Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean that the skin is a clean slate when a new month rolls around. Depending upon our age, hormones and stress levels, dead cells can have a little party on our face that gets out of hand, causing wrinkles and sagging under our eyes.

For others, the breakout police get called after a rowdy group of bacteria gets trapped on the skin’s surface, which is one cause of acne.

Arleen Lamba, M.D.’s skin care exploration

Sometimes skin issues can sneak up on you, and Arleen Lamba, M.D. knows the feeling all too well. When she began suffering through a litany of breakouts at the end of college and throughout medical school, Lamba says she found herself on a wild goose chase, trying everything she could to track down answers.

“This was the era where skin care was second and makeup was first,” she recalls, adding that she “went and did the Nordstrom and Macy’s [route], and then the estheticians and dermatologists. I did the whole thing because I was lost, and I wasn’t finding a solution.”

She refused to be a physician who couldn’t figure out what was happening to her own skin, so she became committed to finding a solution herself.

Finding a solution

“That’s when I really understood the skin cycle every 30 days, what certain ingredients can do to your skin, what types of treatments you need [and] how you need to treat your skin every 30 days,” she says. “And slowly and surely, I started seeing an improvement because I started picking up solutions through my studying and research and me being… the guinea pig. My skin got tremendously better. And then I realized that there was this hole in the market.”

The gap, she discovered, was a layered one. First, there’s biology: Some people’s skin may be flawless but prone to monthly breakouts. Other people’s skin may be impacted by the environment, stress, their diet, a lack of sleep or allergens.

Creating simple and accessible skin care

Then there’s accessibility. Lamba remembers that, with her busy schedule as a physician, she could only do treatments on weekends or after work, but many offices weren’t open during those times. Plus, she wasn’t able to make appointments online or via text. Finally, there was the cost. As a resident, she didn’t have the budget for expensive treatments or overpriced products she didn’t need.

“I wanted to create a really simple program where we could do skin care every 30 days and come in and commit to our skin and commit to ourselves,” she says. “And that’s where GLO30 really came out of.”

Her first skin care studio

When she opened her first studio in 2012, Lamba was pregnant with her first child and working full time as an anesthesiologist. She would take an early morning anesthesiology shift, then go straight to her skin care studio for evening appointments.

When her son was 2, a friend prompted her to rethink what she most wanted to devote her time and energy to. “[They said,] ‘You’re going to have to jump off that cliff without a parachute,’” she recalls.

For her, the parachute was her job in anesthesia, which gave her the funds to open her skin care studio. But she knew that no matter how scary it might be to give that up in favor of the unknown, she wanted to see where she landed when she invested her whole self into the process.

Fast forward to 2024 and you have a surprise entrepreneurial success story that came from solving a personal challenge. Lamba currently has five GLO30 stores throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia; dozens more in-development franchise-owned stores in markets including Dallas, Orlando, Austin and St. Louis; and a goal to open 1,000 GLO30 locations in the next decade.

Facing the future of skin care by utilizing AI

Because of her research and dedication to healing the skin, Lamba has developed a variety of tools that have created true results for her customers. One of the most unexpected ones comes from a talking box on the wall: GLO30’s AI skin tool assistant, GLOria.

Before their appointment, a client walks up to GLOria and scans a QR code or inputs their email address, and a polite voice greets them while noting the current temperature and pollution level. After scanning their face, GLOria offers advice for treatment options that are based on real-time assessments of the state of their skin—including everything from the amount of pigments to hydration levels, line formation and pore size.

The person performing the facial gets the information, which informs the treatment for that month, and customers can access their information any time to track changes and progress. Lamba says it’s crucial for GLO30 to be technology-forward because “if you can’t measure it, you can’t change it.”

This belief stems from the fact that one of the biggest issues she saw during her own skin treatment journey was that recommendations were most often based on who was providing the assessment.

“There’s a lot of, unfortunately, biases to that,” she says. “We are a multicultural nation with so many undertones in our skin, so if they didn’t understand your undertones, they couldn’t really give you the advice you needed… Some would say I have oily skin; [others] would say I have dry skin… Everybody’s opinion was so drastically different, and so it made me really doubt the process.”

Health is wealth

Lamba feels strongly that we don’t have to become doctors to understand that health is wealth. Her customers understand that concept well. Developing a commitment to offering “skin care for the rest of us” has served Lamba well as an unexpected entrepreneur, but she credits much of her business acumen to her medical training.

Given the ethos that guides her business, her clients are in a strong position to get what they need as well.

“The beauty industry, for a long time, has said, ‘Something is wrong with you, but our product will fix it,’” she says. “And that is something that I am completely against. Everything is right with you. We’ll help you see it.”

This article appears in the September/October 2024 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo courtesy of Yaroslav Astakhov/Shutterstock.

The post Arleen Lamba, M.D. Turned Her Skin Care Struggles Into a Solution for a Market Gap appeared first on SUCCESS.

Deepak Chopra, whose career began as a physician and professor, has authored over 90 books. His books span meditation, yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, mindfulness, spiritual enlightenment, self-care and other wellness topics. He heads The Chopra Foundation as well as Chopra Global, an all-encompassing website/app designed for “empowering personal transformation for our collective well-being” that is chockablock with educational products, retreat offerings and other resources encouraging self-care.

And now, at 77 years old, Chopra has begun a new collaboration with real-estate developer Charles “Chuck” Heath, intending to bring a new way of living to Utah’s Wasatch Mountains with their Ameyalli Resort. We recently caught up with both men at the groundbreaking ceremony in Midway, Utah, the place locals call “Wasatch Back,” to find out more about this unique “well-being and longevity community.” It’s a combination of residential living, a vacation resort, and a healing geothermal vortex. It’s also home to the Ameyalli Wellbeing Center and Center of Excellence—the North American headquarters of the Chopra Foundation, where Chopra has advanced technological ideas he’s ready to implement.

Why Ameyalli?

Chopra’s decision to lend his clout to the Ameyalli project was a combination of attractive elements that aligned with his thinking.

“First of all, I like the location,” he says. “It’s spectacular. Secondly, I think the founders are visionaries. They’re not doing this for money, as an entrepreneurial enterprise. They’re seriously interested in creating the scientific research for this revolution that we see in longevity and healthspan. [Plus], they’re willing to engage in nontraditional creative approaches. [And] they’re willing to incorporate the idea of spiritual intelligence.”

