From Curiosity to Conviction: My Journey with the Wellbeing Project and the Hearth Summit 2025

On June 16th, 2025, I woke up in the heart of Ljubljana, Slovenia — a city I hadn’t known much about, but one that quickly won my heart with its calm beauty and gentle spirit. I was there to attend the Hearth Summit, curated by The Wellbeing Project, a global movement that has slowly but powerfully reshaped the way I think about leadership and change.

My journey with The Wellbeing Project began in 2022, when I attended their first Wellbeing Summit for Social Change Leaders. Back then, my motivation was pure curiosity. As someone who has spent over 15 years working in the social change ecosystem, I was intrigued by the idea that wellbeing — especially for leaders — deserved a central place in our work.

You see, social change leaders are often visionary, driven, relentless. We’re wired to identify gaps in our communities, to respond with solutions, to organize, strategize, and implement. But we rarely stop to ask: how am I, the human behind this work, doing? Who advocates for the advocate? Who fills the cup from which I pour?

That summit in 2022 cracked something open in me. It shifted how I view the social sector — and myself. I began to see organizations not just as systems or actors, but as humans with soul — bodies, spirits, and emotions that require care, alignment, and healing.

I carried that shift into my work. I began to look at partners differently. I listened for what wasn’t being said. I initiated conversations around wellness and slowly started building spaces where we could pause, reflect, and restore.

Fast forward to June 2025, and here I was again — this time at the Hearth Summit. I was captivated not only by the poetic beauty of the word hearth (a fusion of hear, heart, earth, and art), but by what it represented: a sacred gathering space where humanity could be centered, where diverse voices — from artists to philanthropists, from faith leaders to public servants — came together to ask one collective question:

How do we remain human in our work for social change?

The summit unfolded like a beautiful arc:

• Day 1 centered on the individual — inviting each of us to connect with our own inner world and wellbeing.
• Day 2 zoomed out to the ecosystem — exploring how we build cultures and institutions of care.
• Day 3 expanded even further — examining how sectors like government, philanthropy, and faith can embed wellbeing as a core (not a complement) of human and societal flourishing.

I left the Hearth Summit with a full heart, a quiet fire, and an unwavering question:

How do we unlock more spaces like this — where people can come home to themselves and one another?

Yes, nearly 1,000 people from 90+ countries were there. But what about the rest of the world? We are 8 billion strong. How do we spread the spark, invite more people into these conversations, and ensure wellbeing is not a luxury but a right?

A Call to You

If you’re reading this and asking similar questions, you’re not alone.

Let’s co-create a world where wellbeing is woven into the DNA of our movements, institutions, and leadership. Where the person in the mirror is not just a doer, but a human — worthy of rest, joy, and care.

🔸 Visit The Wellbeing Project to explore their research, resources, and community.

🔸 Start a conversation in your organization. Ask: How are we really doing?

🔸 Share practices that help you stay grounded — your rituals, your boundaries, your truths.

🔸 And most importantly: check in on yourself. Your well-being matters. Deeply.

Together, we can turn these moments of reflection into a movement of restoration.

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