kersti bryan directing her first short film, Egg Party

Actress Kersti Bryan Believes in Holding the Right Thoughts

Whether its starring in AMC’s Tales of the Walking Dead or releasing her new short film in which she wrote, produced and directed, Kersti Bryan has been very busy lately. Using real life as her muse, Kersti’s short film Egg Party was inspired by an egg-decorating party that she attended with her girlfriends all in their 30s where the conversations ranged from break-ups to aging to fertility. Already garnering multiple awards and praise on the film festival circuit, including the Cinequest Film, COVEN Film Festival and the New York Shorts International Film Festival, Kersti hopes her short film of vulnerability, grief and ultimately healing, can serve as a safe place for women to have difficult conversations. She is also a big believer in positive messaging. During the pandemic, while stuck in quarantine and unable to perform, Kersti and her friends pooled their artistic talents to create messages of hope for the frontline workers at New York hospitals who sacrificed so much for other people. Coined The Clear Day Project, the movement gained so much attention it was featured on CNN. Live Happy recently connected with Kersti to discuss the things that contribute to her own happiness, including creating change through art, being there for others and why grieving really is a function of healing. What Inspired the Characters Portrayed in Your Short Film Egg Party? Egg Party was "hatched" out of a real-life egg decorating party in Brooklyn. As a woman in my late 30s, I was going through a breakup and I was on my way to this party and realized I had written: "dying egg party" in my calendar—misspelled. Dying vs Dyeing. I was like: "Yikes! That's BLEAK!" At the party there were several female comedians that were lifelong friends and we were all talking so openly and hilariously about things I couldn't say out of my mouth: Sex, aging, fertility. It was amazing. At that same moment, a number of very close friends (that were not present at the party) were struggling with the very difficult experience of miscarriage. When I began co-writing with my pals Ashton Heyl and Claire Kennedy, we wanted to hold on to that hilarious dynamic. So many of these characters within Egg Party were inspired from those party attendees as well as other friends. IN YOUR OPINION, WHY IS GRIEVING SO IMPORTANT TO THE HEALING PROCESS? In my artistic practice, I am drawn to chiaroscuro paintings—the play of light and dark living side by side. That was our inspiration with the lighting throughout the little film and in the egg portraits that are so beautifully created by our production designer Christina Read. These women are dealing with grief and healing at the same moment. I believe grieving is so much part of joy. To understand one fully, you must understand the other. DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING ABOUT YOURSELF WHILE DIRECTING THIS SHORT MOVIE? Oh, my heavens, yes. This is my directorial debut, so I was in a “learning place.” I learned a great deal about communication and collaboration. I learned how to ask for help and also how to get out of the way! It’s helpful when you have such great talent around you. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CLEAR DAY PROJECT AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO TAKE ON THIS ENDEAVOR? In the early days of the pandemic, The Clear Day Project was an idea my pals Jordan Dean, Dan Amboyer and myself had in an effort to give back front line medical workers in NYC that were sacrificing so much. We each had a Rolodex of Broadway singers, dancers and artists that were just sitting at home because of the pandemic! So, we asked all our friends to share a small video of a song, message of comfort, piece of text or whatever they wished. Jordan, who has a complex heart condition, has a close connection to Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC because they saved his life. We partnered with the hospital to get these messages of hope directly to the staff at Mt. Sinai. We compiled and shared nearly 80 different videos of hope. You can check out some of these amazing messages on our website for a pick-me-up cleardayproject.org. WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS SO MUCH POWER IN POSITIVE MESSAGING? My grandmother Doris was a major believer in HTRT: “Hold the Right Thought.” Of course, there will always be difficult things we encounter in our days, but I believe what we focus on expands. Putting positive messages front and center and “holding the right thought” keeps those positive things growing. So, HTRT! HOW DOES YOUR CREATIVITY CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR HAPPINESS? It has taken me (and many of us!) a long time to manage our sensitivities to this world. My creative process has helped immensely to digest some of the big feelings and big experiences of my life. Writing poetry, music (I play the harp and piano), painting, acting. These are some of my tools to help me crash around and try to make sense of things. It’s the SHARING of those pieces with the world where the happiness comes. When someone watches and is changed—maybe feels not so alone. That makes me happy. I hope our short film Egg Party does that. WHAT IS THE KINDEST ACT SOMEONE HAS EVER DONE FOR YOU? Forgave me. HOW DO YOU MAKE OTHERS CLOSE TO YOU HAPPY? I love to stay in touch. One of my most precious gifts I ever received was an old-fashioned 1940s type-writer that is the weight of an anvil. So, I write notes of encouragement to my loved ones on it. The last few holidays for my niece and nephew, I created a couple of winter fairies that come during the holidays very early in the morning to leave special treats like buttons, sparkly string and notes for them under their tree. WHERE IS YOUR HAPPY PLACE? My happy place is sitting with my family in front of the wood burning stove with a cocoa at my Uncle Andy’s High Lonesome Hut in Fraser Valley, Colorado when the snow is falling.
Read More
Recording artist Jason Mraz performs in concert at NBC's 'Today Show'

