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Making Positive Psychology Work

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Rating
★★★★★
4.8
from
65 reviews
This podcast has
274 episodes
Language
English
Explicit
No
Date created
2016/06/16
Latest episode
2026/10/02
Average duration
40 min.
Release period
27 days

Description

If you believe as we do that by uncovering tested, practical ways to help people move from functioning to flourishing at work, we can better navigate the incredible challenges and opportunities our world faces, then this podcast is for you. Our goal each week is to give you access to the world' leading positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship and neuroscience researchers and practitioners to explore their latest research findings on how you can improve wellbeing, develop strengths, nurture positive relationships, make work meaningful and cultivate the grit to accomplish what matters most. If you want evidence-based approaches to bringing out the best in yourself and others at work, then consider this podcast your step-by-step guide.

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BONUS SEASON: Leading Change Well
2026/10/02
When change keeps coming, your leaders plan harder and work longer to protect their teams, and nobody counts the cost. In this fourth episode of Season 8, The Change Diaries, hosts Katie Beresford, CEO of The Michelle McQuaid Group, and Dr Michelle McQuaid go behind the scenes of the training Michelle has spent the past month running with more than 500 leaders across hospitals, schools, government, aviation and local communities. Michelle shares the five ways leaders respond to change and what each one teaches a team over time (from dodging accountability to waiting to be told), why the leaders who sense and adapt as changes unfold are staying well and getting results, and the nervous system skills, conversation maps and simple heart check that give your leaders a shared language to notice which response they've slipped into and choose the one the moment calls for.  00:57 Michelle describes what she's hearing from leaders in every industry right now: people worn out, no end in sight, and a pace of change our nervous systems weren't built for.  05:58 Michelle unpacks the four most common ways leaders respond to change, controlling, rescuing, avoiding and resisting, and the worry sitting underneath each one.  12:30 Michelle introduces the fifth response, adapting, and why the leaders who sense and adjust as changes unfold are more likely to feel well and to see their changes succeed.  15:39 Michelle explains why leaders can't think their way out of a stress response, and the see, soothe and settle skills that get blood and oxygen back to the thinking brain.  18:30 Katie shares why leaders need to practise these tools when they don't need them, borrowing from how paramedics stay calm at a critical scene.  20:24 Michelle walks through what each response teaches a team over time, from a leader who rewrites everyone's work to one who leaves people waiting to be told.  30:38 Michelle explains how she helps leaders assess their own approach without judgment or shame, using a leader chart and a team chart that are hard to unsee once you've seen them.  33:34 Michelle answers whether adapting is always best: it depends on the context, the resources and how much energy the team has left for this change.  Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com.  Want to go deeper? Join our new Change Fatigue Antidote mini-masterclass, live in October, where Michelle teaches the five change approaches and shares the leader and team charts, conversation maps and playbooks, at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: Shrinking Big Changes Into Smaller Moments
2026/09/21
Are restructures causing distress and fatigue for your leaders and teams? We've found that whether people feel safe enough to be honest early about how a change is landing is the single biggest difference between changes that succeed and changes that don't. In this episode, Katie takes us behind the scenes of a large educational institution navigating a restructure, senior leadership changes and new psychosocial hazard obligations at the same time. She shares how they used the five HEART factors, honour feelings, engage purposefully, appreciate strengths, reach out and take tiny steps, to break the change into smaller moments, and how their leaders moved from overwhelmed and discouraged to equipped and energised.  00:03 Katie outlines what the institution was facing: a restructure, senior leaders leaving, changing roles and arriving (including a new CEO), and new psychosocial hazard obligations, all landing at once.  04:20 Katie explains how honouring feelings worked in practice: executives committed to talking about hard things, and every team used the four-question safety check chat to name what was working, what was a struggle, what they were learning and what to try next.  08:32 Katie describes engaging purposefully through learning goals set alongside performance goals, so people had something within their control even when the restructure wasn't, and every leader got the same training no matter when they joined.  