Wellness
Investing In You
Smola Consulting firmly believes that investing in the well-being of your employees contributes to their overall health which leads to towards transforming and maintaining a positive culture in your organization.
Our full-time wellness consulting team works with client HR teams and is a member of your wellness committee. Our wellness team will help to survey, prioritize and analyze your data and then collaboratively create turnkey wellness initiatives and events supported by incentives that work for you. The end result is creating healthy behaviors and a workplace culture where employees know they are a valuable asset!
Empowering Workplace Well-being: Smola Consulting's 2024 Wellness Professional Development Day Recap
On June 6th, 2024, in Livonia, Smola Consulting proudly hosted its third annual Wellness Professional Development Day for clients. This gathering brought together a dedicated community of Wellness and HR leaders from across the upstate region. We were humbled by the participation of over 230 attendees representing 70 organizations, spanning a range of diverse industries including school districts, non-profits, manufacturing, engineering, food services, and more.
Central to the event were the 90-minute Intensive Sessions, where participants deeply explored topics including Resilience, Empathetic Communication, Mindfulness, Movement Health, Emotional Agility, Lifestyle Medicine, and Leadership.
Highlighting the morning was an interactive and moving keynote on Spiritual Fitness delivered by Lynne Staropoli Boucher, former Interfaith Chaplain and Director of the Center for Spirituality at Nazareth University. Her exploration of the four levels of connection—self, others, nature, and connection with all life—set a reflective and connected tone for the day ahead.
A wholesome, plant-based lunch provided by Sweet Pea Plant Based Kitchen followed by afternoon breakout sessions led by 33 esteemed wellness professionals from the Rochester community, offering diverse perspectives and practical strategies for personal, workplace, and community well-being.
We are profoundly grateful for the support of our partners—Livonia Central School, Excellus BCBS, Wegmans, Sweet Pea Plant Based Kitchen, Inward Office, University of Rochester Employee Wellness, Proforma, Finger Lakes Tees, and G&G Fitness—whose commitment made this event possible.
We are honored to have played a role in advancing wellness initiatives across vital Upstate NY industries and organizations, and together, we look forward to building upon this momentum, guided by a shared vision of a healthier, more connected community.
Amundson Energy Paradigm
Having the energy to live your life to the fullest is an important but often overlooked principle of wellness. It is not surprising that what you need to do to enhance your daily energy level is strikingly similar to actions needed for good health.
The “Energy Paradigm” depicted below is a common sense, practical approach to enhance your energy.
Smola Consulting Wellness Newsletter
Smola Consulting Launches First Wellness Series Event with National Speakers
In March 2021, Smola Consulting launched a Second Speaker Series Event with Internationally Recognized Speakers
The 2021 Wellness Speaker Series, themed ‘Connecting to Life’s Purpose' featured an all-star cast of speakers with a variety of experiences, perspectives and tips on how to connect to life's purpose and live a healthier, more meaningful life. This series featured Special Forces Detachment Commander, Ben Harrow, Founder of Phoenix Rising School of Yoga Therapy, Michael Lee, and Lifestyle Medicine Physician , Dr. Kerry Graff.
Wellness Programs and Support
Smola Consulting Wellness is on Instagram!
Smola Consulting has announced the launch of their latest worksite well-being program, The Weekly LEAP, on Instagram! LEAP stands for Learn, Eat, Act, and Play. Each week, The Weekly LEAP explores a wellness topic using micro-habits to influence healthy behavior changes over time. The Weekly LEAP offers recommendations for experiencing a selected well-being topic in the categories of nutrition, acts of kindness/gratitude/self-care, and physical activity to help support a fun and holistic exploration of each given topic. Because this is a year-long program (52 total LEAPs) we are confident this program has something valuable for everyone!
To participate in this program:
Login or create an Instagram account
Set up notifications so you can visit the page right when we post
Follow us @ Smola_Consulting_Wellness
Smola Consulting Partners with LA-based Streaming Giant, Inner Dimension TV for a 30-day Yoga & Mindfulness Challenge
On February 24th Smola Consulting kicked off their 30-day yoga and mindfulness challenge via Zoom with Travis Eliot and Lauren Eckstrom, world-renowned yoga and mindfulness teachers and co-founders of the California-based premium streaming platform Inner Dimension Media TV. The challenge will run from February 28th through March 30th. Participants will have access to Inner Dimension TV a premium, high-quality online streaming service for yoga, mindfulness, functional fitness, guided meditation, and breathwork, plus a section dedicated to the science of these practices they call Wisdom Talks. The purpose of the challenge is to engage the Smola community with world-class yoga and mindfulness instruction - taught by some of the most sought-after and recognized teachers in the world today – in the comfort and security of their own homes.
The Lift Project
Smola Consulting utilizes an evidence-based wellbeing program ---The Lift Project. This online program uniquely brings together scientifically-proven strategies drawn from research in the fields of Neuroscience, Lifestyle Medicine and Positive Psychology.
Dr. Darren Morton, an internationally recognized wellbeing expert, presents The Lift Project and explores 10 wellbeing-enhancing topics over 10 weeks (with an emphasis on mental wellbeing) that are designed to lift individuals, groups and organizations.
This program can be facilitated by one of our team members; or we can train a nominated group leader as the facilitator. The Lift Project can be delivered in a combination of online and face-to-face, or solely through the online learning platform.
