Featured Expert

Mary Judd relies on Happiness research and tools to bring out the best in her clients. She has worked and trained with leaders in the field of Positive Psychology, and conveys her knowledge to clients to help them identify and build upon authentic strengths. Mary’s clients include the New York State’s I LOVE NY, MentorCoach, VIA Institute on Character, LifeQuest Transitions and she now brings her talents to Discovery Retreats.  Mary writes a monthly column for PsyInsight, a publication of India’s Association for Health, Research and Well-Being, and currently serves on the editorial board. She was chosen as the Positive Psychology Keynote Speaker for India’s first Online International Conference on Psychology and Allied Sciences.

Mary was tapped by John Hendricks, founder of Discovery Channel and Discovery Retreats to write the introduction and text for his photography book, The Canyons of Gateway.  A passionate life-long learner, Mary continues to study Positive Psychology with leading researchers and writes extensively on the subject for a variety of publications.  She has earned coaching certifications from University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Martin Seligman, MentorCoach, and others.

Mary’s passion for maximizing strengths has led to projects like LifeQuest Transitions’ Songwriting Retreat, pairing wounded soldiers with musicians from Austin and Nashville. She is co-creator of The Barn School, an award-winning summer camp program that combines sustainable agriculture lessons with fundraising for Heifer International®. She is the author of The Stowaway Star series, strengths discussion stories for children. And, she is currently interviewing people from around the world for the VIA Story Project identifying how strengths play out in their lives – from work to parenting to surviving trauma, and more.