Guest Post by Alejandra Garza

I had the privilege to represent The Wellbeing Project in the Latin American Impact Investment Forum (FLII) a few weeks ago (Feb 28th – March 2nd, 2023) in Mérida, Mexico and am still reminiscing over all the shared encounters, stories, people, music and color that I got to meet and experience during this inspiring event.

It is with deep admiration and gratitude that I remember each person I met, each story I heard, and each dream that was shared with me so kindly during this wonderful event. It was a short pause for all of us who care so deeply for our region, to meet, share and explore our possible collaborations and hopes towards creating positive change in Latin America today and in the future.

I am especially grateful for being invited to share about The Wellbeing Project’s work in the region in a shared discussion titled “Burnout in the era of Wellbeing.” I had the privilege to share this beautiful space and conversation with Juan Carlos de la Hoz from the Inter-American Development Bank, Nicolas Demeilliers, founder of &you, Anna Corona from ayam, and Daniela Peralvo from IMPAQTO. Through our engaging conversation and Daniela’s key questions, we shared about the importance of wellbeing for social changemakers in Latin America, and the key characteristics that make this region so special and unique.

It was particularly inspiring to hear a collective awe from the audience when sharing that at The Wellbeing Project we truly believe that Wellbeing Inspires Welldoing. I could feel that the phrase clicked with everyone present, and they too recognized the importance of inner wellbeing, as it relates to the success of their projects and work. The conversation ended with a shared mindfulness meditation imparted by Anna from ayam, and we all got 5 minutes to pause, give thanks and reset, amid this lively and exciting event. This helped all of us present to recognize that it is something we have in us and that we can do every day. No matter the situation, it just takes a minute to pause and connect with our breath in the present moment. We all have that superpower within us.

Thank you, New Ventures for organizing this amazing event, and for this opportunity. Thank you everyone in the audience for attending, for your passion, your commitment, and your willingness to be a part of this important conversation for our region. I am honored to have connected with each and every one of you, and I look forward to continuing this amazing journey of inner wellbeing together.

Celina de Sola

Glasswing International

New York, NY,
USA

Celina de Sola is co-founder and president at Glasswing International, an El Salvador-based organization that combines community-based initiatives with strategies to strengthen public education and health services. Her work focuses on designing and implementing innovative, community-based initiatives that bring together institutions and people for joint action. Prior to Glasswing, de Sola worked as a crisis interventionist for Latino immigrants in the US and led humanitarian crisis response projects in Liberia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Indonesia. She is a Fellow of the Obama Foundation, Ashoka, LEGO ReImagine Learning, Penn Social Impact House. She is also an Audacious Project and Skoll Foundation Awardee, and a Tallberg Global Leader. Celina holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Harvard University and one in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

WE ARE THRILLED TO START EXPLORING THE ISSUE OF INNER WELLBEING IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL CHANGE MORE BROADLY – LOOKING AT “HOW ARE WE DOING?” – TOGETHER WITH IMPACT HUB AND THE FORD FOUNDATION, WHO ARE TWO KEY ANCHORS WITHIN THIS 6-MONTH SURVEY PROCESS. WE ARE THRILLED TO START EXPLORING THE ISSUE OF INNER WELLBEING IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL CHANGE MORE BROADLY – LOOKING AT “HOW ARE WE DOING?” – TOGETHER WITH IMPACT HUB AND THE FORD FOUNDATION, WHO ARE TWO KEY ANCHORS WITHIN THIS 6-MONTH SURVEY PROCESS.

By Catalina Cock Duque

Building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive country is a long term challenge which requires systemic changes to face the roots of our problems. Such changes imply transformations in politics, power, relationships, attitudes and values. In order to achieve this, alliances between the public, private and social sectors are necessary, as well as between leaders with diverse approaches who can support alliances to adopt new ways of doing things.

This may sound obvious, but working with different actors can be difficult. For instance, the building of trust is a great challenge and, as has been expressed by Katherine Milligan and Nicole Schwab in their article “The Inner Path to Become a Systems Entrepreneur”, competition over financial resources for social investment discourage collaboration, and there could be rivalries over who gets the credit within a coalition around a specific issue. How to cultivate a context where egos can be left aside, and the common interest comes before individual interest? Such question must be answered in order to achieve structural changes.

There is increasing evidence that the inner condition of a leader is crucial to achieve meaningful changes, and that it can be cultivated through a path leading to greater awareness of oneself and to inner well-being. Along the same line, great names in the field of social entrepreneurship such as Skoll, Synergos, Ashoka and Schwab Foundation, are promoting a global movement, through their “Wellbeing Project”, to support inner growth as an essential aspect of social change.

There are many options to advance along an inner path, including a deep process of self-knowledge. Getting to know ourselves in all our dimensions allows us to project our greater strengths and to work on our weaknesses. The mere fact of becoming aware of the latter may allow us greater control over our emotions, such as fear or anger, which in turn may undermine confidence and hamper the building of bridges between different sectors. Through inner work, confidence in oneself may be developed, as well as the ability to listen, empathize and follow your intuition, among other crucial skills in the construction of common projects departing from difference.

Investing in the inner well-being of leaders is a way to support the sustainability of their initiatives, or, is it possible for a leader to reach his or her maximum potential when emotional health is at risk or human relations are weak? Will it be possible for his or her impact and leadership to prevail in the long term? I don’t think so. When people invest in their personal well-being, when their deeper purpose is clear, when their greater inner connection is achieved, they reach their extended-self or their greater-self; according to Peggy Dulany, founder of Synergos, such people have an open heart, which can feel gratefulness and access more creativity; they are connected with a greater whole, they know who they are and they like who they are.

If we get closer to our extended self we can feel more confident and connected in a broader sense, and thus explore our maximum potential as human beings. This is crucial to building high potential teams, networks and movements, to overcoming egos and personal interests, and to understanding the complexity of our reality from different perspectives. Only by advancing along our individual path, will we be able to advance in the political, economic, social and cultural changes Colombia requires to build a fairer, more peaceful and inclusive society.