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Monthly Newsletter
April 2026
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Dear {{ personalization_token("contact.firstname", "Friend") }},
The inaugural Executive Flourishing Forum is just a week away on April 29 in Denver, and we hope you will be there.
In this newsletter: a special video message from Irene Lofland and Eleanor Allen about why this Forum matters; highlights from the Harvard Flourishing Network Summit; a recap of the Leaders Summit; news about the upcoming Certified Flourishing Executive Program; updates on the Global Flourishing Study; and an opportunity to participate in research led by the Wellbeing Project and the University of Wisconsin.
- Eleanor Allen & the Flourishing Work Alliance
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Executive Flourishing Forum
Because Flourishing People Build Flourishing Organizations
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The Executive Flourishing Forum is just over a week away - and we want you in the room. It is a one-of-a-kind gathering for leaders who believe that people and performance grow stronger together. This is not a typical conference. It is a guided day of discovery, evidence-based insight, and practical roadmapping designed to help you bring flourishing to life within your organization.
Join Eleanor Allen (CEO, Flourishing Work Alliance) and Annyse Balkwill (CEO, LuminUS Group) for a focused, high-impact day. The Forum also features an exclusive fireside conversation with Dr. Matt Lee, one of the world's foremost researchers on the science of flourishing.
We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors who are making this Forum possible:
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Irene Lofland (one of the discussion leaders at the Forum) and I sat down to share why the Executive Flourishing Forum matters - and what we hope you will take away from the day. Click to watch.
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Join us on April 29 in Denver
The Executive Flourishing Forum is a rare day designed entirely for leaders who believe people and performance grow stronger together. Space is limited - secure your spot today.
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Certified Flourishing Executive Program
We are now accepting applications for the 2026 cohort of the Certified Flourishing Executive Program. This virtual program runs from May 2026 through April 2027 and is designed for C-Suite leaders and board members committed to building flourishing organizations using the FW Alliances Organizational Flourishing Blueprint Framework.
Spots are limited. If you are ready to deepen your practice and lead with purpose, we would love to have you in the cohort.
Learn more about the program →
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Reflections from the
Harvard Flourishing Network Summit
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Two days at the Harvard Flourishing Network Summit (March 18 & 19), and Im still processing it all.
First, a heartfelt thank you to Katy Granville-Chapman and Emmie Bidston for bringing together such a meaningful and inspiring global community. What a privilege to be a part of this.
Tyler VanderWeele and Matthew T. Lee set the tone from the very first keynote: flourishing is no longer just a beautiful idea. It's becoming a science, a practice, and I believe a leadership imperative.
What stayed with me most was the Leadership for Flourishing Interest Group led by Katy and Emmie. We explored the concept of Loving Collective Inquiry and honestly, it's still with me. The idea that the deepest insights don't come from having the right answers, but from asking better questions together, in spaces grounded in care and shared humanity. That landed.
I also valued being part of Karen DeCesare Doll's session on Flourishing at Work. The discussion on regenerative versus extractive workplaces felt both timely and urgent. It's a distinction that I think every leader needs to sit with.
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"Flourishing doesn't happen in isolation. It grows in the space between us."
- Eleanor Allen
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And through it all, one idea kept coming back: science + character + community + practical wisdom are the future of leadership.
I left deeply grateful for the ideas, yes, but even more for the people and conversations. This feels less like a conference and more like a movement, and Im so glad to be part of it.
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Future Proof Convention
Utrecht, April 9 & 10, 2026
What an incredible two days in Utrecht, the Netherlands. There is nothing quite like reuniting with old friends and colleagues, and making new ones.
I had the privilege of co-facilitating a session with Mäité Herkens alongside Frank Goossensen and Ellis Heijboer of Arcadis on the topic: How Resilient Leaders and Flourishing Culture Build Future-Proof Organizations.
L to R: Ellis Heijboer, Piet Dircke, Eleanor Allen, Mäité Herkens, Frank Goossensen
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Frank and Ellis bravely took the Flourishing Work Alliance Flourishing at Work Survey and shared their results openly with the room. Then the participants took it too. What followed was a rich, honest conversation about how we are flourishing - or not - as leaders, what holds us back, and what we can do to grow. We then explored the five structural elements of the FW Alliance's Organizational Flourishing Blueprint using Arcadis as the case study. The discussion was insightful and inspiring, and Frank and Ellis shared their different perspectives.
A heartfelt thank you to Leen Zevenbergen for organizing such a beautifully convened summit and for creating the conditions for this kind of meaningful connection.
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Key Takeaways from the Room
Intergenerational dialogue makes everything richer. Having diverse age groups in the conversation added unexpected depth and perspective.
Multicultural contexts add complexity - and reward. Building flourishing workplaces across cultures is harder, but the payoff is worth the effort.
Human connection is our superpower. In an increasingly AI-driven world, leaning into our uniquely human ability to truly connect with each other has never been more important.
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Research Highlights: The Science of Flourishing Grows Stronger
The World's Largest Flourishing Dataset Is Now Open to the Public
This month, the Global Flourishing Study, the most comprehensive empirical investigation of human flourishing ever conducted, made its first two waves of data freely available to researchers, journalists, policymakers, and the public. The dataset spans approximately 200,000 participants across 22 countries, measuring flourishing across six domains. It has already generated more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, including a landmark collection of 35 studies in Nature Portfolio.
Among the most striking early findings: young adults now report lower well-being than older populations, a striking reversal that points to an urgent youth flourishing crisis. The data also reveals a counterintuitive tension at the heart of economic development: a negative relationship between national wealth and citizens' sense of meaning and purpose. Prosperity alone does not produce flourishing.
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"Prosperity alone does not produce flourishing: meaning, relationships, and character are what make life truly well-lived."
- Global Flourishing Study, Harvard Human Flourishing Program
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The data is available free on the Open Science Framework. We encourage you to explore these findings and consider how they apply to the flourishing initiatives you are building in your own organizations. Learn more →
Contribute to the State of Changemaker Wellbeing Survey
The Wellbeing Project, a global initiative dedicated to cultivating inner wellbeing among those working to create a better world, has partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to launch the State of Changemaker Wellbeing Survey. This research focuses on the wellbeing of people leading purpose-driven work: social innovators, nonprofit leaders, impact entrepreneurs, and others working at the frontier of positive change.
If you consider yourself a changemaker - and we know many of you are - your voice matters. Participating in this research helps build the evidence base for why inner wellbeing is foundational to sustainable, impactful leadership. It only takes a few minutes, and the findings will be shared openly to benefit the entire field. The survey is open through May 22, 2026.
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Flourishing Work Alliance
Advancing the Flourishing at Work Movement
flourishingworkalliance.com
© 2026 Flourishing Work Alliance. All rights reserved.
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