Eastern welcomed mindfulness coach, mentor and podcaster Giovanna Rossi to campus on March 30 for a workshop on women's wellness. Rossi led an interactive, women-focused presentation on how to take control and envision personal goals, selfcare and improvement. Throughout her visit, Rossi encouraged attendees to answer questions and share their experiences in support of self-awareness.

The day also featured a coffee hour where attendees had one-on-one conversations with Rossi, followed by a lecture in the Student Center Theatre. Rossi's visit was sponsored by Eastern's Women’s Center, Women's and Gender Studies program and Center for Internships and Career Development. 

Rossi is the founder of Well Woman Life, as well as host of "The Well Woman Show," a National Public Radio podcast in which she interviews established women who have conquered mental health issues, burnout and insecurity.

Before Rossi began her presentation, she guided the audience into a breathing exercise, instructing them to breathe in and release tension, and appreciate their breath and the fact that they are still able to breathe. She transitioned into identity and the personal titles women use to identify themselves in society, such as sister, daughter, student, mother, nurturer, grandparent and even mother-to-be.

Rossi also talked about the different internal supports that promote self-awareness. To explore this subject, audience members participated in a written and reflective activity called “Power Up: Identify & Articulate a Vision for your Life,” which included the words “reflect,” “celebrate,” “release” and “power up.” 

“As women from different backgrounds, we often tend to smooth over those things that we achieved and those celebrations or skip over them because we’re always on to the next thing. We’re action takers and we’re making things happen,” said Rossi. “So, we don’t take the time to just slow down and celebrate the wins. And the wins do not have to fit into the traditional definition of what success is. It can just be ‘what was a win for you?’ ‘What did you accomplish that maybe you didn’t think you were going to, or that it was possible for you, but you still did it?’”

Before her lecture, Rossi directed attendees into an open-eye meditation that utilized vision, touch and breath. “Part of why I start with this breath work is because when we’re shifting our attention and our focus, it’s very easy to just go and because our minds are racing, we don’t come into the full presence of ourselves in whatever situation we’re in,” explained Rossi.

At the lecture Rossi spoke about the ways attendees can improve their internal supports. She transitioned into the toll that perfectionism has on women and how it causes anxiety, burnout, lack of confidence, fear and more. “With my mother’s and grandmother’s generation it was all about how you looked and how you nurtured,” said Rossi. “And when I say how you nurture, I mean when and how you have a family. In the last decade we have seen the addition of women in the workforce taking control of their career and leadership. Now this is also what we’re valued for, it’s what we produce and achieve.”