In Case You Missed It
For those who don't have time for all the reading...
6 months ago I launched this Substack to seed the concepts for Toward Wellth.
70 posts, mostly essays, that can be read in 4-8 minutes over 26 weeks.
Today I’m going to review the highlights - in case you missed it.
Why does this Toward Wellth Substack even exist?
In 2023 two things happened.
One was the Surgeon General issued an advisory about the Loneliness Epidemic. TL;DR - wellness is decreasing as there are trends toward isolation - discussed in more detail on this post:
The other was I had an idea for a wellness lounge, which has been further planned, designed, and promoted in this space - recently being summarized in this post from September 18.
…yet initially described early on with this post from the first month of the Substack:
…which introduced the clear mission of the space, which relates to the Loneliness Epidemic and its root causes:
To revolutionize the social experience of a bar by creating a safe healing environment which improves mental health and agency of patrons.
What posts were most viewed?
This post on healthy coping mechanisms had the fastest set of views (the subject may have captured some of the extra interest), although overall it had about 2x the number of views as most common posts.
This post on setting boundaries was viewed only slightly less than the first — although it may have been one of my favorite to research and write. It’s also one post that if you read no others, read this one!
This post on Goal Setting is focused on viewing goal setting activities as balancing out effort across a variety of domains - Family, Health, Relationship, Spirituality, Finance, Career, Social Life, Personal Growth, etc…
This is the time of year that often works well to set aside time for this goal setting process — so that when the renewal feelings associated with the new year come about in January, you’ve primed your focus.
Who has had an impact on Toward Wellth - or influenced (biased?) some of the writing?
Therapists and coaches - the persons who I feel have contributed meaningful input into the mental health component of design!
Laurie Santos, PhD - This post may have been one of my biggest failures to promote it properly - as only 74 views happened. I attended the Harvard Kennedy School’s Happiness Symposium this summer, and she was one of the speakers- and I absolutely enjoyed taking this free course on coursera. (Also featured in that symposium were Arthur Brooks - Build the Life You Want author // and the father of Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman - who I am now also jealous of
having taken classes at Penn with him.So speaking of
, his Substack is one that I enjoy reading regularly now - related to mindful drinking and positive psychology.I wouldn’t have met him, if it weren’t for
and her Substack - and her introductions to others in the NA industry. I met Laura by hearing her on NPR and cold reaching out to her on LinkedIn - which then led me to Substack - and had me even start this Substack in general!I appreciate
having featured me on one of the posts relating to “being kind to your future self” - which you can read here:
FRIENDS, “day job” COWORKERS, and NETWORKED FRIENDS!
While I haven’t had a dedicated post to the friends who have helped or influenced me - it goes without saying that I have met a lot of new friends over the last year. I have deepened relationships with coworkers who connected with some of the topics covered - and it has all helped me feel less isolated while validating the concept.
What’s next?
I still continue to focus on the business plan and am actively networking for like minded entrepreneurs, wellness professionals, therapists, and community advocates. Bringing the physical space to fruition is still the ultimate goal in the near future. Commercial space that fits the design/vision in Mt. Lebanon is scarce. Scarce is an understatement.
Thank you for your continued support - and please continue to share the Substack with your network if you find it useful. Send me a note if you find it useful - it helps to know people read!
🙏🏻 Glad to be connected, and I’m a fan, too!