Jason Mraz Says Yes

When Jason Mraz broke onto the national scene in 2002, he arrived without a disguise. Below the tilted trucker cap on top of his head and above the fuzzy bunny slippers on his feet was a confirmed optimist, upbeat and positive. Bouncing on his toes, he sang one of the earwormiest hits of the new century. “If you’ve gots the poison I’ve gots the remedy, the remedy is the experience,’’ he sang in “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).” Maybe we weren’t sure exactly what that meant, but we didn’t press the pause button to ponder; instead, we threw back our heads and joined Jason as he pronounced his cheerful credo “I won’t worry my life away.’’ Only after a while did we absorb that the song had a darker edge, that it was written in response to the news that his best friend from high school had been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer. For just a moment in the song, Jason shakes his fist at the heavens (“Who says you deserve this? And what kind of god would serve this?’’) Older, but never jaded But the singer is not the type to invest much in pointless anger or self-pity. The answer to the bad deals in life is to change your point of view, he says. Or, again from “The Remedy”: “You can turn off the sun, but I’m still gonna shine.’’ Almost a decade and a half later, the artist, now 38, is older, more mature, wiser. He bounces less, the bunny slippers have been retired, the trucker cap has been mostly traded in for a hipster’s pork pie, but otherwise, the person is not fundamentally different. Jason is no longer a coffee house ingénue, but says he remains convinced that life is what you make it, and the capacity to make it great resides within each of us. “I try to be happy,’’ he says, “but even if I’m not, I choose to have an optimistic outlook on life.’’ This outlook, this choice, infuses every element of his life, from his music to his interests to his feelings of responsibility as a member of the human race. “The future depends on how I set it up in the present,’’ he says . “I try to live optimistically to live out the best life I can.” I try to be happy,’’ he says, “but even if I’m not, I choose to have an optimistic outlook on life.’’ Jason says he is a great believer in the power of “saying ‘yes,’ ” in treating life’s opportunities with enthusiasm. “Yes is the key that unlocks potential,” he says. “It really is the key to creativity, and that creativity doesn’t happen if you say ‘no.’ If you’re in a theater and you’re improvising with someone, and you say ‘no,’ that’s the end of the scene!” Saying ‘yes’ is a concept so significant for Jason that he made Yes! the title of his fifth and most recent album, on which he collaborated with the all-female band Raining Jane. “The way I see it,” he says, “If Raining Jane hadn’t said ‘yes’ when I asked them to collaborate, this album would not have happened. If the label hadn’t said ‘yes,’ this album would not have happened. I see yes as the key that unlocks opportunity.” Jason's positive message Jason’s optimism is the hallmark of his brand, one of the most consistent there is in popular music. Such contemporaries as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran mix songs about love’s ecstasies and miseries in equal measure. That’s not Jason’s bag. “My albums are themed to be upbeat and inspiring,’’ he says. “I want to uplift, inspire, and make people dance.’’ One only has to look at hits like “Love Someone,” “You and I Both,” and the irresistibly catchy ”I’m Yours” (“my happy little hippie song,’’ he calls it) to see that this is an artist whose message, music and audience are perfectly in sync. These chart-busting tunes result from a disciplined gleaning process; Jason once estimated that to get the dozen songs that appear on an album, he will write 80. “The ones that don’t make it are either too cheesy or superdark and depressing,’’ he has said, “and I don’t want to subject the audience to either one.’’ From time to time, something melancholy slips through, but even then, as in a song like “I Won’t Give Up,” he manages to turn a song about a relationship that isn’t working into a testament to everlasting romantic devotion. “I’m inclined to sing songs that I need, that light my spirit,’’ he says. “In turn, that gives fans what they want.’’ Now always on the sunny side For Jason, music ameliorates whatever pains and disappointments he may encounter. “I wake up grumpy,” he admits in a surprising confession. But “I write many songs to fill the love I may not have experienced when I was a kid or the love I’m not experiencing now.’’ Divorced from wife Sheridan in 2004, Jason split with fiancee Tristan Prettyman, a singer, in 2011. “This world may seem unfair at times,’’ he says, “but we have the ability to dream, and that helps.’’ Among other things that Jason finds helpful is yoga. Like most everyone, reading the newspaper can get him pretty bummed. “It’s hard to stay completely positive when there is suffering in the world that all humans have to endure,’’ he says. “But I use music and mantras to transform my thoughts from the negative to the positive. If the world seems like a terrible place, I can transform my feelings by thinking or saying, ‘I won’t give up,’ ‘I won’t worry my life away’ and ‘I won’t hesitate no more.’ That is, I believe, what makes me a positive person. Through meditation and yoga, I can move energy through my body and ease any relentless thoughts I have, allowing me to focus and concentrate my attention where I need it to be.’’ Increasingly, that attention is directed to the broader world, how he fits into it, and how he can change it. Getting down to earth There’s no telling how many farmers aspire to be international pop stars—more than a handful, we’re guessing—but Jason is that rare international pop star who wishes he could spend more time in the dirt. “I love spending time at my farm,’’ he says, “but it can be a problem because I’m out on the land sometimes until midnight.’’ Jason owns a 5.5-acre farm north of San Diego, where the self-described “organic gardening geek’’ raises chickens, keeps bees, and grows corn, peppers, leafy greens and most especially avocados. He is serious about his crops, not only because in one recent year he sold 34,000 pounds of avocados to local Chipotle stores—also because they provide a large percentage of his vegetarian diet. (He began changing his diet in 2006, when he opened for The Rolling Stones at a few concerts. Until then a smoker and confirmed junk food devotee, Jason saw how the aging rockers took care of themselves, and adopted their program.) The urban farmer Jason is enthusiastic about his agrarian accomplishments. Writing recently on his website, he encouraged his visitors to become urban farmers, if possible. “It’s about making the most out of a small piece of land,’’ he wrote, heaping praise onto the educational website UrbanFarm.org. “It’s about declaring your yard, your courtyard or windowsill an actual farm. And then working with the seasons, the sunlight, and local resources like discarded materials and water runoff to bring it to life as conveniently and cheaply as possible. It’s the foundation for the idea ‘Think globally, act locally.’ ’’ Is it any surprise that Jason sells packets of seeds at his concerts? A big part of his positive message is expressed through activism and philanthropy. Some of his efforts take the form of broad, dramatic gestures, like the concerts against human trafficking that he played in the Philippines and Myanmar. Other efforts are local and specific. “On my last tour, I chose to make the venues smaller and play more nights in each market. We set up community-based events and awarded grants in a lot of those markets. More broadly, we partner with several organizations and focus on equality, the environment, and healthy living and eating.’’ What's next “I’m just ready for a break,’’ he has said, noting that the long tours make performing “feel like a corporate job sometimes.’’ At the same time, it’s hard to see how an artist whose music invigorates the spirit not only of his audience but his own as well could leave that behind. But whatever path Jason chooses, it’s all but certain to lead to something interesting and uplifting. “I love to write music and be in the studio,’’ he says, “but there is creativity in everything we do, and it should be nurtured.’’ (From the October 2015 issue of Live Happy magazine.)
Read More
You Can Lean on Amy Rutberg

