The Dan Buettner Podcast

Episode: Goldie Hawn's Science-Backed Secrets to Living a Happier Life

Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Dan Buettner
Guest: Goldie Hawn

Episode Overview

Dan Buettner, explorer and Blue Zones author, sits down with actress, producer, and mental wellness advocate Goldie Hawn to uncover her science-backed habits for a happier life. Drawing from her personal journey and her MindUp educational initiative, Goldie shares stories, insights, and practical advice on joy, resilience, mindfulness, parenting, friendship, and lasting love. The conversation is deeply personal, uplifting, and filled with actionable takeaways for anyone seeking more happiness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Goldie’s Journey with Happiness and Mindset

• Goldie's Early Struggles: Despite her cheerful public persona, Goldie opens up about experiencing deep anxiety and depression at age 22, right as her career was taking off.
  • "I became very, very depressed, very anxious. When I was just becoming successful, I couldn't figure out who I was. I was frightened." (01:44, Goldie Hawn)
• Nature vs. Nurture in Happiness: Goldie and Dan discuss whether happiness is a conscious choice or shaped by life experience. Both agree it's a blend of mindset and environment.
  • “My general belief on happiness, it's a product of our environment... But you come from an equally valid point of view, which is mindset.” (04:38, Dan Buettner)
  • Goldie credits her resilience to both supportive early memories and hard life lessons.
• Practical Mindset Shifts: Goldie shares how she intentionally “returns to her happy state,” practicing self-awareness and refusing to let negative thoughts dominate her mornings.
• The Power of Childhood Joy: She reflects on her ability to “conjure the tickle up at any time,” explaining that everyone retains the joyful essence of their childhood within them.
  • “That tickle, that doesn't go anywhere. Life can cover it up... but I would never want to forego the opportunity I have to reconnect with that piece of me.” (17:22, Goldie Hawn)

2. Overcoming Adversity & Building Resilience

• Courageous Beginnings: Goldie recounts moving to New York alone at 18 for a dance job, facing unsafe situations and living in poverty—but holding onto joy brought by "the laughter of children across the street." (11:27–14:05)
• Transforming Hardship to Growth: She attributes her outlook to enduring hard times and intentionally finding the positive and the lesson in every situation.
  • “If I can feel the joy, then I can replicate it... so much of it also is not just in your experience, but in your ability to retrieve some of these experiences.” (15:01, Goldie Hawn)

3. MindUp: Teaching Children the Science of Happiness

• Origins of MindUp: The 9/11 attacks inspired Goldie to help children manage anxiety and understand their brains; she collaborated with neuroscientists to create MindUp.
  • "I wanted to help our children understand that we're going to be okay... I became much more ensconced in understanding brain science and the connection between neurological activity." (21:05, Goldie Hawn)
• The Neuroscience Blueprint: MindUp teaches kids about the amygdala (emotion), prefrontal cortex (reason), and how anxiety can “hijack” learning. Core techniques include brain breaks (short, calming meditations) and focus on gratitude.
  • “When we learn more about our brain, we learn more about our potentiality.” (23:45, Goldie Hawn)
  • Gratitude journals: Shown to lift severe depression among participants in research MindUp draws on.
• Widespread Impact: MindUp operates in entire school districts, including New York City, and soon will be available via an AI bot and in micro-lessons for parents and teachers.
• Positive Outcomes: 83% of children in MindUp report that they can make themselves happier.
  • “That made me cry... I just thought they were unhappy. But I didn't know that 10-year-olds were taking their lives.” (27:45, Goldie Hawn)
• Forgiveness & Cognitive Flexibility: Goldie emphasizes teaching kids flexibility and compassion, including forgiving even those they struggle to like, to free themselves from pain.
  • "Hatred and anger and lack thereof of forgiveness will only manifest physically in your body. Because your brain and your body are like one, dude." (25:56, Goldie Hawn)

4. Parenting & Family Wisdom

• Raising Resilient Kids:
  • Goldie offers honest reflections on single motherhood, admitting to past mistakes and the importance of apologizing and being real with kids.
  • "You cannot carry [your mistakes] for the rest of your life. You can apologize for them, which you must do. Your children are people too." (32:57, Goldie Hawn)
• Modeling Work Ethic: Goldie and Kurt Russell modeled discipline and hard work for their children.
  • “Don't just talk at them... you have to model for them and listen to them.” (34:22, Goldie Hawn)
• Communication & Openness: She recommends parents listen for the moments kids want to talk and drop everything to make space.
  • “You have to wait until the moment they say, I want to talk, and then drop everything.” (35:53, Dan Buettner)
• True Joy in Family: Despite Hollywood pressures and divorce, deep family connection was paramount, and sexual attraction and independence keep her 42-year partnership fresh.
  • “If I'm a bird and you leave the cage door open, I may never fly out. But if you close that door, I, for my freedom and my independence, I would probably take, like, all my feathers off. It's a freedom of self.” (56:15, Goldie Hawn)
  • Her secret to a long partnership? Respect, sexual attraction, independence, and forgiveness.
• On Raising Kids Today: Goldie believes children grow by facing hardship and not always getting what they want.
  • "They have to not get what they want. They have to struggle." (54:58, Goldie Hawn)

5. Tools & Hacks for Happiness

Goldie distills years of experience and science into practical tips:

