Every single one of us was born for purpose. Research shows that when we’re younger, our search for purpose can be an exciting adventure, but after a certain age this same search can lead to an increased incidence of anxiety and depression, and even suicidal tendencies.

More and more, people are seeking lives full of meaning, lives in which they’re making a difference, and for a growing number of people this becomes even more important than increased salaries. As Abraham Maslow explained over 50 years ago in his Hierarchy of Needs, once we’ve satisfied our basic needs, the final, highest need is that of self-actualization, giving of ourselves to something larger, inner fulfillment. Short-term happiness only goes so far; we need something deeper and more long-lasting. We need purpose.

For me, knowing my purpose has helped me weather a number of incredibly difficult personal experiences. Even on the crappiest of days, I know my life has greater meaning, and that’s the knowledge that I want you to have as well.

One of the reasons that our search for purpose is so hard is that we’re thinking about it all wrong. I clear up a number of misconceptions about purpose and introduce a new way of thinking about it that opens us up to a whole new world of possibilities. In addition, the words we use when discussing and thinking about purpose is often part of the problem, and I provide you with a new vocabulary around purpose. This isn’t just a semantic change, but reflects a much deeper truth about purpose that we all need to understand.

By teaching you the basic ideas of what purpose is, and what it isn’t, I help you get on the path to uncovering your own purpose.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

There’s an epidemic of unhappiness among women, many of whom seem like they’ve got everything going for them but are still deeply unhappy. Whether you’re dealing with a mid-life, third-life, or quarter-life crisis (yes, those are real!), women at all ages are struggling to figure out how to be happier. We’re less happy, on average, than our counterparts thirty years ago. We have more than we’ve ever had, and still we’re not happy. What is going on?

This is where the field of positive psychology comes in, to provide answers to questions like, “What makes us truly happy? What makes life worth living? How can we flourish? How can we make intentional choices in our life to move from “OK” to “great?”

I offer a little background and context for the field of positive psychology, which underpins a lot of what I share with you. I discuss Barbara Fredrickson’s theory of micromoments of positivity as well as the negativity bias that we all possess, and how these shed light on our own efforts to be happier. I talk about our biological set points for happiness and how much of our happiness is actually within our control: It’s probably more than you think, and this provides us with a huge opportunity to take concrete actions steps to increase our own happiness!

I point out a wide range of ways in which you can take control of your own happiness, some small and some large, some easy to do and some much more challenging, but all within your grasp. There IS a lot we can do.

The research on people who are truly flourishing shows that there are six aspects of happiness: PERMA-V. I introduce these 6 components and will go into greater depth in upcoming episodes.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

With this podcast I’ll be building a community of women who want to get control of their own happiness and live life on their own terms. We’ll be getting real about our own lives; no BS allowed here. This is for women who have been feeling stuck and lost, overwhelmed by life, and are TIRED of it!

I discuss my own journey to understanding happiness. Even though I have a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in the scientific study of happiness and human flourishing (positive psychology), I haven’t always been happy, and even now, I’m not always happy. Remember: No BS here!

I’ve been on this path from perfect to purpose for many years. When I was a little girl I had these ideas about what the perfect life should be, and by my mid-20’s I had everything on that checklist… and I was miserable! I began to explore a new question: If that didn’t make me happy, what would?

And so began my journey to truly understanding happiness. Not what society, or my friends, or my family told me should make me happy, but what would actually make ME happy. From divorce to the joys of volunteering to being held up at gunpoint; from leaving a successful corporate job and moving across the country to starting over in a grad program at Penn, to finding the love of my life and launching a successful career, I share my story to make the point that I’ve been there. I’ve struggled to find my place in the world, to find happiness, to uncover my purpose. And now it’s my mission to help you find yours.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!