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 I praise ‘em? That’s so wrong

Imagine me having the gall

A big girl that claims space at all

Hey I bust out of my seams

still got plenty of self-esteem

Hit the dancefloor, don’t be shy

Goofballs ahoi, let’s unite

The most revolutionary thing to do

Is to badly dance in your truth

Unconcerned with a perfect appearance

Or propagating eternal youth

When you’re connected to your bliss

How will they sell their stupid shit?

How will they keep on ruling you?

If you live the values that you choose?

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.

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/

Quite a mouthful: what the heck is transcendent behaviour? What happens if we behave that way and what makes us more likely to behave in a transcendent way?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Based on the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi we will explore the creative personality, conditions that enable creativity and the creative process.

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

What kind of questions does positive psychology ask about the body? How can you increase your awareness of your own body? Is self-image just about attractiveness?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

What contributes to feelings of self-worth? What is self-esteem and self-efficacy and how can you get more of it?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

What is beauty? What does biology have to do with it? Of what use is the ability to appreciate beauty in our world? And what about shallow beauty?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Why bother developing a personal spirituality? How can we engage in personal spirituality?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com

What is spirituality, what are its benefits and what is sacred? In this first part we look at what positive psychology knows and doesn't know about spirituality.

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com

Positive psychology has to be highly practical to be of use. So in this episode I share how I implement positive psychology into daily routines and how it shapes lots of important decisions. I hope that by hearing real-life examples it will get you to think about the different ways in which you can apply the ideas you like in your own life.

How can we make good habits and break the bad ones? Braco Pobric tells us a couple of happiness secrets and relates them to real-life experience.

Positive aging is usually not a topic we care about when we are young. However during this talk with Piers Worth it turns out that what determines positive aging are things that happen often way earlier than we might think.

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 :)

The proof is in the pudding. So how can we use our strengths and the principles of positive psychology at work? Michelle McQuaid talks to us about how we can recognize strengths in the working day and use them even if our boss is not interested in supporting our strengths journey.

What is courage? What different kinds of courage exist and how can courage be cultivated?

What is hope and why would companies be wise to cultivate it? How do we increase our hope and what can be done to teach kids at school?

'Be yourself' is the kind of advice we hear all the time. But how do you do that? Dr. Maria Sirois talks to us about what authenticity is, what the benefits and dangers are and how we can get started on our journey to a more authentic self.

How can decade-old problems and truly challenging issues be solved? By looking at conflicts which were resolved peacefully the principles of transformative action were discovered. In this episode we will outline how these principles could inform alternative ways of thinking and tackling terrorism.

Back to the basics. What is psychological well-being really and how do you know that you are mentally healthy?

Before you rush off making new resolutions here are a couple of questions to help you remember 2014 from a positive psychology perspective.

Savouring is the ability to notice and appreciate past, present and future experiences. Savouring has been shown to make us happier so we will look at savouring exercises and talk about how you can apply them to enjoy the Holidays even more.

We will talk about what forgiveness is, what the benefits are, the steps which different forgiveness programs have in common and some questions you can ask yourself if you are struggling to forgive someone.

What is meaning and why is it important? What are the benefits of having a purpose and where does suffering fit in? What can you do when you want to explore meaning in your own life?

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.

How can you spend your money in ways that make you happier? Right in time for Christmas shopping we discuss five principles which help spending your money in a way that makes you and the people around you happier.

What beliefs stand in our way to change? How does change happen in our brain? Is happiness fixed and what influence do genes have? What can we do with all this information?

This episode is for the geeks, those interested in where Positive Psychology is headed and the fans of Aaron Jarden. We discuss the importance and advancement of assessments, the need to define concepts such as flourishing, current developments in positive psychology and how companies can help the cause to bring more flourishing to this world.

Therese Joyce will explain why play and humour is much more serious and important than you think.

Do we have to get away from traditional stereotypes of what it means to be a man? Is getting in touch with emotions only for women? Dr. Tim Lomas explains critical positive masculinity.

Think of optimism as the climate in your brain: is the weather generally good or would you prefer better weather? What is optimism, how does it influence your brain and life, what are the benefits, what concerns do people have and what can you do to get more of it?

Learn why the search for passion is over. Susanna explains the 5 components of a passionate life.

In the last episode Ryan Niemiec mentioned how movies can help us develop our character strengths. This week we will talk about how seeing 14 movies in 8 days gave me ample opportunity not just to watch out for strengths but see other positive psychology concepts in action too.

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Ryan Niemiec will be our guest in this episode of the Positive Psychology Podcast. He is a psychologist, coach and author who works on advancing the science and practice of strengths at the VIA Institute. We will talk about what strengths are, what to do once you know your strengths and how watching movies can help you get to know your strengths better.

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Acacia Parks discusses positive interventions. What are they? What works best and what can go wrong? How are positive interventions brought to the public? And how could a listener get started?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

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. 

Lea Waters, a positive education expert from the University of Melbourne will talk about why positive education is important, how wellbeing and performance are linked and what teachers interested in positive education can do to get started.

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

 Today we are going to talk about positive emotions. We will cover

• why one big misunderstanding makes people question the legitimacy of positive psychology
• what positive emotions are good for
• emotional contagion
• how positive emotions affect health
• what you can do to increase positivity

 For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

What are character strengths? Why should you use them? How can you identify them? How can you get going today?

For more episodes check out http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Welcome to the first episode of the Positive Psychology Podcast - Bringing the Science of the Good Life to your Earbuds. In this episode we talk about what positive psychology is, what it is not, the reasons for making the show, what you can expect from the show in the future and a little bit about your host. 

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.

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.

Susanna Halonen returns to the podcast with this conversation which is a meandering happiness buffet with lots of different bits to choose from.

• The poet Hafiz
• Evidence based theories versus interesting ideas
• What can poetry and philosophy contribute to a good life?
• The average scientific paper is read two or seven times (Susanna and I heard different numbers)
• Intuition
• Susanna's discomfort with how technology is shaping our lives and the voluntary limitations she puts on herself to ensure that she takes time for important things
• A sin against adulthood
• Happiness is Here, her new book
• A controversial relationship tip
• The happiest country in the world is where Susanna is from. She'll give us some insight into why that may be.

Learn more about Susanna and her new book Happiness is Here

Parapsychology investigates some pretty incredible phenomena including extra-sensory perception, telekinesis and even reincarnation. Jeffrey Mishlove and I discuss what parapsychology does, its relationship with mainstream psychology and how challenging our own assumptions can help us learn things, we otherwise wouldn't have known.

If you want to dive deeper into the research he talks about you can check out his youTube channel.

We talk a lot about the things that make us happy and are supposed to change our life. Some of us try out a bit of advice here and there but most of us don't go about it fully. Tal Gur gave himself 10 years to achieve 100 goals. Today we hear from a doer, someone who decided that he was ready to dedicate himself fully to explore and experience what a fulfilled life really means.