My Ask the Doctor series was built around the idea that functional doctors have SO much incredible information about transforming our health, but the really great ones can be hard to find, tricky to get appointments with, and unfortunately quite expensive. On these episodes, I invite on the best doctors in the world and ask them all of my questions—and yours!—about a topic. We have Ask the Doctor episodes about hormones, weight loss myths, longevity, gut health, anxiety, skincare, and more, so definitely check those out!

I’m so excited to share what might be my most important Ask the Doctor yet—the Happiness edition. I was so so honored to welcome Dr. Rick Hanson, PhD to the podcast. Rick is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books have been published in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and his work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media.

On this episode, we talk about:

• If happiness is an ongoing, all-the-time state or something you dip in and out of
• Exactly where to start for overcoming negative elements of life, from being born into worse situations to health conditions to childhood trauma
• A super pragmatic practice to develop self-compassion and self-love based on the latest brain science
• How to change the neural pathways in your brain so that you feel good more of the time
• A 3-step plan for confronting people who hurt you
• How much of happiness is genetic, psychological, and physiological
• How inflammation impacts our happiness and what you can do it
• The best supplements for mental health
• How to know if you should be in therapy + the best tips for finding a good therapist
• How kids impacts your happiness
• How money impacts your happiness
• A super actionable exercise to figure out what to spend your time on to create the most happiness
• The number one piece of advice for being happier in a relationship
• The number one tip for being happier when you’re single and don’t want to be
• How to not let comparison rob you of your happiness
• How to help someone in your life who is having a hard time

Rick and I would love to hear your feedback, thoughts as you’re listening, any ways the episode has helped you, so definitely screenshot as you’re listening and tag us on Instagram—I’m @lizmoody and he’s @rickhansonphd.

PS: Have you snagged my Foodie preset pack? You can get all 8 presets, designed to make your food pics look as good as they taste, at lizmoody.com/presets.

PPS: Healthier Together is officially a number one best-seller! You can get your copy on Amazon or at lizmoody.com/cookbook.  Please keep sending me your creations on Instagram—they make me so happy!

This episode is sponsored by Nuzest, one of my favorite protein powders. It’s 98% digestible (a rarity in the protein powder space) and—get this—it actually tastes good. I recommend the Digestive Support Line—they have a Probiotic Vanilla and a Probiotic Cacao. You can use the code “HealthierTogether” for 20% off your order on Nuzest.us/healthiertogether.

This episode is sponsored by Organifi, the makers of my favorite caffeine-free energy drink, Red Juice. You can go to www.organifi.com/healthiertogether and use the code “healthiertogether” for 20% off your order.

Healthier Together cover art by Zack. Healthier Together music by Alex Ruimy.