Author: Louis J. Alloro, M.Ed., MAPP

02 Sep

Posted at 05:58h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, Glimpse into Me, gratitude, Meaning, Moments that matter by

I am so in awe. Awe ô/ noun 1. 
a feeling of reverential respect We just completed the first cohort of CAPP in Philadelphia. Wow, what an amazing bunch of extra-ordinary hu/man be~ings. Really. Wow. I always knew they were special. In fact, when we started the class in March, an intuitive told me that many of us traveled together in former lives. For some of you, this sounds funny. For us, though, it resonates. Just imagine the good travel buddies (I hope) you have in this life (you know, the ones you have that make “vacation” easy breezy and funnnn) and multiply that...

28 Jul

Posted at 11:24h in Positive Psychology, Relationships by

My youngest nephew Max is getting ready to leave for college. The other day, I overheard my sister telling him, “Everyone gets homesick.” Maybe we all know the heartache that comes from homesickness? Or the agony of bereavement? Or the pain of being shunned from the crowd? This is part of the hard lifestuff that positive psychology tools and strategies can help us navigate. According to research by Cacioppo & Patrick, loneliness is a subjective state. “Feeling lonely does not mean that we have deficient social skills. Problems arise when feeling lonely makes us less likely to employ the skills we have.” In...

17 Jun

Posted at 15:59h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, Glimpse into Me by

Lou·is [n. loo-is] A·lloro [uh-lohr-o], M.Ed., MAPP is a change-agent working with individuals and organizations to enable positive evolution, even through the most difficult challenges. He is one of the first 100 people in the world to earn a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. For his second Master degree in the Foundations of Education, he studied power, identity, and voice. Louis is cofounder and director of a 6-month Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) program (now in 7 cities!), designer of a city-wide, positive mental health intervention called SOMO Leadership Labs, and a senior fellow at George Mason...

04 Jun

Posted at 20:34h in Glimpse into Me, My life by

The essay that changed my life . . . For some time now, I have been thinking that I when my time comes, I’d like my tombstone to read, “It feels good to feel good” – simply because it does. I have learned this lesson through my education, life experiences, trials, tribulations, and everything in between on my constant search for the “good life.” However, I still remain puzzled as to why or how some people never adopt this way of life, why some people remain victims of their own dysfunctions, why some people live life spewing a negative energy that increasingly...

05 Apr

Posted at 12:51h in Glimpse into Me, Social-Emotional Leadership, SOMO Leadership by

  I wrote this in 2008. I lifted it from my MAPP capstone project, the final requirement for my advanced degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. Social-emotional (SOMO) Leadership was just an idea in 2008 and I was ready to take some social-emotional leadership at that year's family Easter!   I realized the need for social-emotional leadership within my own network a few years ago when I saw one of the youngest members of our clan exhibiting some troubling behaviors on Easter. This young boy joined the men in the family room in a friendly betting pool that my Uncle Charlie,...

31 Mar

Posted at 07:04h in Glimpse into Me, poetry by

There Is A Place There is a place Where pain is a seed, Where Soul attends To Self and its needs. Where thinking and doing Are effortlessly right. Insight and compassion Hold us, irrevocably, As moon holds the night. The brain sprouts thoughts, As the ocean makes waves, And the dawn falls forward Through close of the day. Where the nature of things Is open and free - And love flows Between us Spontaneously. Soften, soothe, Accept what is, Be kind to others, Attend to your needs. Here I am the sun, the stars, A little boy - For sky has clouds, Trees have leaves, and I am freaking out with joy. Craig Stanton is a student of mine at George Mason University in the Leadership & Wellbeing...

20 Mar

Posted at 05:44h in Glimpse into Me, Mindfulness by

I spent the past 3 days in a digital detox by eliminating all email, Facebook, Twitter, and insta-anything from my diet. It was a very intentional effort to unplug and restore. Instead, I went old-school and even drafted some of this by long hand! Can you imagine? What I learned is just how addicted I am to these mobile and screen-based technologies. I don’t use the addict word lightly. It had come to the point that even before getting out of bed, I’m checking my emails and social media accounts as part of my morning ritual. Half-hazed or on the toilet or...

05 Mar

Posted at 10:32h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, change-agent, Glimpse into Me, Goal Setting, spirituality by

As I sit her preparing for the launch of the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology (CAPP) program in Philadelphia this Saturday, I am filled with amazing gratitude. Gratitude for this awesome program and my beautiful friend and co-conspirator, Emiliya Zhivotovskaya who teaches me so much: she teaches me to hustle with heart, to learn with vigor and to live with integrity. It wasn’t that long ago that CAPP was just an idea and now, we are beginning with our first rollout outside the NYC market. It’s a good day! I am grateful for the 25 students who have registered to join this...

19 Feb

Posted at 12:13h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, change-agent, Glimpse into Me, Social-Emotional Leadership, SOMO Leadership by

I post on Facebook a lot -- especially about my work. Maybe it’s too much for some of you <insert my sisters shaking their heads in agreement >, but for me it’s what I have got to do right now to survive as an entrepreneur. The way I figure is that I’ve got 4K people who have chosen to be friends with me on here. Maybe it’s because we went to third grade together—or danced at the Roxy one night long ago. Maybe it’s because you like my view of the world or share conviction that we can make a difference. Entrepreneurs...

28 Jan

Posted at 11:42h in Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology, Positive Psychology by

http://www.phillyvoice.com/philadelphia-happiness-capitol-america/ Is Philadelphia the optimism capital of America? The science behind happiness WELLNESS PSYCHOLOGY PHILADELPHIA MENTAL HEALTH LIFESTYLE HEALTH BY JOANN GRECO  PhillyVoice Contributor Philadelphians are a notoriously disgruntled lot, right? Actually, the City of, well, Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection) is an optimistic hot-bed of positive thinking research. That’s thanks to the happy presence of Dr. Martin Seligman, a Penn professor and the director of its Positive Psychology Center (PPC), and his merry band of cohorts. The author of titles like "Authentic Happiness" and "Learned Optimism," Seligman called for a re-examination of his field in 1998 while serving as the head of the American Psychological Association. Promoting what he termed “positive psychology,” he asked practitioners...

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