Emeline Michel

Artist

Only a few performers earn acclaim for developing a unique sound. Emeline Michel can count herself among those few. Known for her fusion of traditional Haitian rhythms (kompa, rasyn, and twoubadou) with other musical genres (pop, jazz, and blues), Michel created a sound, which appealed to both traditional and contemporary listeners worldwide. Combined with Michel’s hypnotic and bluesy voice (which draws comparisons to the great Joni Mitchell), and remarkable stage presence, Michel has made her mark as one of the most notable Haitian singers, songwriters, and musicians of the past two decades.

Born in Haiti, Michel’s foray into music began as a singer in the Church of Gonaives’ gospel choir. Later, she studied at the Detroit Jazz Center, refining both her voice and musical style. Her return to Haiti showcased a new sound, highlighted on her debut album, Douvanjou ka leve. Michel continued her studies in France, where she received classical voice training under the tutelage of the legendary voice coach, Richard Cross.

Several albums followed: Tankou Melodie, Flanm, and Ban’m Pase included. Michel’s second album, Tout Mon Temps, featured the top single, “A.K.I.K.O.” As Michel stated, “A.K.I.K.O.” urged Haitians to stop fighting, come together, and create a country that would make the next generation proud. Without unity, we have no future.” A global sensation, “A.K.I.K.O” charted in many countries, including Belgium, French Guiana, Chile, Japan, and Canada.

Michel’s list of appearances is quite extensive: Carnegie Hall, United Nations, the Clinton Global Initiative, Montreal International Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Fuji Rock Festival, Seychelles Island Creole Festival, and the Teatro del Silencio, where she performed with Andrea Bocelli and the Choir Voices of Haiti in Italy. Still, it was Michel’s performance on MTV’s “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief” telethon, which garnered the most acclaim. Michel’s rendition of Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers to Cross,” and other similar performances, led New York Times’ Ben Sisario to declare Michel a “diplomat of music,” and a “dancing ambassador with a voice as serene and warm like the breeze.”

Michel has received countless awards, including Haiti Musique en Folie Award for Best Haitian Album and Best Production for Cordes et Ame (2000). She has also receive the Catherine Flon Award (2017) and a New York City Council Proclamation for outstanding activism in the community.

In Michel’s upcoming autobiographical documentary, The Aroma of My Land (2019), viewers will have the opportunity to hear Michel’s life story in her words, and view behind the scenes exclusives: live performances, interviews, poetry, music, pictures and more. It is one to watch.

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Dr. Barry Kerzin

American physician and Buddhist monk

Dr. Barry Kerzin is an American physician and Buddhist monk. He serves as a personal physician to the 14th Dalai Lama, along with treating people in the local community.

He has written Tibetan Buddhist Prescription for Happiness, and with the Dalai Lama and Professor Tonagawa, Mind and Matter: Dialogue between Two Nobel Laureates. He has also written Nagarjuna’s Wisdom: A Guide to Practice, Compassion-Bridging Practice and Science and No Fear No Death: The Transformative Power of Compassion.

Barry Kerzin is an ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, a Visiting Professor at Central University of Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, India, an Honorary Professor at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), and a former Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington.

Barry is a fellow at the Mind and Life Institute and consults for the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig on compassion training. He is the founder and president of the Altruism in Medicine Institute (AIMI) and the founder and chairman of the Human Values Institute (HVI) in Japan.

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Dr. Sará King

Neuroscientist

Dr. Sará King 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 is currently a post-doctoral fellow in Neurology at OHSU , a Garrison Institute Fellow and Society for Neuroscience Associate, and a member of Google’s well-being think tank “Vitality Lab”. She is the Co-Director of the Embodied Social Justice Certificate Program, as well as she is the Director of Science and Healing for Mobius – an organization dedicated to stewarding the development of liberatory technology. She is the founder of MindHeart Consulting, a scientific consulting firm through which she offers up “The Science of Social Justice” framework and the “Systems Based Awareness Map” (SBAM) which she created to explore our capacity to heal intergenerational trauma and promote the well-being of “collective nervous systems”. She is currently partnered with the Museum of Modern Art in N.Y. to bring her applied neuroscience research on the (SBAM) to the world as a part of their “Artful Practice For Well-Being” Initiative.

