Everyday Better is your essential podcast for leveling up in personal development, life, and career success. Hosted by Leah Smart, an educator in self-improveme...
A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide to Buying the Perfect Holiday Gift
Scott Rick is a behavioral scientist and marketing professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He holds a PhD in Behavioral Decision Research from Carnegie Mellon, where he was a National Science Foundation graduate research fellow.
On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Scott joins Leah to explore the complicated role of money in relationships. He shares advice for couples who have different views on spending money, including strategies for those who hate spending and those who enjoy it too much. He also discusses the importance of gift-giving in relationships and how to use psychology to find the perfect gift this holiday season.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Scott Rick on LinkedIn.
To learn more about how money messes with relationships – and how you can keep it from messing with yours – check out Scott’s book Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships.
--------
44:36
The Anatomy of Friendship With Intimacy Expert Shasta Nelson
Shasta Nelson is a leading expert in healthy relationships and intimacy. For over 15 years, she’s been translating the science of human connection into actionable practices for enhancing belonging and well-being.
On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Shasta joins Leah to discuss the key components of healthy relationships. Shasta shares strategies for developing new friendships and nurturing existing ones, as well as advice for ending a friendship. She also draws on data about loneliness and happiness to explain why working on our relationships is the most important thing we can do to improve our overall health.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Shasta Nelson on LinkedIn.
To learn more about how to foster healthy relationships, check out Shasta’s book Frientimacy: How to Deepen Friendships for Lifelong Health and Happiness.
--------
33:01
How to Reset Your Inner Clock With Science Journalist Lynne Peeples
Lynne Peeples is a journalist and author of The Inner Clock: Living in Sync With Our Circadian Rhythms. She covers science, health and the environment and holds master’s degrees in biostatistics and science journalism.
On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Lynne joins Leah to discuss the science behind our circadian rhythms. Lynne explains why our inner clocks are out of sync and what that means for our physical and mental health. She also offers strategies for resetting our clocks, including limiting the hours during which we eat and following a consistent sleep/wake schedule.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Lynne Peeples on LinkedIn.
To learn more about circadian rhythms, check out Lynne’s book The Inner Clock.
--------
40:27
Second Acts: How Captain Carole Hopson Found Her ‘One True Thing’
Carole Hopson is a Boeing 737 captain for United Airlines and the author of ‘A Pair of Wings,’ a historical fiction novel about Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to get her pilot license. After a successful twenty-year career working for iconic brands like the National Football League, Foot Locker and L’Oréal, Carole quit her job to pursue her lifelong dream of flying planes.
On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Carole tells the story of how she turned that childhood dream into a second-act career. She shares wisdom on balancing your career alongside the responsibilities of being a parent, demonstrating why moms make for some of the best employees. She also discusses her novel and her next big dream: sending 100 Black women to flight school by 2035.
Follow Carole Hopson on LinkedIn.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
To learn more about the life of Bessie Coleman, check out Carole’s novel A Pair of Wings.
--------
47:01
How to Make the Most of Your 24 Hours With Researcher Cassie Holmes
Cassie Holmes is a Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Her first book Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most is a practical guide for how to think about and spend time in order to experience joy every day.
On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Cassie joins Leah to discuss her research on time and happiness. After dispelling the notion that more free time equals more happiness, Cassie offers tips for making the things you have to do every day – commuting, house chores, etc. – more enjoyable. She also explains the concept of ‘time crafting’ and why it’s so important to account for how we spend the hours in our days.
Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.
Follow Cassie Holmes on LinkedIn.
Everyday Better is your essential podcast for leveling up in personal development, life, and career success. Hosted by Leah Smart, an educator in self-improvement and positive psychology, this podcast offers transformative conversations with influential experts sharing real-life success stories, actionable insights, and research-backed tips.
Elevate your mindset, gain clarity, and unlock your potential as you journey toward becoming 'Everyday Better.' Whether you're at a crossroads or simply seeking more daily clarity, every episode leaves you inspired, empowered, and ready for more.
Find new episodes of Everyday Better, right here, every Tuesday.
USA