Making Positive Psychology Work

Today we're talking to Marie McLeod who fuses her qualifications in social work, adult education, and positive pschology with her extensive experience in community culture change. As the director of PoPsy, Marie makes positive psychology practical for individuals, organizations, and families, and as the founder of The Kindness Company, she uses kindness and compassion to cultivate community level wellbeing. In this episode, we explore why and how community-level kindness can be an active ingredient to improve wellbeing to workplaces and the frameworks and practical steps we can take to make this a reality. Connect with Marie McLeod: www.kindnesscompany.com.au You'll Learn: [03:07] - Marie explains why we need to think about improving people's wellbeing, at an individual and at the community level in workplaces. [06:40] - Marie shares how she's been using the Community Kindness Challenge to help wellbeing be taught and caught in workplaces at the levels of me, we, and us. [12:01] - Marie outlines why she's finding kindness is the superpower of wellbeing approaches. [16:10] - Marie outlines the BEACON framework for improving wellbeing at a community level and explains how this build shared accountability for the wellbeing actions people choose to take. [21:09] - Marie offers some practical tips for improving kindness in workplaces. [24:43] - Marie completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Michelle Mcquaid's Books The Compassionate Mind by Paul Gilbert Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Marie!

Today we're talking to David Zeitler who uses the latest research in neuroscience, adult development, and leadership development to help people find ways to embrace the process of change and create transformations for themselves and others. After beginning as a psychotherapist and later spending two years as a lay monk, David went on to train executives and life coaches in the Immunity for Change Coaching Program at Mind Works with Harvard Professor Lisa Lahey and Robert Kegan. In this episode, we explore why we might be immune to creating the changes we want for ourselves and our teams in workplaces and how a simple mapping exercise can help us overcome our resistance to change. Connect with David Zeitler: http://www.mindfulnesscoach.biz/ You'll Learn: [02:25] - David explains that our mind has its own immune system that impacts our ability to create changes in our lives [04:51] - David outlines the three plateaus in adult mental development that help us navigate work and life [11:17] - David offers some tips for different ways to approach technical challenges and adaptive challenges when it comes to creating change [14:19] - David outlines how a psychological immunity map can be used to embrace adaptative challenges and make change a little easier [19:47] - David outlines some of the common worries that drain people's commitment for change [22:40] - David shares how behavior change experiments can help us test our worries and concerns about creating change [27:58] - David completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: http://www.theorangestoolkit.com.au/ Immunity to Chang by Robert Kegan & Lisa Laskow Lahey Tim Ferris Podcast The Further Reaches of Adult Development - Robert Kegan Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you David!

Today we're talking to Tegan Davies, who's a self-professed wellness geek, who has embedded positive psychology practices in the not-for-profit sector for over 10 years. Previously the head of Learning Development and Culture at Camp Quality, Australia's leading childhood cancer charity, Tegan is now the manager of operations at The Oranges Toolkit, a social enterprise dedicated to helping individuals and teams to realize their potential. She's also a board member for Action for Happiness in Australia, a business coach, and a qualified yoga teacher In this episode, we discover how HR leaders can introduce and embed positive psychology approaches across workplaces, and the importance of establishing a common language, evidence-based practices, and wellbeing champions. Connect with Tegan Davies: http://www.theorangestoolkit.com.au/ [free_product_purchase id="44348"] You'll Learn: [02:21] - Tegan explains how Camp Quality – an Australian not for profit that helps children and their families who are impacted by cancer – has leveraged positive psychology approaches to look after the wellbeing of their staff in these sometimes very challenging circumstances. [05:38] - Tegan shares how as an HR leader for Camp Quality she began finding ways to embed positive psychology approaches in the organization [10:31] - Tegan provides some examples of the positive psychology approaches she has found works best in organizations. [15:03] - Tegan shares her tips on finding wellbeing champions in your workplace and how you can harness their commitment and strengths to improve wellbeing across your workplace. [20:49] - Tegan explains the importance of celebrating the successes of wellbeing journeys. [23:53] - Tegan offers some cautions on taking a one-size fits all approach to organizational wellbeing programs. [28:23] - Tegan outlines how common language and frameworks can help people to tailor their own wellbeing journey. [30:50] - Tegan completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: http://www.theorangestoolkit.com.au/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Tegan!

