The Happiness Challenge: Test-driving the best happiness hacks

Have You Heard? is where the Pod Bible team meet the people behind the podcasts you may not have heard, but we think you should have. The Happiness Challenge is an award-nominated show test-driving the best happiness habits that science has to offer. The recent series shares short ‘happiness hacks’, asking listeners to try tasks such as writing a letter to your future self, to pondering what ‘connection’ means to you. Host Klaudia Mitura tells us more about the inspirations for the podcast and how to start listening to the show…

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

My name is Klaudia Mitura and I am a work psychologist and the Learning and Development Manager at the Science Museum Group, with a purpose to boost happiness in the workplace. I love exploring new scientific insights, but find these can often feel overly complex, with no real application to the realities of our daily life. I therefore started The Happiness Challenge podcast in 2020 with a mission to test-drive the best happiness hacks that science has on offer, and share what I have learnt.

What’s the first podcast you ever listened to?

The first podcast that I ever listened to – and is still one of my favourites – is Squiggly Careers; a podcast by two inspirational women who share tips for having a successful career. I love this podcast because it is fast, practical and effective, helping me to navigate the often confusing world of career development.

Why did you decide to start podcasting in the first place?

Like so many others, back in 2020 the pandemic cut me off from family and work which was very tough – so I decided to use my training as a Psychologist to discover what science can tell us about the art of happiness. In other words, I knew that I could not make any of my circumstances go away but I just wanted to find out how to feel a little bit happier, even for a few minutes a day.

I called a friend who was also going through a challenging time, and I invited her to go on a happiness journey with me by practising one science-based happiness habit a week. To be honest, it was my friend who really wanted to learn about podcasting so we agreed to record our conversations by sitting in our wardrobes (for better acoustics of course!)

That’s how my experiment of applying the scientific research on happiness to my daily ups and downs turned into a podcast: The Happiness Challenge.

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I like knowledge based podcasts that give me practical tips to make change that I am after. Squiggly Careers as mentioned is definitely one, followed by the CIPD podcast and Tilted: A Lean In podcast. I often listen to podcasts when commuting to work so they have to be the right length with something practical for me to think about.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

I would love to interview Shawn Achor, researcher and the author of the book The Happiness Advantage who with a huge wealth of research shows that happiness leads to success not the other way around as we tend to believe. Shawn’s book was one of the first ones I picked up on the science of happiness many years back and definitely shaped my thinking about fulfilment in life.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt so far as a podcaster?

The format of the podcast needs to work for you so don’t be afraid to come up with a format that suits your personal purpose. It took me some time to figure out the right structure for me but once I landed on the current format of publishing three linked episodes where I am speaking to a leading expert, putting their tips to the test and sharing my findings (and feelings), I truly became the explorer I always wanted to be!

Which episode would you say is the perfect introduction to your podcast?

Start with my new Happiness Reset Campaign, which focuses on 25 bitesize practical, science-based hacks to create more happiness at work, in relationships and in your own skin. You can spend only a few minutes a day listening, and then try out something practical and see the results straight away. If you like this, I also recommend other related past episodes so you can dive deeper into topics that interest you.

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you?

Connect with me on LinkedIn where you can also join my newsletter or visit my website thehappinesschallenge.co.uk. And of course listen to wherever you get your podcasts!

Listen to The Happiness Challenge on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other popular podcast app >>

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