Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast

James Pawelski is the director of education and senior scholar in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the author of the book The Dynamic Individualism of William James.  He serves as the founding director of the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program for more than 10 years, where he teaches courses on positive interventions, the humanities, and human flourishing.  James is an international keynote speaker who regularly makes presentations in English and Spanish.  He has spoken in more then twenty countries and on six continents.  In addition, he also holds paid leadership positions as the founding executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association, member of the steering committee of the International Positive Education Network, and president of the William James Society. James Pawelski's website: (https://jamespawelski.com/) In this discussion, James and I talk about the relationship between positive psychology and philosophy, the roots of

Sue Langley, is a speaker, master trainer, global business consultant and leading advisor, and founder and CEO of the Langley Group of Companies. Sue has taught thousands of business leaders how to create positive work-places. Sue Langley’s website: http://suelangley.com/ In this discussion, you will learn about creativity and innovation and how they benefit us as individuals, but also how organizations can foster creativity and innovation beyond just having “a culture of creativity.”You will hear Sue’s thoughts on how leaders and organizations can develop the right climate for creativity and innovation to flourish. Sue shares a lot of valuable information on her approach with leaders and organizations. You will learn the vocabulary she uses, and how she convinces organizations to be open to the science and research of positive psychology. Sue also shares a recent example of an organization that wasn’t ready for these practices. You’ll Learn: [1:43] - Having a culture of creativity in an organization isn’t e

Felicia Huppert is the founding director of the Well-Being Institute at Cambridge University and a leading researcher on the science of well-being and promotion of human flourishing. Felicia Huppert’s website: http://www.wellbeing.group.cam.ac.uk/who-we-are/founder/ In this interview, you will hear Felicia share her definition and understanding of “wellbeing”, which is “our ability to feel good and function well.”She also talks about what she considers to be the foundation of everything we do, mindfulness. It’s that combination of mindfulness and skills that allows us to navigate life effectively. Felicia developed the .b (Dot B) program for adolescents to stop and reflect. Studies show the effects on well-being exist three months later. Felicia also discusses the role of self-compassion in our well-being. People who are more self-compassionate are more motivated to change their behaviors in ways they want. Felicia shares her thoughts on the importance of mindfulness training within organizations and how to g

Louis Alloro is the co-founder and director of the Certificate in Positive Psychology program. He consults on culture change initiatives all over the world. Louis Alloro’s website: https://certificateinpositivepsychology.com/capp-faculty/louis-alloro/ In this interview, you will hear Louis describe the Certificate in Positive Psychology program.  He talks about the technical content of this six-month program.  He also shares how the program helps participants “walk the walk” with the concepts that are covered.  This includes how the program prepares participants in how to handle some of the challenges in helping organization implement positive psychology practices. You’ll Learn: [1:44] - Louis talks about the different types of professionals that are drawn to the Certificate in Positive Psychology program and he describes what this program offers. [3:50] - The Certificate in Positive Psychology program is organized around the Perma-V model and Louis describes what this entails, in regards to technical conte

Maureen McKenna,is a partner at Innovation Works and author of "Pink Steel-Toed Shoes," a story about her experience as the first female manager in manufacturing at Xerox. She talks with us about her speech at the Canadian Conference about Positive Psychology, on creating a healthy organizational climate, and increasing return on energy. Maureen's Blog: https://momentsbymoment.com/ You'll Learn: [1:50] What she hopes people took away from her speech at the Canadian Conference [2:40] How to focus on return on energy in the workplace [4:40] Learning from the past, moving forward, and her "Fresh Air" framework [6:40] She tells an anecdote that is an example of self-awareness in the workplace [8:15] How we choose to respond to "Vertical Leadership" [9:10] How to help people to change their mindset and have a safe place for micropractices [12:20] How to challenge each other's thought processes without negative connotations [14:00] The Lightning Round with Maureen McKenna! Your Resources: Innovation Works Website

Ilona Boniwell is the program leader for the first Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology in Europe at Angila Ruskin University. She is also the CEO of Positran. In this interview, you will hear Ilona share her insights on making Positive Psychology real and tangible, and practical for people to integrate into their lives. She also talks about the role of Positive Psychology in the workplace, including how it can be integrated through play, the current state of these practices in Europe, and the terminology she avoids when proposing these changes to organizations. Ilona Boniwell’s website: https://lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/users/579-dr-ilona-boniwell You’ll Learn: ● [2:00] - Ilona talks about her goal of making Positive Psychology “real and tangible.” ● [3:17] - Making strengths real by taking them from a questionnaire and knowing what to do with them. ● [4:52] - Ilona describes The Happiness Dashboard. ● [7:35] - Ilona talks about using the available tools to build our skills and maintain changes.

Gretchen Spreitzer is the faculty director for the Center of Positive Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. In this interview, you will hear Gretchen talk about enabling sustainable performance. There are several factors that make it quite easy to get burned out at work and organizations need to implement certain things to promote sustainable performance and allow individuals to thrive. Gretchen gives practical ways for organizations to do this through her four levers to promote sustainability. Gretchen also shares some basic and easily implemented tactics for individuals to thrive. Gretchen Spreitzer’s website: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/spreitzer/home You’ll Learn: ● [1:43] - In today’s world, it is easy to get burned out and we need to make performance sustainable. ● [3:44] - Gretchen shares the four levers organizations can use to promote sustainability. ● [7:42] - Gretchen talks about the balance of responsibility between organizations and individuals in re

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya is the founder of The Flourishing Center of Benefit Corporation.  She is the creator of the Certification in Applied Positive Psychology. Emiliya talks about the connection of mind and body, specifically in regards to vitality. Our bodies affect our thoughts and vice versa. So how do we bring that vitality into our lives?  It’s not through major interventions, but rather through daily life hacks.  Emiliya shares a few that you can implement into your life.  You will learn about the importance of our digestive system in this conversation.  Emiliya talks about how our gut is our “second brain.”  She describes its effect on our our mind body health and lists ways for us to keep the second brain healthy.  This is a conversation with a lot of practical and easily implemented tips and exercises.  Emiliya Zhivotovskaya’s website You’ll Learn: [2:06] - Emiliya shares her model of vitality. [6:28] - Why do many researchers teach the mind and body are separate components? [7:10] - Emiliya talks a

Wayne Baker is a professor of management at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Wayne is also the first director of the Center for Positive Organizations.Wayne talks about the idea of a giving culture at work. People are inherently generous and often, the biggest barrier is getting people to ask for what they need. Wayne talks about the ROI that a giving culture brings to organizations. He also talks about who is likely to reciprocate and what their motivations might be. I enjoyed this conversation with Wayne Baker and I’m certain you will too! Wayne Baker’s website You’ll Learn: ● [1:41] - Wayne shares some takeaways from his presentation at The Positive Business Conference on creating a giving culture. ● [2:30] - Wayne talks about the reciprocity ring.● [3:21] - What steps need to be taken after an individual makes a request? ● [4:08] - The biggest barrier is getting people to ask for what they need. ● [5:07] - Wayne talks about why so many organizations struggle to create a giving culture

Jessica Amortegui is a leading expert in positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship in organizations. Jessica is the Senior Director of Learning and Development at Logitech, where she has developed a two-day workshop on positive psychology practices for her team members. Jessica shares how she organized this workshop, including her strategy to gain management support and team buy-in. Jessica also talks with us about job crafting and the idea of “the perfect job vs. the best job for us.” I think you will really enjoy this conversation with Jessica Amortegui. This interview was produced in partnership with the Center for Positive Organization’s Positive Business Project. Jessica's website: http://www.jessicaamortegui.com You’ll Learn: ● [2:15] - Jessica talks about need for meaningful experience in order to open people’s hearts and minds to new ways of leading. ● [4:05] - How Jessica got Logitech leadership and the team to buy into a two-day workshop course on leading through positive psycholog

Ryan Niemiec is a leading expert in mindfulness based strengths practices. Ryan recently spoke at the Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology and in this conversation, he shares his thoughts and findings on mindfulness. In this interview, you will hear Ryan’s insight into mindfulness. He shares how mindfulness based strength practice can have positive changes in people’s lives. Individuals can use positive psychology to help with problems as much as they do to flourish and mindfulness based strength practice helps manage these problems. Ryan also addresses some of the opposition to mindfulness and the idea that some people are not able to benefit from mindfulness. This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. Ryan Niemiec’s website: http://www.ryanniemiec.com/ You’ll Learn: ● [2:35] - Self-regulation and curiosity are at the core of mindfulness. ● [4:18] - Ryan shares two ways to integrate self-regulation

Bob Vallerand is a leading scholar in motivational processes and optimal functioning. Bob spoke on his theory on passion at Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology and he shares his insights with us in this conversation. The passions we have as individuals bring satisfaction to our lives. They also help form our identities.  So today, I talk with Bob Vallerand about his research on passion.  In this interview, you will hear that there are two types of passion, obsessive and harmonious.  Bob shares how obsessive passions develop and that these are not necessarily negative or harmful activities, but can be productive passions that begin to control an individual.  Bob also shares how to identify if a passion is harmonious or obsessive. How do organizations help members develop harmonious passions, which benefit the organization and individuals themselves?  Listen to find out! This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positiv

Robert Quinn is a world leading expert on positive organizations, and how to introduce and implement positive practices into workplaces. He shares examples of handling situations through conventional strategy and positive practices. While many organizations experience success with introducing and implementing positive practices, this is a transition that can be difficult to accomplish. We have a natural fear and to flourish, we need to overcome the conventional mind map. However, the most effective outcomes are the result of finding a balance of conventional methods and positive practices.  Robert shares the four questions to ask to transform yourself into a positive state and get different results than you have in the past:  What results to I want to create? Am I internally directed? Am I other-focused? Am I externally open? This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. Robert’s Blog: https://thepositiveo

David Cooperrider is renowned for his research in appreciative inquiry, a strength-based approach to creating change. David shares how appreciative inquiry is being used to build a better world. David explains how organizations can align strengths in ways that make the system’s weaknesses irrelevant. He also shares how individuals and organizations can use this life-centric approach to go through the steps of this positive change model. This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. Tune in to hear more! Website: www.davidcooperrider.com Twitter: @Dlc6David You’ll Learn: [2:25] - David explains basics of appreciative inquiry [4:52] - What you and your organization can gain from this positive change model [5:27] - People don’t resist change. People love change. [7:05] - Positive re-framing [9:30] - Omni search and bringing in all of the strengths at every level [10:50] - Strengthen the strengths [12:28] - Ima

Caroline Adams Miller is one of the world’s leading positive psychology experts on goal-setting, accomplishment, grit, happiness, and success. It seems everywhere you turn lately somebody is talking about grit. Is it really the key to success? Can you have too much? How do you cultivate it? So today, I turned to Caroline who is one of the world’s leading practitioners in grit to see what all the fuss is about. In this interview you’ll hear why she believes grit has to be authentic and how to avoid the downsides of “stupid grit”, “selfie grit” and “faux grit”. She explains how organizations can build grit through embedding it and why organization leaders must model grit in workplaces. This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. Tune in to hear more! Website: www.carolinemiller.com Twitter: @CarolineMCoach You’ll Learn [2:43] - Caroline defines “authentic grit” [3:22] - Caroline shares what she considers to

Kim Cameron is one of the top 10 scholars in organizational sciences. Kim recently spoke at the Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology and he talks with us about positive and relational energy. Positive energy and relational energy has a tremendous positive impact on individuals and organizations. So today, I talk with Kim Cameron, a leading scholar on these topics and positive psychology. In this interview, you will hear how the positive impact of positive energy and relational energy are measurable down to the cellular level. Kim also shares that contribution is more powerful than achievement and he provides examples from the University of Michigan. Some employees may perceive positive practices as manipulation and Kim shares why he believes this opposition will not become more common. This interview was produced in partnership with the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and the 3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology. Tune in to hear more! Kim Cameron’s Website: http://webuser.bus.umich.e

Thank you for joining me for the very first episode of Making Positive Psychology Work. Every week, I’ll be interviewing the world’s leading researchers and practitioners who applying the evidence-based practices of positive psychology and neuroscience in workplaces to bring out the best in people. You see I believe that by uncovering tested, practical ways to help people move from functioning to flourishing at work, together we’ll be able to better navigate the incredible challenges and opportunities our world faces. Website: www.michellemcquaid.com Twitter: @chellemcquaid When you watch the ongoing economic, environmental, social and political challenges current reverberating around our world, can make it hard to feel hopeful about our future. But when you start diving into the growing body of research on the power of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship approaches to improve people’s wellbeing, to leverage their strengths, to cultivate compassion, to motivate ourselves by the positiv