OtherThanThat

This week’s episode of my podcast (which is Tues. at 10A Pacific) has some amazing women on it, and as the topics are really invigorating ones for me, I figured a blog post was in order. So here goes…

There’s a secret to happiness. Well, not a secret really so much as a process one can follow to achieve sustainable happiness.

Really.

I didn’t believe it either and then I met Dr. Aymee Coget, a woman who has dedicated her life since 1996 to making people happy. I’ve had her on my podcast many times (besides being fascinating it’s also nearly impossible to talk with this effervescent woman without smiling – and who wouldn’t want to have that around??). She’s back again and this time it will be to talk about stillness and how one can find happiness there. It’s influenced by my having just returned from a week of blissfully delightful unpluggedness.

Generally I eschew making up words, but this one amused me. Unpluggedness – the state of tugging free from the ever-present umbilical cord of technology. Lest you think I went off the grid entirely, allow me to be more precise. Unpluggedness doesn’t mean no technology. It means no interruption-oriented technology. That means no social web. That means no email. That means no Internet, period. It also means no phone answering or voice mail. It means no TV or radio. Hell I didn’t even read a newspaper. All music and entertainment came from the contained pod of my iTunes library. Mostly I sat in silence, watched people, read books, and wrote … by hand. During this week I came to some thoughts about happiness and figured that it was a good time to have Dr. Coget back to talk about it.

Then I got word of a project that two other women I know had launched. It’s called One4One and the premise is simple. There is an almost ridiculous array of “best of” lists – lists that purport to note and detail the most influential people in a given field. Most of them are a load of horseshit recycling the same names over and over. One4One, started by Deanna Zandt and Melissa Pierce, endeavors to change that; and on the show they’ll talk about how and why.

Want to know more about these women? You can (and should) of course tune in to the show at 10am Pacific time on Tuesday, July 10 to learn more.

In the mean time … some bios:

Dr. Aymee Coget, Ph.D. (pronounced Co jjayy), is CEO of the American Happiness Association. Since 1996 she has devoted her entire life to helping millions of people live happier lives. She has established an international practice based in San Francisco teaching happiness science to individuals, groups and she gives keynote speeches. Dr. Aymee has over 15 years of experience in positive psychology and works with people teaching them how to be happy and how to handle life’s toughest challenges. She does this through her program called, The Happiness Makeover™. She has received accolades for her work from people who thought they would never experience happiness as demonstrated in client testimonials.

Deanna Zandt is a media technologist and the author of Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking (Berrett-Koehler, June 2010). She is a consultant to key progressive media and advocacy organizations, and her clients have included The Ford Foundation, The Daily Beast/Newsweek, and Jim Hightower’s Hightower Lowdown. She is contributor to Forbes.com via her ForbesWoman “Prospect: Tech” blog, and a social media advice contributor NPR’s flagship news program, “All Things Considered.” She is a Research Fellow at the Center for Social Media at American University. Zandt specializes in social media, is a leading expert in women and technology, and is a frequent guest on CNN International, BBC Radio, Fox News and more. In addition to her technology work, Deanna writes and illustrates graphic stories and comics, and volunteers with dog rescue organization Rat Terrier ResQ.

Melissa Pierce defines herself as a filmmaker, risk taker and change maker. She also adds that she is a film producer, idea generator, strategic thinker, and social connector. She enjoys converting impossible concepts into successful projects. Melissa is the creator of an award winning film series, founder of “just a few” awesome companies, and generator of hundreds of other less well known good ideas. Some of her work includes: Executive Producer of Life in Perpetual Beta; Founder: Pitch Refinery & Conference; Founder: Chicago Women Developers; Founder: Where Are The Women; Founder: K.I.T.F.U Co; Board Member at Hollaback; Board Member at Everpurse.

Photo credits:
Guest photos provided by the guests.
Microphone image courtesy of Shutterstock