Billboard Happiness

Are you sick of getting one-word answers from your kids? You know: "How was school?!" "Fine." Jerome & Laura share a strategy from renowned therapist Terry Real that gets you out of the loop and get you and your kids really connected and talking to each other. Come have a listen!Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or send us a voice text and we’ll use it on the podcast! 4...

Jerome & Laura are LOVING this essential book about addiction—to substances, screens, and everything else—and how to reset our brains to handle modern life. Dr. Lembke is a Stanford professor, psychiatrist, and Program Director of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Come have a listen!Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or send us a voice text and we’ll use it on the po...

The title of the book we're discussing this week is provocative—The Courage to Be Disliked—and that's one reason we picked it. It's intrigued many others, too: it's sold more than 3.5 million copies. Jerome and Laura talk about some of the essential pieces of advice in this fascinating book that's based on the theories of Alfred Adler, one of the three giants of nineteenth-century psychology alongside Freud and Jung. Come have a listen!Have a question about raising your kid or something you w...

Martha Beck is the OG of life coaches and is one of Oprah's favorite gurus. Her latest book takes on a core belief: Much of what plagues us--people pleasing, staying in stale relationships, negative habits--all point to what happens when we are out of touch with what truly makes us feel whole.She uses Dante's classic hero's journey, The Divine Comedy, along with powerful stories from her own life, as the framework to teach us how to find our own way back to integrity. Laura and Jerome find a ...

Today we're celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the OG self-help book, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Jerome and Laura talk about how Goleman's groundbreaking idea—that EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) is more important than IQ to a person's success—has changed how we raise our kids and how we can teach kids to be the person other people want to be with versus cracking the whip about getting all As. Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about o...

So there are a million books out there about habits: how to develop good ones or get rid of bad ones. Jen Sincero adds her voice to the chorus with this good synthesis—and practical advice—on how to be better at habits. We hone in on one piece that Jerome is a master of: habits and identity. And then we talk, of course, about what we can teach our kids about that.Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send us an email (hello@billbo...

Is there anything in life that is more anxiety-provoking than when someone says they've got some "helpful" criticism for you? Or is that just me? (Laura here, naming and owning her fear!). But here's the thing: criticism is part of life. And if we can help our kids figure out early how to roll with (and learn from) criticism, what a game changer that would be, right? Today we're talking about how exactly to do that, using some advice we heard from Tom Bilyeu, founder of Impact Theory. Come ha...

Happy new year! We're kicking things off with a lesson from the new book, Keep Sharp by Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN fame. Dr. Gupta's a neurosurgeon (and the nation's pandemic guru) whose book gives you the tools you need to keep your brain healthy as you age. We pull out a piece of advice that's REALLY great for kids, too. Come on in and listen!Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or s...

As we wrap up a phenomenally hard year, we're thrilled to end on a high note by talking about Elizabeth Gilbert's delightful book about creativity: Big Magic. There's so much to love about this book and Elizabeth's fearless advice about how to live a creative life. And in this era, it's a good reminder that it's better to create than consume. Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send us an email (hello@billboardhappin...

It's Thanksgiving Week and we're super grateful to share this great book with you: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by twin sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD and Amelia Nagoski, DMA. As is the case with every book we dig into, there is a ton of great advice in here that your kids could use, and we're focusing on one of our big themes of the year and the season: gratitude. Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness?Send u...

Jerome & Laura talk about Alain de Botton's classic 2005 book "Status Anxiety" to figure out how we can talk to our kids about what's really important in life and how to avoid the dreaded "comparison trap" that inevitably makes us feel yucky.RESOURCESStatus Anxiety by Alain De Botton

Jerome & Laura talk about Sebene Selassie's fantastic new book, "You Belong: A Call for Connection." In addition to its essential lesson—the importance of connection—they reflect on a story Sebene tells about her first meditation retreat and the wise advice her teacher gave her: "Without the cheese, there is no freedom." Listen in to find out exactly what that means—and why it's an important lesson for kids (esp. middle and high schoolers!).RESOURCESYou Belong: A Call for Connection by Se...

