Lead the Circle Your City Is Waiting For.
Every global movement begins with one person willing to create the first circle.
Why This Matters
For more than 80 years, researchers at Harvard have studied what helps people live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. One finding has remained remarkably consistent.
"Meaningful relationships matter the most."
Not because success, achievement, or financial security have no value, but because genuine human connection is one of the strongest foundations of well-being.
Yet despite living in the most digitally connected era in history, loneliness and social disconnection continue to rise. We believe happiness grows in community. We believe every city and every neighborhood deserves a place where people can gather face to face to build meaningful relationships, learn the science of happiness, and help one another flourish.
We believe in community
Happiness grows when people meet regularly, share honestly, and support one another.
We believe in access
Every city and every neighborhood deserves a place to gather, connect, and flourish.
We believe in movement
We are not simply creating gatherings. We are building a global movement for human connection.
What Is This Certification?
The Happiness Circle™ Facilitator Certification is twelve self paced modules, the Circle in a Box launch kit, monthly live coaching, and your directory listing. It prepares you to lead free monthly Happiness Circle™ gatherings in your city. This is the only official Happiness Circle™ certification in the world, offered exclusively by the Happiness Leadership Institute.
Everything You Need to Know Before You Apply
- Format
- Twelve self paced modules, completed at your own speed
- Launch Kit
- The Circle in a Box launch kit, ready for your first gathering
- Coaching
- Monthly live coaching for every facilitator in the program
- Visibility
- Your listing in the official Happiness Circle™ directory
- Founding Cohort
- Strictly limited to 20 founding facilitators worldwide
- Start Date
- Opening in 2027. Reserve your founding spot now.
- Recordings
- Monthly coaching recordings available inside your private HLI Facilitator Hub on Skool within 48 hours
- Language
- English
What You Will Learn
Twelve self paced modules of science backed facilitation training, completed at your own speed.
The CIRCLE Method™
Developed by Nevriye Yesil · Grounded in the SPIRE Architecture of Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar
Every Happiness Circle gathering worldwide follows one six phase architecture. The monthly theme changes. The container never does. You will never wonder what happens next.
Come Home
Arrival and grounding. The room settles, the breath slows, and everyone becomes present before a single word of teaching begins.
Identify the Good
Evidence based appreciation. Attention turns toward what is already working, the practice research links most reliably to well being.
Reflect and Learn
The monthly flourishing science, translated into human language, followed by guided personal reflection.
Connect
Structured, meaningful dialogue in pairs and small groups. People are seen, heard and held. No performance, no small talk.
Live It
One clear commitment. Each member leaves with a single practice to carry into the month ahead.
Extend It
Flourishing beyond the room. Each gathering ends with a contribution that reaches family, workplace and city.
Circle in a Box™
Certified facilitators receive a complete, ready to lead release every month. You never build a gathering from scratch. You simply show up and hold the room.
Themes rotate through the year across courage, gratitude, meaning, future self, relationships and resilience, each one grounded in current flourishing research.
- Full facilitator script for the month, written and timed
- A ten minute teaching grounded in current happiness research
- Member handout and reflection sheet, ready to print
- Curated breakout prompts for pairs and small groups
- The commitment exercise for the Live It phase
- A contribution challenge for the Extend It phase
- Social media assets to fill your gathering every month
The CIRCLE Method™ is the proprietary intellectual property of Happiness Circle™ and the Happiness Leadership Institute. Full facilitation manuals, word for word scripts, timing grids, breakout prompts and monthly Circle in a Box™ toolkits are reserved exclusively for certified facilitators.
Everything You Need to Launch and Grow
- Twelve self paced modules, completed at your own speed
- The Circle in a Box launch kit
- Monthly live coaching
- Your listing in the official Happiness Circle™ directory
An Investment Worthy of the Work
This is the most refined facilitator certification in happiness and longevity. The price is a filter for serious owners, not hobbyists.
Strictly limited to 20 spots
The founding 20 train now and hold first right to their chapter territory.
After the founding 20 are filled
The full certification for every facilitator who follows the founding cohort.
Ongoing monthly membership
Keeps your directory listing live, with monthly live coaching and every curriculum update.
