When your team thrives, so does your business.
Engage and refresh your employees with realistic wellness programs.
In the past, workplace wellness started with initiatives like access to healthy foods, on-site fitness facilities and encouraging employees to take physical breaks.
Today managing stress and preventing burnout is the key to controlling the impact of workplace challenges on employee health.
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Engaged Employees
When employees feel well, and are clear on their intentions, they will move forward with confidence. It’s about progress, not perfection.
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High Performing Teams
Teach your employees how to pause, reflect on their own needs and then practice how to express those needs in a constructive way. This helps the team to focus on the “right” work.
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Growth & Longevity
Employees will be with you for the long-term when they are not only able to grow their career but can also thrive while working,
Wellness Programs that Employees Love
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Wellness Workshops
Zoom or Live
Inspire your team with simple and actionable health strategies. With over 20 topics (e.g. Stress, Sleep, Burnout, Energy, Brain Health, Menopause, and more), there’s something for everyone.
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Healthy Living Challenges!
5-7 Day Challenge (WhatsApp or Telegram)
Short and sweet challenges that motivate your team to explore new habits that may just stick! e.g. Mental Health Challenge. Eat More Veg Challenge. Get Amazing Sleep Challenge.
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Resources & Guides
PDF Files and Short Videos
Arm your team with resources you can easily distribute internally. Available in PDF format: meal plans, recipes books, reflection guides, and stress management tools. Available in video: healthy living tips, breath work, meditation, and short yoga classes.
Corporate Wellness Case Studies
"Ask Vanessa " Email Health Coaching Program
Employees at Philip Morris had the opportunity to "ask Vanessa" health and wellness questions via email. Topics included weight loss, nutrition, dealing with transformation, mental stress, and overeating.
After initial consultation, I recommended experts and services provided by HR's global and local teams. I also supported with a monthly informational email and bi-monthly blogs on BalancedYou platform.
Outcome:
Email Program, live for 2 years
About 30 emails answered per email blast
Positive feedback from participants survey
Business Transformation Workshop & Speed Coaching
Philip Morris International has been going through a global transformation shifting to a new way of thinking with new products, new attitude and approach to the tobacco business. I provided workshops, face-to-face speed coaching and monthly blogs on the topic of change, transformation, and recreating oneself.
The live workshop addressed the mental and emotional aspect, shifting from what could go wrong to what could go right. Key issue: Burnout and Mental Exhaustion
Speed coaching set at 30 minutes allowed the employees to dive into specifics to get immediate support, direction, and next steps.
Outcome:
Workshop, fully booked (40 participants)
Speed Coaching Sessions, fully booked (6 total)
Video recording shared via email and platform
Kick Start 10 Health & Wellness Program
Created with Juice Plus+ products in mind, I created a 10-day program focusing on exercise, nourishment, hydration, and sleep to inspire customers and partners towards optimal health.
The ten days explores different food and lifestyle changes. Delivered via Facebook groups, PDF, and working sessions to encourage customers, partners and employees to use the products and learn more about their benefits.
Outcome:
Translated and adapted into 6 European languages
Running now for 4 years to support product campaigns
Additional seasons recipe book created twice a year
What’s App Challenges with HR’s BalancedYOU Team
To meet employees where they are, I created 10-day challenges facilitated over WhatsApp and Telegram with the Philip Morris International HR Team.
The 10-Day Challenges included: Boost Your Brain, BalancedYOU, and Clean Eating Challenge.
Every day a video was posted, a challenge set and we encouraged interactions with employees in the chat. Detailed blogs supported each challenge and was posted on the HR platform.
Outcome:
We had too many participants and had to switch to Telegram!
We learned to add additional “Challenge” team members in different time zones to allow global employees to feel included in the challenge.
Clean Eating and Boost Your Brain were the most popular challenges.
Snappy Video Clips that Inspire!
Sometimes all it takes is a REFRAME of a topic we all know too much about, but cannot seem to change the habit. Like eating too much when we go out to eat, finishing the bag of chips, and not going to bed at a good time.
For Collaborative Perks, I provide short 5 minute videos on topics ranging including:
Going Alcohol Free
Emotional Eating
Healthy Snacks
Career Storytelling
What is sleep? Do I need it?
What is self-care really?
Outcome:
Corporate client is happy with the content for their HR platform and signed on for another year of videos.
Healthy living starts with a basis of good food, mindfulness, enjoyable movement, and rest.
Why are employees struggling?
Lack of True Nourishment
Go beyond food and focus on activities, people, music, or anything that makes a person feel great from the inside. We often postpone “feel-good nourishing” activities that are deemed, “not productive.”
Long Working Hours
Consistent long hours, often with tight deadlines and high expectations can wreck work-life balance especially if small successes are not being rewarded or recognised along the way.
Toxic Work Culture
A key reason for burnout, includes bullying, discrimination, and a lack of support from managers and colleagues.
Negative Relationship with Rest
Work hard, play hard is the motto from New York City where I grew up. Redefining adequate rest and how to blend in moments of rest through the day will create a high performing person who does not burn out.
High Pressure & Competition
We know the drill! Pressure to perform at a high level, meet extreme goals, and produce results. Motivating for some, but for others, the pressure and competition can be overwhelming.
Limited Opportunities
If employees cannot grow, advance their careers or take on new challenges, it may lead to feelings of stagnation and disengagement.