13:50 Katie shares how appreciating strengths through team mapping revealed superpowers, collision points and gaps, and shifted one of their top hazards, inadequate reward and recognition.  17:57 Katie explains why reaching out for help was hardest for siloed faculties and for senior executives who felt they should have the answers, and how playful practice helped them unlearn that.  21:51 Michelle and Katie connect nervous system regulation to asking for help: the leaders who could settle themselves were the ones who could look up, get curious and find solutions beyond their own group.  25:51 Katie shares how taking tiny steps happened through regular group coaching, starting with the executive team because they're the most contagious people in any workplace.  29:59 Katie defines what success looked like: leaders moving from overwhelmed and discouraged to equipped and energised, a board now engaged, and a way of leading that carries beyond this restructure.  Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com.  Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our new Change Fatigue Antifote mini-masterclass — at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: Sensing Into Self-Doubt With AI Tools
2026/09/21
How are you protecting your team's strengths, confidence and connection as AI tools become part of everyday work? Our research found that burnt out workers who regularly use AI are using their strengths at less than half the rate of those who rarely use it, are carrying noticeably more self-doubt, and are more likely to turn to a chatbot than a colleague when they're stuck. In this episode, Michelle takes us behind the scenes of her own team's two-year experiment with AI, sharing why they set clear boundaries around when to use it, and the simple strengths-mapping exercise now helping people decide what's theirs to own and what's the tool's to run day to day.  00:54 Michelle unpacks three warning signs from the research: burnt-out regular AI users using their strengths less than half as often as light users, carrying more self-doubt, and turning to the bot before a colleague.  05:20 Michelle traces how her team's AI use evolved from early experimentation two years ago to choosing tools and tasks deliberately, guided by a clear policy about what stays human and what doesn't.  09:54 Michelle describes how passive, prompt-and-wait AI use started disrupting her own flow state, leaving her feeling foggy and slower at work that used to feel effortless and energizing.   13:21 Michelle connects the dots between two findings: as strengths use drops off, self-doubt and quiet isolation from colleagues both tend to rise together.  17:03 Michelle unpacks the five-question HEART check the team built for talking honestly about how AI is landing for each person, from naming feelings to celebrating tiny wins.  23:02 Michelle walks through the simple, paper-and-pen strengths-mapping exercise the team uses to decide what's theirs to own on a task and what's the AI's to run.  28:00 Michelle names the real risk behind all of this: not just learned helplessness, but slowly losing capabilities she's spent years building and isn't ready to give up.  Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com.  Want to go deeper? Grab the research and explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our new Change Fatigue Antifote mini-masterclass — at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: The Grief Undercurrent
2026/04/07
One in 3 workers are carrying grief about the changes happening at work — and our data suggests this runs deeper than just sadness: layers of feeling invisible, abandoned, and distrusted by the people making decisions. In this fourth episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Wheatley, renowned teacher, advisor, and author of Restoring Sanity, to explore why leaders often transmit the very fear they're trying to protect their teams from — and what it takes to build an island of sanity where people can find refuge from the chaos, trust each other, and do meaningful work together. Drawing on five decades of working with leaders, Meg shows what it takes to build an island of sanity, why acknowledging grief — not fixing it — is what moves people forward, and how leaders create the conditions for creativity, generosity and kindness to be the norm. 01:37 Meg explains why leadership is harder now than it has ever been — and what fear is doing to people's capacity to create, care and contribute. 04:41 Meg shares why planning for a steady state is no longer possible — and why uncertainty, not pace, is now every leader's defining challenge. 07:05 Meg introduces Islands of Sanity — why leaders need to create a boundried space within their teams where people can find refuge from the chaos, trust each other, and do meaningful work together. 11:40 Meg outlines what makes an island of sanity work: being together, honouring each other, and trusting you won't abandon each other when things get hard. 19:32 Meg reframes where meaning comes from when the old markers no longer hold — and why contributing to others is where most people find their footing again. 27:20 Michelle shares the Change Lab finding that 1 in 3 workers are carrying grief — and Meg unpacks what lies beneath it: feeling abandoned, distrusted and invisible to the people making decisions. 29:21 Meg reframes grief not as a problem to solve but as something to move through together — and why feeling it fully is what allows people to move forward. 33:56 Meg shares a practice for transforming the grief or loneliness you're carrying alone into a sense of shared human experience — and why it's the most powerful tool she teaches. SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT SEE HOW YOU'RE NAVIGATING CHANGE Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com. For more of Meg's wonderful work and books visit: https://margaretwheatley.com/
