By Chuck Gillespie, CEO, National Wellness Institute
In 2017, National Wellness Institute published the first of its kind Wellness Promotion Competency Model designed to ensure that champions of wellness had the knowledge, skills, and abilities to evolve from just running wellness programs to leading multidimensional, multicultural high-level wellness strategies. These competencies are the foundation for our Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP) designation.
Earlier this month, NWI publicly released the updated version of the Wellness Promotion Competency Model. Special thanks go to the researchers, Christina Peterson, Dr. Jane Ellery, Dr. Bridgette Yuhas, Suzanne Hunt, and Trina Laube for their dedication to the research that supports this revision. I also want to thank Butler University for being our Institutional Review Board sponsor.
You see, wellness is evolving rapidly and wellness professionals like you should be demanding more from our industry. The term wellness gets thrown around for everything from carpet cleaning to a store down the street from me called Vape and Wellness.
It is time to lead with competencies! And that is what NWI will do. We will lead! You have already seen some great upgrades to your membership. New courses, more comprehensive tools, strong partnerships, and independent research. We have enhanced your community connection experience with the launch of LinkedWELL. At the National Wellness Conference, we will be revealing new initiatives, enhanced courses, and a new look.
While the 2021 National Wellness Conference is virtual again this year, our Board of Directors decided to utilize the opportunity to introduce a new concept we call the WellLeader Connect Event. This will be an intimate gathering of wellness champions coming together for lively conversations and debate on the latest trends in wellness. It is also designed to allow for you to build closer relationships through a series of walking meetings, brainstorm sessions, and evening get-together. Most importantly, the conversations will be fixated on how we move our industry forward (and maybe grumble some about the Vape and Wellness store).
Wellness is at the forefront of community leaders, business leaders, our families, and friends for the next few years. Return to work, return to society, social connection, emotional impact, and physical health will all need to intersect now more than ever. Let’s take wellness to the next level.
Who is ready to help us lead? We need your help!!
