The New Happy with Stephanie Harrison

This week Laura, Tessa and Michael dive deep into a thoughtful discussion about building a happier and more meaningful life through work with special guest Stephanie Harrison.

Stephanie founded The New Happy, an educational platform focused on sharing a new philosophy of happiness based on positive psychology research. She shares her career journey from management consultant to executive roles at LinkedIn and Thrive Global, and how these experiences shaped her views on well-being in the workplace.

Stephanie discusses her upcoming book, The New Happy, which aims to translate the science of happiness into practical strategies for letting go of misguided societal beliefs and discovering true sources of well-being through authentic self-expression and helping others.

Listen in as Stephanie provides insights into how organizations can better support employees' ability to be their whole selves at work and use their unique strengths to make a positive impact, driving both individual and business success.

Pre-order The New Happy today to learn Stephanie's evidence-based approach to sustainable happiness and fulfillment.

To stay connected and continue the conversation, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn.

And don't forget to check out our previous episodes for more tips and strategies to boost your workplace happiness. You can find them on your favorite podcast platform or on our website.

If you have any questions, comments, or topic suggestions for future episodes, please reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you!

Stay inspired, stay motivated, and stay happy at work!

Transcript

Stephanie Harrison: 0:06

Welcome back for another episode of the happy at work podcast, with Laura, Tessa and Michael. Each week we have thoughtful conversations with leaders, founders and authors about happiness at work. Tune in each Thursday for a new conversation. Enjoy the show.

Michael McCarthy: 0:42

And welcome to the happier work podcast. I'm your co host, Michael McCarthy with Laura Hamill, and Tessa Misiaszek. And we'd like to welcome our guest today, Stephanie Harrison, the founder of, The New Happy. Stephanie, welcome!

Stephanie Harrison: 0:57

Thank you. I'm so happy to be here.

Michael McCarthy: 1:00

Stephanie, we're curious, can you share with us all your career journey? How you got to be the founder of the new happy? And then tell us? What is the new happy? What do you do?

Stephanie Harrison: 1:10

Yeah, of course. So I think probably like many, many of of you and your listeners, I've had a very surprising career path. In many ways, nothing I set out to to accomplish, really, I started my career as a management consultant at Deloitte, focusing on human capital and people challenges. And that was really based in my passion for wanting to make work better. So one reason I'm so excited to be here talking to all of you. And then after that, I was recruited to go work at LinkedIn, where I felt like there was a really strong connection between that goal of helping to improve the workplace and doing it through a technology lens. LinkedIn was really focused on providing economic opportunity to every person on the planet. And I found that to be really inspiring and meaningful. And I took on a number of different roles at LinkedIn, I started in managing our largest book of clients. And then I moved into product marketing. And it was at that time that I actually went to, to Penn to get a math degree in positive psychology. And while I was there, I wrote this capstone this thesis, arguing that the pursuit of happiness in our society is actually leading us astray. And when I graduated from math, I didn't really quite know what to do next, how to take that information. And that work I had done and try and share it or operationalize it in any way. I was working at LinkedIn, still, I was on a green card application process, I couldn't change jobs or anything like that. And so I actually started the new happy then as a newsletter, just starting to share some of these ideas with people who might be interested. And it was a very kind of small passion project I did on the side. And then about a year or two later, I was recruited to go work at Thrive global, where I became responsible for building and leading the curriculum and learning function, which was creating wellbeing programs for companies around the world that were then sold in through and delivered through technology. And so my job was coming up with ways to translate the science into educational content and programs. And the whole time I was, you know, keeping up the new happy as this little newsletter, and eventually just came to the decision that I really wanted to share the message more broadly. And so in 2020, I started the new working on the new happy, full time and more seriously. And now, what that has evolved into is really an educational platform that helps people to understand the science of happiness, and this new philosophy of happiness that I developed starting at Penn, and communicating that in different ways to them. So takes the form of you know, like writing and a podcast, and I create artwork that communicates these concepts and a whole bunch of other things. But really, our goal is to help people to be happy.

