Lisa Sansom

Is the PERMA model broad enough to address all of well-being? This was a question I heard addressed at the IPPA World Congress more than once. Here are some answers I heard from Steward Donaldson and Victoria Cabrera from the Clarmont University positive psychology department. They believe there are 4 additional elements needed to extend …

Is this book going to help you dissent and defy? Quite possibly. This is also a book about excellent communication, effective change management, and meaningful interpersonal and emotional intelligence. At its core, this book is designed to change the way that its readers see the world and act within it.

What really stays with me is that this book – and “book” seems like such an impoverished word for this treasure – is really a love letter to all women everywhere. It is uplifting, inspiring, empowering, and energizing. It speaks of hope and possibility and the creation of a wonderful future for everyone through the …

There was much in this book that caused me to be more reflective and introspective. When you’re in a life-long relationship with someone else, that’s probably a good practice. Since it takes two to tango, couples may want to buy two copies of this book, one for each to read, make notes in, and reflect …

Conversations worth having are those that add value through appreciative questions and dialogue. They are meaningful and engaging. They increase the mutual pie of knowledge and understanding. They are strengths-based and productive. They are conversations that increase our energy, enhance our connections with others, improve collaboration and problem-solving, and make us feel valued, even loved.

As an organizational development consultant and a leadership coach, I learned a lot from Brafford’s book about how professional organizations can directly apply the research of positive psychology to create better places to work for all employees. These businesses can do well financially by doing well at increasing well-being for their people.

It seems that every year around Thanksgiving, people like to quote Dr. Robert Emmons’ work on gratitude. It becomes de rigeur to count your blessings and enumerate what you are grateful for. But I’d like to propose something a little different this year.

I wasn’t sure about reading this book, but I’m ever so glad that I did. I want to read it again with my highlighter firmly in hand and note all the wisdom again. this book This book has definitely equipped me to be more compassionate when someone close to me is suffering from a tragic …

It’s time to break the silence about suffering at work. Suffering happens everywhere. From page 11 in this book, “Without compassion, workplaces can become powerful amplifiers of human suffering.” Read on to explore the alternative, where organizations and the people in them awaken compassion at work.

I’ve shared some takeaways from the first half of Caroline Webb’s new book. I hope you can see the value that she is imparting to her readers. She goes on to talk about how to be “your smartest, wisest, most creative self” and how to have impact and influence in what you say and do.

Every little bit helps to understand what’s really going on and how your perspective, thoughts, words, and emotions can change, for better or for worse, the final outcome of negotiation with regards to both value and relationship.

At first, I was really enthusiastic about reviewing Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, but then I figured that to write a really good review, it should be, well, original! So I procrastinated, because apparently that can make you more original and creative, and then I thought..

Gretchen, you are indeed an accomplished author and I do enjoy your books. You achieve a lightness and self-discovery that many academic books lack, and yet you still root much of your work in the scientific findings that I value.

Ran enlists the help of several luminaries along the way, including Barbara Fredrickson, Sonja Lyubomirsky and Philip Zimbardo, to help him to understand the science of his experiment. Ran also learns from the individuals he meets at truck stops, gas stations, and motels and realizes that the “ride of your life” can take place even …

The Upside of Your Dark Side feels like a mass media expansion of this basic hypothesis, that “life worth living” isn’t about gaining happiness any more than it is about avoiding misery. The true good life is a life of your whole self. That’s how we grow and that’s how we develop, not just in …

Still trying to decide whether to attend the Canadian Positive Psychology Association conference in a few weeks? Read these previews of applications of positive psychology in educational settings. Not able to attend? You still may want to know about the work these people are doing.

While psychology generally has been a “neck-up” discipline, several positive psychology practitioners and researchers are looking at involving the whole body. Here’s a selection of our great speakers who will be appearing in Ottawa, Canada on July 17 and 18. (Today is the last day to register at the early bird rate.)

At the upcoming Canadian Positive Psychology conference in Ottawa this July, many different keynotes, speakers and presenters will be sharing insights into their research and application of positive psychology. Typically, we think of positive psychology as serving a non-clinical population, but these forward-thinkers are taking positive psychology to populations that may be seen as vulnerable, …

I wish I had the room in this article to share all of the many insights I gained from this book. It has helped me to understand myself a bit better, and stand a bit taller in my general prevention-focused mindset. Though I still do have promotion envy, I also see where I can and …

The Canadian Positive Psychology Association is pleased to announce its second conference will be held this July 16-18 in Ottawa, Canada. In addition to tthe keynote speakers, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Tim Kasser, Michael Steger, and Bob Vallerand, the CPPA is pleased to provide a forum for emerging researchers and practitioners. This preview is about some of …