Linda Grdina

Research Elder at The Wellbeing Project

United States of America

Connect with Linda Grdina on social media:

Some years ago, a wisdom teacher said “drink from the well of silence.” Although I had been meditating for some time, the way those words landed in that particular moment allowed me to approach meditation with more gentleness and compassion and curiosity. Several years later, when our daughter was born, my heart cracked open with love and I saw the degree to which I had armored my heart against love over time. Following that moment, with some success and many faltering steps, I have aspired to ‘live from my heart.’

Making this decision means I have an opportunity for self-examination—to explore what chips away at the compassion and kindness I can offer to others and myself—and notice what gets in the way. Obstacles include an upbringing and cultural-bias that preferenced cognitive ways of knowing. The brain’s efficient ways of perceiving, processing, and categorizing can lead me to ways of seeing and engaging in the world that narrowed my perspective and fostered, for example, comparison not belonging. Developing ways to attentively listen to others and to the body, through yoga, meditation and dance, has expanded my ways of knowing and informed my way of being in the world.

Fear, for family, community, our world, and an ever-growing ecological grief, underlies much of my mental chatter. I have been trying to reduce a torrent to a stream so that fear diminishes and love grows.

More from Linda

What helps me in this endeavor? As a morning person, before sunrise, I light a candle and give thanks to the earth and all of earth’s gifts. Then I sit, focusing on the breath or settling into the cradle of loving-kindness or listening to the sound of the wind through the tree or the symphony of the tree frogs. In winter, some days benefit from a walking and warming meditation. When my ritual is complete, I give thanks again.

My efforts to deepen and enlarge my spirituality help me to be more trusting, open-minded, curious, and kind. Something as simple as slowing down and practicing courtesy and kindness—a teaching from my grandmother and my parents—enriches engagement with family, friends and colleagues and encounters with strangers.

My upbringing as well as my inner orientation encourage me to be of use to others and our planet. Spending time to identify my purpose, which is not confined by time of life or bound to a career, is a lodestar for my life. Giving myself permission to slow down and be silent helps me dwell in my heart, enhancing gratitude, joy and connection. I still have loads to learn.

Favorites:

Pema Chodrun books (especially When Things Fall Apart) and podcasts.
John O’Donohue, (especially Anam Cara and To Bless the Space Between Us)
Robin Well Kimmerer, Braiding Sweet Grass and Gathering Moss
Aldo Leopold, Sand County Almanac
Mary Oliver
Wendell Berry
Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush, Walking Each Other Home
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living
Sharon Salzburg
Sounds True podcasts with Tammy Simon
Dan Harris 10% Happier podcast
Krishna Das and Nina Rao on Spotify
Insight Meditation Timer

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)

Silvana Cisneros

Networks Lead at The Wellbeing Project

Kansas,
United States of America

Connect with Silvana Cisneros on social media:

Silvana Delfino de Cisneros is the Networks Lead at The Wellbeing Project. She has over a decade of experience in network design and creation with a large focus on the social landscape in Latin America. With a background in management and finance Silvana shifted focus towards health and wellbeing after becoming a mother. She merges her knowledge of Oriental medicine, happiness studies and  the science of wellbeing to create a more holistic approach to social change.

Silvana is passionate about wellbeing and the possibility of building healthier societies through individual and collective healing, compassion and kindness.

– What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

Wellbeing is an ongoing journey of self discovery and awareness driven by the desire to lead a meaningful and purposeful life. Within this journey we find traveling concepts such as kindness, compassion, resilience and self love. By exploring who with are with loving curiosity we are better able to see the world around us without judgment. Our inner world informs our outer world.

– How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Many…..One thing Ive learned is that there is not one right path and that not all practices work in every situation.  The beauty in wellbeing is that it is ours to create and recreate as we become better versions of ourserlves.

Some of my favorite practices include: Yoga, meditation, any kind of conscious breathing and/or movement. My breath is my gateway to wellbeing.

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

Many… One thing I’ve learned is that there is not one right path and that not all practices work in every situation.  The beauty in wellbeing is that it is ours to create and recreate as we become better versions of ourselves.

Some of my favorite practices include: Yoga, meditation, any kind of conscious breathing and/or movement. My breath is my gateway to wellbeing.