Laura Hamill: 3:51

That's so cool. Stephanie, I'm so many questions I have in that. But I know that you also just wrote a book coming out in in May, right? So tell us more about the premise of the book and what you're hoping to accomplish.

Stephanie Harrison: 4:08

The book is really the manual for happiness. That's what I've tried to create. So taking all of that work I've done over the last 10 years and saying this is what matters most like this is the information that you need to know in order to be happy. And it really puts forward this this new happy philosophy that I've developed, which is arguing that because we've been misled by our society, we have to start sort of like kind of start off by and brainwashing ourselves a little bit, letting go of these ideas about what we think we should do or who we need to be in order to be happy and then discovering the true sources of well being which I argue come from being who you really are and then using that to help other people to make a difference in the world.

Tessa Misiaszek: 4:50

So I want to kind of go back a little bit into your previous experience because I'm I'm really curious to see how that fed into your kind of current philosophy around the new happy concept or philosophy, however you would state it, but thinking back on your, on your time at both LinkedIn and then Thrive global, you talk about well being and I think well being is a topic that gets tossed around a lot. I think it's defined in many different ways. I think companies oftentimes know that it's a hot topic right now. So they'll, you know, they'll they'll check a box for the wellbeing box to feel like they're doing the right thing for their employees. I think it's well intentioned, but oftentimes, probably under underutilized, but also just underperforming in its function. So just really curious, we think about well being, what goes into that, you know, what, how does that play into happiness? But how do people when you say they should really connect to who they are? And so, you know, how do they find their way to this place of well being? What, what are some things that they can think about? Or do?

Stephanie Harrison: 6:03

Yeah, you know, it's really interesting, isn't it, because I think we've seen such a shift over the last, even that seems like five years, from my experience, and all of you would be the experts in this, obviously, but a shift of awareness in terms of the fact that individual interventions are not going to lead to lasting well being despite the fact that as you're saying, it's that's much easier than actually reforming policies or coming up with new systems that support people at different phases of their lives are helped to fulfill and create a meaningful culture. And I think that that was what I witnessed and observed as well, you know, I feel very privileged to have worked at a company like like LinkedIn, for example, which does such a great job in creating a positive workplace culture. And when I think about how I felt as an employee there, and how it connects to the, you know, the new happy philosophy, I really felt like I was empowered to be who I was at that company, I didn't have to hide anything about myself, or downplay certain parts of myself to feel like I had to do that in order to fit in. And granted, I have a certain level of privilege, that likely makes that easier for me. But it was still such a radical departure in terms of what I had experienced, as well as what I saw other people experiencing my friends and former co workers and other companies. And then the second part giving of myself, that was one of the beautiful things about working in a company like that, because, for example, one thing that they do that's really practical is they really encourage internal mobility. And so if you are somebody who outgrows your role, or identify a new interest in something, because you think it'll help you to give more of yourself to contribute something, or to develop new strengths, or to share those ones, they're really encouraging of that. And, you know, for me, them saying, yeah, go off and get this master's degree, even though it's going to take away from your time at work, we support you, and we're cheering you on, and we hope you'll bring stuff back to us. And then helping me switch roles and move into a totally different function and into a leadership role. All of that was allowing an empowering me to continue giving up myself in new ways. And that's what kept me engaged and supported. And so when I think about organizational well being, to me, it does come back to these two pillars in many ways. Like, do your people feel like they can be who they are? And are you giving them the opportunity to continue to express and contribute themselves as they grow as those individuals?

Tessa Misiaszek: 8:23

So Stephanie, first of all, gosh, I loved your answer. And there's so many different threads, I could pull as it relates to this. But you said something really important towards the beginning around intervention is oftentimes the focus. So it's kind of like, go and help yourself, right. And if I think back 30 years ago, when I started my career, at that time, believe it or not, smoking cessation, cessation was was the big kind of thing, or obesity management, it was like, oh, go join a gym and you do this, you do that, and you promote your own well being. At the end, it doesn't have a lot of organizational support. And so when you think about, like, I love what you said about LinkedIn, and the fact that they really promoted internal mobility, which is a very hot topic right now in telephone conversations. But they they in that in that kind of internal mobility, they encourage you to do what you needed to do to upskill and grow and flourish in your kind of within yourself as well as to open up opportunities at LinkedIn. So if how would you recommend to companies that need to build the organizational support so that it's not just placed on the individual to try to find their their way to well being through these programs, but that the organization can be more supportive?

Stephanie Harrison: 9:41

I the first thing I would probably tell them is to hire one of you three to come in and to make it better because I suspect that all three of you would be able to do that in a really amazing way. But my recommendations would be you know, you you have to put yourself in this use of your employee. And you have to like, it sounds so simple, right? But let's go back to kind of core principles of empathy and compassion. Like, if you're an employee, if you assume the best about your employee, I think that's actually the first starting point, like assume that your employee wants to be there, they want to do good work, they want to contribute, instead of this very outdated modality of viewing your employees in this way of oh, we have to control them, we have to, like we have to poke and prod them and nudge them to do certain things, because they can't be trusted in any way. Like, I don't think that that's anything supportive, or that we should carry with us into the future of work. If we assume that, and then we think, Okay, what does this person need, you know, what are they going through in their lives, that would potentially be something that's getting in the way of them being able to be who they really are, or to grow in the ways that they would like to so that they can contribute. And that could be anything from, for example, like a caregiving challenge in their lives, something where they're having to balance some another responsibility, it could be a part of their identity, where they need specific levels of support, or encouragement or care or a mentor who can help point the way, but actually thinking through this frame of, if I was in their shoes, what would I want? What would I want in order to help support me because, you know, unfortunately, I think what happens, you know, and I've, I have seen some research around this, the higher that you rise within an organization or within a hierarchy, the less attuned you or to other people's needs. And so you have to, you have to bring yourself back there consciously, over and over again, if you want to have any help of creating a humane environment for people.

Laura Hamill: 11:41

Completely. And it's so sad to me when I feel like people, if they're not experiencing it themselves, then they can't have the empathy for it, right? They can't imagine what it must be like for somebody else, when they go through it, or they have a child that goes through something hard, then all of a sudden, they care. But they can't imagine themselves in somebody else's shoes. I love what you just said that was so good. So I think there's this this struggle, and you were bringing this up about that outdated modality that outgrew the old way of thinking of either like people are going to be high performers or all care about them. Right? Like, it's one or the other can't do both. Or even that. So I had somebody say this to me, if if you perform, then I'll care about right, right. Like, instead of like thinking about, Oh, gosh, we can actually optimize or do both of those things. And there's so much great research, right, that says, if you actually support and care for your employees, you will get better business results. But for some reason that that old way of thinking is just we're having a really hard time getting rid of that. Right. And so I wonder if if there any thoughts you have on ways you've tried to talk to people about that, or convince people or show people that actually you're not being wimpy, you're not, you know, not going to have a high performing organization, if you actually show some real care for them, for your employees. So I don't know, what are your thoughts on that kind of belief, that old school belief.

Stephanie Harrison: 13:14

It's so funny that you use this language because I call this whole belief system "old happy". And so that's like the contrast with"new happy", obviously, and "old happy" is grounded in these beliefs about how we have to behave and what we have to achieve and how we have to do it in order to be happy. But this has a direct impact upon the way that we shape our organizations, obviously. So one of those core beliefs is that you have to do everything by yourself, which is really grounded in our individualistic culture, which Tessa is sort of what you were referring to with these individual interventions, right? Like, if you can't fix yourself, then you're the problem. Whenever we have any issue, it's always put back on the individual in our culture, we never take the time to look at anything systemic, or anything cultural, and it hurts people so much, because it makes them believe that they're not worthy, they're not good enough, and that because of that, they then have to push themselves more and more and more to achieve in order to prove that they're worthy. So to your point, Laura, you are only worthy if you are a successful high performer. So these organizations are actually perpetuating these beliefs in many ways, but they don't recognize it because we haven't named it appropriately.

