Welcome!
Updated: Oct 4
Are you ready for a life-changing journey?
The best way to learn about wellness and leadership concepts that can build hope, happiness, resilience and success is by practicing them. This journey is a small daily investment of a few minutes of your time that will pay huge dividends towards your future goals.
What is this?
CardalystTM is holistic wellness framework based on six pillars of wellness grounded in decades of wellness, public health, and positive psychology research demonstrating that wellbeing is influenced by multiple interconnected dimensions of life.
While no single wellness model is universally accepted, the six-pillar approach reflects widely supported domains associated with human flourishing."The most widely recognized six-dimension model was developed by Dr. Bill Hettler, co-founder of the National Wellness Institute, in 1976. CardalystTM is a completely unique system that draws inspiration from the themes presented in that model.
The CardalystTM Wellness Model;
Vocational wellness: Doing work that provides meaning to you and that you enjoy doing. It also includes building a career that supports you financially and works towards your long-term wealth and success.
Intellectual wellness: Lifelong learning, curiosity, and cognitive engagement are linked to cognitive health and personal growth
Emotional wellness: Emotional intelligence, resilience, and psychological wellbeing predict life satisfaction and reduced mental health challenges.
Social wellness: Strong social connections are consistently linked with longer life expectancy, better mental health, and greater happiness.
Spiritual wellness: Having meaning, purpose, values, or connection to something larger than oneself is associated with greater resilience and wellbeing.[cdn.ymaws.com]
Physical wellness: Exercise, sleep, nutrition, and healthy habits are strongly associated with improved physical and mental health outcomes.
This model is designed as a holistic framework showing that wellbeing is influenced by multiple interconnected life domains rather than physical and mental health alone.
How does it work?
CardalystTM introduces daily wellness and leadership concepts through a card-based format—available digitally on this website and soon in physical form. Each card offers a quick, actionable challenge designed to build awareness and reinforce positive habits. Many of these are things you're likely already doing; the goal is to make them intentional and consistent.
Every day, you will be presented with a wellness concept that you can learn about, practice the concept with a quick and easy challenge and for those who want to spend more time on a topic and learn more, extra resources are provided in the companion posts provided on this website.
CardalystTM is constantly evolving. In addition to the 86 wellness principles built into 5 "Trek Decks" that exist in digital and physical form. Additional games, activities, a workbook, facilitator/coaches guide and add-on packs to use this system in many ways and for different audiences. See the "Beyond" description below.
The Trek Decks
BASECAMP
This is the starting point. This is a FREE, no obligation, 14 day overview of some the wellness concepts you will encounter in the full Cardalyst journey,
It is easy to jump right in start using this either solo or as a group-based wellness and leadership challenge.
This is no throwaway "sampler" either. This has been designed to provide you with a risk-free way to see real benefits in only 2 weeks of use. In fact, Basecamp is a keystone artifact to the entire Cardalyst system that you are provided for free right from the start.
Why is it a keystone artifact?
A keystone artifact is a central artifact that organizes, supports, or gives meaning to many other elements within a system.
It is an orienting tool to get you started on this journey as well as the compass to get you back on track if you ever get behind or something causes you to temporarily pause your progress. Think of it as your multitool and you will discover many of its valuable uses later.
Once you finish Basecamp, there are many more exciting adventures and areas for personal and professional growth and development waiting for you.
FOUNDATIONS
This is an immersive experience into all of the foundational pieces of wellness that you will need to become a stronger, healthier, more resilient person. You will learn so much more about yourself and your under-developed potential. This is a 6-week journey of 36 wellness concepts rooted in evidence-based research to build the life that you want and the version of yourself that you aspire to become. I know, these are big claims, but they deliver. This requires a little more of your time, commitment and small financial investment in yourself (less than a couple of self-help books that you probably won't finish reading). Been there, done that.
3, ASCENSION
We are not done by a long shot. With all the self-discovery, newly discovered potential, new goals and possibilities to explore from our Foundations journey, we are ready for growth to new heights and to accomplish things you never thought possible. Here you will challenge yourself to 36 completely new and different concepts that expand on the previous ones. By now, you are also building a hefty, professionally curated library of all the best books on every wellness topic you encounter. After these next 6 weeks you will be approaching mastery levels in terms of tools and knowledge not only to improve your life, but that of others. This is not only theoretical; this is actual practical experience and application. This can be purchased as a separate deck and wellness journey or in combination with the Foundations pack.
SUMMIT
Welcome to the top! As congratulations and reward for getting here, a bonus 14 day pack of new concept cards will be provided. Only those who summit get these cards. They cannot be purchased, they are earned. They unlock further wellness insights and provide you with additional supports to take you to what lies beyond...
BEYOND
Everything else in your life exists in this space. Changes, new challenges, life's ups and downs and what your life looks like now as a stronger, more hopeful and resilient person. The whole purpose of Cardalyst is to build you up and better prepare you for all the things that you are coping with in the present and embrace with confidence all those things you will experience in the future.
With that in mind, there are games, coaching resources, group activities fun ways to reuse all the Cardalyst cards to challenge yourself in even more ways that will make this tool practical in your daily life. Check out the "Beyond" tab in the top navigation menu to get a sneak peak of the additional resources as they become available.
Why should you give this a try?
In short, because it works!
There’s a wealth of scientific research behind these concepts. WIth every wellness concept presented, links and resources have been provided to learn more about these concepts from subject matter experts in the fields to build your confidence these concepts are valuable and that the CardalystTM system works to help you apply these concepts effectively.
This continues to be field tested. I have facilitated CardalystTM online with diverse groups of varying sizes. I’ve seen the benefits firsthand, and others who’ve completed past versions have shared how it helped them reduce stress, gain perspective on the things they have control over in their lives and build resilience.
Whether you choose the online version or the upcoming physical card set, your journey will be meaningful, engaging, and transformative.
CardalystTM is a culmination of my experience as a counsellor and consultant and has taken many years to develop. I hope I have provided enough information to encourage you to give this a try. That is the point. There is not right or wrong way to do this. Jump in with day 1 and just start going!
Two final notes.
You will see "Deep Dives" included with every wellness concept post. They are not required reading, just recommendations. Every book is specially curated to be an awesome resource for you if you want to learn more and spend more time on a particular topic. I can vouch for every one of these books as they are all part of my personal reference library.
"Waypoints" are quotes from famous people about the concepts that might help you remember the concepts or deepen the meanings for you in some way.
Deep Dive
"The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho is a great story to put you in the proper mindset for the journey ahead.
It teaches that when we have the courage to pursue our deepest purpose, life's challenges become opportunities for transformation, and we often discover that the treasure we seek changes us more than it enriches us.
Waypoint:
"To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation"- Paulo Coelho
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