Toward Thriving

    "Keith’s Toward Thriving session helped our team not only connect, but also begin to prioritize what really matters. It was so refreshing to take a pause from the daily work flow to reflect on our goals and how we can make more of an impact in our work. Keith has a real talent for facilitating conversations, sharing knowledge, and creating community. Thanks for a great day Keith!"

    Evan Witt

    Assistant Director for Leadership Training & Development, Orientation and First-Year Programs at the University of Minnesota

      "I can honestly say that I have never had so many people make a point of calling or finding me to say how much they really appreciated the program. I’ve heard stories about how they have applied lessons they learned or took a moment to think differently about a situation. I’ve been coordinating professional development for our division for a number of years and I’ve brought some wonderful speakers over time but this is truly the most positive response I’ve ever seen."

      Suzanne Sullivan McGillicuddy

      Assistant Dean of Students, Fashion Institute of New York

        "Keith Edwards keynote on Toward Thriving: Applying the Science of What Works – Fit perfectly with this year’s Minnesota State IT conference theme, Sharpening our Skill sets for the future. Keith did an outstanding job presenting the concepts and principles of positive psychology and neuroscience in a fun interactive session that everyone could take back to their professional and personal lives."

        Tim Furr

        Chief Information Officer, Ridgewater College

        Thanks for your interest in learning more connected to the Toward Thriving keynote/workshop. Below you will find a list of the books that I mentioned and some videos as well. I even included some I didn’t mention directly. If you are interested in a bit of a deeper dive on content briefly mentioned you can scroll through my posts related to this topic which are compiled at this link.

        If you have any feedback or would like to connect in any way, please let me know via the Contact Form on the bottom of this page. It generates an email directly to me that no one else sees. I’m always learning along with you.

        Blog Posts

        The Science of Gratitude

        Top 5 Most Recommended Books**

        5 Lessons from The Book of Joy

        8 Tips on the Neuroscience of Learning

        4 Lessons from Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach

        Happiness = Pleasure + Meaning

        3 Lessons from Mindsight by Daniel Siegel

        5 Levels of Celebrations and Gratitude

        Curiosity, Certainty, & Control

        Essentialism

        The New Science of Positive Psychology and Developing Individuals and Communities

        Neuroscience of Transformation

        Success Strategies: Research Proven Strategies to Being a Smashing Success

        Mindful Leadership

        7 Tips for Making Commitments in the New Year

        Keith’s Toward Thriving Guided Meditation

        Videos

        Here is Mindsight author Daniel Siegel sharing the hand model of the brain we discussed.

        One of the keys to helping others with their transformations is understanding the concept of neuroplasticity.

        Here is a short snippet on vulnerability and leadership.

        Here is a short summary of Mindsight by Daniel Siegel.

        The story of the Golden Buddha from Finding Joe. What armor have you put on to keep you safe, that is no longer serving you well and is keeping your best self from shining through?

        Here’s a video version of my story on shifting perspectives from a keynote at NODA.

        The most common questions I get are about meditation. This is the simplest and succinct explanation I have seen. If you are interested in more here are some meditation tools and resources as well.

        Books Referenced

        Achor, S. (2010). The happiness advantage: The seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work. New York: Broadway Books.

        Ben-Shahar, T. (2007). Happier: Learn the secrets to daily joy and lasting fulfillment. New York: McGraw-Hill.

        Brach, T. (2004). Radical acceptance: Embracing your life with the heart of a Buddha. New York: Bantam Books.

        Bstan ʼdzin rgya, m., Dalai Lama, Tutu, D., & Abrams, D. (2016). The book of joy: Lasting happiness in a changing world. New York: Penguin Random House.

        Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row.

        Dweck, C. S. (2008). Mindset: The new psychology of success. New York: Ballantine Books.

        Fredrickson, B. (2012). Positivity: Groundbreaking research reveals how to embrace the hidden strength of positive emotions, overcome negativity, and thrive. New York, NY: MJF Books.

        Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House.

        Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2010). Switch: How to change things when change is hard). New York: Broadway Books.

        McKeown, G. (2014). Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less. New York: Crown.

        Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0. New York: Gallup Press.

        Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York: Free Press.

        Siegel, D. J. (2010). Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation. New York: Bantam Books.

        Stulberg, B. & Magness, S. (2017). Peak performance: Elevate your game, avoid burnout, and thrive with the new science of