Jerome & Laura get deep today on probably the most essential of wisdoms you can pass on to your kid: How to love yourself. They discuss this simple (yet profound) advice that comes from Kamal Ravikant in his book "Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It." Jerome, the self-compassion guru of our duo, talks about how he made loving himself a top priority when Donald Trump was elected, aided by his self-compassion guru, Dr. Kristin Neff. We think in this time of fear, division, and grief ...

Jerome & Laura talk about the fun and surprisingly resonant book, Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies by Tara Schuster. Tara's an executive at Comedy Central (Daily Show, Key & Peele) so you'd expect her book to be funny. But it's also jam packed with great advice she learned along the path of reinventing herself after a rock-bottom moment in her mid-20s. We pull out one nugget of the many gems in this book and it's a great one to share with kids—the earlier the better!RESOURCESBuy Yourse...

We've got a special treat today: Billboard Happiness' first interview with a book author! In this case, it's authors (plural) because we got to talk to Dr. William Stixrud and Ned Johnson, the co-authors of one of Laura's HALL-OF-FAME parenting books: The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives. As the renowned child psychologist, Dr. Madeline Levine, says about the book: "It is not an overstatement to say that this is one of the most radical...

Jerome & Laura recorded this episode on March 29, 2020, as COVID-19 continues to spread rampantly across the country, changing our lives now—and potentially for years to come. To help your kids navigate the worry (often unspoken) of this unprecedented era, we take a look at one of Laura's favorite self-help books of all time, The Tools by psychiatrist Phil Stutz and psychotherapist Barry Michels. The specific Tool we explore is called Grateful Flow, which takes the gratitude practice we'v...

This week, Laura & Jerome talk about Mitch Prinstein's book, Popular: Why being liked is the secret to greater success and happiness. This episode hits really close to home for Laura, because as every parent of a middle schooler knows that this is the time when kids really start "keeping score." And of course with social media, keeping score is real (and doesn't even need the quotation marks!). Prinstein's basic premise is that kids (and people) should strive for likeability, not populari...

This week we bow down to the genius that is Brené Brown, giving you a nugget from her first book, The Gifts of Imperfection. As is the case with every book we dig into, there is a ton of great advice in here that your kids could use, and we're focusing on the big theme: find greater peace and happiness through embracing your (and the world's) imperfections. This is especially important for the tween/teen group who spends half their day on Instgram/whatever comparing themselves to their friend...

This week, we have a mini-episode that's also a meta-episode. We talk about Tim Ferriss's billboard message he'd want everyone to see—and translate that into kid-speak. Laura's husband Rob makes an appearance—and there's even some bonus advice for grownups about managing work and home. A bit of a rough edit on the ending (but the bonus content is worth it!).Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness? Send us an email (hello@billbo...

This week, Jerome and Laura talk about a new book from Marie Forleo (100% GREATEST OF ALL TIME), Everything is Figureoutable. There are so many good nuggets, we had a hard time picking one (and spoiler alert: we didn't quite pick one). Come hear some real-world advice from the master of motivation (and business and hip hop and amazing hair)!Have a question about raising your kid or something you want us to chat about on Billboard Happiness? Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or l...

This week, Jerome and Laura talk about one of their FAVORITE BOOKS: Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach. Tara's a master teacher: the perfect mix of woo-woo and practical, and this most essential book is her at her best. Come listen!Have a health or happiness topic you’d like us to chat about on Billboard Happiness? Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or leave us a voice message and we’ll use it on the podcast! 510-269-1944

This week, Jerome and Laura do a mini-episode while together in Park City, Utah to talk about some great life advice Laura got from her Lyft driver on the way to the airport. Have a health or happiness topic you’d like us to chat about on Billboard Happiness? Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or leave us a voice message and we’ll use it on the podcast! 510-269-1944

This week, Jerome and Laura talk about the core lesson of Karen Rinaldi's great new-ish book, (It's Great To) Suck at Something. The book is part memoir, part life manual and all fantastic. Laura found this book especially relevant for her family of perfectionists; Jerome has some great insights into the the nugget from a gender perspective. Come listen!Have a health or happiness topic you’d like us to chat about on Billboard Happiness? Send us an email (hello@billboardhappiness.com) or leave...

