136: Failing Forward: Yvette Lopez on Resilience, Leadership, and the Power of Community
Release Date: 01/21/2025
150: What Teens Wish Their Parents Knew: A Conversation with Youth Expert Mimi Loftus
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt, eye-opening conversation with Mimi Loftus, House of Shine’s go-to youth expert and self-proclaimed “teen whisperer.” In this deeply relatable episode, Mimi shares powerful insights from real teens about what they wish their parents knew—and how adults can better connect with the young people in their lives. Based on anonymous feedback Mimi gathered directly from adolescents, this episode breaks down three core themes that keep showing up: teens want to be understood, not “fixed”; they need their interests...
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149: Finding Yourself Between the Pages: Travel Journaling with Tien Tran
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on this week’s episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt, wanderlust-filled conversation with Tien Tran—global citizen, intentional traveler, and one of the featured journalers in our GROW: Journaling Through the Seasons exhibit at House of Shine. Inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank at age 11, Tien picked up his first journal—a Harry Potter notebook—just weeks before returning to Vietnam for the first time since childhood. That moment sparked a journaling journey that now spans 43 journals, 10 countries, and six continents. In this episode, Tien...
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148: Unlocking Creativity Through Junk Journaling with Peggy Sue Robinson
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with Peggy Sue Robinson—longtime friend of the House of Shine, resident creative, and passionate junk journaler. In this joyful episode, Peggy Sue shares her journey from “lurker” on the original House of Shine blog to creative contributor whose influence can be felt throughout our museum space. Together, they explore the evolution of journaling as a practice—not just as a place to write thoughts, but as a powerful form of self-expression. Peggy Sue introduces us to the art of...
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147: Manifestation, Creativity, and the Power of Journaling with Dr. Shine
What's Your Shine?
Join us for a very special solo episode of What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast as Dr. Claudia Beeny—aka Dr. Shine—invites listeners into her personal journaling practice and the origin story behind House of Shine’s newest exhibit, Grow: Journaling Through the Seasons. In this candid, insightful, and often hilarious episode, Dr. Shine opens her journals and her heart, revealing how 18 years of spontaneous journaling turned into a powerful manifestation practice that helped bring the House of Shine to life. From blog posts written during preschool pickup to early sketches of programs...
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146: Finding Faith, Hope, and Joy in Uncertain Times Dr. Kim Lozada on Resilience
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a heartfelt conversation with Dr. Kim Lozada, retired educator, cancer survivor, and author of The COVID Chronicles: A Journey of Faith and Hope. In this powerful episode, Dr. Lozada shares how a spontaneous journaling habit during the early days of the pandemic evolved into a published book—one that serves as both a personal memoir and a collective time capsule for a moment in history we’ll never forget. As the world slowed down, Kim picked up her pen. What began as a tool for reflection quickly became a record of everyday...
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145: How to Discover Your Passion and Purpose with Stephanie King
What's Your Shine?
Join us on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an engaging and thought-provoking conversation with Stephanie King, House of Shine’s beloved book club facilitator, as we dive into The Passion Test: The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Life Purpose by Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood. Stephanie shares how this transformative book challenges us to clarify what truly matters, uncover our passions, and align our lives with purpose and intention. Through personal anecdotes, insights from the book, and engaging exercises, she and Dr. Shine explore the power of self-reflection,...
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144: Sweet Success: How Yasmeen Tadia on Entrepreneurship, Branding & Business Growth
What's Your Shine?
Join us on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an extraordinary conversation with Yasmeen Tadia, founder of Make Your Life Sweeter, a luxury dessert experience brand that has taken the world by storm. Yasmeen is not just an entrepreneur—she’s a visionary, innovator, and mentor, bringing joy to high-end events, corporate gatherings, and celebrity clients across the globe. In this inspiring episode, Yasmeen shares her journey from bootstrapping her business to working with clients like Meta, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Neiman Marcus. Her story is one of resilience, adaptability, and an...
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143: Unschooling, Parenting, and Finding Your Shine with Mimi Loftus
What's Your Shine?
Join us on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for a fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with Mimi Loftus, a passionate educator and advocate for unschooling and student-centered learning. With years of experience in education and a deep understanding of how young minds thrive, Mimi shares her insights into rethinking traditional education and embracing a more flexible, personalized approach to learning. Mimi’s journey into unschooling was shaped by a desire to create equity in education, a belief that learning should be meaningful and self-driven, and an understanding that...
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142 Authenticity, Advocacy, and the Crown: Reining Miss Texas Annette Addo-Yobo on Inspiring Change
What's Your Shine?
Join Dr. Shine on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an empowering conversation with Annette, the reigning Miss Texas and an advocate for autism awareness. Discover how Annette’s unique background—being the first immigrant to win Miss Texas—has become a cornerstone of her authentic brand. She candidly discusses how embracing authenticity, staying true to herself, and making bold choices, like cutting her hair short before competition, propelled her to success and encouraged others to see themselves represented in pageantry. Annette also opens up about her personal connection to...
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141: Smiling Into Success: Entrepreneurship, Integrity, and Balance with Dr. Sara Mahmood
What's Your Shine?
Join us on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Sara Mahmood, a trailblazing entrepreneur, dentist, and advocate for integrity in healthcare. As the founder of Brush365, Sarah has dedicated her career to transforming the patient experience in dentistry while balancing leadership, motherhood, and personal growth. In this episode, Sara opens up about her journey from ambitious student to successful business owner, sharing candidly about the lessons she’s learned along the way—including how embracing flexibility, overcoming...
info_outlineJoin us on What’s Your Shine? The Happy Podcast for an inspiring conversation with Yvette Lopez, a dynamic coach, community advocate, and one of House of Shine’s 2025 Women Who Shine honorees. Yvette will be celebrated at our Peace.Love.Shine. Annual Fundraiser on February 12, 2025, a special evening dedicated to honoring extraordinary women who inspire others through their stories and actions.
Yvette shares her incredible journey from humble beginnings in Brooklyn’s housing projects to becoming an advisor to the President of the Dominican Republic and a driving force for positive change in her community. She reflects on how resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to serving others have shaped her life and career.
Yvette dives into her philosophy of "failing forward," the importance of listening to your intuition, and the power of taking ownership of your path. Her stories of reinvention, humility, and perseverance will leave you inspired to embrace life’s challenges and turn them into opportunities for growth and connection.
Key Topics:
- Yvette’s rise from housing projects to serving as an advisor to a world leader
- The power of resilience, adaptability, and "failing forward"
- How to align your strengths with your purpose and take meaningful action
- The importance of community in solving the world’s biggest challenges
- Why reflection and self-awareness are essential tools for success
Celebrate with Yvette in person! Join us at the Peace.Love.Shine. Annual Fundraiser: A Galentine’s Event on February 12, 2025, for an unforgettable evening of connection, inspiration, and celebration.
Learn more and register here
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