Our Founder
“I strongly believe that evidence-based information and wellbeing tools should be accessible to everyone. That’s why I created posii. After seeing thousands of patients and students really thrive with positive psychology interventions, I began to envision a jewellery brand that made these ideas widely available – jewellery that you could touch, be empowered by, and carry with you always. I’d had the idea for a number of years, and prior to his death my much-loved brother had always urged me to “just give it a go”. But at the time, I don’t think I really believed it was possible. After his death, everything changed, and any hesitations or doubts that I may have previously had suddenly became insignificant. I suddenly thought ‘Why not!?’. And so the posii journey began”
Dr Pene Schmidt, CEO & Founder
“I was born in a coastal town in Victoria, living there for a couple of years before my parents took us abroad to live in Canada for a year. My formative years were spent in small regional communities in both Australia and North America, looking for Koala’s or avoiding bears in the Rocky Mountains! From a very young age I was interested in the impact of our community on our wellbeing and vice versa.
In my twenties I became a Clinical and Health Psychologist. I received my Doctorate from The University of Melbourne, during which time I completed my internship at the Harvard School of Public Health, focusing on health communications. It was during this time that I became passionate about finding different ways in which evidence based health messages could be effectively communicated to individuals and communities. I had a weekly column in a newspaper; was lecturing in both the schools of Psychology and Medicine at a University; and running programs as the Director of Pain Management Programs in a hospital. But it was in my work as a school psychologist that I first had the idea about pairing jewellery with scientifically backed information and tools.
Then in my thirties, my world came tumbling down when my brother died. We were incredibly close and I was completely devastated by the loss. For many years prior to his death, my brother and I would enjoy a coffee together every Wednesday morning. It was a ritual that we never missed. When he died, these mornings were the hardest, and his absence hauntingly raw. I chose to continue with our coffee ritual alone, and it was in this time that posii started to come to fruition. posii would bring together the field of Positive Psychology with the art-form of jewellery and would offer like minded people an opportunity to be a part of a positive community that is committed to cultivating what is best within themselves.
Grief is so universal, but at the same time incredibly unique to us all. No one has been through what you have been through. They may have experienced grief, but not in the way that you’ve experienced it. It’s deeply personal. And yet, in many ways all our pain is the same. For me, everything fundamentally changed when my brother died. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that only deep grief can bring – to re-assess everything. The experience of losing my brother was so profoundly painful, that it was impossible to not be changed forever. What I’ve learnt is that grief and growth, joy and sadness, can all coexist. That navigating life after loss often involves holding space for conflicting truths. I’ve learnt that life is weird. And that’s ok. I’ve learnt that we can grow through suffering, and that life-earned wisdom is truly transcendent, but it’s not easy. Grief is a poignant reminder of life’s fragility. That time is finite. That life is ephemeral. And that anything is possible.
“posii is designed to educate, empower and encourage people to understand, celebrate and utilise their strengths. Using jewellery as a tangible symbol of each character strength and virtue, posii delivers simple positive psychology techniques in an accessible, applicable way.”
- Dr Pene Schmidt
Posii is……
posii is committed to producing quality jewellery that promotes the personal development and growth of individuals. Bringing together the field of positive psychology with the art-form of jewellery, posii encourages people to discover and express their individuality and strengths through jewellery. By doing this they are also actively working towards cultivating what is best within themselves. All jewellery, packaging and posii products are ethically sourced.