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Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr

Educator, author and political commentator

Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., is an educator, author, political commentator, and public intellectual who examines the complex dynamics of the human experience. His writings, including “Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul”, “In a Shade of Blue: Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America”, and his most recent, the New York Times bestseller, “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own”, takes an exhaustive look at Black communities and the democratic challenges we face. He is also a former president of the American Academy of Religion, with a number of best-selling books published on religion and philosophy. He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies, on the Morehouse College Board of Trustees, an MSNBC contributor and a columnist for TIME Magazine. Combining a scholar’s knowledge of history, a political commentator’s take on the latest events, and an activist’s passion for social justice, Glaude challenges all of us to examine our collective conscience.

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Jennifer Woodlard

Georgetown University

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A Professor of psychology and adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University, Jennifer Woolard began her career at the National Victims Resource Center. While obtaining her doctoral degree in developmental and community psychology at the University of Virginia she also served as a victim-witness volunteer in the county police department, a staff member to the Virginia Commission on Family Violence Prevention, and a consultant with Virginians Against Domestic Violence (now Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance) . She then joined the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice and became an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Center for Studies in Criminology and Law. In 2002 she joined the psychology faculty at Georgetown University. Her research and action laboratory, the Georgetown Community Research Group, studies individual and family experiences with systems of care and control in order to create fair, effective, and just legal processes. Projects examine how youth and parents understand the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and the right to a trial. Her lab is the evaluation partner for the Youth In Custody Practice Model initiative, which helps juvenile correctional institutions implement evidence-informed and developmentally-appropriate practices. Dr. Woolard has testified as an expert before federal and state legislatures as well as in juvenile and criminal cases. She has presented her research findings to a wide variety of academic, legal, and policy audiences, and won several awards for teaching excellence, including the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She currently serves as chair of the Psychology Department.

Dr. Julia Kim

Program Director, Gross National Happiness Centre Bhutan

Dr. Julia Kim is the Program Director of the Gross National Happiness Centre Bhutan. She joined the GNH Centre after serving as a member of the International Expert Working Group for a New Development Paradigm, convened by the Royal Government of Bhutan. Prior to living in Bhutan, Julia worked as a physician and HIV researcher in Africa and Asia, before serving with the United Nations (UNDP and UNICEF) in New York. She brings a background in leadership development, research, and policy in the fields of wellbeing economics, global health, and sustainable development, and is an Executive Committee member of the Club of Rome, and an associate of the Presencing Institute – a global network that views awareness-based systems change as a core capacity for 21st-century innovation and leadership

Reflections on the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Carnival in Bangladesh, an event supported by The Wellbeing Project Reflections on the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Carnival in Bangladesh, an event supported by The Wellbeing Project

“I felt privileged to have witnessed a seminal moment in the journey of Bangladesh as a nation, toward an era where wellbeing and mental health are acknowledged and prioritized”

By: Samuel Smith , Senior Community Manager at The Wellbeing Project

Date: October 2022

In November 2022 I had the pleasure of representing The Wellbeing Project at the inaugural edition of the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Carnival at The University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Co-hosted by the Aachol Foundation and the Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation , the carnival brought together youth groups, media, education & health experts, as well as organizations working at the heart of campaigns relating to the development of youth wellbeing. Significantly, there were also government representatives present, as one of the objectives of the carnival was to influence the upcoming creation of a national mental health framework; the first policy of its kind in Bangladesh.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dhaka, and I took a lot away from hearing the inspiring stories and experiences of those present. There is a fascinating vibrancy and energy that comes from a movement fronted by young people and students. Their enthusiasm, dynamism, and willingness to tackle difficult and sometimes daunting topics with a smile and laughter is truly infectious.

I felt privileged to have witnessed a seminal moment in the journey of Bangladesh as a nation, towards an era where wellbeing and mental health are recognized and prioritized. The impact of YMHWBC will be felt well beyond the borders of the university campus, and perhaps even beyond the borders of this beautiful south Asian country.

A personal thank you to Monira Rahmen for the invitation and for giving me the opportunity to contribute. I would also like to show my gratitude to Heal Bangladesh , Heroes For All , No Passport Voice , SAJIDA Foundation , Moner Bondhu and ADD International for taking the time to explain to me how their work is helping to foster a sense of wellbeing across a variety of sectors in Bangladesh and beyond.

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!

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Personal Website

Co.act Detroit

Cómo los líderes empresariales pueden enfrentar la crisis de salud mental Cómo los líderes empresariales pueden enfrentar la crisis de salud mental

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Es el Día mundial de la Salud Mental y aún es un tema que nos elude en el mundo empresarial. Tal vez porque se siente como un tema privado, difícilmente entendemos nuestro rol frente a un reto que es altamente público.

Hace unos meses, tuve la oportunidad de tener una experiencia inmersiva en uno de los encuentros más importantes a nivel global. Entre las palabras de bienvenida, un líder empresarial explicaba: “El bienestar emocional tiene un rol central en el sector privado, es fundamental para la innovación y colaboración,” dijo Edwin Macharia, Global Managing Partner de Dalberg, frente a más de 1000 personas que se dieron cita en la ciudad española de Bilbao la primera semana de junio.

El encuentro global “The Wellbeing Summit” o Cumbre del Bienestar, juntó a las mentes más influyentes en la intersección de la salud mental, el bienestar integral, el activismo y la investigación científica. Este encuentro, este año 2022 no es para menos: de manera colectiva, los ponentes presentaron un reto enorme al que nos enfrentamos como sociedad de frente al bienestar integral y la salud mental.

La OMS define a la salud como “el estado de bienestar físico, mental y social, no solamente la ausencia de enfermedad” y a la salud mental como “el estado de bienestar en el que cada individuo logra su potencial, se enfrenta a los estreses normales de la vida, puede trabajar productiva y fructíferamente, y puede contribuir a su comunidad.”

La pandemia y sus secuelas presentan retos sin precedentes para la humanidad en términos de salud mental. En los últimos dos años, la estimación conservadora de suicidios está en 700,000 personas anuales; sin explicaciones alternativas, los médicos continúan atribuyendo más y más enfermedades al estrés.

Si el número previo nos genera una fuerte impresión, al llevarlo a un lapso más concreto, cada hora del día, se suicidan 81 personas en el mundo; y a ello, también encontramos el fenómeno aterrador de school shootings, los feminicidios, los enfrentamientos por causas raciales, y más. Se estima que la mala salud mental le cuesta a la economía mundial entre $3 y $5 trillones al año en productividad reducida.

En América Latina, la salud mental continúa acarreando un tabú en el mundo empresarial, se lo habla poco pero se siente su efecto cada vez más seguido. En el mejor de los casos, se lo aborda de manera tangencial, solamente cuando los impactos se hacen visibles. Pero los diagnósticos de patologías de salud mental son sólo el primer paso. El liderazgo integral debe abordar el tema mediante prácticas, servicios y acciones tangibles que arrancan desde el lado preventivo.

Uno de los ponentes del Wellbeing Summit, el neuro-científico Richard Davidson , presentó una colección de hallazgos científicos sobre lo que él llama la “neuroplasticidad’ del cerebro – nuestra cualidad de tener una mente que puede ser moldeable mediante repetición y prácticas que re configuran cómo está programada. La tesis principal es que la compasión y felicidad es un habilidad que se puede aprender:

El cerebro de un monje en estado meditativo es algo replicable – Davidson propone que la habilidad de estar presente, consciente de sus propios pensamientos es un camino de prevención buscando el bienestar mental. En un estudio del 2004 (Lutz et. al) se midieron las oscilaciones gamma, que predicen niveles de claridad de percepción, en el cerebro de un monje budista con años de experiencia en meditación. Las oscilaciones de las ondas en el cerebro de los monjes en estado meditativo eran significativamente más amplias. Es decir, cuando el cerebro se encuentra presente y perceptivo, las ondas gamma se abren. En estados de miedo o incertidumbre se contraen. Lo importante, es que los monjes tienen la capacidad de controlarlo con práctica, y que la incorporación de hábitos de manera consistente puede crear el mismo efecto en la población general.

