ROI(W): Return on Intentional Wellness
August is National Wellness Month, and as we head into peak season, RED VELVET decided to experiment with wellness to have some tricks up our sleeve before the craziness begins. Throughout this year we have had monthly Wellness Challenges: small-but-mighty commitments ranging from hydration check-ins and gratitude journaling to clean eating weeks, financial fitness, intentional time outside, and even a sleep challenge, because yes, “sleep shame” is real. To take things up a notch, this August, we challenged the team to fully invest in Wellness Month with a daily focus. At month’s end, a companywide survey was distributed to gauge our team’s sentiment surrounding “wellness culture” and the results were… interesting to say the least.
Here are our survey questions:
What are some ways you take care of yourself? (Mental, physical, spiritual, financial)
Why do you think we (as a collective society) don’t invest in our wellness anymore?
What are some ways that wellness can be integrated into our office culture?
And here’s what our team had to say:
What are some ways you currently take care of yourself and practice wellness (mental, physical, spiritual, financial, etc.)?
“I run, I wake up early, I try to prioritize reading to offset my screentime. I eat to nourish my body. I have hard conversations. I try to make myself better by doing hard things even when they're uncomfortable (almost always).”
“Not being too hard on myself, journaling, intentionally taking breaks between meetings to walk, socialize, eat WITHOUT a screen in front of me.”
“I have to be active in some way everyday. Going on a walk, the stair master, my walking pad at home, literally anything that gets me moving. This is both for my physical and mental state!”
What are some ways that wellness can be integrated into our work environment and office culture?
“Setting meetings to 50 and 25 minutes. Make it a rule that we keep and don't break. Ever. Some things need to be sacredly protected from the top and adopted as things we do for our teammates and ourselves.”
“Intentional walk/talks with others that get us off of our phones/away from work for a bit (10-15 min) and spending quality time together.”
“Try not to include new meetings day-of as a practice for one week. Make your schedule yours instead of sharing that privilege with those who don't own it.”
“Love the monthly activities! Really active reminders to take care of ourselves -- daily walk/stretch breaks for those who want to opt in, etc.”
The survey also revealed the barriers: time, money, guilt, and a culture that idolizes “the grind.” People admitted to choosing TV over workouts, skipping rest to keep pace, or feeling like wellness needs a price tag. And yet, the collective wisdom was powerful; wellness is small wins that stack into consistent habits. It’s not about perfection, it’s about priorities, and saying “no” so you can say “yes” to yourself.
Here’s what our team had to say about surviving, and finding balance in our “work hard to work harder” society:
Why do you think we (as a collective) don't invest in our wellness more?
“I think our society has idolized the "grind" for so long that the idea of slowing down from that is such an alien feeling to people or puts them at risk of judgement from their peers"
“Because we live in a country that believes that money and/or success = happiness, or that having titles or mass sums of money bring credibility at any cost including health demise.”
“I think phones/the internet/TV play a big role as they easily allow us to become extremely distracted. It's much easier to scroll/watch TV and allow our brains to "turn off" than to invest in & take care of ourselves and each other. It's easier now than ever to allow time to pass without really doing anything meaningful for others or ourselves.”
These answers shine a spotlight on the nuance of wellness - there isn’t an “apply all” that works for everyone, but this new insight into how our team feels in and out of the office allows us to design more specific and intentional ways to support them. The biggest lesson wasn’t just about rituals or routines, but about culture. Walking meetings, athleisure attire days, mental health days, tidy Thursdays, and celebrating small wins. These aren’t just fun company perks, they’re cultural cues that say: your whole self matters here, and when wellness is collective, it can make the difference between crashing out or locking in (this distinction is important as busy season gets closer.)
To wrap up our August series we wanted to give the team an immersive wellness experience that took them out of the day-to-day: a sound bath at our HQ. A quiet, collective exhale after a month of micro-shifting behavior like putting screens away at night, spending intentional time outside, and learning how to check-in with yourself when things feel out of whack.
Looking ahead, we’re shifting wellness from temporary challenges to permanent design. In the experiential industry, we can’t ask a burnt out team to deliver brilliant experiences, so we don’t. At RED VELVET, we pour intention and care into our client work AND our team’s wellness culture. After all, wellness doesn’t equate to laziness, it is rejuvenation, clarity, and creates the kind of energy that can move mountains.
Wellness isn’t soft stuff. It's strategy. It’s ROI - Return on Intention. There’s no one “right way” to do wellness, only the way that keeps you balanced, fueled, and ready to shine. And if we, RED VELVET, as experience-makers, don’t model it, who will?
P.S. Our team even travels “well,” packing items that keep them energized and healthy - check out our recent Instagram Reel detailing onsite wellness items here.