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Become More Resilient in 9 Simple Steps

We may take time to think about how to be healthier, but we don’t often spend a lot of time thinking about how to become more resilient. Resilience is mental toughness. With it, you can bounce back from setbacks more quickly and find the positive in challenging circumstances. In his book, The Resiliency Advantage, the late Al Siebert, Ph.D., contends that highly resilient people are more flexible, adapt to new circumstances more quickly and "thrive in constant change.” If you want to begin to build up your resilience muscle, here are nine things you can do: 1. Change your self-talk Pay attention to the thoughts that pop up into your head. If they are critical or negative, replace them with a positive thought or two. According to positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman, Ph.D., you can give yourself a cognitive intervention and counter negative thinking with an optimistic attitude. Treating yourself with self-compassion sometimes takes work, but when you are kind to yourself it increases your resilience because you have your own back. Treat yourself like you would a best friend. 2. Celebrate your wins If you don’t think you can do something, or your self-confidence is flagging, think of a time when you succeeded. List your wins—those times when you achieved something you didn’t think you could do. Recalling your wins restores your belief in yourself. Psychologist and author Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., says we need a three-to-one ratio of positive to negative experiences to build our resilience and flourish in life. 3. Be solid in how you see yourself One of the easiest ways to boost your self-image is to make decisions that make you feel good about who you are, according to psychologist and Ohio University professor Gary Sarver, Ph.D. With a positive self-perception, you won’t let the moods and opinions of others knock you off course. You will realize that the opinion that matters most is your own opinion of yourself. 4. Give yourself a pep talk If you repeatedly tell yourself you are strong, not only will you begin to believe it, but you also will look for ways to prove that it’s true. Most of us are a lot stronger than we think; we just have to believe it first in order to see it in our own lives. 5. Push outside your comfort zone It’s hard to believe in our fortitude if we hide within a comfort zone. Do the things that scare you a bit and watch your resilience build up. Afraid of public speaking? Try talking to a small group first. Nervous to change jobs? Just start interviewing. Afraid to have a difficult conversation? Write out what you want to say first. Fear dissipates with action. Make up your own mantra. Try … Let’s do this. Be bold. Keep moving forward. Or, forget fear. Power up big with a tiny sentence. 6. Cultivate your relationships Resilient people tend to have strong support systems with family, or they cultivate strong, supportive relationships with friends and mentors. Knowing you have people you can turn to when times get tough makes you a little tougher. 7. Boost your energy Running on empty is a quick way to deplete the positive way you feel about yourself and leave you feeling like you’ve run out of resources. What activities recharge you? Is it exercise? A day on the golf course? A coffee shop and a good book? Seeing a good movie? A hike in the woods? When you feel your best, your mental resilience stays strong. 8. Brood less If you find yourself ruminating over problems or having anxious moments, try to take a 20,000-feet perspective and realize that a lot of what we dwell on never happens or won’t matter a week from now. Try letting go of more things so you can spend your brain power thinking empowering thoughts and taking positive action steps. In Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman writes that self-awareness is "the building block of the next fundamental emotional intelligence: being able to shake off a bad mood.” 9. Sleep more Sleep makes everything better, including our resilience. When you are sleep-deprived, it’s easier to get stressed out, be more reactive, make poor decisions and feel mentally drained. Sufficient sleep (that’s about eight hours a night) boosts your mental brain power, restores mental clarity and is more likely to contribute to a positive outlook. Read more about the importance of sleep for well-being. When you feel mentally tough, you can relax into your life and pursue the life you want without limitations. You aren’t afraid of adversity or change because you know you will adapt. Resilient people are more likely to look for the positive and share the love with others.

Gossip: bad habit or good for the group?

relationships

Go Ahead and Gossip

Reading gossip magazines is the highlight of many visits to the doctor’s office or hair salon. The private lives of others compel us. But we are often embarrassed to admit we subscribe to InTouch or visit PerezHilton.com daily. Society largely views gossip as a negative and immoral pastime. Colonial America punished gossips by forcing them to wear helmets that resembled iron cages with metal prods that jutted into the tongue. And in Jewish tradition, gossip (lashon hara) is considered a serious sin. But new research reveals that gossip can sometimes be a good thing. And it may be an integral part of how we cooperate. For the good of the group Economists and social scientists study why people work together in groups and pool resources even when they might benefit more if they acted selfishly. They have discovered that the possibility of being the target of gossip and consequently shunned from the group may motivate people to act in a more selfless, prosocial way. A team of Stanford University researchers, including Matthew Feinberg, Ph.D., who is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto,tested the theory by asking students to play an online game where different players contributed to a community pot. The students were given the opportunity to gossip about other players, and could even choose to shun a player based on the gossip reports. If a player was stingy in one round of the game and her fellow players gossiped about her and shunned her, she became much more generous in subsequent rounds. She cooperated. No one wants to be the pariah “When people were ostracized, they learned their lesson,” Feinberg said. The ability to kick people out of the next rounds of the game had the largest effect, spurring the most generosity. When kicking a player out of the game was a possibility, players gave much more freely. In some cases, Feinberg says, it seems that gossiping is a good thing for the group. “Sometimes we gossip out of real concern for our friends. We want to warn them of bad actors and immoral characters so they won’t be victimized.” Gossip is good? Sharing this kind of information promotes the good of the community around us. So at least in this case, gossip is considered prosocial. It’s a good thing. Prosocial gossip has a potential added bonus. It not only serves to report the facts of an event, but it also conveys what the gossiper thinks is morally correct. It communicates her moral code. If my coworker tells me that the boss takes his wife out every Friday on the company credit card, she’s not only telling me what happened, but she also implies that she disagrees with it. She believes that to be crossing an ethical line in the workplace. Feinberg and his colleagues are working on studies documenting gossip’s role in communicating morality. The darker side But, as we all know, there is another side to gossip. Tabloid magazines don’t add much to the collective morality of our communities. “If we’re spreading information within a moral domain, that’s one thing. But if we’re talking about looks or something a person can’t control that’s really a form of bullying,” Feinberg said. According to Feinberg, his study is not a permission to speak ill of others. He warns, even if we gossip for the right, prosocial reasons, it’s highly likely the target of that gossip might not like it. “Gossip is probably in the eye of the beholder.” Do you gossip among friends? Let us know what you think in the comments section, below! Meredith Knight is a science journalist based in Austin, Texas.

B Corps are changing the way we do business

News & Trends

B the Change

Do you know the saying “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”? Well, a growing number of businesses are doing just that.Business as a force for goodBusinesses have a tremendous impact on our lives, as owners, employees, consumers and community members, and now B Corps are using that power to solve social and environmental problems.The B Corp designation is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. Today, 1,281 Certified B Corps from 41 countries and over 121 industries are working together toward a single unifying goal: to redefine success in business.Getting the B grade to redefine successA business interested in becoming a B Corp goes through an assessment process that measures the social and environmental performance of everything it does, including accountability and transparency. If the company scores well, then it’s eligible to obtain the B Corp certification from B Lab, the supporting nonprofit organization.All shapes and sizesB corps come in all shapes in sizes, from small firms with sole proprietors to global brands like Ben & Jerry’s. Rob Michalak, Ben & Jerry’s global director of social mission, led the company’s effort to obtain its B Corp certification. “At first, the whole idea of assessment can be intimidating, but then people realize the benefit of the tool,” he says.The certification process has helped the company affirm what it’s doing well and provided insight into opportunities for improvement. So far, Ben & Jerry’s management has benefited the most from the guidance provided by the assessment process. With its deep social mission, the company is committed to supporting the B Corp movement. “There is true power in movements—much stronger than any individual company,” Rob says.Aligned ValuesMany companies join because there is strong alignment between a company’s established values and that of the B Corp movement. That was the case for Founding B Corp member King Arthur Flour, an employee-owned business. King Arthur Flour Chief of Staff Carey Underwood says the existing employee engagement, management transparency and employee-owned culture all contributed to the company’s high social scores during the assessment.Sustainable, Inside and outFor Patagonia, taking care of the planet has always been a driving value, so the B Corp designation was a natural fit, says Elissa Loughman, the company’s manager of corporate responsibility.The company knows that examining its own business practices and the way it uses resources are essential to being a responsible company. The outdoor clothing company uses organic cotton, makes fleece jackets from recycled plastic bottles and traces all the down used in their products back to the geese farms to ensure humane animal practices. Patagonia also uses wool from sheep raised sustainably in the Patagonia region of South America.Patagonia is also a founding member of 1% for the Planet, through which companies donate 1 percent of sales to environmental nonprofits.What Members AppreciateBeing part of a community and movement with shared goals has its benefits. Because B Corp certification is so rigorous, it validates and values the good work member companies do and helps them identify opportunities to improve. Members benefit from a culture of collaboration and exchange that even includes the signing of a “Declaration of Interdependence.”Additionally, for companies like Cabot Creamery, the first dairy farmer cooperative to become a B Corp, building brand awareness has been very helpful. Cabot Creamery Director of Marketing Amy Levine says “being a member has helped educate and communicate to consumers how a co-op is a beneficial business model” for the broader community and their high-quality products. The company appreciates that the assessment recognizes its acts of gratitude and volunteerism.Just Getting StartedThough it’s growing quickly, the B Corp movement is just getting started. B Corps range across all types of businesses and industries, from food to finance, from clothes to consulting and from consumer products to waste management.“All these companies are united by one common goal: to be best for the world,” says Katie Kerr, B Lab’s director of communications. Certification helps companies differentiate themselves and improve, helps consumers align their purchases with their values and helps people find good places to work. Building the brand and movement go hand in hand—both increase well-being for all.Are you ready (consumers and businesses) to “B the change”? If so, check out bcorporation.net, watch the “We Have a Dream” short video, begin an assessment and find a B Corp to do business with.Contributor Brian Kaminer is the founder of Talgra, a certified B Corp and consulting firm, and the creator of Invest With Values, an education website for people looking to align their money and values.

