You're listening to Everyone's Talking Money, the show that's all about making life richer,

from your bank account to your mindset and everything in between. Whether you're here to crush

debt, grow wealth, or finally feel in control of your cash, you are in the right place. Let's dive in

and get you living life on your terms. You are one conversation

closer to financial freedom. Here's a question we don't ask often enough. If we have more money, more stuff, and more

opportunity than ever before, why do so many of us still feel so empty? Welcome back to

everyone's talking money. I'm Shari, and today we're having a much-needed

conversation about why success often doesn't feel like enough and how to shift out of the cycle of

striving, spending, and still feeling stuck. I'm joined today by Jeff Golden, an educator, activist, and author of

reclaiming The Sacred, a book that unpacks the hidden emotional and cultural forces

shaping how we relate to money, time, and meaning. Jeff's book won Best Environmental Book of

2023 and the Grand Prize at the Nautilus

Awards, an honor previously given to the Dalai Lama, Brine Brown, and Barbara Kingshaver.

And trust me, this conversation delivers on that depth. You'll hear why money only contributes two to four percent of our

happiness, what makes up the other 96 percent, and how we can reclaim a more joyful, present,

and purpose-driven relationship with our lives, money included. Let's get into it. Jeff, your book reclaiming the

sacred dives into a pretty wild paradox. It turns out we've gotten more richer and more advanced

as a society, but our happiness levels have steadily dropped since the 1940s. What's going on? Yeah. And I would add, since at least the 1940s,

when we started measuring these things, I start there in the book because I think it's such a

curious and provocative fact. I mean, it could just be a simple little piece of trivia we throw out there,

right? That happiness in the United States has been in a consistent decline since at least the 1940s. And it's not a huge decline,

but it's been consistent. But when you consider that against the backdrop of the financial

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