Constant Intake of Information
Having to process an enormous about of emails, meetings, data, and project work doesn’t leave much time to actually digest and actualise what is important and meaningful to work and home life. Think priority… not priorities.
Too Committed to Switch Off
Being constantly “on" and solving problems even when not at work presents an opportunity for burn-out. But it’s not that easy, as we normally process and think through things in our downtime.
Lack of Autonomy
Depending on the company or team culture, a specific role may offer little autonomy or control over one's work, leading to feelings of disempowerment and frustration.
Why Vanessa?
My intention is to get us out of the daily grind.
I teach my clients how to reconnect to their body and to create space for themselves; including time to eat good food, work out, sleep well and manage stress. Most importantly, my clients create support networks... to pull themselves forward, to truly THRIVE, to feel alive and engaged again.
So, let’s find out what's zapping your team’s energy and learn where you are getting blocked, because we know we should eat more vegetables, get to the gym and drink more water, but we often don’t manage to do it. That’s where I can help!
Create the mind-shift needed for a healthy, vibrant, focused team.
I want to help you succeed.
Let me deliver on my zone of genius, so you can focus on yours.
Once you give me the green light, I can manage everything from end-to-end from the communication, the development, execution, and reporting.
Whether it’s a wellness keynote speech, or quarterly workshops, or a year-long wellness program. I hope to make it easy and simple for you.
Vanessa’s Experience & Background
* Health Coaching * Yoga * Marketing * Global Communications *
My background includes 20 years in marketing communications. I know what it’s like to deal with performance pressure, business travel, and all day zoom meetings.
Having worked across time zones in a global setting, one learns quickly that the challenges are not only physical, but cultural, emotional, and mental as well.
My training combines lifestyle aspects including:
Healthy food and good eating habits.
Fitness, yoga, and creating the routines that get the body moving.
Mindfulness techniques for clarity and sanity.
Sleep, rest, and recuperation, to feel alive and engaged again.
Professional Training
Yoga for Menopause (2023)
Yoga for Stress, Burnout and Chronic Fatigue (2021)
Yoga for Digestive Health (2021)
Gut Health Course, Institute for Integrative Nutrition (2021)
Yoga Alliance, Registered Yoga Teacher 200h (2020)
Motivational Interviewing, Quantum Coaching Techniques (2013)
Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition (2011)
Bachelor Science Advertising/Marketing (1995)
Tell me about the challenges you see around workplace wellness at your company.
Let’s talk.
The Top 10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Planning a Wellness Initiative at Work
When evaluating a workplace wellness program, there are several questions you could ask to gain a better understanding of its effectiveness and potential impact on employees:
1. What are the goals of the wellness program?
2. How is the program structured and what activities are included?
3. How is the program funded and who is responsible for managing it?
4. What types of health screenings or assessments are offered?
5. How is employee participation encouraged and incentivized?
6. How are the results of the program measured and evaluated?
7. How are employees' personal health information kept confidential?
8. How does the program address mental health and stress management?
9. What resources are available to employees for maintaining healthy habits outside of the workplace?
10. How is the program adapted to meet the needs of employees with different health conditions or disabilities?
By reflecting on these questions, you can gain a better understanding of the wellness program's strengths and limitations, and whether it is a good fit for your organization.
What Vanessa’s Clients are Saying…
“I think I'm falling in love with food - good and healthy food. I've replaced my chocolate bar afternoon sugar boost with goji berries, nuts or a fruit. I'm hardly drinking any fizzy drinks anymore. I'm reducing the amount of gum I'm chewing from several pieces a week to maybe three a week. I've kicked the habit of drinking coffee for the sake of drinking coffee and am drinking maybe three or four cups a week now instead of eight or nine.”
– Managing Director, Language School Basel
“I have lost over 50 pounds since we’ve started working together last year. I don’t even remember what I was eating before. It’s a kind of food amnesia. I guess that’s okay!”
– Manager at Roche
“I’m more aware of my time and how I am spending it. My job takes too much of my time that it affects every thing else. So I am gradually making changes as we agreed. I started a one-hour Yoga every week. Last week was my first session and it felt GREAT! I am making sure I have my breakfast, which has made a difference to my mood and energy level throughout the day.”
– International School Teacher and Teacher Mentor
“Monday I was in a really bad mood-I had hurt my back and was feeling really sorry for myself. I worked from home and decided to rest. After breakfast I was still "hungry". It was clearly emotional hunger but I listened. What did I really want? While I ended up eating the equivalent of a day's calories before noon, I sat with the feeling and the emotions. I went back to our first discussions about eating what I wanted and allowing myself to enjoy what I wanted. It worked. I realized that I was anxious because of my back and worried that i would get into trouble at work for not being in the office. I worked all day from home, came clean to my boss about the back and actually wasn't hungry the rest of the day. At all. I have come to see that day as a real learning experience! I could eat what I desired AND not let it ruin my day. I also could contemplate what the issue could really be and explore how to make it better without food. Thank you!”
– S.V.P. at a Large Insurance Company
“I've now moved to Singapore, where I'm going full-time with my illustrations business and your newsletter was just the kick I needed! I've been struggling lately with the urge to get everything perfect and shipshape before shouting out for customers, but I am now learning just to get on with it - having real commissions to deliver really is the best way to get stuff done and steepen that learning curve! Thanks!”
– Independent Artist