John Searles is the Midland County ESA Superintendent and has spent over 30 years in public education in Michigan. In addition to that, John has a strong focus on mental health, people with disabilities and equity, and opportunity and employment. And he is now a champion for wellbeing in positive psychology.

In this episode, John Searles, Superintendent at the Midland County ESA, shares with us how his curiosity helped him be a better leader and improve the feedback, social connection and ways of working for the teachers in his district. 

To grab your free copy of the Surprising Stories eBook, just visit www.thewellbeinglab.com/communitypodcast

You’ll Learn:

• [02:54] - John talks about what drew him to his work in positive psychology (and it all started with seeing Shawn Achor speak!)
• [06:07] - John shares how positive psychology has impacted him personally -- he’s become more self-reflective, kinder, and more gentle – and how these changes have impacted his work environment
• [11:01] - John discusses how he’s seen wellbeing work appear in his community
• [13:02] - John discusses his impact project, The Better Together Committee, and how he was able to help people in his community feel more recognized and validated
• [18:32] - John talks about the personal journey that he’s been on as a result of integrating the principles of positive psychology into his own life
• [20:41] - John shares some of what he learned from implementing his impact project and what went well
• [25:02] - John takes on the Lightning Round!

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Until next time, take care!  Thank you, John!