La capacidad de conexión con otros re-configura el cerebro – Un estudio del 2013 (Weng et al) trabajó con un grupo de personas ofreciéndoles capacitación en técnicas meditativas de cultivar compasión. En sólo dos semanas, los neurocientíficos encontraron diferencias tangibles en imágenes de escaneos cerebrales de quienes habían participado – sus niveles de “conectividad DPLFC-Nacc”, que se asocia con comportamiento altruista (un indicador de salud mental), se muestran claramente dilatados en los scans.

El sentido de propósito correlaciona con la longevidad – Un meta-análisis de estudios de la última década (Cohen et. al, 2016) determinó que el sentido de propósito (incluso en las actividades diarias más mundanas) es un predictor potente de longevidad y prevención de eventos cardiovasculares. Los efectos del bienestar son reales – un estudio del 2019 de Evans y Soliman presentaron una fuerte correlación entre la expectativa de vida promedio y el bienestar en 151 países: aquellos con percepción de bienestar más alta tienen hasta 30 años más de vida en promedio que quienes viven en países bajos niveles de bienestar emocional.

Hace un siglo, el hábito de tomarse 3 minutos después de cada comida para lavarse los dientes no existía a nivel global. Sin embargo, como sociedad, lo incorporamos como una acción de importancia para nuestra supervivencia como especie. Este principio de incentivar hábitos, promoviendo una mente más saludable, puede tener efectos enormes en las distintas crisis que enfrentamos. La diferencia es que esta vez contamos con avances de tecnología móvil y de wearables (relojes inteligentes, tracking devices, etc) que nos permiten acelerar la incorporación de buenos hábitos de manera exponencial.

Por esta razón, no sorprende que el Dr Barry Kerzin, el médico personal del Dalai Lama, se apoya en una aplicación móvil para hacer prácticas de compasión y altruismo más accesibles a la población, o que Betterfly , la start-up unicornio Latinoamericana incentiva buenos hábitos meditativos recompensando a los usuarios con medallas que facilitan la donación a causas. El potencial de generar impacto positivo mediante modelos de negocio que innovan con propósito es enorme.

Los retos más grandes que enfrentamos como humanidad siempre han presentado oportunidades para el empresariado que quiere marcar una diferencia.

Las buenas noticias son que podemos entrenar nuestros cerebros para crear bienestar mental y que podemos promover estos hábitos gracias a los avances de la tecnología móvil.

Con una oportunidad como esta, es cuestión de tiempo para que el sector empresarial tome el liderazgo para escalar la construcción de una sociedad más conectada consigo mismo y con su propósito. Así es cómo el mantra intangible de que “la paz interior puede crear paz para el mundo”, se convierte cada día en algo más tangible y viable conforme esta intersección única de maestros de meditación, científicos y empresarios convierten sus voluntades en una nueva realidad. Así es como el mundo empresarial puede enfrentar la crisis de salud mental: no solamente con voluntad, sino también apalancándose de tecnología y ejerciendo el liderazgo que este reto público exige.

Author bio

Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter is the Global VP of Purpose and Communities at Betterfly, the first social unicorn start-up, with operations across Latin America. Before her current role, Michelle was the CEO and co-founder of IMPAQTO, a B Corporation with a mission to support impact entrepreneurs reach their goals by building the ecosystem and network they need to thrive. Michelle is a recent mother of twins and a member of The Ecosystem Network at The Wellbeing Project.

How business leaders can face the mental health crisis How business leaders can face the mental health crisis

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October is World Mental Health Month yet, mental health remains a topic that eludes us in the business world. Perhaps because it feels like a personal issue, we hardly understand our role in the face of a challenge that is highly public.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to have an immersive experience in one of the most important global meetings related to mental health and wellbeing, which is a more holistic way to explore it. From the very first welcoming remarks, I was all in: “Emotional wellbeing plays a central role in the private sector, it is essential for innovation and collaboration,” said Edwin Macharia, Global Managing Partner of Dalberg, in front of more than 1,000 people who met in the Spanish city of Bilbao the first week of June 2022.

The Wellbeing Summit for Social Change brought together the most influential minds at the intersection of mental health, holistic wellbeing, activism, arts, and scientific research. In the convening, the Summit speakers collectively presented the enormous challenge that we face as a society and the wellbeing of our people.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as “the state of physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease” and mental health as “the state of well-being in which each individual achieves his or her potential, copes with normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to the community.”

