In the wake of Alexei Navalny's final message to “be scared of nothing,” something clicked in me. Maybe it’s not more positivity we need. Maybe it’s bravery.
 
As a wellness professional, I've been immersed in and surrounded by calls for positivity. "Name 3 good things! Seek out the good! Keep a positive mindset!" Positivity – or so we’ve been told – is foundational to wellbeing.
 
But positivity often falls short and feels hollow. And if you’re a leader or a manager, a blanket of positivity is not necessarily what your team is craving, especially in a time of so much uncertainty. 
 
So, what if we focused more on being BRAVE? 

• Instead of naming three good things, what if we named three brave things we did that day?
• Instead of recalling positive interactions, what we started noticing exchanges of courage?
• Instead of only providing feedback on what team members did well, what if we noted what they did bravely?

 
Being brave is especially timely as Women’s History Month wraps up. The common thread amongst the women that we admire year after year – women like Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Jane Austen, and Shirley Chisholm – is COURAGE. These women inspire us to stand firm in our beliefs, to change lives, and to make waves within our spheres of influence. 
 
While we may never be as brave as these women (or, for that matter, as brave as Navalny was), heroes like these women (and men) can teach us how we, too, can live a little more courageously. 

Here are three ways we can live more bravely:
(As a caveat, since it’s Women’s History Month, I’m steering this more toward women. But, men, you can still take note.)

Year after year, companies raise the bar on employee goals, success, and performance, but what about their wellbeing programs? Across companies, the “norm” for wellbeing initiatives is low participation, low engagement, and short-term results. 

And now, yet another study has come out indicating that – SURPRISE! – workplace wellness programs aren’t working. This time it’s British researcher, William J. Fleming, a fellow at Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Center, who analyzed survey responses from 46,336 workers at companies that offer wellness programs. Upshot: With one notable exception, employees weren’t healthier – or happier – because of these well-intended programs. And, in some cases, they were worse off.

Why aren't wellbeing programs working?

Achieving personal wellbeing goals can be challenging, if not impossible. Why? Because more often than not, our environment is literally conspiring against us being healthy.

Think about it:

• We're born to move — but think about all the ways that we're effectively "told to sit." (It's the first thing we hear when we walk into any home or office; it's the first thing we're teaching our kids in school; and everything in our culture is built around our cars.)
• We're born to take breaks and restore — but think about all the ways that we're driven to be "always on" (and how much companies like Facebook have designed their products to make us more addicted to our phones).
• And, we're born to eat healthy foods — but think about all the ways that we are pushed toward the unhealthy option. (How many "healthy choices" are there really when we travel, for example? And, what about the fact that there's a fast food restaurant on every corner, but sources for healthy foods are so limited?)

Therefore, each of us has to become a student of our environment, uncovering all the ways that it's either driving us toward better health or just the opposite.

​Meanwhile, the big lie in wellness is that better health and wellbeing is all about personal choices. But, as recent studies show, culture shapes our health. Therefore, achieving better health and wellbeing as individuals - aka, ME AT MY BEST® - begins with what we, as communities, choose to do. 

In essence, community wellbeing = the surprising path to wellbeing for all.

What major trends will shape workplace wellness in 2024?

As we enter a new year, workplace wellness will continue to evolve — from innovative technologies to a deeper focus on mental health. Here are four major predictions that will redefine workplace wellness in the year to come.

I've been saying this since 2014, but managers really are the key to well-being. They make — or break — the level of well-being for their team members. New data released by Deloitte, Gallup, and McKinsey all agree—the manager's role deeply affects employee well-being, engagement, and productivity. 

This means that if you’re a manager, and if you’re not prioritizing your well-being, then you're putting yourself --and your team — at risk.

Here’s what the recent Deloitte Report had to say: 

A recently released study shows that workers are happier at work, but women are less happy than their male colleagues.

Come on – are we really surprised by this?

Ask any woman – or if you’re a woman, ask yourself – and she will surely tell you about a time when she was minimized, not credited or wholly removed from organizational history – not to mention, underpaid or even sexually harassed. These are all part of the collective experience for women in the workplace.

Case in point: I was asked to create and deliver a two-day leadership-meets-wellness training program for high-potential managers at a multinational corporation. I, along with a female manager on the organizational development team who originally hatched the idea, worked tirelessly in creating and delivering the program. The VP of HR at the time (also a woman) was the one who championed the program, serving as our opening keynote. 

In other words, the program — start to finish — was initiated by, created by and led by women. 

More Americans than ever are feeling lonely and socially isolated. This lack of social connection is having profound effects on our mental and physical health, according to a warning released by the Surgeon General on May 1st. 
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This formal advisory is the first time America’s top doctor has issued a warning about loneliness and adds to growing concern that the epidemic will only get worse as remote and hybrid work models become permanent for millions of American's.
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Rates of loneliness, which were already at record highs pre-pandemic, have only gotten worse post-pandemic. The impact of it is likely to be devastating. In fact, the Surgeon General cited earlier research showing that loneliness is as deadly as smoking. 

After working with hundreds of organizations and over 20,000 CEOs and managers to implement workplace well-being strategies, I strongly believe that the shift toward hybrid and remote work is only going to make the loneliness epidemic worse. That said, it’s clear that hybrid and remote work is here to stay. So, given these challenges, here are three ways employers can cultivate connection with their employees to mitigate the effects of the rise in loneliness: