Flourish FM

Today our focus is on the importance of education and the role of teachers and mentors in facilitating human flourishing, and we are joined by Dr. Alejandro Adler, who does an amazing job of illuminating the research and findings on this subject. Dr. Adler is the Dean of Student Life and Wellbeing at Upper Canada College and has had a varied career acquiring a wealth of experience in international well-being initiatives and projects.  Dr. Adler's professional focus has been squarely on well-being, education and skills, human capital development, and public policy. He has worked with and advised many organizations across the globe on the value of positive psychology and life competencies. In our chat with Dr. Adler, we get into the science of well-being, worldwide research on the subject, and, most importantly, how we can approach integrating the science into our educational systems. So to hear it all in this fascinating chat with a great guest, press play now.   Key Points From This Episode: Dr. Adler talks about how he conceptualizes and explains human flourishing.  Unpacking various undesirable states of ill-being. Defining meaning and its relationship to belonging.  Dealing with short-term, deeply negative experiences and trauma.  Reflections on global studies on well-being and the evolution of Dr. Adler's views.  The three 'M's of well-being and how to approach supporting students.   Exploring the different kinds of leaders and organizations that these lessons apply to.  Comments about Finland, its education system, and the decisions that have contributed to its success. Closing thoughts from Dr. Adler on the role of education in the promotion of global well-being.    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Upper Canada College Dr. Alejandro Adler on LinkedIn Dr. Alejandro Adler on Thought Leadership Institute Dr. Alejandro Adler on IPEN Dr. Alejandro Adler on Upper Canada College Dr. Alejandro Adler on ResearchGate Dr. Alejandro Adler on Twitter Positive Education / Alejandro Adler at Positive Psychology Tour 2019 on YouTube 'Well-being in education in childhood and adolescence' 'Teaching Well-Being increases Academic Performance: Evidence From Bhutan, Mexico, and Peru' Olli-Pekka Heinonen The International Baccalaureate Organization The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

Today we are very glad to welcome Captain Megan Henry to the show, and we have a wonderful and insightful conversation with her about her career and the lessons she has learned about mental training, mindfulness, and focus. Megan is a former field hockey and track athlete, having competed for the national team in skeleton. Her focus is now on Olympic weightlifting and her studies as a mental performance coach!  Megan shares many great pieces of wisdom and experience with us, touching on managing stress, achieving oneness in activity, how meditation has changed her life, and why it is so vital to escape comparison and obsession with outcomes. We also hear her thoughts on social media, anxiety, mood, and a whole lot more, so make sure to listen in with us now!   Key Points From This Episode: The importance of mental training and a few of the lessons that Megan learned during her time as an athlete.    Connecting the threads between the different parts of Megan's career.  Megan talks about her health journey and transitioning her work into the mindset space.  The impact of meditation and mindfulness practices on Megan's performance and presence.   Thoughts on the dangers of skeleton and building stress tolerance.    The steps and stages of confronting anxiety and fear.  Megan's first crash early on in her skeleton career.  Understanding how Megan went about shifting her focus away from comparison.  Escaping the traps of overthinking and its damaging effects on performance.    Practical steps that Megan took to enhance her ability to focus on herself. The connection between our mood and ability to perform.    Megan's final lesson on flourishing and practical methods to unblock the way.  Finding and connecting with Megan online.    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Megan Henry  Megan Henry on Instagram Megan Henry on Twitter American University Washington DC Cool Runnings Tim Gallwey The Chimp Paradox The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

