Rosie from Illinois bravely confronts the shock, confusion and disillusion following the election of Donald Trump. She sits with discomfort, struggles through some painful realizations and ultimately recovers a sense of direction and even excitement. This is not only relevant for those of you trying to make sense of the new political landscape. It's also a demonstration of how we can face our own contradictions and use the tension generated to propel us toward personal growth.

If you want a personal growth spurt of your own check out my 21-Day audiobook program called Brainwash.

To those of you who are terrified and not entirely sure what to do next: here are some thoughts to comfort but hopefully also inspire you to see this as the growth opportunity that it is. This episode does neither contain concepts from psychology or politics but is instead my heartfelt reaction. The psychology and the politics will come later as I decided to do a mini-series on politics and building our future.

For more episodes check out

http://strengthsphoenix.com/listen

Let others punch fear in the face. Michelle Poler instinctively knew that she would need some oysters, a bikini and a time-machine to confront her numerous fears. In this conversation we dive into the creative and fun way she decided to address her fears, what she learned in the process and how she inspired millions to do the same (but in their unique way). Also you don't want to miss her thought-provoking insight into what her relationship with fear is like now. You can find out more and connect with Michelle and her interesting work here:

http://100dayswithoutfear.com/

https://medium.com/hello-fears

https://twitter.com/michelle_poler

OK now something completely different. If you are in the UK and would love to go through a certified positive psychology program that is tried & tested, thorough and taught by a kick-ass wise Japan loving lady called Daniela Blickhan go to

http://strengthsphoenix.com/daniela

And last but not least my audiobook Brainwash is out. No more waiting, you can get it instantly if you go to

http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop

Deirdre a listener from beautiful Cape Town asked me a few questions about my personal journey with depression and I decided to answer her questions on the podcast. Furthermore I added a section about what people who have loved ones with depression should keep in mind.

If your inner dialogue sucks and you would like to challenge and rework the responsible brain patterns check out my audiobook Brainwash at

http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop

Today investor and fellow podcaster Matt Bodnar joins us to discuss money but we end up covering:

• Decision-making
• Blocking and tackling
• Financial literacy
• Limiting beliefs and how to reverse them (The 4 Questions)
• Pyramid of Action
• and more

In the second half Matt does such impromptu coaching taking on my money hang-ups.

If you are really into science or psychology as usual you may have to open your mind or skip this episode all together.

Matt referred to lots of resources, so here they are:

• Click here to check out Matt's podcast episode with Vishen Lakhiani
• Charlie Munger's books can be found here
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin
• Influence by Robert Cialdini
• Farnham Street Blog

And in case you want to be one of the first to get a copy of my first audiobook called Brainwash pre-order here:

http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop

No this is not an "exercise is good for you" episode. It's also not about how running affects you psychologically. This is really about taking the techniques of positive psychology and applying them to a tough challenge, in this case, training for a half-marathon. Even if you have never run a mile in your life and don't plan to some of the mindset obstacles and changes discussed here will be useful for whatever big challenge you have in your own life.

To support the funding of my new and first audiobook Brainwash please visit

http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop

Why is coaching so popular and will it remain that way when the robots come? Today Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Associate Professor of Coaching at Henley Business School shares with us his insights into when coaching is needed, how it can unleash its powers in companies and when working with young people.

You can find his books at Sage Publications.

There's also a status update regarding the launch of my first audiobook Brainwash which you can check out at

http://strengthsphoenix.com/shop

I have never been more terrified of releasing an episode of the Positive Psychology Podcast. It's the closest thing to taking off my clothes and running around naked online that I have done. If you want to know why listen in and check out

https://gum.co/brainwash

Translating psychological concepts into daily life is not easy. So in this new reflection episode I look back on the concepts my friend Susanna Halonen taught me back in 2014 on passion. I will examine how I apply her ideas in my own life, where I still struggle and how two years later, I still work on implementation. I highly recommend that you listen to the original episode 8 on passion to remind yourself of the details of her passion theory.  I hope that the reflection episodes help you deepen what you already know and inspire you to apply the concepts in your daily life.

Originally I was reluctant to dig into grit: it just sounded like one of these many killjoy concepts that make us into the perfect corporate consumer soldier. How wrong I was. You don't need to have a flawlessly clean room or stay on the perfect diet for the rest of your life. Check out what grit is, how you can identify and cultivate it.