How to Start a Gratitude Practice

After my second cancer diagnosis, I started to research who was thriving with cancer and what were they doing to be well. I learned that wellness is about consistent self-care – creating everyday practices that help improve your body and mind toward a state of good health. And studies show – according to Harvard Medical School that within “positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness, which is why I promote small gratitude practices for all of us…And I’m here to show you how, check out my latest WTNH-TV wellness segment on this topic.

Ep. 61: The Superpower of Gratitude, Giving and Mindful Living

Whatever life throws at her, today’s guest on “Happiness through Hardship” – The Podcast, embraces love, light and lots of avocados. I’m honored to introduce you to Nikki Gallias, a mom, wife, former school teacher and inspirational entrepreneur. She’s a bright spirit who was raised across the world with a challenging childhood. Yet even at a young age Nikki understood the importance of gratitude. High times or low times, she’s been able to find joy and appreciation in life that has kept her going personally and professionally. Her story is at times heavy, yet radiates gratitude, which is her superpower.

The Grateful Game on TV – IGTV

Do you know a few minutes of tapping into gratitude can help with your health? As our “Happiness through Hardship” – The Podcast listeners know, we do a segment on the podcast about gratitude called “The Grateful Game” and are now spinning it off for IGTV. Each Monday I will go live and connect with you (so follow us on @PrettyWellness on Instagram to join) – with thoughts on gratitude and show how easy it can be to start your own healthy routine.

The Grateful Game Challenge

Join us in November for two weeks of The Grateful Game Challenge. We will provide daily prompts/ideas in hopes of helping you create your own simple healthy living / gratitude practice. If you’ve been following @PrettyWellness on Instagram, you know that I play this with my son most nights before bed. We give ourselves a certain amount of time – usually two minutes – and then list what we are grateful for that day and WHY. This evening routine motivates us to look throughout the day to find positive things for which we are grateful. I’m hoping this rubs off on my son long term…so that he continually looks at the world with positivity and gratitude. Truthfully it helps me, too, and I invite you…

Episode 6: Samantha Harris – Cancer Conversations & Your Healthiest Healthy

This week’s guest on “Happiness through Hardship” – The Podcast has so many incredible achievements it’s hard to know where to start. Samantha Harris is a former co-host of Dancing with the Stars, a two-time Emmy nominated entertainment correspondent and anchor for Entertainment Tonight as well as a guest host on The View, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and Good Morning America. She’s hosted red carpet shows and starred on Broadway (as Roxy Hart in Chicago) as well as served as an ambassador for both Susan G. Komen, The American Cancer Society and Feeding America. She’s always been a fitness fanatic but after her breast cancer diagnosis, she further educated herself on healthy lifestyle modalities. Now she’s a certified trainer, health coach and author of the award winning book, Your Healthiest Healthy – 8 Easy Ways to Take Control, Help Prevent Cancer, and Live a Longer, Cleaner, Happier Life. Samantha will WOW you with her enthusiasm for life and expertise in healthy living. She shares with us how her cancer journey helped her find mindfulness and dig deeper into her positivity. She talked about how connecting with family and friends far away as well as within the cancer community helped her get through the rough times. And she shares a whole slew of her favorite health tips…and trust me – there are many.

Be sure to listen to the end when we play the Grateful Game. See – Samantha and I grew up together… so we had a few laughs talking about our old stomping grounds including walking around the mall to see Nate Berkus as well as eating fro-yo at the gym.

Episode 4: Roxane Battle – Pockets of Joy – Dad’s Dementia & Life’s Dealings

When life gets tough, it’s easy to crawl into a hole. Today’s podcast guest knows hardship – and thinks differently than you might expect. She found that tapping into “pockets of joy” has helped her. TV personality, author and motivational speaker, Roxane Battle, shares this message with the world. Today’s episode is about that – the importance of connection and finding a little bit of happiness throughout your hardship.