In the Press
Lea is committed to spreading the science of positive psychology as widely as possible and has been featured on Morning Dose (The CW, Dallas, TX, USA), Revolution School (ABC, Australia), Matter of Fact (ABC, Australia), Destination Happiness (Channel Nine, Australia), Today Extra (Channel Nine, Australia), National Nightly News (Channel Ten, Australia), The Project (TV3, New Zealand), The Café (NZTV, New Zealand), Breakfast (NZTV, New Zealand). Lea has written for The Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, The Atlantic, and The Guardian, and her work is featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Toronto Globe, Huffington Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Vogue, ELLE Magazine and more.
Featured Videos
Featured Articles
Lea’s Latest Media
Schools create wellbeing cluster
Visible Wellbeing has made a lasting impact to the Mildura community, led by Chaffey Secondary College, Mildura Primary School and Mildura South Primary School who formed a ‘Visible Wellbeing Cluster’ in 2019. Read the article here.
Want to Believe in Yourself? ‘Mattering’ Is Key
In this New York Times article by Gail Cornwall, Lea unpacks the meaning of true strengths and how these strengths increase your belief that you matter. Read the article here
Supporting Students
This articles highlights the support that Yancoal has provided to 11 schools in the Singleton region of NSW to bring Visible Wellbeing to life in the community. Read the article here.
The problem with positive psychology: When the pursuit of happiness turns toxic
In this article by Gail Cornwall, Lea talks about the fact that positive psychology is about acknowledging ‘the existence of true weaknesses and asks you to work on them only to the point where they no longer negatively impact your life’, and that weaknesses are not simply “emerging strengths”. Read the article here.
How can I reassure my child about current affairs? Talk in an age-appropriate, informative way
This article by Sarah Ayoub for The Guardian discusses how best to talk to children about current affairs. Read it here.
Wellbeing focus crucial for students returning to class
This article discusses the importance of the importance of wellbeing in schools, as highlighted at Visible Wellbeing Partner School, Danebank Anglican School for Girls. Read the article here.
Hunter teachers share expertise on world stage at Lea Waters' International Visible Wellbeing Summit
In this article in the Muswellbrook Chronicle, Lea’s partnership with Where There’s A Will to deliver the Strength Switch family course to parents in the Upper Hunter region is highlighted. Read the article here.
Happy Families podcast: An Interview with Lea Waters
In this episode Lea talks to Dr Justin Coulson about Covid fatigue, small things you can do to feel happier amidst the pandemic, how to build your family’s strengths and more. Listen here.
Emptying the Dishwasher Can Enrich Kids’ Mental Health
In this The New York Times article by Sharon Holbrook, Lea discusses how mastery experiences can have a positive impact on the mental health of children. Read the article here.
Flourishing young lives: Ridley College’s proactive approach to student well-being
Read about Ridley College, North America’s first Visible Wellbeing school, and their ongoing focus on student wellbeing. Read the article here.
The Yellow Cottage, Scone Grammar School, receives Excellent Rating from ACECQA
This article in The Sector highlights the impact of Lea’s Strength Stars Framework at The Yellow Cottage (Scone Grammar School Preschool). Read the article here.
SEARCHing for Wellbeing
Listen to Lea’s talk for the 2020 International Positive Education Network (IPEN) Virtual Conference in which she discusses SEARCH; a meta-framework to guide the practice of positive education.
Puka Up Podcast - Pt. 2
Lea speaks with Wayne Schwass, host of the ‘Puka Up: Your Weekly Wellbeing Conversation’ podcast. In part 2 of their conversation, Lea explains how she is finally in a good space after nearly three decades of counseling, that emotions happen in our physiology not our hearts, how society confuses anger with aggression, why mindfulness is one of the most effective ways of managing our way through Covid, what adversarial growth is, how shame is put into us and that self-compassion is the antidote to shame.
Puka Up Podcast
Lea speaks with Wayne Schwass, host of the ‘Puka Up: Your Weekly Wellbeing Conversation’ podcast. In part 1 of their discussion, they talk about how to grow from adversity, manage anxiety, overcome abuse, and make meaning of grief.
Out of Touch
In this article by Ushla Chauhan for Vogue Australia, Lea discusses our dependence on human contact and how physical touch contributes to physical and emotional health. Read the full article here.
Lea on ABC Radio
Lea talks to Libbi Gorr about how to cope with anxiety in a changing landscape.
Lea on The Dad Train podcast
Lea explains how to spot strengths in your kids, the different types of strengths to look out for and how focusing on strengths can also help to address weaknesses in this interview with Scott Davison.
How do we teach students about their wellbeing online?
In this article for the University of Melbourne’s ‘Pursuit’ magazine, Lea explains how social emotional learning can be taught in digital classrooms. Read it here.
