About the session:
This event offers a chance to see positive psychology applied in two distinct and practical ways. One session explores how mindfulness and iRest® practices can support wellbeing, resilience, and flourishing, particularly for those experiencing anxiety or disconnection. The second session demonstrates how positive psychology can be embedded in facilitation and coaching to nurture growth and manage energy effectively. Together, these sessions provide evidence-informed strategies that translate positive psychology theory into tangible practice.
Session 1: Mindfulness as a Pathway to Flourishing: Integrating iRest and Positive Psychology in Client Work - Mary Rose Dias
In this session, Mary will share how she integrates mindfulness and iRest®-informed practices with positive psychology to support clients’ wellbeing, resilience, and flourishing. Her work primarily supports people experiencing anxiety, overwhelm, and disconnection, where cognitive insight alone is often not enough to create sustainable change.
Mary will explore mindfulness as a psychologically safe, embodied pathway to key positive psychology outcomes such as self-regulation, strengths-based action, meaning, and eudaimonia. Drawing on real-world client work, she will illustrate how practices such as Inner Resource, heart-felt calling (sankalpa), and intention-setting can support clients to access values, strengths, and purpose in lived, practical ways.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how mindfulness can complement positive psychology in practice, along with practical insights they can adapt to their own client contexts.
Session 2: Positivity By Design - Nadia Ballantine
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai – nurture the seed and it will bloom.
Explore how positive psychology can be woven through facilitation and coaching practices. Drawing on real-world experience working alongside school leaders and teams, Nadia will highlight simple, practical strategies and tools that enhance adult learning experiences, improve communication, and help others manage not just time, but energy.
Expect practical examples, opportunities for reflection, and ideas you can immediately apply in your own context.
Speaker Bios
Mary Rose Dias
Mary Rose Dias is a Masters-level trained Positive Psychology Practitioner and mindfulness-based coach who integrates evidence-informed psychology with embodied contemplative practices. She holds an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology and is a Certified iRest® Meditation Teacher, with over 800 hours of training in yoga and meditation teaching.
Mary works primarily with individuals experiencing anxiety, overwhelm, and stress, supporting them to develop greater self-regulation, resilience, and connection to meaning and purpose. Her approach is holistic and humanistic, drawing on positive psychology, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and yogic wisdom, while remaining grounded in psychological safety and accessibility.
In her client work, Mary places particular emphasis on helping people move beyond cognitive understanding into lived, embodied experience. She uses mindfulness as a practical pathway for accessing strengths, values, and heart-felt calling, supporting sustainable wellbeing and flourishing in daily life.
Mary offers one-to-one sessions, group programmes, and workshops, and is committed to ethical, reflective practice that honours each person’s innate capacity for wellbeing.
Check out more on www.maryrosedias.com or connect with Mary Rose Dias on LinkedIn or Facebook
Nadia Ballantine
With a background in primary school teaching and leadership, Nadia has worked as an education consultant and leadership coach, with edLead Consulting Ltd since 2012.
She partners with school leaders to strengthen self-leadership and leadership practice and create positive, impactful team cultures and is passionate about designing and facilitating adult learning grounded in a coaching approach and positive psychology.
Nadia joined NZAPP after completing her Diploma in Positive Psychology with the Langley Group. In 2026, she has taken on a new part-time role supporting the NZAPP Executive Team as an administrator, contributing to the growth and impact of positive psychology in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Check out more on www.edlead.co.nz or connect with Nadia on LinkedIn
Cost
The event is free for NZAPP members and a limited number of guest tickets are available for $25. The recording and slides of the event will only be available to members of NZAPP.
Not already a member? The Association membership is $80 per annum (waged) and $40 (student). To join, click here and take advantage of our free to members annual calendar of events (eight per year).
