As a former 3P coach and podcast host, I think we have an ethical responsibility to teach a psychological understanding that addresses social problems. The key ingredient? Recognizing the unique and integral strengths everyone has—empowering creativity, wisdom, and internal capacity—for positive personal and social well-being.

Combined with my doctoral studies, I partnered with Ron McVety to launch Three Principles Research & Consulting (3PRC). As the executive director of 3PRC, our team has established the need for and interest in participatory research in mental health and well-being. We have created a model by which scientists (independent and within the University setting) partner with experienced practitioners to build research. Through this model, our teams create research studies that are informative to communities of practice, broaden the connection of the work to an interdisciplinary science, and build a cohesive message around a diverse set of programs (ranging from prisoner counseling, drug rehabilitation, homeless support, and K-12 education).

Our team (Dr. Adriaan Denkers, Dr. Anita McGinty, & Nici Butchart, and I) shares a vision- and mission- to use research as a tool to shape the landscape of available programs on wellbeing, ensuring more attention is given to the power of programs that offer an explicit message on the natural, innate capacity for wisdom, creativity, and health.

Currently, I am happily married to a 3P social worker (John Gray) and live with my mother, and two teenage daughters in Charlottesville, VA. I am scheduled to graduate from my doctoral program in 2023!