In this age of mass distraction, honing our ability to cultivate work-life balance has never been more crucial. More and more we are sacrificing our overall wellness by pushing ourselves mentally and physically on a quest to do and “have” it all.

Working longer hours and never “turning off,” leads to chronic stress, which wreaks havoc on our mind, bodies, and brains, and both our personal and professional selves are then compromised. By practicing mindfulness techniques, we can learn to tune into what we truly need to nourish ourselves, reduce stress, and thrive as an integrated and whole person.

In this workshop, I use both science and personal anecdotes to explain what being mindful really means, describe its myriad psychological and cognitive benefits, and lay out tangible exercises on how you can begin to incorporate mindfulness into your life.

Many Fortune 500 businesses, (including Apple, Google, McKinsey & Company, Deutsche Bank, Procter & Gamble, Astra Zeneca, General Mills, and Aetna) have already committed to the benefits of health promotion in the workplace. The benefits have included enhanced work performance, increased morale, life-long committed employees, profit, and revenue for the company, and better overall lifestyle wellness.

If you want happier customers and clients who will want to keep buying from you, start with building a positive workplace. What I offer can be presented as a lunch & learn, a mindfulness exercise worked into any staff meeting, or as a company culture workshop that all new employees would take.

I will always work together with you to customize your session or series according to your business needs and budget. I am sure that you will find that by creating an office in which employees feel like their well-being is paramount will surely provide a great return on your investment with better outcomes for long-term health, increased job satisfaction, morale, and productivity.

I look forward to working with you!

Many of us are increasingly concerned about how to retain our memories and mental sharpness as we age. Whether you’re working or retired from your profession, you can never retire from your mind.

Just like with our 401k and savings, the steps that we take when we are younger help to set us up for lifelong mental acuity, but it is never too late to start! Our brain is always growing and changing, and memory is instrumental in most, if not all, levels of human cognition – which is important for continued mental health in our golden years.

In this workshop, I will talk about the different types of memory, their neural architecture, and their different functions in our lives. You will also learn about the ways in which our memory can be negatively impacted and walk away with valuable exercises that will help you reduce stress in order to boost your memory.

I look forward to working with you!

In today’s day and age, “mindful” and “mindfulness” have become often meaningless buzzwords that are used colloquially. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you have been told to “Be Mindful.” Yet, do we really know what it means to truly be mindful or to cultivate mindfulness?

There is a lot of variance regarding theoretical and practical definitions of mindfulness, which is why it is a particularly ambiguous concept. Yet, a vast literature of controlled studies have found that being mindful (i.e., practicing mindfulness meditation) is related to improved mental health across a variety of disorders, including different anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, and chronic pain symptom reduction.

What makes my mindfulness course unique is that I am dedicated to offering you the science behind my lessons, and a hands-on training approach. I dip into the scientific research studying mindfulness, translate its jargon, and share the bottom-line take-home message. I want to lay out for you in tangible terms why mindfulness practice is essential for thriving and kicking butt at life!

I look forward to working with you!

Most of us can relate to the experience of having “butterflies” in our stomach, or to a visceral “gut-wrenching” feeling, and how often are we told not to ignore our “gut-instinct” or “gut-feeling” when making a decision?

It is clear, even from our simple slang, just how symbolically connected the gut is to our emotions, and now there is tangible proof to support these popular metaphors.

Research has shown that the body is actually composed of more bacteria than it is cells. Collectively, these trillions of bacteria are called the microbiome and most of those bacteria reside in our gut, sometimes referred to as the gut microbiota, and they play multiple roles in our overall health.

The gut is no longer seen as an entity with the sole goal of helping with all aspects of digestion. Rather, more and more it is being confirmed as a key player in regulating our overall wellness.

In this course, I will walk you through the science of the gut-brain connection, and help you translate that into a “Two-Brain Lifestyle” that fosters full mind-body-brain wellness.  This includes stress-reduction techniques and practices for other lifestyle changes, including nutrition and eating habits.

I look forward to working with you!

In this workshop, Dr. Wolkin describes with the utmost sensitivity, the various aspects of PTSD as it relates to gender, relationships with others, chronic pain, heart health, and brain injury.  This includes an exploration of how the brain responds to traumatic events, and what science says about the role of mindfulness meditation in helping people better process trauma, and decrease their suffering.

Dr. Wolkin also delves into the lesser-known concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG), which is defined as “the experience of positive change resulting from the struggle with major life crises.”  PTG is radically changing and advancing our heretofore ideas of trauma and the notion that trauma inevitably means life-long damage. In fact, it is challenging the traditional view of trauma as solely destructive and making room for understanding that the struggle that ensues from trauma can be used as a springboard toward growth.

Overall, what distinguishes this course from other trauma courses is that while Dr. Wolkin provides information about and validates the depth and breadth of the suffering that PTSD can create, she also emphasizes the possibility of effective treatment and even, perhaps, the possibility of growth.

I look forward to working with you!