Shelley Levitt

The New Pursuit of Happiness

True contentment takes more than mirth and smiley faces. Meaning and service to others are essential parts of the well-lived life.

Why Feeling More Makes You Feel Better

When we experience a wide range of emotions, we can enhance both our mental and physical health.

Mindfulness: The Rules of Engagement

Adopt These 7 Small Habits and Boost Your Mental Well-Being

From the food you fuel your body with to the items filling your to-do list, the small choices you make every day can have a big impact on your well‑being.

90 Days to a Happier You

We could have resolved to eat more leafy greens or to add another spin class to our weekly workout schedule. But when a team of us at Live Happy made it our mission to become happier in 2016, we dug deeper to identify the behaviors, interactions and attitudes that were sapping our energy, productivity and joy.

CBD: The hottest trend in wellness is an ingredient in weed | Considerable

The biggest buzz in the smoking-hot marijuana industry isn't about getting buzzed. Leave that to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive part of the marijuana plant. Rather it's another compound in weed that's attracting all the attention: CBD, short for cannabidiol.

The Science of Post-Traumatic Growth

A growing body of research shows that the biggest challenges we face offer opportunities for deeper, more meaningful lives. But can we enjoy these gains without suffering the loss?

Round-the-Clock Happiness

With small actions throughout the day you can create a tick-tock of contentment.

The New Secrets of Perfect Sleep

Increase your vitality, happiness and productivity with these tips to help you get proper shut-eye.

Moonstruck? There's a Reason You Feel Tired Before a Full Moon

Many of the sleep disruptors we hear about today are modern inventions. Smartphones, iPads, laptops, TV screens and e-readers... we're kept awake by the glow of the blue-light. But there may be another type of light source that predates our tech-driven sleepless nights. We're talking about the moon.

How a Sleep Diary Can Help You Uncover the Secret to Better Sleep

Your days of "Dear diary" may be behind you, but a sleep diary is less a confessional and more of a careful record of your sleep and your sleep-related habits. It's a tool that sleep doctors regularly recommend to their weary patients to help identify the behaviors that might be sabotaging their slumber.

Expressive Writing

A 20-minute practice can make you happier, healthier and more resilient.

The Upside of Anger

Medical marijuana: What you need to know | Considerable

While fully legal pot is still the exception in the United States, chances are good that you live somewhere where you can buy marijuana for health reasons. Since California legalized the medical use of marijuana in 1996, another 32 states, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have followed suit.

Regrets: What you can learn from this common emotion | Considerable

Edith Piaf may have had no regrets, and Frank Sinatra had too few to mention, but for the rest of us that nagging feeling of coulda/woulda/shoulda is common. In fact, research reveals that regret is second only to love as the most frequently mentioned emotion in everyday conversation.

One Physician's Uplifting New Perspective on Aging

"Though I was working for them, my patients ended up teaching me what questions really matter as we age and how people can increase their chances of living well and meaningfully throughout their lives," Aronson writes in Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life .

How To Be A Fitness Lifer

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the benefits of regular physical activity for older adults may include a lowered risk of bone fractures; a reduced risk of dying from heart disease and developing high blood pressure, colon cancer and diabetes; reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression; relief of arthritis symptoms and more.

Forget Retirement. Instead, Embrace "Pre-tirement."

Many in the 60-plus set believe that concept of retirement needs to be kicked back to the Middle Ages. Sharon Emek, 71, is among them. She's the founder, president and CEO of WAHVE, or Work at Home Vintage Experts, a "talent matching company" that pairs experienced baby boomers with companies that are eager for their institutional knowledge, judgment, talent and skills.

Tips for Caregivers on How to Help Prevent Burnout

The average age of caregivers is 49, and nearly one in ten is 75 or older. While caregiving can be rewarding it's also difficult. In fact, the Caregiving in the U.S. report also found that those almost one quarter of caregivers report declining health as a result of caregiving.

What a Neuroscientist with a Family History of Alzheimer's Believes May Help Lower Her Risk

It sounds almost too good to be true: There's one simple thing we all can do that may help improve our mood, sharpen our focus, and maybe even protect our brain from conditions that include depression, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia.

7 Unexpected International Destinations for Last-Minute Travel

A spur-of-the-moment international vacation can be every bit as luxurious as one that takes months to plan. Two strategies for successful eleventh-hour journeys: First, pick a destination that's a bit off the beaten path to improve your chances of hotels and restaurants having availability.

Engineering Empathy

Some six years ago, Katie Allanson was behind the wheel with her father in the passenger seat. She was in a hurry to get on with her day, but her dad, a few weeks out from having a shoulder replacement, fumbled with his seatbelt.

