Carousel of Happiness Podcast

All Soldiers in All Wars | Ep. 58

We talk to two Ukrainian service members, Illia and Kostya about their journey from the front lines of the War in Ukraine to the Carousel of Happiness. We learn about how two Colorado nonprofits, Warriors on Cataract Canyon and Limbs for Liberty, have invited them to work on healing their PTSD through travel, nature, and connection with other veterans.  Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war] https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-ukraine-war-10-charts [https://www.csis.org/analysis/russia-ukraine-war-10-charts] https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-conflict-in-ukraine/ [https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/the-conflict-in-ukraine/] Limbs for Liberty:   https://www.facebook.com/groups/500164755091199/ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/500164755091199/] https://www.instagram.com/limbs_for_liberty/ [https://www.instagram.com/limbs_for_liberty/] Warriors on Cataract Canyon: https://warriorsoncataract.org/ [https://warriorsoncataract.org/] Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Whimsy Maxxing | Ep. 57

Why is 2026 being called The Year of Whimsy Maxxing? Hosts Nick Alexander and Sarah Bishop talk all about whimsy, where it comes from, and how we can cultivate in our lives.  Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Memorial Day | Ep. 56

We try to transport you to the Memorial Day celebration at the Carousel of Happiness -- and explain why the holiday is so important to us and to the many people who joined us on May 25, 2026. You can hear the music of Sean Applebee, who so elegantly performed Taps for us, here:  https://www.seanapplebeeandbeyond.com/ You can read Christopher Kelley's article about our Memorial Day celebration in the Mountain Ear here:  https://themtnear.com/stories/veterans-lives-carousel-happiness-honored-memorial-day,95117 Learn more about Limbs for Liberty here:  https://limbsforliberty.com/ Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Beginnings & Endings | Ep. 55

On today's episode, hosts Nick Alexander and Sarah Bishop talk about their new roles at the Carousel of Happiness and the big shoes that they’re filling. They discuss why we delay joy and what’s next for the carousel, including our Memorial Day celebration [https://carouselofhappiness.org/memorial-day-2026/].  Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] If you'd like to keep in touch with our original host, Allie Wagner, on her new journey, you can follow her on Substack [https://substack.com/@alliewagsmedium?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alliewagsmedium?igsh=MXJ2OG16eWxtYTgxbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr], or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@alliewagsmedium]. You can find Sarah’s music at her website, SarahBankerMusic.com [http://sarahbankermusic.com/]. Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...

Episode 54: Goodbyes, Transitions, and "Making Sense of the Chaos"

Welcome to the Carousel of Happiness Podcast. On today's episode, host Allie Wagner says goodbye. We talk about honoring the past while looking to the future, how our filters shape our stories and our lives, and how we can look to art to help us make sense and order out of the chaos of life. All while using this special little carousel as our guide one last time together.  The podcast will be going silent until we find another host. Be sure to subscribe to to make sure you're the first to know when we're back up and running. If you'd like to keep in touch with Allie on her new journey, you can follow her on Substack [https://substack.com/@alliewagsmedium?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alliewagsmedium?igsh=MXJ2OG16eWxtYTgxbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr], or TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@alliewagsmedium]. Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2423381/fan_mail/new] Support the show [https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate] The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences. Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/ [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/] If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online [https://carouselofhappiness.org/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/]), on social media [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness] (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness [https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness]), or in real life. Or consider donating [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/] (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/ [https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/]) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round. If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org [outreach@carouselofhappiness.org] Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose [https://darrylpurpose.com/] (https://darryl...