True resilience and success don’t start with striving harder—they begin by standing firmly in who you are at your best.
“Happiness precedes success.” — Caroline Adams Miller
In this episode of Standing Up Strong, Dr. Jillian Coppley speaks with positive psychology pioneer and author Caroline Adams Miller about the science of flourishing, goal setting, and meaningful achievement.
Caroline challenges the myth that success creates happiness, explaining instead that well-being fuels goal attainment and long-term success. Drawing on research and personal experience, she highlights the power of character strengths, supportive relationships, and her concept of ampliship—publicly and intentionally uplifting others, particularly women, as they pursue ambitious goals.
Her best advice: do hard, meaningful things, surround yourself with people who believe in you, and create spaces where everyone can rise together. This conversation reminds us that true happiness and wellbeing are critical to building a community of upstanders.
More about host Jillian Coppley:
Dr. Jillian Coppley is a visionary executive recognized internationally for her expertise in character strengths, wellbeing, and organizational transformation. With deep experience in positive psychology, strategy, and change, she has led large-scale collaborations, built global programs, strategic partnerships, and thriving organizational cultures that empower individuals, teams and organizations to flourish. Her leadership blends strategic vision, research-based innovation, and deep personal care for others —creating environments where people and programs thrive and where meaningful, lasting impact takes root.
This series is part of the Cynthia & Harold Guttman Family Center for Storytelling at the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the science of character strengths is integral to our work creating a community of upstanders.
https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org/
https://www.youtube.com/@holocaustandhumanity
Our thanks to the Mayerson Family Foundation and the VIA Institute on Character for their support of this series
https://www.mayersonfoundation.org
Find us on social media
https://www.facebook.com/CincyHHC
https://www.instagram.com/holocaustandhumanity
https://www.tiktok.com/@holocaustandhumanity
Episode Resources
- VIA Character Strengths Survey (free): https://www.viacharacter.org/survey
- Caroline Adams Miller’s latest book
• Big Goals – https://biggoalsbook.com/
- Caroline Adams Miller’s website: https://www.carolinemiller.com
- Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center: https://www.holocaustandhumanity.org
Recommended Research Links
- The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect (Lyubomirsky, King & Diener): Foundational research showing that frequent positive emotions (happiness) predict greater success across life domains.
https://sonjalyubomirsky.com/files/2012/09/Review-of-Psychology-2005.pdf - Sonja Lyubomirsky’s website: Summaries and resources on research linking happiness, success, and positive psychology interventions.
https://sonjalyubomirsky.com/research/ - Goal Setting Theory by Locke & Latham, explained: Scientific background to why setting specific goals leads to higher achievement.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/goal-setting-theory - Goal Setting Theory summary: Easy-to-understand overview of goal-setting theory and its application.
https://www.mindtools.com/a4wo118/goal-setting-theory - VIA Character Strengths survey and research: The official site for the VIA strengths assessment tool and related scientific findings.
https://www.viacharacter.org/research - “Tend-and-Befriend” stress response (Taylor et al.): Seminal study describing the unique social approach to stress, especially in women.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447045/ - “Tend-and-Befriend” explained (Psychology Today): Accessible overview of how tending and befriending shape our stress responses.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/stress/tend-and-befriend-response - Tom Gilovich’s research on social comparison
https://psychology.cornell.edu/thomas-d-gilovich - Upward and downward social comparison article: A core study outlining how comparing ourselves to others impacts wellbeing.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167204264007 - Active/constructive responding (PositivePsychology.com): Overview and guide to responding supportively to others’ good news.
https://positivepsychology.com/active-constructive-responding/ - McKinsey & Lean In “Women in the Workplace” report: Annual deep dive into workplace experiences and barriers for women.
https://womenintheworkplace.com/ - McKinsey “Women in the Workplace” resource page: Additional insights and tools for advancing women’s progress at work.
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace
