If You're Happy, Do You Know It?

With season two being recorded entirely over the spring and summer of 2020, during the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, before vaccines and far from what we'd come to expect as "normality", we thought we'd recap a little on what that felt like. Featuring excerpts from Skyler Day, Jason Henwood, Isla Ure, Eliot J Fallows, Aaron Neville, Matthew McPherson, Chris Aylmer, Taylor Haydon and Beth Rylance. All episodes are still live and listenable on your platform of choice!

A happy episode with a difference... Belle and Al talk at length about the joy they have both derived over the years from the privilege of being able to visit the Disney theme parks around the world. They discuss what it is about theme parks and the disney themed experience in general that makes people feel so happy and how it's brought them both countless happy memories and strengthened their relationships with family and partners. Belle can be found in many places: Her twitter: @annabellefage Her instagram: @bellefage_ Her disney, sisterly instagram: @thefagesisters_ ALSO, Belle makes fudge and it's delicious and magical, you can order it here: https://www.facebook.com/bellesfabulousfudge

Part two of this week's double bill! Matthew McPherson returns to the podcast arena from the safety of his home in Margate to discuss his love/fury relationship with yesterday's guest - Chris Aylmer. Al and Mat attempt to navigate the enforced loneliness many people have been faced with during 2020 and how Mat has managed to stay buoyant, productive and happy in himself during this time. Al tries to convince Mat to tell his family that he loves them. Find Mat's company on instagram: @tiny_mediauk Find Mat & Chris's podcast "Forest All Over" wherever you get your podcasts!

It's a double bill! First up... Actor, Filmmaker, deeply lovely man, Chris Aylmer joins us from Canada. Chris talks about his life, navigating chaos and finding a sense of peace now that he is in his 30s. Chris tells us about his love for a sports team that continues to disappoint him year after year, and the podcast he started on that basis with the second guest of this week's double bill - Matthew McPherson. Follow Chris and Mat's Podcast on instagram: @forestallover Take a look at Chris's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTUvSg_UtDwFfHbYw-cjLxg

Taylor joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss the sudden need to examine her own sense of what brings happiness in a rapidly changing social world. Taylor muses on the simplicities of taking care of a garden, walking her dog and being able to let go of obsessive goal-setting and social media based comparison. Find Taylor on instagram: @taylorhhaydon Find Taylor's dog, Stan on instagram too: @stanley_haydonthefirst

Aaron Neville joins Al in the arena to discuss mediation, happiness as an acute AND chronic human condition and finding the time to Just. Slow. Down. He also treats us to a wonderful new song of his right from the off! Find more from Aaron on twitter: @NevilleSounds. On Instagram: @NevilleSounds and search for NevilleSounds on Spotify, Apple Music or anywhere else you please to listen to his wonderful and soulful tunes. Happy Listening!

Beth takes an hour on one of the hottest days of 2020 to discuss staying happy whilst she attempts not to melt entirely in the heat, and we are forever grateful. Al and Beth talk about the futility of trying to stay productive, creative and career driven during a time of total chaos for the world. Find Beth on Instagram: @thebethrylance Find Beth on Twitter: @beth_rylance

Being of earth and beautiful soul Jason Henwood joins Al remotely to discuss whether or not either of them really exist, but not as a cause for crisis, as a discovery of freedom. Jason tells us what he gained from spending 8 days in silence and how he has tried to take these lessons on in his every day life, but recognising it's often easier said than done. Jason is a focus-puller in film and television, a keen cyclist and a deep thinker. He's not hugely bothered by it, but you can find him on instagram now and then: @jasonhenwoodac

Isla joins Al in the arena, via her living room to chat all things happiness in 2020. Isla tells us how the pandemic forced her to cancel a special event and changed her year immensely, but how she has leaned into positivity and the recognition of all she has in her life that brings her security and joy. Find Isla on instagram: @isla_ure_stories

Eliot and Al discuss in detail the difficulty they can never fully appreciate - being an extrovert in a year when you're not allowed to hang around with other people. Eliot stuns and delights Al as he explains how, despite the world being such a rollercoaster of emotions in 2020, he has found himself to be the happiest he has ever been, and is looking to use this happiness to be good to others, now that he has finally learnt to be good to himself. An amazing lesson! You can find Eliot doing amazing things all over the internet, hosting and producing podcasts, starring in and directing short films and saying profound things on social media. Twitter: @EliotJFallows Instagram: @eliotjfallows Happy Listening!

