Training & Certificationby the Happiness Leadership Institute
Your city is hungry for connection. You can be the one who creates it.
Become a Certified Happiness Circle™ Facilitator and learn how to build a local community where people grow, connect, and contribute.
You have seen the loneliness. You have felt the hunger for belonging. And you know that your community deserves a place where people can come as they are and leave better than they arrived.
The official Happiness Circle™ Facilitator Certification gives you the model, the curriculum, and the support to make it real. Issued by the Happiness Leadership Institute, it is the training behind a growing global movement of local Circles.
One Circle. Many Cities.
Happiness Circle™ began in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with a simple belief: people need people.
Now we are building a carefully selected network of local Happiness Circles connected by one philosophy, one Happiness Circle Clubhouse and one commitment to human flourishing.
Grow · Connect · Contribute
Every local facilitator becomes part of something larger than their own city. Imagine this crest on a door in your city.
Local Happiness Circle
A real community in your city where people gather, connect and grow together.
Your members and you belong to one worldwide Happiness Circle™ ecosystem.
Shared Curriculum & Philosophy
One philosophy, one standard of care, one evidence-informed body of work.
Trained Facilitator
You, certified by the Happiness Leadership Institute to lead the experience.
A community where people belong.
A clear plan to take you from idea to official Circle.
You do not need to invent the model. You simply need to learn it, live it, and lead it. The certification gives you the exact system Nevriye used to build the first Happiness Circle™, plus the ongoing support to grow yours.
- Happiness science
- Human flourishing
- Community psychology
- Facilitation
- Connection
- Hospitality
- Membership building
- Leadership
- Contribution
- Local growth
- Brand stewardship
The 12-module training remains the educational foundation, but the value is not simply access to twelve videos. The value is learning how to create and lead the Happiness Circle™ experience.
Everything You Need to Know Before You Apply
- Format
- 12 short pre-recorded video modules, released 2 per week, plus a weekly live group Q&A call for support and connection with other facilitators in training
- Duration
- 6 weeks
- Start Date
- Opening in 2027. Join the waitlist to be the first to know.
- Cohort Size
- Maximum 20 founding facilitators worldwide
- Weekly Commitment
- About 2 to 3 hours a week, including the live call
- Live Calls
- Weekly live group Q&A, day and time to be confirmed, recorded and uploaded to the Facilitator Hub within 48 hours for anyone who cannot attend live
- Recordings
- Available inside your private Facilitator Hub within 48 hours of each live session
- Language
- English
The Happiness Leadership Institute provides the education, facilitator development and certification behind the Happiness Circle™ facilitator network.
What You Will Learn
Twelve modules released two per week across six weeks, with SPIRE and other evidence-based frameworks woven throughout. By the end, you will have the confidence, curriculum, and facilitation skills to lead your own Circle.
The Science of Happiness and Human Flourishing
The Happiness Circle™ Philosophy
Grow · Connect · Contribute
The Psychology of Belonging and Human Connection
Creating the Happiness Circle™ Experience
The Art of Facilitation and Holding the Room
Designing Conversations That Create Connection
Teaching Happiness Science Without Lecturing
Hospitality, Culture and Member Experience
Building Your Founding Community
Growing and Sustaining Your Local Circle
Contribution, Partnerships and Community Impact
Launching Your Official Happiness Circle™
Everything You Need to Bring Happiness Circle™ to Your Community
- Official Happiness Circle™ Facilitator Certification issued through the Happiness Leadership Institute
- Training in the Happiness Circle™ community model
- 12-module facilitator training
- Official Happiness Circle™ facilitation framework
- Evidence-informed happiness and human flourishing curriculum
- Complete gathering frameworks and facilitator guides
- 12 months of foundational gathering themes
- Brand standards and approved Happiness Circle™ assets
- Permission to operate an official Happiness Circle™ within an approved territory while the license remains active and requirements are met
- Local Happiness Circle™ presence within the official chapter directory
- Connection to the global Happiness Circle™ ecosystem
- 12 months access to the Facilitator Hub, community and monthly development calls
Access to proprietary Happiness Circle™ materials, brand assets and directory presence depends on an active facilitator license.