Arianna Huffington: Balanced Media Mogul

People

Arianna Huffington is Redefining Success

Arianna Huffington is passionate about success. And while success has been a focal point throughout her life, she sees it much differently now than she did even a few years ago. Today, her view of success is tied closely to happy living: “Well-being is now going to be in the center of my life, not on the edges.”Speaking at the International Symposium of Contemplative Studies in Boston in November, Arianna shares how she has accomplished the far-reaching goals she set for herself and did it in a way that helped define many of the major topics of our lifetime: women’s roles in the workplace and the world, the changing nature of political leadership and 21st-century innovations in media. Now, she has turned her attention to living a good and happy life.Playing the game of life“We have, if we’re lucky, about 30,000 days to play the game of life,” Arianna says in a recent interview. “How we play it will be determined by what we value. A huge part of that is our relationship with time. So for me, a well-lived life is one where there is ample time for the people in my life who truly matter, time to pause and wonder at the world, and time to delight in the mysteries of the universe, as well as the everyday occurrences and small miracles that fill our lives.”In her 2014 best-selling book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, she asks us to consider redefining success beyond the timeworn standards of money and power: “To live the lives we truly want and deserve, and not just the lives we settle for, we need a third metric, a third measure of success that goes beyond the two metrics of money and power, and consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving.”The value of failingArianna credits her mother with instilling optimism and resilience. “My mother taught us that failure is not the opposite of success, it is the stepping stone to success.”She lives that life philosophy firsthand. After graduating from Cambridge, she wrote a successful book, The Female Woman. But 36 publishers rejected her second book, and a seven-year relationship ended shortly after that.“By about rejection 25, you would have thought I might have said, ‘Hey, you know, there’s something wrong here. Maybe I should be looking at a different career.’ ” Instead she walked into a bank in London where she was living at the time and asked for a loan. “Even though I didn’t have any assets, the banker—whose name was Ian Bell—gave me a loan. It changed my life, because it meant I could keep things together for another 13 rejections and finally, an acceptance.Getting up one more time“In fairy tales there are helpful animals that come out of nowhere to help the hero or heroine through a dark and difficult time, often helping them find a way out of the forest. Well, in life, too, there are helpful animals disguised as human beings, as bank managers like Ian Bell, to whom I still send a Christmas card every year. So, very often, the difference between success and failure is perseverance. It’s how long we can keep going until success happens. It’s getting up one more time than we fall down.”Arianna moved to New York, where she continued writing books and magazine articles. After weathering ups and downs in love, career and even politics, Arianna co-founded The Huffington Post in 2005.The site was not an immediate success; it faced a storm of negative reviews, including one particularly harsh but memorable criticism from LA Weekly’s Nikki Finke, who called it “the movie equivalent of Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate rolled into one.”Yet Arianna refused to be diverted by the criticism. Today, she says that backlash gave her the incentive to persevere. The truth is, we are always going toget bad reviews, she says. The answer is to rely on our personal resilience and continue our journey. In her case, the critics may remain, but the site has gained respect, credibility and worldwide recognition.The most powerful blog in the worldIn 2012, The Huffington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for a 10-part series on wounded veterans, becoming the first commercially run digital site in the United States to win the prize. It also has been ranked No. 1 on the Most Popular Political Sites by eBizMBA Rank, and The Observer, a British newspaper, named it the most powerful blog in the world.“At some point, I learned not to dread failure,” she says. “I strongly believe that we are not put on this earth just to accumulate victories and trophies and avoid failures but rather to be whittled and sand-papered down until what’s left is who we truly are.“My advice to those facing critics or challenging times is to refrain from adding our own self-criticism into the mix. This means dealing with the voice I call the obnoxious roommate living in our head, the voice that feeds on putting us down and strengthening our insecurities and doubts.”Refocusing attentionArianna now uses her media platform to showcase her happiness discoveries. The Huffington Post regularly includes news on happiness and how to achieve it. It’s a journey she embarked on after receiving a serious wake-up call in 2007.Exhausted from the relentless hustle of running a booming media enterprise, Arianna collapsed while at her computer in her home office. As her head hit the desk, she injured her eye, broke her cheekbone and ultimately realized she needed to find a new approach to her hectic life. She returned to the meditation and yoga exercises her mother had shown her as a child. She says now, “I wish they had just told me, ‘You have civilization disease.’ ”That’s how she sees it today, she explained at the Boston symposium: If you are driven to focus only on wealth and power, you, too, might have civilization disease. “Our society is made of highly educated good people making bad decisions. It’s not that they’re not smart, it’s that they’re not wise. We all have that wisdom in us,” she says. “I would never again congratulate someone for working 24/7. It’s like coming to work drunk.”Arianna is using her resources—such as books, speaking engagements and her media company—to help others learn how to adopt a lifestyle that encompasses well-being and wonder, wisdom and giving. She sees mindfulness as an important element in redefining success, in slowing down or even stopping the busyness of our lives, if only for a few important moments to begin each day.“The fact that there is now so much scientific exploration that builds on ancient wisdom is cause for great optimism,” she says. “It doesn’t matter why we start on this journey…at some point we’ll all realize that we’re bigger than our jobs.“However great your job is, you are more marvelous! Getting in touch with that magnificence is part of your journey.”Jan Stanley is a writer, coach and speaker who has worked with Fortune 500 companies to develop leaders and with many people to help them find meaning and joy in work and life.

Practice

Can Happiness Save the Planet?

