Richard Tout
Finance Director
Canada
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Mathilde Lorenzi
Hearth Summit Lead at The Wellbeing Project
Madrid,
Spain
Connect with Mathilde Lorenzi on social media :
Mathilde is French and lives in Madrid. She studied Business and Politics in Edhec Business School and in Science Po Paris University.
She started her career in marketing and communication before moving to politics, to being an entrepreneur and finally to become a conference organizer.
She is the author of two books, one related to it mylk, the Frozen Yogurt business she launched with her sister in Paris in 2010 (Frozen Yogurt; Marabout, 2013) and the second one related to Les Respirations, the conference dedicated to Air Quality that she created in Paris in 2014 and then ran in 2015 and 2016 (La bataille de l’air. Enjeux économiques de la qualite de l’air; Descartes & Cie, 2015).
She joined The Wellbeing Project in 2020 as Lead for The Wellbeing Summit for Social change. Together with her amazing team she created and produced the first edition of the summit which happenend in Bilbao in June 2022 and is now fully dedicated to organize the second one.
In her free time, Mathilde is the happy mother of three little kids, she loves art, travelling and horse-back riding.
Linda Sadiq
Elder
Toronto,
Canada
Linda has long believed that each of us is here to fulfill a unique purpose – that the situations, experiences, and interactions life sends our way are designed precisely to help us learn and grow into the Beings we need to be, in order to live that purpose. Many years ago, putting words to her own sense of that purpose, Linda wrote, “My purpose is to be me – openly, honestly, fully, joyously, proudly, lovingly, gratefully, and in doing so, help others to be openly, honestly, fully, joyously, proudly, lovingly, gratefully -themselves”. With professional experience internationally in widely different cultures, sectors, industries, organization settings and community circumstances, Linda has focused on the inner development of organizations and individuals as an organization development consultant, Gestalt psychotherapist, and certified coach of adults and their organizational systems.
Linda is a wife and mother to four amazing adult children, as well as grandmother to six beautiful souls ranging in age from 21 to 6 years. Her favourite place in the world is an indigenous-built retreat in Ontario’s Algonquin Park, where, year after year, she breathes in the splendor of the glorious autumn leaves.
What does inner wellbeing mean to you?
For me, inner wellbeing is the peace that comes from feeling that who I am in the outside world is genuinely who I am deep in my heart.
How would you define wellbeing in one word?
I can’t do it in just one word! Will you accept “inner peace”?
Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?
My rituals: creative cooking; reading or listening to poetry that speaks to my heart; writing for me is a meditation; being in the forest or sitting in front of the warmth and glorious smell of a wood-burning fireplace.
Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?
It’s important to prioritise individual and collective wellbeing because who we are inside is who we are outside. When we are traumatized, in pain, raging, feeling lost, we show up in the world hurt, angry, confused and unsure. And how we show up affects our actions, our relationships, our ability to be thoughtful and caring, creative and productive. Caring for ourselves is caring for our world.
Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote, or educate on wellbeing and related themes?
I don’t have anything that professes to be wellbeing guidance. AND I have many favourite books, poems, music, etc. that support and contribute to my own inner wellbeing. Some of my favourites:
BOOKS –
“Wherever You Go, There You Are” (Jon Kabat-Zinn)
“The Book of Joy” (Dalai Lama)
“Honoring the Self” (Nathanial Branden)
Alessandra Gatti
Hearth Summit Director at The Wellbeing Project
Madrid
Spain
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Alessandra loves to create experiences that inspire, surprise and enrich those who take part to them. She conceives an event as a performance: starting from a concept and clear objectives, one has to craft an holistic experience in which every element is meaningful and relevant, each detail is thought of and the rhythm is carefully paced. She believes that when you design an experience with intellectual and emotional care, people engage in a honest and deep way. And from this encounter, magic happens and the event becomes a memorable, authentic and fulfilling experience which brings joy and wellbeing.
