“I think anyone would agree that the length of the pandemic resulted in the need for all of us to take care of ourselves,” said Fiore. “The series really provides the strategies and tools to ensure we are resilient, allowing us to weather any ‘storm’ we are confronted with while at the same time being mindful of what we can do to thrive. The event was excellent, the presentation on saboteurs, or those negative behaviors that can ‘sabotage’ us allowed participants to address how to overcome these saboteurs and build positive mental well-being. I don't think anyone walked away from the session without ways to combat the negative behaviors. It was a nice additive to the mindfulness session held in October.”

Louise Stoner, leadership coach and facilitator, led the conversation using her past experiences working with organizations and individuals to clarify vision, set priorities and navigate challenges.

“During our positive intelligence workshop, participants learned about their own inner voices that sabotage them, creating anxiety, stress and fear,” said Stoner. “We learned how to identify these destructive thought patterns and practiced a few simple techniques to reset and recover. The great news is that by practicing mental fitness, we can shift how we react and interact with ourselves, others and circumstances.”

The goal of the event was to combat stress and negative emotions with tools and strategies to provide room for both happiness and performance through mental fitness. Positive intelligence is the ability to respond to life’s challenges with less stress and a more positive mindset, Fiore explained.

The Denise Fiore Thought Leaders in Healthcare Speaker Series is a series bringing together great minds and innovative thought leaders for robust discussion on the most pressing and immediate issues facing the health care industry.

While reminiscing on the creation of the speaker series, Fiore explained her reasoning for initially showing interest in the School of Health Sciences at Quinnipiac.

“When I decided to donate to the School of Health Sciences, it was because I knew it was vital to give back, invest in the future of the school and make a difference,” she said. “The first speaker series — two years ago — took place during the first year of the pandemic. To hear from Connecticut health care leaders and Gov. Ned Lamont during that session about leading in times of uncertainty, innovations in the delivery of care and ensuring care of frontline workers was terrific. It really demonstrated that great leaders in our state worked together in a time of uncertainty to ensure healthcare continued to be delivered with the utmost of care.”