PODCAST · science
Positivity Matters
by Positivity Matters
Conversations with scholars, organization leaders, and community builders focused on wellbeing, positive psychology, mental health, and human flourishing.
Episodes
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Betsy Emmons: Look to People Coming Up and Lend Them a Hand
Betsy Emmons — https://journalism.unl.edu/person/betsy-emmons/ | Associate Professor of Advertising & Public Relations, University of Nebraska–Lincoln | Sports PR & Promotion | Accredited in Public Relations (APR) Betsy Emmons teaches sports media and public relations in the College of Journalism...
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Omani Carson: The First Full Day of Being Omani
Omani Carson — www.linkedin.com/in/omanicarson Founder and Chairman, Carson Group | Founder, Omya | Founder, Momentis Family Office | Co-founder, Dreamweaver Foundation | Author Recorded on his first full day as Omani, the day after a judge signed his legal name change, this conversation meets...
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Millie Heckler: On Exploring This Wild Playground Called Earth
Millie Heckler (https://millieheckler.com): Dancer | Choreographer | Singer-Songwriter | Movement Guide Millie's mission, in her words, is to dance as much as she can and to create spaces where people can dance. She teaches hip-hop dance at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is the founder of...
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Darci Gamerl: Radiant Kindness through Music and Mentoring
Darci Gamerl: Oboist | English Hornist | Composer | Arts Leader Darci is one half of Bel Canto Duo Darci’s top VIA Strengths (free insight): Honesty • Spirituality • Judgement • Curiosity • Perspective Recorded on August 13th, 2026 "Taking Flight: The Eighth Wonder of the World" with the Bel…
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David Shaw: Permission to Play
David Shaw made a permission slip for you! David's VIA Strengths: Creativity Curiosity Leadership Love of Learning Fairness Self-Regulation Love Spirituality Hope Judgement Recorded: August 5th, 2026
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Matthew Corson-Finnerty: Building Community with Play People
Matthew Corson-Finnerty: Building a Community of Play People Matthew designs games and playgrounds and is a builder of connectedness through The Play People – a community for all who are interested in Play: • Playful Cities • Children's Advocacy • Play in the Arts • Play in Health • Play in...
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President Jeffrey Gold: Walking Alongside Others as they Build Pathways to Meaningful Goals
President Jeffrey Gold: Walking Alongside Others as they Build Pathways to Meaningful Goals Dr. Jeffrey Gold is the ninth president of the University of Nebraska System. Dr. Gold serves on the Clinician Well-Being Collaborative of the National Academy of Medicine with the former Surgeon General,...
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Amy Smith: The Art of Playing with Our Thrownness
Amy Smith: The Art of Playing with Our Thrownness Porcelain is so unforgiving that potters say throwing it is like working with cream cheese. Ceramic artist Amy Smith has built a life around that material, and this conversation moves from clay to something larger: how we embrace what we're given…
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President Jeffrey Gold: Making Dreams Come True
President Jeffrey Gold: Making Dreams Come True Ask Dr. Jeffrey Gold what the job of a university leader is, and the answer is refreshingly direct: to make people's dreams come true. Recorded June 23, 2026, this episode welcomes Dr. Jeffrey Gold — cardiothoracic surgeon, first-generation college...
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Annick Janson: Now (Strengths) & Next (Practical Hope)
Annick Janson: Now (Strengths) & Next (Practical Hope) Recorded June 22, 2026, this conversation features Dr. Annick Janson — positive psychologist, social science researcher, and co-founder of the Fast Track Inclusion Trust. Drawing on her work with families of differently-abled children through...
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Mia Sundstrom: Toward a Radiantly Kind and Playful World
Mia Sundstrom: Toward a Radiantly Kind and Playful World CEO, The National Institute for Play Play Styles: Mover (Kinesthete) | Explorer (Adventurer) | Competitor (Sports Competitor) Sports competitor, adventurer, kinesthete VIA Strengths: Leadership | Humility | Appreciation of Beauty and...
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David Thomas: On Becoming a Playvolutionary for Fun
David Thomas: On Becoming a Playvolutionary for Fun Dave's CliftonStrengths: Ideation | Strategic | Intellection | Input| MaximizerDavid Thomas hosts the podcast The Fun Question and co-founded Professors at Play — the nearly-1,000-member "Playvolution" remaking higher education — and co-author,...
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Jarrod Elwell: MI ↝ ABCD ↝ AI ↝ CI = How Community Change Happens Along the Lines of Relationships
Jarrod Elwell: MI ↝ ABCD ↝ AI ↝ CI = How Community Change Happens Along the Lines of Relationships at the Speed of Hope Jarrod Elwell is the Community Development regional manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, serving Virginia and Washington D.C. Strengths: Fairness, Love of Learning,...
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David Berez: Courageous Optimism and the Path from Warrior to Healer
Retired police lieutenant and positive psychology practitioner David Berez, MAPP, DRE joins us to discuss how we can transform trauma into a catalyst for growth. David shares his journey from a 20-year career in law enforcement—where "resilience" meant simply bouncing back—to his development of...
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Dele Davies, MD: Leading Positive Change with Emotional Intelligence
Dele Davies, MD, Interim Chancellor at University of Nebraska Medical Center Emotional Intelligence (EQ) = (Personal Competence = Self Awareness x Self-Management) x (Social Competence = Social Awareness x Relationship Management) CliftonStrengths: Significance | Futuristic | Focus | Maximizer |...
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Grant Stonebraker: Building a Pay-It-Forward Culture
Grant Stonebraker: Building a Pay-It-Forward Culture Speaker, coach, and author Grant Stonebraker shares how his signature strengths of honesty, kindness, and love fuel both his entrepreneurial work and his grassroots kindness movement, Operation: Pay It Forward. Grant discusses how spirituality...
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Jacob Kendall: Curiosity, Creativity, and Rethinking How We Grow Older
Jacob Kendall: Curiosity, Creativity, and Rethinking How We Grow Older Dr. Jacob Kendall—gerontologist, social worker, and two-time open-heart surgery survivor—joins us to share a fresh lens for understanding health across place, and time. Drawing on his signature strengths of creativity,...
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Leo Louis II: Identity Formation, Community Building, and Cultural Transformation
Leo Louis II: Identity Formation, Community Building, and Cultural Transformation Leo recently co-authored the book: The Grownfolks and the Magic Wand Recorded: November 14, 2025
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Lakesha Green: Speaking Love into Community through the Arts and Vision
Lakesha Green: Speaking Love into Community through the Arts and Vision Lakesha is the Executive Director of the Union for Contemporary Art CliftonStrengths: Self-Assurance | Learner | Input | Arranger | Strategic Recorded: October 30, 2025
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Amy Goodburn: Building the Good Life with Husker P.O.W.E.R.
Amy Goodburn: Building the Good Life with Husker P.O.W.E.R. Senior Associate Vice Chancellor & Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln CliftonStrengths: Learner | Achiever | Input | Discipline | Arranger Recorded: September 10, 2025 P.O.W.E.R. = Purpose, Ownership,...
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Amy Lanham: Creating Wellbeing Through Recreation
Amy Lanham: Creating Wellbeing Through Recreation Campus Recreation Director, University of Nebraska-Lincoln CliftonStrengths: Responsibility | Communication | Developer | Relator | Belief Recorded: September 3, 2025 From the Inter-association Wellbeing Collaborative: We define well-being as an...
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Daryl Davis: How to be Prohuman with Music and Friendship
Daryl Davis: How to be Prohuman with Music and Friendship Recorded 8/7/2025
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Becca Schusler: The Win-Win of Workplace Wellness
Becca Schusler: The Win-Win of Workplace Wellness VIA Strengths: Gratitude | Learner | Hope | Forgiveness | Self-Regulation Born in a struggle for justice (Horace Carter Fights the Klan), Atlantic Packaging works to build wellbeing (Atlantic Wellness) and a thriving planet (A New Earth Project)...
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Maital Neta: Positivity in the Brain
Maital Neta: Positivity Matters to Our Brains! Professor of Psychology at UNL CliftonStrengths: Empathy, Achiever, Responsibility, Relator, Learner Recorded: 7/23/2025
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Josha Sietsma: The Nebraska Capitol is a Question Mark
Josha Sietsma: The Nebraska Capitol is a Question Mark The Nebraska Capitol asks us to respond to a series of profound questions: What does it mean to live a good life? How best to live a good life to the fullest together and transmit that wisdom to future generations in ways that expand that...
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Meghan Talarowski: Playfully Planning Playgrounds to Prompt the Polis to Play
Meghan Talarowski Founder and Executive Director, Studio Ludo A finding a the study that Meghan draws on to inform her playground designs: “Play builds grit, prevents burnout, ignites joy through movement, and helps us become better people together.“
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Carlos Garcia: How to Take Bold Action and Remain Calm Under Pressure
Carlos Garcia Co-Founder & CEO, True Progress Lab VIA Strengths: Honest | Perseverance | Hope | Humility | Spirituality Recorded on July 11, 2025
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Tracy Edgerton: Leveraging Our Unique Strengths to Achieve a Shared Vision
Tracy Edgerton: Leveraging Our Unique Strengths to Achieve a Shared Vision President & CEO, Lincoln Community Foundation Lincoln Vital Signs | Prosper Lincoln CliftonStrengths: Learner | Input | Intellection | Developer | Achiever Recorded: July 1, 2025
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Zoya Awan: Creating Sparks of Hope
Zoya Awan - Creating Sparks of Hope Director of Public Affairs, Walmart Zoya the Explorer! CliftonStrengths: Positivity | WOO | Includer | Adaptability | Connectedness Recorded: July 9, 2025
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Andrew Hanna: Emerging Leadership, Life Design, & More
Andrew Hanna - Emerging Leadership, Life Design, & More Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Prof. Hanna spoke at Nebraska's International Day of Hope celebration. CliftonStrengths: Woo | Relator | Input | Positivity | Futuristic Recorded: June 25, 2025 Brought…
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Kathryn Goetzke: How to S.H.I.N.E. Hope
Kathryn Goetzke - How to S.H.I.N.E. Hope • Stress skills • Happiness habits • Inspired actions • Nourishing networks • Eliminating challenges Kathryn's top VIA Strengths: Curiosity | Love of learning | Spirituality | Honesty | Fairness Recorded 6/19/2025
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Rebecca Davis: The Power and Joy of Building Community
Rebecca Davis - Dimensions of Connectedness (Social Capital & Social Health) Director & Producer Rebecca speaks on the community engagement she has generated around the country with the documentary, Join or Die, and we also explore themes of wellbeing present in the film. Recorded 6/5/2025
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Rob Lion: How to Build a Thriving Workplace
Rob Lion - Black River C.A.R. from Self-determination Theory: Competence Autonomy Relatedness Recorded 2/18/2025
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Joshua Berry: Unleashing the Difference Maker Within
Joshua created Econic to partner with leaders who envision a better world and desire someone to help them build it. Joshua’s CliftonStrengths: Strategic | Maximizer | Ideation | Futuristic | Individualization Recorded: 2/15/2025
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Dan Martin: Fostering Connectedness, Compassion, and the Joy of Learning
Dan Martin VIA Strengths: Humor | Creativity | Love of Learning | Curiosity | Bravery Associate Professor of Management at California State University, East Bay. Director of Corporate Compassion Education at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford...
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David Feldman: The Playful Birth and Advancement of Hope Science
David B. Feldman, PhD, is a clinical health psychologist and Professor of Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University. Prof. Feldman's top VIA strengths: Love of learning | Curiosity | Hope | Judgement | Kindness Hope science developed in a playful laboratory. Hope develops in the playful...
