What’s next?

This week, we’ve had a whirlwind introduction to wellness. Let’s just briefly recap what we have covered so far in the various activities this week.

In the first part of the week, you learned about the emergence of wellness as a concept, and how it is now a $4.5 trillion industry, thanks to consumers actively seeking solutions that better-enable them to optimise their physical and mental health. We looked briefly at the wellness economy and the major categories that make up this dynamic marketplace. You also discovered more about wellness’ relevance in today’s landscape –– something we’ll dive into deeper during week two.

In the second part of this week, we drilled deeper into the evolution of wellness over the last two decades, to explore how it has become a mainstream pursuit –– including the milestones and tipping points that facilitated today’s landscape. You also learned about the evolution of the wellness consumer over the last decade, including the major values and behaviours driving their engagement with wellness. We introduced you to some of the leading industry players across various wellness categories, and you got to test your assumptions regarding what you already knew about the wellness industry.

In the third part of this week, you got to grips with each of the major wellness industry categories, including the types of activities and practices they cover and the leading brands operating within them. You got to think more about the wellness categories that resonate with you most, and some of the brands that are impacting those categories through their offerings.

In the fourth part of this week, you were introduced to some of the wellness sub-categories that now exist. You learned how brands like Tonal, Tempo and Manual are utilising different forms of innovation to spearhead the emergence of specific subcategories. We also looked at how other industries are being reimagined through a wellness lens.

Next week, we’ll start to look more deeply at consumer and industry trends and drivers. We’ll do this by examining the differences between them, what some of the current trends are, and why trends are important to understand when it comes to working or operating a business in the wellness industry.

Finally, you’ll also start to learn about the three main wellness career paths:

• Becoming an expert or practitioner in wellness
• Launching and growing a business in wellness
• Finding a job in the wellness industry

Discussion step:

Before moving onto week two, let’s take some time to revisit your original motivations for taking this course.

Using the Comments section below, let your peers know if anything you’ve learned so far has impacted your original goals/aspirations, and how.

You could also share what you’re most looking forward to discovering next, and why?