Change Starts with Care #3

You may be a Founder, a CEO, a Professor, or a Student, but no matter who you are, without inner change, you will not be able to give your best in your outward endeavors. In this third edition, the intention is to guide you to become more aware of your needs and capable of challenging yourself to drive change. But before, let’s take a look at this quote:

“Mind over matter.”

This 1860s quote by geologist Sir Charles Lyell suggests that the human mind evolved through evolutionary history (Grammarist, n.d.). According to Scientific American (2018), the human brain expanded significantly around the same period that cooked food became prevalent. Cooked food is easier to digest and provides more absorbable energy. Later, the understanding of the quote evolved too; now it is used to highlight the ability to overcome physical challenges through the use of determination and willpower. It’s an interesting phrase when it comes to changemaking because our collective willpower has made us more sophisticated at changing our environment.

As seen, nutrition is vital for our development. Besides a healthy diet,  in accordance with Harvard Health Publishing (2024), consistent aerobic exercise and adequate sleep are fundamental. Exercise and relaxation are also key to increased vitality (HPP, 2010). Taking 2,200 daily steps reduces the chances of developing heart disease or premature death (HHP, 2024). While not ideal, it's preferable to inaction; however, 10,000 is a more suitable number. Beyond these findings, a 2020 neurology study highlighted the significant roles of active work engagement and life satisfaction in promoting cognitive well-being and preventing dementia among older adults (HHP, 2021).

People in good physical, mental, and emotional health are more engaged, motivated, efficient, and satisfied at work. They present a lower risk of disease and injury. Furthermore, often experience a higher quality of life and contribute more to their communities. In this sense, the companies prioritizing employee well-being tend to achieve higher productivity, lower turnover, significant cost savings, stronger legal compliance, and enhanced corporate reputation. However, it's common to see people working long hours under stressful circumstances, leaving no time to focus on family, friends, and hobbies (Institute of Government & Public Policy, 2024; Adams, 2019). 

According to Great Place To Work (Hastwell, 2022; Erb, 2022), employees who experience high levels of well-being in the workplace are three times more likely to intend to stay with their employer and three times more likely to recommend their employer to others. With this in mind, the top talent seeks employers who support their well-being both within and beyond the workplace. Therefore, employers should design better workspaces, and employees should seek companies that boost their morale and keep a smile on their faces.

People yearn to reach their full potential, to foster strong work relationships, and to engage in meaningful activities. But in every five companies, about four don’t provide this kind of thriving culture. Great Place to Work has a mission to help every workplace become a great place to work for all employees, fostering a culture of trust, respect, and high performance. In their analysis, they consider these 5 dimensions (GPTW, 2022):

1. Mental & Emotional Support;

2. Sense of Purpose;

3. Personal Support;

4. Financial Health;

5. Meaningful Connections.

Work, family, friendship, marriage, parenthood, and other relations are all fundamental aspects of life that have a significant impact on our health. Every relationship can become a wing or an anchor in our lives. In this sense, we must remain aware to protect ourselves. Knowing how to deal with ourselves and other people, how far to trust others, and what limits to establish is essential to our well-being. Some things are in our control and others are not. In our control is self-care. As written in the Active Minds, Inc. blog (2024):

“Taking care of yourself isn’t selfish; it’s strategic.”

Self-care sometimes requires support, and in these moments, we need to be vulnerable to ask for help. The problem is that often, stigma and misconceptions make it difficult to show vulnerability (Yau, 2025). People struggling with mental health should not be seen as weak and lazy. Therapy and mental health treatments should be seen as an investment, not a waste of money.

Active Minds advocates for helping people to begin their mental health journey. They believe in breaking the silence through storytelling, creating safe spaces for conversation, and ensuring the mental health resources are accessible. Recently (Mayorga, 2025), the NGO wrote its new goal: 100.000 young advocates by 2028.

Reading it reminded me of a McKinsey case study about the IHI (Institute for Health Improvement), which I studied for a university seminar. It worked together with willing hospitals to reduce needless deaths. And aimed to prevent 100.000 deaths over 18 months, setting a deadline on June 14, 2006, 9 AM. That day, they indeed achieved 122.342 saved lives. Following the 100,000 Lives Campaign, IHI initiated a new challenge to save 5 million lives. And to achieve different outcomes, a new system was necessary. This initiative spanned almost two years, from December 12, 2006, to December 2008 (they got it!). They published on their site (IHI, 2008):

"All of this is inching the health care industry closer to what he calls a 'critical mass of organizations that are showing what's possible, and in so doing, changing expectations I would hope permanently about what we can do to get better care to patients and families.'"

There’s high value in thinking big, above all when we succeed. And we should aim high, but we need to value the small starting point, as said in the Active Minds blog (Anne; Ganbote, 2025):

“Start Where You Are. Speak What You Know. Change What You Can.”

