Happier In Hollywood

Liz and Sarah talk about how to figure out if something in your work life is an albatross, and what you can do to get rid of it. One tip? Force yourself to have an uncomfortable conversation. In Take A Hike, they share a fun AI exercise from the M(AI)VENS Substack — make a family crest. Then in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah talk about the importance of saying the obvious thing when giving notes. This week’s Hollywood Hack will extend the life of your office chair — armrest covers. Finally, Liz recommends The Studio, starring Seth Rogen, on Apple+. Sign up for Liz & Sarah’s free weekly Substack newsletter at https://happierinhollywoodpod.substack.com. It will come right to your inbox! Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of

Liz and Sarah talk to Hollywood manager, Executive Director of The Julia Child Foundation, and friend-of-the-pod Todd Schulkin about strategic planning. What is it? Why should they do it? And what is a SWOT analysis? Todd has answers! In The Craft (& Fain), they share an insight from fellow writer and Substacker Bill Gullo — writing is different than talking is different than thinking. This week’s Hollywood Hack will help you network: the HiHello business card app. Finally Sarah shares a true crime podcast recommendation — Murder 101.  Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to ma

Liz and Sarah continue to embrace this year’s team theme — Flower & Fly 2025 — by thinking of themselves as busy bees. Their organized buzzing has put them in a state of flow. In Take A Hike, Sarah shares why “art yarn” is a great metaphor for fighting perfectionism. In Take Two, they revisit the topic of muses and decide they’re going to start asking themselves, “What is your creative priority?” This week’s Hollywood Hack will make you smell good: Morton Essentials stick deodorant. Finally, Liz has two reality competition show recommendations for people who are missing Traitors — Million Dollar Secret on Netflix and Got To Get Out on Hulu. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood

Liz and Sarah share networking event tips for those who don’t particularly like networking events. Some ideas? Look at the guest list beforehand, get there early, and try to connect with deeper conversation. In Hits & Bombs, Sarah gives a Hit to the neighbors who bandaged her bleeding finger, and Liz gives a Bomb to how long it took her to relax during her Palm Springs getaway. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah choose a Team Muse! (Their 15-year-old selves.) This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from friend-of-the-pod Karine — keep an apron in your car. Finally, Sarah recommends the incredibly compelling book Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.fac

Liz and Sarah are getting ready to pitch a show, and they’re battling the bad feeling that nothing will sell. They remind themselves that no matter the climate in Hollywood, their work stays the same. The outcome will be what it will be. In Take A Hike, they discuss why their slow read of Stephen King’s memoir (with pens and highlighters in hand) is giving them a collective pep in their step. Next, The Craft (& Fain) is inspired by the revisions they did of their pitch — try swapping the beginning and ending of whatever you’re writing. Sarah uses this week’s Hollywood Hack whenever she washes her hair: the Kosmu Hair Towel. Then Liz recommends the limited series ZeroZeroZero on Amazon Prime. Finally, Liz had a Celebrity Sighting — Kyle Richards from RHOBH.  Sign up for Liz & Sarah’s free weekly Substack newsletter at https://happierinhollywoodpod.substack.com. It will come right to your inbox! Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch

Liz and Sarah talk to Pulitzer Prize winning writer, Charles Duhigg, about his fantastic book Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. One piece of advice? Ask the deep question. Then, in Day In The Life, they share a typical day in their work life right now. They’re kind of all over the place — in a good way! This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from Charles’ Substack newsletter, The Science of Better — to improve a meeting, serve spicy food and pass out Vitamin D supplements. Finally, Sarah recommends the Charleston Artist Collective. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretche

Sarah and Liz are Substack zealots, but they realize many listeners don’t even know what Substack is — six months ago, they’d barely heard of it. So they break down the ABC’s of Substack from a user’s point of view. In Take A Hike, Sarah talks about why giving micro loans through Kiva makes her happier. Then Liz and Sarah answer a question about the signs that project isn’t going well. The biggest sign? Silence from the executives. This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from a listener — list a loved one by a special name in the contacts on your phone. Finally, Liz recommends Say Everything: A Memoir by Ione Skye. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onwa