5 Steps to Being a Gracious Host

This ensures that your first few moments together aren't spent pondering the question, "What do you want to drink?" (Plus, you won't have to stress over mixing individual cocktails.) For a festive holiday touch, try something bubbly and colorful, like sparkling wine mixed with pomegranate juice.

Woman on a Mission

When her husband was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, Robin Holmes became determined to bring visibility and research dollars to this incurable disease. On Robin Holmes' first date with Mac, the man who later became her husband, they went water skiing. "We were in deep water and Mac was skiing barefoot," she recalls.

It's Time to Prep for Future Parties

Whether the occasion is a summer barbecue or a Thanksgiving feast, gathering with friends and family in our homes is one of life's great pleasures. That's become even more clear lately, as we've been unable to gather with the ones we love - making right now the perfect time to daydream about future potlucks and dinner parties.

5 Tips to Install Floors Like a Pro

These tips from professionals will help you easily DIY your floors while saving lots of cash.

8 Tips for Boosting the Flavor of Any Grilled Dish

Delicious Meals Want to make everything you cook on an outdoor grill more delicious? We've got no-sweat solutions that will have family and guests asking for your secret recipe! When the temperature soars, the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven or stove.

One Bag Riced Cauliflower: 10 Great Meal Ideas

Delicious Meals Replace starchy rice with a delicious and healthy alternative in all your favorite dishes. When you're a busy parent, cutting down on the time it takes to prep meals buys you more time every day to spend with your family.

The Culinary Force

To support women making moves in traditionally male-dominated fields, Ford is spotlighting trailblazers like chef and restaurateur Suchanan Aksornnan, who puts her own spin on Southeast Asian cuisine and the "power suit" she wears on the job.

What One Author Learned from Her Financial Crisis

A lifetime high achiever, White had a Harvard MBA, a master's degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a resume that included a decade as an executive with the World Bank. But a retail business she'd started with her mother had failed, and, a few years later, the 2008 recession hit.

Your Medicare Primer: The Basics

For many people this will mean significant savings in health-care costs. However, understanding your Medicare coverage options and choosing the plan that's right for you can be daunting. You don't want to wait until you're blowing out the candles on your milestone birthday cake to apply.

10 Steps for Having Those Conversations You Don't Want to Have

How to manage the most difficult, delicate, distasteful conversations

The Science of Willpower

Research sheds light on why self-control is so elusive—and how to strengthen it.

The Shark Tank Guide to Surviving the Treacherous Waters of Entrepreneurship

For starters, consider the slim odds of landing a spot on the Emmy-winning ABC show. Last year, 45,000 entrepreneurs applied for an audience with some of the world's most famous investors. Only 150 were selected, and just 115 made it to air. For Season 7, which begins Sept.

How to be Happily Self-Employed

Master the Art of Setting Goals in Four Steps

Defining a challenging objective is the first move toward achievement.

Farm to Table

When she's not hauling purebred pigs across the country or working on her family's 150-year-old farm, this Iowa mom is mixing up blue-ribbon baking recipes.

Meeting the Needs of America's Food Deserts

How to Boost Your Gut's "Happy" Bacteria

Burger and fries at the local fast-food spot? A rib-eye and baked potato at your favorite steakhouse? Pasta with meat sauce the way only your sister can make it? How about a plate filled mostly with vegetables, some pickles, sauerkraut or kimchi on the side, and yogurt and fruit for dessert?

Recipe for Smiles

A corporate lawyer launches a new business with a healthy take on the world's happiest sweet: the lollipop.

Baked Goods: Pauley Perrette Opens a Bakery

Let's start with some truth-telling. On the cover of Donna Bell's Bake Shop: Recipes and Stories of Family, Friends and Food, Pauley Perrette stands between her two best friends and co-authors, Darren Greenblatt and Matthew Sandusky. She's holding a gorgeous strawberry shortcake, one of 50 recipes featured in the book from the tiny New York bakery the three own.

A Tasting with LA's Only Water Sommelier

Despite heavy drinking, there's no chance of a hangover.

Wine Down with Michel Couvreux

As head sommelier at Per Se, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world, Michel Couvreux reigns over a 155-page wine list that includes 2,100 labels and 10,000 bottles. At this temple to fine dining in midtown Manhattan, the cost of chef Thomas Keller's nine-course tasting menu starts at $310 and with supplements like caviar, foie gras and truffles, the price can easily double.

The Disordered Eating Epidemic

Photograph: Photo: Levi Brown If you assume that eating problems are primarily the province of the age group most likely to join a Justin Bieber fan club, you're right-but what you may not know is that experts are reporting a surge of these illnesses among women several decades older.

Outstanding in the Field

Whether he's drawing aliens in the sand or staging a dinner for 200 in a sea cove, artist and culinary innovator Jim Devevan finds that following his passions is good business.

Get It Together!

