Work with Dr. Elaine O’Brien
Where meaning meets movement.
Activate wellbeing, purpose, and human flourishing - through science, movement, and the power of play.
PHD • UPENN MAPP • AUTHOR • GLOBAL SPEAKER • CREATOR OF STRENGTHS IN MOTION™
Hello, I’m Elaine
A movement scientist and positive psychology scholar - helping people with vitality and purpose.
I bridge two worlds that don’t often meet: the rigor of movement science and the soul of positive psychology. The result is practical, embodied work that helps individuals and organizations not only understand wellbeing — but practice it together.
I work with conferences, organizations, leadership teams, and communities who want energizing, evidence-based experiences that change how people feel, connect, and contribute.
What Makes This Work Different
Most Wellbeing approaches stay in the mind. Mine brings it into the body
Through Strengths in Motion, I integrate four bodies of work into one experiential practice:
Positive Psychology
Movement Science
Meaning & Purpose Research
Social Connection & Belonging
Because if meaning only lives in reflection, it often stalls.
Action creates traction.
Ways We Can Work Together
Four ways to bring this work to your organization or community.
Each engagement is shaped to your audience, your timeframe, and the outcomes you’re after.
Keynotes & Experiences
For conferences, organizations, and global events
- Meaning in Motion: Designing for Joy, Purpose & Vitality
- The Power of Play at Work
- Zesty Aging & Vital Living
Interactive, research-based, and energizing — with movement-based engagement built in.
Strengths in Motion™ Training
For organizations, leadership teams, communities, education
- Activate strengths physically and psychologically
- Build connection and belonging
- Increase meaning, engagement, and energy
- Cultivate fulfillment and deeper purpose
1:1 & Small Group Coaching
For leaders, educators, and individuals
- Purpose clarity and direction
- Vitality, energy, and embodied agency
- Embodied leadership and presence
Self-Paced & Group Cohorts
For organizations, communities, and individuals
- Strengths in Motion™ — course & toolkit
- Zesty Aging — vitality programs
- The Power of Play — experiences & book club
The Method
The Strengths in Motion™ framework.
Three integrated stages that move people from understanding wellbeing — to embodying it.
EducationKnowing
Understanding meaning, strengths, and the science of flourishing — grounded in research and lived experience.
ActivationDoing
Movement-based practices that bring strengths to life — through gesture, rhythm, posture, and connection.
IntegrationBecoming
Sustained change through identity, purpose, and contribution — in life, leadership, and community.
Who I Work With
This work is for people and organizations ready to do more than talk about wellbeing.
Proof and Recognition
Trusted by leading institutions and global communities.
Eli Lilly adopted The Power of Play for its Wellbeing Book Club — serving 32,000 employees worldwide. Elaine’s work has also been featured in books by Dr. Lucy Hone and Dr. Marsha Snyder, in the Journal of Women and Therapy, and in an upcoming Springer Nature volume on Excellence in Business.
What People Are Saying
“
Grateful for Elaine, who doesn’t just speak about purpose - she moves it through the body, through breath, through connection. Each time she took the stage, something awakened in all of us.
— Meaning and Purpose Summit Attendee
“
The most engaging session of the conference…
— Attribution
“
It couldn’t be a Meaning and Purpose Summit without [Dr. Elaine O’Brien]! Thank you for sharing your expertise, and your love with everyone.
— Michael F. Steger, Meaning and Purpose Summit Organizer
“
A powerful integration of science and experience …
— Attribution
“
Elaine’s work changed how we think about wellbeing…
— Attribution
Let’s Connect
Let’s create something meaningful together.
Whether you’re planning a keynote, designing a program, or exploring what’s next — I’d love to hear what you’re working on.