We sat down with the lovely Lisa Cypers Kamen, who is the creator of the Harvesting Happiness program. She gave us tips on
1. What do you do?
I am a “felicitator”—one who generates and spreads happiness. I accomplish this through being an applied positive psychology and mindfulness coach, radio show host, author, documentary filmmaker, public speaker, and optimal lifestyle influencer. I’m a champion for greater health, fitness, medical innovation, and well-being.
I am a “felicitator”—one who generates and spreads happiness. I accomplish this through being an applied positive psychology and mindfulness coach, radio show host, author, documentary filmmaker, public speaker, and optimal lifestyle influencer. I’m a champion for greater health, fitness, medical innovation, and well-being.
2. What inspired you to start your company?
I went back to school mid-life for a second career as a clinical psychologist to better understand myself, attempt to save a failing marriage, and to serve others who were challenged by the dark nights of the soul. I quickly realized that although traditional psychotherapy serves others by working through personal history, trauma, and what is wrong with life which is not necessarily a good fit for someone who is limited on time and resources. Instead, I decided to focus my life and professional practice on what is right with life through the science of well-being, emotional/social fitness, and mindfulness training. In 2007 people laughed at me for creating a Harvesting Happiness and here we are more than eleven years later sowing seeds of joy everyday.
3. What is your mission?
My passion and purpose is helping skeptics and seekers cultivate greater contentment and well-being in their lives.
4. What does a day in the life look like for you?
When I’m home I typically rise somewhere between 4 and 5 o’clock in the morning Pacific time to meditate and prerecord interviews for Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio with guests from around the world. Then, I answer the first round of emails of the day, exercise which is usually hiking, a beach walk, yoga, or spinning. After that, I head to the office to meet with clients, manage emails, and phone calls for a few hours. Because I start my days so early, I do my best to be home before my son returns from school. I love to cook and enjoy the process of whipping up dinner while listening to music or the news. By 9 o’clock, I’m usually beat and head to bed with a power-down ritual that includes turning off all electronics (which are kept out of the bedroom), a candlelit shower, and reading for an hour or so before I pass out after a day well-lived.
When I’m on the road doing speeches and workshops I adjust my schedule to meet the needs of the client or audience but maintain the exercise, meditation and bedtime rituals to keep me focused, on-point, and well-rested.
5. What is the inspiration behind your work?
At the age of 30 I had an early-midlife crisis and was diagnosed with clinical depression. I had been told by my psychiatrist that because of my family history I would be predisposed to repeated bouts of depression throughout my life. While I accepted the diagnosis, I did not embrace the prognosis and got very busy learning what I could about depression management and healing through lifestyle interventions such as exercise, meditation, satisfying and connected social relationships, spiritual practice, nutritional supplementation, food choices, and proper rest.
While in graduate school, I became interested in positive psychology and decided to focus my energy on supporting others who were experiencing life crises such as trauma, loss, addiction, illness, and more. Part of my mission was also driven to de-stigmatize mental healthcare and normalize psychological challenges as part of the human condition. Most of us will experience some sort mental health issue at some point in our lives. I believe it is essential to make support, community, and services accessible to everyone without judgment—even those who would not be caught dead in a therapist’s office!
6. What is the best advice you have ever been given?
A wise elder mentor once told me that “There will be times in your life when there will be no wind in your sails. You might not know what to do or have the strength to go anywhere. But, if you are willing to be quiet, to be patient, the wind will eventually pick up again and help you navigate to the right place for you at the right time.”
7. What is your perfect day?
My perfect day always includes a little extra time in bed to savor not needing to be anywhere and always includes a huge hike or other outdoor activity, great meals with friends and family, and some downtime to kick back and enjoy the art of doing nothing.
8. What part does mindfulness play in your day?
Mindfulness is the ticket! When I practice mindfulness life just works better. Mindfulness is an emotional action like physical exercise. The more one does it, the easier it becomes, and the better one gets at doing it. I also remind myself that when I do fall off the mindfulness wagon, like any other human on the planet, by letting pettiness irritate me that I’m always working towards progress, not perfection. In my experience, perfectionism is unattainable and soul-crushing.
9. What has given you the confidence to follow your dreams?
Emotion follows action. What I mean by that is if I were to listen to fear, negative self-talk, and doubt it would be pretty hard to do anything. Confidence, like happiness, is a muscle. In order to possess more confidence, happiness, or any other positive attribute we need to stretch beyond our comfort zone while putting all the mind chatter that can undermine progress in time-out. This is a mindful practice requiring conscious awareness of ourselves, our goals, and opportunities available or created by us. In my book Are We Happy Yet? Eight Keys to Unlocking a Joyful Life I wrote a simple recipe that feeds confidence to achieve one’s dreams—Attention + Intention + Action = Practice + Experience + Repeat.
10. Who has been your greatest influence?
I would have to say I have been most influenced by Veterans I have worked with through Harvesting Happiness for Heroes a nonprofit I started many years ago to support returning military personnel and their loved ones adjust and reintegrate in a post-war new normal, manage Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) from combat duty and transform as well as transcend their challenges into Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). Working with men and women of all ages who have valiantly served and struggled to find their smiles despite the invisible wounds of war has made me humble and inspired me to never give up.
11. What has been your greatest accomplishment?
Hands down I would have to say being a single parent who raised two bright, healthy, and thoughtful children on my own who are well-equipped for life. Next in line would be staying true to my mission and making my own dreams come true as a felicitator who has built a business on based on harvesting happiness.
12. How can people learn more about you and work with you?
Please visit and share www.HarvestingHappiness.com to learn more about me and my work, connect with me via email at Lisa@HarvestingHappiness.com, and listen to Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio available online on several platforms.
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