A Special Thank You to my Readers

An Offering by Kate Ware

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have read, shared, liked, tweeted and retweeted my blog.  This blog has allowed me to pursue my passions by pushing me to regularly read and write about the applications of psychology for holistic wellbeing.  But without you, dear readers, it would not seem nearly as worthwhile an endeavor. 

I am particularly grateful for those who regularly comment on the blog, because they bring different perspectives, expand my wisdom, and create a sense of community.  That sense of community, driven by the engagement and connections from people who have interests similar to mine, is the true bounty of this project. 

To introduce others to this special community, I decided this week to feature a few of my most loyal readers.  These are just a few of the people who read my blog regularly and often engage in discussion in the comments on each article.  Each one of them is a gem in their own right, so I encourage you to get to know them, read their blogs or websites, and/or follow them on twitter. 

Marie-Josée Salvas Shaar 

Marie-Josée is a wellness consultant who founded Smarts and Stamina (SaS) to help organizations implement healthy living as a business strategy.  She studies how sleep, food, mood and exercise interact, and how these interactions can help you be healthier, happier and more productive. Marie-Josee is a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutrition and Wellness Consultant from the American Fitness Professionals & Associates.  She has a fantastic newsletter that comes out twice a month with research based tips you can apply immediately to improve your sleep, food, mood and/or exercise habits.  You can sign up directly at www.SmartsAndStamina.com. 

Jessica Durivage 

Jessica Durivage is a wonderful and fascinating girl whose career crosses boundaries into spa, yoga, wellness, service, social media and (of all things) improv comedy. She has a passion for yoga and traveling but she also enjoys writing which means we can all benefit from her wisdom by reading everything she has to say.  You can read her blogs at “Where is my Guru Now?” Or on “Beauty at any Age is Beauty” from Skin2Skincare, the spa product line that Jessica works for. You can find Jessica on twitter @skin2skincare and @whereismyguru.  

Lisa Sansom 

Lisa Sansom is the owner of LVS Consulting, an independent consulting firm that helps to build positive organizations. Lisa is a former high school teacher, but now works with individuals, leaders and teams providing coaching, team facilitation, effective communications training, Appreciative Inquiry and change management consulting. Clients include a variety of organizations, such as crown corporations, private industry, and educational institutions. 

She is the past editor and a current contributor for Your Workplace magazine, Canada’s authority on work/life issues, but she also has her own blog at www.lvsconsulting.com where like me, she writes about the things she is studying in positive psychology.   Check out her blog and website and follow her on twitter @lvsconsulting. 

Mark “the Spa Man” McKenney 

Mark McKenney is a Spa & Wellness consultant based in Dallas, Texas.   Mark is probably best known by his twitter moniker @MarktheSpaman from which he tweets a wealth of information about spas and wellness.  In the low-tech/high touch world of spas, Mark is one of the few who is tapping into social media and e-marketing/commerce technologies to the fullest.  Mark is a true friend to the spa industry, always promoting the spas in Texas and beyond simply because he has a genuine passion for the business. 

Dan Bowling 

Dan Bowling is one of the world’s foremost experts on the science of well-being and lawyers. He is a practicing labor lawyer, Senior Lecturing Fellow at  Duke Law School, instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a research fellow at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center. The popular media calls him a “Happiness Guru” (much to his chagrin.)  He also leads a consulting firm that works with some of the largest law firms and corporations in the country showing that well-being enhances not just life satisfaction for lawyers but productivity and professionalism.  Dan writes and speaks extensively on these topics and has already agreed to write an article for The Psychology of Wellbeing, so expect a guest article from him in the near future. 

I have to stop here although there are many others that deserve recognition.  If you have read my blog, commented, shared it with others, or even just bookmarked it with the intention of coming back to read it when you have more time, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Some enhancements to the blog are coming soon: a new homepage with added features, a facebook fan page, more “guest blogger” articles, and a link to a charity that I hope you will all help me support.  Stay tuned, and let’s continue to grow this community together. 

With eternal gratitude, 

Jeremy