Experts Unite to Discuss Mindfulness and Healthy Workplace Culture

by Emily Winer
Sep 12, 2018 9:50 AM ET
The International WELL Building Institute and the Garrison Institute hosted an intimate Jeffersonian Dinner with industry leaders to discuss the future of the Mind concept in the WELL Building Standard.

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Early this summer, IWBI and the Garrison Institute brought together a group of experts for a special type of dinner party – a Jeffersonian dinner centered around the WELL Mind concept. IWBI and Garrison have a shared goal of fostering healthy, mindful and resilient individuals, organizations and communities.

The rules of a Jeffersonian dinner are simple: bring together a small group of leading experts with diverse backgrounds and perspectives to discuss a specific topic. What sets it apart from your average dinner party is that throughout the entire evening, only one person is speaking at any given time, meaning that the collective wisdom found in the room is singularly focused in on one conversation.

Facilitated by IWBI’s President, Rachel Gutter, and Jonathan Rose, President of Jonathan Rose Companies, both Co-Chairs of the Garrison Institute Board of Trustees, the conversation focused on mindfulness, community building and qualities of the workplace that support individuals in getting to a state of creativity, collaboration, productivity and engagement.

The renowned group’s expertise expanded across a broad group of disciplines, including psychology, neurobiology, mindfulness, architecture and design and workplace culture.

For the IWBI team, the opportunity to dialogue with this distinguished group of experts was invaluable. Lessons learned will inform how we can most effectively use Mind as a vehicle for scaling mindful practices and design, as well as how WELL can support organizations in meaningfully integrating mindfulness and mental well-being into the fabric of workplace culture.

Explore the Mind concept in WELL v2. to learn about the transformative power of putting cognitive and emotional well-being at the center of buildings and communities.