Why does happiness always feel one step away?

If you’ve ever said, “I’ll be happy when…”—you’re on the hedonic treadmill, a psychological loop where success never quite leads to satisfaction. This episode reveals how to step off the treadmill and build happiness from within.

On this episode of Take the Stage, presented by Haley Marketing, Brad Bialy sits down with happiness researcher Declan Edwards to challenge the centuries-old belief that happiness follows achievement. From positive psychology to emotional intelligence, they explore how cultivating human skills—like gratitude, boundary-setting, and awareness—creates a more sustainable, fulfilling life and career.

This video should inspire you to explore gratitude practice and mindfulness techniques, especially in high-performance, tech-disrupted sectors like staffing and recruiting.

Expect to Learn:

• What the hedonic treadmill is—and how to escape it
• Why most people chase success but never feel happy
• The power of human skills in an AI-driven economy
• How to practice presence and self-awareness
• The ripple effect of happiness at work and home

Noteable Moments:

00:00 The Pursuit of Happiness: A Misunderstanding

02:50 Decoupling Happiness from Success

05:37 The Role of Human Skills in the Workforce

08:32 The Ripple Effect of Happiness

11:29 Navigating Workplace Emotions

14:24 Savoring Success and Happiness

19:15 The Practice of Happiness

27:00 Connection in a Remote World

31:14 The Future of Happiness

33:30 Declan's Journey and Insights

About the Speakers

Brad Bialy is host of Take the Stage and InSights, two of the leading podcast for the staffing industry, presented by Haley Marketing. He has a deep passion for helping staffing and recruiting firms achieve their business objectives through strategic digital marketing. For over a decade, Brad has developed a proven track record of motivating and educating staffing industry professionals at over 100 industry-specific conferences and webinars. As a visionary leader, Brad has helped guide the comprehensive marketing strategy of more than 300 staffing and recruiting firms. His keen eye for strategy and delivery has resulted in multiple industry award-winning social media campaigns, making him a sought-after expert and speaker in the industry.

Declan Edwards is widely known as that happiness guy and as a thought leader in the space of positive psychology, employee experience, and personal development. As the founder of BU Happiness College, a social enterprise dedicated to helping individuals and organisations build the skills of happiness, Declan has built a strong personal brand by standing at the intersection of science, storytelling, and social impact.

His work has shown that happiness is not a fluffy ideal, but a measurable and learnable skill that drives meaningful results in both life and leadership. Through intentional personal branding, Declan has not only elevated his own voice but used it to amplify a movement that is changing the way we think about success, leadership, and happiness in the modern world.