This vision comes from 15 years of experience in event design, management and organisation, both in the cultural (theatre, music and literature festivals) and corporate (L’Oréal, IBM, Heineken, Hendrick’s Gin, …) sector and from her personal experiences when attending events, especially arts festivals, which are her big passion.
In her free time, when she is not at a festival or attending some cultural event, you can find her in her bookshop in Madrid (a literature adventure she shares with her husband and friends), cooking for friends and family, walking up the Swiss mountains (her country), slow travelling around the world or making some plans for the next adventure.
After the first edition of The Wellbeing Summit, held in Bilbao in June 2022, she is now working, together with the rest of the team and many other collaborators, on the next edition and is excited and curious about where this beautiful creative process will lead.
What does inner wellbeing mean to you?
Feeling grounded, present, and connected
How would you deine wellbeing in one word?
Harmony
Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?
Meditate, walk, observe the sky, have fresh flowers at home, have converations with friends, read, go to the theatre and to art exhibitions, spend time in the mountains.
Why is it important that we prioritize individual, organizational, and societal wellbeing?
Because it is the basis for belonging, mutuality and connectivity at all levels.
Do you have any favorite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote or educate on wellbeing and related items?
I have several references and I’m happy to share two recent ones. The podcast “Stepping into the Liminal – A talk by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee” and the book “The consolation of the forest – Alone in a cabin on the Siberian taiga” by Sylvain Tesson.
Sandrine Woitrin
Co-Lead at The Wellbeing Project
Madrid, Spain
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Sandrine has a degree in Economics and Business Management from the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (with an exchange at ICADE, Madrid). She has worked for ten years at Grupo Vips a Spanish restaurante and retail business and was part of the team that opened Starbucks Coffee in Spain and France. In her last stage at Grupo Vips she developed the Corporate Social Responsibility department. She then studied Naturopathy at Unisalud in Madrid and decided to use this knowledge to promote the health of her family and friends.
Her interest in the social innovation sector has led her to support different organizations in various roles. Since 2015 she co-leads The Wellbeing Project, a global project that aims to catalyze a culture of wellbeing in the social innovation sector. She is also a member of the board of Chillida Leku and of the Carlos de Amberes Foundation.
Aaron Pereira
The Wellbeing Project Lead
Paris,
France
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Aaron recently came across an old and slightly dusty high school paper and was more than a bit surprised to see it explored the connection between inner lives and social change. It was lovely to (re)discover that his work in the Project touches on a life long interest alongside other wonderful things in life like travel, meeting people, reading, and hosting dinner parties or really gatherings of all kinds.
Aaron’s mom got him involved in social change work (some time before the high school paper) and it stuck. The key thread in much of his work is exploring the way we live together. Sometimes that’s taken the form of pop up experiments, boards, or running an organisation. A few other times he’s been a co-founder such as with CanadaHelps. CanadaHelps, one of Canada’s leading charities, engages over 3 million Canadians to raise over $400 million a year for social causes across Canada and around the world.
Taking time for a morning cup of tea helps his day start out gently and well. It started as a (gentle) daily ritual sometime during a 7 year walk-about which was all about taking time for and re-centering his inner life. Something the cup of tea helps with every day. He loves being based in Paris and continuing to spend a lot of time in India.
Alejandra Garza
Networks & RHS America Senior Manager
Monterrey,
Mexico
Connect with Alejandra Garza on social media:
Ale is from a mountain filled city called Monterrey, in the North of Mexico. She started her career in strategic process consulting and project management. She studied Mechanical Engineering, and then worked 5 years in process consulting (mostly supply chain cost-efficiencies and logistics). In 2017 she launched a web platform for connecting volunteers with social causes in their city. This project came to life after launching a pro-bono consulting initiative in the consulting company she was working at, and this was what pivoted her consulting career into the social sector.
