rebels, too.

This podcast will come out in four, 10-episode seasons each year — winter, spring, summer and fall — starting on Monday, January 5th, 2026. Follow the pod on the show’s website, happyrebelpodcast.com, to be in the know of what’s going on and coming up. You can join us on Instagram, Threads and Facebook at HappyRebelPodcast and, if you can’t wait for January to be a happy rebel, swing by TheHappyist.Substack.com for a weekly dose.

And, if my voice sounds familiar, that might be from my first podcast, A Sassy Little Podcast. I’m still sassy, but there’s nothing little about being a rebel.

So, are you ready? Say YES! Let’s get happy and disrupty.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Hello. We are back for Season 3 of Happy Rebel, stepping into full summer, and I want to ask: 

How are you doing right now? 

Me? Well, I see the world. The hot garbage dumpster fire that it is. And I also see the light emerging at the end of this shitty tunnel. Do you see it, too?

I talk to a lot of people who just feel so effing overwhelmed. And, because of that overwhelm,  they have a hard time being present. There's just too much bad news coming at them all the time. How can we be present to that? Isn't it better to be distracted? 

Believe it or not, no.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

It's the last episode of Season 2! Let's get into it...

If you stop to think about it, as I did the other day, you might come to realize that a lot of our unhappiness comes from our need to control. And, sometimes, that need for control gets out of control.

When we think about our overspending, overeating, over-indulging, micro-managing, even our anxiety, it all stems from trying to control something — anything — when we feel things are out of our control. And what a nasty pattern that gets us stuck in.

Part of the problem, and the reason why we want to control so much, is that we don’t trust. We don’t trust others, the system or ourselves. We’ve lost faith. And it’s pretty heartbreaking when we think about it. But we can shift that. So, let’s talk about how.

(Happy Rebel will be back for Season 3 on July 6th! In the meantime, catch up on any missed eps or join me at The Happyist on Substack. Link below. xo)

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

Believe it or not, I’m a pretty polite person. “Please” and “thank you” are said on the reg. I’m sure I’m not alone. Right, ladies? 

Polite is one of the things that girls are encouraged to be, expected to be. Not sometimes, but always. Reprimanded if we’re not. Being polite becomes engrained to the point we are overly polite. Showing that kindness and respect when it isn’t necessary, earned or warranted. One of the ways we do that is by saying, “I’m sorry,” when we’re not at fault at all. And don’t we regret it right after we’ve said it? 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

Be a Happy Rebel VIP! Join our email group!

To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

We were sort of raised to believe that anything worth having comes at a cost. It’s hard to achieve. You’ve got to sacrifice, work all hours of the day and suffer for what you want in life. For a long time, I believed that. And, sometimes, those very limiting beliefs still creep in. But a lot of that — most of that — is bullshit. Much of it is manufactured to keep people in their places. It’s a nasty blend of patriarchy, capitalism and elitism that affects us all. And while some of that nastiness is dissolving, it’s fossilized in other areas. 

So let’s be disrupty by letting go of those limiting beliefs and start looking for the easier, saner, more enjoyable path.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

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To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

What are the reasons you aren’t happy right now, or happier if you do consider yourself to be a happy person? Is the list long or short? Does it involve things in your control or out of it?

I’m sure there are very many truly valid reasons you aren’t your happiest self right now. And I want to tell you that not only can you be happy right now, you should be. Because that is what will make a significant difference…in your life and others, and the world.

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

Be a Happy Rebel VIP! Join our email group!

To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

So, I spent my Thursday and Friday binge watching the second season of “Worst Ex Ever” on Netflix. Not hard to do; it’s only 4 episodes. The show is more than a little horrifying. And I have a deep appreciation for those who were brave enough to share their story. It’s going to help a lot of people. And here’s why.

Because, if you watch it, you will never not listen to your intuition when a blazingly red flag is raised. And you and I are going to talk about loving yourself more so you are double-triple sure you will never dismiss a flaming red flag ever again.

Link to "The Radical Act of Self-Love" podcast ep.

Link to "Self-Health" on Substack. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

Be a Happy Rebel VIP! Join our email group!

To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats

This is probably going to sound weird AF, but I don’t care. It works. So, stick with me.

A long time ago, I was told that otters won’t do anything that isn’t fun. I took that as gospel, after all, we were at a renowned aquarium, where ocean facts are spoken. And otters are delightful. Yes, there are certain things otters have to do, but they make it playful. They make it fun. From that point on, I decided to otterfy my life.

If we’re honest, there’s not a whole lot of fun in being an adult. Most everything is pressurized around time and money. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. It really doesn’t. We just need to learn how to make it fun. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Threads and Facebook @HappyRebelPodcast and go deeper into your eudaimonic wellbeing at The Happyist Substack.

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts and DM a screenshot of it to me on Instagram (@happyrebelpodcast) along with your preferred email address to receive a free month of The Happyist Substack plus a discount on a continuing subscription. (Please note, this is a manual process. The only AI I use is *actual* intelligence.)

Be a Happy Rebel VIP! Join our email group!

To work with me, or for further inquiries, please visit TheHappyist.me 

Ready to start your own podcast? Consider Buzzsprout as your host. They make it easy and affordable. Use my referral link for a $20 credit on any paid plan. 

©2025-2026 Happy Rebel LLC All Rights Reserved

Music: "Punk Attitude" by Flash Fluharty licensed via PremiumBeats