Positivity Matters

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 Excellence | Creativity | Judgement

Recorded Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026

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, with John Sharp, of Fun, Taste, and Games (MIT Press, 2019). His work argues that play isn't ornamental or adjacent to serious work. It's a distinct aesthetic with its own structure: ludic form, ambiguity, and set-outsidedness.

Recorded: Friday, May 8th, 2026

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, Kindness, Spirituality, Hope

Record: March 31, 2026

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 "Courageous Optimism," a framework that empowers first responders to become "anti-fragile" in the face of chaos. By blending the science of human flourishing with the gritty reality of police work, David illustrates how storytelling and vulnerability can break the stigma of silence and save lives.

David Berez’s VIA Strengths: Honesty | Kindness | Curiosity | Perspective | Social Intelligence

Audio Editor: Kyle Gross (https://kylegross.myportfolio.com)

Recorded: January 7, 2026

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 | Strategic | Learner | Achiever | Responsibility | Belief 

Recorded: January 8, 2026

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 and creativity guide his approach to building authentic connections and inspiring others to make progress through simple, intentional acts of goodness. This conversation offers practical wisdom for anyone seeking to live their values and spark positive change in their community.

A visualization of the aggregated VIA Strengths of people who have been guests on the podcast after adding Grant’s top VIA Strengths: Honesty | Kindness | Love | Spirituality | Creativity

Audio Editor: Kyle Gross (https://kylegross.myportfolio.com/)

Recorded on: 11/20/2025

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, curiosity, and humor, Jacob challenges one-dimensional thinking about aging and advocates for a pro-aging mindset grounded in fairness and forgiveness. This conversation will transform how you think about growing older—and inspire you to approach life's challenges with both scientific rigor and deep humanity.

A visualization of the aggregated VIA Strengths of people who have been guests on the podcast after adding Jacob’s top VIA Strengths: Creativity | Fairness | Curiosity | Humor | Forgiveness

Audio Editor: Kyle Gross (https://kylegross.myportfolio.com/)Recorded on: 11/19/2025

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

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

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, Well-being, Engagement, and Relationships

From the Inter-association Wellbeing Collaborative:

We define well-being as an optimal and dynamic state that allows people to achieve their full potential. Our focus is on two interdependent types of well-being: 1) individual and 2) community.