Today’s very special guest is Dr. Gloria Mark, the Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity. Her work is primarily focused on the deep examination of multitasking, interruptions, and mood as they pertain to the use of digital devices.  In our conversation, Gloria defines attention, the different types of attention, psychological balance, and flow. She also explains why attention is always goal-oriented, how we’ve developed kinetic attention in this digital age, whether our dwindling attention spans are cause for concern, and how we can use technology to promote well-being rather than productivity. Tune in now to learn how to use social media strategically, how to replenish your attention reserves, and so much more with the remarkable Dr. Gloria Mark!    Key Points From This Episode: Joining us today is the author of Attention Span, Dr. Gloria Mark.  Gloria tells us about her research and what led her to write her book. What attention is, and its role in well-being and living a fulfilled life.    The different types of attention.  How our attention resources are limited.  Gloria explains why our attention is always goal-oriented.  An introduction to kinetic attention.  Whether we should be concerned about the rapid reduction of our attention spans. If our attention span and behavior change when we go offline.  How we’ve developed kinetic attention in response to the modern world.  Gloria’s hypothesis on why our attention spans have gotten shorter in this digital age. The tension trap of randomly reinforced behavior.  How we can use technology to support well-being rather than productivity.  The role of psychological balance as it relates to the different types of attention.  Simple activities that you can do to replenish your attention reserve.   The attention trap of social media and how to use it strategically.  Gloria defines flow and its role in the working lives of people today.  The precondition to flow: a focused and engaged attention.  What Gloria means when she says that “rhythm is the new flow.” Her lesson on flourishing for listeners, and practical ways to implement it.    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Dr. Gloria Mark Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity Dr. Gloria Mark on LinkedIn Dr. Gloria Mark on Twitter Dr. Gloria Mark on Facebook   University of California, Irvine  Columbia University  ‘The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions’ The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

In this episode, we are very lucky to have an amazing conversation with the author of The Power of Wonder, Monica C. Parker! Monica is a prominent speaker and writer, the founder of HATCH Analytics, and has an unusually varied career, having worked as an opera singer, policy director, homicide investigator, CEO, and museum exhibition director! In our chat, we get to pick Monica's brain about her research into what wonder can do for the human mind and body, and she explains how building a mindset focused on experiencing wonder can lead to continual flourishing. We get into her argument for aiming for wonder over happiness, how meaning and gratitude figure into her framework, and how to use curiosity as a powerful processing tool. Join us to hear it all!   Key Points From This Episode: Monica shares an overview of her path to her current work researching wonder. How the idea of flourishing fits into Monica's work.   Defining and conceptualizing wonder; Monica's focus on the emotional experience.  Understanding the roots of our ability to experience wonder.   Monica differentiates between shallow and deep curiosity.   Steps for developing a 'wonder mindset'; prioritizing novelty, mixed emotions, and more.   Tips for having a 'wonder-walk', and the power of priming the mind.  The practices that help us slow down the mind. Monica speaks about the effects of nostalgic and grateful thinking.   The issue with aiming for happiness and our inability to forecast accurately.  How curiosity can help us process past traumas. The composite effects of wonder on our mental and physical state.  Exploring Monica's argument for wonder being the highest good.  Measuring and assessing our relationships with these concepts.  Implementing the mindset of a beginner.  Fighting against the modern tendency to completely avoid boredom.  Monica's final lesson on flourishing and practical steps for its implementation.      Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Monica C. Parker The Power of Wonder HATCH Analytics Monica C. Parker on Twitter Monica C. Parker on LinkedIn Martin Seligman Steve Jobs Rick Hansen Blast from the Past Shigehiro Oishi  Todd Kashdan Scott Barry Kaufman Dacher Keltner David Yaden The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

Today, we talk to journalist and bestselling author Annie Murphy Paul about how the “extended mind” can help us flourish. She is an acclaimed science writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times and Scientific American, among many other publications. She has also authored various books, including Origins, The Cult of Personality, and the topic of today’s discussion, The Extended Mind. In our conversation with Annie, we discuss the extended mind's three types of cognition (embodied, situated, and distributed) and what it means to be a "loopy" creature. We explore practical strategies for leveraging distributed cognition in our daily lives, workplaces, and relationships, learn about the impact of physical spaces on perception, and other fascinating insights on the topic. Join us for an insightful episode that will broaden your understanding of the human mind and the world around us. Tune in now!   Key Points From This Episode: Annie’s motivation for writing The Extended Mind and what she hopes to achieve.  Insight into the extended mind concept and its relationship to human flourishing. Contrasting the extended mind with the view of the brain as the sole controller of the body. Three types of cognition of the extended mind: embodied, situated, and distributed. How the three types of cognition impact individuals, teams, and communities. How thinking in groups and sharing ideas play into the extended mind concept. Steps to achieving collective intelligence. How digital and analog technologies extend our thinking and its relation to situated cognition. Diversity in collective intelligence, distributed cognition, and team success. How physical spaces impact cognition and the restorative effects of natural environments. Physical movement, social interaction, and the role they play in thinking. Practical strategies for utilizing distributed cognition in daily life, work, and relationships. How the different types of cognition overlap in our daily lives. Being a "loopy" creature and the role of physical movement and social interaction in thinking. Whether non-embodied or non-extended thinking exists. The best way to leverage the extended mind concept toward human flourishing.   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Annie Murphy Paul Annie Murphy Paul on LinkedIn Annie Murphy Paul on Twitter The Extended Mind ‘The Extended Mind’ The Good Life The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Flourish FM on YouTube Jon Beale Nick Holton

