Making Positive Psychology Work

Kathleen Cator is a clinical psychologist and former nurse with over 20 years' experience as a health professional. Kathleen leads self-compassion and mindfulness based training and therapies in public, education, and health care settings. Self-compassion is about treating yourself during difficult or challenging times as you would a good friend - with kindness, understanding and encouragement. While it's easy to believe that by being critical of your faults and failings you are more likely to be motivated to make changes, however this has actually been found to undermine your progress. However, when you practice self-compassion you are more likely to learn from your mistakes, and improve your motivation, performance, and wellbeing. Connect with Kathleen Cator Website: http://mettahp.com.au/ You'll Learn: [01:24] - Kathleen explains how you can use the same principles of showing compassion to others, to be compassionate to yourself. [02:43] – Research has found that self-compassion improves your emotional and physical wellbeing, your relationships, and can help you make positive changes. [06:45] - Your brain has evolved to make you safe, and so focuses on possible threats. You can use mindfulness to choose a more self-compassionate response. [07:48] - Kathleen describes the three steps in practicing self-compassion. [09:50] - Kathleen shares some simple self-compassion practices that you can try in the workplace. [12:44] - Kathleen explains the relationship between self-compassion and mindfulness. [14:23] - Kathleen discusses how leaders can encourage the practice of self-compassion. [15:54] – Kathleen raises the challenges of introducing self-compassion into workplaces. [17:03] - The Lightning Round with Kathleen Cator Your Resources: The Museum of Modern Love - by Heather RoseMetta Learning Tools 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Kathleen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Louisa Jewell is a speaker, author, facilitator, and wellbeing teacher who has inspired thousands of people worldwide to be more confident. She founded the Canadian Positive Psychology Association and her work has been featured in numerous publications. In this conversation, you will hear Louisa share her thoughts on developing more confidence, to help you and your organization become more innovative. Louisa believes confidence is finding the courage to act in the moment you want to put a great idea forward. While some self-doubt can be motivating, too much self-doubt and self-questioning can stop you in your tracks and undermine your wellbeing. Connect with Louisa Jewell Website - http://positivitymatters.com Twitter - @LouisaJewell You'll Learn: [01:48] - Louisa talks about the importance of innovation in today's business-world, and to be innovative organizations need people with the confidence to speak up about their great ideas. [04:05] - Louisa shares how confidence means having the courage to act in that moment when you have a great idea . [06:08] - Wile some self-doubt can motivate you to be better prepared as you move forward, you need to let go of chronic self-doubt. [08:20] - "Fail fast, fail often" is a popular motto right now, but to make this work Louisa suggests organizations need structures to make it safe to fail. [15:36] - Louisa believes leaders should consider how they can encourage small steps to success, and build problem-solving muscles within their teams. [19:35] - Louisa shares some advice if you feel that your organization isn't a confidence-enabling environment. [21:30] - Failure does not feel good and Louisa talks about how you can become comfortable with failure. [24:36] - The Lightning Round with Louisa Jewell Your Resources: Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work - Michelle McQuaid and Erin Law The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - Charles Duhigg Charles Duhigg Resources 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Louisa for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson is a distinguished professor of psychology and neuroscience. She is the director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With 140 peer-reviewed articles published and translated into a dozen languages, her research is funded by the US National Institute of Health. "Positive psychology is not just for when things are going well." This conversation may be exactly what some of you need in these times of global political uncertainty and fear. Barbara talks about maintaining positivity and functioning or flourishing in times of negativity. Connect with Barbara Fredrickson Barbara Fredrickson's page on the Social Psychology Network You'll Learn: [01:50] - As 2016 concludes, there is a lot of uncertainty and fear in the world due to political changes. Barbara talks about the role of positive psychology in these times. [03:35] - Barbara shares her thoughts on maintaining positivity in the face of fear. [05:40] - Barbara talks about functioning and flourishing during periods of negativity. [06:35] - Some negativity is recycled and Barbara talks about approaching those situations. [10:55] - Barbara talks about reaching out with positivity to those that you have ideological differences