Authentic Wellness Starts Within

Everyone is chasing that “next level” of wellness right now.

A coaching business, a wellness hotel, a consulting practice, you name it.

On LinkedIn, Instagram, and every other channel, the message is the same: who’s doing better, who’s won an award, who’s teaching others what to do and when to do it. At times, it feels like an endless ego game - voices shouting over one another, insisting they’ve built the next best thing.

But here’s the paradox: wellness is often marketed as something to consume, while true wellness can only be cultivated from within. We buy the retreats, the supplements, the programs yet still feel unwell inside. Because wellness isn’t in what we’re building. Wellness is in how we’re building it.

So the real question becomes: what lives inside the person who claims to create the “next level of wellbeing?”

Is it authentic kindness, or just the desire to feed an ego?

Is the nervous system calm and resilient, or running on fear and anxiety?

Has the body been nourished, or is it still guided by toxic patterns?

Is there a true desire to connect, or only the hunger to be seen?

This matters because wellness is never just personal. 

The state of a leader, a founder, or a teacher ripples outward. An anxious leader creates a culture of fear. A judgmental expert fuels comparison and competition. But a grounded, kind, authentic leader inspires calm, collaboration, and care. When wellness is cultivated within, it naturally radiates outward - into teams, organizations, industries, and society.

If we want to call ourselves wellness leaders, perhaps we should pause and ask:

How do I sleep, eat, and breathe?

How balanced is my nervous system?

How kind am I to myself and others?

Do I listen more than I speak?

Do I honor people and the planet in my decisions?

How do I treat nature, animals - and yes, even my competitors?

And am I motivated by service, or by recognition?

These questions may feel uncomfortable, but they are necessary. Without them, we risk chasing the image of wellness while perpetuating stress, fear, and ego beneath the surface.

As someone working toward betterment of society and myself, particularly in hospitality and travel, I believe this industry, more than any other, carries a deep responsibility. We don’t just build businesses. We shape experiences that touch people’s lives. Imagine if this industry was led by authentic embodiment: collaboration instead of competition, presence over performance, humility over perfection, and integration over image.

That is the next level of wellness we should be chasing.

Because true wellness cannot be built on judgment, projection, or fear. It must be grown from the inside out - one person, one leader, one company at a time.

Authentic wellness starts within.