Marlize Swanepoel

Sp(i)eel Arts Therapies Collective

Cape Town,
South Africa

Marlize Swanepoel is a Dramatherapist and the founding director of sp(i)eel arts therapies collective, an NPO that addresses intergenerational trauma and co-create community-based models of mental health care that are culturally informed and relevant to the South African context. She serves on the Secretariat of the South African National Arts Therapies Association (SANATA) and is a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town. She is an enthusiastic advocate for the Arts for Health movement in South Africa that speaks to healthcare from a global South perspective. She loves being in spaces of learning, unlearning and dancing.

– What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

When I can hear my body’s cues and are able to choose caring for myself as many times as possible.

– How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Presence

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

I honour the wisdom of my female cycle, to take note when I need to cocoon or when there are bursts of creative energy and I try to be in play for as much time as possible.

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

If we want to be able to co-regulate, we have to begin with ourselves, to be regulated when we do our work. Lasting change is possible when it comes from a grounded, reflective and thoughtful place, and not as a reactive response.

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

Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman, Everything by Bayo Akomolafe and the ancient tales and myths.

Connect with Marlize Swanepoel on social media :

Helena Geefay

Talent Development Officer

Hewlett Foundation

Menlo Park, CA,
United States

Helena is the Talent Development Officer at the Hewlett Foundation. She oversees professional development and growth opportunities for Hewlett employees, manages ERGs and other DEIJ initiatives, and supports organizational development, learning, and other HR projects. Areas of staff development include leadership, management, interpersonal skills, cultural competency, career development, coaching, feedback, and other professional development areas. Helena started her career as a mental health therapist and progressively moved into roles that focused more on developing people in the workplace. Prior to joining the foundation, she served as the head of human resources and operations for City Year San Jose, and supported leadership development programs at The Walt Disney Company. She enjoys engaging people in meaningful work and curating dynamic learning environments that support sustained growth. Helena lives with her family in the SF Bay Area. and holds a master’s degree in psychological counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University, and bachelor’s degrees with honors in psychology and English from the University of Southern California.

Connect with Helena Geefay on social media :

Madhavika Bajoria

AVPN

Singapore

Madhavika Bajoria joined AVPN in October 2021. Maddy brings significant experience in multi-sectoral partnerships, program management, and advocacy to advance knowledge and implementation in public health nutrition, gender equality and social protection. She previously served as the Global Policy & Engagement Manager and India Program Manager at Swiss-based think-tank Sight and Life. In this role, she led the creation of India’s first-ever platform, IMPAct4Nutrition, to engage the private sector in the government’s National Nutrition Mission. She was the architect of the platform’s growth to 200 companies actively investing in improving workplace nutrition for 10 million employees. IMPAct4Nutrition was awarded AVPN’s prestigious Constellations award in 2021. She also helped the Government of India gain multi-stakeholder buy-in for the implementation of large-scale staple food fortification, which is significantly reducing the burden of malnutrition in the country. Globally, she drove the introduction and scale-up of prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation in 10+ low & middle-income countries and successfully led efforts to change WHO’s policies in support of maternal nutrition. Driven by a commitment to translating science into practice and policy, Maddy has presented at various international and regional fora and co-authored several publications on large-scale policy change and public-private partnerships. She has also worked with J-PAL, CARE and the ILO on catalyzing partnerships and policy change in a variety of sectors. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia University, a BA in International Relations & Economics from Bryn Mawr College and a General Course diploma in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Connect with Madhavika Bajoria on social media :

Riyaz Gayasaddin

Camelback Ventures

Colorado,
United States

Born and raised in the Midwest, Riyaz cherishes his Asian-American identity and his journey to continuously better understand and live into that hyphen between Asian and American. His journey has taken him to his parent’s home country of India, classrooms in Baltimore, the chilly winters of Minnesota, and currently the snow-capped peaks of Colorado. He is passionate about developing individuals and teams, building culture, and shaking up the status quo by nurturing developing leaders who work through an equity lens to become the change agents of tomorrow. Outside of work, Riyaz is a foodie. He approaches food as he does life – seeking diversity, opportunities to connect with others, and a chance to have a good time over a shared meal. Riyaz was lucky enough to attend Macalester College and Johns Hopkins University and strives never to stop learning and growing.

Connect with Riyaz Gayasaddin on social media :

Camelback Ventures

Vanessa Stevens

Director of Innovation and Influencing

Global Fund for Children

Washington, D.C.,
United States

Vanessa Stevens is passionate about sparking collaborations that strengthen trust, learning, and equity in philanthropy, civil society, and communities. As the Director of Innovation and Influencing at Global Fund for Children (GFC), Vanessa enjoys creating influencing strategies and collaborative learning spaces with youth leaders, local partners, and sector peers. Prior to GFC, she designed capacity development initiatives with social entrepreneurs and NGOs with Impact Hub in Malaysia and CIVICUS in Argentina. Vanessa began her career with AmeriCorps VISTA at the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, growing into roles focused on resource development, program management, and advocacy for immigrant rights. In Alabama, Vanessa realized the power of wellbeing at work and for social change, especially in an organization working with survivors of violence and with community members facing multiple sources of oppression. She organized a committee of team members to find affordable ways to strengthen wellbeing, from celebrating work anniversaries to a yoga class. She later nurtured this passion through a fellowship with Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur where she learned about The Wellbeing Project.

Vanessa is excited to continue to foster spaces for wellbeing with GFC’s team and community of global partners. Vanessa received her bachelor’s degree in International Studies and her master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University. She enjoys life most when she can be in nature, feel like a kid on her bike, explore somewhere new (whether near or far from home), cook a delicious meal while listening to a podcast, and do special things that show her love for friends and family.

Connect with Vanessa Stevens on social media :

Global Fund for Children

Dominic Regester

Program Director

Salzburg Global Seminar

Salzburg,
Austria

Dominic Regester is Director of Education and Director of the Center for Education Transformation at Salzburg Global Seminar, where he is responsible for designing, developing and implementing programs on the futures of education, with a particular focus on social and emotional learning, education leadership, regenerative education, and education transformation. Prior to this he worked for the British Council for 14 years on global citizenship education, teacher professional development, and education collaboration.

He works on a broad range of projects across education policy, practice, transformation, and international development, including as a Director at the Amal Alliance and as a Senior Editor for Diplomatic Courier. Since 2021 he has also served as the Executive Director of Karanga: the global alliance for Social Emotional Learning and Life Skills. He holds Masters degrees in Chinese studies from the School of Oriental and African studies in London, and in Education and International Development from the Institute of Education at University College London.

Connect with Dominic Regester on social media :

Salzburg Global Seminar
Karanga