Our mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever. In the face of an unprecedented and challenging event, changing what’s “normal” in our lives, we are hearing the deep need for support amidst the anxiety and worry that accompanies so much uncertainty. In response, Dr. Deirdre Guthrie wellbeing scientist, life coach and certified mindfulness and yoga instructor, has designed Mindful programs for your staff that include: weekly movement and mindfulness sessions, individual coaching and a social-emotional resiliency curriculum.
As an anthropologist, Dr. Guthrie understands the importance of creating programs that can apply to work-life and be customized to work culture and industry. Upon completing an assessment with key stakeholders, she creates programs that align practices with business objectives and strategy. Such strategies may include:
growing agile leadership
creating psychological safety
decreasing causes of staff burnout
addressing high rates of staff turnover
• Enhanced awareness of one’s self, others and environment (“presenteeism”)
• Greater ability to manage one’s emotions, focus, communicate, actively listen and creatively collaborate with others
• Decreased anxiety, rumination and fear
• Those facing a significant life-changing event
• Professionals in high-pressure careers
• Caretakers or those struggling with chronic illness
• Anyone seeking a more purpose-driven life
A Harvard Review found:
• Medical costs fall by about $3.27/employee for every dollar spent on wellness programs
• Absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73/ employee for every dollar spent
• And Dee Edington, Ph.D., a wellness program expert, recommends spending “about $300-400 per employee annually if you expect good savings and a positive ROI.”
According to Edington et al, “lifestyle medicine” programs will continue to advance, defining “wellness” as more than merely the absence of disease. “New research identifies the important roles of many diverse factors such as relationships, lifestyle behaviors, emotional outlook, positive environment, mind–body connection, use of technology, and work styles, which can help each person achieve the fullness of life, vitality, and flourishing that characterizes a high level of wellbeing.” (The Future of Health Promotion in the in the 21st Century,” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, July-August 2016)
Weekly online movement
(yoga and qigong)
to safely strengthen your body, release physical tension and bolster immunity
Online instruction + guided
meditations for greater
awareness, focus, creativity
and relaxation
Align your life
with your values and
reawaken your sense of
inspiration and connection
Aligning Strengths and Values, Identifying Shadow
Movement and Mindfulness Sessions
One on One coaching that tailors personal learning journeys to wellbeing goals
A ten-month Compassionate Wisdom course customized to individual wellbeing goals.
Strengths/Needs Assessment
Movement and Mindfulness sessions
Ongoing communication with supervisors to track team micro-shifts
A ten-month Compassionate Wisdom course customized to team’s needs (ie. to prevent burnout and reboot resilience)
Month 1-5
• Designing Daily Rituals
• The Mind-body Connection
• Preparing for the Journey
(What are your Values?)
• Setting Your Compass
• Understanding your Strengths
Month 6-10
• Mindfulness and Self-Regulation
• Attention, Flow, and the Brain
• Emotional Agility
• Deep Listening
• Caring Communication
For those who wish to “dig deeper” into inner development, there is also a Compassionate Wisdom Program that is particularly useful for supervisors, managers and other leaders or anyone interested in cultivating a purpose-driven life.
The program was piloted and then used with medical supervisors and includes components on values-based leadership, mindfulness and self-regulation, attention, flow and the brain, emotional agility, deep listening and caring communication.
At the individual level it will enable you to align your strengths with your values, encounter your shadow with compassion and invite transformative mindful rituals into your everyday life to nourish your wellbeing in relationship with others.
Deirdre is currently the Director of Wellbeing and Joy in Practice for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals at Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Before this she was a lead researcher at the University of Notre Dame where she led a team in developing wellbeing programs for caregiving professionals. She has worked for The Kellogg Institute of International Studies at the University of Notre Dame and The Center for Healthy Minds in Wisconsin as Research Manager for The Wellbeing Project, based in Paris, France. She has a doctorate in anthropology and has been teaching yoga and mindfulness meditation since 2005.
