Ep 49 Must We Experience Misery to Know Happiness?

Chaos, Courage and Coffee · Oct 22, 2026 · 22m

Can you truly appreciate happiness without experiencing tough times first?

While visiting the tiny, peaceful island of Niue, Vanessa questions whether humans actually need struggle to understand joy, or if peace is our natural starting point.

Brett argues that without contrast and painful life lessons, we would have no way to recognise when things are good.

Together, they explore how collecting bad days into a giant pile tricks us into believing our whole life is off track.

This honest conversation reveals why everyday ups and downs are normal, and how our extra thinking makes hard moments…