Dr. Jillian Coppley, President and Chief Programs and Services Officer for the VIA Institute on Character, is stepping behind the mic as the guest host of season two of “Standing Up Strong.” This special podcast series presented in partnership by the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center and the VIA Institute on Character explores the science behind character strengths and how they can be used to empower upstanders.
With decades of leadership experience, Jillian brings both heart and expertise to the conversation. Each episode of season two features thought-provoking discussions with professionals from a variety of fields who are putting character strengths into action in meaningful ways.
To help listeners get to know Jillian, we asked her to share more about her experience, her goals for this season, and how she draws on her own strengths in everyday life.
How did you find yourself in the work of character strengths?
I found my way to character strengths through a lifelong fascination with how our workplaces can either lift people up by focusing on strengths or slowly wear them down by focusing on deficits. Early in my career, I learned that culture isn’t accidental — it’s shaped, moment to moment by what leaders notice, reward, and tolerate and by the emergent processes, protocols and procedures that follow.
When I discovered the VIA Classification and the science of character strengths, I had a new research-based language — a way to name and nurture what’s best in us. It offered a framework that could build individual, team, and organizational growth and performance not from deficits or dysfunction, but from what’s already strong and life-giving.
Your signature strengths include Creativity, Perseverance, Love of Learning, Appreciation of Beauty and Excellence, and Honesty. How do these strengths show up in your leadership?
My signature strengths are a compass that guide how I aim to show up every day. Creativity stretches me to imagine new possibilities that may be just over the horizon, while perseverance keeps me grounded in the long work of development and change—it’s rarely quick or easy.
Love of learning reminds me to stay curious and open, especially to perspectives different from my own. Appreciation of beauty and excellence keeps me enjoying the small wonders in life while also delighting in a difficult job, well done. And honesty, for me, is the foundation, providing a sense of integrity across thought, word, and deed.
In your experience leading organizations through transformation, what role do character strengths play in building strong, inclusive cultures?
Character strengths are the connective tissue of culture. They give people a common, affirming language for what’s best in themselves and in each other. When people feel seen for their strengths, inclusion stops being a slogan and can become a lived reality. In every transformation I’ve witnessed, strengths have been a lever to help us bridge difference, dissolve silos. It’s the shift from how are we different to how are we connected.
What new perspectives do you hope listeners gain from Standing Up Strong?
I hope people walk away knowing that that the moment to moment choices we make in life can radically change our experience, and the experience of everyone around us. When we choose to see the best in ourselves, in others, in situations and act on that awareness our world expands. I also hope listeners see that character science isn’t abstract psychology — it’s a practical roadmap for navigating leadership, wellbeing, and life itself.
What can you tell us about the guests lined up for the podcast?
The guests are some of the biggest minds and hearts in the field – they are leading. global researchers, practitioners, and real-world changemakers. These are people who don’t just study character and wellbeing. They live it. You’ll hear from voices across disciplines who are reimagining how strengths can shape education, leadership, workplaces, and mental health. What they share in common is a conviction that human goodness, when cultivated intentionally, changes everything.
You’ve worked with partners around the world, from China to New Zealand to Mexico. What have you learned about the role of character strengths in different cultures?
What’s universal is the resonance — every culture recognizes and values strengths, even if the language differs. But how strengths are expressed can be beautifully diverse. Working globally has reminded me that character is both a mirror and a bridge — it reflects local values and connects us to shared humanity.
How do you see the future of character science evolving over the next few years?
In a time of constant disruption and uncertainty, knowing who you are—and leading from that center—has never been more important. Leaders who are grounded in their character strengths can bring steadiness and humanity to turbulence in ways that technology simply cannot replicate.
The next chapter of character science, I believe, will deepen our understanding of what it means to be fully human in an age increasingly shaped by machines. The future of flourishing will belong to those who are brave enough to lead with their humanity.
You can catch up on the first season of “Standing Up Strong” here. Season two with Dr. Jillian Coppley launches December 2025.
