Well, Well, Well!

Self-Care Learning Offered to Clients Generates a Healthy Ripple Effect

by Erika Josephson

When September rolls in and the kids return to school, it always feels like an opportunity to get back to routine and finding time for some self-care built into the week.

In 2022, we launched a new wellness education series called Wellness Wednesdays, offering learning opportunities and a revitalization break in the week not only for our team of associates but embracing a much broader scope - our Wellness Wednesday series has been open to all our clients at Peak Benefit Solutions, as well as our staff across our group of companies at Park Place Financial, Farm Life and Park Place Advisory.

I hope that, if you haven’t joined us already, in reading this you can learn more about it and consider participating in the series when it re-launches later today (Wednesday, September 13, 2023) or future sessions.

If you’ve come to this blog while researching wellness incentives and client perks, let me introduce myself: I’m the Director of Client Experience and Operations at Peak Benefit Solutions, a Canadian company that offers comprehensive employee benefit services, including benefits and retirement plan services, providing tailored solutions for Canadian companies in a highly personalized boutique-style format. We pride ourselves in client retention and our value adds, like Wellness Wednesdays and our annual Strategies for Success Conference, complimentary programs that are available to all our clients. For more about those pieces see our links included below to additional blogs.

I’ll start with outlining the structure of the Wellness Wednesday program and then list some examples that illustrate the diversity of subject matter and opportunities for learning. (I can also reveal a sneak peek at some upcoming wellness sessions.)

Overview and Samplings from the Wellness Learning Catalogue

Wellness Wednesdays are offered three times a month as a thirty-minute lunchtime webinar available to Peak clients to share with their employees. Guest experts from across North America provide professional, practical self-care tips for reducing stress and increasing mental and physical fitness both at work and at home.

Some were straightforward practises for sharpening physical and mental abilities, like Yoga with Joey Henderson and Gateless Writing with Kelley Colihan. Others offered information sessions with tangible advice like Tom Bell’s talk on Teens and Cannabis.

I’d like to highlight a few I’ve participated in since its inception to provide a flavour for anyone curious about participating and sharing our Wellness Wednesday links with their team.

Mindfulness at Work

Julie Brown, a noted psychotherapist based in Peterborough, Ontario, is also a popular public speaker and workshop leader, focussing on mindfulness, stress reduction and re-charging. In this bite-sized wellness webinar, Julie provided insights on how stress affects our physical health, along with simple-to-do exercises for being mindful at work and at home.

Self-Regulation for Adults and Children

Another Wednesday brought Terra Pucci to us to remind us of the importance of pausing before responding with knee-jerk, emotional reactions. It was a perfect tie-in to the mindfulness seminar. Her tips for slowing down, listening and evaluating situations reconnected us to points made in a recent article by my colleague, Laura Kennedy. If you don’t know what API is, you need to read Laura’s blog “Embracing Corporate Culture”, in which she explains how to use this mental strategy to flip negative responses into positive, open-minded queries.

Love Your Body

Kate Laird presented a session on the importance of physical fitness for healthy aging. Kate is an Ottawa-based personal trainer and fitness instructor who connects with clients of all ages and specializes in helping new parents recuperate from the rigors of childbirth and sleep deprivation. Kate’s sunny disposition and boundless energy are proof that taking care of our bodies is a huge part of feeding into our mental health at any age.

Those are just a few of the many Wellness Wednesdays we’ve enjoyed in the recent past.

Others have connected with significant cultural acknowledgments, like the four in March, 2022, that honoured International Women’s Day: in turn, focussing on women’s health, career satisfaction, self-compassion, and a fascinating one focusing on women and financial literacy within a historical context.

I have to give kudos to Laura Kennedy, mentioned above, who is the creator and curator of our Wellness Wednesday series. The subject matter is consistently current and relatable.

And based on conversations I’ve had with clients, and our staff, it’s appreciated by many.

Providing Benefits Above and Beyond

Taking September’s cue to review and update my personal and professional goals, I can say I appreciate my workplace more than ever; I’m pleased to be part of a company that supports wellness, continued learning and growing; one that, in serving its clients base, exceeds what most benefits providers bring to the table.

So if you’re inspired by the idea of a wellness campaign for your company, consider joining our next Wellness Wednesday series, launching today we have Mindful Eating with Kelly Proulx for the month of September, October is Mental Health Education from CMHA, and November is Workplace Wellness.

If you’d like to sign up to be notified of upcoming seminars, click HERE.

Erika Josephson

Director of Client Experience & Operations

Peak Benefit Solutions

Erika has been a part of the Peak team since 2010 and is an invaluable member of our team providing on-going support to our clients in their implementation and communication of their benefits plan. With over 10 years experience in customer service, Erika is consistently recognized by clients for her knowledge, quick response and genuine care about ensuring their company’s needs are continuously being met. She frequently meets with clients to ensure their plans design are providing the best possible solutions for their company while ensuring employees are aware of the value of their benefits plan.

Erika lives with her husband and young daughter in Beaverton, where she is an active member of the Lions Club.

Peak Benefit Solutions Inc. was established in 2008 and have helped more than 400 clients from entrepreneurs, manufacturing, professional services and public organizations with their comprehensive benefits planning. Every step of the way, we are with you.