This CHANGED How I See Happiness // The Happiness Blueprint e020

Caroline & Millie, students at Salve Regina University, share how they’ve learned to be happy, reflect on how this event makes Salve a better place, and what they learned last year!

0:00 Caroline & Millie from Salve Regina
0:34 Reflecting on Last Year
3:56 Making Salve Community Better
4:45 Happiness as Learned Perspective
8:58 Advice for Past Self
12:27 What Makes Caroline Happy
15:09 What Makes Millie Happy

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A special thank you to Vibe Arcs for sponsoring today's episode. To get started on tracking your personal, team or project happiness metrics, visit https://vibearcs.com/ 

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The Happiness Blueprint
// Powered by GBM6
// The podcast where we uncover how people build happier lives.

GBM6 
// Let's Build LEGENDARY Together
// To get started, visit https://gbm6.com/ 

Think Like a Pilot
// Bobby Dutton, founder & director of GBM6, is a professional speaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He's also a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor -- for fun. 
// To connect with Bobby or learn more about his keynotes, visit https://thinklikeapilot.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is the Happiness Blueprint, the podcast where we uncover how people build happier lives.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

No stress at all. Um, beautiful friends. Uh, my name is Peter. I'm here with the Happiness Blueprint. I would love for y'all to introduce yourselves and help me understand your role in today. So we'll start with you. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 0:15

Hi, my name's Millie Chalk. I'm a senior here at Salvay. Um, I'm volunteering this morning until, well, for the next 20 minutes, and then I'm gonna start going to some events with my lovely friend and roommate here, Caroline.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

Hi, I'm Caroline Stump. I'm also a senior at Salvay. I'm an accounting major and I went to mean business state last year, so I'm excited for this year as well. Cool.

SPEAKER_00 0:34

So, Caroline, I'll start with you. Tell me about last year. So it sounds like if you were excited, if you enjoyed it enough to come back and participate this year to volunteer for it, it must have been a great experience for you. What was last year like?

SPEAKER_02 0:43

It was. It was just like this with some different speakers. Um, I think we still had Jersey mics for lunch, but it was a lot of fun. We had um Gail, who we I did a workshop with before, so that's familiar with her. We had a networking event afterward in Oakra Court, which is always a great time, gorgeous venue, just great speakers, great people to network with, a lot of great um opportunities for internships as well. So it's just a really great experience all around.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

It sounds like it. Yeah, it seems like this is a great place that really brings the entire community together. Were you also at Weaving Business Day last year?

SPEAKER_03 1:13

Yes, I was at um this event last year, and we we have a lot more going on this year. We didn't have WALLE's last year. We have more events, we have more speakers. Um, we have these giant letters, I'll be honest.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

They are giant and they are beautiful, but they are giant for sure. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:29

But yeah, we definitely upped our game, and it's only been one year.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

What do you think you took away from last year? So I think it's beautiful that something's uh all grew here. It sounds like something's changed or sound something stayed the same. We're still the Jersey mics, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Uh, but certainly I'm sure there's a lot of new sessions here, a lot of new yeah, things to learn here. Uh, what did you take away from last year? What really resonated with you? Was there a session? Was there a conversation you had? Was it yeah, it's not like the the networking fair afterwards was impactful.

SPEAKER_03 1:54

We're looking for well, we we love networking. We love to talk and we love to drink wine, and that's so we love the networking events and we loved reception. So those were our favorite parts, and I think that's what we mostly came back for, just basically to like talk with our peers and professors. And well, because like we said, we love to talk to and get to know each other and over hors d'oeuvres and shrinks. So I'm looking forward to that.

SPEAKER_02 2:16

Yeah, so just like a conference like geared towards students. So it's a really good like, I guess, way to step into the workforce. So I really, yeah, I got it. I guess we learned how to like network was a really big part of this last year.