Jenny Jenkins grew up caring for the planet, so it’s no surprise that she has instilled those same values in her children. Today, the mother of four says it’s become second nature for her and her husband, Cliff, to practice a low-impact, environmentally friendly lifestyle.“Because I grew up thinking this way, it’s not hard,” says Jenny, a high school guidance counselor in Cincinnati, Ohio. “I think we’re happier because we live a less cluttered life. And now we see our kids doing some of the same things.”Experiences over thingsWith an emphasis on shared experiences and family activities over products and purchases, Jenny’s family values togetherness and an active lifestyle. “We all love the outdoors, so we’ll walk wherever we can—like to the grocery store or the farmer’s market—instead of driving. It means that we spend more time together than a lot of families do, and it also is good for us because of the physical activity. And, even just walking to the hardware store, you’re getting outside and connecting with nature, and that makes you happier.”Today, experts say that mindset is just what the planet needs. People who are happier have been found to be less focused on “things” and more focused on fulfilling activities and social relationships, which brings with it a built-in benefit for Mother Earth.Happy people make more responsible consumers?In a recent study, Miriam Tatzel, Ph.D., of Empire State College, State University of New York, found that happy people share one very distinctive trait: They value and seek out experiences instead of possessions. This trait could be the key to creating a healthier planet, she told the American Psychological Association at its convention in August in her presentation, “Consumer Well-Being & Environmental Well-Being: A Surprising Compatibility.”“Consumerism and all the stuff we make harms the environment [through] pollution, climate change, degradation of natural resources,” she says. In the past, a popularscientific viewpoint has been that saving the planet would only be possible if consumers’ consumption habits could be changed. However, she now believes that saving the planet could be as simple as emphasizing happiness.“If people spend less time working and spending, they have more time for relationships and personal interests,” Miriam says. “People who are less materialistic tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives.”Teaching it to the next generationJenny says she has seen that mindset blossom in her children. “I’m not saying we don’t have any ‘stuff,’ because we do, but we mostly do activities instead of [giving traditional] gifts,” she says. For example, this year they bought family season passes to a ski slope instead of buying items like Xboxes and iPads.“When you start thinking that way, experiences become more important,” Jenny says. “The kids appreciate them more, and it actually is something they’d prefer over regular toys and presents.”Read more about cutting down on consumer clutter.Of course, convincing most consumers not to buy the latest gadget or to skip getting that shiny new car can be a tough sell. In America, consumer debt continues growing, inching up another 3.3 percent in 2014; credit card debt is outpaced only by mortgage and student loan debt.The consequences of consumer debt extend far beyond dismal credit scores; debt also can have serious side effects that impair mood and state of mind. It often is accompanied by stress, fear, anger and depression, according to debt expert Bill Fay of Debt.org. Making people happier with their personal lives could help them downsize their debts while having a ripple effect of creating a happier, more environmentally conscious society overall, Miriam says.Creating an upward spiralCatherine O’Brien, Ph.D., an expert in sustainability education, discovered the link between sustainable living and happiness while working on her doctorate at Barefoot College in Rajasthan, India, in the mid-1990s. “I found that not only did the people there live sustainably, but it was a culture filled with joy,” she says. “They were wildly creative and imaginative. And I had a novel thought that, if we live sustainably, we might be happier.”That thought became the basis for her concept of Sustainable Happiness, which combines principles of positive psychology with a sustainability mindset. As the positive psychology movement gained traction, Catherine saw more areas where it connected with sustainability and created a complete educational platform combining the two.A message of spiritual and emotional abundance“People were tired of hearing environmental messages,” she says, adding that many environmental messages were equated with making sacrifices and relinquishing creature comforts. “I knew that if people could hear the happiness message, it would accelerate their interest. Everyone has an interest in happiness.”Catherine’s Sustainable Happiness teachings look at how fewer material possessions and a deeper connection to the Earth can pave the way to a happier, healthier life. “This is not a new thing, and it’s not something I invented,” she says. “Many indigenous cultures are built on this. It’s about thinking about what we can do to live happily and connect with other people.And in doing so, you often begin making choices that reduce your footprint. It’s not necessarily that you’re thinking about being environmentally friendly, it’s that the activity you choose to participate in has other benefits [for the planet] associated with it.”Happiness as a side effectWhile many of the choices made by happier people are good for the planet, it has also been found that being good to the planet can generate feelings of happiness. So which comes first—personal wellbeing, or caring for the planet? Societies that practice sustainability are shown to be happier than their less environmentally minded counterparts.That’s the foundation of the Happy Planet Index, which was introduced in 2006 by the New Economics Foundation. The global measurement standard multiplies an index of life satisfaction and the life expectancy average of each country’s residents, then divides that by the ecological footprint of the country. Results consistently show that residents with a smaller ecological footprint register greater levels of happiness, satisfaction and wellbeing.Read more on sustainability and going green.In the “State of the World” report developed for The Worldwatch Institute, economist John Talberth, Ph.D., and then director of the Sustainability Indicators Program atRedefining Progress in Oakland, California writes that societies or individuals who practice sustainability and pro-environmental behavior have a greater sense of subjective wellbeing.Meanwhile, a study published in September in the journal Frontiers also found that people who exhibit pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors showed greater signs ofpositivity and well-being.“I think it depends on the individual,” Catherine says. “Some people may think about how they can live happily and connect with others, and that’s going to lead them to dothings that are good for the planet.” Others, she says, may be concerned for the planet and seek out earth-friendly activities that connect them with nature and with other like-minded individuals, both of which are known happiness boosters.Naturally happy“Being in nature, or even just looking at it, is associated with a number of positive physical and mental outcomes, including reduced stress, increased attention and greater self-control,” says Misha Voloaca of the University of Ottawa Well-Being Lab. His current research is centered on the role happiness plays in connecting with nature. “There is good evidence showing that people who are more connected to nature have smaller ecological footprints.Importantly, such people also tend to be happier and more mindful in everyday life. [It supports] both personal and environmental well-being.” Victor Corral-Verdugo of theDepartment of Psychology at the University of Sonora at Hermosillo, Mexico, agrees. His recent study, “Happiness as a Correlate of Sustainable Behavior: A Study of Pro-Ecological, Frugal, Equitable and Altruistic Actions That Promote Subjective Wellbeing,” published in the journal Human Ecology Review, reviews numerous studies on the topic and introduces his own observations. He concludes that the benefits of pro-environmental practices are so positive that they lead to further conservation efforts, which in turn generates a continuing upward spiral of happiness.Victor and his colleagues studied the relationship between sustainable behavior and happiness among college students in Mexico, an area he intentionally selected because it has both environmental and social concerns. He was interested in learning if positive behaviors could offset some of the effects of the environmental problems while at the same time increasing the happiness of its citizens.“According to our results…the more pro-ecological, altruistic, frugal and equitable a person is, the more feelings of happiness (s)he experiences,” Victor finds. He echoes Catherine’s belief that if people knew about the positive consequences of adopting a pro-environmental lifestyle, more people would be eager to participate. And Jenny says it is something her family benefits from every day.“When you’re moving around in nature, eating better and spending time with your family, you’re naturally going to feel better,” she says. “Physically, you feel better. The way you’re living makes you happier. It’s kind of common sense.”

Lifestyle

Happiness is a Choice

As one of the world’s least-developed countries, Malawi has a low life expectancy, high infant mortality and a 74 percent poverty rate. Yet it is dubbed “the warm heart of Africa” and topped Forbes magazine’s 2010 list as the African country with the happiest people.Researchers say that happiness comes from its relative calm, peaceful environment, which allows the government to spend its limited resources on social or economic initiatives that positively affect the lives of Malawians.Official language: ChichewaLife expectancy: 59.99 yearsHappiness claim to fame: Named the happiest country in Africa by the World Database of Happiness and by Forbes; named one of the happiest places to visit by Lonely Planet.In the shadow of Mount Zomba, in the African country of Malawi, a young teacher named Mwaona Nyirongo has dedicated his life to helping his students reach new heights. Slender and gregarious, he lives and works in the eighth poorest country in the world, yet considers himself one of the happiest people on the planet. “I am not rich, but I am optimistic about life,” he explains. “I see possibilities everywhere and that helps me enjoy life and appreciate the love around me.”Growing up in the small town of Ntchenachena, where abject poverty, daily suffering and rampant HIV/AIDS infection were normal ways of life, he had no idea how desperate his situation was."I did not know life could be different"“The problems and deaths around me were what life was. I did not know life could be better or different,” Mwaona says. But when his father died unexpectedly, 12-year-old Mwaona went to live with an uncle who lived two hours away in Ekwendeni. Through his uncle, he met people who spoke of careers, education and life outside of Malawi. It was then that the young boy realized, “not everybody spends mornings without breakfast or sleeps without anything in the stomach.”As a teenager, he joined the Boy Scouts and was chosen to represent Malawi at the 20th World Scout Jamboree in Thailand in 2002. “What an eye-opener that was,” he recalls. “There were cellphones, Internet access, better hotels, a lot of food, better hospitals. Almost everything was way ahead of Malawi, and I started to feel extremely sorry for myself and my country.”A new awareness of the worldHis newfound awareness brought fascination but also generated pain and sadness because he was surrounded by so many things he could not have. “I realized my sadness was making me less productive, so I chose to cultivate happiness by focusing on the things that really matter,” says Mwaona, who currently teaches history and geographyat Mulunguzi Secondary School in Zomba and is pursuing a college degree in communications.He gives back to his community by volunteering with the organization Africa Classroom Connection, which builds much-needed classrooms in Malawi, and helps identify deserving students in need of scholarships.Giving backIn 2008, he raised money to organize a youth football league to keep young people involved and out of trouble. Although almost everyone in the village was destitute, the campaign was successful; neighbors gave what they could, and it was enough.“In Malawi, we believe in Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are.’ We are responsible for each other. Being involved in something big and honorable gives real meaning to my life and brings happiness,” he says. Now a scout leader himself, Mwaona surrounds himself with the love of relatives and friends. He enjoys Malawian dances like Malipenga and Beni, listens to American jazz standards and the music of The Beatles.Happiness is a choice“Happiness is a choice,” he says. “Our environment or situations do not make us unhappy. We make ourselves vulnerable and allow sadness in. We don’t need to wait for people to give us happiness; we must cultivate it on our own.”Click here to read more about happiness around the world.

