Meet Julie Radlauer-doerfler

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Radlauer-doerfler. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.

Julie, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?

My optimism comes from my belief that there is abundant good in the world. I believe that part of my optimism is genetically set (50%) and that part of my happiness is based on life experiences (10%), so that leaves 40% of my happiness to my approach to life. I choose to focus my everyday actions on creating good in this world and support those that need support. I typically do this through sharing research to create tangible changes with people struggling with their mental health.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a researcher in the mental health space. I choose to focus mainly on youth and family mental health. Typically I work with professionals that support youth mental health (therapists, case managers, teachers, parents) to give them tools to help youth manage the everyday challenges of life these days. I like to provide interactive experiences with these professionals and arm them with tangible tools, techniques, and activities that they may use to connect and engage with youth. I have written a book called CONNECT, 100 Ways to Create Happiness in Your Life and I provide keynote addresses, workshops, and online training events to share these resources. Lately, I have designed a curriculum that will provide support in the Social Influences of Mental Health in the educational system. The goal is to help youth learn about the social influences (social connection, social support, social capital, social media, and social inclusion) and use these tools to support each other. I believe that focusing on the social influences is a way to prevent mental health conditions. I hope that youth begin to take control of their own mental health as well as support those around them to do the same.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Qualities: Being open to new experiences, writing down goals and creating plans (personal strategic planning), surrounding yourself with people that will support your goals.

Every year I take time to think about all of the things that I want to accomplish. I don’t limit myself and I write them down. Once I have had time to sit with them, I prioritize what I want to focus on for the year. From that I create a strategic plan. This process has allowed me to do things like a TEDx talk, speak at the United Nations, work internationally, and work with Sesame Street. They don’t always happen exactly how I imagined, but I somehow end up meeting those goals along the way.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking to collaborate, especially with young people who are passionate about mental health. I am very driven to support the next generations around their mental health and also recognize that what works for me may not work for the next gen. I have learned through the years that the best results come when you have the right people at the table. I am always looking to collaborate with younger people and combine my knowledge and expertise about mental health with their knowledge and expertise of people their age. I love to co-create interventions that are useful to people in need of support.

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