November 2022 - The Wellbeing Project

ORGANISATIONAL EXPLORATORY PROGRAM (OEP) GROUP MEMBERS ORGANISATIONAL EXPLORATORY PROGRAM (OEP) GROUP MEMBERS

The OEP (Organisational Exploratory Program) is an initiative of The Wellbeing Project. The OEP hosts global mission-driven organisations experimenting with, and integrating wellbeing on multiple organisational levels.
In its third year, these diverse organisations are demonstrating, through modeling and prioritising wellbeing, that social change can happen in a more sustainable and healthy way, and are contributing to a wider shift in their ecosystems.

ECOSYSTEM NETWORK GROUP MEMBER ORGANISATIONS

Voices of Wellbeing | Dr. Sará King Voices of Wellbeing | Dr. Sará King

“If you have a body, then you deserve wellbeing”

Dr. Sará King- speaker at The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change– is a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, education philosopher, social-entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and mindfulness meditation instructor. She specializes in the study of the relationship between mindfulness, art, complementary alternative medicine, community health and social justice.

She joins us to share the importance of sectors and institutions working together to support the psyhiological, psychological and relational wellbeing of our global societies. She also delves into how art can provide a path forward and ways to heal for those working within movements for social justice, as well as some of the neuroscientific research that is out there to support this.

Kyla Carlsen

Co.act Detroit

Detroit,
Michigan

In her role as the Senior Director of Program Strategy & Innovation, Kyla oversees the co-creation of capacity building programs and community-centered grant-making for social change organizations with an emphasis on equity and access, network building and cross-sector collaboration.

Kyla is Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certified and has experience leading and managing teams, facilitating design thinking sessions to develop innovative approaches to solve problems, program strategy and implementation, project management, fund development and collaborating with stakeholders to scale impact. She previously served as Senior Operations and Financial Manager for the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, overseeing small business programs with a combined annual budget of $8mm and supporting commercial corridor development, increasing resident access to goods and services, and economic mobility.

Kyla has a background in finance, facilitating access to capital, capital readiness, and closing the racial funding gap for entrepreneurs and social impact organizations. She is passionate about innovating alternative social and economic investment strategies to achieve more equitable outcomes.

Kyla is an alumnus of the Detroit Global Shapers hub, an initiative of the World Economic Forum that connects a network of young leaders driving dialogue, action and change in their communities. She enjoys traveling, supporting small businesses, spending time with her ten year old pitbull, wine and cooking.

What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

Feeling whole inside and out (mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually), pouring from a full cup, listening to and prioritizing what my mind body and spirit need.

How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Care.

Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

Meditation, journaling, gratitude, exercise, walking, laughing, spending time with people I love and my dog, enjoying sunshine or nature, writing, doing things that bring me joy, laughter and make me smile.

Why is it important that we prioritize individual, organizational and societal wellbeing?

We can’t heal our communities until we heal ourselves. Many of the social issues our organizations work to address – poverty, hunger, racial and social inequity, education and youth development – are rooted in system issues that require the collective healing of ourselves and our communities. Until this healing process happens at scale, we will continue to address these societal challenges reactively instead of actually eradicating them, and burning ourselves out while doing so.

Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote or educate on wellbeing and related themes?

Coact has a wealth of wellbeing resources and webinars in our resource library, we are also launching a Wellbeing Toolkit. Personally I’ve used Beth Kanter’s resources, and Rachel Hollis’s podcast and practices to create my own wellbeing rituals.

Connect with Kyla Carlsen on social media :

Co.act Detroit

Martin Kirchner

Pioneers of Change (Austria)

Cohousing Pomali,
Lower Austria

Designing and leading educational programs for Changemakers since 2010, producing the yearly Pioneers of Change Online Summit with > 100.000 participants since 2017, director of the NGO “Pioneers of Change” which integrates inner work and outer action, founder of Cohousing-Community “Pomali” where he lives happily with 30 other families with his wife and 3 wonderful kids, originally a software engineer and climate activist

What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

The foundation for contributing to “the more beautiful world” in the outside.