Practice

Happiness Around the World

Abandoned as an infant on the streets of Calcutta, India, Jayme Illien was taken to Mother Teresa’s International Mission of Hope orphanage. There, by chance, someone knew of a woman in the United States desperately wanting to adopt a child.“My adopted mother got a call on her 45th birthday saying, ‘We have a baby for you,’ ” he says. Anna Belle Illien not only adopted Jayme, but after experiencing the challenges of the process firsthand also founded Illien Adoptions International, a nonprofit that has helped thousands of American parents navigate the international adoption process.“What I saw as I traveled with her were thousands of children (in orphanages) who were just like me,” says Jayme, who is now an adviser to the United Nations and founder of Illien GlobalPublic Benefit Corporation, which works with business, governments and different segments of society to promote a message of happiness. “I realized how fortunate I was, and that became my inspiration to do something about it….I felt a responsibility to do something with what I’ve been given.”His mission, he realized, was to share what he believes to be the purpose of life: happiness. And while the definition of happiness is as unique as we are, our ages-old quest for it is universal, going beyond age, country, belief and circumstance.Yet it has only been in the last decade that psychologists and scientists began taking a closer look at why happiness results in more than smiles on our faces; rather, why there is an undeniable link between our happiness and improved health, longevity, relationships and success at work. And, on a grander scale, how our government’s policies, our nation’s economic health and even communities’ decisions can shape and affect our wellbeing and happiness.More than MoneyIn China, a country that has experienced record levels of economic growth in the past two decades, the shift to focusing on well-being was not so much a choice as a necessity. An increase in suicides caught the government’s attention, says Kaiping Peng, Ph.D., dean of China’s Tsinghua University’s psychology department. In short, life satisfaction had plummeted. And China wasn’t alone. Post-World War II Japan, where incomes quintupled in three decades, and Korea, during its period of brisk development in the 1950s and ’60s, shared similar experiences, says Carol Graham, Ph.D., author of The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being.“From a policy perspective, from a human welfare perspective, it’s important to understand that these kinds of progress boosts can also have negative externalities for people,” Carol says. “We are beyond a world where more and more income is the be all and end all.”Kaiping sees China’s satisfaction challenges as a byproduct of economic growth and resulting rapid urbanization. The country is countering that by encouraging the rising popularity of positive psychology studies, including collaborating with other countries on the topic and establishing the Happy City movement.One city participating is Jiangyin, about 90 miles northwest of Shanghai. Since it initiated the Happy Jiangyin Project in 2006, which aims to improve people’s lives by increasing their economic opportunities and creating a healthier environment, Jiangyin has seen its citizens’ well-being increase two to three points every year. Among the initiatives resulting from the project was the addition of industrial and agricultural parks in the village of Huaxi, earning it the nickname “the first village under heaven.”“We have come to understand what Buddha told humanity more than 2,000 years ago: Money alone does not buy happiness,” says Jeffrey Sachs, Ph.D., renowned economist and senior U.N. adviser. “To achieve happiness, we need healthy societies, honest governments, social trust, and honoring and protecting the natural environment.”Jayme agrees. “Monitoring only economic growth is not the right way to run a country,” he says. “That’s like having a car and only having a speedometer—there are alot of complexities, a lot of other factors that enter in.”The Science of HappinessFor the United Kingdom, happiness was political. And in the wake of the economic crash of 2008 came a moment of readjustment, a window of opportunity that the happiness movement easily filled.“I think part of that was going beyond the kind of narrow view that the things that matter in life are the things you can count, or the things that have money attached to them,” says James O’Shaughnessy, who served as Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of policy and research. He credits the growing interest in well-being to the scientific element the measurements bring to the discussion, a belief Timothy Sharp, Ph.D., shares. Timothy, author of The Happiness Handbook and founder of Australia’s The Happiness Institute, says happiness has always interested philosophers and religious leaders, but today, the topic is piquing the interest of a broader range of people, from accountants to veterinarians and entrepreneurs.“The crash forced a complete recalibration of expectations, confidence in what it is we’re trying to achieve with economic growth,” Carol says. And while the concrete effects of the happiness movement in Great Britain are hard to pinpoint, James says, a change in attitude is evidenced by the launch of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing in late 2014. The independent organization, funded in part by the British government, includes a number of centers throughout Great Britain dedicated to “understanding what national and local governments, along with voluntary and business partners, can do to increase wellbeing.”With more organizations starting to study people’s well-being, including Australian Unity in Australia, the Happy Planet Index and the French-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, we’re seeing metrics that offer a new take on more traditional economic indicators, like the closure of rural post offices across the U.K.Carol explains that, economically, the post offices were a drain, but wellbeing metrics revealed they were the highlight of the day for many isolated elderly residents. The information didn’t dictate policy. “But what it does,” she says, “is it says if you close the rural post offices, it’s very likely to have these negative costs, and you kind of address those some other way.”A Movement in MotionThe happiness movement, says Jeffrey, a co-author of the “World Happiness Report,” “is a call on our governments and our societies to get our priorities right, to adopt holistic goals such as sustainable development and to monitor the expressed levels of happiness in society, so that we can know when our society needs reforms to achieve happiness.”Each year the “World Happiness Report” ranks the happiness of people in more than 150 countries based on gross domestic product, life expectancy, having someone to count on, perceived freedom to make life choices, generosity and freedom from corruption. In both the 2012 and 2013 reports, researchers cited mental health as the single-biggest factor affecting happiness across the board.“A lot of problems we have as a society are because of individuals not being happy,” says Jayme, now an International Day of Happiness representative. “Global happiness and change start with personal happiness.” Knowing this, Jayme and photographer Joseph Peter, who spent four months in Africa capturing “moments of happiness,” came up with an idea for a U.N. resolution that would recognize the pursuit of happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and ask countries to consider happiness and well-being when measuring and planning their social and economic development.With the help of the then-ambassador of Iraq to the U.N., Hamid al-Bayati, Ph.D., the resolution went before the General Assembly president in 2011 and then the General Assembly to be adopted by general consensus. The resolution passed immediately.International Day of HappinessThe following year, in June 2012, the General Assembly declared March 20 International Day of Happiness, “recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.”And since the first celebration of International Day of Happiness in 2013, the holiday has gained more and more awareness in the public consciousness, furthering Jayme’s hopes for promoting happiness globally. “[International Day of Happiness] calls out that we’re all part of the same species; we’re all connected,” he says.“Living a happy life and thinking about your own happiness is so important. Having one day to be aware about it is a big step in making it something you do every day.” A Brighter Tomorrow Creating a happier planet won’t happen overnight, Jayme acknowledges, but today, many people around the globe are working together for this cause—and that’s a powerful start. “We are at a turning point where this isn’t just possible, it’s critical,” he says.He believes a holistic framework that incorporates happiness as an international policy, and provides a well-thought-out process with universal goals, truly can change the trajectory of our future.“How does the work of peace and security get done?” he asks. “Slowly. You don’t move the entire planet in a couple of days. It’s more of a change that happens over time as people begin to value other things. “What we’re realizing around the world is that there are a lot of goals that unite us, and we really should work on those.”

Self-Care

7 Tips to Find the Silver Lining Within Yourself

The idiom “every cloud has a silver lining” is a beautiful image, representing an attitude of finding the positive in any situation, no matter how challenging it might be. It’s more than just believing that good things are to come, it’s an understanding that every negative might be reframed as a positive, depending on how you see it.The more scientifically minded will be happy to know that this is more than just word play—it’s the subject of some interesting recent research out of NYU. Dubbed “silver lining theory,” the concept holds that some 90% of people believe that their negative traits are actually strengths in disguise - and it’s that very belief that makes them work harder at developing that positive attribute.Read on see the silver lining within yourself, every day - no matter who you are.Shy = ReflectiveDo you prefer the company of a few close friends over a pumping party? Wait for someone else to speak before raising your hand? It could be that you’re shy—but that means you’re also reflective.Sliver lining: You take your time before rushing in with an answer, and like to think things over alone or with the people closest to you. This calm, contemplative quality can be further cultivated by writing, or by taking up a meditation practice.Disorganized = CreativeYour clothes are more at home on your bedroom floor rather than they are in the wardrobe, your bills live in piles on the counter and your inbox is overflowing - sound familiar? Sure, you could be a bit disorganized, but you’re also highly creative, and naturally see the beauty in the chaos of life around you.Silver lining: You know how to lose yourself in a creative flow - whether it’s visual art, writing, or decorating your apartment, and this flair rubs off on the people around you.Impulsive = SpontaneousQuick decisions are second nature to you, and plans tend not to sit quite so well. You buy presents on a whim, call old friends when they pop into your mind, and send emails without much of a second thought. Sure, many would call you impulsive - but they probably also love how spontaneous you can be.Silver lining: Saturday night and nothing planned—no worries! You’re always quick to come up with ideas for last-minute fun, and can rush to help a friend on a moment’s notice if needed. Embrace this flowy side of your personality; you’ll probably find that your loved ones really value it, too. Intimidating = AssertiveEver been called the “life of the party”? Chances are, people also find you intimidating from time to time, but that’s okay. Your strong, confident energy points to your assertive nature—and that’s something you can put to use in both your personal and your professional life.Silver lining: Along with standing up for yourself, you can use your strong, clear voice to speak up on issues close to your heart. Connect with other assertive personalities with these TED talks that spark social change.Irresponsible = AdventurousDo you often misplace your things? Forget to return phone calls? Maybe even miss a deadline here and there? You might be aware that you’re a touch on the irresponsible side - but it’s likely just because your head has already moved on to your next adventure.Silver lining: Being tied down isn’t really your thing as you’d rather be out exploring - in your hometown or around the world. Infuse a sense of adventure into everything you do—it’ll fuel your passion and bring out the silver lining of this personality trait.Stubborn = PersistentIf you know you’re right, you’ll never back down - and why should you? You’ve got a point to prove! This quality might aptly be labelled stubbornness, but it can also be seen as persistence if applied to something worthwhile.Silver lining: If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly—right? You can use your strong, dedicated force of will to tackle difficult projects head on and keep going until your goal is achieved. Looking for something to sink your teeth into?Inflexible = OrganizedEverything has its place - and if something changes it can throw your entire day out of whack. This tendency towards inflexibility might make dealing with the inevitable changes of day-to-day life a challenge - but the flip side is that you are supremely organized.Silver lining: Your organizational skills can have many positive applications - from keeping your own life in order and getting the most out of every minute to running a business which has a positive impact on the world at large.Don’t see your personality on this list? You can try the silver lining exercise yourself - you probably already know which of your character traits have a flip-side that you can use to do good. Be kind to yourself in your analysis, and tell us about it in the comments below.