If you are interested in hosting The Lift Project at your organization, please reach out to Wellness Consultant Dan Justis at [email protected]
Testimonial's
"The messages The Lift Project delivers are in line with how I envisions the district conducting business. Putting out positive messages can make you a better person, a better teacher, a better administrator and a better leader. It colors your whole organization. Waterloo is a very supportive environment. We band together as a unit. We want good things for each other. We want good things for the kids. We want good things for the families. We want good things for the community. The Lift Project enhances that.” - Terri Bavis, Waterloo Superintendent
"The Lift Project has been an amazing experience for me in the short time that I have been involved in it. It has validated much of what I already knew and given me new information and skills to add to my overall wellness repertoire." - Cheryl Miller, Assistant Principal, Hendy Elementary
"The Lift Project is engaging and fun. It reminds you of practical ways to relieve stress and boost your mood. It helps LIFT your mood and boost overall wellness when you apply the lessons in your daily routines." -Jessica Janowsky, Trauma Informed Care Specialist, Elmira City School District
"Being a part of the Lift Project helped me reexamine some of the things I know and thought I knew. It allowed me to try new things that have helped me in my personal and professional relationships." - Michelle Thomas, 2nd Grade Teacher, Diven Elementary
"The LIFT Project will reshape the way you think about your health, well-being and happiness. It offers simple and effective strategies that will improve your life and LIFT your spirit." -Heather Bachman, Genesee Valley BOCES
"Great info, great teaching, time effective, and most importantly UPLIFTING...this program is a true game changer" - Rick Amundson, Smola Consulting
"The Lift Project provides powerful reminders to look for the positive and intentionally seek out experiences to improve our personal health. Backed by solid research, the project gave us weekly content and check-ins that were uplifting and purposeful. The weekly meetings gave a pleasant accountability. Having the ability to either read, watch, or listen to the information made it very approachable and I enjoyed the fun exchanges or supportive statements we would have when passing through the halls! I highly recommend The Lift Project!" - Edward Foote, Penn Yan Elementary Principal
"In my 12 years as a health and wellness professional this is the first program I've found that is truly accessible to anyone regardless of age, fitness level, or phase of life. You don't want to miss out on this uplifting and life changing program" - Dan Justis, Smola Consulting
Smola Consulting Wellness Playbook
A compilation of ideas inclusive of programs, challenges, incentives etc.
Wellness Council of America -WELCOA
One of the nations most respected resources for building high performing healthy workplaces. Many WELCOA tenets are built into successful programs.
Workplace Program Vendors Vetted
- Yoga
- Chair massage
- Acupuncture
- Biometric screenings
- Flu shots
- Nutrition
- Emotional health
- Promotional incentive items
Wellness Events & Programs
Wellness Day Coordination of Vendors
- Guest speakers
- Employee engagement
Book Studies
- Sleep in the age of digital toxicity
- Financial wellness
- Stop stress this minute
Wellness Programs
- Three M's (Movement, Mindfulness & Mother Nature)
- Park Exploration Challenge
- Inner Dimension Yoga Challenge
- Smola Meditation Series
- 30-Day Self-Care Program
- Walking With Purpose (Coming Soon)
- Winter Declutter (Coming Soon)
Annual Event
- Annual event where Smola Consulting shares with their clients the latest trends in workplace wellbeing
Smola Consulting Wellness Speaker Series
The Smola Wellness Speaker Series features world-renowned doctors, scientist, and health and wellness professionals. At Smola Consulting we believe it's our responsibility to not only provide the latest trends, research, resources and programs to your organization, but to bring the experts directly to you in our annual Speaker Series. By doing so, your employees can connect with leading experts in nutrition, lifestyle medicine, physical activity, behavioral health, neuroscience, yoga, mindfulness, and more. This allows peace of mind when engaging in new health-related behaviors and links you to a growing community of like-minded individuals.
Plant Based Introduction and Challenge
A complete turnkey program challenge to promote healthy eating with proven results.
The Good Life Challenge developed and offered by Smola Consulting, encourages individuals to adopt a whole food plant-based diet. The Good Life Challenge has reached thousands of people trying to make a positive change in their lives and eating habits.
This 10 day challenge has participants adopt 10 days of plant -based eating. The program garnered national attention in 2018 when Doug Schmidt, retired teacher from Victor CSD and founder of Eats, Plants, Love was featured on Good Morning America.
Participant Testimonials:
"I am a type 2 diabetic. After starting the Good Life Challenge, I started to notice that my sugar was coming down, more energy and feeling good. Now I check my sugar in AM and PM before I take my pill and I haven't needed it over the last 5 days now. Also, when I did my biometric screening, my sugar was 99. I am a believer!!!"
"I had a heart attack at age 48 and was looking to make lifestyle changes. I was already a vegetarian and I started walking daily. When The Good Life Challenge was offered at my school in January 2021, I gave the whole food, plant-based way of life a try for 10 days. I liked how I felt, the food was good and I loved being able to eat as much as I liked. I did the Challenge again this year and now am plant based full time! Eating this way has had a positive effect on my coronary artery disease by encouraging spontaneous generation of collateral blood vessels in my heart. My cardiologist says that isn't often seen in patients and is a tribute to the lifestyle changes I have made over the past 3 1/2 years!"
"I have been WFPB since the very first Good Life Challenge. My goal was to lose some weight, but ultimately get off of my blood pressure medicine. To date I am off 3 out of 4 and continue to work towards getting off of the 4th. I have lost weight which has also helped my blood pressure. The timing of the Good Life Challenge is wonderful in the beginning of the year after the holidays to get refocused. So much great information and recipes! My family members continue to support me and try the recipes. Thank you for offering this life changing venture."
Wellness News
February 2024 – Mastering the Clock (The Art of Effective Time Management)
About Us
Smola Consulting is a full service benefit
and wellness consulting firm
Our mission
Our mission is to educate and consult with our clients to ensure that they are making the best benefit decisions possible