Alumni Spotlight - Jon Beale

Welcome back to our Alumni Spotlight - where we shout out one of our amazing Noma alumni.?

Meet Jon Beale, a passionate researcher, coach, and podcaster who specializes in promoting performance and well-being. In 2021, he joined us in Belize and found that the vibrant community atmosphere made him feel at home. We recently interviewed Jon to find out more about the exciting things he's been up to!?

Can you share a bit about your professional background?

I’m a researcher, coach and podcaster specializing in performance and well-being. I’m currently a Research Affiliate at the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, a performance coach at the Flow Research Collective and the Center for Human Potential, and I co-host a podcast called Flourish FM.?

I used to be a philosophy lecturer and researcher, and then went into teaching philosophy in high schools and doing educational research on the science of learning and the philosophy of education. That led to me researching how education can best promote human flourishing and applying that research in schools and universities. That’s led to me researching how to best promote flourishing in workplaces, and applying that research in work environments to improve workplace performance and well-being.

For four years I was also a professional guitarist specializing in jazz and funk. I loved doing that, but I stopped gigging a few years ago to focus more on research and teaching - was a bit much juggling it all!?

What inspired you to focus your research on the philosophy of human flourishing, and how has this shaped your role as a coach?

Research on flourishing and practical applications of it are really needed right now. So many people are burned out, disengaged from work, chronically stressed, have little to no work/life balance, and struggle to build or maintain close relationships. Many people are seeking a more sustainable, meaningful and enjoyable way of living. When I started researching flourishing, it was obvious how important this research is and that there’s huge potential to improve people’s lives by disseminating and applying the research effectively.?

It’s shaped my role as a coach in that my ultimate aim is to help my clients flourish. I do that by applying research on flourishing in my coaching. This can take a variety of forms, depending on what the coachee wants to focus on - for example, reducing the risk of burnout, navigating a career transition or improving focus, and using research on flourishing to support the fulfillment of these aims.??

What inspired you to come on a Noma Edition, and what was your biggest takeaway?

I went to a Noma Edition in Belize in the summer of 2021, back when it was called Umaya Village. Many factors inspired me to go! In particular, I think the biggest challenge for digital nomads is finding communities of people you can quickly build friendships with in places you’re likely to only be in temporarily. Community is so important for a place to feel like a home. I loved Noma’s focus on fostering a vibrant community atmosphere for digital nomads, and it did a brilliant job - I’ve developed close friendships with some of the people I met in Belize that summer, and see some of them often.

Other inspirations were that my close friend, Will Mercer, was among the co-founders of Noma, and I’ve been on many awesome adventures with him worldwide through several initiatives he’s co-founded as an entrepreneur. I knew that with him among the co-founders, it’d be awesome! And, obviously, Belize is beautiful, I’d always wanted to visit - and it was a great escape from my flat in London during the pandemic!

Can you tell us a bit more about your podcast Flourish FM? What motivated you to pursue it?

We (my podcast co-host Nick Holton and I) interview world experts specializing in areas closely related to the science of human flourishing about what their research shows about how people can flourish, individually and collectively. We aim to communicate key ideas and practical lessons about flourishing to a general audience - to help people live better lives.

We were motivated to pursue it because Nick and I share a passion for communicating research on the science of flourishing to help people learn from and apply the research - to improve their lives and the lives of others. We both have research and teaching backgrounds and want to use those skills to help others benefit from the growing amount of excellent research on well-being.

Are there any exciting projects or initiatives you're currently working on or planning for the future?

I'm designing a new coaching method which synthesizes the latest, state-of-the-art research on human flourishing to coach individuals, teams and organizations to flourish. It focuses on building the areas of life that research has shown to be the areas that most support flourishing, individually and collectively. I’m excited to launch new group and individual coaching courses on flourish coaching soon!

I’m also excited about what we have planned for the rest of the year with Flourish FM. We’ve got interviews with some amazing guests lined up and we’re releasing some fascinating episodes on important topics in the coming months.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Noma community?

Noma is a great place for finding community and building relationships when you’re working remotely! I had an amazing time at Noma in Belize and highly recommend Noma to other digital nomads!

At Noma, the journey doesn’t end when the trip ends - our thriving alumni community is a testament to the connections we've helped create. With over 700 incredible members, we love staying updated on their personal or professional triumphs and supporting them on their remote work journey.?

Want to tap into this vibrant community of remote workers? Join us on a Noma Edition and experience the extraordinary.

https://www.noma-collective.com/editions