Language of Happiness Speaks To Women, Businesses And Gets Results

Finding your happy place just got easier, thanks to two St. Louis working moms Tammi Johnson and Lori Lander, who know a thing or two about taking care of other people’s needs before their own. After all, they’re moms!  So after decades of experience in the IT corporate world and leadership training (Johnson) and a career dedicated to women’s wellness and community service (Lander), these two powerhouses recently joined creative forces to create Language of Happiness, which offers a variety of workshops to women who are looking to make the most of the next stage in their life.

“My three teenage daughters are becoming more independent and don’t seem to need me like they did before.  So I did a lot of soul searching to figure out what I really want to do with my own life and what brings me alive. I needed to figure out how I can best use my skills and interests to feel challenged and fulfilled, and that’s always a work in progress,” said Lander, who in 2009 founded Girls In The Know (GITK), a nonprofit organization that educates and empowers moms and their preteen daughters to make positive decisions and healthy choices as they mature into adulthood.

Lander and Johnson met at a networking event and instantly connected with their similar passions to empower women to live their best life possible. They didn’t know what the end product would look like, but they knew with their different skills and backgrounds they could make a difference in people’s lives.

“After 21 years in the technology industry and leading teams/departments in Europe, Israel, and the United States, I found my greatest fulfillment when helping and developing people to identify and realize their potential. As a successful senior leader in both high-growth start-ups and established corporate environments, I learned that at the root of each success were high performing teams and individuals who love what they do. I wanted to create that sense of fulfillment for women, so we partnered to design a program that literally rewires the brain to understand the relationship between happiness and success,” said Johnson, who grew up in Israel and has lived in the United States for about 16 years. She is a certified Positive Psychology Coach and founder of ASI Coaching, which focuses on career, life, and transitional stages. “Personally, I feel like my international background and working with so many different people and then being in leadership positions give me a unique perspective. My background balanced with Lori’s ability to relate to people on an intimate level and keep everything grounded, relatable, and real makes us a great team, and we have a lot to offer.”

For example, their “Take The Lead” workshop is a dynamic six-week course that helps women identify their passion, their purpose, and a plan to get there.  Groups meet once a week, for 90 minutes, in a small, comfortable setting and work together and individually on their goals. Ninety minutes and it’s all about YOU–sounds like a mini vacation to look forward to each week. Each course provides hands-on tools that show women how to create a life with true meaning, fulfillment and personal growth based on proven scientific techniques of positive psychology that leads to success in their personal, family, and business lives. This emerging area of psychology examines the character and causes for happiness and success as well as how to leverage an individual’s intrinsic strengths.

The results, they say, can be transformational. Pam Wilson, who has a 20-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter, recently finished the “Take The Lead” workshop and had this to say: “I learned things that are common sense but not common,” said Wilson, who is a columnist and author of S.O.S. From Suburbia. “My life has literally changed after taking this course. Tammy talked a lot about reframing how we think, and Lori gave all the love she can possibly give. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. If you want to change your life or just learn more about yourself, Language of Happiness is the most amazing six weeks you will have in your life.”

Johnson has witnessed these powerful results in her own life and when working with clients.

“In our experience, the participants used to believe they knew what happiness was but figured that what they were led to believe did not necessarily lead them to happier life,” said the mom of three kids, ages 20, 14, and 12. “These women from all different backgrounds basically came to us to learn what it really meant and how we can adapt happiness tools and habits not only for happier lives but also how to make it last.”

And so far, so good.

“We just finished our first dynamic workshop series that involves group and personal mentorship, heart-to-heart conversations, interactive activities, meditation, and fun, practical techniques that have led to real results,” said Lander. “Language of Happiness allows women to look at themselves from a new perspective. The more we move, the more we’ll see. This movement is our viewpoint. It’s a quest, a search, a dance. It keeps us awake, interested, interesting, and sharpens our senses. The tools we create inspire people to do exactly that, and we can’t wait to reach out to more women in St Louis to visualize their happiness journey without limitations.”

Lander and Johnson want to be recognized as experts in the field of happiness, and their workshops and training programs aim to:

• Change the way you look at life, relationships, parenting, success, health and self-esteem through positive psychology and the importance of gratitude.
• Learn the theory and practice of leading a happy life by fining your flow and combining positive emotions and a sense of purpose, as well as dealing with stress and procrastination.
• Uncover your true value so that you can fulfill your dreams.
• Focus and identify your personal strengths, set self-concordant goals that are aligned with your passion and values.
• Discuss the significant role of failure on the path toward success and happiness.
• Explore the nature of change and how neuroplasticity can help you bring about personal and professional change—that lasts.
• Create a personal plan to build a happier life and dream again by looking at new perspectives.
• Reintroduce activities in your life that used to bring you happiness as a child.

“I have been talking to a lot of mothers recently who feel like they don’t know what to do with the rest of their lives. Their kids are growing up, and they don’t need them as much. So now they are focusing more on themselves which can be scary when you do not know what to do with yourself,” said Lander, who has a degree in exercise science from University of Kansas and an impressive background in corporate fitness and wellness where she utilizes a holistic approach to health, happiness, and productivity.  She still serves on the executive board for GITK, and now wants to reach out to women who are looking to define the next stage in their lives.

In addition to providing programs for individual women, Lander and Johnson offer organizational psychology workshops to corporate, health care, educational, and wellness environments.  The importance of happiness at home and in the workplace has gotten a lot of attention lately, and more employers are investing in the well-being of their employees. Why? Because happiness and overall mental and physical health increases productivity, boosts bottom line, improves relationships with co-workers, and increases creativity, which translates into innovation. Positive thinking addresses the whole needs of the individual, body and mind, stimulating the parts of the brain that leads to change that lasts.

Johnson said, “Our brain is like a flashlight in a dark room. Wherever we shed the light, that’s what we see, that’s what we think about, and it becomes our reality.We ask questions like, who is your role model, and what simple things made you happy as a kid, what brings you the most fulfillment as an adult, what is good about your relationships, etc. By asking the right questions, we create a positive reality that leads to happiness.”

“We are not just ‘teaching’.  It’s all practical, and we keep in touch with our groups after the training to ensure continued success,” she added.

For more information on what Language of Happiness can do for you, visit their website www.LanguageofHappiness.com, or contact them at info@languageofhappiness.com.