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Um an internship I did from September to December 2025. I got because of this event last year.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Incredible, incredible.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

Where was your internship? Big weather gear.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

We love that. I feel like there's some inside joke, and I guess that's part of my roommates, and I'm missing some little. Oh no, I'm just like plug it.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Oh, we just want to plug Big Weather Gear and Jay Lasky.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Beautiful. Me too. Hopefully, I'm not being set up and tricked here. Um that sounds great. Uh, it sounds like this has been a like a beautiful thing to like help bring the community together, and it sounds like it was so great that it made you want to be involved in it. Were you also volunteering last year? Was it volunteering?

SPEAKER_03 3:02

I'm just volunteering this year because, well, actually, we have some volunteer hours we need to meet for our event planning class that I'm taking with Dr. Vario, and Dr. Vario was actually a big part of making this event happen. Um, so that's why I was volunteering, but I'm really glad I did. I it's something I would have done anyways because I love this event so much. And um, I registration is fun. I just get to see everyone and chat with people that I already know, so it's a perfect job for me.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Registration is the best people watching get to see everyone come in. You get to see them before they got like all ready for the events. Exactly. Oh, it's incredible. Yeah, what motivated you to join or to volunteer today, Caroline?

SPEAKER_02 3:36

I did not volunteer. I am just a goer. Um yeah, we came here this morning, so yeah, just enjoying all the speakers and seeing everybody. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Awesome. It sounds like this like helps make salve a better place, and that's ultimately the goal here is to have events like this on campus and make campus feel more together, more communal, uh, more united. Like there's more opportunity afterwards. Would you agree that this makes Salvae a better place? Or I guess how does it make Salvae a better place?

SPEAKER_03 4:00

This is my favorite days of the year. Um this is like Salvae Christmas. It is like Salve Christmas. It's just so fun. Christmas in March. Christmas in March, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

Still looks like Christmas outside.

SPEAKER_03 4:10

Yeah, and it's one of those things where uh you know February and March are like so hard to get through. So this is one of those days that we look forward to. And well, yeah, I just get to spend time with my friends and meeting new people and learn new things. And if you like leave the day feeling really like full.

SPEAKER_02 4:25

Yeah. It's gonna be a different experience than like sitting in the classroom all day. So it's really nice that our business classes are canceled and we get to just enjoy speaking with our um alumna that get to come back and network with us and also like these new speakers that come in. They're motivational, they really get us um a different point of view than you know our professors all the time. So it's just a really great experience.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

You'll both sound very like fulfilled by today. That's a really like it fills my cup here. Y'all are so excited about it.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

We're very peaceful girls in general.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

I love that. What do you think powers all that happiness? Is that happiness local today, or is this like a state of being the state of being? How do you teach us this? How can we all read this?

SPEAKER_03 5:02

I think I needed a little bit of a we uh live together and with our other women, Kiki. And oh, why do you think we're so happy?

SPEAKER_02 5:10

I don't. We just always have like this like good energy, I guess. We we're very like optimistic, we're very glad. We're very optimistic. Like things just don't really get us down. We just kind of like we're always looking at the brighter side of things. Like, we're just we're so fortunate, like we're so grateful, we're so blessed. Like we we chose to come here and we just made the best of it, I guess. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

Yeah, we're very grateful. Um, and you know what else? I think we're we're both people's people. And so then when you're in events like this, you're like exploding with like dope for me. But yeah, we um and we just like to have fun.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Do y'all ever sit home and put your feet up and watch Grey's Anatomy or whatever the show is for y'all? Like if we're one are we watching recently?

SPEAKER_03 5:53

We were just reaching you.

SPEAKER_02 5:55

Yeah, you we were re-watching.

SPEAKER_03 5:57

We're big reality TV watchers.

SPEAKER_02 5:59

Yeah, because what today's Tuesday, Love is Blind comes out tomorrow, so we'll be watching that.

SPEAKER_03 6:03

We love hate watching, but we actually love a lot of fun. Sec Secret Wives of Mormon Lives. Okay. Is Secret Lives of Mormon Lives shows that we watched. Yeah, yeah. What else have we been watching?

