At the age of 16, my competitive swimming career was in jeopardy due to a severe chronic injury. By the time I met Julie, a wellness practitioner and coach, I had lost faith in myself and in my ability to get better. During a two-year treatment process, Julie coached me and integrated various methods and knowledge to help me improve my health. To heal my chronic injury, she treated me with acupuncture and bodywork. To calm my mind, she taught me how to meditate and focus. To lift my spirit, she provided me the support system and confidence. Motivated and inspired to realize my potential, I learned how to take responsibility for my life and well-being. By my last year of high school, and against all odds and doctors’ expectations, I got back in the water stronger than ever and was voted my team's co-captain. I knew then that I wanted to dedicate my life to help and inspire people to improve their health and well-being, and spent the next 21 years (and counting!) studying, coaching and teaching methods that enhance well-being—physically, mentally and emotionally. I received an athletic scholarship and graduated summa cum laude from University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in Physiology and Neuroscience and a minor in Molecular and Cell Biology. I was especially interested in having a better understanding of the mind-body connection from a scientific standpoint and conducted brain and sleep research at SRI International—a world renowned research institute—for four years, where I co-authored several publications. In parallel, I studied various meditation styles and got certified in multiple healing modalities such as massage and acupressure. I kept dreaming of a place that would provide people the kind of support, tools, and coaching that I had received and, in 2007, I founded Camelot Center, an integrative center for wellness and health. There, I became very familiar with the primary obstacles to people’s wellness in today’s fast-paced world. I developed custom-made solutions to individual clients, and achieved great success while treating common ailments such as stress, anxiety, depression, overweight, and sleeping problems. I organized a team of volunteers and, through an Open House initiative, we were able to offer free treatments to thousands of people—some who could not afford paid services. Witnessing profound positive changes in my clients’ well-being produced great satisfaction but also sparked a new motivation and vision: if I can help individuals transform their lives in such extraordinary ways on a small scale, can I leverage my work and generate far-greater impact by creating tailored wellness programs for larger groups? I decided to pursue an MBA degree at UCLA in order to complement my skillset with a better understanding of the internal challenges corporations were facing and mastering organizational methodologies. While at UCLA, I researched current trends in employee wellness programs at Fortune 500 companies as well as the potential of the emerging field of corporate mindfulness training. I developed and led health and wellness programs for students, alumni and staff, and coached the 7th-ranked UCLA Gymnastics Team on stress management and mindfulness. As part of my MBA internship, I authored articles on well-being for Reimagine, a company dedicated to improving quality of life for cancer patients and their caregivers. Upon graduation, I was ready to translate my passion and leverage my experience to make a difference in employees’ lives and in companies’ collective well-being. In May 2015, I joined BB&T as the Director of Wellness Services at BB&T where I have been strategizing, designing and implementing programs to improve well-being for thousands of employees. My current role allows me to meet each company where it is in its wellness journey, which sometimes means taking the very first wellness steps. With more mature programs, I am able to introduce a more holistic approach to well-being and implement advanced solutions and initiatives. Having extensive business and scientific background proves to be incredibly valuable in making a business case for wellness and establishing credibility. This often grants me with direct access to companies’ CEOs and CHROs, which enables me to initiate a top-down shift in strategy and thinking. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that for a real change to take place, a bottom-up approach is equally important. With that said, my love for teaching allows me to get to know employees and spend significant time working directly with those I strive to empower. In 2016, this fine act of balance resulted in multiple companies launching a wellness program for the first time—including the commitment and allocation of significant wellness dollars. I created a wellness calendar for my clients and authored original newsletter each month on the monthly wellness theme. My extensive studies of Eastern and Western approaches to healthy living convinced me that in order to achieve long-lasting wellness, we must devote equal attention, care, and education to not only our physical, but also to our mental and emotional lives. As a result, I strive to introduce a more holistic approach, definition and content to companies. I led several well-being platform implementations and launched a company-wide mindfulness program for a leading company in the San Francisco Bay Area. I recorded several guided meditations and gave mobile access to employees so that they can easily play the meditations while at work or from the comfort of their homes. The program received such positive feedback that there is now a daily mindfulness session organized by employees and multiple managers requested additional training for their units. It is programs like these that offer hands-on practicum, train employees in proven techniques to improve health, and empower them to make positive lifestyle changes and actively lead a fully realized life. For the future, I hope to continue to spread the word of corporate well-being in a deep, meaningful way. Having been in the wellness space for more than 20 years, I am amazed and inspired by the momentum we got. One of my favorite proverbs states, “Alone, we go faster. Together, we go farther.” So let’s keep up the good work, because it really does make a difference.