Delving into the connection between confidence and perfectionism, Homaira Kabir discusses building optimal confidence, overcoming self-doubt, and the impact of attachment styles on implicit beliefs. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, self-connection, and empowering beliefs for personal growth, highlighting the transformative power of self-understanding.

Today we are joined by “Jedi of the unconscious”, Dr. Sarah Sarkis, and applied neuroscientist, Dr. Chris Bertam. Between the two of them, they have a vast range of expertise which converges on their common pursuit, the Shadowboxing Podcast. In this episode, we discover what shadowboxing is and how it relates to flourishing. Chris and Sarah share their thoughts on what it means to flourish, how it relates to flow, and the importance of learning to tolerate struggle. Theory aside, our guests impart some practical advice for increasing your tolerance for discomfort, from cold water submersion to the simple art of breathwork. Tune in for some helpful tools for overcoming shadow boxes and ultimately, flourishing.   Key Points From This Episode: Introducing Drs. Chris Bertram and Sarah Sarkis. The genesis of the name of their podcast, Shadowboxing. What “shadowboxing” means to Sarah and Chris, respectively. The shared goal of their collaboration. Sarah and Chris’ range of expertise and the effectiveness of an integrated approach. How our guests conceptualize flourishing.    The crossover between flow and flourishing. Discussing the value of struggle. How to increase your tolerance for discomfort. The benefits of controlled exposure to cold water. Exploring the struggle of stillness. The connection between shadowboxing and flourishing. How it’s best to help people help themselves, and why it’s so important to do so. Why Sarah believes that biology trumps psychology. The mind-body connection and the effectiveness of breath work. Tools for overcoming shadow boxes. Chris and Sarah’s final words of (very practical) advice.   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Dr. Chris Bertram on LinkedIn Dr. Chris Bertram on Instagram Dr. Chris Bertram on Twitter Dr. Sarah Sarkis Dr. Sarah Sarkis on LinkedIn Dr. Sarah Sarkis on Instagram Dr. Sarah Sarkis on Twitter Shadowboxing Podcast EXOS The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

In today's episode, we go deep into the idea and components of a good life with Associate Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, Dr. Marc Schulz. Marc is the co-author of the The Good Life (2023), a Professor of Psychology at Bryn Mawr College, a psychologist, and a practicing therapist. This conversation covers a selection of the interesting and enriching findings presented in Marc's book, practical strategies for developing social fitness, where material wealth should fit into our priorities, and why difficult experiences are such a necessary component of flourishing. The main thrust of Marc's recent work and today's chat is the central importance of relationships and how we can best aid the nurturing and maintenance of these.   Key Points From This Episode: Marc introduces the Harvard Study of Adult Development and the field of adult development. Clarifying the language used in the study and the two components that make up the 'good life'. Forging a good life through challenges and difficult experiences.  The themes of aspiring and becoming in Marc's understanding of flourishing.  Marc talks about the different types of relationships that contribute to a good life. Navigating and handling the inevitable conflict in our relationships.  Gratitude and appreciation and the benefits of generosity and giving. The critical role that relationships play in the maintenance of happiness and health. Marc unpacks the idea of social fitness and how we build it through reflection and awareness. Money and happiness; the healthiest ways to use material ambitions as a means rather than an end.  Human weakness around forecasting and common regrets that Marc has identified.  Marc's strategies for avoiding unnecessary regrets and improving forecasting. A story from The Good Life about human connection, shared interests, and hope. Maintaining human connections within the array of demands on our time.  Marc's closing lesson about flourishing and leaning into relationships.    Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: The Antifragile Academy Dr. Marc Schulz The Good Life Marc Schulz on LinkedIn Bryn Mawr Harvard Study of Adult Development Robert Waldinger Lydia Denworth Why Good Things Happen to Good People Stephen Post Dan Pink Robert Waldinger TED Talk The Shipley School Flourish FM Podcast Flourish FM on Twitter Flourish FM on Instagram Jon Beale Nick Holton