Liz and Sarah talk to Gretchen Rubin, aka Liz’s sister, about her fantastic new book of witty and thought-provoking aphorisms, Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives. Some favorites: What can be done at any time is often done at no time. Easy children raise good parents. Accept yourself, and expect more from yourself. Choose the bigger life.  This week’s Hollywood Hack is one of Sarah’s favorite skincare products — Biossance toner. Finally, Sarah recommends the podcast Sleep With Me.  Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better.&

Liz and Sarah talk to Hollywood veteran and career coach Laverne McKinnon about career transitions, career grief, and the tumult happening in Hollywood. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), they share a tip that will improve your writing — set a high bar. This week’s Hollywood Hack is a product Sarah has been using for over a decade: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm. Finally, Liz recommends the limited series Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix. Sign up for Liz & Sarah’s free weekly Substack newsletter at https://happierinhollywoodpod.substack.com. It will come right to your inbox! Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how to make your life better. Check out the other Onward

Liz and Sarah have video anxiety! They’ve started making at least two videos a week for their new Substack venture, and it’s a learning curve! What do they wear? How much lighting do they need? And will they survive without Chuck editing out all their uhs and ums? In The Craft (& Fain), they discuss why they always “go down the road” — even if they end up taking a U-turn. This week’s Hollywood Hack is a great gift for the reader in your life: the Elsa Peretti Heart Bookmark from Tiffany & Co. Finally, Sarah has a thriller book recommendation— The God of the Woods: A Novel by Liz Moore. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a

We’ve all tortured ourselves by stewing over something we said or did — or didn’t say or didn’t do. It’s time to stop the stewing! Liz and Sarah’s advice? If you think you’ve offended someone, reach out. In Take A Hike, Liz and Sarah talk about a reader who reframed taking a walk as “genius activation,” and it’s inspired them to reframe things in their own lives with whimsical monikers. Sarah’s now thinking of picking up poop as “yard beautification” and Liz is calling Orange Theory Fitness “kangaroo time.” This week in Hits & Bombs, they give two Hits. One to Sarah for getting a new printer for her house, and one to both of them for planning more work lunches. Then Sarah has a printing hack: Make things smaller to print them, which saves paper and makes documents (like recipes) easier to manage. Finally, Liz recommends the new season of Mike White’s The White Lotus on HBO. Sign up for Liz & Sarah’s f

Sarah talks about how much her work life has improved since she got an office space in downtown Ojai — and how it’s made her realize that Liz needs to make her office into her own space too. In Take A Hike, Sarah shares how participating in Emily Gaines Demskey’s Three Good Things Substack every day has made her happier. Liz is passionate about this week’s Hollywood Hack: Croc slides. Next, Liz and Sarah both had sort of Celebrity Sightings. Liz saw a crew filming for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic starring Jeremy Allen White on her street. And Violet’s nanny, Dawn, almost ran over Ted Danson. Finally, Sarah recommends the Homeschool Moms Unfiltered podcast. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier

Liz and Sarah are answering all of your questions! What advice do they have for someone new to Hollywood given the state of the industry? Do they receive residuals from TV shows they’ve worked on? What is their opinion about the ongoing legal conflict between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni? Do Jack and Violet listen to the podcast? They discuss all these and more!  If you want to see videos of Liz and Sarah answering even more questions every Saturday, sign up for their free weekly Substack newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onward Project,’ a family of podcasts brought together by Gretchen Rubin—all about how

Liz and Sarah have entered an era of completion. They’ve had so many open projects, but now some are wrapping up — or at least moving to the next phase. It feels good! In Take A Hike, Sarah shares her list of things to do instead of doom scrolling. Some ideas? Meditate, bake something gluten-free, or “organize a small space.” Next, they revisit an L v. S (Liz versus Sarah) about planners. Liz has come around to Sarah’s planner love! This week’s Hollywood Hack will help you end meetings smoothly: Announce when there are two (or five or twenty) minutes left. Finally, Sarah recommends the book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s Substack Newsletter at  happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram and Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is pa