SPEAKER_00 6:14

There is some unwinding, there is some like personal timers all out and about and uh being motivated by others. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

It's yeah, I think we're also very busy and we like have lots of um commitments.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

So yeah, we're very involved, but like that's like the good part of like life. I feel like not that we're like overwhelmed with the work that we do, but that we choose things that make us happy. And like that's why we're so motivated. Yeah, we do yoga club together as well. And so we just like find things that we want to fulfill our time with. So I feel like that's just a really life. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:50

I think that's a really important thing is that we have to fill our time with things that make us happy, right? If our whole time is filled with dread, and of course, everything has uh uh unglamorous side to it, right? Every club that we're in, every activity that we do has some day where it's like, boy, I love 99% of this, and there's that one day that really doesn't fill my cup as much as the other ones. Yeah, it's like we never have blessed full girls.

SPEAKER_03 7:09

We are that's part of life. That's what makes the good moments uh so good, is that you have the bad parts and then you're more fortunate for the good parts.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

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SPEAKER_02 9:04

Do you want to go first?

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah, I'm the spot here.

SPEAKER_02 9:08

Or I can go first.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Do you have something in mind? Sure. I'm collecting my thoughts.

SPEAKER_02 9:12

I mean, like, now being a senior in college, I think that not that I wanted my experience to be over because that's just not true, but I did have two hard years. I had some like difficult roommate situations. Um, and that's just like a part of life, I think. Like, I don't think anyone's ever had like a perfect living situation or like a perfect like year. So there's always gonna be like some like small moments or maybe even some big moments as well that kind of hinder your experience. But like we always get through it together. Like Millie and I both got in car accidents within like the last like year. Yes, we know.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Um I don't know why you laughed at that big new.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

Because it worked out fine, like it was like the best of a worst case scenario. Exactly. So, like, it's just kind of like sometimes you have to have like a kind of a bad day to like really appreciate like the good days. Like, I feel like we have great days every day. Like, I feel like I I keep a journal and I'm always trying to like sometimes the days like blend together. Like, I'll be writing in my journal, like reflecting on the day and just like how grateful I am. And I'm like, you know what? Like, today was a pretty average day, but it was still great. Like, I did nothing crazy happened, like nothing terrible happened. So, like, there were like some like you know, not so great moments in our lives, but like we got through them and we're still glass half full of people. We're still like laughing like this, and like, you know, you really get through it.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

So I think the journaling is a really powerful way to like slow time down. I think it's always caught in the stir of things and the stress of things, and whatever deadline's coming up, and whatever else is going on in life, and the the journaling seems like a really powerful way to like slow that down a little and really check in with yourself and not get caught up in I'm so stressed about this test on Friday. It's like, well, Friday's gonna be a challenge, but today was okay. And really soaking in that today was okay is a really powerful powerful. Absolutely. Uh, what about you? What's advice about your best self?

SPEAKER_03 11:00

Just get the bob. Cut your hair, Millie. Get the bob. Millie used to have long hair, and I really like her short hair so much better. We all like my short blonde hair better. No, really, okay, that's my superficial advice. My real advice is like, um, trust that, trust that uh your friends love you and have your back, and you're like, I wish that I could have told my high school self that even if there are times you're feeling lonely, that's very temporary. Because absolutely I think, yeah, that's my favorite part of being here is like the community. And I'm like I said, I'm a people person. So when there's been times in my life where I did feel lonely, those were very hard times for me. And I haven't felt like that in years, and that's why I feel so grateful and blessed.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

I think that's the goal of an event like this is to bolster the community. So West people feel lonely, right? There is somewhere on campus, somewhere, that is feeling lonely, and hopefully they came today and got to see. Maybe they didn't talk to anyone today, but they at least saw people. They saw a thing, they saw people choosing to better themselves and trying to better themselves. I think that's very, very powerful. And hopefully they got engaged and were compelled to join in the conversations. Absolutely. But if nothing else, we helped battle that loneliness at step one. I think that's a really powerful thing to offer people and to offer campus here. Miles question for both of y'all is something that makes you happy. So we've talked a lot about campus and friends, and these are all great things. But is there a hobby you love doing? Is there when you have your time to go do whatever makes you happy? What is your happy place? Is it painting? I know we talked about yoga. Is there an activity, a location, time with your family, uh, a favorite vacation spot? Like, what makes you happy?

