2026 Consulting Best Practices Initiative Trends Initiative Chair: Lisa Starr, Consultant for Wynne Business, United States Initiative Vice-Chair: Wilfried Dreckmann, Founding Director of Spa Project, Germany TREND 1: Navigating Investment and Innovation in Social Wellness Clubs Consultants globally are seeing a huge interest on the part of prospective owners in social wellness clubs and facilities, many with a thermal or bathhouse component. However, this is accompanied…
2026 Breathe Initiative Trends Initiative Chair: Sandy Abrams, Founder, TheCEOm.com, United States Initiative Vice-Chair: Peter M. Litchfield, PhD, President, Professional School of Behavioral Health Sciences, United States The 2026 micro trends identified by the Global Wellness Institute’s Breathe Initiative reflect this evolution. Together, these trends point to a fundamental shift in how breath is understood and applied. TREND 1: Breathing Science, An Emerging New Field When…
2026 Aging Well Initiative Trends Initiative Chair: William Wesley Myers, Mather, Assistant Vice President, Wellness Strategy, United States Initiative Vice-Chair: Dave McCaughan, Aging Well Initiative Vice-Chair, Aging Well Brand Strategist, Bangkok, Thailand TREND 1: Functional Longevity Replaces Anti-Aging as the New Wellness Status The concept of “anti-aging” is rapidly losing relevance among adults over 50, replaced by a functional longevity mindset that prioritizes strength, mobility, cognitive…
2026 Africa Wellness Initiative Trends Initiative Chair: Mariane Akwenye, Managing Director, Nomad Group, Namibia Initiative Vice-Chair: Michelle Saudan, Founder & Facilitator of Amanzi Wellbeing, Dubai-Zimbabwe TREND 1: Afro-Longevity The term “afrolongevity” represents a newly created word that sums up an African perspective for examining aging. The biophilosophical model brings together metaphysical insights from traditional thought with modern ethical analysis. Afrolongevity emphasizes the qualitative depth of aging:…
2026 Psychedelics & Healing Initiative Trends Honorary Chair: Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Founder and President Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). Initiative Chair: Mary-Elizabeth Gifford, Chief of Global Impact, Clearmind Medicine, United States Initiative Vice-Chair: Dingle Spence, MD, BSc., MBBS, DIP PALL MED, FRCR & Consultant in Oncology and Palliative Medicine International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) Board Emerita If it seems the world is…
Four wellness sectors are responsible for much of the wellness economy growth in the largest and fastest-growing markets GWI’s recent Country Rankings report is packed with data on the wellness markets of 145 countries and examines which markets have been growing the fastest. One interesting finding: four wellness sectors have been responsible for most of the wellness economy growth from 2019 to 2024, across all the fastest-growing country markets. Download…