In this episode, we talked to Dr. Gilda Scarfe, expert on mental toughness, about what mental toughness is and how to build it.    Gilda Scarfe is the founder and CEO of Positive Ed & the Mental Toughness Institute, and a member of the advisory board for the Global Flourishing Study, led by the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, Baylor University and Gallup. Gilda is a positive psychology practitioner and mental toughness expert with a Ph.D. in the conceptualization of mental toughness and its application in education. She has worked in performance psychology, mental toughness, and leadership science for over 15 years.  Gilda specializes in the design and implementation of flourishing and mental toughness in learning, decision-making, quality of relationships, performance, and organizational climate; measuring mental toughness; and the influence of mental toughness training on key life outcomes.  Gilda is an international keynote speaker and consults around the world with school and Fortune 500 companies on best practices for integrating wellbeing, mental toughness and positive psychology domains into training and product design. She works with global businesses, high-growth startups, individuals, elite athletes, coaches and teams.   Key conversation points: What mental toughness is: Gilda’s “SCARFE” model of mental toughness, consisting of Self-efficacy; Commitment (the extent to which you follow through with a promise); Attitude; Relationships; Focus; and Emotional agility The importance to mental toughness of regulating our reaction to stress, self-awareness - being in tune with and responding to our emotions, and being in tune with our emotions The emphasis in Gilda’s work of building and expanding people’s agency, and the importance of self-efficacy to human agency Why the ability to create an accurate narrative about your life is important for building mental toughness The extent to which mental toughness is a personality trait and the extent to which it’s learned The virtues and strengths involved in mental toughness, including perseverance; curiosity; grit; resilience; patience; temperance; self-regulation; and distress tolerance How to connect mental toughness with knowing when to persevere with grit and knowing when to quit What “cognitive flexibility” is and why it’s important for mental toughness, particularly in building the skills to be able to change commitments and navigate change

