logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2019
32m 10s

#188 Ruth Whippman: What *Actually* Make...

Emma Gannon
About this episode

I am thrilled to have partnered with Visit California for this special mini-series for Ctrl Alt Delete. I first started working with Visit California a few years ago, and they’re doing some incredible things in the tourism landscape and it’s been really exciting to work with them on this podcast mini-series which we’ve called ‘The California Innovation Tour.”


There is something about the place that keeps drawing me back: the positive mind-set of the people who live there, the laid-back lifestyle, the incredible diversity and beauty of the landscape and so much more. For years California has been the inspiration for songs, films, and novels, as well as the birthplace of emerging trends, from the tech world and fitness and health. So together with Visit California I got to meet a handful of incredible minds to cover these topics. Megan Jones-Bell from Headspace, bestselling thriller author Caroline Kepnes, happiness expert Ruth Whippman on happiness, activist Erica Williams Simon - just to name few.


If you’ve been following my Instagram (@emmagannonuk) you’ll see that I spent the first two weeks of March road-tripping around California. I started in the Bay Area with a few days in San Francisco and Oakland, where I met some of the series’ guests that you’ll hear from, before travelling down the coast to LA and then onto Huntington Beach for International Women’s Day. Over the course of my trip I met with some of California’s most forward thinking dreamers and pioneers, and I’m really excited bring you this mini-series.


This episode is with Ruth Whippman, and we recorded it in a room at Hotel Zephr on Fisherman’s Wharf. The Sunday Times has called Ruth: "A whip-sharp British Bill Bryson"and she is a writer and cultural critic from London, now living in the California. She writes for the New York Times. She is the author of America the Anxious (US edition) /The Pursuit of Happiness (UK edition). Her book is about when Ruth moves to California, and notices that there is an American obsession with finding happiness - and she unpicks why this is and why chasing constant happiness might not be the answer.


For more information on things to do San Francisco and to help plan your own California road-trip check out www.visitcalifornia.co.uk, it has really in-depth travel guides, as well as a loads of content to inspire you if you’re thinking of booking a trip, including California Now, which is the tourism boards own podcast blog and their tv channel Dream365. Have a look online and on their Instagram page (@visitcalifornia) for more inspiration.


Also check out Visit California’s own podcast, ‘California Now’, where listeners can learn more inspiring travel tips about California. https://www.visitcalifornia.com/podcast


Thanks for listening and please make sure to rate and review on iTunes!


*This a PAID PARTNERSHIP with Visit California*


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jun 2023
The Success Myth Diaries: #3 Jeff Hamaoui on Midlife
Welcome back to The Success Myth Diaries! Today’s guest is Jeff Hamaoui, a seasoned teacher, master facilitator and Chief Innovation and Education Officer for Modern Elder Academy. The Modern Elder Academy is a program for people going through midlife transitions - they are on a ... Show More
31m 12s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #2: Sian Clifford on Fame
To accompany the launch of my new book, I have interviewed some of my favourite thinkers on the topic of success, failure and creativity — and the most common success myths. Today’s guest is British actor Sian Clifford, probably best known for playing Claire in Fleabag (the toile ... Show More
32m 7s
May 2023
The Success Myth Diaries #1: Chelsea Fagan on Money
Welcome to the Success Myth Diaries! A brand new mini-series to accompany my new book The Success Myth: Letting Go Of Having It All which is out TODAY. My book unpicks the 8 success myths, from happiness to money to productivity to celebrity to the idea of ‘arriving’, looking at ... Show More
33m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
61. California
No state in America captures the imagination quite like California. With its glitz and glamour and also its enormous economic disparities the state is a symbol of both the American dream and nightmare. Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland explore California’s origins as well as its ... Show More
52m 42s
Jan 2024
Kelly Lundberg, Personal Branding Expert
Hello and welcome to Season 2 of Travel Stories with Moush – the first travel podcast in the Middle East. My special guest today is someone who’s been living overseas since she was 18 years old. While globetrotting around the world was her profession at one time, today she does t ... Show More
23m 40s
Jun 2021
Olivia Laing (Live at Hay Festival)
TALK ART SEASON TEN!!!!! We're back... and what a WONDERFUL guest we have to kick start this new series!!! Russell & Robert meet Olivia Laing, acclaimed writer and critic!!!!! Recorded live from the Hay Festival 2021 with R&R on stage in Hay on Wye, Wales and Olivia on satellite ... Show More
49m 54s
Jul 2024
Top 6 Reasons To Love Traveling in the USA
What destination could you visit over and over again? What do people from other countries love the most about USA travel? In this episode, my lovely wife Anne Dorthe is with me to chat about our family trip to the USA. As a native of Norway, Anne Dorthe shares her unique perspect ... Show More
42m 24s
Oct 2021
Julia Cameron | Living the Artist’s Way [Best Of]
In 1992, after years of teaching workshops on creative unblocking, Julia Cameron self-published The Artist's Way, which became a global phenomenon that sold millions of copies, was translated into 40 languages, and anchors companion workshops that have brought creativity into the ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2021
40. Welcome to the new season: The Curious Sketchbook
Season 3 of Art for All is called "The Curious Sketchbook." Each week, host Danny Gregory will be joined each week by artist, author, biologist, and nature journaler, John Muir Laws.  They will discuss drawing and painting, nature journaling, creativity, psychology, human brains, ... Show More
59m 21s