Wellness is so important in general and specifically at work — to manage stress, to be centered, to work with/for others, to get sh*t done. There is so many distractions (and so much work) with overflowing inboxes, open office plans, competing deadlines, endless projects and late nights. How can you find your zen at work and how can you get your work to help you find your zen.
It wasn’t until Britta was 28 years old that she realized she actually had a breath and could use breathing as a way to cope with the hustle of working in NYC.
Learn about her wellness journey below and why she cares so deeply about bringing wellness to work.
Britta’s Wellness Journey
In 2009, after struggling for 4 years to get pregnant (3 IUI’s and 2 IVF’s), Britta was told she would never be able to conceive. In those difficult years, she’d discovered that yoga incorporated breathing (who knew?) and spiritually didn’t mean God (really?). She quit her job of 10 years and decided “if she couldn’t give birth to a baby, she’d give birth to herself.” She joined the volunteer program at The Omega Institute, where the two week training involved learning (and receiving) healing modalities from around the world — Shamanic Healing, Energy Balancing, Reiki, Handwriting Analysis, Intuitive Guidance, Acutonics, and more. A few weeks later, she found out she was pregnant. Britta delivered her first child 9 months to the day after she left her job as VP of HR & Operations in NYC.
Britta has continued her wellness journey by attending retreats, meditating and practicing yoga for over a decade (at places like Kripalu, Spirit Rock, Wanderlust, Sivananda, YogaGirl and more.) Seeking to expand her own yoga practice, she received her Yoga Teacher Training Certificate in 2014.
Head of People & Culture @ The Omega Institute
Britta went back to Omega, one of New York's premier wellness destinations, a few years after volunteering to become their Head of People & Culture, there she drafted and executed staffing plans across 25 departments for 75 full-time and 350+ seasonal staff.
She led a department of eight, managed employee life cycles, assessed staffing needs, advised the executive team and collaborated with department leaders to implement new policies and best practices for recruiting, interviewing, on-boarding, educational programs, coaching, mediation, events, intervention and termination.
Wellness Partner - Ascend Center
Britta partners with Melia Marzollo, Founder/CEO of the beautiful Ascend Studio in Cold Spring, NY. Ascend features classes, workshops, and a Yoga, Music & Art Festivals that Yoga Journal cited as a "can't miss" event.
Yoga Teacher Training
Having completed a six-month Teacher Training course, Britta is a certified yogi and continues to build on her practice. She leverages her yoga training daily and brings it to her People & Operations practice (holding company wide meetings on yoga mats and introducing Wellness Wednesday to companies).
Workshops & Conferences
Here are just some of the people that Britta has been lucky enough to attend classes, workshops, retreats, conferences and study with — truly amazing voices in leadership, health & wellness.
Sylvia Boorstein, Tara Brach, Elena Brower, Brene Brown, Tarana Burke, Seane Corn, Pema Chodron, Glennon Doyle, Gil Fronsdal, Schuyler Grant, Anodea Judith, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Byron Katie, Sally Kempton, Jack Kornfield, Sallie Krawcheck, Cindy Lee, Elizabeth Lesser, Sheryl Sandberg, Sharon Salzberg, Shawn Achor, Gloria Steinem and many more.