Practice

Ultimate Happiness Hot List

According to Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, 50 percent of your happiness set point is genetically determined. The other half of your happiness is in your hands. Use your actions and behavior to make your life happier with this roundup of happiness tips, quotes, insights, resources and gifts. 1. Wake Up Happy. “The main key to being happy is self-acceptance. It puts a smile on your face.” – Stacy Kaiser 2. Scale down and simplify. Downsizing can be liberating. Go through your possessions and make sure everything you keep has purpose or gives you joy. 3. Let go of perfection. Do you beat yourself up? Practice self-kindness especially when things don’t go the way you hoped. 4. Let your emotions happen. Allow yourself to experience a full-range of emotions, and don’t label happiness as good and sadness as bad. In the long run, you will be happier. 4. Forgive for you. Forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciliation with the person who hurt you, or condoning of his or her action. What you’re looking for is a sense of peace and closure. 5. Invest in your health. Make vegetables the center of your meal. 6. “A key to happiness is strong, intimate bonds with other people.” – Gretchen Rubin 7. Take the couple’s quiz. Being happy in a relationship is crucial to your wellbeing. 8. Get adequate sleep. A lack of sleep can result in foggy thinking and can contribute to obesity, heart disease and a host of other health ailments. 9. Create Monday momentum. It’s the blank slate of your week. Set the tone right on Monday by accomplishing something big and enjoy a happier week. 10. Connect face-to-face. Research shows that positive social interaction makes a huge difference in our wellbeing. Swap out Facebook for a real conversation in person with someone you care about. 11. Get grit to succeed at work. Have a growth-mindset and believe that things can improve, failure is not permanent and there is reason to persist. 12. Hug and hold hands. The power of touch can lower stress-induced spikes in blood pressure and raise levels of oxytocin, the famous “love” hormone. 13. “When we broadcast a happier and positive mindset, it unlocks the brain’s higher potential.” – Michelle Gielan 14. Hone your skill. Take charge of your professional development at work and invest in yourself with a book, webinar or class. 15. Surround yourself with love. Who you are around impacts your mood and outlook. Choose people who give freely with their compliments. 16. Color yourself happy. Think about the hues that give you a good feeling and use them in your wardrobe, home and workspace. 17. Model positive education. Show your children how to master challenges and overcome frustrations with an optimistic and not a defeatist approach. 18. “An act of kindness is the fastest way out of a negative spiral.” – Dan Tomasulo 19. Take a walk outdoors. This simple activity can lift your mood and you can spread your positive mood with others. 20. Plan vacations carefully. Poorly planned vacations can result in stress and defeat the purpose of your getaway. 21. Make your life extraordinary. Movie director Ron Howard says, “Happiness is about love—loving what you do and loving who you do it with.” 22. “Journal about your intention for the day.” – Michelle McQuaid 23. Go for contentment. The good is better than the perfect. Strive for a state of inner calm. 24. Discover if your job is “the one.” If it doesn’t feel like work, you might be on to something. 25. Brighten your mood. Gratitude is fuel for the soul, and it’s the ultimate emotional tonic for sustained wellbeing. Make a list of your blessings. 26. Don’t take your sense of touch for granted. When we use our hands, we activate large parts of our brains. Cook or bake something and dive in fingertips first. 27. Share your goals to be accountable. Have a support system to cheer you on or lift you up as you work toward positive change. 28. “You ensure your happiness when you give to others.” – Bubba Paris 29. Let your child make mistakes. Learn to love the words “trial” and “error.” 30. Use money as a happiness tool. After a modest level of income is reached, more money doesn’t necessarily equate to more happiness. Use money to create a life you desire. 31. Find your purpose. Your purpose is the intersection between what you are good at and care about with value and need in the marketplace. 32. Spread your happiness. Get some Live Happy notes to leave around town. 33. Skip the brooding. Excessive thinking about what you should have done differently can negatively impact the present moment. Tell yourself: I did the best I could with what I knew at the time. 34. “Happiness is the belief that we can change.” – Shawn Achor 35. Fill your mind with happy. Follow Live Happy on Pinterest. 36. Replicate your success. Study the areas of your life that are going well, and see if you can recreate that success in other areas of your life. 37. Join a community group. Belonging to something bigger than yourself can boost your happiness. 38. Plan a friendship date. Have a Friends marathon, walk and talk, or have a game night. 39. “Let go of junk from your past. If you don’t forgive, it gets in the way of your happiness.” – Dr. Fred Luskin 40. Appreciate random acts of kindness. Share the love by creating a happy moment for someone else. 41. Reflect on happy memories. Any time we like, we can boost our mood by focusing on a happy memory. Make it better by engaging more of your senses. 42. Become a dynamic communicator. Care more about the long-term outcome than the immediate gratification of being heard, being louder, winning, getting that last word, or being right. 43. Be lighthearted. It could protect your health and prevent a heart attack. 44. Find your passion. Look at your actions. Where your flow goes, so goes your energy. If time flies by while you are doing it, you are in true flow and you will create magic. 45. Send an appreciative email. When you open your inbox each day, take two minutes to send an appreciative email to someone in your social support network (family member, friend, teacher, coach, or coworker) thanking that person. 46. “Get out of your head and into your life.” – Todd Kashdan 47. Get involved. People who join a spiritual or religious community and people who volunteer regularly are shown to live longer than those who don’t. 48. Try this To-Do List trick. Break overwhelming projects into smaller tasks until your list becomes a “gladly do” list. 49. Take your kids downtown. If you live in the suburbs, drive or take public transit downtown to the nearest big city to check out the amenities and culture. 50. Take a nap. A well-timed nap can boost productivity. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes max. 51. Live in the moment. And this is just one lesson your dog can teach you about joy. 52. Don’t surrender to adversity. Figure out what you have control over and what you don’t and come up with a plan. 53. Model optimism. Create a positive environment for your kids and shape their reality. 54. Give a happy gift. Find a great gift for a coworker, friend or love. Sandra Bienkowski worked as the national columns editor for SUCCESS magazine for three years, and is widely published in print and on the web. See more about Sandra at The Media Concierge.