Your Facilitator Certificate
Happiness Leadership Institute
certifies that
[YOUR NAME]
has successfully completed the requirements
to become a
Certified Happiness Circle™
Facilitator
Grow · Connect · Contribute
Date of Certification
[Date]
Certificate No.
[XXXX]
Nevriye Yesil
Founder, Happiness Circle™
Founder, Happiness Leadership Institute
Issued by the Happiness Leadership Institute
Illustrative representation. The Happiness Leadership Institute is the issuing institution; Happiness Circle™ is the community brand you are certified to represent.
Founding Facilitator Investment
The lowest investment this program will ever be offered at.
Payment plan available, 3 payments of $1,097
Once your application is approved, a $250 deposit secures your place. It is fully refundable and applies in full to your investment.
Available after the founding cohort closes
Founding facilitators lock in the lowest investment this program will ever be offered at.
Coming SoonThis is not a course subscription. It supports continued access to your brand license, the Facilitator Hub, curriculum and updates, the facilitator community, monthly development calls, official chapter directory presence and approved brand resources. Final terms are set out in the facilitator license agreement.
Your Path to Becoming an Official Facilitator
- 1
Apply below. Tell us about your community, your heart for connection, and why you want to lead.
- 2
The Happiness Leadership Institute team reviews your application personally.
- 3
If accepted, you receive a welcome package, training access, and your facilitator agreement.
- 4
Complete the 6-week certification and begin hosting your own Happiness Circle™.
- 5
Stay connected through the Facilitator Hub, monthly calls, and the global facilitator community.
Every application is reviewed personally by the Happiness Leadership Institute team.
Who Are We Looking For?
We are not simply looking for people who want another certification.
We are looking for community builders.
People who believe human connection matters.
People who can welcome strangers.
People who are curious about happiness and human flourishing.
People who want to create something meaningful in the place they live.
- You genuinely care about people and community.
- You are willing to create a safe, welcoming space for honest conversation.
- You are curious about happiness science and human flourishing.
- You can commit to the 6-week training and ongoing facilitator development.
- You want to grow something meaningful in the place you live.
- You are ready to represent the Happiness Circle™ brand with care and integrity.
Previous psychology or coaching credentials are welcomed but not required.
Your Community. Your Circle.
Approved facilitators may receive a defined launch territory based on population, geography and community needs.
Territory boundaries and any protections will be established in the facilitator license agreement and may depend on active participation, brand standards and agreed performance requirements.
For larger metropolitan areas, multiple Happiness Circles may eventually operate across different neighborhoods or districts.
The goal is not territorial ownership. The goal is building healthy, thriving Happiness Circle communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your guide has already built what you want to build.
Nevriye Yesil
Nevriye Yesil brings together psychology, happiness studies, human flourishing, community building and lived experience creating spaces where people connect. She created the Happiness Circle™ because she believes every person deserves access to the science of happiness, not just the privileged few.
- Master's-level education in Happiness Studies
- Master's in Forensic Psychology
- International Author
- Founder, Happiness Circle™
- Founder, Happiness Leadership Institute
I created the Happiness Circle™ because every person deserves access to the science of happiness. Not just the privileged few. And I am looking for the people who believe that too.
The next Happiness Circle™ could begin with you.
Lakewood Ranch is where Happiness Circle™ began.
The next Circle could begin with you.
If you believe your community needs more meaningful connection, belonging and opportunities to flourish, we invite you to apply.
Founding facilitator applications opening for the 2027 expansion.
Apply to Bring Happiness Circle™ to Your Community
Two simple steps. First, apply below. Every application is reviewed personally by the Happiness Leadership Institute team. Then, once approved, a $250 deposit secures your place.
Happiness Circle™ is the community and chapter brand. Happiness Circle™ Facilitator training and certification is provided through the Happiness Leadership Institute.
Happiness Circle™ is a trademark used by certified facilitators under an active license granted by the Happiness Leadership Institute. This is a proprietary professional certification and does not represent accreditation by any third party or academic body.
© 2026 Happiness Leadership Institute. All rights reserved.