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

We are responsible for becoming better humans. If we priotitize both invidivual and collective wellbeing we will all be lifting each other up. I am a strong believer in the  the oneness of humanity, when individuals flourish and thrive they are better able to contribute to societal flourishing.  It reminds me of a morphius strip where the invidudual nurtures the collective and viceversa.

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

Yes!

Books: Man’s search for Meaning by Victor Frankl , Rising Strong by Brene Brown, Untamed by Glennon Doyle, Flourish by Martin Seligman, The gift of Presence by Caroline Welch.

Podcasts: The Happiness Lab with Dr Laurie santos, Tara Brach, On Being

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Alessandra Gatti

Hearth Summit Director at The Wellbeing Project

Madrid
Spain

Connect with Alessandra Gatti on social media:

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

Sandrine Woitrin

Co-Lead at The Wellbeing Project

Madrid, Spain

Connect with Sandrine Woitrin on social media:

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, Co-Lead

Paris,
France

Connect with Aaron Pereira on social media:

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 Advancement Senior Manager at The Wellbeing Project

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

Connect with Sue Griggs on social media:

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.

Anubha Agarwal

Senior Research & Learning Manager at The Wellbeing Project

Hyderabad,
India

Connect with Anubha Agarwal on social media :

Anubha has lived her life coloring outside the lines and is always willing to reinvent herself. Her curiosity and adherence to a growth mindset led to some rewarding work collaborations with The World Bank, J-PAL, Kantar Group, McCann World Group in the past. She joined The Wellbeing Project in October of 2022 as a Research and Learning Manager, inspired by the Project’s mission.

Anubha has had the privilege of interviewing hundreds of individuals across urban, peri- urban, and rural India in her former roles as a feature writer, market researcher, and field researcher. At The Wellbeing Project, she supports different project arms with their research needs.

For Anubha, a restful, good night’s sleep and daily moments of mental quiet are essential for mental health. Short nature walks, starting and ending the day with a book, limiting screen time, and journaling are some solutions that she employs to achieve her mental well-being. Anubha identifies as an ambivert, so while she delights in interacting with people from diverse global cultures as part of her work, she needs quiet moments to restore her energy levels.

Always at home in the company of books, Anubha takes equal pleasure in long mountain hikes, slow travels, and exploring global cuisines and art. She dabbles in candid portrait photography and hopes to put up an exhibition of her work soon. These days she is clumsily teaching herself to be a better motorcycle rider with the help of online lessons.

– What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

I equate inner well-being with mental peace that helps foster a sense of contentment with one’s current state of being.

– How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Contentment

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

I regard restorative sleep as one of the most underrated tools available to humankind to support our mental well-being. As someone who struggles with nocturnal awakenings, good quality sleep is essential for my overall well-being. Most of my daily rituals and practices are structured around supporting restorative sleep.

Ensuring adequate hydration during the day, ending the day with a book, limiting late-night screen time, and walking meditation are a few daily activities I undertake to support my sleep.

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

As experienced personally, low individual well-being can make it difficult for individuals to be respectful, compassionate, patient, and empathetic towards other individuals around them. Impatience, irritability, unkindness, or bullying behaviour towards self and others are a few ways I’ve observed low individual well-being manifesting in my world. Our lack of individual well-being can turn us into difficult people to be around and engender behaviour that hampers attempts to cultivate a safe, thriving living environment.

Humans rely on cooperation to survive, thrive, and progress effectively towards a shared vision. A lack of focus on collective well-being can make it difficult for us to identify with and work towards a shared vision. Advocating for collective well-being could help us sustain our inner well-being journeys while supporting the well-being efforts of others in our social milieu.

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

Few resources that have helped further my knowledge on the topic of well-being, in no particular order, are-

Thoughts and perspectives of psychologists such as Adam Grant and Nick Wignall, Articles from Greater Good Science Center

Books such as Japonisme, Susegad, The Little Book of Hygge reflecting on regional philosophies of contentment and happiness

Few select episodes from The Slow Home, The Knowledge Project, The Reboot Podcast Illustrations by cartoonists such as Gemma Correll and Sarah Andersen for their light­ hearted take on relatable life challenges