The origins of Ameyalli

From Chuck Heath’s point of view, Chopra and his foundation were a natural progression from his initial idea for the Ameyalli project.

“I’ve tried to retire three times now,” admits Heath, the 67-year-old developer from Wisconsin, who moved with his wife Colleen Leuthe Keblish (partner in the Ameyalli project) to Park City, Utah, during one of those attempts. For him, the $180-million Ameyalli project began as a consulting favor for a group of investors about five years ago. Then, when they dropped the idea, he picked it up and ran with it, with a vision to create a place for what he calls “holistic longevity,” allowing people to actually choose to live in the community, visit for a wellness retreat and even offer researchers like Deepak Chopra and his team a place to thrive and expand knowledge.

“I said to my wife, ‘Maybe I have one more project in me, but let’s do something that is meaningful,’” Heath recalls. “And now this is my legacy project. I’ve done a lot of projects and never been involved in [one with] such great public and private community partners. Everybody wins with this project. And meeting Deepak was just [by] chance. I met his COO [Justin Nahama] at a dinner and he said, ‘My boss would love to know more about the project.’

The vision for Ameyalli

Turned out that Deepak loved it. And [we began working together with] somebody who knows well-being—I mean, he’s the guru of well-being—and now I’ve got the best of the best to follow, which is just absolutely incredible.”

Together Heath, Chopra and their teams see Ameyalli developing as an “innovation hub,” a place for Chopra to “bring in other people from the wellness world, to come in and take up residency, research, collaborate [and] provide programming,” Heath adds. “We want this to be what Deepak is calling, ‘an innovation hub for wellness and health.’ We’re going to be The Aspen Institute of wellness here!”

And, according to Chopra, the springboard to a whole new world of artificial intelligence as well.

Ameyalli, complete by 2026 and beyond

Reaching that goal includes three construction phases. The real-estate residences would be the first element. Two of the 24 villas are complete. All villas are scheduled to be finished by February 2025. Cottages and family lodges will follow, all available for whole or fractional ownership. The 80-room boutique hotel known as Ameyalli Resort and the Ameyalli Wellbeing Center will follow, with openings planned in 2026.

The Ameyalli Wellbeing Center will be the jewel in the crown of the ambitious development, which has, at its heart, a massive (and historic) hot springs—geothermal healing waters that date back 5,000 years. The 50,000 square-foot center will incorporate those springs and include a subterranean mineral pool and numerous treatments and programs all based on Deepak Chopra’s “Seven Pillars of Well-Being” principles, which include emotional regulation, mindfulness, sleep, movement, relationships, laughter and nutrition.

Nutrition and mindful eating will be supported with a renowned chef’s intimate participation in all the dining aspects of the resort, including a large biodiverse garden to supply the needs of the Ameyalli community. Still under wraps, the executive chef looks to be a Michelin-starred, James Beard award-winning choice, whose food philosophy matches Chopra’s wellness tenets.

The homes and vacation resort will reflect cutting-edge architecture created by Overland Partners and embrace the most modern, eco-friendly elements and technology available, as will the Wellbeing Center. And, as the project develops, Chopra sees far-ranging realities coming into everyday living.

“The next step is, how do you create well-being homes that actually nurture the five senses? And have the aesthetics but also basic sustainability practices? Biological sustainability is linked to environmental sustainability, right? That has everything to do with the lighting, with the temperature controls… with air circulation, water quality, food [and] all of that,” Chopra says.

Heading into the tech future with “Digital Deepak AI”

In fact, Chopra is looking toward this new Utah institute to assist him in exploring a brave new world. A new world where the places we live will be integrated into our health and wellness experiences.

“In the future—the very near future—you have something called ‘ambient computing.’ So, all this information [found now on your smartwatch or ring, fitness-tracking device, etc.] can be incorporated into your walls—the walls or the windows of your home—and you will voice activate them. So, you enter the room and say, ‘I want to know [how] I slept last night.’ You ask that and the wall will light up with the answer. And, ultimately, your clothing will be monitoring you. So, all that’s coming very fast. It’s developing. And we want to be leading [those efforts] because we are experts in AI,” Chopra explains.

He continues, “That’s why we’re introducing something called ‘Digital Deepak AI.’ And it is an AI system that can be a personal coach, health coach, mental coach, research assistant and spiritual guide. We’ll be incorporating Digital Deepak out there into the technology. And then we’ll sync it with one of these devices like an Oura ring or whatever. So this AI system will become your personal coach for health, for well-being, for emotional resiliency and even for spiritual experiences. Everyone who comes here will have a companion—me—but it will be my AI twin.”

So, perhaps you shouldn’t expect to meet up with the real Deepak Chopra in Utah. But it seems clear that there will be a lot to see and experience when Ameyalli is ready to receive visitors.

Image: Creative direction by Madison Avenue Creative. Renderings by NQS Creative.

The post Ameyalli: Deepak Chopra’s Newest Wellness Vision appeared first on SUCCESS.

Can we equate steamy chemistry with the pulsing heat of an eruptive volcano, or the seismic roar of passion to the cataclysmic tumbling of ice from the top of a glacier? Sure. Might we describe the tenderness of an emotional connection like the flitting wings of a butterfly against the cheek or the gentle lapping of waves on a beach? Yes, of course. 

But no matter what science is at play when hormones do the tango inside our bodies, it’s almost guaranteed that we’re not thinking of data, academic research or lab experiments.

However, if you conducted your own experiment, you’d find that Googling “the science of love” yields nearly 2.4 billion more results than when you Google “the science of heartbreak.” This difference illustrates what Hollywood has proven: The happier side of love has far more appeal than its disruptively dark underbelly.

A scientific quest to make sense of heartbreak

The science of heartbreak is what longtime science and nature writer Florence Williams discovered while on her own quest to unpack the depths of the human heart after her 25-year marriage ended. She had just turned 50 when her husband told her he was off to find his soulmate. In addition to feeling stunned, she says she recalls feeling “power-washed by sadness.”

When she decided to use her science skills to try and make sense of the utterly nonsensical, she was shocked to realize that heartbreak is a woefully understudied area. Only in recent years has more research been dedicated to the topic. But that didn’t stop Williams from finding what did exist—and her personal quest turned public when her book, Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey, came out in 2022. Not only was the book the recipient of the 2023 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award in literary science writing, but it has since sparked so many articles, podcasts and interviews that it now tops Google search results on the science of heartbreak.

When researching for the book, Williams traveled across the world, speaking to researchers and experts from California to Croatia and asking intimate questions of complete strangers, like those leaving the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb.

