In part two of our conversation with psychotherapist and Enneagram expert Bea Chestnut, we explore how the Enneagram can be used at work. As an Enneagram coach, Bea has more than two decades of experience helping organizations strengthen their teams and workplace cultures. With attention to each Enneagram type’s particular strengths and blind spots, Bea describes how each of the nine types shows up at work as a colleague and as a leader. She also explains how the Enneagram can be used to help us develop our communication, collaboration, and leadership skills, and gain a deeper understanding of the people we work with.  Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Bea Chestnut on LinkedIn. For more on the enneagram at work, check out Bea’s book The 9 Types of Leadership: Mastering the Art of People in the 21st Century Workplace And, don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Bea Chestnut is a psychotherapist, consultant and globally-recognized expert on the enneagram, a personality typing system based on ancient spiritual traditions. For the past 27 years, Bea has studied, written about and taught the enneagram in both therapeutic and business settings. She uses it as a map for guiding her clients towards a deeper understanding of themselves and others. On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Bea and Leah dive deep into the enneagram – what it is, where it comes from and how it can be used to raise your level of awareness. Bea describes each of the nine enneagram types, including each type’s growth path for reaching a higher level of consciousness. She also shares how she discovered the enneagram and explains why she thinks it’s one of the most powerful personal development tools in the world. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Bea Chestnut on LinkedIn. For more on the enneagram, check out Bea’s book The Enneagram Guide to Waking Up: Find Your Path, Face Your Shadow, Discover Your True Self. And, don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Erin Cech is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan and the author of The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality. She studies societal inequality and cultural forces which reproduce inequality.  On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Erin and Leah discuss what can happen when we turn our passion into a career. While many people believe this is the key to that feeling of never working a day in your life, the “passion principle,” as Erin calls it, doesn’t necessarily pave the way to personal fulfillment or financial stability. Instead, she argues, this advice can perpetuate socioeconomic inequality and unfair working conditions. She poses a question everyone should ask themselves when considering their career: what kind of relationship do you want to paid employment?  Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Erin Cech on LinkedIn. For more on the passion principle and its pitfalls, check out Erin’s book The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality. And don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Ali Abdaal is an author, YouTube star and productivity expert. In his book Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You and on his YouTube channel, he shares research-backed strategies for improving focus, building habits and meeting goals.  On this week’s episode of Everyday Better, Ali breaks down the three main blockers to productivity: uncertainty, fear, and inertia. He shares tips for overcoming each one of these blockers, as well as the fear of judgment from others. He also discusses science-based approaches to building self-confidence and the importance of finding joy in your work. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Ali Abdaal on LinkedIn. For more tips on sustainable productivity, check out Ali’s YouTube channel.  And don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Marc Champagne is a philosopher, podcaster and the bestselling author of Personal Socrates: Questions That Will Upgrade Your Life from Legends & World-Class Performers. An expert in what he calls “mental fitness,” Marc teaches daily practices designed to enhance creativity, clarity and focus. On today’s episode of Everyday Better, Marc and Leah ask each other a challenging question: when it comes to the work of personal development, can you ever reach a stopping point? Through sharing their personal stories of growth, Marc and Leah discuss the challenges that brought them to this work – and then, years later, what sparked their curiosity around taking a sabbatical from personal development. They also share their favorite tools and non-negotiable self-care practices for whatever season of life they find themselves in. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Marc Champagne on LinkedIn. To learn more about mental fitness, listen to Marc’s podcast Behind the Human with Marc Champagne. And don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author. In his third book, Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, he explores the science behind good communication and offers strategies for connecting more deeply with others. On this episode of Everyday Better, Charles joins Leah to explain why communicating effectively is the key to deepening our interpersonal connections, whether at home or in the workplace. Charles discusses strategies for asking more thoughtful questions, being a better listener and discussing controversial topics. He also explains the science behind effective communication and why it’s so important for our mental and physical well-being to connect with the people around us. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Charles Duhigg on LinkedIn. To learn more about improving your communication skills, check out Charles’s book Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Known as “Nurse Hadley” to her nearly 2 million followers on TikTok, Hadley Vlahos is a hospice nurse, content creator and New York Times bestselling author. Her first book, The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments, is a collection of stories and lessons she’s learned from 12 patients she cared for in their final months on earth. On today’s episode of Everyday Better, Hadley reflects on how an unexpected life pivot led her to her dream career as a hospice care nurse. While hospice care nursing is viewed as a tough job by many outside of the profession, Hadley shares lighthearted, poignant, humorous and mystical experiences she’s had caring for patients in hospice. She discusses the importance of getting comfortable talking about death, and offers advice for how to get better at having those conversations. She also shares what she’s learned about what it means to live a meaningful life, and how work can play such an essential role in making life meaningful, no matter what kind of work you do. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Hadley Vlahos on LinkedIn. To learn more, check out Hadley’s book The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments. And don’t forget to sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

