S3 MSS 02: What Is Positive Psychology And Its Interventions?

"Lifestyle Medicine - the new paradigm in Primary Healthcare" 

In this episode, my guest Dr. Foong Tsin Uin and I talk about Primary Healthcare  particularly Lifestyle Medicine -  a rapidly growing field of medicine that uses evidence-based lifestyle interventions to prevent, treat and manage chronic diseases. 

If you ask people what Primary Healthcare is, most shrug or respond "direct healthcare?" To be honest, not many people know what it is let alone understood it. Are Singaporeans getting the kind of healthcare we need? Well, in this episode, I am delighted to have Dr. Foong share with us the concept of it and introduce the medical approach of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Dr. Foong is the Director and Chief Medical Officer of Osler Health International. Her team of international doctors have looked after the global community of Singapore for many years. 

Dr. Foong obtained her medical degree from Royal Free & UCL Medical School in London in 2000. She went to complete her postgraduate training in general practice in London, earning her membership with the Royal College of General Practitioners (UK) in 2006. Later on, she underwent further training and obtained a Diploma in Dermatology from Cardiff University in 2012.

Her practice within the international community in Singapore over the last 7 years has seen her practice grow as she delivers a holistic style approach to family practice – in particular looking after children from newborns upwards, and also in the field of mental health. Passionate about providing preventative health for Osler Health patients, Dr. Foong is also a member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Diving into the heart of what it truly means to progress and come together as a society in Singapore. she challenges the conventional wisdom that primary care providers and preventive approaches are always aligned. Dr. Foong introduces Osler Health Services and their uniqueness as a primary care provider.

At the core of our discussion is the concept of coaching in healthcare. Dr. Foong illuminates the distinction between a 10 minute and a 45 minute consultation. She introduces us to personalized healthcare right in the first consultation which is one of a kind that makes Osler different.

This episode takes you to understanding the importance of one's health and the accessibility of Primary Healthcare as well as the new paradigm - Lifestyle Medicine.
Dr. Foong advocates self-advocacy in healthcare which means that you are a participant in your own healthcare, working in partnership with doctors, and allied health professionals. Seeing the relationship with your health care team as a partnership helps make you part of decision-making and the management of your diagnosis and treatment.

Prepare to be inspired and challenged as Dr. Foong guides us into the path of true healthcare reform. It is a worthy listen!

Connect with Osler Health at:

https://osler-health.com/

Dr. Foong at:

https://sg.linkedin.com/in/dr-tsinuin-foong

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Anna Marie is back for another episode!

I am a living example and I owe it to Anna Marie. She got me to embark upon a self-discovery quest for answers and I became obsessed and read every book by Dr. Tony Attwood who is a world-renowned clinical psychologist on autism. 

In this episode. we covered:

• autism in boys versus girls
• setbacks in late diagnosis of autism for any child

What are the principles of ABA?

Anna Marie shared that the basic principles of ABA consist of environmental variables that impact behavior. These variables are antecedents and consequences. Antecedents are events that happen right before the behavior, and a consequence is the event following the behavior.

And, 1 technique is Springer's Operant Conditioning. Operant conditioning occurs when a consequence (positive or negative reinforcement or punishment) is paired or ceases to be paired with a behavior and it increases or decreases the likelihood that behavior will recur.

Enjoy this episode!

To learn more about Anna Marie:

https://affautism.com/about-us/

https://www.facebook.com/anna.dorelien

https://www.instagram.com/adorelienbcba/?hl=en

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Elizabeth is an avid traveler and an outdoor sports enthusiast who describe herself as an Explorer of the World. It is really an epic introduction for a 21 year old young lady who is not only intune with nature but also with people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.

We explore her journey as an Ultramarathoner, her passion in such an arduous sport; her insightful tips of starting such a sport and much more!

She recently became  a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Council on Strength & Fitness. She is passionate about helping individuals achieve their strength and endurance goals, whether that be hitting a particular weight in the gym or running their first marathon.

Her fitness journey began when she started the sport of adventure racing in high school. Pushing her body to its physical limits in a team taught me that it is possible to unlock so much more potential when working with others. The opportunity to race on some of the most beautiful terrains she has ever experienced also taught her the importance of enjoying one’s fitness journey. 

Her 5 year battle with hypothalamic amenorrhea (absence of menstrual periods) taught her about holistic health and sustainable habits. She hopes to empower her clients to be the best version of themselves across the various dimensions of health.

It's a worthy listen!

 Also, she is opened to virtual trainings so wherever you are is no problem for her to train!

Get in touch with her today either email or linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-koh-a92112158/

• email is lizkoh02@gmail.com

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Simon is a Psychologist and Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. He is Board Certified in Health Coaching and Lifestyle Medicine. He’s the CEO of Wellcoaches® Australia and Wellcoaches® Singapore founded on the Wellcoaches School of Health Coaching.

