This image brings me back to the early days of building something that did not exist yet: a bridge between the science of positive psychology and the people who needed it most.
In 2014, the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) program was born from an act of collaborative imagination. It started with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya and Louis Alloro, who shared a vision: to make the science of human flourishing accessible, practical, and community-based.
And like everything good in MAPP culture, it grew through co-creation. Teachers, practitioners, coaches, and researchers from across the globe joined in. Our first co-creators were Carin Rockind, Christine DuVuvier, Katie Conlon, and Bill Fair. Ideas were shared freely, lived experience became curriculum, and a learning community began to form, one built on curiosity, courage, evidence, and heart.
CAPP was never just a program, it became a movement. A gathering place for people who wanted more than theory, who wanted to change lives, systems, and communities. Over the years, it has run in cities across the United States and internationally, spawning workshops, organizational change efforts, educational initiatives, peer learning circles, wellbeing coalitions, and lifelong friendships.
From MAPP to CAPP, the ripple effect continues. What began as one cohort now lives in the lives and work of thousands around the world. This is a reminder that movements begin with a shared dream, a brave first step, and partnerships!