This week on Everyday Better, we’re featuring an episode from a new bonus series from our sister podcast Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel. “Hello Monday Master Class” is a distillation of hundreds of Hello Monday conversations, broken down into five essential rules for navigating and thriving in an ever-changing professional landscape. The first episode in the series is all about defining your values.  Tune in each Thursday through the end of June for more actionable insights and collaborative exercises to elevate your career. And for more from Jessi, join the Hello Monday Group on LinkedIn by clicking here.

Thomas Curran is a Professor of Psychology at the London School of Economics. His first book, The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough, charts the recent rise in perfectionism among young people, exposes the paradoxical effects of perfectionism on everything from work performance to relationships and argues for a “good enough” approach to work that prioritizes sustainability over growth. On this episode of Everyday Better, Thomas joins Leah to talk about where perfectionism comes from, why it’s so harmful and how to break free from the internal and external pressures we feel to be perfect. They also take a critical look at the “growth mindset” and reflect on their own journeys towards overcoming perfectionism in their professional and personal lives. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Thomas Curran on LinkedIn. For more on perfectionism, check out Thomas’s book The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough. Sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Myisha Cherry is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at UC Riverside and a self-proclaimed “public defender of anger and proud withholder of forgiveness.” In her second book, Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better, she argues that forgiveness – a much-lauded moral good in American culture – rarely achieves what we think it does, and that in reality, forgiveness often does more harm than good. She puts forth her own, broader definition of forgiveness that holds space for anger, repair and accountability for the wrongdoer. On today’s show, Myisha and Leah dive deep into forgiveness to understand its role at work and in society, as well as how race and gender complicate the act of forgiving. Myisha explains why withholding forgiveness can actually be a moral good, both for the wronged and for the wrongdoer. She also shares her revised definition of forgiveness and explains how to get better at asking for and receiving it. For more on forgiveness, check out Myisha’s book Failures of Forgiveness: What We Get Wrong and How to Do Better. Sign up for Leah’s weekly newsletter to get practical tips on how to level up with small steps every day.

Dr. Casey Means is a physician, tech entrepreneur and the author of Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. She is passionate about metabolic health and dedicated to helping people better understand their bodies.  Casey joins Leah to highlight the interconnectedness of various symptoms and diseases, all of which she sees as stemming from metabolic dysfunction. She discusses the impact of the modern environment on our metabolic health and offers practical strategies for optimizing our metabolism through sleep, movement, stress management techniques, toxin reduction and light exposure. By adopting a metabolic framework and focusing on cellular health, we all can cultivate good energy and live happier, healthier lives. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Casey Means on LinkedIn. For more on how to improve your metabolic health, check out Casey’s book, Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health.

In part II of our conversation with Stephanie Harrison, author of New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong, we explore what it looks like to apply Stephanie’s New Happy philosophy to personal and work areas of our lives. We discuss strategies for setting and achieving your big goals, what the research suggests about the role of helping others in the context of happiness and how privilege and oppression shift our approach to and experience of happiness. We also contemplate the notion of the “best self” and take a hard look at wellness culture to better understand how mainstream ideas of happiness and well-being hold us back from achieving true contentment.  Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Stephanie Harrison on LinkedIn. To learn more about Stephanie’s philosophy on happiness, check out her book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong.

Stephanie Harrison is an expert on the science of happiness. Her first book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong, explores the structural forces that prevent us from achieving true happiness and teaches us how to find it by looking outside ourselves.  Stephanie joins Leah to discuss why so many of us are unhappy (despite trying our very best to be), and what we can do to experience more joy and contentment in our everyday lives. Helping others, Stephanie argues, is the key to improving our mental and emotional well-being. She also shares research-backed strategies for connecting with our true selves and quieting down the voice in our heads that tells us we’re not good enough. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Stephanie Harrison on LinkedIn. To learn more about Stephanie’s philosophy on happiness, check out her book, New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong.