He is an Adjunct Lecturer at Avondale College University Lifestyle Medicine & Health Research Centre and is on teaching faculty with Wellcoaches USA. Simon is also Director of Coaching for First in Wellness LLC, whose mission is to improve the health, well-being and resilience of first responders. He’s the Chief Psychologist – Director of Program and Learning Development for Likevekt Helse, which equips Norwegian companies to support the health and wellbeing of their employees.

In addition, Simon is a Director of the US not-for profit Global Positive Health Institute, which seeks to support healthcare and other organisations by bringing together the disciplines of Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology. He is also a Director of the Australian not-for-profit Practice Excellence Institute which seeks to support health care organisations to provide high quality healthcare to their communities.

Simon consults nationally and internationally in the areas of health coaching, behaviour change, positive psychology and lifestyle medicine. He presents at national and international conferences on health coaching and the psychology of behavioural change.  He has published and writes regularly about these topics also and is a popular podcast guest.

I am excited to have him back and in this episode, you will get to hear one of the world's best coaches and I demonstrate an example of wellness coaching using some elements of motivational interviewing and implementing SMART goals techniques. 

We demoed and paused in bits to discuss so that you will get to comprehend on a better scale. 

Have an open heart, lean in and take notes.  It is a worthy listen!

• Connect with Simon Matthews LinkedIn profile 

http://linkedin.com/in/simonmatthewsfaslm

• email is smatthews@wellcoaches.com 
• www.coachanywhere.fitness 

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People don’t know how much you care until they know how much you care.

John Hanley

Doing motivational interviewing is like entering their home. One should enter with interest, respect, kindness and affirm what is good and refrain from providing any unsolicited advice about how to arrange the furniture. 

Kamilla Venner

Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. It is a complex combination of a person’s physical, emotional, social and mental health factors. On today’s show, Dr. Maleena, a strong wellbeing advocate shared her nuggets of wisdom on ways of improving one’s betterment of wellness. 

I am excited to talk more about this with Dr. Maleena Suppiah Cavert. Dr. Maleena is currently a Chief Wellbeing Officer with the National University Health System of Singapore. She helms undergraduate, postgraduate (Residency) clinical education and continuing medical education at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. She has also headed staff wellbeing and mental health initiatives at NUHS, collaborating with counterparts in the healthcare sector and the Ministry of Health since 2018. 

 Where humanity and compassion are lacking in healthcare, Maleena tries to restore these fundamental practices through training. 

 She is a certified MBSR (Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction) facilitator and works closely with healthcare staff and medical students to enhance resilience and combat burnout at the National University of Singapore and the National University Hospital Singapore, Maleena serves on the Executive Committee of WISH – Women in Science & Healthcare – looking to uphold and advance workplace Diversity and Inclusion. Maleena is also a board director at ALife, a non-profit organisation that assists unsupported mothers and their children.

 Maleena graduated from King’s College, London and went on to pursue an MBA at ESSEC Business School in Paris. Her doctoral thesis was on empathy and healthcare. She has worked in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, and Singapore, thus having the opportunity to experience and enact cross-cultural humanism and compassion.

 
Here are more of the details from our interview:

-          What’s wellbeing

-          The role of 8 pillars of wellbeing and how you can support it

-          Are organic foods necessary 

-          Understanding the importance of different types of diets 

-          Creating a certain balance with diets 

-          The power of hugs – give someone a hug today! (family only)

-          The connection between resiliency and mental wellbeing 

-          Foods and Lifestyle practices to optimize and enhance overall wellbeing 

-          Are we neglecting happiness?

-          Understanding happiness as a process and not a destination

-          Too many Singaporeans associate success with happiness. Is that a good thing?

-          Importance of lifestyle medicine 

-          Exploring your state of equanimity through various means 

So listen in, take good notes, and implement the tips that resonate with you!

• Connect with Dr. Maleena Suppiah Cavert LinkedIn profile 

https://sg.linkedin.com/in/dr-maleena-suppiah-cavert-6aa83820

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What is Positive Psychology?

How is it different from Traditional Psychology?

According to Wikipedia, Positive Psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living, focusing on both individual and societal well-being. 

Positive Psychology has been described in many ways and with many words, but the commonly accepted definition of the field is this: “Positive psychology is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living” (Peterson, 2008).

To push this brief description a bit further, positive psychology is a scientific approach to studying human thoughts, feelings, and behavior, with a focus on strengths instead of weaknesses, building the good in life instead of repairing the bad, and taking the lives of average people up to “great” instead of focusing solely on moving those who are struggling up to “normal” (Peterson, 2008).

As a field, Positive Psychology spends much of its time on topics such as resilience, happiness, flourishing, gratitude, compassion, self-esteem, self-confidence, hope and wellbeing. 

