…Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. One of the simplest yet most important behavioral changes we can make is to drink more water. Water is vital to our health. It plays a key role in many of our body’s functions including bringing nutrients to our cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting our bones and organs and maintaining body temperature…
Today, more than ever, wellness is at the forefront of societal discussions. From mental health to physical well-being, women are making significant strides in bringing about change, introducing innovative solutions, and setting new standards. Despite facing unique challenges, they break barriers, inspire communities, and are reshaping the very definition of health and wellness. In this series called women in wellness we are talking to women doctors, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, fitness trainers, researchers, health experts, coaches, and other wellness professionals to share their stories and insights. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jeanna Valenti.
Jeanna Valenti, Principal at LightBox Media, is the author of The Yoga of Marketing: Balancing Heart, Mind and Spirit for Success by Indigo River Publishing with Simon & Schuster. She is a contributor to Marketing for Leaders: 10 Success Keys to Elevate You to the Next Level by Indigo River Publishing with Simon & Schuster.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
After over twenty years in corporate America, I started my own PR firm out of my house when my son was born in 2006. I’ve been garnering media coverage for clients in the body, mind, spirit arena ever since.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
In 2020, I organized my first TEDx Scottsdale Women event with ten inspiring female speakers. The title of the event was Re-Write Your Script: Stories of Inspiration, Transformation and Re-Invention. All was going well with the planning and implementation of the event except for one detail: We were executing the event right in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The main lessons learned/takeaways were to consider major public health threats and concerns and to take them very seriously. Due to the timing of our event, we had to take several major precautions which took an inordinate amount of time, energy and money to carryout. If we had simply re-scheduled the event for a different time, we would have likely been spared significant amounts of time, energy and money.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Early on when I was first starting out in PR, I did not know anything about how to manage client expectations. I was able to get a client on The Oprah Winfrey Show, when she still had a television show. Shortly thereafter, the client kept wanting to know what else I could do for her. She kept expecting “the next big thing” in terms of media placements and coverage. I had not managed expectations well. Ultimately, getting the client on Oprah’s Show was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had landed her the highest and best coverage that she could have ever wished for.
From that point on, I learned to create likely outcomes and scenarios for every marketing and public relations campaign I planned and executed. While dreaming and creating wish lists are inspiring and valid exercises, so are creating and researching likely and unlikely outcome scenarios so that clients can plan realistically.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
When I first started meditating in 2009, I thought I was undertaking the practice to better myself, calm down my nervous system and improve my overall health and wellbeing. I wouldn’t realize until nearly sixteen years later, that my meditation practice was helping the collective consciousness become more conscious, mindful and aware.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1 . Practice Primordial Sound Meditation. A 10-minute primordial sound meditation enhances my wellbeing by centering me and getting my energy in a grounded and positive state for the day. I first learned this practice at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California.
2 . Step into nature. For at least ten minutes a day, find a way to get into nature. Getting into nature helps reduce stress, improves your mood, reduces anxiety and depression, boosts your immune system and increases your Vitamin D levels which improves serotonin levels.
3 . Try yoga. Yoga offers a whole range of benefits for physical and mental wellbeing. Improved strength, flexibility and balance are three of the primary benefits. The practice also reduces stress, enhances mood and improves heart health.
4 . Eat a mostly plant-based diet. Eating a plant-based diet offers many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease, weight management, improved blood sugar regulation and decreased inflammation.
5 . Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. One of the simplest yet most important behavioral changes we can make is to drink more water. Water is vital to our health. It plays a key role in many of our body’s functions including bringing nutrients to our cells, getting rid of wastes, protecting our bones and organs and maintaining body temperature.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Getting people to move. Recently, someone said that sitting is the new smoking, and I believe in this theory.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
- Health and wellbeing are fundamental to living a meaningful life. Do everything within your power to live a clean and sustainable life.
- Meditation can change your brain.
- Water and hydration make everything better.
- Nature heals.
- A body in motion stays in motion.
These simple practices create a solid foundation on which you can build a life of health, wellbeing and purpose.
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Mental health is dearest to me. I believe that health and wellbeing, physical and mental health, are the fundamental core of any wellness lifestyle. If we do not have our health, it’s difficult to put our attention on anything outside ourselves.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
https://theyogaofmarketing.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