In this special episode, Jon and Nick were interviewed about the science of flourishing and what it means to flourish by performance coach and strategist J.R. Reid, for his podcast, Coming Up Clutch.    Key conversation points: What human flourishing is and how you can experience it The two greatest predictors of general well-being, life satisfaction, and fulfillment What you can’t miss if you want to have more life-satisfaction and experience fulfillment Highlights: [00:01 - 11:50] Introducing Nick and Jon Nick's and Jon’s most embarrassing moment Nick's and Jon’’s backgrounds, stories, and professional journeys [11:51 - 21:00] What human flourishing is and how you can experience it Jon: Methodology behind the research: Identify the things in life that you do for the pursuit of nothing else (i.e. doing the thing is an end in itself). Do that with no further goal in mind. Flourishing research today looks for multiple areas of life that you do just for the sake of doing it (e.g. pursuing relationships, being happy, being satisfied, fulfilling your potential, experiencing flow, etc.) and figuring out ways that you can enhance those as much as possible in your life. Key areas: Fulfillment, of potential and in the sense of life satisfaction  Flow Close social relationships Happiness & positive emotions Character strengths or virtues Mental and physical health Meaning and purpose Accomplishment There’s no research that says you have to reach a baseline in each of those areas to flourish. Human Flourishing Program at Harvard's account: your individual well-being is high and your well-being in relation to others and your context is high (i.e. defined interpersonally, among a community). So you can have high well-being, yet not be flourishing. Positive psychology: if you have high psychological well-being, then you’re flourishing. Nick:  What’s not in the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard’s account of flourishing: achievement or success. The gap between fulfillment and success is often because we’re relying on the end goal of success (i.e something done for a very specific outcome). Flourishing is well-being, generally feeling good (but not necessarily all the time), and performing optimally in areas of meaning.  Areas of meaning is important because if you perform optimally in something you’re forced into, it won’t provide the same level of satisfaction as someone who’s performing optimally in areas of meaning. [21:01 - 24:45] The role purpose plays in flourishing Research: Asking the question about your personal “Why?”  in life is conceptually different than purpose. Purpose is a sub-component or pathway to meaning (i.e. it’s about impact and contribution) - ”it’s a bit of the 'me' and a bit of the 'we'.” The best of the best have both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, but they’re predominantly intrinsic (i.e. they know what their why is and what they’re doing each day, and orient their day around it via calendaring, recovery, etc.). Success on the field of competition is not an automatic route to well-being, life satisfaction, meaning, or fulfillment. [24:46 - 34:15] The two greatest predictors of general well-being, satisfaction of life, and fulfillment Meaning Quality of relationships (social connection, community, intimacy, friendship, etc.) 2018: In the UN’s annual happiness report regarding satisfaction in the workplace, #1 predictor of workplace satisfaction was interpersonal relationships (i.e. we have to like the people we work with); #2 was that we must find our job interesting (#3 was pay). Jon regarding money: common mistake people make is confusing a means with an end in terms of how they’re living their lives (i.e. they’re focusing on the means rather than the end).  The “when I _______, I’ll focus more on my relationships. Until then, I’m going to grind it out.” Money can help prevent you from suffering, but it can’t be an end in itself (i.e. it’s not the end source of fulfillment). Once all your material needs are completely met, it’s generally not doing much for you. Human beings can’t help but compare themselves to others. [34:16 - 41:53] What you can’t miss if you want to have more life-satisfaction and fulfillment Nick: Ask yourself: What’s your recipe for a good life? What ingredients do you want? How much of each ingredient do you need? Intentionality - cook your recipe! What’s most important to you (i.e. want), when does it hit a point of diminishing returns (i.e. need), and how do you put the recipe together? Jon:  Part of the journey to living a good life is identifying what works best for you and what makes you different from other people. Enhance the eight domains that research says are ends in themselves, but don’t focus on making one far surpass the others thus to the detriment of the others. Happiness and other positive emotions Good, close social relationships Meaning and purpose Flow Accomplishment Mental and physical health Character (developing strengths and character virtues) Fulfillment, of potential and in the sense of life satisfaction [41:54 - 46:58] What’s anti-fragility and how can we leverage it to become a better leader? Fragile = adversity strikes, we brake Resilient = adversity strikes, we navigate it and come out the other side Antifragile = adversity strikes, we navigate it, come out the other side, and grow our capacity because of it (this is not the “suck it up” attitude or rigidity) The goal: develop stress tolerance to unpleasantness, because research tells us we need unpleasantness to grow [46:59 - 54:01] Wrapping Up Nick and Jon’s big domino How to connect with Nick and Jon KEY QUOTES “Success is not an automatic route to meaning and fulfillment” - Dr. Nick Holton “For life satisfaction, don’t over-index on money.” - Dr. Nick Holton “Part of the journey to living a good life is identifying what works best for you.” - Dr. Jon Beale “Prioritize what matters the most to you.” - Dr. Jon Beale   You can also check out this podcast on Coming Up Clutch.   CONNECT WITH NICK AND JON Nick The Antifragile Athlete: theantifragileacademy.com FlourishFM Podcast: flourishfmpodcast.com Linkedin: /in/nickholton Twitter: @dr_nickholton Instagram: @dr.nickholton   Jon FlourishFM Podcast: flourishfmpodcast.com Linkedin: /in/jonathanbeale Twitter: @DrJonathanBeale Instagram: @jonnybeale Facebook: @jonnybeale CONNECT WITH J.R.  Facebook: @jamesJRreid Instagram: @jamesjrreid LinkedIn: in/jamesjrreid/ Twitter: @jamesJRreid Website: jamesreid.com Podcast: jamesreid.com/podcast RATE & REVIEW this episode on Apple: https://jamesreid.com/review