BONUS SEASON: The Complexity Conundrum
2026/03/31
What if what's defeating us isn't the speed of change but the complexity — multiple crises amplifying each other in ways that no forecasting tool was ever built to handle? In this third episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Dr Michelle McQuaid sits down with Dr Margaret Heffernan, professor of practice at the University of Bath and author of Embracing Uncertainty, to explore why the focus on efficiency leaves organizations more fragile when complexity hits — and why we need to prioritize optionality instead. Drawing on her work with organizations navigating the polycrisis, Margaret introduces the shift from just-in-time to just-in-case thinking, the early warning system every workplace needs, and what it looks like to trust ourselves and each other in the midst of unpredictability.  01:36 Margaret explains why we struggle with uncertainty — and why the promise that data and models can deliver certainty is oversold.  05:00 Margaret outlines what the world's best forecasters say about how far ahead anyone can reliably predict changes — and what that means for our strategy plans.  08:04 Margaret makes the case for optionality over efficiency: when a surprise comes along, running too lean leaves you more fragile.  12:41 Margaret explains the polycrisis — multiple crises amplifying each other — and why supply chains built for maximum efficiency have become a liability when complexity hit.  19:29 Margaret introduces the shift from just-in-time to just-in-case thinking — and the shares examples of how this builds resilience in workplaces.  26:22 Margaret describes what a language of uncertainty sounds like for leaders: not an admission of defeat, but naming what's complex and opening the conversation to options.  28:03 Margaret outlines the practice of naming your assumptions after a decision — and agreeing in advance on the signals that would tell you the plan isn't playing out as intended.  32:09 Michelle shares what the Change Lab research found at the organisational level: making help-seeking the norm and breaking change into tiny steps so teams can sense, learn, and adapt.    Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com.  Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: The Change Fatigue Continuum
2026/03/24
Nearly 1 in 2 American workers are quietly fatiguing, cracking, or burning out right now — but the data reveals that these aren't just different degrees of the same thing. In this episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Katie Beresford interviews Dr Michelle McQuaid about the findings of the most recent US Change Lab study, and what the data tells us about where people are on the change fatigue continuum, why leaders keep missing the early warning signs, and what individuals, teams, and organizations can actually do about it.  01:37 Michelle outlines the four groups on the change fatigue continuum — and explains why the grouped percentages are smaller than the true reach of each experience, and what the ungrouped picture actually shows.  04:33 Michelle explains why the first signs of doubt in fatiguing workers turn inward — toward self-doubt — rather than toward the strategy, the team, or the change itself, and why that makes them so hard for leaders to spot.  06:51 Michelle shares why fatiguing workers are almost 13 times more likely to later find themselves quietly cracking — and why this is the critical intervention window leaders need to know about.  08:03 Michelle unpacks the scale of change US workers are currently navigating: 83% experiencing significant change in the past year, with leadership changes, policy shifts, and AI technology among the most common — and rarely arriving one at a time.  09:27 Michelle describes why high-performance makes the fatiguing-to-cracking window so easy for leaders to miss — and what they should be watching for instead.  14:27 Michelle reveals why individual behaviors hold up better under pressure than team or organizational support — and the three things people can do for themselves when change gets hard.  16:38 Michelle explains why teams are the life raft in uncertainty — and the three things leaders can do to keep people from quietly cracking, including the difference between communicating and connecting.  18:07 Michelle shares why ordinary questions produce ordinary conversations — and what one leader did differently that changed everything about how his team talked about change.  24:22 Michelle identifies the organizational level as where support most visibly fails — and the three things organizations need to build into change processes before people fatigue, not after.  27:25 Michelle explains how C-suite leaders can role model help-seeking by taking extraordinary questions into team meetings rather than arriving with all the answers.    Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com.  Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: The Self-Compassion Challenge