Dr. Barry Kudrowitz is a Professor of Product Design and Head of the Department of Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota. He studies the connection between what he calls “haha” and “aha”, and argues that humor and play are powerful tools for boosting creativity and idea generation at work.  Dr. Kudrowitz joins Leah Smart to discuss the science behind the causal relationship between humor, play and creativity. He lays out his argument for why these often trivialized domains actually belong at work, and shares strategies for integrating play and humor into our everyday lives. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn. Follow Barry Kudrowitz on LinkedIn. Check out Barry’s book, Sparking Creativity: How Play and Humor Fuel Innovation and Design.

Ellen Langer is a renowned Harvard professor and psychologist who has been studying mindfulness for over 40 years. She is the first woman to be tenured in psychology at Harvard and has conducted extensive research in her lab. She is also known as the “Mother of Positive Psychology.” Langer is the author of numerous books, including The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health. Langer joins Leah Smart to discuss the power of mindfulness for improving our health and well-being. By being mindful, we can enliven our brains, improve our physical health, and live longer. Langer's research has shown that simply noticing and being present can reverse signs of aging, enhance healing, and improve our overall well-being. She also encourages us to embrace uncertainty, as it opens us up to new and interesting possibilities.  Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow Ellen Langer on LinkedIn

Breathwork might just become your favorite meditation practice once you understand its benefits. Led by renowned breathwork teacher JP Crimi, Leah Smart and Michele O’Brien experiment with conscious connected breathing, and explore its transformative effects. Think of it as personal training for your breath, promising to reduce stress, boost energy, and enhance mental well-being. Join them as they experience the blissful effects of this practice. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow JP Crimi on LinkedIn

It’s Women’s History Month, so we’re featuring exceptional women who are introducing refreshing perspectives on mental, physical and emotional thriving in this series, Women Making Waves.  If someone asked you to point to who you are, where does your finger naturally point? Your heart. It turns out your heart stores its own perceptions and memories that influence cognitive and emotional functions. Deborah Rozman Ph.D., is the Founding Executive Director of HeartMath Institute. She joins Leah to share the real, and often undiscussed, function of the heart, how it has more power over the brain than you think, and ways to become more aware of its intelligence for practical decision-making.  Follow Leah on LinkedIn Follow Deborah on Linkedin Learn more about HeartMath Institute

February is Black History Month. We're dedicating it to Black voices who inspire excellence. In this four-part series, you're going to hear honest stories and guidance from four women who advocate for chasing your own version of excellence. The series kicks off with Jenee Desmond-Harris, the current Prudie and writer behind Slate's beloved Dear Prudence advice column. She joins Leah Smart to share her story and insights on the importance of self-discovery, navigating obstacles, and the significance of taking risks. From her initial doubts about her role to becoming a prominent advice columnist, Jenee's journey exemplifies the power of surrounding oneself with the right people and making choices aligned with personal fulfillment, defining your desires and pursuing your passions. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow Jenee Desmond-Harris

Ali Abdaal is an author and one of the world's most followed productivity experts. He is known for his YouTube channel, where he shares research-backed content on productivity, study techniques, and personal development. His book, "Feel Good Productivity," explores how to do more of what matters to you. Ali explains the three main blockers to productivity: uncertainty, fear, and inertia, and provides practical strategies for overcoming them, including removing judgment and thinking of ourselves as a system. Ultimately, Ali emphasizes the importance of finding joy in the process of work to make it sustainable for long-term success. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow Ali Abdaal on LinkedIn Read more about Feel Good Productivity

Ron Shaich is the former CEO of Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain, and recently author of the book "Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations," which combines his personal philosophies with professional guidance from his years of work and prioritizing what has meant the most to him. Ron joins Leah Smart to introduce the concept of a "pre-mortem," which involves defining what matters most to us and how to get there. Ron emphasizes the importance of being rigid in our vision but flexible in our execution. He breaks down the pre-mortem into four areas of life to focus on and shares personal stories and insights on how to create a meaningful life and a successful business. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow Ron Shaich on LinkedIn

Tammy Lung, ASMR expert, and founder of Tingles Bar joins Leah Smart to discuss the health benefits of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). They dive into the feelings of relaxation brought on by different experiences, such as visual, auditory, or tactile triggers, and how physical touch can make you feel better day to day. Follow Leah Smart on LinkedIn Follow Tammy Lung on LinkedIn