You Can Lean on Amy Rutberg

Actress Amy Rutberg never forgets how she got her start in acting. At 9, her mother took her to an audition where she would meet the person who would change her life. The director of the play saw something in the extroverted Amy and helped cultivate the acting and life skills that she needed to live out her life’s passion. “I think about her often,” Amy says. “Her kindness in helping me really planted the seeds to the adult and actor I became.” Today, you’ll find Amy practicing her craft on hit television shows such as Marvel’s Daredevil and The Defenders, as well as NCIS: New Orleans. Because she credits her success from the kindness of others and she knows how tough show business can be, she says she never passes on an opportunity to help mentor a young person with advice and insight. “If you give someone the right advice at the right time, it can make a world of difference,” she says. Who taught you the most about happiness? The two most influential people in my life who have been my role models for happiness have been my mother and my husband. My mother’s happiness was so selfless. She made sure I was happy or my dad was happy. Seeing other people happy made her happy. While that is admirable, I wouldn’t say that it is necessarily applicable to my life. Maybe that’s just my generation, we need to find our happiness; we need to be fulfilled on our own. My husband really always has the best advice, whenever I am upset about something, he turns to me and says, “Amy, relax. Everything is as it should be.” There’s something about that, even when I want to resist it or think that it’s trite. He has a calming energy on me. How do you stay balanced? I’m also a mom. I have a 4-year-old. When I am not working, I try to spend as much time with her as possible. I’m no stranger to me time. I think my husband and I have kind of both made that a priority in our family. A mentally well-balanced person is the better family member and a better parent. What is the kindest act someone has ever done for you? My mother let me audition for this play and there was this director, her name was Anne Gesling. I was 9 years old and she put me in the show and gave me a role. She really took me under her wing and pushed me. She saw that I was a precocious kid and she saw that I had talent and this might be something I spend my life doing. She cultivated that, not by coddling me, but by empathetically pushing me. I came back to this woman time and time again for years throughout my childhood and she taught me the hard work and discipline of the business. She is still doing that for kids. How do you like to make others happy? I think that one of the most important things that you can do as a person for somebody else, is to listen to them. Everybody is going through something, whether it’s the little things like being upset about your kid’s soccer program. Maybe it’s something bigger. I think of my relationships with my husband, my family and my friends, and just being there, being present and just listening to someone is the greatest gift you can give them. What inspires you to be the best person you can be? I know this is a cliché, but it’s my kid. People always talk about the wonderful things and the negative things about being a parent, but I don’t think I appreciated the tremendous moral and ethical responsibility to being a role model for someone. I mean, I am her whole world, granted she is only 4. She learns from everything I do and say and that is a massive responsibility. I am very grateful that I get this opportunity and for all its difficulties, it is truly the most remarkable thing one can do in life. Everything that I do, I try to think how that plays in to how I want my daughter to become. What do you do to boost your mood? I always go back to Broadway musical because it reminds me of my childhood. When I am feeling down and I have a big decision to make, I put on the songs of my childhood, which are all Broadway musicals. I’ll put on Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar or something by Stephen Sondheim and that relaxes me. There is something comforting about those sounds and being a kid remembering what that was like. Where is your happy place? Any beach will do. I really am a beach person. My parents have a lake house in Lake Arrowhead, California, and going out there sitting in the boat on the lake is when I am most Zen and happy. Unfortunately, I only get there a couple times a year. My other place is Montauk, which is a beach community out here in New York that my family and I go to every year. We go to the same beach and playing with my kid on that beach is really when I feel the most present. I always leave that trip and say, “This is the most present I have been all year.” There is something amazing about building sandcastles to like really put you in the moment.
Read More
Actress Gianna Simone