2026/03/17
When change keeps coming, research suggests the way we talk to ourselves is making it harder. In this first episode of Season 7 — The Change Fatigue Remedy Series — Michelle explores with Dr Kristin Neff what it practically looks like to be a wiser, kinder friend to yourself when things get hard: why "I should be handling this better" is your threat system talking, not the truth, and what to do instead. With more than two decades of research behind her, Dr Neff explains why the three elements of self-compassion — mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity — shape not just how you cope, but how your team talks about mistakes, how psychological safety takes root, and what becomes possible when a whole workplace builds the practice together. SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT 01:38 Kristin explains when the ground keeps shifting, how might being a wiser, kinder friend to yourself actually help — and why does it matter for the people around you? 04:37 Kristin outlines how the three elements of self-compassion — mindfulness, self-kindness, and common humanity can practically help us navigate change. 09:09 Kristin shares why bumping up against your limits and making mistakes isn't failure — it's precisely how we learn and grow. 11:26 Kristin provides a simple brain hack to help us break free from our tendency to criticize, ruminate, and isolate ourselves when we're under pressure. 16:44 Kristin explains how soothing the body helps us our nervous system to navigate change when words alone aren't cutting through. 22:03 Kristin shares how self-compassion spreads through teams and shares how a hospital has used this to build a culture of care that is reducing fatigue. 28:46 Kristin shares how workplaces can design changes to support more self-compassion. 30:39 Kristin outlines how self-compassion can be fierce and help us to set boundaries, say no, and motivate change when needed. SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT Take our free five-minute change survey to see how you're navigating change right now at thechangelabs.com. Want to go deeper? Explore evidence-based tools for navigating change — including our self-paced certificate in leading the heart of change — at thechangelabs.com.
BONUS SEASON: Learn To Trust Yourself When Challenged
2026/01/20
Understand what makes it safe enough to admit mistakes, ask for help, and learn alongside each other — even when you're struggling. In this final episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright share the powerful mantra "stay with me" — the opposite of abandoning ourselves when things get hard. With insights from self-compassion researcher Dr Kristin Neff and Internal Family Systems psychologist Dr Tori Olds, discover why your inner critic thinks it's helping (even when it's not), and learn to meet your protective parts with curiosity instead of shame. Explore how to navigate what's ahead without pretending you have all the answers — and help others do the same.  00:03 Michelle and Evie recap the first two episodes: learning to see which zone your nervous system is in, and how to soothe your body to get back on the wobble board.  05:57 Evie shares her "back and forth to the grass" email story — why soothing the body sometimes isn't enough when we keep re-triggering ourselves.  07:12 The safari guide insight: why "don't run" makes people panic, but "stay with me" helps the brain feel safe enough to figure things out.  11:16 Why we attack ourselves when threatened — Dr Kristin Neff explains how we turn our stress responses inward with self-criticism, shame, and rumination.  13:30 The three steps of self-compassion: acknowledging this is hard, remembering we're not alone, and asking what a wise and kind friend would say.  16:15 Does self-compassion make us soft? Kristin's research shows the opposite — warmth and support make us stronger and more able to take accountability.  18:17 Going deeper: Michelle introduces Internal Family Systems (IFS) and psychologist Dr Tori Olds, who explains that our capacity for self-compassion is what our brains are wired to do at their best.  20:02 The 8 C's of self energy: calm, clarity, curiosity, creativity, compassion, connectedness, confidence and courage — what's available when our connection circuit is on.  24:19 Why our protective parts aren't enemies — they're like exhausted toddlers doing the best they can with strategies they learned when we were young.  29:14 What happens when "an adult comes into the room" — how parts can finally relax when they trust that self energy is present and not trying to fix or get rid of them.  30:00 The "moving towards" tool: three steps to notice the part, get to know what it's protecting you from, and ask what it needs to trust you can handle things now.  36:44 When you still can't get back on the wobble board — a preview of the Drama Triangle tool available in the Nervous System Advantage mini-masterclass.  Want to go deeper? Grab your free tiny nudge tools to settle your brain at michellemcquaid.com and check out our Nervous System Advantage mini-masterclass at www.michellemcquaid.com.
