Healthy Minds: Enhancing Wellbeing Through Mindfulness

Reliable surveys show that many are suffering from hurrysickness, information overload, burnout and poor self-care.  Collectively, these trends undermine emotional wellbeing, relationships and life satisfaction.  Recent behavioral and neuroscience research has identified mindfulness as a critical attribute for optimizing individual wellbeing and maximizing interpersonal effectiveness.  Specific, actionable approaches to creating and sustaining a healthy mind through mindfulness and other contemplative practices will be examined during this program.

This program will be presented by Philip Chard, President/CEO of Empathia, Inc., a nationwide behavioral services firm providing health, safety and productivity solutions for over 340 organizations representing 2 million covered lives.  In addition, he is a practicing psychotherapist who writes an award-winning weekly column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal titled "Out Of My Mind" and is author of "The Healing Earth" which won the 1995 Midewest Publishers Award, and "Nature's Ways" which examines the spiritual aspects of nature interaction.  Philip is a contributing writer to "Chicken Soup For The Woman's Soul", has been a guest expert on ABC Television's 20/20, and has presented at the Brookings Institutioin, Among many other venues.  Prior to joining Empathia, he was Director Of Behavioral Science Education at Michigan State University's College Of Human Medicine, where he received the Outstanding Faculty Award.  

Philip is married with two adult children.  He enjoys backpacking, kayaking, snowshoeing, nature photography and competitive sailing.  His other interests include music, history, contemplative practices and cosmology.