• Breathing: Focused nasal breathing calms the brain and body.
  • “Breath is very powerful, focused breathing... If you breathe through the nose, hold it... it deactivates the amygdala part of the brain.” (45:39, Goldie Hawn)
• Wonder Eyes: Switch from “dead eyes” to “wonder eyes” by adopting a child-like fascination with the world.
  • “Pretend that I just landed from another planet... and I wanted to give my eyes full of wonder. What do your eyes look like when you're looking, like a child is looking at the moon?” (41:37, Goldie Hawn)
• Smile on Purpose: The act of smiling, even before feeling happy, activates neurotransmitters that boost mood.
  • “Even when you don't feel like it, even when you're sad, smile... it activates neurotransmitters, a lot of things in your brain.” (42:09, Goldie Hawn)
• Gratitude Journals: Write down things you're grateful for to rewire the brain for positivity.
• Prayer & Intention: Goldie describes “emptying herself” to pray for her son’s healing, emphasizing focused loving attention as powerful.
  • [Story of her son’s healing] (43:35–45:30, Goldie Hawn)
• Forgiveness: Actively forgive to free yourself from emotional poison.
  • “Hatred and anger and lack thereof of forgiveness will only manifest physically in your body.” (25:56)
• Mindful Breaks: Use "brain breaks" or meditation multiple times a day to reset.
• Making Joy Conscious: Remember and consciously retrieve your sense of childlike joy, the “tickle” inside.

6. Friendship, Loss & Grief

• Cherishing Girlfriends: Goldie discusses losing her closest friends to cancer and accidents, and the unique, irreplaceable bond such friendship brings.
  • “Do they matter to you? They matter more than anything.” (62:41, Goldie Hawn)
  • “Men can come and go, but your girlfriends are there forever.” (65:09, Goldie Hawn)
• Difficulty Making New Friends: She confides it's much harder to form profound friendships later in life.
• Advice to Listeners: Cultivate and honor your close friendships—those are the “greatest things you can have.”

7. Hollywood, Status, and Staying Grounded

• Staying Untarnished: Despite decades in Hollywood, Goldie keeps a loving, openhearted perspective and doesn’t internalize others’ negativity.
  • "They don't have your eyes. They don't know who you are. You are a rashok test. Pretty much you're someone people know from afar." (38:31, Goldie Hawn)
  • “If you can't forgive, you can't move forward. And life is about solution, moving forward.” (39:13, Goldie Hawn)
• Purpose Over Status: Goldie’s happiness was never solely linked to professional peaks, but rather to purpose, relationships, and moments on set.

8. Notable & Memorable Moments

Anecdotes

• Goldie calming herself during panic attacks using early “Freudian analysis” and meditation before cognitive therapy was mainstream. (08:09)
• Story of moving alone to NYC, an inappropriate situation with her mentor, and finding light through children's laughter across the street. (11:27)
• Explaining “God” to her six-year-old daughter Kate as “the feeling just before you’re going to laugh.” (16:41)
• Using “lighting” as a humorous parenting intervention during teenage parties (51:06)
• Kurt Russell as her partner of 42 years: “If you close that door, I... would probably take, like, all my feathers off. It’s a freedom of self.” (56:15)
• Steve Martin gifting her a whole Cipriani cake while filming in NYC (53:37)
• Touching tributes to her late friends, especially her role in being present at their passing. (60:25–63:57)

Quotes

• “I just want to be happy.” — Goldie at age 11 (07:02)
• “I wanted no one to ever take my happiness away from me.” (07:34)
• “If I can feel the joy, then I can replicate it.” (15:01)
• “[Forgiveness]... will only manifest physically in your body. Because your brain and your body are like one, dude.” (25:56)
• “Pretend that I just landed from another planet... and give my eyes full of wonder.” (41:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Goldie’s struggles with anxiety & origin story: 01:44–08:09
• The “tickle” of childhood joy & her daughter’s question: 15:01–17:22
• MindUp and neuroscience for kids: 21:05–27:45
• Forgiveness, cognitive flexibility & MindUp results: 25:02–27:45
• Parenting mistakes & apologizing to kids: 32:57–36:54
• Modeling work ethic & the importance of open communication: 34:22–36:59
• Secrets to a lasting partnership with Kurt Russell: 56:15–59:46
• Cherishing and grieving friends: 60:20–65:09
• Happiness hacks recap: 49:19–50:28

Actionable Happiness Tools from Goldie Hawn

1. Practice focused nasal breathing to regulate emotions and calm the brain (45:39)
2. Switch to “wonder eyes”—view the world with childlike curiosity to reignite awe (41:37)
3. Smile intentionally (even when you don’t feel it) to activate happiness biochemistry (42:09)
4. Keep a gratitude journal to retrain your brain for positivity (23:45)
5. Forgive actively and often, for your own wellbeing (25:56)
6. Honor sadness when it comes—don't rush it away, but seek to return to joy when able (50:04)
7. Teach and take “brain breaks”—pause and reset regularly (26:49)
8. Communicate with, listen to, and model for your children (34:22)
9. Keep friendships strong—cherish your “inner circle” (60:20+)
10. Nurture independence and freedom in relationships (56:15)

Conclusion

This episode is a warm, candid, and wisdom-rich exploration of happiness as a science and art. Goldie Hawn reveals that happiness is not constant, but is a muscle each of us can nurture—by breathing, by being self-aware, by practicing gratitude, by consciously returning to joy, by forgiving, and by cherishing our relationships. Whether overcoming adversity or celebrating small joys, Goldie embodies resilience, authenticity, and infectious positivity.

“People make me really happy.” (65:43, Goldie Hawn)

“You are a complete American treasure... and I’m pretty sure everybody listening today feels a little bit better.” (68:53, Dan Buettner)