Today we're talking to Nick Craig, who's the author of the newly published book Leading From Purpose, and President of the Core Leadership Institute where he guides executives at companies including Ben & Jerry's, Heineken, ING Bank, Lego, Unilever, and more, on the journey to discover and lead with purpose. In 2007, Nick began collaborating with Professor Bill George at Harvard Business School and this led them to co-author 'Finding Your True North: A Personal Guide', which became the course book for the Harvard Business School MBA class Authentic Leadership Development. In this episode, we explore the simple questions that can help us find more purpose in our work and the easy actions we can take to live our purpose more consistently. Connect with Nick Craig: https://coreleader.com/ You'll Learn: [01:55] - Nick explains why he was converted from feeling cynical about purpose in workplaces to believing that it is instrumental. [06:53] - Nick shares some simple questions for helping people to find more purpose in their work. [08:54] - Nick explains how a purpose statement can help us to live from our purpose easily and more consistently at work. [10:19] - Nick shares why purpose is not our passion, not our values, and not our happiness any why living our purpose can be challenging. [13:57] - Nick explains how a growth mindset can help us to live our purpose. [16:20] - Nick outlines how purpose can fuel our levels of energy at work. [18:34] - Nick explains how leaders can share their sense of purpose in ways that are clear and inspiring for others. [20:49] - Nick completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook New Power by Henry Timms & Jeremy Heimans Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Nick!

Today we're talking to professor James Pennebaker, who is the region's centennial chair of psychology at the University of Texas, an avid researcher, and teacher. Jamie is the originator of expressive writing and has received numerous research and teaching awards and honors for his work. He has published more than 300 articles and has been the author or editor at the 12 books, including Opening Up By Writing It Down How Expressive Writing Improves Health and is emotional pain In this episode, we discuss the many research-based benefits of expressive writing, why it works, and the best ways to engage in this wellbeing practice at work and at home. Connect with Jamie Pennebaker: Jamie Pennebaker's Profile You'll Learn: [02:07] - Jamie explains how he discovered the power of expressive writing and the studies he has conducted over the last thirty years to understand its impact on our wellbeing. [05:07] - Jamie details the benefits thousands of studies around the world have now established for expressive writing. [07:44] - Jamie shares what the research has found out about why expressive writing can beneficial for so many people. [11:48] - Jamie offers some tips on how workplaces and leaders can use expressive writing to help improve people's wellbeing in organizations. [15:30] - Jamie provides practical guidance on the best ways to practice expressive writing. [21:00] - Jamie offers some cautions on when and for whom expressive writing is used to try and improve people's wellbeing. [23:49] - Jamie explains how his latest research is looking at how the words we use when we write can also provide insights into our wellbeing. [30:20] - Jamie completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: Martin Seligman's Profile http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/ Jamie Pennebaker on Amazon MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Jamie!

Today we're talking to James and Suzie Pawlekski, who are authors of the best-selling book Happy Together: Using the Science of Positive Psychology to Build Love That Lasts. James is a Professor of Practice and Director of Education in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania where he co-founded the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology Program with Professor Martin Seligman. Suzie is a freelance writer and well-being consultant specializing in the science of happiness and its effects on relationships and health. In this episode, we explore how we can build happier relationships with others at work with practical, evidence-based tips you can use to keep your passions harmonious, prioritize positive emotions, savor positive emotions and savor each other's strengths. Connect with James & Suzie Pawelski: https://www.buildhappytogether.com/ You'll Learn: [01:54] - James and Suzie explain what Aristotle taught them about having better relationships as they honeymooned. [05:53] - James and Suzie provide some tips for improving our more challenging relationships at work. [08:46] - Suzie explains how we can promote a healthy passion for our relationships at work. [10:32] - James offers some practical tips for boosting positive emotions in our relationships. [13:13] - James and Suzie explain how savoring positive emotions can help to improve our relationships and practical ways we can practice this more in workplaces. [15:48] - James and Suzie offer some tips for savoring strengths in others. [19:16] - James and Suzie share their advice for integrating these behaviors to improve our relationships into our busy working lives. [21:27] - James & Suzie completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: Talks to Teachers by William James The Hope Circuit by Martin Seligman MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you James & Suzie!

Today we're talking to Shawn Achor who's one of the world's leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. Shawn's research on mindset made the cover of the Harvard Business Review. His TED Talk is one of the most popular of all times, with over 13 million views, and his lectures airing on PBS have been seen by millions of people around the world. Shawn has worked with over a third of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as the NFL, the NBA, the Pentagon, and the White House. He is also the author of the New York Times best-selling books, "The Happiness Advantage," and "Before Happiness," and his newest book is "Big Potential." In this episode, we explore why the biggest impediment to our success is not a lack of productivity, hard work or intelligence, but the way in which we pursue it. Shawn explains why researchers have found that it is our ability to connect with, contribute to, and benefit from the ecosystem of people around us that ultimately determines our success. Connect with Shawn Anchor: http://goodthinkinc.com/ You'll Learn: [02:11] - Shawn explains why realizing our potential relies on our ability to work well with others. [05:41] - Shawn outlines why studies suggest in workplaces it is not survival of the fittest, but survival of the best fit. [07:54] - Shawn shares why hyper-competitive environments undermine our wellbeing and potential. [10:27] - Shawn offers some practical tips for enabling survival of the best fit in our workplaces. [16:41] - Shawn outlines five simple steps for we can take to help us realize our big potential. [22:08] - Shawn explains how to nudge even the most skeptical people into experimenting with more collaborative and big potential behaviors in workplaces. [27:07] - Shawn completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: Brene Brown TED Talk on Vulnerability The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathon Haidt Dare to Lead by Brene Brown MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Shawn!

