Preconference Sessions
Annual Wellness Summit preconference take a deeper dive into topics that matter to you. These preconference sessions are held the day before the Core Conference begins and may be added when you register online for the Summit.
August 18 | 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
ARCeology: The Next Crusade
Unearth the hidden secrets of Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence (ARC) to help you transform your workforce into a powerhouse of performance and engagement, building on the success of the 2024 preconference session.
Full Description
Ready to take your engagement and well-being to the next level? This second iteration is packed with fresh insights, exciting activities, and powerful tools to help you thrive at work and in life! Get ready to dive deeper into the transformative ARC framework—Autonomy, Relatedness, and Competence—with hands-on, interactive experiences designed to spark positive change. Whether you’re a returning participant or joining us for the first time, this workshop is tailored for everyone, offering practical takeaways you can immediately apply to both your professional and personal life. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to unlock new possibilities and energize your journey—sign up today and start transforming your world!
Learning Objectives
- Use a validated survey to evaluate engagement and apply these concepts to the workplace and home life.
- Apply strategies of team/relationship-building to their work and in their personal lives.
- Identify and analyze the four major barriers to happiness and receive actionable strategies to overcome them.
More Green Time, Less Screen Time: Strategies for Implementing Nature for Improved Well-being
The first four hours of the workshop will be spent on the grounds of Barton Springs Nursery. Originally founded in 1986, Barton Springs Nursery is a pioneer in Austin's vibrant gardening culture with an emphasis on native plants, sustainability, and local experts.
What to expect:
- This workshop will take place rain or shine in both covered and open-air outdoor classrooms, with ample shade and tree cover throughout the property
- In mid-August, the average high temperature in Austin is around 97°F. To support participants’ safety and well-being, cold beverages and cooling solutions will be available throughout the workshop. Specific clothing recommendations will be shared with registered participants one week prior to the event.
- We will return to the JW Marriot, regroup after lunch, and close out the afternoon indoors.
Full Description
Direct exposure to nature has been proven to be beneficial for our physical and emotional well-being. As a result, calls for the public to balance out their screen time with “green time” have been increasing, but it’s worth noting that we can know nature is good for us, and yet still find it challenging to put green time into practice. This preconference session provides theory-based and experiential learning opportunities that teach participants how to refocus their attention so that they can reconnect with nature in technology-free ways, leading to sustainable habits around getting more green time, less screen time for improved well-being.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the “biophilia–biophobia” spectrum and how this influences engagement with nature for well-being.
- Engage in hands-on techniques for enhancing nature connection, including mindfulness-based noticing, fascination, and nature logging.
- Demonstrate sensory awareness activities that promote presence and attentiveness in outdoor settings.
- Design and implement Green Time opportunities tailored to their own populations and practices.
- Develop sustainable strategies for integrating more nature-based experiences into daily routines and professional settings.
Wellness Laws 101
Attend the full-day session to better understand the various legal risk areas and where to look for legal guidance as you design and implement compliants and effective wellness programs.
Full Description
This full-day session is for anyone involved in either workplace wellness program design and implementation, as well as health and wellness coaches or other wellness practitioners who deliver wellness services. The session will survey important legal concepts for designing a compliant and effective wellness program as well as delivering legally compliant wellness services from wellness practitioners. The presenter will cover basic legal concepts so attendees know where to look for legal guidance. Then, the presenter will discuss the latest legal guidance and activity on wellness incentives (including what may happen with wellness incentive rules created by the EEOC and Department of Labor), taxation issues regarding wellness plans (including recent activity regarding WIMPER benefits), scope of practice/licensing (including the introduction of the Wellness Law Method for staying legally safe while offering wellness services), how to combat wellness program bias through Wellness-Legal Partnerships and other methods, and data privacy issues. After the session, attendees will feel more prepared to recognize wellness programs that could pose higher legal risk.
Learning Objectives
- Identify where to look for legal guidance when creating or implementing workplace wellness programs or delivering wellness services.
- Describe updated on the latest guidance for using wellness incentives.
- Explain the various legal risk areas when creating and implementing workplace wellness programs and delivering wellness services.
