Deep Work

We're moving toward the kind of work world which has less security. But we hope it has more creativity and possibility of real engagement. David Whyte

It takes bravery to go inward. 

Whether personal, relational or organizational, real change comes from deep listening, asking beautiful questions, and meeting at the speed of trust.

That's the work we love.

Here are a few examples of how The Well has innovated sustainable programs out of deep listening. 

Mindful Music Moments

In 2015, Founder Stacy Sims and Sue Hunt volunteered to engage with students at the Academy of World Languages daily for 10 weeks in a special mindfulness and SEL (social emotional learning) program for students who had lost educational time due to refugee and immigration challenges. 

It was there at the Stacy observed the morning announcements ritual and pondered what it could look like if the entire school could participate in a calming, centering and creative activity together, each day. The principal and Resource Coordinator agreed to take the idea to the staff and the staff agreed unanimously to pilot Mindful Music Moments with the Cincinnati Symphony in January of 2016. By the next school year, multiple schools came on board.

Now, Mindful Music Moments serves more than 300 schools nationally, and each iteration has changes requested by educators or learned important by us in the field, including a full playlist with prompts in Spanish, a Preschool playlist and more. 

Learn more about Mindful Music Moments.

My True SELF for Schools

Our award-winning True Body Project curriculum meets today's needs to integrate trauma-sensitive, culturally literate Social Emotional Learning content into the lives of young learners.

In 2021, The Well piloted a program within Imagine Bella Academy in Cleveland, embedding mindfulness and expressive/healing arts in the schoolday in regular classes.  With support from a grant from the school and the Ohio Arts Council, we returned in 2022 with two full-time educators, and a new True Body Program Manager and Coach for The Well, Kami Lerma, deepening the concepts from the first year to support students, teachers and parents. 

My True SELF (Social Emotional Learning Fun) will also be an essential framework for a new partnership with the Kennedy Heights Art Center and Woodford Academy in a new afterschool program. After school students will receive two days of My True SELF experiences and the CASEL-system learning concepts will be shared in other parts of the after-school experience.

More information on My True SELF