Each week on The Women's Podcast presenter and Irish Times columnist Kathy Sheridan asks listeners a question. This week she wants to offset the beginning of wintery gloom by finding out what makes you smile.

“Our Question of the Week is a sort of response to the darker nights creeping in and everybody digging the opaque tights out of the drawers. But we don’t want to dwell on the darkness,” says Sheridan.

“What we want to know is: What is making you happy at the moment? It could be anything. A big or small thing. Just tell us what’s making you smile or giving you a lift. We’re keeping winter well at bay here on The Women’s Podcast.”

The Jagged Little Pill anniversary inspired our question last week. We asked you which music album had the biggest impact on your life and why. Here are the responses that stood out:

Angela Holohan: “In 1967 I bought Nina Simone Sings the Blues with my first pay cheque. First step to independence and a lifelong love of blues. Somehow she spoke to the soul of a young girl born and reared in a small town in the West”

Dr Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, of UCD and formerly a Rose of Tralee, said that the two albums that impacted her life the most were Blue by Joni Mitchell and Tapestry by the great Carole King. She’s also a fan of Jagged Little Pill.

Clare McGing told us that it was Christina Aguilera’s Stripped that made the biggest impact on her life: “It came out during a difficult time in my teenage years where I was dealing with bullies in school and self-esteem issues. Powerful, positive songs like Beautiful, Fighter, The Voice Within and Keep on Singing My Songs really helped me and, today when I listen them, I think of that lonely 14 year old girl and think of how far she has come”.

But for now our question is: "What's making you happy?" Email thewomenspodcast@irishtimes.com or find us on twitter and facebook @itwomenspodcast

Kathy Sheridan will read the best responses on Episode 5 of the women’s podcast.