BONUS SEASON: Build Your Take-Anywhere Somatic Toolkit
2026/01/13
Our bodies have to calm down before our thoughts can follow — and this is the step most of us skip. In this second episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright share practical body-based tools you can use anywhere, anytime: in meetings, during difficult conversations, or mid-presentation (without anyone noticing). With guest insights from somatic expert Nahid de Belgeonne, author of Soothed, learn how to think of your nervous system as an inner toddler that needs our compassion and care — not criticism.   00:03 Michelle and Evie welcome listeners back and recap last episode's core insight: our brain is constantly asking "am I safe enough?" — and our nervous system responds accordingly.  05:36 Why trying to "think your way calm" doesn't work — when we're in our protection circuit, we have less blood and oxygen in the thinking part of our brain, so we need to soothe our body first.  09:53 Nahid de Belgeonne introduces the powerful reframe: think of your nervous system as an inner toddler that needs to be soothed, not told to "get a grip."  11:47 Tool one: breath awareness — Nahid explains how breathe can act like "a remote control to the brain" and Evie guides listeners through a simple breath practice.  18:57 Tool two: oscillation — Michelle shares Nahid's jiggling techniques, from subtle toe and finger movements you can do in meetings to full arm oscillations that release shoulder tension.  24:48 Tool three: shaking it out — Evie leads a full-body shake, explaining how it releases the stuck energy our body holds when we're primed for action but don't actually need to fight or flee.  29:48 Nahid on why "ambition has no place in this practice" — learning by getting things wrong, staying curious rather than performative, and giving your nervous system new possibilities.  32:42 Building proactive practice — why practising these tools when you're already in the green zone helps them feel more natural when you tip off the wobble board.  Want to go deeper? Grab your free somatic nudge playsheets and videos and check out our Nervous System Advantage mini-masterclass at www.michellemcquaid.com.
BONUS SEASON: Decode Your Nervous System Signals
2026/01/11
Discover why the pace of change has left so many of us quietly cracking — and why this isn't a personal energy or resilience failing. In this first episode of our special bonus season, hosts Dr Michelle McQuaid and Evie Wright explore how to decode the signals your nervous system sends: why you say "I'm fine" when you're anything but, or "I'll take care of it" when you're already exhausted. With guest insights from therapist and author Sue Marriott, learn about the connection and protection circuits that shape your responses to stress, and discover why understanding your green, blue, and red zones is the first step to navigating the super cycle of change we're all living through. 00:03 Michelle and Evie introduce this special bonus season on why so many of us have been feeling like our nervous systems are fraying. 01:03 The research behind "quiet cracking" — why 1 in 2 workers feel like they're holding it together on the outside while falling apart inside. 03:23 Why many of our resilience tools and self-care practices aren't working like they used to — and what the "super cycle of change" is doing to all of us. 08:44 How your brain decides if you're safe enough or not safe enough and how this impacts your nervous system. 13:36 What happens when you feel safe enough — your nervous system keeps your thinking brain online, so you stay flexible even when things get hard. 16:07 Unpacking the "I'm fine" pattern — when your nervous system shifts into protection mode by shutting down, withdrawing, and disconnecting from your feelings. 21:12 Exploring the "I'll fix it" pattern — when your nervous system shifts into protection mode by heating up, creating urgency, and driving you to over-function. 32:05 Simple ways to notice what's happening in your body throughout the day — and preview the hands-on calming tools coming in the next episode. Want to go deeper? Grab your free somatic nudge playsheets and videos and check out our Nervous System Advantage mini-masterclass at www.michellemcquaid.com.