To this day, her work and projects have provided the opportunity for her to experience how things work and how people operate in the social sector (in Mexico specifically). She firmly believes that great things happen through collaboration and loves brainstorming ideas to get things done. Ale actively searches for new ways to improve and learn about herself and has taken 2 certifications on logotherapy by Centro OCCRE in Monterrey, Mexico. She is proud to call herself a Viktor Frankl advocate. She sees wellbeing as balance and unity, starting with herself so that that can lead to spreading the experience of wellbeing for all. She enjoys spending time with her family in nature, reading novels and admires horses for the deep empathy they share with people.
What does inner wellbeing mean to you?
I see wellbeing as balance, unity, and living with ease. Wellbeing means being responsible for myself, for what I am, think and do. Starting with myself, so that that can lead to spreading the experience of wellbeing for all.
How would you define wellbeing in one word?
Peace
Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?
I enjoy spending time in nature, going for walks, spending quality time with family and friends, and reading novels. I reflect and give thanks for my day each night, dedicate time to my physical health, whether that be with exercise, meditation or rest, and I also created a playlist a few years back that lifts me up and brings me back to center.
Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?
They are all related and it is important that we start with ourselves, being congruent in acting how we’d like others to act and be as well.
Do you have any favourite books, podcasts, or articles that you believe support, promote or educate on wellbeing and related themes?
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga
Los cuatro acuerdos by Don Miguel Ruiz
Sharon Salzberg’s Loving-Kindness Meditations
Balance App for Meditations
Healthy Minds App for Meditations
Sue Griggs
Elder & Poet in Residence
Toronto,
Canada
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The thread throughout Sue’s career has been focused on how to make a difference- whether it be in the lives of children, adults, or organizations. She loves to learn and to help others learn. She has worked as an Educator, an OD Consultant, a Facilitator, a Psychotherapist, and as an Executive coach – with people from the age of three to eighty. She has helped create enriching environments for small children, a more humane working milieu in a large corporation, a space for people to explore deep traumatic issues, and opportunities for people to become their best selves. Her latest position as an Elder with the Wellbeing Project is exciting, fruitful and in many ways highlights everything she has been attempting to accomplish throughout her career. She feels lucky to be able to help social change makers prioritize individual wellbeing so that they can collaborate better, innovate more and create a larger social impact.
Antonella Labroca
Hearth Summit Manager
Caracas,
Venezuela
What does inner wellbeing mean to you?
For me, inner wellbeing is all about taking care of yourself in every sense imaginable. Putting yourself first, indulging in your passions, and getting to know and accept yourself – from the simplest of emotions to the most complex ones.
How would you define wellbeing in one word?
“Self-care”
Are there any rituals or practices you use to enhance your wellbeing?
I am still learning and getting to know what works for me. Listening to calming music and trying to take care of myself physically and not thinking it is superficial are some of the big ones. Others that I believe will take more time consist of shifting my usual negative mindset to a more positive one (takes so much effort), and hopefully continuing to acquire skills that can help improve my self-confidence.
Off the record: Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore albums are my “calm music” haha.
Why is it important that we prioritise individual and collective wellbeing?
If we don’t act from an intention of wellbeing both individually and collectively, the results of our actions can cause long lasting injuries that are later harder to heal. Not impossible, but harder. If we focus on our own (first) and others’ wellbeing, we can work towards growth and not destruction I believe.
Samuel Smith
Hearth Summit Community Senior Manager at The Wellbeing Project
Paris,
France
Sam is a passionate community builder with a keen interest in the arts, having graduated in Graphic Design and Visual Communication.
Sam’s first taste of social impact came shortly after; partnering with The Arts Council England on a project to redistribute funding to benefit underrepresented communities. This spurred a keen interest in the power of art and culture to catalyse community development. One of Sam’s proudest achievements was working on the City of Liverpool’s successful bid to become the Capital of Culture, and witnessing the resulting dynamic improvements to the region.
In 2018, Sam returned to the social change sector after working at sea for five years, during which time he was able to travel extensively through six continents. He has since been involved in sustainable tourism projects, as well as contributing to the Design for Good campaign to promote human-centred design.
Through his role as Senior Community Manager, Sam relishes building meaningful connections and engaging networks of dedicated actors within the field of social change.
Connect with Samuel Smith on social media:
