Get a Life with Jackie Cascarano

In this episode of Get a Life, Jackie Oña Cascarano explores one of the most influential frameworks in positive psychology, the PERMA model of well-being, and how it can bring more vibrancy and richness to mid-life for high-achieving women looking to expand beyond productivity and caretaking.Martin Seligman's PERMA model outlines the five science-backed dimensions of human flourishing: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. While many high-achieving, ambitious women have built lives rich in meaning and accomplishment through professional and caregiving roles,  other dimensions - like positive emotion, engagement, and connection - become neglected, causing life to feel flat or depleted despite outward success.Jackie shares how her Adventure Year, a personal commitment to intentionally pursuing hobbies, curiosity, and new experiences, is a real-time case study in mid-life flourishing. She walks through each dimension of PERMA and explores how small, intentional shifts can restore energy, deepen connection, and bring more texture, vitality and psychological richness to daily life.If you're a woman in mid-life looking for practical, science-based tools to thrive, not just achieve, this episode offers a grounded roadmap to flourishing. ReferencesCsikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.56.3.218Oishi, S., & Westgate, E. C. (2022). A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. Psychological Review, 129(2), 263–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000317Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.

In this episode of Get a Life, Jackie Oña Cascarano introduces Adventure Year: her personal experiment in building a more interesting life through hobbies, curiosity, and everyday adventures.After realizing that her life had become highly productive but not particularly interesting, Jackie began exploring a concept from positive psychology called psychological richness, a dimension of well-being characterized by novel and perspective-changing experiences.Many high-achieving women have lives rich in meaning and responsibility, but low in novelty and exploration. Adventure Year is Jackie’s commitment to intentionally bringing curiosity, creativity, and new experiences back into everyday life—from watercolor classes to learning Mahjong.This episode explores why hobbies and everyday adventures matter for well-being, how intrinsic motivation reconnects us to who we are, and why creating an interesting life might be one of the most powerful ways to flourish.Show NotesAfter years spent in a season defined by productivity, caregiving, and responsibility, she realized that while her life was meaningful, it had become highly efficient but not very interesting.Drawing on research from positive psychology, Jackie introduces the concept of psychological richness—a dimension of well-being characterized by novel, surprising, and perspective-changing experiences. Many high-achieving women are rich in meaning through work, caregiving, and contribution, but may lack the novelty and curiosity that make life feel textured and memorable.Jackie shares how this realization led to her personal experiment called Adventure Year, an intentional commitment to pursue hobbies, creative pursuits, learning experiences, and everyday adventures. From watercolor classes to learning Mahjong, she explores how even small experiences outside our routines can reconnect us with curiosity, identity, and growth.ReferencesHolmes, C. (2022). Happier hour: How to beat distraction, expand your time, and focus on what matters most. Gallery Books.Oishi, S., & Westgate, E. C. (2022). A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. Psychological Review, 129(2), 263–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000317Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.

Why do so many high-achieving women feel like their lives are full… yet somehow small?In the first episode of Get a Life, Jackie Oña Cascarano explores why high-achieving women in mid-life often find themselves trapped in cycles of productivity, caregiving, and responsibility that leave little room for curiosity, adventure, or personal exploration. Drawing on research from positive psychology, Jackie introduces three different ways scientists think about a life well-lived: the happy life, the meaningful life, and the psychologically rich life.She also shares her personal story, the origin of the Juno Women’s Collective, and introduces Adventure Year, her experiment in bringing novelty, creativity, and exploration back into everyday life by getting out of her comfort zone in the form of hobbies and micro-adventures.If you’ve ever felt the quiet pull toward something more, this conversation is for you.-------Show NotesModern life often rewards productivity, caregiving, and achievement, but leaves little space for curiosity, novelty, or exploration. Drawing from the science of positive psychology, Jackie introduces three different ways researchers understand a life well-lived: the happy life, the meaningful life, and the psychologically rich life.Psychological richness—defined by interesting, novel, and perspective-changing experiences—may be the missing ingredient for many women whose lives are built on routine and responsibility. Jackie also shares the story behind the Juno Women’s Collective and introduces Adventure Year, her personal experiment in intentionally bringing new experiences, creativity, and exploration back into daily life.This episode sets the stage for a season focused on helping women build lives that are not just productive, but expansive, interesting, and deeply alive.Research ReferencesDiener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Advances and open questions in the science of subjective well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 4(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115George, L. S., & Park, C. L. (2016). Meaning in life as comprehension, purpose, and mattering: Toward integration and new research questions. Review of General Psychology, 20(3), 205–220. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000077Holmes, C. (2022). Happier hour: How to beat distraction, expand your time, and focus on what matters most. Gallery Books.Oishi, S., & Westgate, E. C. (2022). A psychologically rich life: Beyond happiness and meaning. Psychological Review, 129(2), 263–281. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000317Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Free Press.