Jake Pearson  00:00

Are you trying to figure out the secret to happiness? We're here at what makes you happy with Jake Are you trying to figure out the secret to happiness? We're here at What Makes You Happy with Jake Pearson. We want to make that happiness more accessible for you in your life. So stick around as we interview everyday people, inspirational leaders and your favorite celebrities on what makes them happy.

Welcome back to the podcast where we ask the question, what makes you happy?

My name is Jake Pearson. And our guest today is a highly sought [phonetic 00:33] after web designer, digital marketer, strategist, public speaker, and digital influencer as well as the CEO of Rise Visible, Aunia Kahn from Oregon, United States. How are you?

Aunia Kahn  00:48

I'm great. How are you?

Jake Pearson  00:50

I'm great. It's absolute pleasure to have you here. And thank you for making the time to come and share about all things that make you happy Aunia. Would you start with that what does make you happy?

Aunia Kahn  01:03

Sure. So what makes me happy is truly being alive. So unlike a lot of people that are my age, I'm kind of shocked that I'm still here. And that's because I have some really complicated genetic diseases that went undiagnosed for over two decades, and doctors and people in my life continue to tell me I had mental health problems. And I had to fight through staying alive and believing in myself and believing in my truth. And I remember the very defining moment of joy and happiness was when I got on a feeding tube formula back in 2012, which really brought my health to a better space, I walked outside, and for the first time I saw clouds again, it was like coming out of a deep sleep, coming out of almost a coma. And I would see the birds, I would hear things, and it was so amplified, and so beautiful, almost like being reborn in a way. And this is going to show my age, you know, I see gray hair. And for a lot of people, it's like, oh, man, I'm getting old. And for me, it actually brings tears to my eyes, because I never ever thought I would see gray hair. 

So for me being alive, being here, and being able to continue to live my life is really the biggest joy that I can have. And we all go through things where we get frustrated about things or we come up against challenges. And I think gratitude is great. But I live in a sense of gratitude a lot without even having to prompt it. You know, I'm so thankful, I can do this or that.

Jake Pearson  03:03

Yep, changing of perception and perspective of your world and saying, Well, it's not all that bad. There are some good things actually in my life that I should be grateful for. Rather than just casting that negative blanket over your whole life not looking at anything positive at all that's going well for you. Because from any outside, people can look at things and go hey, that's pretty cool. And you're like, Yeah, everything's shit, it can happen, right? So mindset is a big thing. What would you say to our listeners who are struggling with their happiness? What would your one piece of advice be to take away from this episode?

Aunia Kahn  03:48

I think happiness is something that sometimes is pushed on people so heavily, that we must be happy, that we must be positive and that everything's it's fine. And I think what's beautiful about happiness is it is fleeting, and that we have those down moments and you can't be happy all the time. And you have to live in a place of changing emotions. You have to feel anger, you have to feel resentment. You have to feel scared, we're humans, we have this whole arsenal of emotions, that we can't blanket with fake happiness. But when we're able to move through those emotions in healthy ways, those moments of happiness that we have, we really appreciate them and they are fleeting, we're are fleeting, it's fleeting, it just is, it's we're not going to be happy all the time. We want that. Would I like to walk out in the world and be happy from morning till night? Sure, who wouldn't want to live a life of pure happiness. But if we had happiness all the time, we wouldn't have the ability to and understand how precious it is.

Jake Pearson  04:56

I really resonate with what you're saying because it's close to home for me like literally. So, Aunia, thank you so much for coming on here and sharing your story and all things that make you happy. We really do appreciate your time here.

Aunia Kahn  05:11

Thank you so much for having me.

Jake Pearson  05:13

It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you so much. 

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope it gives you something to think about on your quest to discover what makes you happy. Make sure to check out whatmakesyouhavethepodcast.com to connect with today's guest and follow us on all our social media platforms. And to stay up to date on what's happening next and what makes you happy. Don't forget to share this episode with a friend and we'll see you next time!