What I build
Over the past eighteen months, Dr. du Plessis has turned three decades of work in student success, wellbeing and positive psychology into a family of fifteen digital projects: a learning platform, a flourishing institute, a whole-life accompaniment model, and brands for learning, work, conversation, wisdom, sport, walking, travel, faith and the arts.
The skills below are the ones that work required. Each links to the projects where it can be seen.
Designed and directed by me, built with AI
Every project here was designed and directed by Dr. du Plessis and built with an AI development partner, Claude by Anthropic. The ideas, the content standards, the evidence behind every claim and every decision about what goes live are his; the AI writes and tests the code, drafts content for his review, and produces the films and audio to his specifications. Working this way is itself one of the skills on this page.
Six areas of skill
Evidence-based programme design, at scale
Turning research in positive psychology, learning science and sport and performance psychology into tools people can use: each one with its teaching, an activity and a record of what the person did.
- 97 courses and more than 3,800 practical tools on one platform, with readers, fillable workbooks and audio guides
- Every claim checked against its source; studies graded by the strength of their evidence
- Older ideas corrected openly where research has moved on, in plain “What we know now” notes
- Courses for every stage of life, from the year before university to elderhood
See it in: FlourishIQ, LearnSmart4Life, WorkSmart4Life
Platform and product architecture
Designing one platform that carries many brands: shared tools and courses, one login where it helps, one payment gateway, and a back office for every brand.
- Member areas, progress records, certificates issued automatically, and public certificate verification
- A course finder and a recommendation engine that match everyday needs to courses and tools
- A coaching console for coaches and their clients, and consoles for circles and educator certification
- Products without accounts where accounts would only get in the way (Everyday Knowhow passes)
See it in: FlourishIQ, Everyday Knowhow, ACCOMPANY
AI-directed development
Designing products and directing an AI development partner to build, test and deploy them, to a professional standard.
- Writing the brief, setting the standards, reviewing every result and deciding what goes live
- Quality control built in: live checks of every page and link, phone-width testing, and verification of facts and figures
- Fifteen live projects, each with its own site, content and operations
- Knowing what to keep human: the ideas, the content standards, the judgement calls and the relationships
See it in: WorkSmart4Life, LearnSmart4Life, TravelWell4Life
Digital business and operations
Running products that people pay for, simply and fairly.
- Online checkout through one shared payment gateway, group and class orders, gift purchases and affiliate referrals
- Privacy, terms and refund policies for every brand, written in plain language
- An operator’s guide for each brand, so the day-to-day work can be handed over
- Personalised products made to order: card decks, ebooks and editions with the buyer’s name on them
See it in: FlourishTalk, InspireWell4Life, GolfWell4Life
Media and content production
Producing the words, sound and images that carry the ideas.
- Short narrated films, recorded on the real screens and checked word for word against their scripts
- Audio guides for every tool, and conversation and wisdom card decks
- Verified quotation libraries for running (2,200+) and golf (1,800+), and curated wisdom from six traditions
- A social content pipeline: ready-to-post cards, reels and captions for every brand
See it in: RunWell4Life, InspireWell4Life, SportSmart4Life
Accompaniment and learning design for institutions
Designing how a university, school or organisation can walk beside its people, and how educators can teach flourishing.
- ACCOMPANY: a whole-life accompaniment model, with nine life stages, paths beside them, circles and mentoring
- Class and intake packs, staff-meeting resources and an evidence library for teachers
- A certificate for educators who teach the courses, and one for teachers who use the evidence in class
- Work in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa where it matters
See it in: ACCOMPANY, FlourishWell4Life, LearnSmart4Life
How I work
Evidence first
Every claim traced to its source, with its strength stated. Where the research is thin, the page says so.
Salutogenic
Built on what helps people flourish, not only on what goes wrong. Invitations, not programmes.
Truthful and checked
Live pages, links and figures are checked before they go out, and checked again after.
African context
Grounded in South African universities and communities, and in three of the country’s languages where it matters.
Built to hand over
Every brand has its back office and its operator’s guide, so the work does not depend on one person.