Liz and Sarah have decided that it’s time to embrace the identity of “content creator” — in the evolving world of Hollywood, it’s part of stepping into the future. In Take Two, they revisit the topic of allowing for “disproportionate joy.” Turns out the idea is catching! Next, in The Mailroom, they answer a question from Liz’s sister, Gretchen, about getting notes. This week’s Hollywood Hack is an upgrade of a past Hollywood Hack: Loop Switch 2 Adjustable Earplugs. Finally, Liz has a book recommendation — Dinner For Vampires, a memoir of her time in a cult by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of ‘The Onwar

Along with everyone else in Los Angeles, Liz and Sarah are feeling so much love for their city. But they’re also suffering from crisis fatigue. Every time they think life in L.A. is getting back to “normal,” something else happens. This time, it’s the devastating wildfires that have taken lives and destroyed thousands of beloved homes and businesses. In Take A Hike, Sarah reveals the twenty-five categories of things she is NOT going to buy in 2025. Next, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share a tool of the trade that’s helping them with their new Substack newsletter — Notebook LM. This week’s Hollywood Hacks come in handy when the power is out (as it has been for Sarah and many Angelinos this week): a battery-operated neck light and a wireless bottle lamp.  LINKS: Notebook LM: https://notebooklm.google/ Carson Dual Headed COB LED neck light: https://amzn.to/3PsMzrH Wireless bottle lamp: https://amzn.to/404dqz4 Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsle

It’s Episode 400 of Happier In Hollywood! Liz and Sarah are so grateful to all the listeners who are part of their dynamic podcast community! In honor of this milestone (and the state of Hollywood) Liz and Sarah are declaring a reset. They’re stepping into the future with all of the excitement and blind optimism they harnessed at the beginning of their career. Next, Liz and Sarah reveal their 2025 Team Theme — “Flower and Fly 2025.” Their symbol is a bee, and they both got rings to keep their theme top of mind. This week’s Hollywood Hack is earth friendly and fun: Facebook Marketplace. Finally Liz recommends Landman, starring Billy Bob Thornton, on Paramount+. Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s upcoming Substack at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.    LINKS: Facebook Marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/ Landman trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zxh49-bsIkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liz and Sarah are thrilled to announce that Happier In Hollywood has moved to Lemonada Media! It’s 2025, and Liz and Sarah are VERY excited about their huge new undertaking — they’re going to have a Substack newsletter! They’ll be sharing Hollywood spotlights of the week, pro tips, HIH retreat and meet up info, and so much more. Sign up at happierinhollywood.com or send an email to happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com. In The Happiness Project Revisited, Sarah looks back at 2024 and shares what changes have come about because of her Happiness Project. One big development? She manifested an office in downtown Ojai! Next, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share a new metaphor they’re using when they break stories. This week’s Hollywood Hack will make next year’s gift giving season less stressful: Giftful. Finally, Sarah recommends one of her favorite Substacks: Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jess Craven.  Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s newsletter at happier

“Is this just a dirge?” Liz and Sarah discuss how a question from mega-producer and friend of the pod David Hoberman about a show they were working on has stayed with them for years. Sometimes a single comment can put a filter on all future work — and that’s a good thing. In Take Two, they revisit the topic of authenticity. Then, in The Craft (& Fain), Liz and Sarah share why it can be so helpful to color code scenes when they’re breaking an episode. This week’s Hollywood Hack is an app that helps organize thoughts and ideas: Muse. Finally, Liz recommends the reality show The Later Daters on Netflix.  Sign up for Liz and Sarah’s upcoming newsletter at happierinhollywoodpod@substack.com.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part of &lsquo

Liz and Sarah sit down with friend of the pod, Satellite Sister Liz Dolan, to talk about her new podcast Lizness School, which chronicles her fascinating year as a Fellow at Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute. What compelled her to move to Palo Alto for nine months? Which of the institute’s three pillars of purpose, wellness, and community is resonating most with her? This week’s Hollywood Hack comes from a listener who doesn’t like “to do” lists: Create a “want to do” list. Next, Liz had a Celebrity Sighting on her recent trip to New York — she saw Anthony Michael Hall. Finally Sarah has two recommendations: A Man on the Inside on Netflix and Bug MD Clothes Moth Boss Traps.  Get in touch on Instagram: @Sfain & @LizCraft Get in touch on Threads: @Sfain & @LizCraft Visit our website: https://happierinhollywood.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/HappierinHollywood/ Happier in Hollywood is part