Paul Settles is the Head Men’s Tennis Coach and Associate Professor of Physical Education at Claremont McKenna College, specializing in leadership studies. A competitive athlete and former professional tennis tour player services director, he has worked with elite athletes, exploring the intersection of sports, leadership, and grit to cultivate high-performance mindsets. In his current role he has led the CMS Tennis program to an outstanding 513-103 record. In this episode, we discuss his journey through sports and what it takes to succeed as an athlete and in life.

https://cmsathletics.org/staff-directory/paul-settles/108

Breanna Sampo is a second-year PhD student at Claremont Graduate University studying Positive Developmental Psychology. She is a member of the Adolescent Moral Development Lab, under the direction of Dr. Kendall Cotton Bronk, working on projects that explore how to help youth develop their purpose in life. Breanna is passionate about sharing kindness with the world and improving the chances of flourishing for all people.

Song Xue is a graduate student in Positive Organizational Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. Throughout his twenties, he explored career paths from hospitality to tutoring and from personal finance to tech sales. Now, he studies the concept of calling and hopes to help individuals discover deeper meaning and purpose in their work.

John received a B.S. in Marketing and Commercial Graphics in 2021 and a DTh from Oxford in 2023. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Positive Developmental Psychology at Claremont Graduate University. John aims to leverage his interdisciplinary background to explore the benefits and applications of curiosity. His research also delves into the concept of meaning and its role in successfully navigating the human experience. In this episode, we discuss John's journey through theology and psychology while exploring his newfound interest in studying curiosity.

Steffanie Guillermo is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Pitzer College. She teaches courses such as Social Psychology, Psychological Statistics, and Stereotyping & Prejudice. Her research examines the social cognitive mechanisms underlying racial/ethnic bias. In this episode, Steffanie and I break down the field of social psychology and discuss some of our favorite topics, such as influence and persuasion, stereotyping and heuristics, and combatting negativity biases.

Becky Reichard, PhD, is a Full Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at Claremont Graduate University, where she directs LeAD Labs – a non-profit consulting group focusing on developing diverse leaders through evidence-based practice. Dr. Reichard is currently accepting doctoral students and other collaborators with a passion for studying the psychological mechanisms and organizational systems that elevate aspiring diverse leaders. https://www.linkedin.com/in/breichard/

Kayla K. Parker is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Organizational Behavior program at Claremont Graduate University. Her research is concentrated on how leader identity development functions differently for minority leaders, such as Black women, and deconstructing existing leader development theories from the perspective of an aspiring minority leader.

Learn more about LEAD Labs: https://research.cgu.edu/lead-labs/

Read their new publication here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4699721

Eli Waxler is a fourth-year doctoral student in Positive Developmental Psychology with research interests in positive identity development, flow, passion, human flourishing, and applied positive psychology. Working alongside Dr. Jeanne Nakamura, Eli is the current Lab Manager of the Quality of Life Research Center. Outside of CGU, Eli is the Research and Resource Manager for the Sports Performance Knowledge Network. In his spare time, he loves to go to concerts and spend time with his dog Bella.