Today we're talking to Nick Brown, who after more than 30 years of working in IT and management in various countries, completed his masters in applied positive psychology at the University of East London, and is currently working on a PhD in health psychology in the Netherlands and is a part-time personal coach. In this episode, we explore why popular evidence-based findings including the Happiness Pie equation and the Positivity Ratio are being disproven and how we can improve our ability to understand what wellbeing research findings are really telling us. measurement. Connect with Nick Brown: Website: Nick's Google Scholar profile You'll Learn: [02:08] - Nick explains why the often cited Happiness Pie equation may be flawed when it comes to helping people to improve their wellbeing. [03:27] - Nick shares his recommendations on what we need to more confidently understand and share a formula for happiness. [05:10] - Having helped to disprove the positivity ratio, Nick shares his thoughts on how cultivating heartfelt positivity does and doesn't improve our wellbeing. [08:26] - Nick provides some simple tips to help improve our ability and confidence to understand what evidence-based research approaches are and aren't finding. [21:42] - Nick completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Nick!

Pat Wadors is the Chief Talent Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer for ServiceNow. Prior to joining ServiceNow, Pat was Senior Vice President, Global Talent organization at LinkedIn, where her focus was on recruiting and developing top talent, driving organizational transformation, supporting a highly engaged workforce, and growing LinkedIn's global footprint. In this episode, we discuss how to build inclusive and diverse workplaces where people feel like they belong so you can create psychological safety, develop people's strengths, and support growth mindsets. Connect with Pat Wardors: Website: https://www.servicenow.com/ You'll Learn: [02:08] - Pat offers some tips for how we can teach people the skills to help them more confidently feel like they can be authentic, vulnerable and curious at work. [03:27] - Pat explains how sharing gratitude stories can help people improve their relationships with each other at work. [05:10] - Pat shares how she's been exploring what it looks like to be a great place to work in really healthy ways for employees. [08:26] - Pat explains how treating each other beautifully at work also requires us to know and honor our boundaries. [10:55] - Pat shares why our efforts at diversity and inclusion in workplaces are still often falling short of our goals. [13:54] - Pat explains how we teach managers to help their people uncover and develop their superpowers at work. [16:18] - Pat offers some tips for building psychological safety in workplace teams. [18:57] - Pat shares how the growth mindset methodology has been used at ServiceNow to help people learn from their failures. [20:21] - Pat shares some caveats and cautions for building cultures of belonging. [21:42] - Pat completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Susan Cain TED Talk - The Power of Introverts Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Pat!

Alison Earl is the author of Tripowerment: The Why, the Will and the Way of Breakthrough Change. She works with people and companies around the globe to empower self-directed change as a guest lecturer in Behavioral Economics at the Harvard School of Public Health and the leader of an academic and commercial think tank dedicated to solving the most complex problems in behavior change. In this episode, we explore why feeling stressed at work isn't always bad for our wellbeing or out performance. Alison explains how our beliefs about stress impact us neurologically and shape the way we think, feel, and act. She also shares the simple steps we can take for ourselves, our teams, and our workplaces to harness more of the positive effects of stress. Connect with Alison Earl: Website: https://alisonearl.com/ You'll Learn: [03:51] - Alison explains what the latest research is discovering about the impact stress can have on our wellbeing and performance at work. [07:35] - Alison outlines some of the different stress responses we are each capable of experiencing and how our beliefs about stress can trigger these and impact the way we think, feel, and act. [12:38] - Alison shares how our connections with others can help us to transform stress into courage. [15:19] - Alison offers some practical tips for challenging our stress mindsets in the heat of the moment when stress threatens to hijack us. [18:35] - Alison explains why tackling stress at work needs to be a shared responsibility between workers, teams, leaders, and organizations in order to be truly effective. [21:24] - Alison shares structural approaches teams can put in place to help improve their stress responses. [23:31] - Alison Completes the Lightning round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Alison!