Raw realities of heartbreak

In the audiobook, Williams includes taped conversations with friends, lovers, scientists and academics—and even her therapist—to show us not just the glossy parts of her evolution (like the first time she shared her sleeping bag with a new lover) but also the very real, messy and honest parts. We can feel the pain in her voice when she chokes through tears, begging for answers as to why her life ended up as it did.

For a very long time, laypeople have tried to understand what happens in our bodies and minds when heartbreak strikes. But the answers—or in many cases, theories and subjective guesses—have often left us feeling emptier than when we started our quest for understanding. 

Heartbreak can manifest physically in our bodies

Williams has managed to bypass the confusion by capturing data that’s as eye-opening as it is validating. She points to underpublicized medical terminology like persistent complex bereavement disorder (complicated grief) and takotsubo cardiomyopathy (broken-heart syndrome), which prove that heartbreak is more than just an emotional response to pain.

Broken-heart syndrome, for example, presents with the symptoms of a typical heart attack following a sudden emotional shock, like the loss of a loved one or a natural disaster. But the curious part, says Williams, is that heart attacks are usually “caused by plaques or blockages in the arteries. And in takotsubo [cardiomyopathy]… stress hormone[s] like adrenaline caus[e] the left ventricle to balloon out and not pump effectively.”

Complicated grief, however, is different. In essence, it’s sadness that doesn’t seem to go away, which can feel shameful to people who are told to just “shake it off” or “think positive.”

“It’s controversial [to say], ‘Oh, your grief is taking too long,’” Williams says. “There are certain losses that are just going to change you forever.”

Her research began to show more and more clearly that heartbreak can, and often does, impact physical health. In fact, she found that it can affect the immune system, increase anxiety and cause depression, fragmented sleep, cognitive decline and even early death.

The pain of heartache

Even more curious is the research that supports the ways in which the brain processes physical and emotional pain in overlapping areas. Some of the experts Williams spoke with for her book shared the following information from brain scans of heartbroken patients:

• Parts of the brain that light up after heartbreak are similar to the parts of the brain that light up after receiving a burn or electrical shock.
• There was a similar reaction in the brain when someone’s arm was scalded by hot coffee as when they were shown a photo of their ex-partner.
• The region of the brain that becomes active when someone experiences heartbreak also becomes active when they experience tooth pain.

“Our brains process social pain in ways that are very similar to how they process physical pain,” Williams shares. “And what that says to me is that A) heartbreak hurts—it really does, [and] it’s not just a metaphor—and [that] B) our brains seem to be hardwired to take social pain very, very seriously.

“The fact that it’s rooted deeply in these very old regions of our brains means that these responses have been with us for a very long part of our evolution. … Physical pain tells us to slow down. It tells us to stop moving, [or] sometimes it tells us to seek help. And social pain is something we’re also really supposed to notice and we’re supposed to deal with. And if we don’t, it activates all these other biological processes in our bodies, [such as] the threat state and feeling unsafe.”

We don’t talk about heartbreak

But how do we deal with our feelings when we haven’t been taught to talk about our emotional pain like we talk about our physical pain?

In Heartbreak, Williams shares how people who experience heartbreak often suffer alone in silence, whereas with a more visible physical injury, it’s acceptable for people to ask us questions about what happened.

“Some cultures are better at expressing pain and processing it collectively or through ritual[s],” she says, adding that “we don’t have a lot of rituals for heartbreak [in the U.S.]. We also, as a culture, aren’t very comfortable with expressing big emotions. We’re sort of taught to tough it out and chin up and get on with it. And sometimes that’s helpful for being productive, but it’s not very helpful for getting over grief or processing it.”

What’s helpful—and even critical—is a willingness to be vulnerable, according to Williams.

“Unless we can acknowledge our emotions and connect with others in a truly authentic way, we’re just sort of kidding ourselves about dealing with difficult feelings. And when you’re vulnerable with other people, it just forges a more authentic connection, a deeper connection where you really feel like that person is there for you and you’re there for them.”

More than that, Williams says that vulnerability helps you “recognize your own humanity and the humanity of others.”

Williams admits that she “had never written this personally before, but it was all part of my process of learning more deeply who I am and learning more about accepting who I am and accepting my full range of emotions and emotional experience. But you don’t have to write a book to do that. You could do it with a friend or a therapist or a group of women out in the wilderness.”

Healing in the wilderness and heartbreak recovery tips

That last piece of advice is something that Williams has taken literally—she leads groups of women on wilderness retreats three times a year. She does this because connection has been one of the biggest tools that has aided her own healing, and she believes it to be a very strong emotional balm for others.

Though Williams says time is the best cure of all, there are three things she has discovered throughout her journey that help to ease the sting of rejection and loss:

• Calming your nervous system: You can’t heal when you’re in a state of fight or flight.
• Connection: Having a connection with both other people and the natural world can make us feel profoundly less lonely.
• Meaning and purpose: Williams doesn’t believe that we are the same as we were before heartbreak, so she has found that asking a few simple questions helps people reframe the pain into something more useful. “What can we take from our experiences moving forward?” she suggests asking. “What lessons can we take, and how can we help others?”

Here’s the question most of us really want to know: Besides causing tremendous pain, does heartbreak perhaps serve a more noble purpose than we realize? Does it make us better humans?

The answer, for Williams, is a definite yes.

Understanding post-traumatic growth

“This term, post-traumatic growth, is a real thing,” she says. She adds that “for people who’ve gone through all kinds of devastating losses and experiences, it’s a catalyzing force for us to understand our humanity a little better and to reach out to others in this meaningful and authentic way. And it’s a motivator to help make the world a better place.

“We are wired to feel pain,” she adds. “And so anyone who thinks they are not feeling it is maybe not paying attention. We’re also wired to recover from [pain], so I think it’s all part of this full human experience that makes us ultimately feel alive. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

Photo by Tonuka Stock/Shutterstock

The post Unpacking the Science of Heartbreak With Florence Williams  appeared first on SUCCESS.

Through the trials and errors of that first company, Ronzio learned how important it was to create consistent results. How could he deliver at the same level regardless of the sports event and venue? By having a process.

“That became my obsession—process and operations,” Ronzio says. This obsession began to develop into actual methods, and Ronzio started consulting on it. He wanted to bring efficiency into companies.

“You need to be able to do more with less,” he says. “Efficiency is a forced behavior in a real scrappy startup.”

