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 content.
• [5:44] - This program covers a lot in six months and Louis shares with us the pace and workflow of the program.
• [6:48] - Louis talks about helping participants “walk the walk” and putting this technical content into practice.
• [8:13] - “When happiness is our pursuit, sometimes that causes a deficit in happiness in some people.”
• [10:13] - Louis talks about the growing trend of stress and burnout in practitioners.
• [13:07] - Louis addresses resistance of positive psychology practices within organizations, especially at the executive level.  
• [17:05] - Louis describes how “polarity thinking” helps bring light to interdependent values and how the program teaches how to manage the polarities.
• [20:12] - The Lightning Round with Louis Alloro

Your Resources:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari - https://amzn.com/0062316095

Certificate in Positive Psychology - http://certificateinpositivepsychology.com

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 Ilona for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

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: http://www.innovationworks.ca/

"Appreciative Living" - Jacqueline Bascobert Kelm

"Reinventing Organizations" - Frederick Laloux

Canadian Positive Psychology Association

3rd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology

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 Maureen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

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.
● [9:04] - The importance of play and it’s role in corporate workplaces.
● [10:55] - Ilona talks about how organizations in Europe are embracing Positive Psychology practices.
● [12:20] - Ilona talks about how she frames this discussion to get organizations on board with these practices.
● [13:40] - Is there a time when positive psychology is not the right solution?
● [15:28] - The Lightning Round with Ilona Boniwell!

Your Resources:

“Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness” - Ilona Boniwell 

“Oxford Handbook of Happiness”

“Building a Better Business Using the Lego Serious Play Method” - Per Kristiansen, Robert Rasmussen

“Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” - Stuart Brown, Christopher Vaughn

The European Conference on Positive Psychology

The Positive Psychology Program

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 Ilona for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

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 regards to employee growth and sustainability.
● [8:40] - What can individuals do when their organization doesn’t promote growth and sustainability?
● [12:05] - Gretchen discusses about her findings that co-working spaces lead to higher mean scores of thriving.
● [15:47] - Gretchen talks about resilience for people in difficult situations. Thriving is not about bouncing back, it’s about bouncing better.
● [17:43] - Thriving and growing proactively, when there isn’t a difficulty or challenge.
● [19:13] - Should organizations expect and encourage an approach of thriving when someone is struggling, personally?
● [20:04] - The lightning round with Gretchen Spreitzer

Your Resources:

Reflected Best Self Exercise - http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/cpo-tools/reflected- best-self-exercise-2nd- edition/

How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact - Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer - https://amzn.com/1626560285

The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E Quinn - https://amzn.com/1626565627

Finding Purpose: Environmental Stewardship as a Personal Calling - Andrew J. Hoffman - https://amzn.com/1783533722

Positive Business Conference - http://positivebusinessconference.com

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 Gretchen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!