A couple weeks ago I received an email with the subject, "Arizona Republic: Interview Request." That's music to a small business owner's ears (or the digital equivalent of that expression). Reporter Lauren Castle was researching a story about how employees can benefit from wellness programs, and mindfulness training in particular. She asked if I would be willing to speak with her. Ummmm, yes please!!
Even better was the opportunity to hear directly from employees engaged in a mindfulness program. Fortunately the amazing team at Mobile Mini gave their full support. So, two weeks ago, Lauren and photographer Cynthia Evans came to class, observed, took notes and photos and interviewed participants.
It was incredibly inspiring to hear how gratefully they spoke about their practice, from "time to take care of myself" to lower blood pressure to awareness of emotions that were impacting physical health. Read the full article on azcentral.com.
The benefits aren't just anecdotal. The article also cites data from a 2018 national survey: 89% of employees said mindfulness has a positive impact on health and well-being and 53% of employees with wellness programs noticed an improvement in their health.
Now that's just good business sense. We felt lucky to be part of a story that can generate more awareness about the important benefits of employee wellness programs, and mindfulness training in particular.
*All photos in this gallery are by Cynthia Evans, photographer, The Arizona Republic
p.s.
How cool we were in the print edition on Saturday too!