Around this time, Ronzio picked up the phrase “operations manual” from the book The E Myth: Why Most Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. However, he didn’t love the phrase since it seemed too technical. Instead, he found that his clients responded well to the word “playbook.”

As he developed his playbook method, Ronzio founded Trainual, a SaaS platform for small businesses to onboard, train and scale more effectively.

“I started Trainual the software before writing the book because I wanted to put it to the test,” Ronzio explains. “I wanted to make sure that this isn’t just something that dozens of my consulting companies are doing. It’s something that thousands of businesses are doing right.”

The “why” of a business playbook

Most entrepreneurs want to innovate. Ronzio explains that many entrepreneurs run into danger when they stop creating and get stuck doing the same tasks over and over. At that point, he says it’s best to find a way to delegate that task and move on to the next challenge.

“If you want a business of one person, you don’t need a playbook. If you want a company that can run without you, and you want to be able to leverage the minds and talents of other people, then you need to be able to pass things down to them,” Ronzio says. “The playbook really is about empowering other people and creating leverage so that you can build a business that’s bigger than just you.”

As an entrepreneur, Ronzio says the job is continually finding new problems. A playbook allows entrepreneurs to pass on their vision and specific tasks to others while freeing up their time to develop new ideas and explore new solutions.

What goes into a business playbook

There are four key components to a playbook:

Profile

This section outlines the foundation of the business, including its mission, values, products, services, target customers, competitors and company story. It serves as the foundation for the rest of the playbook.

People

The focus here is on the individuals who make up the organization, including their roles, responsibilities, backgrounds and organizational structure. By clearly defining who does what, the playbook fosters accountability and collaboration within the team.

Policies

These rules and guidelines govern how the business operates, covering everything from employee conduct to customer interactions. The playbook documenting these policies ensures consistency and clarity across the organization.

Process

This section outlines the step-by-step procedures for carrying out various tasks and activities within the business. The playbook streamlines operations and improves efficiency by codifying best practices and standardizing workflows.

When to create your business playbook

Ronzio’s vision is simple: Every business should have a playbook. More than just a manual, the playbook should be a living document that evolves with the company, eventually writing itself through the collective efforts of its team.

But not every company is ready to create a playbook. Ronzio says that the key is to wait until you’ve achieved consistency in your operations.

“Don’t write down the recipe until it tastes good,” he says. In other words, wait until you have established reliable processes and are consistently achieving desired outcomes before formalizing them in a playbook. To figure this out, Ronzio recommends having measurables.

“You should measure what you’re doing,” Ronzio says. “If you’re not keeping score, you don’t know who’s winning, you know?” He points out that your company should have some maturity and perform at a high level before you consider breaking down your playbook.

At the core of Ronzio’s philosophy is his belief in the power of process. From his early days running a video production company to his current role as CEO of Trainual, he knows firsthand how well-defined processes can transform chaos into consistency.

“Complicated things come with instructions,” he says. “Your car has a user’s manual; your appliances have an owner’s manual. Why doesn’t your business? The playbook is that internal guide on how everything’s supposed to work. And if you don’t define that, then how can you hold anyone accountable in the business?”

By embracing the power of process and empowering others, entrepreneurs can build businesses that are not only successful but also sustainable and scalable in the long run.

3 ways to build a business playbook

Clarify your vision

Start by mapping out your big aspirations. What does success look like for you and your company? Having a clear vision is the first step toward building a playbook that aligns with your goals.

Audit current roles and responsibilities

Take a snapshot of your team’s current roles and responsibilities. Understand who does what in your business to optimize processes effectively.

Delegate and empower your team

Identify three tasks you can delegate in the next quarter. Freeing up your time allows you to focus on high-impact activities and foster a culture of empowerment within your team.

This article appears in the September/October issue of Success Magazine. Photo courtesy of Nic Pachunka at Trainual.

The post Chris Ronzio Wants You to Make a Business Playbook appeared first on SUCCESS.

By developing a deeper understanding of the diverse contributions within your team and establishing employee recognition initiatives, you can create a more inclusive and motivating workplace environment for all employees.

1. Broaden your observations

You might think you know who your top performers are, but do some contributions go unnoticed? Recent findings by Gallup highlight a troubling trend, with U.S. employee engagement reaching an 11-year low. This decline in engagement signals a disconnect between employees’ work and their recognition within the organization. When employees feel unrecognized, their motivation and overall engagement in their work diminish. This lack of engagement can lead to increased turnover, lower productivity and a decline in overall workplace morale.

Effective employee recognition strategies are critical in reversing this trend. By acknowledging both the visible and behind-the-scenes efforts of all team members, organizations can significantly boost employee morale and engagement. Recognition acts as a positive reinforcement that makes employees feel valued for their contributions, which, in turn, motivates them to maintain or increase their level of effort.

Employee recognition is not just about giving a pat on the back for a job well done, but also about making each employee feel seen and appreciated, fostering a sense of belonging and alignment with the company’s goals. This feeling of inclusion can enhance employees’ connection to the organization’s mission and purpose, further anchoring their engagement and loyalty.

Related: This is How to Keep Your Employees Happy

2. Spotlight employees in internal communications and at recognition events

Are all your stars getting the visibility they deserve? Utilize internal newsletters or intranets to feature stories about employee achievements that may not be as visible. Dedicate a section in your company’s newsletter for profiling different employees each month, focusing on those who have made significant behind-the-scenes contributions. This strategy has been effectively employed by organizations that have won the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, significantly increasing visibility for quiet stars and educating the entire workforce on diverse forms of contribution.

But don’t stop there. Celebrate all achievements on a regular basis. Host monthly or quarterly employee recognition events to highlight achievements across different teams. From formal awards ceremonies to casual team meetings, these workplace events should celebrate various contributions and explain why they are important to the company’s goals. This not only inspires and motivates employees, it also reinforces the types of contributions that align with company values. 

3. Develop peer recognition programs

Can your employees celebrate each other? Encourage a culture of peer-to-peer recognition where employees can acknowledge each other’s contributions. Implementing a digital platform that integrates seamlessly with existing communication tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams or a custom intranet can significantly enhance this process. This platform should enable employees to easily give shoutouts, thank you notes or other forms of public recognition using straightforward features like a “thumbs-up” button or quick posting options.

Such immediate positive reinforcement helps make employee recognition an integral part of daily interactions. Leadership should actively promote the regular use of the recognition program by setting an example and by incorporating reminders in meetings and emails. Making recognition a habitual part of workplace culture also aligns employee actions with the company’s core values and goals.