This week, Jerome and Laura dive into Lori Gottlieb's new book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. The book is a gem and you'll learn a lot about what really goes on in therapy, from both the side of a therapist as well as from the side of a therapist going to therapy herself. We could have pulled a million nuggets to share with your kids from this book; tough to settle on just one, but we did it! We both highly recommend this book: come for the insights, stay for the fun. Oh and guess what?! ...

This week, we discuss a nugget from the book "Thoughts without a Thinker" by Mark Epstein, MD. Mark is a Jewish-Buddhist-Psychiatrist who goes pretty deep in this book on the nature of happiness. Like all the books we deconstruct-and-reconstruct-for-kids in this podcast, there are a ton of insights in this book, but the nugget we focus on in this episode is: It’s not what happens in our life; it is our perception or our thoughts about what happens. We can choose how to relate to our emot...

This week, we discuss a nugget from the book "Dark Horse" by Todd Rose & Ogi Ogas. The authors studied hundreds of people who are super-successful in their field, but came to that success via very unconventional and circuitous routes. The book's basic premise is this: "Pursuing excellence doesn’t lead you to fulfillment, it’s the pursuit of fulfillment that leads you to excellence." There's lots of great stuff in this book, but the nugget we honed in on is what the authors call "micro-mot...

This week, Jerome and Laura discuss just one of the many awesome lessons/practices from the brilliant book The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. The practice we discuss is called "Give an A." See a short video of Benjamin Zander talking about this practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1ANV5BQnJAGet the book (a must!): https://www.amazon.com/Art-Possibility-Transforming-Professional-Personal/dp/0875847706/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=art+of+possibility&qid=1...

This week, we tackle a question sent in by our listener and friend, Julie: "What do I do when my kid says, 'I'm bored!' I'm tired of being the cruise director of his downtime!" Whoa, did this one hit home! We discuss a recent New York Times article on the subject, one that mentions one of Laura's favorite books in recent years. Plus, of course, Dr. Jerome has AWESOME advice on the topic.In this episode:"Let Children Get Bored Again" by Pamela Paul in The New York TimesWhere'd You Go, Bernadet...

This week you get two nuggets for the price of one! Our first nugget is a twist on the famous Mr. Rogers quote: Always look for helpers.Laura wanted to turn that around for her daughter: Always look for ways to help. A mindset of service is a great thing to develop in a child (with the usual caveat from Jerome, of course!).Our second nugget is the 5-Second Rule from Mel Robbins. She does a great TED talk on it (see link below) and it's a great nugget for kids: if you have a thought you want t...

This week, we talk about a nugget learned from Steph Curry and Sonia Ricotti. The grown-up version is: Be a victor, not a victim. The kid-ified (and Jerome-ified) version is: Write your own story, boo. The lesson for kids is no one gets to define you or what you want to do in life. You are the author of your own story. We also do a follow up on last week's nugget, "Being curious is better than being smart."Podcast references: Steph Curry article: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/a...

This week Jerome and Laura talk about a wisdom nugget for your kids from James Clear's book, Atomic Habits. We also report on Laura's progress on instituting a gratitude practice with her daughter. Also start to ponder the idea of teaching kids about getting out of the "victim" mentality, which we'll explore in a future episode.Books we discuss or mention:James Clear, Atomic HabitsGretchen Rubin, Better than BeforeCharles Duhigg, The Power of HabitMarci Shimoff, Happy for No Reason

Welcome to Billboard Happiness! We're Dr. Jerome Burt and Laura Scholes, and we're here to take the best advice on happiness and health from the smartest people and turn that advice into little nuggets of wisdom your kid will listen to and hopefully learn from! Jerome's a clinical psychologist in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee. Laura Scholes is a copywriter and brand consultant in Oakland, California. Jerome and Laura have been best friends since high school, and now that Laura has ...

This week, we give you some great nuggets to use with your kid:•Dr. Andrew Weil's 4-7-8 breathing method•Some talk about Sonja Lyubomirsky's book "The How of Happiness"•Starting a gratitude practice with your kidAnd more!!!