Michael McCarthy: 14:27

Love that. Imagine that. You could get the ear of every C suite person in the United States or the world, why don't expand it. And they're focused a lot on the stock price and the money and the metrics and the key performance indicators in their language and what they value, money and performance. How would you persuade them that the new happy news a competitive advantage is an investment not only expense is something that they want, how would you persuade them, these people whose value is really stuck in money, stock performance, etc? Would you say?

Stephanie Harrison: 15:08

I think I would probably, you know, to Laura, take your counsel and point to the research that articulates the power of caring for people. And I would also try and potentially come up with some really good analogies that are in that language that they understand. So for example, like, you know, I think that a lot of CEOs or C suite executives would understand that it's generally a bad idea to, you know, potentially invest in a company that has a bad product, even if it has a lot of hype in the short term, because in the long run, your investment isn't going to pay off. And so the short term thinking has detrimental effects on your financial performance. And the same is true when you think about the relationship with the people in your company, short term, thinking about exploiting them and maximizing them and viewing them as delivers of utility, rather than human beings who have the ability to express themselves and to contribute, is going to hurt you in the long run. And so if you want to build a company that lasts, that makes a lasting impact, that can create amazing things for the world, then it's in your interest. And I think, again, to me, like we always, people are both self and other interested, right? Like we have both of these motivations. But what I think I'm trying to do a lot with my work is to help people to understand that a lot of the time those those interests are actually intertwined. What's good for you is quite often good for others, and most of the time, that proves out to be true. And so I would imagine that there are a lot of CEOs who think my, I would love to leave a legacy like Steve Jobs, or, you know, another amazing leader who I look up to who created a fabulous company that did wonderful things. So if we can play to that self interest and articulate how this approach of care is not only in their interest, but also bonus, the right thing to do, potentially, that might help to shift some of those conversations.

Tessa Misiaszek: 17:05

Stephanie, I think that you have done I mean, I think that answer is spot on to be honest with you, I think, hopefully, there's a few CEOs who are listening to you right now and saying, okay, that that does make sense that that analogy you just provided, but I, I'm just curious to get your thoughts on how your work might intersect with DEI.

Stephanie Harrison: 17:25

So the three cultural influences that I name as the contributors to old happy our individualism, which I mentioned capitalism and the culture that we've created surrounding it, and domination. So the belief that one person or one type of person or one group of people is better than another person. And domination obviously takes the forms of all the isms and the the individual levels of prejudice that people face, but then also the forms of systemic discrimination. And as long as we continue to believe that our self worth as individuals is defined, by comparing ourselves to another person, we are going to struggle, I think, with these concepts, and we're seeing people who have very insecure, very slight kind of fragile sense of self worth feeling threatened by other people's well being and pursuit of their own happiness and fulfillment and growth. And that to me screams about how they have been conditioned into believing that their superiority is the source of any of their worse. And that belief has to be completely dismantled for us to be able to live in a world of equality and compassion for one another. And so I think that when I look at this backlash that I'm seeing happening, and the kind of reprehensible rhetoric and the pullback that's coming from corporations, I see that happening at this broader level scale. And it's like, we can kind of see these systems being built in real time, right? Like, you know, we have this awareness now we can see, wow, if they're pulling all of this funding, well, what's the impact upon populations that aren't getting the chances and opportunities that I, as a white woman have and been privileged to receive? And how, how might that be rippling out in 20 3040 years? And so for me, I think like calling out this sense of this culture of domination that we have, and the way that we continue to try and exert ourselves over one another. It's so pervasive in a workplace environment too, right? Because in many ways, like climbing the ladder at work actually gives you the right to dominate other people in one way or another. Right. And so we have to actually attack that system as well if we want to ensure healthy and happy workplaces for people.