To keep the employee recognition program relevant and effective, establish guidelines on the types of actions that should be recognized and periodically showcase these recognitions in company communications. Regularly soliciting feedback from employees helps continuously refine and improve the program. This proactive approach ensures that the program remains a pivotal part of the workplace, enhancing engagement and fostering a supportive community where every contribution is noticed and valued.

4. Integrate employee recognition training for managers

Do your managers know how to recognize effectively? Research shows that manager recognition is a powerful motivator, with 80% of employees reporting that they are motivated to work harder when their efforts are acknowledged by their superiors. And 37% of employees consider recognition essential for their success. 

To make sure your managers are actively looking for and rewarding outstanding work and behavior from their reports, provide training sessions for managers on how to effectively recognize and motivate their teams. These workshops should teach various employee recognition techniques, focusing on appreciating both extroverted and introverted employees. Training should include how to give effective feedback and tailor recognition to suit individual employee needs and personalities. Effective management, as demonstrated by Gallup’s research, is crucial and can account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement scores.

Related: Soft Skills Those in Leadership Roles Need to Develop to be Better Leaders

5. Link employee recognition to professional development opportunities

Link employee recognition to career growth by using it as a stepping stone for further professional development. When employees are recognized in the workplace, pair the recognition with opportunities for professional growth, such as attending a conference, leading a project or engaging in a one-on-one mentoring session.

This approach not only rewards the employee, but also supports their career advancement and personal growth within the company. This strategic integration of recognition and development fosters a culture where achievements are directly linked to professional opportunities, enhancing employee satisfaction and organizational loyalty.

6. Transform your employee recognition culture

Ready to change how you recognize your team? Embrace these employee recognition strategies, and you’ll enhance team productivity and unity. A truly inclusive recognition system sees and celebrates every contribution, big or small—whether it’s a public acknowledgment at a company meeting or glass trophies for exceptional achievements. Are you ready to transform your recognition culture?

Related: 5 Products and Services to Boost Company Morale

Photo courtesy of Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

The post 6 Strategies to Improve Employee Recognition and Make Every Team Member Feel Valued appeared first on SUCCESS.

From the U.S. Naval Academy to luxury travel concierge

Growing up near the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Shelby Dziwulski frequently visited on weekends with her family. She knew she wanted to be a Navy pilot and regularly watched the movie Top Gun.

When it was time to go to college, Dziwulski accepted the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship at the University of Maryland. Then, she enrolled in flight school. “I got my wings in 2015,” Dziwulski says. Even though her military career as a Navy search and rescue pilot was challenging, she found it to be a “very positive experience.”

Photo courtesy of Carl James

While stationed at different ports, she often found interesting places to stay—like a renovated Airstream beachfront property in Australia. “My squadron mates started noticing and said, ‘How do you find this stuff?’” This was the impetus behind her company, Authenteco Travel, which helps other people find unique accommodations while traveling.

At first, she mostly worked with military members who needed help navigating the rules and regulations related to military travel. Eventually, she expanded her clients to other types of travelers with specific needs, such as those with medical issues or disabilities. Dziwulski’s business now has clients who have a broad range of backgrounds and requests.

She credits her military training for her grit, which has helped her be a successful business owner. As an entrepreneur, she worked 16- to 18-hour days for three years straight, including weekends. Her Navy training helped her persevere through challenging times. “If I didn’t have my military experience, I would not have been able to do what I did with Authenteco,” she says.

When carving your own path, Dziwulski says mentors can be helpful, but they can’t solve every problem you’ll come across. Dziwulski says that’s when it’s important to trust that you have the answers. “No one’s advice is as powerful as your own intuition,” she says.

From the U.S. Army to a media and entertainment powerhouse

Stemming from a military family, Raquel Riley Thomas wanted to “keep the tradition going” by joining the U.S. Army. Her initial plan was to get some experience and then go to college. “But I liked it so much that I ended up staying in,” Thomas says. She eventually went to Hampton University on an ROTC scholarship and then was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 2002 as an ordnance officer, reaching the rank of captain.

However, in 2009, her 3-year-old daughter asked her a question that changed her life: “How come there aren’t any princesses [who] look like me?” She was referring to being a person of color. After that, Riley Thomas decided to enter a beauty pageant to change the narrative and act as a role model for her daughter. She remembers thinking, “I’m going to win this pageant. And I’m going to give the crown to my daughter because I want her to feel like there is a princess [who] looks like her.”

Photo courtesy of Roy Cox Photography

Riley Thomas did end up winning the Mrs. Maryland America pageant, advancing to the national level. “I became the first African American to win first runner-up in the 40-plus year history of that pageant,” she says. After she competed, she became the second Black judge in the history of that pageant. “I was making some history here, not even realizing that was [what had] happened,” she says. “I loved the camaraderie, and it kind of reminded me of being in the military.”

She purchased the Mrs. America franchise in Washington, D.C., and later bought the ones located in Pennsylvania and Delaware, which eventually prompted her to launch An Officer and Gentlewoman, LLC. “We started as a production company with a division of public relations, and it became a talent management [firm],” she says.

Her military background helped her organize and remain focused on her business. “It makes you focus on what is happening in front of you,” she says. In the military, they also maximize your expertise; Riley Thomas uses this same strategy with her business. “I have experts from all sorts of all backgrounds, and by doing that, [it] builds the great team that we have,” she says.

If you are starting a business, Riley Thomas suggests having a budget and researching the industry you plan to enter. “Learn from those who’ve come before you,” she says.

From U.S. Navy helicopter pilot to hospitality

Photo courtesy of Mike Diedoardo

Aubrey Carlson grew up on a farm in Illinois and wanted to attend college. However, her parents were unable to afford tuition, so she opted for a full-cost ROTC scholarship at the University of Maryland. After college, the ROTC scholarship requires that you serve in the military.

When it was time for her to select a military specialty, she was unsure which one to choose. “I knew nothing about the military,” she says. Growing up in her small town, she never saw women working in anything but “regular jobs.”

“I didn’t even know women could be pilots,” she says. “I just never even saw that.” When she realized that was an option for her military service, she thought, “That looks really cool. And so, then, I was really inspired.”

When Carlson began flight school she soon learned, “You couldn’t have fear; you had to trust in your instructors and yourself,” she says. Even though Carlson knew little about the military or aviation, the adrenaline of flying became addicting to her, propelling her to success. Luckily, it was a skill that came “pretty natural” to her—while also being the most challenging thing she’s ever done, she says. 