Gianna Simone Fights the Good Fight

Fresh off the set of the 10-episode sitcom Hitting the Breaks and the 2017 film God Bless the Broken Road, model-turned-actress Gianna Simone says performing has always been in her heart. “As a child, I would build tents by myself and come out of them singing, dancing and taking on different characters,” she says. But the road hasn’t always been smooth for Gianna. As a child, she faced abuse and neglect that eventually led her into the foster care system. “Despite how hopeless it was at times, my experiences ultimately taught me lessons you can only learn from living through difficult times,” Gianna says. Flash forward to 2013: Gianna scored a role in Star Trek Into Darkness, and in 2016, she starred alongside Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston and Kate Hudson in the film Mother’s Day. “I represent the part of the human race that has turned negativity into positive change for myself and others,” Gianna says. One way she’s doing that is with the Gianna Simone Foundation, an organization aimed at improving foster children’s lives by providing them with joyful experiences, such as bringing them together with abused and neglected animals. She says the goal is to inspire trust and healing for both parties. People who have gone through hard times get refined from it,” Gianna says. “We may not see it while we’re going through it, but it gives us something in return we will be grateful for.” We recently caught up with the burgeoning humanitarian and rising star to find out what fills her heart with hope and positivity. LH: How do you live happy? GS: I wake up every day, and I am thankful—sometimes over a toothbrush. I am thankful to the extreme. If we’re not [thankful], we’re missing out on so much, including being happy and content. What is the kindest act someone has ever done for you? There was an angel who came into my life named Kathy DeMarco. She took me under her wing when I was in foster care and treated me as her own daughter. What are you passionate about? I’m passionate about God, my work and my foundation’s work protecting oppressed people and animals. What do you do to make today better than yesterday? I choose to do things that feed my soul, and the passionate feelings make me want to be the best I can be. What do you do to pay it forward? I try to give of myself every chance I get. From the time I started my career, I knew it was a blessing, and the money I make is a gift. So I’ve always tithed, even when I had very little and could hardly pay my rent. What do you do when you feel the odds are stacked against you? Pray, visualize, fight through it and get it done.
Read More
Actor Theo Rossi in a diner.