BONUS SEASON: Leading Human-Centered Change - Your HEART Check
2025/10/23
While new data suggests 58% of changes fail, organizations using human-centered methods achieve 93% success rates. What's the difference? This final episode reveals how the HEART framework helps teams thrive through today's supercycle of change by helping people feel 'safe enough' to embrace not having all the answers, self-organize around actions they care enough to own, and measure success by growing their capabilities to navigate uncertainty together. We bring together all five HEART factors into one simple practice you can do anywhere, anytime.   02:00 Michelle shares how she talks with leaders about the supercycle of change they are currently experiencing and the emotional and social impact it is having on their people. 06:35 Michelle explains how she helps leaders understand how to prioritize a more human-centered approach to change. 13.25 Michelle outlines why and how she gets leaders to embrace "I don't know" when it comes to navigating complex changes. 16:25 Michelle shares why and how she helps leaders to understand the power of self-organization when it comes to navigating change. 20:27 Michelle explains why and how she encourages leaders to accept that their most important goal is growing their people's capabilities to navigate complex change together, rather than making change stick. 27:15 Michelle shares how she helps leaders use the five HEART factors to practically support a human-centered approach to change. 32.19 Michelle summarizes how we can break down human-centered change in a way leaders can understand and action. 33.54 Michelle walks through the HEART Check tool to help you choose how you will navigate change. 43:52 Michelle shares her final post-it note takeaway for leading human-centered change.
BONUS SEASON: Take Tiny Steps – Sustaining Momentum
2025/10/16
Change initiatives often start with such confidence - neat timelines, clear milestones, everyone aligned - yet within weeks things feel messy and unpredictable. What makes the reality so different from the plan? This episode explores why "tiny is mighty" when it comes to navigating complex change. We share the T in our HEART framework with practical tools for embracing polarities rather than false choices, starting where you are, sensing when to adapt, and celebrating small wins that build the resilience needed to thrive in ongoing uncertainty. 01:04 Chelle explains the benefits of Taking Tiny Steps when it comes to navigating change. 09:30 Chelle shares the four elements that make it easier to take tiny steps together from polarities to celebrations. 16:44 Chelle offers a metaphor from Peter Senge to understand why we need to sense, learn, and adapt when it comes to navigating complex change. 20:52 Chelle provides two personal tools to embrace "both/and" thinking as we navigate the polarities of change. 25:58 Chelle shares two team tools to leverage The Progress Principle practices to celebrate small wins together. 32:49 Chelle offers two organizational tools to embed adaptative learning across organizational cultures. 39:24 Chelle shares an example of how her team apply these tools for The Michelle McQuaid Group. 48:13 Chelle explains where workplaces tend to struggle when it comes to taking tiny steps. 50:50 Chelle shares the post-it note a-ha for taking tiny steps.
BONUS SEASON: Reach Out – Connecting Ideas & Resources
2025/10/10
Why do some teams emerge from uncertainty stronger and more connected, while others splinter into silos where everyone's fending for themselves? The difference lies in whether people feel safe enough to admit they're struggling and ask for help. This episode reveals why reaching out is often the one simple act standing between you and success during change. We share the R in our HEART framework with practical tools for normalizing struggle, making it easier to ask for and offer help, and ensuring no one burns out from caring. 01:12 Chelle explains why Reaching Out helps us to navigate the uncertainty, fear, and doubt that comes with change. 09:15 Chelle shares the three elements make it easier to ask for help when we're feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed 11:46 Chelle provides two individual tools we can reach for help to ensure we are asking cleanly and clearly for help rather than manipulating others 17:38 Chelle offers two organizational tools we can use to create a help-seeking culture. 23:49 Chelle shares two team team tools we can use to set healthy boundaries around our help giving so we don't burn each other out. 29:03 Chelle explains how IDEO have built helping into the norms, processes, and practices and the impact it has had in their workplace. 36:18 Chelle exploers how workplaces can ensure people are available to help each other. 38:33 Chelle provides the post-it note a-ha takeaway for Reaching Out.
BONUS SEASON: Appreciate Strengths – Fuelling Confidence & Capability
2025/10/03
Ever notice how some changes leave people feeling energized and capable while others leave them exhausted and overwhelmed? What creates this difference? Why do some uncertainties feel like exciting challenges while others trigger that familiar "Oh FUD!" spiral of fear, uncertainty and doubt? This episode explores how to fuel people's confidence, make the most of their capabilities, and help them stay curious about how they can navigate change more effectively together. We share the A in our HEART framework with evidence-based approaches to help you build on people's strengths while also dealing with their challenges and struggles. 01.09 Michelle explains how our brains are wired to help us thrive through change - even when its challenging. 06:36 Michelle shares the 80/20 rule of change that helps to energize rather than exhaust people. 10:33 Michelle offers two organizational tools that can help workplaces embed a strengths-based approach change. 13:39 Mchelle outlines how leaders can map and support the strengths of their teams to navigate change together. 18.54 Michelle shares her favorite ways to develop her strengths during changes - even when her bosses haven't been supportive in the past. 26.19 Michelle explains why many leaders struggle to appreciate strengths even when it consistently improves the return on investment of their change efforts. 29.14 Michelle shares how a small health service have appreciated strengths at an organizational, team, and individual level across their workplace. 35.01 Michelle confesses to overplaying her appreciation of strengths at times and how she adjusts this now when needed. 37.55 Michelle offers a post-it note a-ha to help appreciate strengths through change.
