Special Episode: Inside How to Be Happy (Ami Rankin Interviews Declan Edwards About His New Book)

If you opened up Google right now and typed in “how to be happy,” you would be hit with over eight billion different results. That is roughly one opinion for every single person alive on the planet today. In a world flooded with that much noise, it is completely normal to feel confused, overwhelmed, and stuck trying to figure out what actually works.

In this special edition episode of How to Be Happy, I am stepping completely out of the interviewer's seat. For a change, I am sitting in the hot seat to be interviewed by our incredible Head of Personal Happiness Coaching at BU Happiness College, Ami Rankin. Ami has been diving into my brand-new book, How to Be Happy, and she has questions!

In Part 1 of this multi-part series, we are focusing on the introduction and the first few chapters of the book.

We call total time-out on modern "optimisation culture"—the exhausting checklist trap of 5 AM wake-ups, ice baths, and extreme routines that high-achievers use to score their worth. We look at why so many of us accidentally become "human doings" rather than "human beings," and break down the exact emotional stages our minds move through when trying to navigate our feelings.

In this episode we explore:

• The Noise of 8 Billion Results: Why happiness feels so confusing when everyone on the planet has a different opinion, and what it means to be a "happiness translator".
• The Primary Color Trap: How limiting your language to standard "blanket emotions" like basic anger or sadness cripples your actual capacity for rich joy.
• Global Wellbeing Budgets: A look into how countries like Bhutan and New Zealand link economic frameworks to human quality of life, and where Australia has dropped the ball.
• The 100 "I Am" Lines: A powerful, direct practice to instantly build a three-dimensional identity so your worth isn't swallowed up by just your career or your parenting role.
• The 5 Stages of Emotional Intelligence: A deep dive into my signature framework—ranging from "The Rock" of total emotional numbness to "The Monk" of real-time emotional awareness.

Grab a Copy of the Book & Support the Show

• Grab the Book or Audiobook: Ready to dive into the exact tools, reflection questions, and worksheets Ami and I discussed today? My brand-new book, How to Be Happy, is out on bookshelves everywhere! Grab your physical copy online via Amazon or Booktopia, or listen to me read it directly into your ears by downloading the audiobook on Audible.

• Subscribe to the Show: If this conversation brought a wave of relief or a helpful reminder to your day, please hit Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! For every new subscriber we pay to protect one square meter of threatened rainforest.