Theo Rossi Has a Lot on His Plate

Actor and producer Theo Rossi has turned altruism into an art form. Here’s a guy best known for his rich, haunting portrayal of Juan Carlos “Juice” Ortiz on the long-running FX series Sons of Anarchy (SOA)—an envelope-pusher to be sure—but strip away a few layers of the man and you find a bona fide catalyst of change. That’s because at his core, Theo is both a loyal family man and a philanthropic renegade backing a throng of humanitarian causes. It’s hard not to be inspired by his ties to health organizations, military causes or his Staten Island, New York, roots. “New York City is an incredible place to grow up,” Theo says. “You see a lot of everything. At a very young age, my family taught me to give of myself. If somebody needed something, I was always the first one there.” Raised predominantly by strong women—his mother, grandmother and older sister—he says his Uncle Kenny became a significant influence during his teen years in lieu of his distant father. “It wasn’t a big family,” Theo adds, however, “every one of them had one thing in common, which was: ‘Be the best you can to people and do as much as you can.’ And it was never about us. It was always about other people. “My family always reminded me of how short life is. That’s why I think I am trying to do so many things. Because it was always a constant reminder that we’re not here that long at all.” Philanthropist rising Clearly, Theo’s upbringing fueled some of his charitable passions, and his acting career led to even more. SOA debuted in 2008 and ran for seven seasons until 2014. “We premiered the same night that John McCain announced that Sarah Palin was going to be his running mate,” Theo muses. “Nobody watched the show. I thought, ‘OK, this will be on for one season.’ ” But it was during the show’s sophomore season when things shifted dramatically. Poet-activist and former SOA co-star Henry Rollins encouraged Theo to consider doing a USO tour. His initial response: “Wow!” And then…“What?” Theo is a big fan of the men and women of the U.S. armed forces, but he pointed out to Henry that “nobody knows about this show.” Henry just laughed and informed Theo that SOA was actually the No. 1 show in the military. “The next thing I know, me and three other cast members were on a plane heading to Iraq,” Theo says about that USO tour. Like a kid relaying escapades of a whirlwind adventure, he gushes that hanging out with the troops was completely life-changing. “They may have thought it was for them, but I got so hooked. From that moment on, I thought, no matter what, I am going to do whatever I can to support the military.” And that’s when Boot Campaign came knocking. Sole to soul The Texas-based charitable organization began as a photo project launched by four women and quickly grew into a more proactive way to show and promote patriotism. It funnels the retail sales of combat boots, merchandise, sponsored events, public donations and corporate sponsorships to support, among others, three key programs: Awareness, patriotism and assistance. The awareness program recruits ambassadors—like Theo—to educate the public about service members’ issues and triumphs. The patriotism program encourages people to wear combat boots—both as a fashion statement and symbol of support for the military and their families. And the assistance arm includes the ReBOOT campaign, where donations directly connect veterans with the help they need in dealing with PTSD, depression and other transitional issues they face after combat. “Boot Campaign wanted to shoot the entire cast in combat boots, and sometime afterward, we started forming all these ideas,” Theo says. “One of them was a Boot Ride every year with the guys from the show.” That outing offered fans a chance to spend a day riding motorcycles with SOA cast members, raising money for service members in the process. “We wanted to raise a ton of money and give it back to the men and women in the military because when they come home from their tours, that’s really when a whole other ‘fight’ begins,” Theo explains. “You have to get acclimated to your spouse again, and get jobs, and then there’s therapy involved. The suicide rate of our veterans is staggering. And what these people are doing—their families are moving constantly; these guys are going to Iraq and Afghanistan, not asking any questions. They’re just going and sacrificing themselves, leaving their families, their kids.” Since Theo’s initial involvement with Boot Campaign, he has visited most major military bases in the country. But that was just the beginning of his philanthropic leanings. Go get it life It never fails—you can always find a silver lining (or two) around every dark cloud. After Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in October of 2012 and practically leveled Staten Island—the stomping grounds of Theo’s youth—he was on hand, “pulling water out of basements and bringing people clothes.” What he really wanted to do was form a nonprofit to raise funds for hurricane victims, but that simply would take too long. Instead, he collaborated with Boot Campaign and, together, they launched Staten Strong. The enterprise galvanized a team of community first responders to deliver emergency care and financial resources to local residents. Through his efforts, Theo received an unexpected gift. At a Boot Campaign/Staten Strong event, he was reacquainted with Boot Campaign liaison Meghan McDermott. They had met before, but this time something clicked. The two began dating shortly thereafter. They were married in 2014 and now have an 18-month-old son, Kane Alexander. “It was one of those things where you are at the right place at the right time,” Theo says. With everything else going on—philanthropic outings and his acting work—he kept himself motivated by listening to the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tony Robbins. “I always need to listen to these great motivational speakers who put me in a better place,” he notes. “Because sometimes I find that social media is polluted with negativity. That’s why I started using the hashtag, #GoGetItLife.” It was simple enough. On his social media pages, he would write things like, “Just get up, run, go five miles! #GoGetItLife.” Theo thought he was doing it for himself, but after receiving so many responses to his #GoGetItLife tweets, he jumped at yet another opportunity to spread positivity. Wanting to do more, he rallied his creative team. The posse birthed a web platform, gogetitlife.com, which invites contributors to share personal life stories. It grew from there, and now includes a 5K race on Staten Island—Theo is an avid marathon runner—as well as an offshoot campaign series dubbed #RightToBeMe. The latter is geared to people born with intellectual or developmental disabilities having the same life experiences as those without the same medical conditions. “Everybody’s been through something,” Theo points out. “When people share their stories, they never know who it’s going to affect. The site has really morphed into a motivational hub where people can interact, and it houses different charities I’m trying to help out. “It just shows that, for minimal effort, you can put something together that can affect a lot of people.” He continues to create things to help encourage health and happiness. Early last year, he surprised even himself by establishing a bottled water company. Ounce Water was an idea that arose from Theo’s healthy habit of consuming enough water daily. He wanted others to have a healthy daily intake as well, so he met with doctors and advisers and managed to obtain water from, as he tells it, “an incredible aquifer in upstate New York, untouched by man—a 600-million-year-old spring. When they told me that, I thought they were lying. It just shows I should have paid more attention in school. I thought, ‘that’s old.’ I didn’t even know the Earth was around that long.” Lessons learned Theo studied acting at New York’s iconic Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and went on to make a memorable impression with stints on TV shows like Hawaii Five-O and Grey’s Anatomy before leaping off of SOA and into the Netflix hit show Luke Cage, where he’s generating buzz as villain Hernan “Shades” Alvarez. In 2016, his big-screen outings included When the Bough Breaks and Lowriders. Now 41, he says it’s his acting career that truly gives him the leverage to do everything else. Theo formed his production company, Dos Dudes Pictures, after he felt there was something missing on the cinematic landscape (read: depth). The first endeavor, Bad Hurt, was released in 2015, with Theo co-starring in the gripping family drama alongside Karen Allen and Michael Harney. Other projects are in the works. Now, having created such a vivid, creative kaleidoscope, one has to ask: What has he learned? Theo laughs. “You know, Paul Newman was a person I always tried to emulate a lot in my behavior when I was first starting out. Paul said, ‘I don’t find anything special or extraordinary about being philanthropic…it’s the other attitude that confuses me.’ “I’m like that,” he goes on. “I don’t think it’s that incredibly special that people give or do things for charity or nonprofit, and go out of their way to help people. I think that should be the norm. “But one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that it is not about you. It is about everyone else. I’ve always known that, but I have struggled with patience in my life. I had to learn. To me, life is a marathon, not a sprint. But you gotta be running. Run at a steady pace. Don’t gas out early. “Patience has made me better for the marathon of life.” Greg Archer is a multifaceted journalist and author whose work has appeared in The Huffington Post and O, The Oprah Magazine.
Read More
Dolly Parton playing guitar