with. [13:11] - A lot of Barbara's research is on love and positivity resonance between people. She talks about aspects of her research that are more important now, in these times. [15:35] - Barbara talks about the value of meditation in times of negative emotional state. [18:48] - I have found Barbara's tool on tracking positivity ratio to be very valuable. She talks about this tool and how it can be used. [20:11] - Barbara shares her thoughts on how leaders of organizations can help others balance these feelings. [22:25] - The Lightning Round with Barbara Fredrickson. Your Resources: President Obama - our positive psychologist-in-chief (by Sonja Lyubomirsky) Positivity Ratio Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power That Elevates People and Organizations - Monica Worline and Jane E. Dutton Stories of You Life and Others - Ted Chiang Positivity Resonance 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Barbara for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Monica Worline is an organizational psychologist, speaker, author, and the founder and CEO of Alive and Work, an organization that teaches businesses how to tap into courageous thinking, compassionate leadership, and the curiosity to bring their best work to life. In this conversation, you will hear Monica Worline describe the importance of compassion, specifically within organizations. Monica shares components of her personal blueprint for compassion that she explains, in-depth in her upcoming book, Awakening Compassion at Work. Business leaders may resist compassion in their organization because it's perceived as "soft", but Monica shares that research shows that embracing compassion can positively impact the business financially. Monica also describes the dilemmas that organization leaders can face when embracing compassion in the workplace. Connect with Monica Worline Website - MonicaWorline.com or TheCompassionLab.comTwitter - @monicaworline You'll Learn: [02:02] - Monica talks about compassion and shares how compassion is different than empathy. [03:52] - Business leaders often feel that compassion is too soft to be relevant to their bottom line and Monica explains how research shows that compassion impacts the things that cost businesses money. [06:34] - Monica describes the personal blueprint for compassion. [12:06] - Monica talks about how organizations can implement compassion into the system. [17:43] - Monica talks about the fears that leaders experience when considering compassion. [19:04] - Monica shares how stories can help build compassionate workplaces. [21:00] - Monica recently worked with an organization to help them create a more compassionate environment and she talks about working with them through stories. [22:51] - Monica explains how practitioners and researchers need to realize that compassion is not fast or easy in workplaces. She explains that it leads to many dilemmas for leaders. [25:40] - The Lightning Round with Monica Worline Your Resources: Awakening Compassion at Work: The Quiet Power That Elevates People and Organizations - Monica Worline and Jane E Dutton Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfuilling Life - Todd B. Kashdan Talk of Love: How Culture Matters - Ann Swindler 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Monica for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Robert Biswas-Diener, is a leading researcher on culture, wellbeing, positive psychology coaching and author of several wonderful books including the The Upside of Your Dark Side. With recent political changes in the United States and the UK leaving many feeling fearful and apprehensive about the future, Robert shares his insights on how to become comfortable with these uncomfortable feelings. He suggests rather than trying to whitewash them, by accepting them, and seeing them as signals that something isn't right, you can then decide on a constructive response to what's unfolding. You can also apply this in workplaces when looming mergers or restructures stir up similar feelings of uncertainty and fear. Connect with Robert Biswas-Diener Robert's Website - RobertDiener.com PositiveAcorn.com IntentionalHappiness.com You'll Learn: [01:37] - Robert talks about how emotions are like signals giving us a mental thumbs-up or thumbs-down about the quality of our life. [05:35] - If you are fearful, it's telling you that something you care about may be under threat, and you may need to protect it. [07:54] - Robert explains when you can be comfortably uncomfortable with your negative emotions, instead of feeling overwhelmed, you can act constructively. [11:05] - Robert explains one important step in tolerating these emotions, is to specifically label the emotion to help understand what message it may be telling you. [13:54] – When people are experiencing incredible change in workplaces and feeling very negative, Robert talks about how leaders can build capacity in their employees. [16:20] - Robert says sometimes leaders need to challenge apprehension and other times it's ok to validate concerns. [17:49] - Robert believes happiness and wellbeing doesn't have to be a mandate at work. [20:30] –To be a whole person you need to experience and draw on the full range of positive and