Global Wellness Institute

12/09/2025

🎵 Turn up your brain health.
A major 10-year study from Monash University following 10,000+ adults over 70 found that people who listened to music most days reduced their risk of developing dementia by 39%.

Even more powerful:
• Better memory and cognitive test performance
• Lower risk of overall cognitive decline
• Playing a musical instrument = 35% lower dementia risk

Music isn’t just entertainment—it’s prevention.

🔗 Read the full study: https://hubs.ly/Q03XwtpZ0

A large observational study (2025) from Australia’s Monash University, spanning a decade and involving over 10,000 people over 70, found that people who listened to music most days slashed their risk of developing dementia by 39% compared with those who did not. The regular music-listeners also ha...

12/05/2025

The Susie Ellis Scholarship for Equity in Wellness exists to spotlight and elevate emerging leaders whose voices are essential to the future of global wellness. Each year, the scholarship identifies individuals whose work is reshaping their communities — and gives them the platform, access and visibility their missions deserve.

Last month in Dubai, we were honored to welcome four remarkable 2025 scholarship recipients, selected from more than 300 applicants across 60 countries. Their vision and work embody the future of our industry:

• Aida Kandil — a Moroccan entrepreneur preserving African craftsmanship and empowering artisans through digital inclusion.
• Winnie Xu — a somatic coach weaving ancestral wisdom with modern psychology to transform approaches to healing.
• Dr. Amulya Murthy Aku — an Ayurvedic physician and researcher advancing science-backed, holistic solutions for global health.
• Amireh Leila Mirdamadi — a Mexican-Iranian global medicine scholar championing culturally responsive care and inclusive wellness hospitality.

At the Global Wellness Summit, these leaders shared their ideas, forged new connections, and deepened their capacity to create change — returning home better equipped to support the people and communities who rely on them.

Their journeys illustrate why the scholarship exists: to elevate talent, accelerate impact, and ensure that the wellness industry reflects the diversity of those it serves.

SUPPORT THE SCHOLARSHIP: https://hubs.li/Q03X6SB00

— not as an act of giving, but as an investment in the next generation of changemakers.

12/02/2025

The latest Global Wellness Economy bubble chart from the Global Wellness Institute highlights the extraordinary momentum of the global wellness market.

In 2024, the wellness economy reached a new peak of $6.8 trillion, growing 7.9% year-over-year and doubling since 2013. This diverse ecosystem spans 11 sectors—from personal care and beauty to wellness real estate, mental wellness, healthy eating, spas, workplace wellness, traditional medicine, and more.

🔑 Key Insights

• Wellness now represents 6.12% of global GDP, consistently outpacing global economic growth (6.5% annual growth vs. 3.2% global GDP growth since 2013).
• It is now larger than the green economy, IT, tourism and sports—a major force reshaping consumer behavior and business strategy.
• Every sector has fully recovered from the pandemic and exceeded 2019 levels.
• The fastest-growing sectors from 2019–2024:
– Wellness Real Estate (+19.5% annually)
– Mental Wellness (+12.4% annually)
• North America, MENA and Europe are experiencing the strongest post-pandemic growth and resilience.
• Looking ahead: The wellness economy is projected to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029, expanding at 7.6% annually, well above anticipated global GDP growth.

This data underscores a powerful truth: Wellness has become one of the most dynamic and influential sectors of the global economy — transforming how people live, travel, build, and prioritize their health.

11/19/2025

📢 New Research from the Global Wellness Institute
The global wellness economy has reached a record-breaking $6.8 trillion, according to the newly released Global Wellness Economy Monitor 2025—the only report offering authoritative data across all 11 sectors of the wellness market.

The findings tell a powerful story: accelerating, broad-based growth.
✔️ The wellness economy has doubled since 2013
✔️ It grew 7.9% from 2023–2024
✔️ All 11 sectors now exceed their pre-pandemic values

The fastest-rising categories?
🔸 Wellness Real Estate (+19.5% annually since 2019)
🔸 Mental Wellness (+12.4% annually)
Meanwhile, workplace wellness remains the only stagnant sector globally.

Wellness is now outpacing other mega-industries—larger than sports, tourism, the green economy, and IT—and nearly four times the size of the pharmaceutical industry.

Looking ahead, GWI forecasts even faster growth (7.6% annually), pushing the global wellness economy toward $10 trillion by 2029. Major drivers include aging populations, chronic disease, and a rising focus on prevention and longevity.

Download the report today: https://hubs.li/Q03TXMnc0

11/13/2025

🌍 Meet the 2025 Susie Ellis Scholars for Equity in Wellness!

This year, the Global Wellness Institute received 300+ applications from over 60 countries — a powerful reflection of our shared commitment to equity, access, and inclusion across the global wellness landscape.

We’re proud to introduce four extraordinary leaders shaping the future of wellness:

✨ Aida Kandil (Morocco)
Co-Founder & CEO, MyTindy
Aida empowers artisans across Africa through digital inclusion and sustainable commerce. Her platform, MyTindy, connects African creators with global markets — preserving cultural heritage, uplifting local economies, and blending tradition with innovation.

✨ Winnie Xu (Global)
Somatic Coach & Psychotherapist-in-Training
Winnie is redefining what healing looks and feels like. Integrating Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, yoga, breathwork, and meditation, she bridges Eastern ancestral wisdom with Western psychology to help people rediscover wholeness and self-worth.

