The Mission
My aim is teach others how not just to walk, not just to run, but how to fly. I believe in dreaming big dreams, but I realize that turning a dream into reality requires skill--and we all can gain greater mastery of these skills.
I believe that when enough people live their best life, humanity will hit a tipping point. Our world will undergo an unimaginable positive transformation. That's why I do what I do.
My Personal Journey
For 15 years I have been training people from the boardroom to the classroom to attain greater happiness and success. I am an instructor at Stanford University where I teach the three most popular courses in the Continuing Studies Department. In addition, I lecture internationally, conduct workshops, consult to businesses, and coach individual clients. As a facilitator for Google’s Search Inside Yourself program, I train business leaders to be more effective and happier in the office and in their lives.
But my expertise has much more personal origins. Early one morning, twenty-two years ago I began my quest to find happiness. I dropped out of college to go soul-searching and found myself at sunrise sitting atop Mount Sinai. There, where Moses is said to have seen the Burning Bush, I had an epiphany. As I gazed over a sea of golden mountain peaks, sun rays burst into the pink sky. Awestruck, I saw an image. I saw myself trudging through life carrying a backpack full of rocks. A voice inside me said, “You are supposed to be dancing through life.” As tears streamed down my face, I made a vow: I would find my way to happiness, and when I arrived, I would teach what I had learned to others. I sealed my decision with a stack of stones and descended from the mountain.
I studied under the world's best scholars. My mentors included top scientists at Stanford, Harvard, and Boston University. Many unlikely geniuses shared with me their nuggets of wisdom--a French carpenter, Buddhist monks, a quirky housewife, taxi drivers, Maasai warriors, Silicon Valley titans, and an old cowboy at a campfire.
Did I arrive at happiness? Well, I discovered a greater truth: Happiness isn't a destination--it is a way of living. Moment-by-moment we create happiness with our thoughts, words, actions, and deeds. After earning a PhD in psychology, specialized in positive psychology and eventually distilled my personal insights and applied cutting edge science from neuroscience, positive psychology, and Eastern thought to create this happiness program.
Flat tires, soft heartbreaks and bruised knees still happen. They are integral to the magnificent journey of life. These lessons continually expand and enhance my understanding as well as keep my teaching real. They remind me to take in the magic and wholeheartedly live the mystery.
May you flourish,
Laura
Laura Delizonna, PhD, Founder of Choosing Happiness. Since 2002, she has been affiliated with Stanford University where she currently teaches positive psychology and emotional intelligence courses and previously was a staff psychologist and a postdoctoral fellow. She works with clients in private practice in San Francisco as well as presents workshops and keynotes in companies, organizations and universities. She has presented internationally in countries such as Denmark, India, South Africa, Canada, and Vietnam. She earned a PhD from Boston University and conducted her doctoral dissertation with Dr. Ellen Langer at Harvard University. Dr. Delizonna serves as a Board Member for the American Happiness Association and Project Happiness.
Ted Anstedt
CEO, Merit Training Corporation
Ted Anstedt has spent the past twenty years creating and delivering workshops for major companies across the US, Canada, and Europe. He specializes in training-the-trainer programs related to positive psychology and emotional intelligence. Anstedt received an MA from Stanford. Ted is the mastermind behind the building block structure that sets these programs apart.
Interns
Bianca Davoodian, UC Berkeley. Bianca is majoring in psychology and has presented at multiple professional conferences our research findings that our programs lead to increases in happiness and emotional intelligence. She exemplifies zest and a passion for making a difference in the world.
Christina Marini, BS. Christina majored in biological psychology at UC Santa Barbara. She co-founded the Positive Psychology Association in the Santa Barbara community. Her passions are neuroscience and positive psychology. She takes a holistic approach to overall well-being.
Kate MacAleavey, BA. Kate majored in psychology at UC Santa Barbara. She co-founded the Positive Psychology Association in the Santa Barbara community. She has been studying positive psychology for seven years and plans to enroll in graduate school in the near future.