We kick off this remotely recorded season two with the wonderful and thoughtful words of Skyler Day. Skyler and Al discuss how their concepts of what brings happiness and joy in a rapidly changing culture has changed. They share an experience of being in jobs that suddenly changed with the arrival of a global pandemic and how they've both navigated the intrinsic connection between staying happy and not being able to stay "productive" in the traditional sense. - Skyler is an actor and singer/songwriter and can be found on your television and computer screens doing both! - Search out Skyler on Spotify or wherever you get your music and find her on instagram: @skylerday. - Listen to Six Feet Apart (as featured in this episode) - https://open.spotify.com/track/1UqBegZqCk7mjouWLmwGnq?si=ofMDHHffSwqmezSDFdceWw

Some of our favourite moments from the epic dive into happiness that was Season One and our first 38 episodes. Season Two is coming soon and will specifically discuss with guests, remotely, the quest to remain happy during one of the strangest years in memory that is 2020. Al and guests will try to find ways to be content, be happy and explore how our notion of what makes us happy might evolve in a changed world. But for now, we shall enjoy a few key moments from last year's guests.

Taylor joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss the sudden need to examine her own sense of what brings happiness in a rapidly changing social world. Taylor muses on the simplicities of taking care of a garden, walking her dog and being able to let go of obsessive goal-setting and social media based comparison. Find Taylor on instagram: @taylorhhaydon Find Taylor's dog, Stan on instagram too: @stanley_haydonthefirst

The mystical and beautiful Boz joins Al in the arena to talk about his atheist re-birth, his life as a narcissist and many a topic that guides his own pursuit of happiness. • Find Boz online: backontrackliving.com Find Boz's podcast: Search for: The Little Pod of Horrors.

Turtle Canyon's wonderful intern, Kenagh Babcock realises that part of her internship is to be a guest on a drastically underwhelming podcast (this one). Nevertheless, she's really good on it, passionate, interesting and full of happy thoughts for her past, present and future. Grab a listen if you can! Find Kenagh on instagram: @kenaghbabcock

Please welcome Chris Bonwell to the arena, and fixed delightfully to his side is our first returning-guest, Sydney Stevenson, who is in an amorous, co-habiting, consciously coupled union with Chris. Chris and Syd tell us about the happiness they derive from "singing from the same hymn sheet" in their relationship. Chris talks of his love for food and cricket, but not necessarily in that order, Al and Chris share a love for being sad, embracing sadness for its allotted time and moving back into the light when ready. Find Chris on instagram: @christopherbonwell Find Chris on twitter: @ChrisBonwell

Human Person, Mother of Miniature Human and Director of Photography, Caroline Bridges joins us in the arena this week to discuss the journey she took in life whilst switching from one vocational career to another. Caroline tells us how the shocking discovery of having achieved everything she'd dreamed of as a dancer led her to feel a great sense of loss, now that her goals were no longer a driving force. This inevitably led her to her new career, passion and ultimately to the podcast arena and your very ear canals! Find Caroline on Instagram: @carolinebridgesdop

Comic, Climber, Father, Blue-Eyed Wonder Dave Fulton joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss the elation he finds from having an extreme hobby. Dave accidentally wanders into a metaphor for life that gets Al all kinds of excited to explore, he talks about adopting his son and how this adjusted his outlook on his own happiness and his son's potential for happiness. Dave also explains how it's taken a long time, but how he feels increasingly happy being simply "content" as opposed to constantly chasing after things that supposedly make him happy. Find Dave on twitter: @fulton_dave Find Dave on instagram: @fultonville

Actor, Singer, Songwriter, Thinker and Genuinely lovely human, Jessica Revell pops by the arena to share her thoughts on staying happy, finding happiness and peace and leaves us with an absolutely beautiful treat for the ears. Find Jess on instagram: @jessvrevell Find Jess on twitter: @jessvrevell

Please open your ear canals and welcome James Wichall (Jimmy Two Ears/Jimothy) to the podcast arena. This week we discuss Happiness on an entirely new and more macro level as James ponders the idea that we could all try a 'do-over' with society's structure as a whole and this could lead to being a happier culture. James puts forward that the ideals of communism are far more attractive than what has been put into practice and the two chaps talk about how loneliness can seriously impact one's life. James also tells us of his dreams of buying a yacht and the intricacies of Quantum computing. ENJOY! Find James on Instagram: @jimmytwoears