Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.
Christian D. Larson
Kate Meyer
I'm a military psychologist with more than 25 years of experience working in operational, organisational and leadership settings within Defence. Throughout my career, I have been fascinated by what helps people adapt, grow and flourish, particularly in challenging, uncertain and high-performance environments.
My professional interests include military psychology, positive psychology, leadership, wellbeing, identity, purpose and transition. I am particularly interested in the factors that enable individuals, teams and organisations not merely to cope, but to thrive. My approach draws on organisational psychology, positive psychology, strengths-based coaching and wellbeing science, with a focus on helping people perform at their best while maintaining psychological health and meaning in their work and lives.
I also have a longstanding interest in Antarctica and the human experience of living and working in remote and extreme environments. This interest was strengthened in 2006 when I undertook a round-trip voyage from Hobart to Antarctica aboard the Aurora Australis. Since then, I have been involved in psychological assessment activities associated with the Australian Antarctic Program and have developed a particular interest in adaptation, resilience, leadership, teamwork and wellbeing in isolated and confined settings.
More recently, I have expanded my writing to explore themes that have emerged repeatedly throughout my career, including identity, belonging, purpose, resilience, transition and personal growth. Current projects include Beyond the Uniform, which examines the psychological aspects of military transition, and a second project exploring the experiences of women in Antarctica and the enduring human drive to explore.
I hold a Master of Organisational Psychology from Monash University, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology from the University of Tasmania, a Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing, and qualifications in organisational coaching and meditation teaching.
This website is a place where I share reflections, resources and ideas drawn from my professional experience and my ongoing interests in psychology, leadership, human flourishing and life in challenging environments.
Strengths: Optimism, Resilience, Humour, Growth, and Persistence
Resources
Profiles and Surveys
Character Strengths
Character Strengths are the positive parts of your personality that impact how you think, feel and behave. Scientists have identified 24 character strengths that you have the capacity to express. By taking the VIA Character Strengths Survey, you will discover your unique character strengths profile. Knowing and applying your highest character strengths is the key to you being your best self. Click on the link to take this free survey and discover your character strengths now!
Strengths profile
Knowing your strengths helps you to focus on the tasks you do well and enjoy, and the benefits are backed by research. It won't just benefit you, but the people, teams, and organisations you work with. You can discover your top three realised strengths, three unrealised strengths, two learned behaviours and one weakness using the Strengths Profile Free Starter Profile. Use it to start your strengths journey, gain self-awareness of what you love to do and support any job applications. Click on the link to get your Free Starter Profile now!
Personal Values
To know your personal values, you first need to understand what they are. Values can be simply described as those things which are important to us. For example, family, health, security, freedom, trust, etc. Your values have shaped you into the person who you are today and can be a strong motivation for us to act as we naturally strive to live in harmony with our values as much as possible. However, defining your own values is not always as easy as it seems. And even if you are able to define them, you may not always know which ones are the most important to you. If you are interested in discovering your own personal values, you might like to take the free personal values test. Take the Personal Values Assessment to discover your core values now!