Many of us think about, talk about and chase happiness. But it can be elusive and surprisingly complicated.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks with a philosopher who says happiness — at least the way we usually think of it — is really just a feeling that comes and goes. She says what truly matters is flourishing — living in a way that reflects our values, our relationships and the kind of person we’re trying to become.

Guest:

• Valerie Tiberius is a professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota. She is also the author of “What Do You Want Out of Life? A Philosophical Guide to Figuring Out What Matters.”

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From local Nutcrackers to community choir concerts, ‘tis the season for holiday shows put on by your friends and neighbors.

Across Minnesota, stages are booked with theater, dance and music performances — and many of the people in the spotlight aren’t even paid professionals.

They’re adults with day jobs who rehearse after dinner, all for the joy and community they find in amateur arts groups.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about what tapping into your inner performing artist does for your own well-being and how these local productions enrich our communities.

Guests:

• G. Phillip Shoultz III is the associate artistic director of VocalEssence and works with several of the organization’s non-professional choruses. He also oversees music at Westwood Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, is an adjunct member of the music faculty at the University of St. Thomas and is artistic director of Sing Democracy 250, which is organizing choir performances next year in all 50 states to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• Dylon Starr is the director of Disney’s “Frozen” at the Rochester Civic Theatre and has acted and directed in other community theaters in southeastern Minnesota. He’s also director of programming and music at Peace United Church of Christ in Rochester.

Two mass shootings over the weekend left communities in two countries shaken. Two gunmen killed 15 people at a Hanukkah Festival in Australia and dozens remain hospitalized.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about what we know about the shootings, what research says about patterns in mass violence and what these attacks mean for communities processing fear and grief.

Guests:

• James Densley is professor and department chair of criminology and criminal justice at Metro State University and co-founder of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.
• Jillian Peterson is a professor of criminology and criminal justice, director of the forensic psychology program and executive director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center at Hamline University.
• Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker is the senior rabbi at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul.

Is it possible to build relational bridges, even in contentious times?

Scholar and activist john a. powell says yes. He’s dedicated his life to teaching others how to belong and bridge. As the director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the founder of the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota, powell — who spells his name in lowercase, to signify that “we are part of the universe, not over it” — studies equity and connection.

His new book, “The Power of Bridging,” is his thesis that connecting with others and honoring their humanity is the only way to create a world where we all belong.

powell came back to Minnesota on a cold night in early December, at the invitation of The Bush Foundation and MPR, to talk with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert about how to do the work of bridging, even at this divisive moment in history. He shared stories from his own life, talked about how to bridge (or not) with folks who don’t want to bridge and discussed how the work of bridging and belonging is as much internal as external.

Last month the Food and Drug Administration announced that it would remove its warning on hormone-based products used to treat menopause symptoms.

As women age, most will experience changes linked to the stop of their monthly menses, including hot flashes, bone density loss and sleep problems. But in the past two decades a strong “black-box warning” has scared many women off from seeking relief in hormone creams, patches, pills and other treatments.

The warning was added following a landmark study that linked hormone therapy to an increased risk for cancer and cardiovascular problems. Now the FDA says the risks were overblown for most women.

MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks about the FDA’s change, the risks and benefits of hormone therapy and what women should consider as they decide whether to try it.

Guest:

• Dr. Jissy Cyriac is a primary care physician trained in internal medicine. She sees patients at the Menopause and Women's Sexual Health Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and is also a certified practitioner through The Menopause Society.

A federal vaccine advisory committee recently voted to end the decades-old recommendation that all U.S. newborns get a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted that only infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B — or whose infection status is unknown — are recommended to get that first dose immediately.

The vote could result in new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is a dramatic shift from the CDC’s current policy, which was adopted in 1991 and is credited with reducing childhood hepatitis B infections by more than 95 percent.

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talks with a pediatrician and an infectious disease researcher about what the new recommendation means for families, hospitals and communities in Minnesota that are disproportionately affected by the liver infection.

Guests:

• Dr. Leslie King-Schultz is a pediatrician at Hennepin Healthcare where she co-chairs their vaccine committee.
• Angela Ulrich is a researcher and infectious disease epidemiologist with the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. She was one of the lead authors on the Vaccine Integrity Project’s recent report about the safety and effectiveness of the hepatitis B vaccination at birth.

For much of the last century, a steady career often meant staying with one company for decades. But that idea started to fade in the ‘80s and ‘90s as layoffs and restructuring made long-term loyalty feel less secure. By the 2000s, job hopping became the norm and often led to better pay and benefits.

But today, something new is happening. Alongside job hopping, we’re seeing a rise in job hugging — people staying put, even when they’d rather move, because the job market feels uncertain.

MPR News guest host Chris Farrell talks about shifting hiring trends, when it’s smart to switch jobs, when it’s best to stay and what it all means for our careers and workplaces.

Guests:

• Alan Benson is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management where he researches hiring, promotions and employment.
• Mark Sorenson-Wagner is the director of career development at the University of St. Thomas.

Food has the power to comfort us, connect us to our roots and preserve our culture.

When coming to a new country, immigrants leave much behind. But one thing many people carry with them to start life in a new place are their family’s recipes.

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with a cookbook author and a chef from Mexico about the dishes and stories that tie us to the people — and places — we’re from.

Guests:

• Lee Svitak Dean was the longtime food editor at The Minnesota Star Tribune. She's co-author of “Kitchens of Hope: Immigrants Share Stories of Resilience and Recipes from Home.” She is also author of “Come One, Come All: Easy Entertaining with Seasonal Menus” and co-author of “The Ultimate Minnesota Cookie Book.”
• Gustavo Romero is co-owner with his wife Kate of Nixta, a tortilleria in northeast Minneapolis where they make tortillas using traditional methods and heirloom corn. They expanded next door to open the restaurant, Oro by Nixta, which was a finalist for a James Beard award and named one of the 20 Best New Restaurants of 2024 by Bon Appetit.