Coast Magazine, January 2020 cover story. Marshall these local resources to reset, reorganize and reinvigorate your life in 2020!

Beauty Column, Coast, October 2019

The news is challenging. Beauty doesn't have to be.

Beauty Column, Coast, November 2019

Beauty Column, Coast, December 2019

These limited-edition beauty sets will be welcome under any Christmas tree.

Beauty Column, Coast, January 2020

How to Climb Out of a Beauty Rut

Simple, no-stress steps to shaking things up.

Extreme Makeover: The Hair Edition

How to Go from "Been There, Done That" to a Fresh New Look

The Tick-Tock of Beauty

Sync your skincare routine to your body's circadian rhythms

Face it: Time for a Lift?

Around the time that a Long Beach X-ray technician turned 50, she began seeing her dermatologist twice a year for strategic poking and plumping. A couple of dozen units of the neurotoxin Botox to reduce the furrows in her forehead and the crow's feet around her eyes, a syringe or two of the filler Juvederm to pad the parentheses, or nasolabial folds, that led from the corners of her nose to her lips.

Michael Douglas: Running on Basic Instincts

The actor has relied on his gut and his tenacity during the ups and downs of life and 45 years in showbiz.

Liam Neeson: The Unlikely Action Hero

January is the dumping month for movies. Any film with award aspirations has been released during November and December to qualify for Oscar nominations, while tentpole pics hit screens during the blockbuster-making holiday season.

Miranda Lambert

Brimming with confidence and celebrating girl power, singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert is clearing her own path to superstardom.

Jillian's World

A fitness empire, two young children and a new reality show: Jillian Michaels inhabits a very big universe.

Anthony Anderson

How I Got Fit & Changed My Life

Fit happens.

Style Tips From The Mentalist's Amanda Righetti

The Mentalist's Amanda Righetti always has a camera-ready look, even when she's being trailed by snap-happy fans. To crack the code to her makeup mastery, Watch! attended the one-day Paparazzi-Ready Beauty academy by Napoleon Perdis, a celebrity makeup artist who created Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics and NP Set, a line sold exclusively at Target.

Vacation En Vogue

Flaunt a sassy look that stays put from morning croissants to late-night cocktails.

The Bionic Wonder Kid

This 19-Year-Old CEO Is Enabling Humans to Do the Impossible.

The Gift That Changed My Life

Some presents offer more than fleeting pleasure. They transform us in ways that alter who we are.

Chris O'Donnell

Hit show. Five children. Living in LA. Chris O'Donnell is Happy.

Spring FORWARD - CBS Watch!

As the mercury and humidity rise, you shed layers of cashmere, wool and down. Makeup does a similar striptease: The dark smoky eye lightens up, peach migrates from cheeks to eyelids, and jewel-toned lipstick gets the kiss-off, replaced by ripe fruit-inspired hues. - Shelley Levitt 1. A LIPSTICK THAT POPS.

Power Combos: How Fitness Brought Us Together

Breaking bread together is a good way to forge a friendship, but breaking a sweat together is even better. Through boxing, running, dancing, swimming, and climbing, these women found people who changed their lives. They've got the smiles, the businesses, the medals and, yes, the muscles to prove it.

The Hope Monger

Wish upon a star? Forget it. If you really want to make your dreams come true, you need to harness hope. Psychologist Shane Lopez shows us how.

The Blind Visionary

John Tue Nguyen lost his sight, but foresaw a luxury travel empire.

Their Moments of Zen

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Grace & Gratitude

Olivia Newton-John has traded her leg warmers and music videos for a hit Las Vegas show and time to indulge her passions for nature, her marriage and a blissfully balanced life.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone wants to make the world a kinder, happier place, and she has a new book to get mamas and babies off to a good start.

Diving Deeper

Bantam Bagels: A Shark Tank Survival Story

Sugar and Spice

A little bit naughty and a whole lot of nice, Kristin Chenoweth counts her blessings this holiday season.

My Happy Place

Five people find peace, joy and meaning in a chaotic world.

Epicurean Escapades

For your tastiest summer vacation ever, consider these up-and-coming culinary destinations around the world.

Diving Deeper

Simple Sugars: A Shark Tank Survival Story

Expeditionary Artist

Pop-Up Panache

Unconventional, unfettered and sometimes a little unpredictable, dinners beyond the confines of restaurants and hotels can be a blast for laid-back groups.

Beauty Breakthroughs - CBS Watch!

Every year, scores of new skin care creams and salon treatments appear on shelves, but deciding which ones are worth your time and money can require the psychic ability of The Mentalist. These advances will give you glossier hair, more radiant skin and a long-lasting manicure even a Gossip Girl would envy.

Diving Deeper

How Honeyfund Survived the 'Shark Tank.' What happened after Sara and Josh Margulis pitched their idea to the Sharks—and won a deal