The pandemic and its sequels present unprecedented challenges for humanity in terms of mental health. In the last two years, conservative estimates of suicides are at 700,000 people per year; with no alternative explanations, doctors continue to attribute more and more illnesses to stress. If the previous number makes a strong impression on us, when taken to a more specific period, every hour of the day, 81 people commit suicide in the world; besides, we also find the terrifying phenomenon of school shootings, femicides, clashes for racial reasons, and more. Poor mental health is estimated to cost the global economy between $3 and $5 trillion per year due to reduced productivity.

In Latin America, mental health continues to be a taboo topic in the business world, it is rarely talked about but its effects can be noticed more and more often. At best, it is approached tangentially, only when the impacts become visible. But diagnoses of mental health pathologies are only the tip of the iceberg. Business leaders must address the issue through practices, services, and tangible actions that start from the preventive side.

One of the speakers at the Wellbeing Summit, neuroscientist Richard Davidson, presented a collection of scientific findings on what he calls the brain’s ‘neuroplasticity’ – our quality of having a mind that can be molded through repetition and practices that reconfigure how it is programmed. The main thesis is that compassion and happiness are skills that can be learned. Below are a few of the findings that back up this theory that we can train ourselves to shape the health of our brain:

The brain of a monk in a meditative state can be replicable – Davidson proposes that the ability to be present, and aware of one’s own thoughts is a preventive path toward mental well-being. In a 2004 study (Lutz et. al) gamma oscillations, which predict levels of perceptual clarity, were measured in the brain of a Buddhist monk with years of meditation experience. The wave oscillations in the brains of the monks in a meditative state were significantly broader. That is, when the brain is present and perceptive, the gamma waves open up; in states of fear or uncertainty, they contract. The important thing is that monks have the ability to control it with practice, and incorporating habits consistently can create the same effect in the general population- we don’t necessarily need to be super-meditators to reap the benefits.

The ability to connect with others reconfigurates the brain – A 2013 study (Weng et al) worked with a group of people by offering training in meditative techniques for cultivating compassion. In just two weeks, the neuroscientists found tangible differences in brain scan images of those who had participated – their levels of “DPLFC-Nacc connectivity”, which is associated with altruistic behavior (an indicator of mental health), looked clearly dilated in the scans. Again, visualizing scientifically the effects of human connection on our brains.

A sense of purpose correlates with longevity – A meta-analysis of studies from the last decade (Cohen et. al, 2016) found that a sense of purpose (even in the most mundane daily activities) is a powerful predictor of longevity and prevention of cardiovascular events. The well-being effects are real – a 2019 study by Evans and Soliman found a strong correlation between average life expectancy and well-being across 151 countries: those who live in countries with the highest perceived well-being levels live up to 30 years longer on average than those who live in countries with low levels of emotional wellbeing.

A century ago, the habit of taking 3 minutes after each meal to brush your teeth didn’t exist globally. However, as a society, we incorporated it as an important action for our survival as a species. This principle of encouraging habits, and promoting healthier minds, can have enormous effects on the different crises we face. The difference is that this time we have advances in mobile and wearable technology (smart watches, tracking devices, etc.) that allow us to accelerate the incorporation of good habits exponentially.

For this reason, it is not surprising that Dr. Barry Kerzin, the Dalai Lama’s personal physician, relies on a mobile application to make practices of compassion and altruism more accessible to the population. Or that Betterfly, the Latin American unicorn start-up, encourages good meditative habits by rewarding users with medals that make it easy to donate to causes. The potential to generate a positive impact through business models with purpose-driven innovations is enormous.

The greatest challenges we face as humans have always presented big opportunities for the business community that wants to make a difference. The good news is that we can train our brains to create mental wellbeing and that we can promote these habits thanks to advances in mobile technology.

With an opportunity like this, it is a matter of time before the business sector takes the lead in building a society that is more connected with itself and with its purpose. This is how the intangible mantra that “inner peace can create peace for the world” becomes more tangible and viable every day as this unique intersection of meditation teachers, scientists, and start-up leaders turn their wills into a new reality. This is how the business world can face the mental health crisis: not only with will but also by leveraging technology and exercising the leadership that this public challenge demands.