They prioritize confident communication, compassionate leadership, and consistent perseverance even when it’s hard. I listed their five-step blueprint to inspire you too:

1. Don’t Be a Bystander - Start with Your Voice;

2. Build Your Proposal - Ideas Are Fuel;

3. Find Your People - Collaboration Is Everything;

4. Follow Through (and Have Fun!);

5. You Matter. Your Voice Matters.

Take care! When you are healthy, you are more capable of driving impact. It has been very satisfying to write every edition of the newsletter. In the last edition, I just wrote about Ashoka, and I had the pleasure of meeting Andrea Margit, Vice President of Ashoka Latin America, almost two weeks ago at the Festival LED Rio. It’s an event organized by Globo with a focus on the future of education (Sympla, 2025):

“Education is the light that guides our paths and drives us to dream. It is through education that we share knowledge and transform the world. If society is a reflection of the spirit of the times, then education is its mirror.”

I welcome your suggestions for topics to include in future publications. And I look forward to having you here for the fourth edition.

References

Active Minds. (2024, July 29). Recharge and conquer: Self‑care tips for conference. Active Minds. https://activeminds.org/blog/recharge-and-conquer-self-care-tips-for-conference/

Adams, J. M. (2019). The value of worker well-being. Public Health Reports, 134(6), 541–544. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6832080/

Erb, M. (2022, April 6). The 5 dimensions of employee well‑being. Great Place to Work. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/the-5-dimensions-of-employee-well-being

Anne, A; Ganbote, S. (2025, May 22). Start where you are, speak what you know, change what you can. https://activeminds.org/blog/start-where-you-are-speak-what-you-know-change-what-you-can/

Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian. (2016). The future for health: Everyone has a role to play. https://gulbenkian.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Full-Report-The-Future-for-Health.pdf

Grammarist. (n.d.). Mind over matter. https://grammarist.com/phrase/mind-over-matter/

Great Place to Work. (n.d.). Our mission is to help every place become a great place to work for all. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/about#:~:text=Our%20mission%20is%20to%20help,and%20overwhelmingly%20positive%20employee%20experience.

Great Place to Work. (n.d.). Employee well-being report: Data-backed strategies to build a thriving workplace. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/employee-wellbeing

Harvard Health Publishing. (2010, September 21). 7 ways to jumpstart healthy change in your life. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/7-ways-to-jumpstart-healthy-change-in-your-life

Harvard Health Publishing. (2021, January 1). Boost vitality by engaging your brain. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/boost-vitality-by-engaging-your-brain

Harvard Health Publishing. (2024, July 1). More than 2,200 steps a day might help you live longer. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/more-than-2200-steps-a-day-might-help-you-live-longer

Hastwell, C. (2022, April 4). 6 research-backed ways to promote employee well-being. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/6-research-backed-ways-to-promote-employee-well-being

Hastwell, C. (2025, January 21). 9 employee well-being programs from the 100 Best Companies. https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/9-employee-well-being-programs-from-the-100-best-companies

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2008, December 1). IHI shares results of 5 Million Lives Campaign. https://www.reliasmedia.com/articles/16357-ihi-shares-results-of-5-million-lives-campaign#:~:text=%22We%20need%20to%20finish%20the,11%20in%20Nashville%2C%20TN.)

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2016, June 17). The 100,000 Lives Campaign: Ten years later. https://www.ihi.org/insights/100000-lives-campaign-ten-years-later

Institute of Government & Public Policy. (2024, June 14). The growing importance of health and wellbeing in the workplace. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/growing-importance-health-wellbeing-workplace-igppuk-ckhie/

Mayorga, J. (2025, May 28). Mobilizing a movement: 100,000 by 2028. https://activeminds.org/blog/mobilizing-a-movement-100000-by-2028/

McKinsey & Company. (2008). The ergonomics of innovation. http://innovbfa.viabloga.com/files/McKinseyQuaterly___the_ergonomics_of_innovation___sep_2008.pdf

Rosati, A. (2018, February 26). Food for thought: Was cooking a pivotal step in human evolution? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-for-thought-was-cooking-a-pivotal-step-in-human-evolution/

Sympla. (2025). Festival LED Rio – 4ª edição [Event]. Held June 13–14, 2025. https://www.sympla.com.br/evento/festival-led-rio-4-edicao/2950502

Wehbe, R. (2022, September 7. Employees Well-being in a workplace. Employees well-being in a workplace. https://greatplacetowork.me/employees-well-being-in-a-workplace/

Yau, S. (2025, May 8). Breaking free from cultural stigma in mental health. https://activeminds.org/blog/breaking-free-from-cultural-stigma-in-mental-health/