How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Interbeing

Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

Yes, long nature walks, meditation and yoga with breathing exercise, eating well, cultivating friendships.

Why is it important that we prioritize individual, organizational and societal wellbeing?

To not repeat old patterns.

Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote or educate on wellbeing and related themes?

The book “The Choice” from Dr. Edit Eva Eger (Auschwitz survivor)

Connect with Martin Kirchner on social media :

Pioneers of Change

Charnae Sanders

Co.act Detroit

Detroit, Michigan,
United States of America

With a passion for community and a heart for service, Charnae Sanders experiences great joy in finding meaningful ways to connect with others. As Program Manager at Co.act Detroit, Charnae plays a vital role in shaping Co.act’s programming, including the Nonprofit Wellbeing Series, special events, workshops, and more. She is also the talented and thoughtful host of Co.act Detroit’s Natural Collisions podcast.

A native Detroiter, Charnae’s desire for building up her community and bringing diverse and underrepresented voices and thoughts to the table motivates her daily. She loves to curate unique and unforgettable experiences through programs that equip and empower others with knowledge and resources.

With a deep love and interest for self and community care, she strives to find a diversity of ways changemakers can tend to their wellbeing holistically. Through the Nonprofit Wellbeing Series, she also explores how nonprofit leaders can activate a culture of wellbeing within their organizations. She is a contributor to the Rest and Liberation Initiative, created in partnership with Co.act and other intermediary partners in Southeast Michigan to support cultures of rest and liberation of BIPOC professionals in our sector.

Charnae serves on the board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Detroit, a local chapter that promotes the growth, learning, and development of young nonprofit professionals. She is a current member of The Social Innovation Forum’s Community Organizations Reimagining Ecosystem (CORE) cohort, a new leadership initiative focused on place-based work and social change.

She is also a former alum of the prestigious, Challenge Detroit fellowship program where she worked among small teams to bring social impact projects to life in collaboration with local nonprofit partners. In the past, she participated as a cohort member of The Black Healing Justice Project, created in partnership with Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) and The Kresge Foundation.

Prior to coming to Co.act Detroit, she served as the Public Programs Coordinator at the Detroit Historical Society. She is a proud alum of Central Michigan University with a background in journalism. Charnae is a published writer and poet with work that has been published in the Wall Street Journal and Detroit Free Press among others. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, traveling, dancing the night away at concerts and exploring the city she calls home.

– What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

To me, inner wellbeing means tending to our many layers—physical health, mental health, emotional health, spiritual health, and so on—in a way that honors our humanity and capacity.

– How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Birthright

– Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?

My go-to practices include prayer, breathwork, and going on walks. My morning routine usually consists of stretching and participating in a guided meditation followed by setting my intentions for the day and affirming myself of my value. Throughout the day, I think it’s important to take a pause to check-in with yourself. So, I’ll occasionally step away from my desk and take a sacred pause to do a body scan meditation and acknowledge how I’m feeling. I also love to create a cozy environment in the evening where I burn candles while reading or listening to music and journaling.

– Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?

We must prioritize our individual, organizational, and societal wellbeing to fully thrive and experience the fullness of life. When we recognize how interrelated each of these various levels are and collectively prioritize them, we can clear a more luminous path for future generations on what it means to truly love and care for one another.

– Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote, or educate on wellbeing and related themes?

I am a big fan of “The Daily Shine,” “GirlTrek’s Black History Bootcamp,” “This Morning Walk” and “The Hey Girl” podcasts. I love the books: “After the Rain: Gentle Reminders for Healing, Courage, and Self-Love” by Alex Elle, “Vibrate Higher Daily: Live Your Power” by Lalah Delia, and “The Self-Care Year: Reflect and Seasonal Rituals” by Alison Davies. I am currently reading, “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto” by Tricia Hersey, which is great!

Connect with Charnae Sanders on social media :