The Joy of Being Dolly Parton

Whether she’s commanding one of the world’s most prestigious stages in concert or seated in a Nashville studio sharing anecdotes and insights during an interview, Dolly Parton’s larger-than-life persona makes any encounter feel somewhat magical. She sparkles from head to toe—and not just from the spotlights or the bling on her custom dresses and pantsuits—carrying with her a strong inner light from her early beginnings growing up in the mountains of Tennessee. Dolly credits her parents and her Appalachian upbringing for shaping her positive personality and teaching her resilience. “There is no doubt in my mind that it’s in my Smoky Mountain DNA,” Dolly says. “My mama and daddy were the strongest people I ever met. God, family and hard work weren’t just ideas at our house, they were what made our house. I carry those values in my heart every single day, and I think it’s the best gift my folks ever gave me.” She’s celebrated that legacy this holiday season with the autobiographical NBC movie Coat of Many Colors, named for one of her best-loved songs. “Of all the songs I’ve written, ‘Coat of Many Colors’ is my favorite, and the folks at NBC have done a fantastic job bringing it to life,” Dolly says of the movie, which aired Dec. 10. “I swear, it’s just like I remember it, and all the actors remind me so much of the real people they’re playing, it’s unreal. All about the music Ask her about her life today—her passions, heartaches and plans—and she points to her songs. “Everything there is to know about me is in my music,” says Dolly, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame who has won seven Grammys, seven Academy of Country Music honors and nine Country Music Association Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. “My ups, my downs, my good- and my not-so-good times are all there in the stories I write. Every song I sing reveals a little more about my heart and what guides me through this life. I hope that if folks find it important or helpful it is because it gives them a voice and a knowledge that other people have the same feelings that they have, and that they’re not alone.” Despite her famously happy demeanor, Dolly admits she does have her down times just like everyone else. “In my stage show, I joke around and say that I’m not always happy, that it’s Botox that makes me look that way,” she says with a laugh. But I’ll tell you the truth, being happy is not always easy. No one can be happy all the time. As a songwriter, I need to feel all kinds of different emotions so I can tell my stories through the music. At the end of day, I choose to be happy.” “Everyone’s lives have ups and downs,” she says. “If there is something different in me, it’s that I make a choice each day to work hard to face challenges head-on, and keep reaching for those dreams. You’d be surprised how many I actually catch.” Or maybe we wouldn’t be so surprised. Over her five-decade career, Dolly has added her spunk and grit to iconic films such as Nine to Five and Steel Magnolias, and written and performed some of the most memorable hits in country and pop music, including “Jolene,” “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” and “I Will Always Love You.” For three decades, her amusement park, Dollywood, has provided opportunities for residents of her East Tennessee hometown. Everyday Dolly Dolly began singing as a child, performing on local radio and TV shows in her area. She moved to Nashville the day after she graduated from high school to pursue a career in music. Shortly after her arrival, she met Carl Thomas Dean at a local laundromat. Next year on May 30, she and Carl will celebrate 50 years of marriage. “Carl is the funniest, sweetest, kindest, most romantic man I ever met,” Dolly says. “After 50 years, he still opens my car door for me every single time and treats me like a queen every second we are together. To me, he is happiness and joy.” Away from the spotlight, Dolly says she lives a pretty normal life and finds pleasure in the simple things. “I love to read. I love good books,” she says. “I love to cook. I love hanging out with my husband riding around in our little RV, because even though I get off the road after traveling thousands of miles I’ll say, ‘Get the camper. Let’s go somewhere.’ He’ll say, ‘Are you kidding? Ain’t you tired of riding?’ But no, I’m a gypsy." Dolly also enjoys spending time with family. Though she and Carl never had children of their own, she helped raise several of her siblings and is very close to her nieces and nephews who call her Aunt Granny. She can often be found babysitting the kids in her family. Christmastime is always joyous; there’s one tradition in particular that’s a favorite. “Cookie night!” Dolly says. “I love all holidays, but Christmas cookie night has been a family tradition for years. “I get all my nieces and nephews and their kids over, and we make all different kinds of decorated sugar cookies. I think more ingredients end up on the floor than in the cookies, but it’s all part of the fun. I usually find sprinkles in my hair until Valentine's Day." God, family and music When asked what gives her life the most meaning, Dolly replies, “Three things: God, family and music, in that order.” She’s always been very open about how her faith informs her life and brings her peace. “My faith is everything to me. I’m so thankful that I grew up like I did. My grandpa was a preacher and my mom was very spiritual. I’m not religious at all, but I’m very spiritual. I communicate with God in my own way....I don’t think you have to be in a church house. I think the church is in your heart, so I try to connect and stay close to God. It means everything to me." I can’t begin to imagine what life would be if I didn’t have faith, didn’t have something to believe in, something bigger than me, something greater than us. I want to be just connected to that and be a part of that and I believe in that with all my heart and that helps me a great deal.” Prayer is important to Dolly, even if it’s informal. “I just call on Him like he’s my best friend,” she says. “Every day I ask God to take all the wrong things and all the wrong people out of my life and bring all the right things and all the right people in and let me know the difference. I ask to shine and radiate with His love and light and be a blessing.” With all the things she’s accomplished, Dolly could easily just sit back and rest on her considerable laurels, but that’s just not in her nature. “I have never been one to live in the past,” she says. “I have new ideas and dreams every single day, and I can see them as if they were already happening. “I’m still working on my life’s story for Broadway. I still want a wig line and a cosmetic line. Lord, I can’t even list all the stuff I want to make happen. As far as home versus work, for me they are one and the same. I have been working on my dreams since I was 10 years old. I’m not sure I know how to ‘not’ work. I think my best and happiest days are still ahead of me. In fact, I know it.” Deborah Evans Price is a freelance writer based in Nashville, TN.
Read More
Young couple watching a movie in theater.

