Christopher Walker: Work and life with connections, positivity and meaning. A life worth living.

In this episode, Sophie is joined by Christopher Walker who has similarly moved away from his corporate career into one of training and coaching incorporating the use of positive psychology in the workplaces he engages with.

Positive psychology, according to Christopher Peterson, is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living – it explores character strengths, optimism, happiness, wellbeing, and compassion. Christopher strives to make it his mission to dispel the myth that happiness in work is pink and fluffy. He argues it is more about flourishing on multiple levels such as a personal, cultural, relational, biological and global level.

Sophie and Christopher discuss why positive psychology is so important in workplaces today and how an uncertain climate and a volatile landscape have led to a need for all organisations needing a Chief Happiness Officer or Strategic Positive Psychologist– a skilled person in understanding organisation challenges and who can drive effective leadership.

This podcast discusses many staggering facts about how unhappy people are feeling in their work right now - and all over the world. One powerful thing Christopher suggests we can do is to encourage people to build positive connections. He explores how we should invest in strategies that bring people together. As human beings, we crave meaningful connections which create oxytocin, and gives us a sense of bonding and increase our sense of belonging.

This all combines to improve the mental health and well-being of everyone. If we offer people a range of opportunities to connect and support people to engage in work that utilises their strengths, people then report feeling more engaged and energised.

How to find out more about Sophie:LinkedIn:
Sophie Bryan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiebryan/)
Facebook: @Sophiebryan.coach (https://www.facebook.com/sophiebryan.coach)
Insta: @Sophiebryan.coach (https://www.instagram.com/sophiebryan.coach)
E: sophie@ordinarilydifferent.co.uk
W: ordinarilydifferent.co.uk, sophiebryan.co.uk,
TEDx Talk: https://montessorimindset.co.uk

Find out more about Christopher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-walker-378b851b/
References and mentions:
Strength to Strength – Arthur Brooks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-Finding-Success-Happiness-Purpose/dp/059319148X
Toxic Positivity - T. R. Tucker:https://www.blurb.com/b/10423973-toxic-positivity
Mindset – Carol Dweck: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindset-How-Fulfil-Your-Potential/dp/1780332009
Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Csikszentmihalyi-Jul-01-2008/dp/0061339202
The Happiness Advantage – Shawn Achor: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Advantage-Principles-Psychology-Performance/dp/0753539470
*Not mentioned, but strongly recommend The Good Life, by Robert Waldinger and Mark Shultz: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Life-Lessons-Longest-Happiness/dp/1846046769


Sometimes Sophie & our guests get super passionate about their topic and therefore, some “passionate” language might crop up! You might want to wear headphones or make sure young ears aren’t around, and if this is not your cuppa tea, this might not be the podcast for you.