Jennifer Ackerman, award-winning science writer and New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds and What an Owl Knows joins Leah Smart to talk about why finding solace in nature can help us reset, reduce stress, and they explore ways we can incorporate nature into our day-to-day lives. Follow Leah on LinkedIn Follow Jennifer on Instagram

Rainn Wilson is most known for his role in The Office as Dwight Schrute, but away from the screen, he’s the co-founder of SoulPancake and the recent author of Soul Boom. Today he joins Leah Smart to share his mission to explore the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level. Rainn emphasizes the importance of connecting to yourself, each other, and something greater than us. Follow Leah Smart on Linkedin Learn more about Rainn Wilson and Soul Boom Learn more about SoulPancake

Madeleine Dore, author of I Didn’t Do The Thing Today, joins Leah Smart to help us broaden our definitions of a day well spent. They dive into ways we can drop our “shoulds” by analyzing, interpreting, and defining borrowed wants and expired wants to reveal our real wants. Follow Leah on LinkedIn Follow Madeline Dore on Instagram

Deborah Rozman, Founding Executive Director of HeartMath Institute joins Leah Smart to talk about the importance of harnessing your heart power, and how your heart sends signals and information to your brain, influencing what you do. Deborah’s here to teach us the tools to get in tune with our heart's intelligence and how to be more practically intuitive in our day-to-day life. Follow Leah on LinkedIn Follow Deborah on Linkedin Learn more about HeartMath Institute

In the chaos of everyday life, we sometimes forget to stop and take stock of how we’re doing in all facets of our life. Listen in to a real coaching session, as Leah uses the Wheel of Life to help producer Michele O’Brien get clarity on how and where to make a change. Follow Leah on LinkedIn Follow In The Arena on LinkedIn

Leah Smart sits down with Yung Pueblo—author, meditator, and one of social media’s leading voices on the topics of healthy relationships and knowing ourselves. They discuss his new book Lighter, and explore self-awareness practices that can help us experience the world around us in crisp and vibrant ways. Follow Leah on Linkedin Follow Yung Pueblo on Linkedin

This week, Leah chats with Ashton Whitmoyer-Ober, writer, community psychologist and certified Enneagram coach as they dive into the Enneagram, one of the most powerful personality typing system that helps you understand your core motivations, your biggest fears, your biggest desires, and the best ways to improve. Follow Leah on Linkedin Follow Ashton on Instagram Get Ashton's Newsletter Book a call with Ashton

In today’s episode, Leah sits down with Shawn Achor, author and happiness researcher who is best known for his book, The Happiness Advantage, as they discuss how happiness is a choice we can make each day. They explore ways we can focus on the positive aspects of our lives, why being mindful of our circumstances matters, and how to change the way you think to be content in your day to day. Follow Leah on Linkedin Follow Shawn Achor on Linkedin

In a favorite episode from the archives, Leah talks with bestselling author and podcast host Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project to get to the bottom of happiness – and why who you truly are may be your most important clue to how to be happier. Follow Gretchen on LinkedIn and check out her work at https://gretchenrubin.com/ Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

We spend a lot of time going inward on In the Arena… but we rarely actually talk about internal organs like the brain or the heart. Today, that changes, with guest Dr. Marc Milstein, author of The Age-Proof Brain: New Strategies to Improve Memory, Protect Immunity, and Fight Off Dementia. Marc and Leah get into what you can do now to keep your brain younger and healthier to increase longevity. One of the key tricks? Start now, no matter your age. Follow Marc on LinkedIn Follow Leah and In The Arena on LinkedIn

Join Leah Smart in the arena with Calm's Head of Mindfulness, Tamara Levitt to talk about how meditation and mindfulness can change your life. In the United States, meditation has historically lived on the fringes of the mainstream. But with anxiety and burnout at all-time highs, many people are looking for tools to feel better, calm down, get more sleep and clear their heads. Tamara has narrated the Calm App's guided meditations that have supported millions of people in improving their lives and she wants you to know why you should give it a try.

Jackie and Leah share an update about their show and what’s next.

In the latest episode of “In the Arena,” Jackie Goldberg, a white Jewish American, checks in with her best friend and colleague, Leah Smart, a Black American, on how she is doing during this unsettling time. This vulnerable conversation aims to open the doors for others to challenge their perspectives and beliefs about race and privilege in America. When we all show up honestly and ready to do better, we can move forward together.