Activist | Advocate | Author
Get Happy Now Coach
Hello! I’m Arnette Travis; a multi-hyphenate, but my most important roles are as wife-mother-grandmother.
From early childhood, I made the unconscious choice to be happy. Whether it was giving a compliment or telling a corny joke, my aim was to make people feel good, which in turn spreads good feelings to everyone, including me. Spreading positivity is as natural to me as breathing – a gift for which I am eternally thankful.
In my teenage years, I adopted the motto that “specialization is for insects.” True to that belief, I have worked in several disciplines over my lifetime: secretary, paralegal, artists’ representative, clothing/textile product designer, and financial advisor. It was as a financial advisor that I came closest to my true and natural self: helping to improve the lives of people.
Like everyone else, I have experienced events in my life that brought sadness and pain, along with periods of joy. Just as my career as a financial advisor wound down, a series of life events challenged my natural positivity and ability to bounce back. It was only after a diagnosis of clinical depression, that I became aware of the need to protect my mental health. This required that I look outside myself to regain a positive outlook and build a new life beyond work.
Enter the Blue Zones Project. In 2010, my beach community was chosen to conduct the public health initiative and I signed on as a volunteer. I enrolled in a 12-week purpose workshop that led to the discovery (recovery?) of my gifts, values, and passions. My zest for life was revived and led me to new friends, experiences and the inner joy that contentment delivers.
Fast forward to 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic brought more than the virus, as rates of death, depression, loneliness, isolation and suicide skyrocketed. It was during the mandatory shut-down period that the Get HAPPY Now program was born, and I adopted a new motto:
Sharing this formula for happiness with the world is the fulfillment of my purpose and gives meaning to my life.
“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.” – Pharrell Williams
Arnette’s passion for human rights was the stimulant for her book Bitch: A Definitive and Restorative Guide. Born and raised in Lexington, KY, Arnette has lived in Detroit, San Francisco, NYC and Los Angeles. Her hobbies include reading, bicycling and clean cooking.
Download The Happy Guide for a snapshot of how to live a life of positivity and purpose that will carry you seamlessly into all phases of life.
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