Jake Pearson  00:00

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 today we have with us the founder of banyula.io, Australia's online marketplace for sustainable goods, Alan Whatmore. Alan! How you going?

Alan Whatmore  00:40

Good. Thanks, Jake. Thanks, again for having me on the show.

Jake Pearson  00:43

Now, super excited to hear what makes you happy and everything around that. Where are you coming from today?

Alan Whatmore  00:48

So we're here in Sydney in Linfield, specifically working remotely basically, that's where we live at the moment, we've got our first newborn daughter who's 11 weeks old. So that's been really challenging. Appreciate you having me on the show.

Jake Pearson  01:03

Let's get feed into that off the back of you know, having that newborn child [phonetic 01:07] what makes you happy?

Alan Whatmore  01:08

Yes, it's definitely her, like, as a starter her name is Evie, family, broadly speaking, as well. But I think yes, more importantly, just being able to really make a difference to Evie [phonetic] my partner, my family, and the wider audience as well. So that's probably something that gives me real fulfillment, you know, how can I make a difference in someone else's life, that's going to help them make a more informed decision that they may not have otherwise made?

Jake Pearson  01:36

Absolutely. So in terms of your happiness, you've got your family orientated. And that's what really makes you happy. But for someone who may be listening to this right now, who is struggling with their mental health and their happiness? What would you sort of suggest for them to maybe look into or get started on practicing in their life to find a bit more happiness?

Alan Whatmore  02:00

Yes, for sure. That's a great question. And I think, no matter who you are, no matter how things are perceived, each individual person has their own obstacles that they're facing, no matter where they sit, how old they are, how young they are, what kind of support network. So I think no matter who you are in the audience, if you can think about a time in your life, it could be early this year, it could be before that where you are really truly happy. And note that down, write that down on a piece of paper. And then once you've done that, expand on that further and find out what exactly were you doing at the time, or what sort of circumstances were you're in, that essentially resulted in you being happy, because you'll probably find that there's a number of variables that result in whether you're happy or not, it could be as simple as whether you've eaten lunch or not, you know. So I think just noting those things down. And then that in itself will give you a really good understanding of what you need to do, or what you could be doing that will result in you feeling better than you are currently.

Jake Pearson  02:57

That is a beautiful practice, actually, you know, taking note of a time when you were most happy, and I could think of a few for myself, and then just elaborating on that expanding on that to sort of actually deep dive into why you felt that way. What about that made you feel that way? Is that kind of what you're saying?

Alan Whatmore  03:13

Absolutely. And it could also like, there's also things that you could do for yourself. But typically for me, personally, I find when you're doing things that also benefits other people aside from yourself, that gives you that extra sense of fulfillment. So if you're in a position that you are able to make a difference in someone else's life, and that doesn't put you in a worse position that you are today, is there something that you could be doing that makes a difference. And that in turn gives you that sense of fulfillment that you're looking for, or that would benefit you or that you need essentially. So there might be a friend or a family member, or a colleague or someone else that's doing it tough. And there's so many people out there that are doing a tough including us. So I think really being able to realize that and connect with those individuals, and let them know that they're not the only person that may be going through those set of circumstances. And if there's anything that they need, that they can give you a call, and at least just give them that sense of comfort. And yes, that sense of connection. I think that's something in which people will find more value in so.

Jake Pearson  04:20

Connection beautifully put. Allan thank you so much for coming on the podcast. And if you would love to connect with Allan and follow along his journey and learn more about what he's doing in his space. You can follow him through the podcast episode description below. Alan look, thank you so much for coming on and sharing all things happiness in your life.

Alan Whatmore  04:39

Thanks so much, Jake and look for anyone in the audience. If you'd like to learn more about our business or our website, feel free to log on to banyula.io and hopefully we have something there that would help you shop more sustainably. So thank you so much, Jake, for having me on the podcast.

Jake Pearson  04:54

Much appreciated. Thank you. 

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope it gives you something to think about on your quest to discover what makes you happy. Don't forget to leave a review or a comment and follow us on all our social media platforms so you can see our upcoming guests calendar. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time !