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Chan Hellman: Working with States to Foster Hopeful Traits
Chan Hellman Founding Director of the Hope Research CenterHope Rising USA Recorded 4/29/2025
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Matthew Gallagher: Hope Science
Matthew W. Gallagher, Ph.D. Updates in Hope Science Recorded 4/18/2025
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Lorraine Besser: Why Be Interested in Why We Are Interested in Our Interesting Interests
Lorraine Besser Ready to Live Your Best Possible Life? Recorded 3/14/2025
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Shigehiro Oishi: Interesting! Three Paths of/to the Good Life
Shigehiro Oishi What’s the real key to a fulfilling life?Recorded 3/12/2025
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Omani Carson: Coffin Up Purpose!
Omani (formerly Ron) Carson is the founder of the Carson Group and Omya. Omani shares about purpose, kindness, strengths, community, and more! Recorded 1/22/2025
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Michael Steger: The Regenerative Power of Purpose
Prof. Steger is the director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose at Colorado State University. Recorded 12/2/2024
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Rose Liesveld: Building a Strengths-Based Law School
Rose Liesveld: Building a Strengths-Based Law School Rose’s CliftonStrengths: Futuristic | Activator | Significance | Relator | Command | Belief | Focus | Maximizer | Communication | Self-Assurance Recorded: 11/25/2024
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Carol Graham: How Hope Can Heal Humanity
Carol Graham is a senior fellow in the Economic Studies program at Brookings, a College Park Professor at the University of Maryland, and a senior scientist at Gallup. In this episode, we discuss her most recent book, The Power of Hope, and she kindly reflects with us on our H.A.P.P.Y. L.I.F.E....
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Roger DeWitt: Thriving Through ADHD and Positive Psychology
Meet Roger DeWitt and AI Coach Roger Roger’s Masters capstone: ADHD, Willpower, and Interest: A Positive Approach Roger’s top 5 VIA strengths: Perspective | Humor | Kindness | Love | Social Intelligence Recorded: 9/4/2024
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David Lay Williams: Friendship is the Pathway from the Good Life to Kallipolis
Guest: David Lay Williams is professor of political science at DePaul University and author of The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx Prof. Williams’ top five VIA Strengths: Perseverance | Love of Learning | Judgment | Curiosity |...
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Tim Hodges: How to Build a Generative Community with Strengths
Guest: Prof. Tim Hodges, Executive Director of the Clifton Strengths Institute and Assistant Professor of Practice in Management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prof. Hodges' top Gallup strengths: Maximizer | Relator | Belief | Woo | Positivity Recorded: June 19, 2024
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Isaac Prilleltensky: Mattering is About Adding Value and Being Valued
Guest: Professor Isaac Prilleltensky, Director of the Community Leadership Doctoral Program at the University of Miami www.professorisaac.com Pillars of wellbeing and drivers of change: www.funforwellness.com Recorded: 6/7/2024
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Bruce Smith: Summoning Others to the Hero’s Journey
Guest: Bruce Smith, Associate Professor of Psychology at The University of New Mexico Move from Surviving to Thriving: The Positive Psychology Workbook for Challenging Times https://shac.unm.edu/resources/counseling-resources/positive-psychology-workbook.html Prof. Smith’s top VIA strengths:...
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Cormac Russell: Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD)
Guest: Cormac Russell, Co-Author of The Connected Community: Discovering the Health, Wealth, and Power of Neighborhoods Recorded: May 23, 2024
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Positivity Matters have?
Positivity Matters currently has 54 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Positivity Matters about?
Conversations with scholars, organization leaders, and community builders focused on wellbeing, positive psychology, mental health, and human flourishing.
How often does Positivity Matters release new episodes?
Positivity Matters has 54 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Positivity Matters?
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Who hosts Positivity Matters?
Positivity Matters is created and hosted by Positivity Matters.
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