Practice

24-Hour Happiness Live Stream – Extended Bios

Three years ago the United Nations established March 20 as the International Day of Happiness. In celebration of this auspicious day, Live Happy is hosting the world’s first24-Hour Happiness Live Stream. Join us as we present an extraordinary line up of best-selling authors and experts in the field of positive psychology. We will be delving into exciting new happiness research as well as insights from some of the world’s top business and thought leaders. Kym Yancey, CEO and Co-Founder of Live Happy LLC, is leading a global movement to make our planet a happier place. He oversees all aspects of the Live Happy platform & brand which includes the Live Happy clothing line, Live Happy magazine, Live Happy event experiences, Live Happy Week, Live Happy awards and campaigns such as Acts of Happiness and more. He is recognized as one of North America’s premier marketing and innovation thought leaders. With a legacy of successful ventures, he brings a wealth of passion, creativity, and business savvy to his many interests and ventures. Prior to Live Happy LLC, Kym was Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer, and President of eWomenNetwork, one of the most successful membership business networking communities for women entrepreneurs in North America with over 500,000 women connected to 118 chapters spread across the U.S. and Canada. During his tenure with the company, CNN recognized the eWomenNetwork Foundation, which he founded with his wife, with an American Hero award as a result of the humanitarian outreach and support the foundation provided in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Kym is also a gold-record-winning composer and producer. In the ’70s and early ’80s, he was signed to Capitol Records as the drummer and a singer with the legendary funk band, SUN, which frequently appeared on Soul Train and in sold-out concerts throughout North and South America. He later parlayed his music skills into advertising, and launched one of the top multicultural advertising agencies in the United States. Along the way, Kym wrote award-winning commercial jingles, receiving more than 200 awards for creative excellence. Sandra Dee Robinson is a well-known daytime actress, TV and Radio Host, Product Spokesperson, wildlife advocate, CEO and Founder of Charisma on Camera Media Training Studio and Horse Powered Leadership Training. Sandra Dee is under great demand as a coach, consultant and speaker for companies, entrepreneurs, authors, celebrities and well-established experts to help them develop their most powerful personal presence and leadership communication skills. She has appeared in major roles on Another World, Sunset Beach, Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay and guest starred on many prime time shows and films, like CSI Miami, Criminal Minds and Two and a Half Men… among others. She attributes her consistent success in this challenging industry to the lessons she now has honed into effective workshops and seminars; She is driven to empower her clients with the knowledge of the incredible gifts God has given them so they may get their message out, and make the impact in the world they’re designed to create. For more information, please visit Sandra Dee Robinson’s website by clicking here. Shawn Achor is a New York Times bestselling author of Before Happiness and The Happiness Advantage. He is the winner of over a dozen distinguished teaching awards at Harvard University where he delivered lectures on positive psychology in the most popular class at Harvard. Shawn has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His research on happiness made the cover ofHarvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with over 7 million views, and he has sat down with Oprah Winfrey not once, but twice to discuss his steps for achieving happiness on OWN’sSuper Soul Sunday. For more information, please visit Shawn Achor’s website by clicking here. Michelle Gielan, a regular contributor to Live Happy, is the Founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research. She is an expert on the science of positive communication and how to use it to fuel success. Michelle works with Fortune 500 companies and schools to raise employee engagement, productivity and happiness at work. Michelle is a Partner at GoodThink, a positive psychology consulting firm, and she holds a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Michelle is an Executive Producer of “The Happiness Advantage” Special on PBS, and formerly served as the anchor of two national newscasts at CBS News. Her research and advice have received attention from Forbes, USA Today, CNN, FOX and NPR. For more information, please visit Michelle Gielan’s website by clicking here. Jeff Olson, Founder and CEO of Neora™ is a dynamic leader and visionary in relationship marketing. Since he first joined the industry in 1988, he has earned a reputation as a top distributor, earner, CEO, founder and best-selling author. Often referred to as “The Millionaire Maker,” Jeff has helped thousands of people build successful relationship marketing businesses. He has spoken to more than a thousand audiences throughout the United States and around the world. Over the past twenty years, Jeff has helped grow companies into massive successes by creating proven recruiting and training systems that are designed to empower people to succeed, whether they are new to the industry or a twenty-year veteran. Jeff founded Neora along with his daughter, Amber Olson Rourke (Chief Marketing Officer), and her mother, Renee Olson (Chief Leadership Officer). Prior to founding Neora, Jeff was a top distributor for several companies, building multimillion-dollar sales teams. In the early ’90s, he put in place a national satellite-training program for an independent sales force by placing 30,000 individual satellite dishes in homes across the country. From that experience, Jeff went on to found The People’s Network (TPN), a company that became one of the largest personal-development training organizations in the nation. As the CEO of TPN, Jeff solidified his reputation as a thought-leader on the future of personal development, creating over 900 television programs on personal excellence in health, family, relationships, and finances. Jeff also authored the best-selling book The Slight Edge, which outlines his key principles that can transform simple daily choices into the massive success and happiness people desire. He also worked with the SUCCESSFOUNDATION to develop SUCCESS for Teens: Real Teens Talk about Using the Slight Edge, which is based on principles from The Slight Edge. The book has been distributed to almost two million teenagers. Margaret H. Greenberg is a consultant, executive coach, and coauthor of the business book Profit from the Positive. In 1997, she founded The Greenberg Group, a consulting firm dedicated to coaching business leaders and their teams to achieve more than they ever thought possible. A pioneer in the field of positive psychology, Greenberg also designs and leads workshops, webinars, and conferences for business audiences and is an expert on creating strengths-based organizations. Margaret is also the “Positive Business” columnist for Live Happy Magazine, and a regular business contributor for www.PositivePsychologyNews.com. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Hartford, a Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) from the University of Pennsylvania, and is recognized by the International Coach Federation as a professional certified coach. For more information, please visit Margaret Greenberg’s website by clicking here. Senia Maymin, Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford, is a consultant and executive coach whose clients include Google, Intel, and VMware. Maymin runs a coaching network that provides coaching for upwards of 30 managers at a time to large technology companies in the Bay area. When entrepreneurs and executives seek far-reaching productivity improvements, they call on Maymin as an executive coach and workshop leader. Maymin is the coauthor of the business bookProfit from the Positive, and the co-business columnist forLive Happy Magazine. Maymin has been featured in the media—includingPBS’s This Emotional Life, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, andUSA Today—primarily for her work as a positive psychology executive coach. Maymin founded and is editor in chief of a research news website featuring more than 1,000 articles by over 100 authors. She has worked in finance on Wall Street and in technology as cofounder and president of two start-ups. Maymin holds a BA in Math and Economics from Harvard, a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA and PhD in Organizational Behavior from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She speaks Russian, French, and Japanese. She lives with her family in California. For more information, please visit Senia Maymin’s website by clicking here. As a renowned thought leader and public speaker, Dr. Jay Kumar expertly counsels organizations and businesses on harnessing the art and science of happiness for both short- and long-term success. Clients across the globe—from lean start-ups to large corporations—have benefited from his highly effective, easy-to-learn and scientifically proven insights and techniques. In addition to consulting businesses and individuals, Dr. Jay stays at the forefront of brain research as a respected university professor. He holds a Ph.D. in cognitive science and religious studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies and an M.A. in international political economy and a concentration in international business from Columbia University. He has also pursued advanced graduate studies at GeorgetownUniversity and UCLA. His e-book Five Secrets to Achieving Authentic Health & Happiness is available on Amazon. For more information, please visit Dr. Jay Kumar’s website by clicking here. Nicholas Kraft is a recent graduate of Emerson College and the subject of Adam’s film FINDING KRAFTLAND. While completing his Bachelor of Arts, Nicholas worked at WERS radio as an engineer, recording artists such as Andrew Bird, The Shins, and Blitzen Trapper. He also recorded and mixed audio for a number of award-winning student films (WARREN BUDD & HIS PROPELLER PLANE, AS THEY FADE, WHY OUR PARENTS FIGHT). After graduation, Nicholas spent three months traveling through Japan, attempting to communicate to locals that he did not eat seafood. He documented his travels and experiences at 89in89.blogspot.com. After the adventure, he returned to the states with a wealth of new insights, bags filled with Japanese Kit Kats, and a desire to start a new adventure. He returned to Adam’s production company, where he worked as an assistant editor for a multitude of clients, and began pre-production on this film. Adam Shell is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who has completed two feature length documentaries (PUT THE CAMERA ON ME, and FINDING KRAFTLAND). Adam has operated a small production company in Los Angeles for the past 7 years, producing a variety of commercial and corporate content. Adam's talents run beyond the screen, as he is also a talented musician. He is a singer and a songwriter and plays a mean honky-tonk piano. He released his first album in 2007 entitled VACANT ROOM, which he recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is constantly writing and recording, so another album is due at some point in the near future - After Pursuing Happiness is complete, he says. He has been honored by the daytime Emmy awards as well as the Billboard world song contest. If you get the chance ask him to play for you. He is a graduate of UCLA where he performed the National Anthem at his graduation, don't ask him about it though - he screwed it up. Roko Belic's directorial debut, GENGHIS BLUES, won the Sundance Audience Award and was nominated for an Academy Award® for best documentary feature. Belic directed the documentary DREAMS: CINEMA OF THE SUBCONSCIOUS, which was released on the INCEPTION Blu-Ray. He associate produced BEYOND THE CALL, co-produced and shot INDESTRUCTIBLE, and directed THE BATMOBILE, which was released on THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Blu-ray. For his current project HAPPY, Belic teamed up with Tom Shadyac (BRUCE ALMIGHTY, LIAR LIAR, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR), who executive produced, to direct the award-winning feature documentary. HAPPY takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, HAPPY explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion. The quest to find a solution to a common problem standing in the way of business success is how Sandra Yancey’s entrepreneurial path took root to grow. Networking for business was her nemesis. In 2000, from a room above the garage of her Dallas, Texas suburban home -- with limited entrepreneurial experience -- Sandra boot-strapped her way to create one of the largest and most decorated business networking organizations in North America. Today, eWomenNetwork is a multimillion dollar enterprise in six countries with 118 chapters that helps thousands of women grow their businesses. The organization produces over 1,000 women’s business events each year, including one of the largest 4-day International Women’s Business Conference in North America. Recognized by the International Alliance for Women as one of the world’s 100 Top Difference Makers and by CNN as an American Hero, the eWomenNetwork Foundation she created has awarded cash grants to 101 non-profit organizations and scholarships to 147 emerging female leaders of tomorrow. Sandra is a bestselling author of five books, including Succeeding Through Doubt, Fear & Crisis. This