Reflecting on her career, Carlson loved serving as a Navy helicopter pilot, traveling the world and making lifelong friendships. “The biggest gift my 10-year Naval aviator career gave me was confidence,” she says. Despite her positive experience, when her commitment was ending, she decided she wanted to try a new career path. She was unsure about her next step but positive about one thing: “I’m never going to write a resume,” she says. This meant she wanted to be a business owner.

After owning some different businesses in the food sector, she ended up in real estate and renovated a run-down home with her fiancé. “It really sparked our interest, and we did a real estate course through another military veteran,” she says. They grew their business by purchasing and renovating homes and then renting them out as short-term vacation rentals. Other people were so impressed with her design style in their rentals that they asked, “Can you design mine?” So, in addition to renting the properties, she now offers a design service through her business, Salt and Sky Lodging Co., which she co-owns with her fiancé, Brad Hylton.

If you are unhappy with the business you own and it doesn’t work out, Carlson says it’s OK; you can try another one. She and her fiancé owned multiple businesses before they co-owned their current one, where they discovered a gap in the market of short-term vacation rentals. Her focus is on designing with eco-friendly materials, including kitchen utensils, toilet paper and recycled products. “I’m going to do it the way I live my life, which is environmentally responsible,” she says.

Carlson’s military experience helped her be a successful entrepreneur. “The first rental property we bought—it went horribly wrong,” she says. “If we stopped there, we wouldn’t have this business.” During her service, she learned that you need to keep moving through failure, which helped her cope with challenges. She says the grit and adaptability that she learned from the military have helped her to be successful in her business. 

This article originally appeared in the September/October issue of SUCCESS Magazine. Featured photo courtesy of Mike Diedoardo.

The post Making the Transition From Military Service to Building Businesses appeared first on SUCCESS.

What’s the right answer? How do we know when bringing our authentic selves to work bonds us with our colleagues versus when oversharing becomes too much? And how can we engage with our colleagues who interact in a way that makes us uncomfortable?

1. Find your comfort zone

First, you need to understand what makes you comfortable. “The common advice is that you either need to be social, talk to everyone and bring your whole self to work, or that you should be very professional and you shouldn’t be sharing those things—and [that] it’s wrong, too, and it’s uncomfortable and it’s unprofessional. It might get you sued,” says Phoebe Gavin, career and leadership coach at Better With Phoebe. “But both of those are wrong. They’re each so prescriptive that they don’t allow people to be themselves and to build organic relationships with the people they’re interacting with.”

“You are where you are. Recognize where everyone else is and make a decision about how you want to find some sort of harmony,” says Gavin. “It’s about being mindful.”

Keeping work and personal life separate can be hard. “The lines are going to blur; there’s no way around it. We spend just as much time, and in some cases more time, with our colleagues than we do with our friends and family members. So it makes sense for these things to start to blur together,” notes Gavin.

2. Respect other people’s comfort zones

Once you know your personal comfort zone, notice how you differ from others. What vibes do other people give off and how are you meeting those needs? “We tend to communicate with others the way we want them to communicate with us,” says Carolina Caro, team coach and founder of Conscious Leadership Partners. “Practicing adaptability means meeting another person where they are versus where we are. In other words, if you know someone is reserved, you might refrain from divulging personal details, even if that’s your preference. If I’m speaking to you, I take notice of your comfort level, and I might adjust, but that adjustment is conscious. I’m doing it because I want to have a better relationship. I want to connect with you more.”

Allowing space for all those different personalities will help an organization thrive. “The idea is that the environment accepts the tapestry of comfort levels and experiences rather than dictating a norm,” says Caro. “That means sharing about our personal lives, to the extent we feel comfortable, which can vary from person to person.”

Older generations may be less comfortable sharing personal information at work, where the younger generations may prefer to bring their whole selves to work. A recent Gallup poll shows that workers, especially those from Generation Z, are less engaged at work in 2024, partly because they feel less connected to their organization’s culture.

“We’re continuing to learn how to make environments inclusive,” says Caro. “Creating space for everyone to be who they are, respecting differences. That means no judgment. Now, having said that, we are all unique, so how do we train people to be OK meeting someone where they are?”

How much we share at work and how we manage personal situations that may be difficult is part of the larger culture that comes from the top down. “Brené Brown talks about how, in order to create those spaces, we have to set the tone. A leader who talks about her own infertility gives permission for other individuals to do the same. Many of the reasons why people don’t share is to be protective. Teaching people that they can let down their guard and that you’re not going to hurt them or use that information against them is key—a position that comes from leadership,” Caro explains.

3. Read the room

While sharing so we get our needs met is important, we don’t want to get caught “trauma dumping,” which can happen when sharing overwhelmingly traumatic personal information and hindering the organization’s ability to get work done. “Notice if it’s an actual workplace issue or stuff you’re bringing from your life into this space which is affecting your ability to do your job,” says Azizi Marshall, mental health and workplace wellness expert at the Center for Creative Arts Therapy. Take a step back and read the room and the body language of others. “Notice if they cross their arms and look around the room like they’re looking for an exit. If their feet are pointed away from you, they’re most likely trying to get away from the conversation.” Instead of venting for a lengthy period of time, figure out the problem and find a way to come up with a solution. “There has to be some sort of balance between both the organization and the people involved,” says Marshall.

4. Express your needs and offer a solution

We all have to balance personal needs with professional goals. And we can share enough so we can accomplish both. “If you are a work–life separator, but you’re in a situation where you need accommodations from work, there’s a way to convey that to the people who need to know that allows you to only share what is necessary and to share in a way that is neutral,” says Marshall, “and that would respect your own preference for keeping things as separate as possible while also getting you what you need.”

For example, “If somebody has ADHD, working in an open-air environment can be overwhelming,” says Marshall. “It’s going to pull you all different ways, and you’re going to be exhausted by the end of the day. Ask for a reasonable accommodation, for example, to wear headphones while you’re in the open-air space. Or ask to work in a corner area where there’s not as many distractions, so you can stay focused and get your work done.” This achieves a balance that benefits both the employee and the employer. “Once an employee is in a place where they are supported and know they can ask for help when they’re struggling, then they’re more likely to stay with the organization. They’re more likely to take on those extra projects because they know the business has their back.”

Photo courtesy Mangostar/Shutterstock.com

The post How Much Should We Share About Our Personal Lives at Work? appeared first on SUCCESS.

