Mental Health Champions: Why & How Author Gretchen Rubin Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness
An Interview With Michelle Tennant Nicholson
Question everything. Ask yourself about what truly makes you happy, what you value and how you want to spend your life.
As a part of our series about Mental Health Champions helping to promote mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Gretchen Rubin.
Gretchen Rubin is a happiness expert and New York Times best-selling author. Her books dedicated to happiness and good habits have sold millions of copies in 30 languages, and her podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin has surpassed 220 million downloads. Gretchen has been interviewed by Oprah, eaten dinner with Nobel Prize-winner Daniel Kahneman and walked arm-in-arm with the Dalai Lama.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with my parents, my younger sister Elizabeth (who is now the co-host of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast with me), and our dog. I spent most of my free time reading–which is still true today!
You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more specifically about what you are trying to address?
Along with my books, podcast and blog, I am working with Northwestern Mutual on a campaign called The Great Realization. For some context, it is no surprise that over the last two years we’ve lived through an unprecedented number of challenges, from a global pandemic to inflation and economic volatility to geopolitical instability, which has left many feeling uncertain about the future. There is an overwhelming desire from Americans to pursue their dreams now, rather than waiting for that elusive “someday” — a cultural shift that Northwestern Mutual is coining as “The Great Realization.” With more than a decade of experience exploring happiness, habits, and human nature, I partnered with Northwestern Mutual to connect the dots among happiness, mental wellness, finances and personal priorities with the mission to help support Americans through this cultural shift and guide them to actionable steps towards their goals.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I attended Yale and Yale Law School, where I was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. At the beginning of my career, I was clerking for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when I realized that I wanted to become a writer. For me, this was my “Great Realization”: the moment when my priorities came into new, sharp focus. My desire to write became so compelling that I decided to switch from law to writing as a career. Through this partnership with Northwestern Mutual, I want to help people prioritize their happiness and set goals to achieve their own Great Realizations and prioritize mental wellness.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
According to a study from Northwestern Mutual, 97% of those surveyed said that the past two years have shown them the importance of pursuing their dreams now rather than waiting for “someday.” Yet despite not wanting to wait, only 21% feel completely prepared to start making progress toward those goals right now. More than two-thirds (72%) of millennials worry that if they don’t start acting on their life goals in the next 12 months, they might never get around to them. I remember when I was deciding to switch from a legal career to a writing career. One day it hit me: “I’d rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer.” I decided I had to give writing a real try. I went to a bookstore and bought a book called something like How to Write and Sell Your Non-Fiction Book Proposal and followed the directions! Looking back, the decision to buy that book was my “Aha moment.” It was such a small step — but it was a crucial moment in my life.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
My parents have always been very supportive and enthusiastic whenever I’ve wanted to take risks. Now that I’m a parent myself, I realize how hard that can be.
What are your 5 strategies you use to promote your own well-being and mental wellness? Can you please give a story or example for each?
- When it comes to financial wellness, it’s important to remember that, as with happiness, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to financial planning.
- Get to know yourself better. Digging deeper into what we value most allows us to make better decisions that reflect what’s most important to us. Take time to step back and figure out what is most significant and meaningful to you. One person may value security; another values freedom. One person loves to spend money on traveling; another wants to spend money making a home more comfortable and attractive.
- Question everything. Ask yourself about what truly makes you happy, what you value and how you want to spend your life.
- Ask for help. It can be difficult to take the first step, but there is tremendous benefit in getting expertise and advice from working with people who have the experience to advise you. I often ask myself, why is it so hard to ask for help? I don’t know, but every time I do it, I remember how well worth doing it is!
- Take action now. Sometimes, the hardest part is starting — especially with bigger goals. Focus on small, actionable steps you can take now rather than waiting or preventing yourself from doing anything because of what you aren’t able to do at the moment. Remember, as the old saying goes, “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second-best time is now.” The same is true for financial planning.
What are your favorite books, podcasts, or resources that inspire you to be a mental health champion?
I recommend Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter at @gretchenrubin. You can visit my website and blog at www.gretchenrubin.com. You can also listen to my podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Inspired by the father of PR, Edward Bernays (who was also Sigmund Freud’s nephew), Michelle Tennant Nicholson researches marketing, mental injury, and what it takes for optimal human development. An award-winning writer and publicist, she’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Michelle co-founded WasabiPublicity.com.
