Today, I’m kicking off something a little different on the show — a mini series exploring the intersection of positive psychology and travel. If you’ve ever come home from a trip feeling more connected, more curious, more yourself — there’s actually science behind that. And over the past year, I’ve been studying it deeply through my master’s at Penn — not just as a travel professional, but as a human who believes that travel can be truly transformative.

To launch this series, I’m so honored to welcome one of my mentors and dear friends, Leona Brandwene. Leona is the Associate Director of Education at the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where she helps lead the renowned MAPP program. She’s also a master teacher, a coach, a mom, and someone who lives and breathes this work in such an authentic and inspiring way.

In this conversation, we explain the basics of positive psychology. And then we explore how travel sparks awe, builds agency, strengthens relationships, and helps us find deeper meaning.

If you’ve ever felt that your best self shows up on the road, this episode will give you language, insight, and maybe even a few ideas to bring that feeling into everyday life.

Listen to hear:

• 02:44 – About a travel memory that made her feel interconnected
• 04:35 – What Positive Psychology 101 actually is
• 05:43 – How happiness and well-being differ
• 08:16 – Why we have three models of happiness
• 11:28 – How travel might help people discover deeper meaning
• 15:14 – Why travel naturally spirals positive emotions
• 18:36 – About awe as an emotion while travelling
• 22:06 – How travel helps people discover deeper connections
• 32:15 – About the value of relationships in our overall well-being
• 37:23 – How we can have micro-deep relationships with people from different cultures
• 44:21 – What positive psychology interventions are
• 50:29 – Why travel can be an intervention
• 60:04 – About a few of Leona’s favorite choices on travel
• 66:12 – What travel teach us about the world and humanity