I quickly realized that there are not very many jobs for AI ethicists with a terminal master’s degree. But there were lots of organizations looking for marketing executives with AI expertise. I found myself a nice, flexible position as a vice president of marketing at a consulting firm and continued to write for magazines on the side.

I first learned how to write for consumers instead of thesis committees (too long; didn’t read). Then, I began to notice other writing. I realized that to deliver a better marketing product, we needed to avoid the buzzwords that plague most ad copy. I began coaching my intern to do just that.

Here are some tips for avoiding marketing copywriting clichés:

1. Avoid the usual marketing copywriting culprits

If you’ve recently been advertised to, you’ve likely noticed that companies have a tendency to use words that offer very big promises.

I recently logged into Zoom and was immediately confronted by a dialogue box inviting me to “elevate” my communications. On websites I have worked on, I have seen promises to “streamline” everything from recycling processes to meeting cadences. Then, there are the offers to “propel,” ”accelerate” or “skyrocket your business to the next level” and “maximize your profits.”

When reading ads, take note of the words that you see the most frequently. Do these ads stand out to you? Are there more meaningful marketing copywriting strategies you can use? If there are, you may be able to craft a campaign that audiences are more likely to remember—and get a higher return on investment for your marketing and efforts.

2. Don’t rely on journalese to get your message across

My friend and I were lamenting our hastily thought up business names the other day. Hers contains the word “elevate,” and my DBA contains the word “innovative.” We have all fallen back on tired tropes, whether intentional or not.

However, the overuse of clichés in marketing copywriting may not be as ineffective as writers say. Research at Princeton discovered that peoples’ pupils dilate when they read clichés, an indication of engagement. But engagement doesn’t necessarily indicate success.

In On Writing Well, which was originally published in 1976 and has been reprinted in several editions since, William Zinsser puts it like this: “There is a kind of writing that might be called journalese, and it’s the death of freshness in anybody’s style. It’s the common currency of newspapers and magazines like People—a mixture of cheap words, made-up words and clichés that have become so pervasive that a writer can hardly help using them.”

Although Zinsser’s disdain is directed at journalists, the same sentiment is found in articles about marketing. An article published by marketing training company MarketingProfs argues that “clichés are grammatical abuse of the worst kind because they’re worthless. Worthless in advertising. Worthless in business memos. And they’re worthless because they carry no weight. And since they’re insubstantial, they can’t punch through the skin.”

3. Be authentic in your marketing copywriting

Market research suggests that millennials and Gen Z deem brands inauthentic when they hide behind tired buzzwords. These generations have seen it all and heard it all, and they can see right through it right away. They were raised with technology, so brands have to stand out to catch their attention through the noise.

A survey conducted by Roundel, the media arm of Target, found that Gen Z consumers want authentic and transparent marketing. A VistaPrint survey of its millennial workforce also listed using clichés as its number one “don’t” in marketing to millennials.

4. Make sure you are marketing better than AI

Visit ChatGPT and feed it this prompt: “You are a digital marketer for a company in [your industry]. Write five emails for a drip campaign promoting [product].”

Count how many times it spits out words like “elevate,” “maximize,” “innovative” or any of the other words I named in this article.

As technology improves, we must distinguish our expertise and create work that machines can’t replicate. There will always be jobs for expert copywriters, but there might not be many left for mediocre writers.

My prediction? Brands that hire expert writers instead of leaning into machine-generated writing that is riddled with cheap buzzwords will see a higher return on investment for their commitment to being memorable and real.

Photo courtesy of ADAB Creativity/Shutterstock

The post Marketing Copywriting Clichés to Avoid to Make Your Brand Stand Out appeared first on SUCCESS.

Back-to-school tips for parents: Transition sleep habits

During the summer, the whole family is on a more relaxed schedule. But as the school year approaches, start that transition back to an earlier rising time. “The same way you’re buying new clothes and school supplies, start thinking about what that school schedule is going to be. Chances are that the things you’re doing during the summer, like family events or letting kids stay out later, are generally not the same kinds of guidelines you’ll have for when school is in session,” says Lisa L. Lewis, author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, and How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive.

Lewis’s back-to-school tips for parents include continuing to enforce a bedtime even as kids make the transition from middle school to high school. “Our role as parents continues to shift as our kids get older, but research shows that kids of parents who continue to stay involved in maintaining bedtimes, especially during this transition point, get more sleep.” 

Reflect on the prior year

Talking to kids about the upcoming shift that’s going to occur between summer and the school year is important. Have honest conversations about what was good or difficult about the prior year, and carry those lessons into the upcoming year. “What do we want from a scheduling perspective? What do we want in terms of relationships with friends or how we spend our time?” says Stephanie Malia Krauss, educator, social worker and author of Whole Child, Whole Life: 10 Ways to Help Kids Live, Learn, and Thrive. If you are concerned about your child being overscheduled, how can you organize the calendar to make it more manageable?

Talk about friends 

When kids start the new school year, they are the most nervous to see if their friends are still their friends, explains Chris Balme, author of Finding the Magic in Middle School. Balme’s back-to-school tips for parents include getting kids together over the summer to alleviate some of that trepidation. But also, have a conversation with your child so they have the right mindset before the first day. 

“Help them set the expectation that it takes a while to settle back in, especially if you’re entering a new school. Even entering a new grade takes time to figure out who those friends are,” says Balme. Developmentally, it makes sense for kids in middle school and late elementary school to be focused on being part of the herd, explains Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Growing Friendships: A Kids’ Guide to Making and Keeping Friends. “We all care what people think of us, but we can encourage kids to think about whose opinion matters to [them],” says Kennedy-Moore. And finding the kids you have things in common with is key. “If you don’t have anything in common with someone, you are unlikely to become friends with them.” 

Use your village

If your child has an established relationship with a therapist, visit once or twice before the school year starts, recommends Krauss. Make sure an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 plan is up to date. If your child is medically complex, meet in person with the school nurse before the start of the year so you are all on the same page.

Teach kids to rely on their village

As adults, we all use a variety of resources to help us thrive. But talking to kids about this concept can help them understand that various friends of different degrees of intimacy all have value. “Visualize friendship as a set of stairs,” says Kennedy-Moore. “The bottom step is like the bus stop friend, and then a couple steps up might be math class friends and a couple steps up from that might be the choir friend. All of these friends add to your life, even the bus stop friend that you only see in the morning. They still make the time when you are hanging out waiting for the bus more pleasant. Each of these levels of friendship has value. Some of them might grow over time into more intimate friendships, but even if they don’t, that’s fine. They still have value and you can enjoy them.”