✨ Dr. Amulya Murthy Aku (India)
Ayurvedic Physician & Ph.D. Researcher
With deep expertise spanning Ayurveda, yoga, mental health, chronobiology, gut health, and lifestyle medicine, Dr. Amulya brings evidence-based integrative care to the forefront. She has published extensively, presented globally, and leads a wellness centre focused on holistic healing.

✨ Amireh Leila Mirdamadi (Mexico–Iran / USA)
Global Medicine Graduate Student, USC
Dedicated to advancing global health, wellness strategy, and culturally inclusive care, Amireh blends medical training with business insight. She serves on multiple USC advisory councils and is passionate about elevating culturally informed patient experiences worldwide.

💛 Congratulations to our 2025 Scholars!
Their voices and visions are shaping a more equitable future for wellness.

11/04/2025

Can an art class, community garden, or group walk be just as healing as a prescription? 🌿
In over 30 countries, health providers are turning to social prescribing—connecting people with community and creative activities to boost mental health and wellbeing.

Discover how this growing approach is reshaping wellness policy and healthcare practice.

👉 Read more: https://hubs.li/Q03RHM530

Social Prescribing to Promote Mental Wellbeing By Tonia Callender, GWI research fellow Pay for a medical prescription or take an art class? Instead of using traditional medications, health service providers in over 30 countries are prescribing community engagement and recreational activities to alle...

10/31/2025

🌕 Join The Wellness Moonshot: A World Free of Preventable Disease

Launched by the Global Wellness Institute, The Wellness Moonshot is a global movement uniting leaders, businesses, and changemakers to create a world free of preventable disease.

✨ Full Moon Celebration – November 5 | 10–11 AM ET
Featuring Tom Hering, co-founder of Benefit Corporations for Good, sharing how purpose-driven businesses can thrive by balancing people, planet, and profit.

Hosted by Nancy Davis and Renee Moorefield, PhD, this interactive event explores how values-led leadership and sustainable business models are shaping the future of wellness.

Let’s align purpose, impact, and growth—for the wellbeing of all. 🌍

🔗https://hubs.li/Q03R5P5j0

10/29/2025

Think Wellness Real Estate Is Just for the Rich? Think Again.

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has just released Build Well to Live Well: Case Studies Volume 1 — an in-depth look at 13 diverse wellness real estate projects across the US and UK.

Why does this matter?
Because the media often spotlights ultra-luxury wellness residences competing on amenities. These case studies shift the narrative — showing how wellness can be built into projects of any size, any budget, and for any population:
✨ From single homes to town-sized neighborhoods
✨ From student housing to senior living
✨ From subsidized apartments to healthcare housing

Wellness real estate is not just a luxury — it’s becoming a necessity for healthier, more connected, and more equitable living.
Download the full report https://hubs.li/Q03QQtZs0

10/24/2025

For many, home can be a sanctuary. Discover how Eywa, a biophilic building, is uniting nature and design to curate a unique space for residents that prioritises wellbeing.
https://hubs.li/Q03Q5X3x0

BBC StoryWorks

How Design Can Inspire Wellbeing Presented by Global Wellness Institute. This content was produced for R.Evolution by BBC StoryWorks as part of the In Pursuit of Wellness series presented by the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). What if the spaces we lived in could be more than a home? This is the qu...

10/14/2025

🧠💤 Poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired—it changes your brain.
A large, long-term study from the Mayo Clinic tracking 2,750 adults (aged 50+) over five and a half years found that chronic insomnia can accelerate memory and thinking decline.

Those with ongoing insomnia were 40% more likely to develop cognitive impairment or dementia than people who slept well. Brain scans revealed more amyloid plaque buildup and white matter damage—key markers linked to Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Getting quality sleep isn’t just rest—it’s brain protection.
Read more 👉 https://hubs.li/Q03NvZ_Z0

A large, long-term study from the Mayo Clinic, tracking 2,750 adults (aged 50 and over) for an average of five and a half years, found that chronic insomnia leads to changes in the brain that result in a much faster decline in memory and thinking. Chronic insomniacs were 40% more likely to develop c...

10/10/2025

Is infrared the future—or a fad? 🔥
As infrared cabins gain traction, sauna purists say they can’t compare to the centuries-old traditions of Finnish sauna and hydrothermal bathing. So what’s the truth?

Join the Hydrothermal Initiative’s live webinar on October 22 (11 AM–12 PM ET) as experts from both sides go head-to-head to compare the science, benefits, and wellness experience of infrared vs. traditional sauna.

Whether you’re a spa operator, wellness professional, or simply a sauna lover, get clear insights into what makes each unique—and why traditional sauna remains the gold standard worldwide.

👉 Register now:
https://hubs.li/Q03N8fFb0

10/10/2025

Inclusive Wellness Initiative led by Chair Jackie Roby was featured in GoWell Mag's anniversary edition "Wellness For All: The Power of Inclusivity". The article, "The Wellness We All Deserve," explores the transformative vision of wellness spaces where everyone belongs. The piece highlights how we're redefining wellness towards inclusion, honoring ancient wisdom, and breaking down systemic barriers to make healing accessible to all.

Read more:

¡Bienvenidos a la edición aniversario de GoWellMag! Celebramos un año de historias que transforman, voces que inspiran y una comunidad que sigue creciendo. En esta edición, “Bienestar para Todos: El P