Everyday Better with Leah Smart

In the third episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with spiritual teacher and bestselling author Gabby Bernstein for a conversation about fear, faith, and why changing your mindset and the energy you bring to the world is how to real change. From navigating uncertainty with irrational hope to making small daily choices that shift your energy, this episode offers a practical path to creating a life that feels aligned, meaningful, and resilient, even when the world feels anything but.

Follow Gabby Bernstein on LinkedIn and find her books here. 

For more from Leah Smart while Everyday Better goes on hiatus, follow her on Substack,  LinkedIn and Instagram.

In the second episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with legendary designer, author, educator, and podcast host Debbie Millman to explore the power of the 10-year plan.

Originally taught to Debbie by her mentor Milton Glaser, this visioning exercise is about suspending limiting beliefs and imagining an ideal day ten years from now without worrying about how it will happen. Debbie shares how it shaped her career, creativity, and personal life, and why declaring hope can quietly set real change in motion.

This conversation invites you to think bigger, let go of outdated identities, and make room for who you’re becoming.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love this one where Leah walks through exactly how you can do this visioning exercise: The 10-Year Plan: A Roadmap to Designing Your Dream Life

Follow Debbie Millman on LinkedIn. 

For more from Leah Smart while Everyday Better goes on hiatus, follow her on Substack,  LinkedIn and Instagram.

In the first episode of our January series, The Year for Irrational Hope, Leah Smart sits down with bestselling author Bruce Feiler about lifequakes – the major transitions that upend our lives, whether we choose them or not. From career changes and relationships to loss, parenthood, and global uncertainty, Bruce explains why expecting a linear life creates so much stress, and why most of us are actually in transition far more often than we realize.

They explore the three equally nonlinear phases of change: the long goodbye, the messy middle, and the new beginning, and why hope isn’t blind optimism, but a learnable skill. Bruce also shares how rituals, the focus of his upcoming book, can help us reconnect and heal collectively during uncertain times. This conversation offers a clear reframe for anyone feeling lost, overwhelmed, or unsure how to move forward: you’re not broken, and you’re not alone.

Follow Bruce Feiler on LinkedIn and find his book “Life is in the Transitions” here. 

For more from Leah Smart while Everyday Better goes on hiatus, follow her on Substack,  LinkedIn and Instagram.

As we approach the new year, we’re bringing back one of our favorite episodes of Everyday Better, where Leah sits down with Katherine May, author of Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times.

Each winter, life slows down. It’s dark and cold, yet the season offers an opportunity for rest. 

In Wintering, Katherine shares the story of navigating a personal ‘winter’ – a challenging period of time during which she retreated into herself in order to cope with everything happening around her. Drawing on research about how Northern cultures weather their own harsh winters, Wintering is a balm for weary souls everywhere.

In this episode, Leah and Katherine discuss the art of slowing down and how to embrace the metaphorical seasons we all go through in life. 

Find Katherine’s book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times here.

Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn.

Follow Katherine May on Instagram.

In this episode, Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics and Jones Road, speaks openly about the challenges of building her businesses, and what it felt like when a major change turned her world upside down. She shares how she navigated the shock, the anger—and the unexpected freedom—of starting over.

She and Leah explore what it takes to navigate sudden change, trust your gut, and start over in a way that feels true. If you’re facing a “now what?” moment, this episode is for you.

Bobbi’s journey began as a young makeup artist breaking the rules, creating natural, authentic looks in an industry dominated by heavy trends. What started with testing lipsticks on nannies at the playground grew into a global brand she built from scratch and ultimately sold to Estée Lauder.

But after decades at the helm of her namesake brand, Bobbi suddenly found herself facing a moment she never planned for: her work contract was canceled. Suddenly, life went quiet. No overflowing calendar. No endless demands. No clear next step. Just… herself.

You can find her book ”Still Bobbi: A Master Class in Resilience and Reinvention” here.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also love this one: On the Clock: A Working Mothers’ Roundtable on Parenthood and Ambition.

Follow Leah Smart and Bobbi Brown on LinkedIn.