Reserve your place with a $100 fully refundable reservation deposit. It secures your founding waitlist spot and is applied toward your tuition. Founding members begin certification when the founding cohort officially launches.
Your Path to Becoming an Official Facilitator
- 1
Submit your application below. Takes 5 minutes.
- 2
Within 48 hours, receive an email from the Happiness Leadership Institute confirming your application.
- 3
Approved applicants will be invited to a discovery call.
- 4
On your discovery call we confirm your city territory and answer every question you have.
- 5
Reserve your place with a $100 fully refundable reservation deposit. It secures your founding waitlist spot and is applied toward your tuition. Founding members begin certification when the founding cohort officially launches.
- 6
Complete your tuition and begin your certification.
Every application is reviewed personally by the Happiness Leadership Institute Team. Territory availability is confirmed during your discovery call.
This Program Was Built for You If...
- You are ready to lead a community that genuinely transforms lives
- You believe happiness is a science worth sharing with everyone
- You have a city and community ready to receive this work
- You are ready to invest in yourself at the level your mission deserves
- you're looking for a passive presence you launch and forget
- you are inconsistent with your monthly gatherings and neglect the people near you
- you are too busy to grow your community that needs your support
Your Territory. Protected. Exclusively Yours.
Founding facilitators hold first right to their chapter territory. For cities under 500,000 residents this means the entire city is yours alone. For major metropolitan areas your territory is defined by neighborhood or district, ensuring every facilitator can build a thriving and sustainable local community without overlap. No two facilitators will ever share the same territory. First right is secured on a first come basis once your application is approved and your reservation deposit is received. Reserve your place with a $100 fully refundable reservation deposit. It secures your founding waitlist spot and is applied toward your tuition. Founding members begin certification when the founding cohort officially launches. Your territory boundaries are confirmed personally during your discovery call.
Example 1: Nashville Tennessee | one facilitator, entire city
Example 2: New York City | separate territories available for Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens
Example 3: London United Kingdom | separate territories available by district
Frequently Asked Questions
No. You need passion for the science of happiness and a genuine desire to serve your community. Everything else is taught in the program.
The core monthly gathering is designed to be held in person, because human connection is strongest when people share space. Additional bonus gatherings, workshops, and support sessions can be offered virtually or hybrid. The program teaches you how to facilitate all formats with confidence.
We do not recommend charging your members, because Happiness Circle is about giving back to your community. However, you may choose to do so. If you decide to charge, you keep the revenue. HLI receives no portion of your local earnings.
Yes. The program specifically teaches you how to pitch, price, and run corporate happiness workshops using the HLI curriculum. Many facilitators find corporate workshops their fastest path to recouping their investment.
Your Facilitator Hub membership ($97 per month) keeps your directory listing live and your access to monthly coaching and curriculum updates. If it lapses, your listing is paused until you rejoin.
A city transfer is available, subject to territory availability in your new city.
This is a proprietary professional facilitation certification of the Happiness Leadership Institute™. It is not a university degree or accredited academic qualification. It is a professional certification backed by happiness science and evidence-based curriculum developed by Nevriye Yesil, Master of Happiness Studies, who trained under Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, the prestigious Harvard professor, and is now his PhD student.
Reserve your place with a $100 fully refundable reservation deposit. It secures your founding waitlist spot and is applied toward your tuition. Founding members begin certification when the founding cohort officially launches. Full tuition is refundable within one week of your program start date if you have not accessed more than 2 modules.
One corporate happiness workshop typically generates $1,500 to $3,500. A single workshop fully recovers your investment. Many facilitators also launch their own paid coaching or membership offering alongside their free community, generating ongoing income.
Who You Will Be Learning From
Nevriye Yesil
Founder of the Happiness Circle™ and the Happiness Leadership Institute™
- Master of Happiness Studies
- Trained under Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, the prestigious Harvard professor
- Master of Forensic Psychology
- International Author. Four Books, Two Published Through Springer
- German Weightlifting Masters Champion
- Now his PhD student
- Founder, Happiness Circle™
“I created the Happiness Circle™ because every person deserves access to the science of happiness. Not just the privileged few. Happiness is not a luxury. It is a human right. And I am looking for the people who believe that too.”