Episode 012, Grace Cormier: An Exploration of Positive Psychology: Gratitude, Reframing and The Power of Perspective

In Episode 012 of A Medicinal Mind: Wisdom and Well Being, we enter into the world of Positive Psychology with my new friend and visionary researcher Grace Cormier. While Grace’s bio may appear linear, straightforward, and precisely planned, the actual story, as you will hear in the podcast, is much more circuitous, and blessed by courageous leaps of faith.  

Grace graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in Psychology and from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Applied Positive Psychology. She has extensive experience implementing positive psychology and resilience programs in a wide variety of organizations including the military, public safety, universities, and a professional basketball team. Her academic work focuses on how to foster affective commitment through building cultures that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. She has a passion for applying positive psychology in organizations to transform cultures, build effective teams, and encourage prosocial behavior. She currently does research with Wharton People Analytics at the University of Pennsylvania. 

In the episode, Grace and I hold a joyful conversation, sharing aspects of our life stories and how we both came to study and practice in the field of Positive Psychology in the first place.

To get things started, Grace shares with us:

A Short History of Positive Psychology

• What is it exactly?
• What are the main principles of Positive Psychology, how about practices?
• And why are we even calling it “Positive” Psychology in the first place?

Digging back into the personal we explore:

The Many Ways in which Grace has incorporated positive practices into her daily life

• What are some of the most practical skills and applications?
• How can I start today with cultivating gratitude?

Building from these practices Graces shares some amazing insights on"

• The Power of Self Talk
• How we can view setbacks or roadblocks as areas and opportunities of growth
• How we can reframe our perspective in any situation and become “learned optimists”

Following our journey into the practices of Positive Psychology we then transition to a fascinating discussion about: 

The Importance of Gratitude and The Concept of Resilience
​

• What do we mean exactly when we say Resilience?
• How can one cultivate resilience and what specific practices from Positive Psychology seem to be most helpful in making one more resilient in the face of stress

​And lastly we close with some final insights and a beautiful piece of wisdom from Grace as she faithfully lives out the practices she most rigorously studies.
    
I was so grateful to have shared this conversation with Grace and so thankful for the nourishing friendship that emerged from our synchronous connection. I am already looking forward to bringing Grace back on the show to share more of her insights, wisdom and passion for connecting communities by holding a space for happiness to flourish.

To learn more about the Positive Psychology Center UPenn you may access their website using this link: http://ppc.sas.upenn.edu

To access more information about Wharton People Analytics use this link:
https://wpa.wharton.upenn.edu

And, to get in touch with Grace you can contact her at:
cormierg@wharton.upenn.edu


​Enjoy the show!