Get them organized

A new school year means a big step up in expectations from educators. Better time management, more complex homework and busier schedules, which for most kids will be a struggle, says Balme. So start prepping them ahead of time by talking through their planner and discussing when they will do homework. As homework gets more complicated, teach them how to break it down into smaller pieces. Talk about how much screen time is allowed during the week and how to create a balance so they accomplish what they need to do, but also have downtime.

Let them grow

Each school year is a major milestone in development, and giving kids the room to spread their wings is important. “Recognize that they’ve grown and they’re more mature and capable of [handling] more,” says Balme. With the start of the school year, give them a new freedom and pair that with a new responsibility. Let them walk to school or give them more access to technology. “When they see adults as trying to keep pace with them versus holding them back, then they’ll stay more open with us.” 

Help kids feel valued

Everyone wants to feel valued, but as kids get older and enter middle and high school they especially want to see their value through another adult’s eyes, explains Balme. Someone who isn’t paid to be with them or related to them. Find ways where they can contribute either through volunteering, babysitting, tutoring or joining a club—something that can have a major impact on their confidence. “In order to feel like a valuable person at such a social age, you have to see that value reflected through others’ eyes,” says Balme. “And it’s more powerful when it’s an objective other.”

Back to school 2024: Stay tuned in

During those first few weeks of school, be observant and a deep listener to assess and understand how the new year is going. “What are things like at the school, whether it’s a new school or a returning school? Are there any adjustments that need to be made at home or at school or with other activities in order to make sure our kids are really healthy?” asks Krauss. “The reality is that our kids are having a tough time. The baseline of the level of stress and the level of struggle is universally higher than it used to be because of things that are happening in the world, with technology and with other aspects of everyday life.” 

While there are only a couple of months between the end of one school year and the start of another, a lot has changed. Kids grow during the summer months and each school year is the chance to have a fresh start. By taking time to reflect on what worked in the past, recognize how your child has grown or needs to grow and talking through everyone’s expectations for the year, your child will be off to a great start.

Photo by pics five/ Courtesy of Shutterstock

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Yet, Elrod defied the odds and walked three weeks later. In 2012, he created his Miracle routine, which evolved into a book, a documentary, an app and an online community.

While filming the documentary, at age 37, he was diagnosed with a cancer that has a very low survival rate. Elrod continued his documentary while going through treatment. His cancer is in remission.

We’ve put together a roundup of Elrod’s offerings so you can begin your own Miracle Morning.

The Book: The Miracle Morning 

Elrod created The Miracle Morning: (Updated and Expanded Edition): The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM) to get through some of the hardest days of his life, but he never planned for it to be a book.

“It was never a book idea. It was my own desperate attempt to turn my life around when I was struggling,” Elrod says. “Financially, I was at the lowest point in my life. Mentally and emotionally, I was at the lowest point in my life. When I started this morning ritual, I just kind of combined the best practices that I could find into one ritual.”

Then, his ritual turned into a book: The Miracle Morning. The first edition—which sold over 2 million copies and was translated into 37 languages—has spun off into a series, with books written for a variety of audiences, including (but not limited to) salespeople, parents, entrepreneurs and those in addiction recovery. The book outlines Elrod’s six-step morning ritual called SAVERS (Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, Scribing) that he created in 2008 during the Great Recession.

The “updated and expanded edition” of Elrod’s book came out Dec. 12, 2023—nearly 11 years since the first edition’s 2012 debut. The updated edition includes more than 70 new pages of content, including two new chapters titled “The Miracle Evening” and “The Miracle Life.”

The Documentary: The Miracle Morning (2020)

Director Nick Conedera convinced an originally skeptical Elrod to do a film about the Miracle Morning practice. Elrod was concerned about the time constraints of making a movie; Conedera felt that the story needed to be told visually for an audience that doesn’t read self-help books. Finally, after months of check-ins, Elrod agreed.

In 2016, Elrod was halfway into filming The Miracle Morning documentary when he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer: acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Given only a 20-30% chance of surviving, Elrod told Conedera that the movie needed to be placed on hold.

Instead, Conedera convinced Elrod to continue filming through his cancer treatments to show his ability to overcome the diagnosis.

“We weren’t planning on filming the cancer journey,” says Elrod, who’s now in remission. “But when you watch the movie, you’ll see: Thank God we did. The last 30 minutes of the movie are me trying to beat cancer while I’m still speaking and sharing the message, and The Miracle Morning community is rallying behind me. That really made the movie much more than it would have been without that experience.”

The Podcast: Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod

The Achieve Your Goals podcast offers weekly “practical advice and strategies to achieve your goals and dreams,” according to its Apple Podcasts description. Most episodes feature a guest. Past guests have included: Michael Breus, Ph.D., (aka “the Sleep Doctor”) and Shawn Stevenson (The Model Health Show podcast and Eat Smarter Family Cookbook: 100 Delicious Recipes to Transform Your Health, Fitness and Connection).

The App: The Miracle Morning

If you’re working to incorporate The Miracle Morning into your routine, there’s now an app for that, too. The Miracle Morning app visually takes users through the SAVERS steps and features helpful content that aids in their process.

The app contains hundreds of personalized morning routines, and users can complete all six steps of the process in as little as six minutes.

The app has both free and paid versions available.

The Community: The Miracle Morning Facebook

The Miracle Morning also has a thriving Facebook group, which had more than 360,000 members at the time of publication. In this group, members often share their own journeys of using the SAVERS method to change their lives. Elrod says that some of the updates for his book were inspired by the community and its members.

“I’m engaging in there,” Elrod says. “I’m learning not only from my own practice but from what other people are doing.”

The School Program: The Miracle Morning in Schools

The Miracle Morning program for schools offers self-guided, virtual and in-person wellness training for faculty. According to its website, the mission is “to equip schools with resources to bring The Miracle Morning into their communities with practices that invite mindful living, set future intention and encourage conscious action for today’s scholars, teachers, administrators and parents, one school at a time.”

Reviews on the program’s website note that it has been a valuable resource for eliminating teacher burnout and helping educators make deeper connections with their students. Educators also said that teaching the program to students helped improve attendance and behavioral issues in schools. 

This article originally appeared in the September/October 2024 issue of SUCCESS magazine. Photo courtesy of Hal Elrod

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