Authored by Renee Moorefield, member of the Global Wellness Institute (GWI)
Advisory Board and CEO of Wisdom Works Group
As leaders of The Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease, we are up to a bold challenge together. We’re guiding something that has never been done before—a moonshot that requires us to step into leading new wellness possibilities.
How can we personally ready ourselves for this kind of leadership? This question was at the heart of my conversation with Christina Yap, leader of two Global Wellness Institute initiatives, writer published by the United Nations and Thrive Global and international speaker. Christina is a senior human resources professional at the global technology company ABB.
FROM DISEASE TO DIS-EASE
Christina says we can ready ourselves for wellness leadership by first reconnecting to the original definition of the word disease. In contemporary language, we use the word, as in cardiovascular disease, to mean sickness or illness. But when first used, the word disease didn’t refer to a physical malady with distinguishing signs and symptoms; it meant “lack of ease,” that discomfort, uneasiness, or distress that can pervade our lives and work.
In truth, many of our greatest wellness challenges may stem from a deeper dis-ease we hold in our relationships with others, our planet, and ourselves. When we reframe disease as dis-ease, we can recognize the deeper unsettledness and anxieties we feel toward challenges and changes that affect us every day, such as the pandemic, social unrest and political strife, the Ukraine crisis, and more. This acknowledgement is vital for our individual and collective wellbeing. It is the honest place from which we can create a future we desire—a world which fosters wellness for all.
CULTIVATING THE INNER SPACE TO NAVIGATE CHANGE
The challenges we face in our lives and work naturally decenter us. They can also throw us off course. So, the second way we can ready ourselves for wellness leadership is to learn to see change as an invitation to developing new wisdom in our wellness leadership. Christina believes a starting place is to ask ourselves: Can we learn to navigate the changes we’re experiencing with greater ease and inner space?
Yes, we can. Christina maps out three phases for embracing change, a compassionate approach we can use in our organizations and communities, our teams, and our own lives.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS…
Do you have a #WellnessMoonshot story you want us to feature in our monthly articles or Wellness Moonshot celebrations? Let Kendra Kobler ([email protected]) know how you are elevating wellness in your corner of the world.
Next month, we’ll touch on what the topic BEGIN means to leading wellness. Until then, check out each of these Wellness Moonshot articles from past years with science insights and strategies to support you on your wellness leadership journey.
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR WELLNESS LEADERSHIP
-
- Get involved with GWI’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Yoga Therapy, Workplace Wellbeing, Wellness Coaching, or Mental Wellness initiative to understand the pathways that help people stay well and thrive mentally and physically.
- Check out the Bridges Transition Model to understand more about the three phases of change and how to guide people through it.
- Train your managers to be more effective leaders by using the Be Well Lead Well Pulse®, an assessment that measures 19 psychometrics for wellbeing and stress resilience in your team and organization.
- Check out GWI’s new microsite sharing the Geography of Wellness economies around the world.
- Customize The Wellness Moonshot branding assets and educational materials to meet the needs and aspirations of your company, community, or country. Contact Kendra Kobler ([email protected]) for more information.