5 Must-Watch Movies for the Holidays

Movies inspire and entertain us. They bring us together and keep us laughing (or crying) on a dark winter's day when it's too cold to go out and play. One thing good movies can also do is show us character strengths—those virtues or qualities that define us as individuals. The VIA Institute on Character has defined 24 character strengths—such as bravery, humor and integrity—which all of us have but use to varying degrees. This holiday season, try watching movies with friends and family and then talk about what’s most meaningful to you, or debate the best virtues of each character. 1. Frozen Since this is now officially the most popular animated film of all time, you’ve likely seen Elsa’s efforts to handle her “frozen” powers and Anna’s journey to save Elsa. What most people seem to miss is the “power” of Anna’s character strengths. We all can learn from Anna’s bravery and perseverance as she goes off into the wilderness, faces down wolves, the bitter cold and the unknown to save her sister. Anna is driven by the strength of love, as well as other strengths like fairness, teamwork, zest and curiosity. 2. Groundhog Day This unique comedy portrays an ungrateful, mean-spirited weatherman who finds himself trapped, repeating the same day over and over. Like a bad dream, he’s caught in the same routines and daily irritations, with no ability to do anything about it. It’s not until he begins to live fully and engage his strengths that he awakens from his autopilot experience. Look for the character strengths of gratitude, love of learning, kindness and curiosity. 3. The Blind Side Leigh Anne Tuohy’s strengths of authenticity, bravery and persevering kindness are on full display as she helps a young man who has been cast aside by society. She uncovers his suppressed talents and hidden strengths, bringing him into her family and loving him like her own son. She creates an environment for him to flourish and helps him navigate educational systems that would otherwise have failed him. 4. It’s a Wonderful Life It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without this cherished classic, which film experts call the single “most inspiring movie” in film history. The popularity of this film and its hero, George Bailey, has to do with its four key messages: It’s never too late to improve yourself; be grateful for what you have; prioritize family/friends; and when in doubt, be kind to your neighbor. Look for those and for George’s many character strengths such as forgiveness, perseverance, hope and kindness. 5. Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) While not for the entire family, this French drama tells the unbelievable true story of Scottish, French and German soldiers who call a truce and cease-fire on Christmas Eve during World War I. When the soldiers step across enemy lines and share family photos and champagne, we are reminded of the human connection we all share. Our own strength of wisdom builds as we see there is a common humanity that transcends even the horrors of war. Look for the character strengths of kindness, teamwork, fairness and perspective/wisdom. Ryan Niemiec is the Education Director at the Via Institute on Character, and co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies and Movies and Mental Illness.
Read More
Jewel: Pieces of Her

Jewel: Pieces of Her

Jewel’s childhood was spent in the wilderness of Homer, Alaska. The singer/songwriter spent much of her teens traveling along the west coast, playing music to survive. Her career began to take shape in San Diego in the 1990s, while she was living in her van. Now, two decades later, the multi-platinum megastar has enjoyed years of well-earned success, the adoration of millions, and an amazing life story to share. This past fall, she released two of her most personal works yet: her back-to-her-roots album “Picking Up The Pieces” (featuring a can’t-miss duet with Live Happy cover girl Dolly Parton) and her long-awaited memoir, Never Broken. We spoke to Jewel about her ups, her downs, and how her life might inspire others to find their own smile. Live Happy: Was writing your book a way for you to set the record straight on many of the misconceptions about your life that have surfaced over the years? Jewel: I didn't do it so much to set the record straight. I've never really had a chip on my shoulder one way or another. … I did it really because I'm very, very aware of how much people hurt in the world and I think there are things we can do about it. I think people are waiting for permission from other people to live happy lives, and the only people we need permission from is ourselves. Live Happy: Obviously, your life is now somewhat of an open book, literally. Going back to the days when you were out struggling on your own, did you feel more guarded? Jewel: Shame lives in silence and it drowns you. The only antidote to shame is communication, and so I just started saying everything I was afraid of, that I thought was bad about myself. I started writing songs about it and singing in the coffee shops in San Diego, and a very bizarre thing happened. People didn't laugh at me or shun me. I felt peace and they felt peace. They felt the exact same way as I did. Really it was about the empowerment of being able to be honest about who and what you were with all of your flaws and allow yourself to be seen. If you're kidding yourself about what your fears and your shames are, you're not actually going to be able accept change in your life. I think that's a critical thing. I think people should share. I think people should have real debates about what's happened in their lives instead of being shamed and trying to hide it. Live Happy: How has the idea of happiness changed for you as you evolved from upstart artist to successful star? Jewel: I was just as aware when I was a kid that happiness is a learned skill, I think, and that some houses don't nurture happiness. When I moved out at fifteen, I started something called my happiness journal where I was going to figure out how to be happy, but it only makes you examine what happiness means because it's a very blanket statement. … For me I think a lot of times people think happiness is like a continent. They're like, "I found Europe, and I'm never leaving now that I found Europe." It's not like that. It's fleeting, and that's what makes it beautiful. There's nothing constant in our lives, and if you can't accept that you're going to be miserable because you have emotions in the same day that all switch between happiness and anxiety and fear and trepidation and courage. It's the mixed bag that makes us feel alive. I like that; I can handle that. I like noticing when I am happy just doing very simple things. In my book I talk about creating a home for happiness. You have to create an environment for happiness to live in your life. You can't have a disorganized, stressful environment in a home life and expect happiness to come. I really do talk a lot about building the foundation for happiness. Live Happy: When people read your book, will they be surprised by some of the events that made you happy? Jewel: The highest times in my life were always simultaneously the lowest times in my life, that’s a kind of strange thing about me. The heights of my fame were actually some difficult years personally. I think that will really surprise people reading about that. I think my lows, like being homeless, were the most fertile and educational times for me. I still really draw a lot from what I learned to turn my life around. I don't have any bad memories of it, and the main takeaway for me is just that the human spirit can endure a lot and you're not broken. Your soul isn't a teacup that breaks. You're intact, and it's really learning how to let go of the wounds and the damage that's happened to you, but it doesn't break you. It's more like an archaeological dig back to yourself. I really don't believe you're broken. I hope a lot of different survivors would read the book and agree. Gerry Strauss is a journalist specializing in entertainment and pop-culture features. He has interviewed everyone from actress Mayim Bialik to pro wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
Read More
Actress Lori Loughlin

