"Over the past 16 years, my research journey has taken me through several interconnected phases, with each building upon the last. I began with a focus on self-determination, where I explored how individuals can take charge of their own lives, make autonomous choices, and find intrinsic motivation in their pursuits. This work then evolved into an in-depth study of post-traumatic growth, where I investigated how people not only survive but also thrive following adversity. I was fascinated by how some individuals emerge from trauma with newfound strengths and a greater appreciation for life, which became a foundational element of my work.

This progression eventually led me to the study of joy and well-being in 2019 - just two months before the announcement of a pandemic. While post-traumatic growth is still essential to my work, I have observed that joy complements this growth and helps to sustain long-term well-being, even amidst challenges. As I combed the literature and engaged thousands in conversations around joy and well-being. I began developing what I now call the multidimensional framework of joy. This integrates the psychological, emotional, and social aspects of well-being into an understanding of how joy is woven into the innermost aspects of humanity. This framework helps to explain how the transformative power of joy can be a deep and sustaining force that fuels resilience, well-being, and transformative change in our personal and professional lives. It also explains the how people experience the absence or lack of joy and how this deficiency is connected to a diminished state of well-being."