Update
It’s the sixth anniversary of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, and it’s also a big milestone for Happier in Hollywood podcast! They just hit episode 200.
Every year, we celebrate our anniversary with a round-up of our favorite moments, and this year was very different because of the pandemic.
We haven’t seen each other in more than a year—we’ve never been apart for so long. We couldn’t do any live shows, as we’d planned. However, we did do Instagram Live shows for months—which we loved to do.
Favorite episodes related to COVID-19
Bonus: Coping During COVID-19—How to Stay Happier and Calmer in Difficult Times.
Episode 269 – “Choose a COVID-19 mantra.” I chose “Put Down the Clipboard” and Elizabeth chose “Closer, Stronger, Lighter.” In episode 274, we did a deep dive into listeners’ mantras.
Episode 303 – “Find a ritual to ‘Exorcise 2020.’”
Our favorite Try This at Home ideas
We love all discussions related to the yearly lists. In episode 304, we disclosed how we did on our “20 for 20” lists; in episode 307, we revealed our “21 for 21” lists. In episode 309, we did a deep dive into listeners’ ideas—fascinating.
We also love any discussion of the one-word theme. In episode 254, we talked about our choices: Open (Gretchen) and Butterfly (Elizabeth).
#Walk20in20 was such a success that in episode 305, we unveiled the challenge for 2021: #Read21in21. This is a delightful challenge, and listeners—and Elizabeth and I—are loving it. In episode 310, we did a Very Special Episode dedicated to hacks for reading more.
We loved the discussion in episode 292, to “Create a hidden delight,” and the deep dive into listeners’ hidden delights in episode 296.
Episode 296 was a great discussion of why it’s helpful to have a personal policy, and we did a round-up of listeners’ personal policies in episode 301.
Elizabeth has really enjoyed the Try That at Home from episode 281 – “Start a social issues book club.”
Episode 277 –”Empower Hour,” a great twist on “Power Hour.”
Happiness Hacks
Fun with cornstarch! Episode 276.
A listener mentioned the Skylight Frame as a tool to create a feeling of connection when we can’t meet in person, and several people wrote to say how much they liked this frame.
Favorite moments
We won a Webby Award, which is a big honor.
I loved recording the audio book of A Christmas Carol.
We heard from a lot of people about the interview with Ron Lieber in episode 311 about his book The Price You Pay for College (Amazon, Bookshop).
In general, it was a year heavy on whimsy—we all needed some whimsy!
Top six episodes of 2020
- Episode 265 – Why you should give a “Sensorium Gift,” and a deep dive into suggestions for #Walk20in20.
- Episode 263 – Ask yourself, “What’s my guiding question?” Plus, a twist on #20for2020.
- Bonus Episode – We discuss strategies for coping during the early days of COVID-19.
- Episode 264 – Why you should keep a stress diary, and Jordan Harbinger explains how to network better.
- Episode 266 – Beware the myths of spring cleaning and decluttering!
- Episode 269 – Choose a COVID-19 mantra, and a fun way to celebrate virtually.
We still want to hear from listeners about your favorite moments. We’re planning a Very Special Episode, so please send in your suggestions!
Gretchen and Elizabeth’s Gold Star
We want to give a big gold star to all you listeners for listening, especially for those who have taken the time to rate, review, and subscribe. Thank you!
Be sure to listen to the very end of the episode, because we have a funny “button” created by Chuck, a very small selection of the many “ums,” “ahs,” “okays,” “yeahs,” and “you knows” he has trimmed out over the year.