SPEAKER_02 12:33

You go first. Okay. Well, part of the reason why I came to Salvae is because I love the beach. Even though I'm still in New England, so I'm not like too far from home. I get to look at the water all the time. Like my sophomore year, I lived in a dorm where I could look out my bedroom window and see the ocean. Like we have on our campus, we're in O'Hare right now, and also Macaulay Hall right next door. If you can you can have your classes, you just look outside, you see the ocean. Like it is just such a fantastic spot. Like, take advantage of it. Like, even in the winter, we go to one of the beaches. A few of the beaches have um Christmas trees in the wintertime, so it's just like such a cute thing. Like, I love to go for walks. We go to the ocean drive or the cliff walk, like just like a place to like clear my mind and just like listen to the waves and like be at peace. And like, same thing. Like, we're involved in yoga club, and that's something that's also a really big part of my life. I've been doing that since high school. So, just like finding like maybe a hobby or something that like clears your mind, because that's a really big part of like if you do meditation or yoga or like Pilates and things like that. It's really like using your breath work, using your like clearing your mind to be in tune with your body and your needs. Yeah, we're big advocate. We're big advocates of that just because like, and same thing with any form of exercise as well, like sports and things like that, is like really just taking that time for yourself, like reflecting on like what your body needs. And it's just, you know, our friends. Um but um yeah, just like finding that thing that you like and try different things. Like, I think that maybe I wouldn't have tried yoga if you know someone didn't push me to do it. So just maybe also doing something with your friends that maybe you are hesitant to do.

SPEAKER_03 14:07

Yeah, get out of your comfort zone and you have no problem risk taking. Saying yes to things once.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Say yes. Even if you're on the fence about it, it's like, yeah, don't put yourself in jeopardy. I think I'm safe. But like uh what it is, yeah. What it is safe and reasonable to say yes, go for it, take a chance on it.

SPEAKER_02 14:20

Say yes and get the bomb. And like being saying yes, get the bomb, and like being open-minded, because like I feel like some people might be like, oh, like that won't work for me. Yeah, be open-minded, just like just try something, even if it feels silly. Like sometimes like in yoga when they're like breathe out like audibly. It like feels silly in the moment, but like actually, like it, like like that feels good, like just like releasing that. So and doing it with other people, yeah, like that community aspect of it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

Yeah, I've heard yoga framed as a way to like practice finding that piece. So, what you're doing is getting ready for that moment when you're stressed out and everything's falling apart. Go back to that place by you're better more suited to take those 10 seconds and go, hang on, things are tough right now, but I'm okay. And it's practicing for those moments of the toughness when you need to take a breath in the adversity. Uh, and that sounds like a gift that you have, yeah, mastered, or maybe not mastered. I guess no one masters yoga, but certainly excelled in and practice and thrilled it. Awesome. What makes you happy?

SPEAKER_03 15:12

So a lot of things. Um, actually, you and Kira asked me this the other day. Okay. We talk about this all the time, actually. Well, what my uh cooking together, food, good friends, little relationships in my life, my loved ones, the beach. I love to dance. I dance here at Sal Bay. Awesome. Um, dance, yoga, pilates, all that, all that like movement. I love to move my body. And uh we like to go out and we like to really have fun, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Got to do it while you're young. Awesome, friends. Well, thanks for taking time to come chat here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

We did it. Thank you. Thank you. Cool. Thanks for listening to the happiness blueprint, powered by GBM six. It's about making people happy.