Laura Hamill: 19:44

Guessing I love what you're saying so much. Oh, good. I just wanted to just pile on to that. The Domination part of what you were just describing. I mean, this is what's so darn hard about this kind of work is that it's self perpetuating right? By the time you get you... you've worked hard to get into a leadership role, you start to believe that you should be in that role, and that you should have the privileges that come with that. And that domination. I mean, that word sounds so awful, but it is exactly what people are imbibing right are living. And this is what's so hard about culture, right? It's like, the people who you need to help change the culture are the ones who are products of it, who are fully being reinforced and rewarded and encouraged in the current culture. So this is why it just keeps going right in keeps going the same way it always has, is because we don't have the machines that we don't, we're not as evolved in our abilities to be able to make those changes in our current kinds of structures. And so I love what you're saying so much, there's so much behind it. And this is, I think, why we keep like struggling with this is because changing culture is hard. It's really hard.

Stephanie Harrison: 21:02

It really is in there. So no, I don't know, I just I'll just add that, like I told I so agree with what you're saying. And also, I think about, like, you know, for example, like, if you're a black woman working in corporate America, and then you speak up about some of these issues that you're experiencing, you're punished. And then to your point, it becomes like, it becomes a worse cycle, and it negatively affects that person, potentially, they have to leave, they get pushed out of the organization, they're disempowered, they have to move on or, you know, they diminished in terms of what they can accomplish internally. And then that brave person who was trying to help trying to make the company culture better, ends up being the one who's punished for it. And it can't be that way. If we want to move forward.

Michael McCarthy: 21:48

Stephanie, this is great. Well, I always know that that we have a good episode when time flies, and it feels like it's been five minutes. But I wanted to finish up with a final question today to make sure that we got that last component of the new habit, or you were talking about, you know, people being aware of their strengths and using those strengths. If you talk a little bit more about the other part of it with the helping and kindness, could you talk a little bit more about that are really happy.

Stephanie Harrison: 22:14

Yeah, I, you know, I have come to believe that the you know, the secret to happiness is helping other people to be happy. And the best way to help the way that's most sustainable and enjoyable for you is using all of your gifts and talents and strengths and wisdom and everything that you have to help contribute where you can and the ways that you can. And so, you know, looking at all three of you, I can see the unique ways that you're helping using all of your talents and the ways that you're contributing to the world and giving. And I find that really inspiring and really incredible that you've been able to craft lives and work around that. And I think there's so many people out there who don't have that, and who really want it who wants to find a way to use the hours that they work to both feel good and do good. And I think the more that we can help people to recognize that, you know, giving is, is not a means to an end, or it's not, you know, kind of a cherry on top, something nice that you do once you've, you know, gotten rich, or you've been successful, or whatever it is, it's a part of our lives. It's what we, it's what makes our relationships, it's what creates our society. It's what builds trust, and it's what empowers every single thing that we do every single day. And part of what I want to do is help draw attention to this miracle that we're constantly engaged in the process of giving and receiving, and be more conscious about it. Because it is as the science shows one of the most important routes to personal happiness, but at the same time, by giving to another person, you're also helping them to be happy too. And by all of us coming together to give of our gifts and to solve some of the world's toughest problems, we will be able to make this place better and leave it in a better spot for future generations. And so for me, all of that comes down to, to giving giving in the ways that you can and starting right here and right now.

Michael McCarthy: 23:59

On that note, that's that's such a wonderful way to finish this.

Tessa Misiaszek: 24:02

I just wanna say, amen! you're just lying in positivity. And I am so happy you're doing the work you're doing because it's not you salutely Absolutely.

Laura Hamill: 24:20

I was awesome, Stephanie.

Stephanie Harrison: 24:22

Thank you. I'm so glad and I love talking to all of you. Thank you so much for having me. I feel so grateful.

Michael McCarthy: 24:27

Definitely so much. And so when the new happy gets published, I'll be one of your first customers. I'm excited to read it. We hope you've enjoyed this episode. If you'd like to hear future episodes, be sure to subscribe to the happy at work podcast and leave us a review with your thoughts. Are you interested in speaking on a future episode or wanting to collaborate with us? Let us know. You can send us an email at admin at happy at work podcast.com And lastly, follow us

Laura Hamill: 24:59

on LinkedIn or Twitter for even more happiness See you soon