Why Eudaimonia?
Eudaimonia is the parent company of Built for Life.
And yes, I realize I may have made things unnecessarily difficult.
It's a word most people have never heard of. No one seems quite sure how to pronounce it. And every time I introduce myself, there's a reasonable chance I'll be spelling it five seconds later. Let's not even talk about the URL.
Still, I wouldn't change it.
Eudaimonia is an ancient Greek word for human flourishing - living well, growing into who you are, finding meaning and purpose and becoming the fullest version of yourself. This includes being happy.
But Happiness isn't simply about being cheerful, positive or feeling good all the time. Life doesn't work that way.
Real happiness is about wholeness - knowing yourself, accepting your emotions, building meaningful relationships, discovering what matters to you, and having the confidence to participate fully in your own life.
And those things don't just happen.
They can be Learned. Practiced. Strengthened.
Eudaimonia seemed like a pretty good name for a business devoted to exactly that.
So forgive the mystery spelling. Ask me how to pronounce it. And then ...
Let's get on with Building a Life of Eudaimonia.
Why Start Early?
Because we don't suddenly become confident, connected adults at 25 or even 45.
We practise. We try things. We get things wrong. We discover who we are.
We learn how to speak up, listen, handle disappointment, repair a relationship, manage a big feeling and find our way back after a setback.
Children and young people especially need opportunities to try these things out in real life, with real people.
That is why I developed Built for Life: learning through conversation, games, creativity, group experiences and practice — not simply being told what confidence, gratitude or good communication are.
And it continues into the work I do with teens and adults.
Why this work?
For more than 30 years, I’ve worked with people in the real world — leading teams, building businesses, teaching, coaching and helping people communicate and grow.
My career has included 30 years of corporate leadership, being a Dale Carnegie Lead Trainer, and then a Coach in Happiness Studies. Along the way, I became fascinated by bigger questions: Why makes people so unhappy, and How can we help people live well?
These questions led to The Happiness Show, a 12-episode television series where I interviewed happiness and wellbeing experts from around the world - exploring everything from resilience and relationships to purpose, gratitude and what makes us flourish.
That is the heart of my work today: taking what I’ve learned through decades of leadership, teaching, coaching and exploring the science of happiness and turning it into practical, engaging experiences that help people become more confident, connected and capable of building a life they genuinely want to live.
