Happy Rebel Podcast

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...

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 ar...

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 ...

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 w...

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...

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 rev...

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 ...

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 ma...

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, Thread...

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 ...

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 ...