Reggie Hubbard

Teacher, Activist, Strategist, and Organizer

Severn, MD,
United States

Reggie is the founder/chief serving officer of Active Peace LLC. His yogic and meditative practices have served as a sanctuary of peace and perspective while navigating the stresses of being a black man in the world and serving in pressure-filled jobs at the height of US politics. His practices have also helped him navigate complicated emotions (anger, grief, disappointment) to find and nurture peace of mind and ease of spirit, which is why he now seeks to share them widely for the wellbeing of all. Reggie has taught Members of Congress, Congressional Staff, leading progressive organizations, and individuals from all walks of life – simple tools for managing stress and bringing peace to mind body, and spirit.

In addition to his yoga teaching practice, Reggie has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing, digital and community organizing, government relations, and international education to Presidential campaigning. He is a featured speaker on political strategy, new consciousness, wellbeing and social justice, and civic engagement for leading publications, podcasts, and platforms including Be Here Now Network, The Hill, Mind and Life Institute, SoundsTrue Foundation, Upaya Zen Center, Wanderlust, the Wellbeing Project, Summit, Yoga Alliance, and Yoga Journal.

Reggie’s life work sits at the intersection of bringing more peace and balance to activists; guiding the wellness community toward being more engaged, concerned citizens; enhancing the well-being of all walks of life; and, shifting the world toward more justice for all. Through Active Peace LLC, he teaches and advises all walks of life to enhance well-being as a foundation rather than an afterthought, shifting culture and improving personal and professional outcomes.

In addition to advanced training in yoga and meditation, Reggie received a B.A. in philosophy from Yale University and an MBA in international strategy from the Vlerick Business School in Belgium.

What does inner wellbeing mean to you?

Inner wellbeing is the wellspring from which creativity, passion, purpose, clarity, health and justice flow from. If we hope for peace, love, grace, joy and justice in the world and do not nourish our inner-wellbeing to flourish, it will never happen. Conversely, the more we provide for and fortify our inner wellbeing, the deeper our impact in the world.

In my personal life, as I have made inner wellbeing sacrosanct and foundational, it has transformed my impact as an activist and in service to the healing and wellbeing of others.

How would you define wellbeing in one word?

Vibrancy.

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

Every evening and morning I play a sound bowl to make soothe my mind in preparation for sleep and to set the tone for the remainder of the day.

Why is it important that we prioritize individual, organizational and societal wellbeing?

As mentioned above, if we hope for peace, love, grace, joy and justice in the world and do not nourish our inner-wellbeing to flourish, it will never happen. Conversely, the more we provide for and fortify our inner wellbeing, the deeper our impact in the world.

Remembering that our organizations and society are made up of individuals, prioritizing inner-wellbeing in community has the compound effect of making organizations and society more structurally compassionate and human, and less bureaucratic.

Connect with Reggie Hubbard on social media :

Active Peace Yoga

Emily Eldredge

Founder + CEO of ChangeLight

“This seems so incredibly spot on!!!”. Such was the WhatsApp message that popped up on my phone in early April, and attached was an invitation to the Wellbeing Summit for Social Change.

The message came from my dear friend and colleague Marlou Cornelissen who had received the invitation and immediately recognized that, without question, I needed to be there.  As an emotional health innovator who is passionately focused on increasing the well-being of leaders and changemakers, I couldn’t agree more.

However, the weekend of the Summit was the same weekend that my husband and I would be driving cross-country from Arizona to New York!  We’d be finalizing his move from Tucson to New York City, and we’d been planning this drive for months.

I just couldn’t make it work.

And yet… the Wellbeing Summit kept sticking with me… and sticking with me…

Finally one day, I said to my husband, “Hey, honey.  Ummm, I know we’ve both really had our hearts set on doing this drive together, but I really feel like I have to be at this thing in Spain.  Is it okay if I don’t join you on the drive or maybe only join you for part of it?”  He was clearly disappointed but understanding and supportive. Our original plan was to drive to Dallas and spend the night there with my parents, so I mentioned my dilemma to them.  By complete coincidence, they were already planning on driving up to New England a couple of days later! So my husband and I drove from Tucson to Dallas, I flew from Dallas to Bilbao, and my husband and parents drove in tandem to New York!  (And they had a perfectly wonderful time without me!) We made it work.

As an impact-driven leader and changemaker myself, I spent years struggling with my own “demons” and burnout.  Working hard to live one’s own Truth and fulfill one’s life mission has a tendency to trigger one’s deepest wounds and defenses!  And I’ve seen so many of my fellow leaders and changemakers struggle with similar stresses and pressures.  However, prior to learning about the Wellbeing Project, I hadn’t heard of any collective efforts to address this pervasive issue.  Typical changemaker, I felt like I was the only one focused on it.

The Wellbeing Summit changed everything.  Immediately, I felt embraced by a tribe of lovely, loving human beings who, in their own unique ways, are working hard to make our world better while, at the same time, recognizing their own vital need for health and well-being.  I met activists, philanthropists, coaches, spiritual figures, artists, innovators, investors, yogis, and others with whom I felt an immediate connection and trust.  Though we had only just met, we were instantly open and vulnerable with one another – sharing our struggles as well as our joys.

One thing was also clear: every element of the Summit’s program was deeply intentional.  We had time to experience, time to learn, time to connect, time to rest, and time to heal.

What surprised me the most was how profoundly I was impacted by the art.  When I had initially read about the Wellbeing Project’s commitment to art as a source of healing, I thought with a shrug, “Oh, that’s nice”.  However, the Summit’s well-curated artistic experiences left indelible – and, yes, healing – impressions on me.  For example, on the first night, we were treated to a kind of poetic sound bath in which a woman read a long poem while someone stroked a gong to make it shimmer.  The sound vibrations penetrated me so deeply that all of my tension was released, my body fell away, and I felt myself floating in a space of pure peace.  That and other experiences since have helped me discover the incredible power of sound in my own self-care and healing.

My dear friend, Marlou was right. She, too, was “spot on” that I should attend the Wellbeing Summit. And, oh my, am I grateful that I could forgo that cross-country drive to be there!

I left the Summit feeling healed, encouraged, and inspired by the transformative experiences I had and the wonderful people I met. I’ve made friends for life – some of whom I’ve since rendez-voused with here in New York City – and I feel so much less alone in my commitment to changemakers’ well-being. In fact, to cement my support of the Wellbeing Project’s mission, I joined the Wellbeing Welldoing Network, a group of visionary philanthropists who sustain and grow The Wellbeing Project’s work.

Connect with Emily Eldredge on social media:

About Emily

Emily Eldredge is the founder of ChangeLight , the creator of the ChangeLight System™, and a member of the Wellbeing Welldoing Network at The Wellbeing Project. With her rare blend of deep compassion and fierce determination, Emily leads global leaders and everyday heroes through inner work that accelerates their power to change the world. As an innovator, entrepreneur, and humanitarian, Emily’s mission is to accelerate the healing of humanity and our planet.