On today's show, Jana, a Wellness Consultant and Lecturer at the School of Positive Psychology of Singapore dive into what makes us thrive. 

I hope this episode helps you learn about the usefulness and science of wellbeing on a slightly deeper level and its effectiveness about positive psychology. Understanding your current emotional state and overall wellbeing will empower you to work towards a better state and empower you to flourish either at work or at home. It is imperative in this pandemic period. 

So listen in, take good notes, and implement the tips that resonate with you!

In this episode you will discover:

• The importance of Positive Psychology
• Benefits of Positive Psychology in workplace and home
• Common issues we humans deal with 
• Positive Psychology Interventions 
• What is negativity bias
• How 1 person's facial expressions  can affect your emotional state instantly 
• How to overcome the negativity bias from that 1 person(s)

To learn more about today's speaker Jana Dawson, please visit the following sites:

https://sg.linkedin.com/in/jana-dawson-mapp-7427a116
https://www.positivepsych.edu.sg/project/jana-dawson/



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To know more about my coaching services, check out www.coachanywhere.fitness  

Enjoy! 

Coach Karen 

What is CHANGE to you? 

Well, according to Cambridge Dictionary, CHANGE is "become different." 

Behavioral Change is a tricky subject and is not an easy topic to understand fully. According to Wiki, Behavioral Change is defined as a change of behavior with backed theories and models. 

Anna Marie who is a board certified Behavior Analyst shares about her experiences managing a center with autistic children as well as daily lives with her husband and kids. In this episode, Anna Marie, one of my favorite guests is back and we talked about innate desire, empowerment and factors that drive people to change. 

I hope this episode helps you learn about what makes us change and whether change comes from yourself or from external environments such as people, forces of nature, and social structures. So listen in, take good notes, and implement the tips that resonate with you!

Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes:

Available on Spotify, Apple and Google.

To know more about my coaching services, check out www.coachanywhere.fitness  

Enjoy! 

Coach Karen 

Breathing is easy. Yeah right! If breathing were easy, then why do most people have trouble with breathing? As in they just don't know how to breathe properly. Do you know how to breathe properly? What does it even mean? I am breathing well inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth, correct? 

Yes, you are partially right!

In this episode, let's explore breathing. 
You will discover the HOWs to: 

• Breathe properly 
• Deep breathing helps to relieve stress 
• Use of different types of breathing techniques 
• Focus on breathing 

Have you noticed when you are breathing, your mind tends to wander? You are probably wondering why. Of course our minds wander hence we have automatic thoughts. How do you bring your mind back though? How do you really just focus on your breathing? Well, the key part is to focus on something that is associated with breathing? 

I mention using a single word adjective in your breathing technique. When you are breathing, what are you inhaling? Air of course. Right. What is it for? Breathing has so many amazing benefits when we center our minds to know what the intention is. It is therefore important to be really specific what we want to receive into our bodies and what we want out of our bodies. 

If you are experiencing pain, how do you want the breathing to help? You want to be able to feel relaxed and possibly pain free afterwards, right? When  I heard of Doc Daniel Amen's EP on breathing with 3-1-6 technique, the holy spirit impressed upon me John 3:16. If we could just receive salvation through this breathing technique. Well, on hindsight, you can if you say the sinner's prayer while you breathe. 

Enjoy this episode and breathe alongside with me. 

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Support my show (https://paypal.me/karenleefitness) 

Turn up your volume, sit back and enjoy crackling up with my favourite guests in this episode! 

Please do not take them seriously in this episode especially Bobby. No, I am just kidding! 

As usual, Bobby is brilliant, comedic and insightful in his down-to-earth manner. Anna Marie is also clever, authentic and humble in nature. 

In this episode, both of them share times when they experienced burnout. Anna Marie shares about her daughter who has been feeling unwell for quite a while now and this has caused stress and at times anxiety. Bobby shades about his experience as a Coach in his new setting and environment post returning from Singapore. 

I have known Bobby for more than a year now and Anna Marie close to six months.  They are such dear friends to me and I hope you find this episode valuable. 

Available on Spotify, Apple and Google.

To know more about my coaching services, check out www.coachanywhere.fitness  

Enjoy! 

Coach Karen 

An excellent episode that you will find meaning in learning what your strengths are through Clifton StrengthsFinder. 

This episode, you will discover how Coach Jason uses his unique and clever animal analogy to illustrate certain themes out of a total of 34 themes altogether. 

Coach Jason works with multi-national corporations, small medium businesses, medium businesses and schools to help tap into their maximum potential. 

As a business owner myself, it is imperative to find partners or team who could complement my strengths and be treated as valuable assets and not some money makers. 

Coach Jason can be reached at his website:

https://www.perfectperformance.org/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjasonho

Do drop me a 5 star rating to support me as well letting others find me. 

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Support the show: 
https://paypal.me/karenleefitness