The Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing The Science Of Happiness To Your Earbuds With Kristen Truempy

For all the peeps who are not into rap but want to shake their booty to original music made by yours truly I give you Goofballs Unite!   What’s a revolutionary thing to do? It’s to badly dance in your truth Unconcerned with a perfect appearance Or propagating eternal youth   Do you remember what you didn’t do? All in the name of being cool? Don’t waste tonight and realise The marketing slogans made you shy   If you look at me from behind It’s not a twerk that you will find. Got no idea what my ass is doing but I am having a great time.   You’ve skipped leg day all your life your squats are shaky but the groove’s divine Hit the dancefloor don’t be shy   Goofballs ahoi, let’s unite   (Bridge) There they are smirking away Eyerolls rolling throwing shade Sometimes they’re just in your thoughts They should never call the shots In their world they’re the height of cool Unless they change they peak at school How bizarre would it be to let losers determine your destiny?   My jiggly bits wrote half this song how dare

This episode was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend about her teenage daughter. While body image is particularly hard to navigate in your teens even as adults many of us struggle. Today we'll talk about why multiple perspectives are important, what doesn't help, and what I call the offense and the defense.

Casper ter Kuile is on a mission to build a world of joyful belonging and one of the ways to get there are rituals. In times of trouble and change rituals can give us something to replenish our physical, mental and spiritual resources. Casper and I chat about how rituals are different from habits, how we can find rituals that really are an expression of our true self and that even the most mundane objects, such as milk cartons, can be used to engage more deeply with life. I've been wanting to chat to Casper since 2016 because he's someone who is truly invested in bringing innovation to spirituality. He is also the host of a hugely popular podcast called "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text". Long term listeners might recognize this podcast as the other creator Vanessa Zoltan talked about it back in 2016 on episode 89.

What is happening in the US right now is an extreme version of things that have been around for hundreds or probably thousands of years. If you are confused or surprised by what’s happening in Minneapolis and other cities you need to listen. How to be Antiracist 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice Transcript

In this episode we look at ways to steer through the crisis while accounting both for the hard and the positive. We'll look at common ways anxiety and depression take over your brain and how to replace those patterns with something more healthy. Transcript

There's a lot to say about what is going on now: this is the first of two episodes dedicated to Coronavirus. In this episode we'll look at what it is and what issues are to be considered. In episode 119 I will look at the psychology part of things and ideas on how to respond mentally to what is happening.

My little cousin knew how to ask for Calpol when he was like two years old. Yet when it comes to psychological wounds we are not that well informed. Meet Guy Winch who is on a mission to change that. https://www.guywinch.com/ Watch the video and sign up for their newsletter at Represent.US Transcript

This episode is about what we can do to not just make ourselves but society a little better. If you want to support Kiva click here: Positive Psychology Podcast Lending Team Transcript

The word narcissist is bandied around quite a lot these days. What is it from a clinical perspective? When does thinking well of yourself actually mean something darker is going on? And what can people do who live with or love(d) a narcissist? Barbara Monett is here to illuminate us on these issues both from a professional and a personal perspective. This is a longer one but I think it's worth sticking around, especially since Barbara dropped a truth bomb at the end that I feel is applicable to parents, teachers, bosses and anyone who has to work with others. You can find her here: //www.barbaramonettlcsw.com/ You will find the transcript of this conversation when it's ready

What do we talk about when we talk about trust? Is trust really disappearing? Ken will introduce us to his framework that allows us to think about trust in a deeper and more thoughtful way and illuminate issues such as trust in politics or whether overly trusting people are stupid or gullible. If you have any friends who are deaf or hard of hearing but you feel they might benefit from this episode you can send them right over to the transcript. Transcript  

This episode is full of questions and ideas to get you thinking about sex in a more positive way. Sexual identity, sex positivity, porn and religion are covered among other things. For our friends who are hard of hearing I am starting to include transcripts. Just visit this link for the full transcript (scroll down. The transcript might go live a few hours after the episode itself): http://strengthsphoenix.com/podcast/113-sex-the-positive-psychology-podcast/  

One thing that I have been obsessed about for years is bringing the message of positive psychology to places where they might not be expected. That's why I started the podcast in the first place, fooled around with Amazon Alexa and most recently started to have some fun with GarageBand. Therefore I proudly present my first piece of music. Have fun and try to listen to the lyrics :)

Democracy is a huge force for good in the world and it's under threat. It's one of the things we take the granted the most but pay a very high price if it crumbles. Civic duties might not be as sexy as catchy habits or yoga poses but they are key to living peacefully and creating the conditions so people can flourish. In this episode we talk about the relationship between democracy and happiness, what democracy is, what helps and what hinders democracy. Also if flamingos and giraffes could have babies with each other and then talk, that's exactly what I sound like in this episode.

Today we're talking about masculinity, femininity and what's in between. We'll dive into sex, gender, toxicity and how we can do better. 

Malcolm and Simone Collins want to wake people up to really truly think about life. What are you optimizing your life for? Could it be something that is not a positive emotion? This chat is a wild ride which might get some feathers ruffled. For this one you need to open your mind, put aside the times when you might feel personally attacked and instead try to give some of these controversial ideas serious thought. As a reward you'll get to hear the weirdest Positive Psychology analogy I have ever come across. The Pragmatist's Guide to Life

Don't bail if you don't run. Everything that William talks about you can also do while walking. This episode is about how issues such as depression can be treated with movement. Check out Wiliam's TEDx talk here: Movement is medicine If you own an Amazon Echo device have a look at the growing list of apps I have built. 

Turns out the way psychologists define humility differs from what the dictionary teaches you. Listen in to hear what humility is, what it's not, why it's useful, what researchers have learned about it and how women and men differ.  If you have an Amazon Alexa / Echo device please check out the Positive Psychology Quiz or the Meditation Myth Buster. 

Can we teach businesses to put happiness and meaning at the core of what they do? Today our guest is Carlos Saba, founder of the Happy Startup School. This one is interesting for all businesses, startup or not. We learn how these companies do things differently from business as usual.  Check out the Happy Startup School here On a different note calling all the people who have an Amazon Echo/Alexa device. Check out my new skill Positive Psychology Quiz. Just tell your device to enable Positive Psychology Quiz.

Writing is one the most powerful and yet under-appreciated positive interventions that exist. Today I talk to Dr. Megan C. Hayes about making a mess, encounters on the page and why journalling as usual might not be sustainable. http://www.positivejournal.org/free-stuff/   Books and articles mentioned: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott The new Diary by Tristine Rainer Expressive Writing by James Pennebaker Beyond Expressive Writing by Sophie Nicholls

Happiness is not one thing. It contains multitudes and this episode is about pointing out various sources of happiness. If you have an Amazon Alexa and you catch yourself coming up with reasons or doubts about meditation check out "Meditation Myth Buster". It gives you a single meditation myth which will hopefully help you to break down those barriers. I did this in the hope to get more people take the plunge and just get started on a regular practice.