BONUS SEASON: Engage Purposefully – Winning People's Commitment
2025/09/25
Have you ever been in a meeting where someone shares a "big announcement" and you can practically hear everyone's minds turning off? Compare that to times when you're figuring out a problem together with people you trust - same amount of work, totally different feeling. What makes some complex changes feel safe enough to lean into while others feel dead on arrival? This episode explores how to turn grudging compliance into willing commitment during change. We share the E in our HEART framework with practical tools for meaningful conversations that support self-organization. 01.09 Michelle shares how we can engage people more purposefully around change - even when the change is not something they want. 05.00 Michelle explains why compliance rarely lasts more than three months, and how we can win people's ongoing commitment to change 08:50 Michelle outlines the three basic human needs we all share when it comes to engaging purposefully in change. 13:30 Michelle provides two organizational tools to help workplaces be values-led around their changes. 17.53 Michelle shares how leaders can ask extraordinary questions and practice extraordinary listening to support their teams through change. 23.47 Michelle explains how each of us can use five simple change-crafting questions to make any change more personally meaningful. 29.54 Michelle shares an example of how two organizations that were merging engaged people purposefully to co-create a new set of values. 36.39 Michelle dives into why leaders often struggle to engage their people purposefully around change. 40.51 Michelle offers two post-it notes takeaways for this HEART of Change factor.

Podcast reviews

Read Making Positive Psychology Work podcast reviews


4.8 out of 5
65 reviews
★★★★★
savvy_entrepreneur 2021/08/31
Practical inspiration in every episode
Making Positive Psychology Work brings together great conversation and tips that tie wellbeing to leadership and culture. There’s always a gem or two ...
★★★★★
meliznopol 2021/08/19
Insights worth spreading!
This podcast is great for positive psychology lovers or those who want to hear scientific ways to improve wellbeing in workplaces. Michelle is very e...
★★★★★
Lizzie LaRock 2021/03/01
This podcast is so helpful to me!
I absolutely love Michelle’s podcast. Even the episodes that were from before it was a podcast, like the Barbara Frederickson interview I listened to ...
★★★★★
zendo1855 2020/09/01
Positive Psychology at Work
One of the best podcasts out there. Consistently insightful, entertaining, and informative. I grow and learn every time. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Bluegem1977 2019/07/26
Inspire!
Thank you for the inspiration this morning. Just listened to podcast with Kelly McGonigal about positive aspects of stress. Loved it! I found her word...
★★★★★
Sharon Ogren 2018/08/08
Thank you Michelle!
I LOVE this podcast! Michelle is able to inspire me, uplift my spirit, educate me, motivate me, and make me want to be a better woman, all in less the...
★★★★★
C_Nunn 2018/01/11
Self-doubt
Loved the episode “Is Self-Doubt Undermining Your Creativity?” What a great reminder and confidence booster that people really care less about what yo...
★★★★★
Prototype-71 2017/04/12
Michelle McQuaid - Making Positive Psychology Work
Michelle McQuaid amazes me every time. She interviews the most amazing guests, and she does it in such an authentic, professional and energetic way, t...
★★★★★
RecoverySquared 2016/07/09
Ways to be positive
Love the show and the clinical point of view.
★★★★★
Mickiezada 2016/07/08
It's Dr Seligman and outstanding!
As a coach I've used Positive Psychology as I've learned from Dr Seligman (U of PA). Thank you for this podcast..excellent shows ...important content!
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