Ten years ago, I, Don, the Founder of Wellness Leadership LLC, was in terrible shape. The picture below gives you an idea. Taken on my Birthday, I am seen here with an Elvis impersonator. Elvis is a long-time idol of mine, and I can do a pretty wicked impersonation, even at my peak weight (unfortunately, this picture was taken a little shy of my peak). But I always preferred the young Elvis to the 70’s, too many Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches Elvis.
I had to do something! My 30th West Point Reunion was coming, and the picture below is what my classmates remembered about Don and Elvis.
In 2015, I did two things that forever changed my life. I got a checkup that told me I had some health issues, and two, I joined WW and listened to my wife, Colette, to learn how to get well. One year later, I lost half my body weight. I enjoyed my reunion, became a Lifetime member at WW, walked 50 miles in one day, and returned to Skinny Elvis (see picture below).
Having fixed my body, I now turned to my soul. The weight loss had helped some in curing my intense, hot-tempered disposition. But I needed to do more. So, I got counseling and began to practice prayer and mindfulness. My colleagues noticed the change, and my productivity improved.
Having restored my body and soul wellness, it was time to pay it forward by helping others. I launched wellness programs both for my team and the office. I led several office employee resource groups and created programs during the pandemic to keep people fit and well. Some of the programs were digital Karaoke, Peloton Pandemic Pandemonium, a monthly book club called Learning to Lead, and an ecumenical New Year celebration to honor celebrations of light across cultures. I had hit my stride. I also gave presentations on the lessons I learned on my wellness journey. I had found my niche with help from my friends and a big assist from Colette. I was ready for my second act if the chance arose.
That chance occurred four months ago when I left Accenture after over 30 years of experience. I saw what could have been a setback as an opportunity to pay it forward. Since my departure, I have gone on a mission trip to the border with my Church, took some time to unwind, started substitute teaching, worked on two forthcoming books on wellness, and developed Wellness Leadership LLC with Colette. We launched the website on 9/29/2023, located here.
The mission of Wellness Leadership is borne out of our origin story. Our mission is to help others thrive through wellness! We partner with you to cultivate a wellness-focused culture for your organization to achieve excellence while caring for your people. Our Well-Led framework is based on the lessons learned in our origin story. It serves as the foundation for our three offerings that transform you and your organization and bring wellness and higher productivity:
- Personal and executive wellness coaching, seminars, books, and training.
- Consulting for the design and implementation of wellness programs for organizations to foster employee wellness and loyalty
- Quality assurance, risk management, and independent verification services for programs and projects based on our Well Led Framework. This assessment framework incorporates employee wellness as a critical factor in assessing project risk and reward.
Let us pay it forward. Let us help you thrive through wellness!