negative emotions. [21:35] - Robert explains why "you never want cheerful optimists in the control tower, directing flight traffic." [22:18] - The Lightning Round with Robert Biswas-Diener Your Resources: The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why Being Your Whole Self--Not Just Your "Good" Self--Drives Success and Fulfillment - Robert Biswas-Diener & Todd Kashdan View all of Robert Biswas-Diener's books on Amazon Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection - Deborah Blum 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Robert for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Paloma Lopez is the global sustainability director for Kellogg. She helped lead the launch of the Kellogg origins program in sustainable agriculture in Europe. She is now helping roll that program out on a global scale. Paloma shares Kellogg's long history with "purpose". She explains how it is increasingly important for employees that the values of the organization align with their own. Paloma has great insight into what Kellog have learned on their journey about having the right programs, the right partners and the right messages. Connect with Paloma Lopez Twitter - @palomalpez You'll Learn: [01:21] - Paloma talks about embedding purpose within an organization. She shares how Kellogg has done this. [3:34] - Paloma also explains why this strategy is important for their millennial employees. [7:14] - Paloma talks about the role that leaders play in implementing and maintaining these strategies. Paloma also shares a new initiative that aims to connect employees with their sustainable agriculture sources. [10:09] - Paloma believes that small organizations with leaders that value purpose can also embrace these strategies. [14:41] - Paloma shares how a commitment to purpose can go wrong. [16:35] - Paloma talks about the need for a clear commitment to the brand. She shares an example that involves Special K. [19:44] - Paloma reminds us that business need to work in partnership to address larger societal needs. [21:08] - The Lightning Round with Paloma Lopez Your Resources: Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High - Kerry Patterson & Joseph Grenny Positive Business Conference 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Paloma for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Vincent Stanley is an author and chief story-teller with Patagonia. In this conversation, you will hear Vincent talk about Patagonia's journey from sustainability to responsibility, the mistakes they've made along the way and how they've won the hearts and minds of employees. Connect with Vincent Stanley Vincent Stanley's Website You'll Learn: [02:18] - Vincent shares why he believes organizations shouldn't focus on sustainability. [04:23] - Vincent talks about Patagonia's journey towards responsibility. [07:17] - Vincent explains how Patagonia have used story-telling and experiences to convince their employees to embrace this change. [13:15] - Vincent shares how Patagonia's willingness to stumble on it's responsibility journey has helped the company plan more proactively. [14:30] - The lightning round with Vincent Stanley. Your Resources: The Responsible Company: What We've Learned From Patagonia's First 40 Years - Vincent Stanley and Yvon Chouinard Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman - Yvon Chouinard Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges - C. Otto Scharmer How to Thrive in the Next Economy: Designing Tomorrow's World Today - John Thackara Thinking in Systems: A Primer - Donnella H. Meadows and Diana Wright Positive Business Conference 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Vincent for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Dr. Peggy Kern is a senior lecturer in the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education in the Center for Positive Psychology. Peggy has published over 50 peer reviewed articles and chapters. Her research addresses the question, "Who flourishes and why?" In this conversation, you will hear Peggy talk about the role our behaviors and habits play in our well-being. With Julie Butler, Peggy has developed Permah Profiler, which is designed to measure different elements of well-being. She has also developed Permah Workplace Survey. Peggy also shares that she recently received some criticism and she shares some valuable insight on how to react to criticism and ways to learn from it to become a better researcher. Connect with Peggy Kern: Peggy Kern's Blog - http://peggykern.org You'll Learn: [01:40] - Peggy talks about our behaviors and habits and determining if these are undermine or uplift our well-being. [03:29] - Peggy shares her thoughts on why these little practices to promote well-being are so difficult for us. [05:20] - One of the best ways to change habits is to record what you're doing and monitor your habits. Peggy talks about using that same practice with measuring our well-being. [08:58] - Peggy developed a version of Perma Profiler for workplaces. [11:27] - Peggy talks about the challenges that positive psychology researchers and practitioners experience. [15:06] - Peggy gives her thoughts on sharing the science of positive psychology in a simple enough manner to keep them interested. [19:24] - Peggy recently received some criticism and she talks about where this criticism came from and how she handled the situation. [24:20] - Peggy shares her thoughts on science and the confidence practitioners have in the science of positive psychology. [28:32] - The Lightning Round with Peggy Kern. Your Resources: Permah ProfilerPermah Workplace SurveyGive and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Kevin for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Kevin Schnieders is the Chief Servant Leader and CEO of Educational Data Systems, Inc. (EDSI). EDSI is a workplace development, customized training, and consulting company who provides innovative solutions to close workforce skill gaps around America. Since Kevin became CEO, EDSI has tripled in size. In this conversation, you will hear Kevin talk about models and systems that he has implemented at EDSI. By talking with 450 EDSI employees in 45 days through this servant leadership model, Kevin has been able to understand his employees as individuals. You will hear him share the logistics of maintaining these relationships. EDSI has experienced incredible growth under Kevin and he explains the role that this model had in the success of the company. You'll Learn: [01:50] - Kevin talked with 450 EDSI employees in 45 days. He talks about what led him to making the decision to take on this challenge and what he took away from these conversations. [02:40] - Kevin believes leaders need to understand their employees as individuals. [03:35] - Kevin talks about asking employees open-ended questions to get their opinions on the company. [04:26] - Kevin talks about some of the logistics to staying organized with the information his employees share with him. [05:25] - Kevin shares why he feels this investment in his employees is important and beneficial. He explains why he attributes the success of the company to this strategy. [07:14] - Kevin talks about buy-in with this servant leadership model across all levels of leadership and management with EDSI. [09:05] - EDSI is using other systems like the Best Reflective Self Exercise and The Immunity Map. [11:30] - EDSI believes in working to people's strengths. They allow for people to try to grow in areas, but they don't set people up for failure. [12:29] - Kevin talks about the feedback he receives from his employees. [15:17] - Kevin shares that there have been some models that EDSI tried that did not work out as planned. Your Resources: Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone - Mark Goulston M.D & Keith Ferrazzi The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Tell Your Family History, Fight Smarter, Go Out And Play, and Much More - Bruce Feiler Center for Positive Organizations' Positive Business Project Educational Data Systems, Inc. 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Kevin for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Dr. Aaron Jarden is a senior lecturer in psychology at Auckland University of Technology. He is also the president of the New Zealand Association of Positive Psychology. Aaron has done a lot of research on occupational wellbeing and in this conversation, he talks about how to introduce these practices to workplaces from the upper levels to the front-lines using a "me, we, us" framework. Aaron also shares his thoughts on the links between the research community and practitioners. He also speaks about the gap between the academic world and the general public's perception of wellbeing. You'll Learn: [01:40] - Aaron talks about some of his research findings on occupational wellbeing. [03:12] - Aaron shares his thoughts on introducing these practices to workplaces. [05:08] - There are different ways organizations implement these practices and Aaron shares the different strategies and his thoughts on the variety of techniques. [06:23] - A challenge in implementing occupational well-being strategies is convincing leaders to buy in. Aaron talks about this necessary and difficult step in the process. [08:13] - Aaron talks about varying levels of senior leadership and the upward trend in this area. [09:14] - Aaron talks about the importance of small interventions that can make a huge difference to well being, that don't cost a lot.. [12:09] - Aaron shares an effective quick three-breath exercise to create a positive mindset. [13:16] - Aaron talks about the poor job researchers do of communicating science to the public and what the research community can do to repair that. [17:13] - Aaron talks about the difference between academics and general public understandings of wellbeing. [19:02] - The Lightning Round with Dr. Aaron Jarden. Your Resources: Dr. Aaron Jarden's website Positive Psychology at Work: How Positive Leadership and Appreciative Inquiry Create Inspiring Organizations - Sarah Lewis Elon Musk Biography Second Wave Positive Psychology: Embracing the Dark Side of Life - Itai Ivtzan and Tim Lomas 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. Also, 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 finally, don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! Special thanks to Aaron for joining me this week. Until next time, take care! Until next time, take care!