About

True happiness can only be found within you. Life throws us curve balls and an enormous amount of information daily. Join us to see how all of this information fills our brains and pushes us off our paths. Through humor, metaphors, and a tad of seriousness, we promise to help you get back on your path.

George and Rachel’s journey into the world of happiness began in 2017 with the publishing of their first book, Don’t Be A Cow. It is a fun metaphor for being who you are and not following the herd, for this is where true happiness lies. They maintain that this is a book they have lived and not written. Hence the progression to The Happyness Lifestyle. Ironically, most of the writing and editing happened in February and March of 2016 while George was recovering from quadruple bypass surgery.

For several years after publishing Don’t Be A Cow, they ran a website by the same name. George gave motivational and inspirational talks to businesses and professional groups, and wrote musings, lighthearted and short blogs that offer glimpses of the simple things in life we so often take for granted. Small things that make us stop and think, and shed a little light on living The Happyness Lifestyle.

The fun title and the lighthearted approach of the book are indicative of George and Rachel’s approach to life itself. Lighthearted, yes, but it carries a hearty message. They also believe that brevity is the soul of wisdom. In 2024 and 2025, George published The Enchanted Forest and the Circles of Life and The Enchanted Forest and the Story of Acorn Anna. Both books, though geared for younger audiences, carry a story of brevity, lightheartedness, and fun, while offering insight into living a more fulfilling life.

George and Rachel both share a passion for trees and the natural world. Rachel holds a degree in Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture and George a degree in Forest Resource and Conservation, and both are Certified Arborists. In 2011, they started the non-profit 501(c)(3) Land and Trees Unlimited, whose mission is to enhance and increase natural areas through education, tree planting, and programs that promote active living in the great outdoors, for the young and the young at heart.

George and Rachel Barker have been married since 2006. They both brought two children from previous marriages into the family. The children, whom they affectionately refer to as Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3, and Thing 4, are now all grown, moved out, and living The Happyness Lifestyle.