Lori Loughlin Leads With Her Heart

Lori Loughlin’s wholesome on-screen persona is more than just a role she plays. A fan favorite on the ’90s hit sitcom Full House—still popular in reruns today—the wife and mom of three is just as comfortable making dinner and cleaning clutter from her closets as she is starring in her Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart and as a leading lady in television movies like Northpole 2. (Look for her on spinoff Fuller House on Netflix in 2016.) Happy at the core “I’m a happy person at my core, and I’ve always tried to surround myself with people who make me laugh,” Lori says. “My husband makes me smile, giggle and laugh out loud. As a result of seeing us laugh and genuinely enjoy each other, we’ve raised happy kids, who have what I hope is a positive and realistic outlook.” Lori says she’s been blessed with a happy, healthy family and a successful career. But that doesn’t mean every day is sunshine and roses. When things get rough or don’t go exactly the way she wants, she takes a timeout. “I tend to see a glass half-full. So I step back to take a deep breath and try to focus on all the positives in my life.” Her grandmother’s remedy also helps. “It sounds so cliché, but I really love to rely on my grandmother’s answer for everything: Have a nice cup of tea,” she says. “There’s nothing like taking 10 minutes to separate yourself from the noise and quiet your mind. Every woman deserves to give herself that break now and then.” Just keep talking To guide her kids, Lori has stepped into a familiar role. “I use the same technique as my mom. She just kept talking to us,” she says. “As a teen, I was completely annoyed and thought, ‘Yeah sure,’ when she would talk about the same things over and over, sometimes in different ways. Now as a parent I can see she was totally right to never let there be radio silence when it comes to the important issues as well as staying connected.” Even if her own kids roll their eyes or seem uninterested, Lori doesn’t stop talking. “I don’t talk at them; I talk to them. Even if I’m white noise, just like my mom occasionally was with me, at least I know even a little bit is getting through.” Since family is her No. 1 priority, the secret to her professional success is choosing projects her children and their friends can watch. “I certainly don’t judge anyone who makes a different decision, but for me, happiness at work has come from taking roles I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to have my kids or my parents see,” Lori says. “Staying true to my heart has been what’s comfortable and what fits for me.” Managing a full house Household must-have: Furry friends. “We have a golden retriever, Bianca. We used to have two but lost one last year to cancer. I love my furry girl so much, she brings me—the whole family—so much joy. I’ve always had dogs and don’t know how I would exist in a household without pets.” Toughest parenting challenge: Social media. “When I was a kid if someone passed a note that was derogatory, it could be destroyed. It’s not like that for kids today. It’s a hard lesson for kids to learn—and for parents to watch—that anything you text, tweet or post on the Internet is permanent, and those mistakes and messages last forever.” A full heart: “I don’t think any of us ever dreamed Full House would have such staying power and tremendously loyal fans. It’s fun to be walking down the street and have a 7-year-old come up to me and call me ‘Becky.’ There is a whole new generation of viewers, and I’m truly blessed to have been part of that show.” Read more: Balancing a Full House Gina Roberts-Grey is an award-winning writer based in upstate New York.
Read More
Stan Lee's Superhero Skills

If Stan Lee Could Have Any Superpower …

Comic book legend Stan Lee is a mastermind behind some of the greatest superheroes of all time, from Spider-Man to Iron Man to Ant Man. He teamed up with Disney in his latest project to create The Zodiac Legacy: Convergence, a series of illustrated novels for young readers. He says it’s a modern twist on a super-powered story, packed full of adventure. “I think what readers will enjoy most is being able to see themselves in the main character, Steven, as he explores his own past and future, and steps into his true, powerful self,” Stan says. He recently shared a few key insights on heroism with Live Happy. What are the key character strengths of a superhero? Courage, honesty and something interesting about the superhero to make people want to read about him and care about him. I also like superhero characters to be relatable to everyday people. Who are your favorite heroes of all time? My favorite heroes are Spider-Man, Lobo, Daredevil and Iron Man. And if I had to choose a fifth one, that would be me, of course! But really, I love heroes that I can relate to, and these characters have reflected different sides of me at different moments in my life—a small reflection of what it means to be human! Does everyone have the capacity to be a hero? Everyone has an inner superhero, because a hero is defined as an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure, despite facing overwhelming obstacles. If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Luck! Because if you’re lucky, then everything falls into place. Whatever you want to do, you accomplish. I don’t know why anybody has not made a superhero who’s just lucky. Luck would be the greatest power in the world.”
Read More