JCC Wholebeing Weekend Of Positivity
JCC Wholebeing Weekend of Positivity: The Collective Sparkle— Together We Shine Brighter
We know that grit and perseverance aren't enough to muscle through burnout, hopelessness, and isolation. We need the collective joy that comes from learning and celebrating together in the community.
Join us for a fun, enlightening, interactive weekend with positive psychology experts Megan McDonough, Maria Sirios, and Dan Tomasulo. Learn how to nourish hope, navigate healthy boundaries, and strengthen your connection with yourself and others to create a more intentional and fulfilling future. Other presenters include Phoebe Atkinson, Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Caroline Kohles, and Winalee Zeeb. All are welcome. Invite family and friends to an experience you won’t forget. In partnership with Wholebeing Institute.
This weekend is open to all those interested in navigating life's challenges while moving towards a better future, including both experienced positive psychology practitioners and those new to the practice.
Sat, Oct 22, 6–8 pm + Sun, Oct 23, 8:30 am–7:15 pm
Before Oct 17: $275
After Oct 17 or at the door: $295
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The Experience
The flow of the weekend will follow the Wholebeing Institute learning experience—learn from experts, embody the lessons for yourself, and connect within a community.
Day 1: Saturday Evening
6–6:30 pm: Registration in lobby
6:30 pm: Getting Connected with Phoebe Atkinson, Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Caroline Kohles + Winalee Zeeb
7:30–8 pm: Welcome and Why with Megan McDonough
Day 2: Sunday
8:30–9 am: Coffee and tea in the lobby
9–9:45 am: Sociometry and Movement with Phoebe Atkinson, Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Caroline Kohles + Winalee Zeeb
10 am–12:30 pm: Morning keynotes
12:30–2 pm: Lunch
2–2:30 pm: Sociometry and Movement with Phoebe Atkinson, Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Caroline Kohles + Winalee Zeeb
2:45–5 pm: Afternoon keynote
5–5:30 pm: Program wrap-up with Megan McDonough
5:45–6:15 pm: Celebratory Sociometry and Movement with Phoebe Atkinson, Megha Nancy Buttenheim, Caroline Kohles + Winalee Zeeb
6:30–7:15 pm: Mocktail after-party in the lobby
Morning Keynotes
Positive Psychology in Connection: Beyond the Self with Megan McDonough
We can work really hard at self-improvement, viewing well-being as an individual endeavor or a personal pursuit. We can use grit and perseverance to muscle through the tough times. But what if we don't need to shoulder difficulties alone? In fact, individual well-being is deeply interconnected with that of others. In this session, you’ll explore the interconnected self—the opportunity to move from a view of separateness into an awakened sense of an interdependent self. By drawing on awareness bigger than oneself, you can change your experience today, even in the most challenging of times.
Collective Hope and a Bridge to Divine Intelligence with Dan Tomasulo
Hope is the regulation of perception toward a belief in control of the future. With collective hope, we become more aware of our relationship with others and the power of a shared vision. Ultimately, developing a better relationship with ourselves and those around us prepares us for a transcendent connection. When oneself, others, and the divine are aligned, the combination leads to a resilient and purposeful life.
Afternoon Keynote
Contraction/Expansion: Learning to Protect One's Boundaries to Expand into Our Collective Contributions with Maria Sirois
We each come to life with certain yesses—gifts, skills, talents, perspectives, and offerings that are ours to give. If we deplete ourselves with poor boundaries, we have little to offer and those gifts become small or distorted, even hidden away. When, however, we support our own well-being by clarifying what we are here to provide, what is not ours to provide, and how we best navigate the boundaries between, we create an internal knowing that activates vitality and will and expansiveness—which together activate a better life for ourselves and for the individuals and collectives we touch.
Bios
Megan McDonough is the CEO and founder of Wholebeing Institute, an educational organization teaching the science of human flourishing. With a degree in nuclear medicine, decades of leadership experience, and 25 years of teaching and practicing yoga, Megan combines intellectual understanding with an embodied approach to teaching and leading. She’s an award-winning writer and the author of four books on mindfulness. Her work focuses on helping people thrive and organizations to do the same.
Maria Sirois, Psy.D., is a master teacher, facilitator, and author. She is devoted to the science of well-being and the art of crafting a life and work that embody health, passion, and success. As a positive psychologist and consultant, she focuses on the resilience of the human spirit, particularly when under chronic stress, during significant transitions, and/or feeling the shock of wholesale change. Known for her wisdom, authenticity, and humor, Maria brings a wealth of perspective from decades of study in the mind/body medicine and resilience disciplines.
Dan Tomasulo, Ph.D., is one of the top 10 online influencers on the issue of depression. He is the academic director and a core faculty member at the Spirituality Mind Body Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a doctorate in psychology, MFA in writing, and master of applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dan authors the daily column “Ask the Therapist,” as well as the Learned Hopefulness blog for PsychCentral.com, and he developed the Dare to Be Happy experiential workshops for Kripalu. He is the author of the award-winning memoir American Snake Pit, and his most recent book is Learned Hopefulness, the Power of Positivity to Overcome Depression.
Phoebe Atkinson is a core faculty member of Wholebeing Insitutue’s Positive Psychology Coaching Certification program. She is a licensed clinical social worker, board certified coach, and board-certified trainer, educator, and practitioner in psychodrama, sociometry, and group psychotherapy. She serves on the faculty for WBI's Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology, and is also a graduate of the program. Since March 2020, Phoebe has curated more than 230 programs for the WBI/JCC Positive Psychology Hour, featuring WBI alumni, faculty, and friends as presenters.
Megha Nancy Buttenheim, is CJO (Chief JOY Officer) and Founding Director of Let Your Yoga Dance®, Embodying Positive Psychology. Megha has served on the WBI faculty since its inception, bringing the teaching tenets of positive psychology into body, mind, spirit. From 1985–2020, Megha was a senior faculty member and teacher trainer at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, teaching and training thousands of people in yoga, holistic health, moving meditation, and her signature Let Your Yoga Dance Teacher Training. She now teaches trainings and online classes in Let Your Yoga Dance for all populations, including the elderly and people with Parkinson's. She is the author of Expanding Joy: Let Your Yoga Dance, Embodying Positive Psychology.
Caroline Kohles is Senior Director of Health + Wellness at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. She is a program director, teacher, collaborator, health ambassador, and mentor to countless members of the JCC community in their quest towards behavioral change and wellness, in mind, body, or spirit. During the pandemic, she partnered with Wholebeing Institute to host the Positive Psychology Hour. Her signature work over the past 19 years includes the development of innovative cancer care and Parkinson's programs at the JCC. A fitness professional for over 30 years, Caroline began her career as a professional dancer. She is a second-degree black belt in The Nia Technique and is on the international Nia training faculty.
Winalee Zeeb thrives on sharing the joy of movement as well as her playful philosophies for balance and wellness. With more than 41 years of teaching experience in the fitness and wellness industry, Winalee holds a BA from Michigan State University. She is a certified trainer at the Nia second degree black belt, and brown through white belt levels. She teaches nationally and internationally.