book rose to #1 status in five categories at Amazon.com upon its debut in July, 2014. She has also been featured in Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul, which features some of the top entrepreneurs in North America. In 2008, Sandra produced an inspiring movie about women overcoming great odds to achieve remarkable things called The Glow Project. The movie was named “One of the most inspiring movies ever created for women” by the Orlando Film Festival. Sandra is committed to helping women grow their businesses and just as important, help them to live an inspired, healthy life rich in abundance and complete fulfillment. To assure that women succeed, she created and developed her breakthrough coaching program, called G.L.O.W-- Generating Lasting Opportunities and Wealth, for women who are ready to re-imagine and take the intentional steps necessary to reach their optimum, in full GLOW, best! Sandra holds a Master’s of Science degree in Organizational Development from The American University, Washington D.C. and a two-year post-graduate certification in Organization and Systems Design from the prestigious Gestalt Institute. Sandra is married to her life and business partner, Kym, and together they are the proud parents of a daughter and son. Sandra is a mentor to thousands who have been shown by example that they have unlimited possibilities to make a difference and succeed in spite of everything. The key is finding winning ways to solve real problems, making the right connections, and having the resilience to hold fast and firm to their dreams. John Havens is the Founder of The H(app)athon Project, a non-profit Foundation, ‘Connecting Happiness to Action’ via the use of values-based, interactive technology. He is the author of Hacking H(app)iness - Why Your Personal Data Counts and How Tracking it Can Change the World , Principal of Transitional Media Consulting, and a global keynote speaker. John has been quoted about issues relating to technology and culture in USA Today, C-Span, NPR, US News & World Report, Forbes, Fast Company, The Guardian, Mashable, the BBC, The Huffington Post, and Advertising Age. He is a contributing writer for The Guardian, Mashable, and Slate, and his new book about Artificial Intelligence and wellbeing will be released in Fall of 2015. John was EVP of Social Media at a top ten global PR firm and has worked with clients including Gillette, P&G, HP, Merck, Wal-Mart, Gallo Wines, and Datacoup. Arthur Woods is an entrepreneur, speaker and writer on the future of work. He is the co-founder and COO ofImperative, the first professional platform to help people manage a fulfilling career. Arthur's deep expertise engaging the millennial generation has enabled him to lead both the conversation and innovation around the next generation of work. His efforts have been featuredin Forbes,Fast Company, Huffington Post, Washington Post and ABC7’s Washington Business Tonight. Arthur previously led operations forYouTube EDUatGooglewhere he oversaw operations ofYouTube for Schools,managed the development of YouTube’s first guide for education and co-organized YouTube’s inaugural Education Summit.He previously co-founded theCompass Fellowship, the world's largest collegiatesocial enterprise training program, inover 18 universities worldwide. He also co-foundedOut in Tech, the largesttechnology meet-up for New York's LGBT community.Arthur studied Operations and information Management at Georgetown University and Project Management at Stanford University. He is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and sits on the Boards of the Sierra Institute, Georgetown Technology Alliance and Compass Partners. Jenn is the CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness, a company she and Tony Hsieh (CEO of Zappos.com) co-founded to inspire science-based happiness, passion and purpose at work, home and everyday life. In Jenn’s words: “A CHOis doing what any CEO does in an organization — putting the people/resources/financing in place to create a sustainable company. The difference between a CEO and a CHO is that a CHO is doing it through the lens of happiness as a business model.” Along with her “fearless leader” CHO responsibilities, Jenn manages a demanding speaking schedule that sends her around the world to deliver a message of passion, purpose, culture, and happiness. If you ask her, Jenn will tell you she never imagined the opportunities that she has today, but she often recalls a particular turning point in her life, which foreshadowed her path. While studying at UC Berkeley, shefound herself in a poetry class and where she was expected to read my poems aloud. Another student came up to her after class and said “I loved that line.” It was in that moment that Jenn realized that words have power, and became the reason that she focuses so much energy on her speaking engagements today. She says: “If I affect someone in some way it’s worth it… somehow I ended up in this place where I have a bigger platform to do it now but it comes back to the same thing — inspire and be inspired.” Starting long before Delivering Happiness was a gleam in anyone’s eye, Jenn was a consultant at Zappos. She created the Zappos Culture Book, a symbol of how companies can use happiness as a business model to increase productivity and profitability. She was a foundational part of the team at Zappos who proved thathappier employees = happier customers = profitable/sustainable business (and most importantly, meaningful lives). In 2010, Jenn led the launch and management of Tony’s book (Delivering Happiness) which has sold over 600,000 copies worldwide and hit #1 on bestsellers lists like the New York Times and USA Today. It was voted one of the best business books by NPR, Inc. Magazine and the Wall Street Journal, remained on the New York Times list for 27 weeks and has been translated into 20 languages. DH has evolved from a book to a company and global movement represented by over 110 countries. Today, she’s dedicated to growing DH to inspire happiness in people, communities and companies so that together, we can create a happier world. Dr. Michelle Robin is an international speaker, best-selling author, radio host, and practicing chiropractor. She is the founder of Your Wellness Connection, P.A., one of the nation’s most successful integrative healing centers. Dr. Robin also consults with businesses and non-profit organizations developing wellness programs. She has spoken on improving individual well-being as well as creating a culture of wellness to a wide variety of companies, organizations, and conferences across the US and Canada. Visit her website for more details. Dr. Fab Mancini is FOX News’s Healthy Living Expert, a world renowned Chiropractor, Hay House’s bestselling author of The Power of Self-Healing and host of his popular radio show, Self-Healing with Dr. Fab. He is also the bestselling author of Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul, an internationally acclaimed educator, business leader, speaker, and President Emeritus of Parker University. He has been featured on Dr. Phil, The Doctors, Fox News, CNN, CBS, ABC, NBC, Univision, Telemundo and others. He has been interviewed in various documentaries and has received honors like Heroes for Humanity, Humanitarian of the Year, CEO of the Year, and induction into the Wellness Revolutionaries Hall of Fame. Most recently, the President of Mexico even named the library at UNEVE, Mexico's new leading university, after him. Dr. Mancini is also a graduate of the prestigious Institute for Educational Management in the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. A graduate ofHarvard Business School,Ken Kragen's illustrious career far transcends the music and entertainment industries where he has spent many incredibly successful years. He has managed some of the world's most important entertainers, includingKenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Trisha Yearwood, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gees, Burt Reynolds, The Smothers Brothersand many others. He was the creator and organizer of the historic humanitarian projects"We Are the World", "Hands Across America",and Cisco System's"NetAid".Amazingly over 95% of the acts he managed have become stars, and 90% of the projects he created and spearheaded have achieved success. During the past few years, Kragen has devoted an increasing amount of his time to teaching, speaking and writing as well as consulting work for leading corporations and many non-profit organizations. He has done work forCisco Systems, New York Life Insurance, Eastman Kodak, The Hollywood Reporter and the Country Radio Broadcasters Associationto name a few. Kragen is most proud of receiving theUnited Nations Peace Medalfor the creation of "Hands Across sherrAmerica", and "We Are the World", making him one of a mere handful of private citizens to receive this honor. Founder and Chief Bliss Officer of Fork That Foods Inc. (https://www.blissbites.co/), Author, Speaker, Host and expert on using “SASS” (Simple Action StepS) to increase health & happiness Facing chemotherapy and life in a wheelchair forced Sherry to get “SASSY.” Because of her personal battle with a debilitating autoimmune disease and clinical depression, she has spent years researching, applying, and teaching multidisciplinary “SASS.” These Simple Action StepS leverage science, psychology, and strategies to gain maximum benefit from small changes. As mother to six children and owner of two businesses, Sherry realizes we all need to make the most of our limited time and energy. Her passion for encouraging others through sharing research-based, scientifically proven, fun and easy tweaks to meals, mind, and movement led her to start Fork That Foods Inc. (https://www.blissbites.co/), and create Bliss Bites gourmet superfood desserts, which she calls a “gateway treat to healthy eats.” She is author of the upcoming book“Don’t Worry, Eat Happy – Facts and Foods to Improve Your Moods” and host of the companion video series “Eat Happy”, which is currently in production. Learn more about Sherry and her mission at https://www.sherryleewhite.com. Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., is the science director of the Greater Good Science Center, where she oversees the GGSC’s Expanding Gratitude project. She earned her doctorate in Cognition Brain and Behavior at UC Berkeley. Her dissertation used behavioral and neuroscience methods to examine how negative states like fear and aversion influence thinking and decision-making. During her postdoc, Emiliana transitioned to studying pro-social states like love of humanity, compassion, and awe. From there, she served as Associate Director/Senior Scientist at CCARE (the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University), focusing on how compassion benefits health, well-being, and psychosocial functioning. Today, Emiliana’s work spotlights the science that connects health and happiness to social affiliation, caregiving, and collaborative relationships, as she continues to examine the potential for – as well as the benefits of – living a more meaningful life. She’s not your typical motivational keynote speaker.Connie motivates audiencesDIFFERENTLYby fueling them with exciting new ideas, mindsets, attitudes and solutions that will empower them to tackle even the toughest challenges in today’s crazy 24/7 world! She’s honest-to-goodness funny!Connie started doing comedy when she was 14 and never looked back. Her humor allows her to tackle even the toughest issues organizations face with wit, substance and style. Connie’s contagious sense of humor enables your audience to dig deeper and learn so she can keep those “ah ha” moments coming fast and furious. Connie is all about RESULTS. Most keynote speakers simply teach audiencesWHATto do. A few speakers show audiencesHOWto do it. Connie does all that and MORE. She helps your team understandWHYit’s important to change behaviors, re-think attitudes, re-assess old ideas and get on board so they can make things happen! Connie gives the word CUSTOMIZATION a whole new meaning.She literally goes inside the minds of the people within your organization, your industry, and audience so they know that she knows exactly what they are going through. Her uncanny insight into human nature will have each person in your audience feeling like she is talking just tothem. It is rare for a speaker to have that ability to connect in such a meaningful way—and it’s that connection that keeps her message alive long after the event is over. Connie is down-to-earth and REAL!Audiences believe in her and trust that she has their success and welfare in mind at all times.Connie knows that people want, expect and deserve their speaker to be a REAL person sharing REAL solutions that can help them achieve REAL results. Bottom line?You definitely won’t find another keynote speaker like Connie! And your audience? They’ll thank you for that over and over again as they power up their business skills. Life skills. Leadership skills. Communication skills. Mindsets Shani Robins, Ph.D. pioneered the field of Wisdom Therapy in 1998. He is a licensed Psychologist (PSY18795) and the founder and director of the Wisdom Therapy Institute since 2000. He is an instructor at Stanford University Medical School’s Health Improvement Program, and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (www.itp.edu). Dr. Robins received his B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from UCLA in 1989, his M.A. and Ph.D. in Cognitive Experimental Psychology from U.C. Santa Barbara in 1996, completed a 2-year National Institute of Mental Health Postdoc at U.C. Irvine in 1999 and a Ph.D. re-specialization in Clinical Psychology in 2002. He has published and has given numerous clinical workshops, invited talks, scientific conference presentations, and corporate consultations nationally and internationally on Wisdom Therapy and its relationships to cognitions, emotions, stress reduction, relationships, work place effectiveness, coping, emotional intelligence, performance, and organizational consulting. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and has won many honors including inclusion in Strathmore’s Who’s Who. In his spare time Shani plays racquetball, chess, and GO, rollerblades, salsa dances, runs marathons, andwatches sun rises. Mike Duffy is an evangelist for happiness. Mike has written 4 books on happiness including, The Happiness Book For Men. He has been researching happiness for 30 years. He loves to speak about how you can gain greater happiness and joy in your precious life. Mike started The Happiness Hall Of Fame to recognize, encourage and celebrate people that make other people happy through their hard work, talent and sacrifice. The website is: www.happinesshalloffame.com. Mike is the CEO of Happiness Publishing.  Mike Duffy has been speaking professionally since he was a standup comedian at the age of 19. He was an MC at Woodstock '94. He has performed at Caroline's On Broadway, The Comic Strip and many other comedy clubs. He uses humor to deliver the life-changing message that sustainable happiness is possible in everyone’s life. He has spoken at universities, corporations, churches and civic associations about happiness. His purpose in life is to help others get happier. Louisa is the Founder and President of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association, a speaker and author who spreads the word about the science of happiness through her workshops, talks and webinars with audiences around the world. Louisa is an instructor of positive psychology at the University of Toronto and has been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, Psychology Today, Chatelaine, European Handbook of Positive Psychology, Positive Psychology at Work (Wiley, March 2011), and more. Through her Positive Psychology Think Tank, Louisa works with practitioners to expand their knowledge on how to leverage positive psychology in the work they do with clients. Louisa is a graduate of the ground-breaking Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program at the University of Pennsylvania led by renowned psychologist, Dr. Martin Seligman. Louisa loves to help people overcome their self-doubt and build the confidence they need to go out and truly flourish. Dr. Luskin holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University. His work combines lecture with a hands-on approach to the ancient tradition of forgiveness. His presentations explore the HEAL process of forgiveness that, when learned, can lead to enhanced well-being through self-care. Dr. Luskin continues to serve as Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University and is a Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He presents lectures, workshops, seminars and trainings on the importance, health benefits and training of forgiveness, stress management and emotional competence throughout the United States. Kristin studied communications as an undergraduate at the University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1988). She did her graduate work at University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D., 1997), studying moral development with Dr. Elliot Turiel. Her dissertation research was conducted in Mysore, India, where she examined children’s moral reasoning. She then spent two years of post-doctoral study with Dr. Susan Harter at Denver University, studying issues of authenticity and self- concept development. Her current position at the University of Texas at Austin started in 1999, and she was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006. During Kristin’s last year of graduate school in 1997 she became interested in Buddhism, and has been practicing meditation in the Insight Meditation tradition ever since. While doing her post-doctoral work she decided to conduct research on self-compassion – a central construct in Buddhist psychology and one that had not yet been examined empirically. In addition to her pioneering research into self-compassion, she has developed an 8-week program to teach self-compassion skills. The program, co-created with her colleague Chris Germer at Harvard University, is called Mindful Self-Compassion. Her book titled "Self-Compassion" was published by William Morrow in April, 2011. Kristin was recently featured in the best-selling book and award-winning documentary called The Horse Boy – www.horseboymovie.com - which chronicles her family’s adventure with autism. Michelle McQuaid is a best-selling author, workplace wellbeing teacher and playful change activator. She fuses the latest science from positive psychology and neurobiology with over a decade of business leadership experience to bring you simple, tested actions to reduce stress and anxiety, cultivate a lasting sense of wellbeing and happiness, and become an exceptional leader. An honorary fellow at Melbourne University’s Graduate School of Education, her work has been featured in Forbes, the Harvard Business Review, the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, Boss Magazine, The Age, Women’s Agenda, Wellbeing Magazine and more. She holds a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied alongside the field's founder Professor Martin Seligman, and is currently completing her PhD in Appreciative Inquiry under the supervision of Professor David Cooperrider. Michelle lives to help people discover their strengths, move beyond their fears, and finally discover what it truly takes to flourish with confidence. Stacy Kaiser is a successful Southern California based licensed psychotherapist, author, relationship expert and media personality. With over 100 television appearances in the last year on major networks including CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC, Stacy has built a reputation for bringing a unique mix of thoughtful and provocative insight to a wide range of topics. She is a much sought after public speaker on a wide variety of topics, ranging from office and personal relationship issues to anger management and family politics. In addition to her numerous television appearances, her expertise and unique perspective have been solicited by a diverse group of clients including major corporations, public institutions, government agencies and philanthropic organizations. She has also been engaged by organizations including the FBI, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Unified School District, Kaiser Permanente and Hughes Aircraft to implement workshops and handle third party mediations. Stacy Kaiser received her B.A. in Psychology from California State University, Northridge and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and has received advanced training in the areas of human and child development, as well as eating disorders and anger management. Mezzapelle is the founder of the Contagious Optimism movement and the author ofContagious Optimism, a bestselling book series that contains real stories from real people around the globe which demonstrates that every cloud has a silver lining. After a long career in technology, Mezzapelle launched several companies and philanthropic initiatives, and he has served on various boards. Throughout his life, Mezzapelle encountered great peaks and valleys, for which he is grateful. He has always kept his glass "completely full." Mezzapelle has been a guest on various radio and television programs along with being a contributorto numerous publications around the globe. He is also aTEDandContagious Optimism LIVEspeaker. Learn more about David at www.contagiousoptimism.com. Darrin M. McMahon is a professor of history at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Enemies of the Enlightenment: The French Counter-Enlightenment and the Making of Modernity (Oxford University Press, 2001) and Happiness: A History (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006), which has been translated into twelve languages, and was awarded Best Books of the Year honors for 2006 by the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Library Journal, and Slate Magazine. McMahon has just completed a history of the idea of genius and the genius figure, Divine Fury: A History of Genius, published in late 2013 with Basic Books, and his writings have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Shannon M. Pollyis one of the first 150 people in the world who have received their Master in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) degree from the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Martin Seligman. She is a leadership development facilitator, coach, speaker and founder of Shannon Polly and Associates, a leadership development company in downtown D.C. Shannon works with Fortune 500 companies in two domain areas: executive presence/presentation skills (based on over a decade of experience as a professional actor/assoc. Broadway producer in New York) and positive psychology. Shannon uses the empirical research from positive psychology with her organizational clients to foster positive and flourishing workplaces. She is passionate about giving people the confidence to present themselves powerfully in front of a room and overcome the anxiety that often besieges public speakers. She is equally as passionate about sharing the science of well-being and increasing the ‘tonnage of happiness’ in the world. She has been an assistant instructor in the MAPP program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a contributor to the book,Positive Psychology at Work, has developed curriculum for the higher education version of the movie, Happy, and has been a facilitator for the Master Resiliency Training (MRT) program for the U.S. Army. The Army is the largest consumer of positive psychology in the world today and has plans to train all 1.1 million soldiers in resilience. She holds a graduate degree from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in classical acting and a B.A. with honors from Yale College. She is also a graduate of the Georgetown Leadership Coaching Program. She is a contributing author to Positive Psychology News Daily and is a contributor to the bookPositive Psychology at Work(Wiley, March 2011) and a contributing author (along with Dr. Martin Seligman) toEuropean Handbook of Positive Psychology(2013). She is a co-founder ofPositive Business DC.She lives in downtown D.C. Her strengths are: Social intelligence, honesty, kindness, humor and perseverance. Barbara Fredrickson is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (a.k.a. PEP Lab) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research reveals how positive emotions, fleeting as they are, can tip the scales toward a life of flourishing. Winner of several awards for her research and teaching – including the American Psychological Association’s inaugural Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology and the Society of Experimental Social Psychology’s Career Trajectory Award – Barb created her broaden-and-build theory to describe how positive emotions evolved for our human ancestors and how, today, they vitally shape people’s health and well-being. Barb’s scientific contributions have influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide, in disciplines ranging from education to business and beyond. Her research has been featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, CNN, PBS, U.S. News & World Report, USA Today, Oprah Magazine, and elsewhere. In May 2010, she was invited to brief His Holiness the Dalai Lama on her research. Ricky Powell is a veteran of the Entertainment Industry. He realized his first dream of being an actor when he was just seven years old. After a successful career in front of the camera, Ricky began his next journey at the NBC Television Network in Burbank, California where he continues to work today. Working through some difficult situations at work and at home in his twenties and thirties, Ricky became fascinated with the subject of happiness, and how you can choose to be happy regardless of your outer circumstances. He began writing and lecturing on the subject and now teaches the principles that go into creating lifelong happiness so you can make more money, have deeper, stronger relationships, and live longer. On a personal note… Ricky had the vision of creating a community of like minded, positive individuals supporting one another many years ago. With so many negative messages bombarding us each day, he felt it was his calling to counter the darkness with a burst of light and spiritual energy. Finally, Masterminds of Lifelong Happiness is a reality and can help people all over the world create lives filled with joy, love and prosperity in abundance. Sandy Pedeflous , Founder of Smile TV, is a visionary and 30 year veteran of the entertainment industry working behind the scenes in all aspects of production including producing, production coordinating and post-production supervising. Sandy graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television and Film, from California State University Northridge and used her creative expertise to build her own editing business developing industrial video productions. Sandy is also the co-owner of two well-established and successful companies, Omegasonics, a manufacturing company and UltraCare, a service business. At a young age Sandy had a dream to create a positive news show. She made this dream a reality with Smile TV, an all-positive media network producing video for the soul purpose of smiling. Put a smile on your face and check outsmiletvgroup.com

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