How do we keep our hearts open when our differences make us want to pull away? Leading researchers and clinicians Barbara Fredrickson, Kamilah Majied, and Myriam Mongrain will examine how everyday moments of joy, love, and contemplative practice can disarm defensive habits, restore compassion, and build the enduring psychological resources needed to heal deep societal divides.
What We’ll Explore
Through dialogue and practical insights, we will explore how to:
Move Past Division: What helps us step out of “us vs. them” habits and reconnect across difference.
Build Inner Resilience: How contemplative practices bring grounding and courage during social friction.
Open the Heart: How micro-moments of joy and curiosity replenish our emotional capacity when we feel closed off.
Explore Wider Possibilities: Ideas for both personal and collective changes that support everyday compassion.
Our Expert Speakers
Kamilah Majied, MSW, PhD is a mental health therapist, clinical educator, researcher, and internationally engaged consultant on building inclusivity and equity using meditative practices. Drawing from her decades of contemplative practice and leadership, Dr. Majied engages people in experiencing wonder, humor, and insight through transforming oppressive patterns and deepening relationships toward ever-improving individual, organizational and communal wellness. As Professor of Social Work at California State University, Monterey Bay, she teaches clinical practice to graduate students employing psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness-based, and artistic approaches to well-being. She is the author of Joyfully Just: Black Wisdom and Buddhist Insights for Liberated Living (Sounds True).
Barbara Fredrickson, PhD is Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (https://peplab.web.unc.edu/). She is most known for her Broaden-and-Build Theory of positive emotions, foundational in both affective science and positive psychology. Having published 175 peer-reviewed articles, she is among the top 0.05% of scholars in terms of career-long productivity and impact. A recipient of numerous awards for her research and teaching, Dr. Fredrickson has authored three books, Positive Emotions (Oxford University Press), Love 2.0, (PositivityResonance.com), and Positivity (PositivityRatio.com). Her free online course on the Coursera platform has reached >370,000 learners worldwide.
Dr. Myriam Mongrain is a clinical psychologist and Full Professor of Psychology at York University. She is an active clinician, researcher, and teacher whose work examines positive psychology interventions to boost resilience and promote well-being. She currently serves as Chair of the Science Committee for the Global Compassion Coalition.
Register here for this free online event. Please note, this event has been standardized to the Eastern Time Zone.