Xindanwei | 新单位 A new way of working | 一种新的工作方式

[lang_en]December Featured People: Amena Lee Schlaikjer

Interview &Translation / yan Liu and Steffi Chen

1. Welcome to Xindanwei.com, Please introduce   yourself. Could you tell us where you’re from and how you got   started in the field of sustainability and healthy lifestyle?

My name is Amena Lee Schlaikjer: I’m a global citizen, uprooted   every 2 years since birth as a diplomat brat under the guise of an   American passport from my Amero-Danish-Dutch father, but strongly   grounded in the humbled village roots of my aboriginal Taiwanese   mother. “Lifestyle” and “Life Choices” of   people have always been a passion of mine and manifested in an early   career in fashion and cosmetics, later evolving into the world of   marketing and innovation. Tired of manipulative messaging and after   battling a long bout of insomnia, followed by a year of yoga and   wellness research, I decided to concentrate on products and services   with authentic intentions and therefore launched The Wellness Works   with two partners, Kimberly Ashton and Georgia Zhou. We’re a   creative network of practitioners passionate about bringing mindful   stories, responsible brands and healthy events to market through   company workshops and ideas. I also sit as acting Shanghai Manager for   Asia-Pacific LOHAS, a wider community of LOHASians (or people who   aspire towards Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability).

2. Can you tell us about Grasslands, the new project you are launching in collaboration with Xindanwei? What kind of impact are you trying to create with this project?

Grasslands has been in my back pocket for the past year as a concept   that brings together healthy, green people to graze and create where   no walls separate their good intentions! Co-working spaces have shown   to succeed. We are only the evolved Beings that we are because of our   ability to communicate ideas and cross-fertilize concepts for   improvement. We intend to create a space that brings impact to the   community through actual behaviour change in lifestyle choices through   example; and whom better to partner with than the very like-minded  XDW.

3. Both of you have been the driving forces of Grasslands. What prompted the idea of Grasslands and what excited you to make you   undertake it?

Six years ago I actually wanted to launch a Wellness Center called   “Room” where practitioners could work and fertilize ideas like an Integrative Health Clinic but it was too early and the   deal fell apart. After so many years of living unwell in Shanghai, I always felt there needed to be a place that focused on new ways to   live. This isn’t a Wellness Center per se but it’s a new example of an office that can incorporate that kind of thinking and be   the first step in actively working with companies who want to adopt   healthier, more sustainable outlooks for their business: be it their people or their offerings. The Wellness Works concentrates on Health and Greennovate are leaders in thinking and action for Sustainability:  so the fit was natural for us to come together on this and provide a space where our clients can see us living and breathing (and collaborating) in this way.

4. What were the circumstances that lead you to collaborate with Xindanwei?

Being a frequenter of  XDW events, it was apparent that they were great   at social spaces so we decided to take the management out of   Grasslands and pass it along to them, as there’s a lot of work   involved in setting up a property. This way, they make the perfect  “hardware” partner to our “software”.

5. Can you tell us what are the future plans for Grasslands? What kind   of environment/community do you expect it to be? How do you want to scale up this project to create a greater impact?

We’d like to create more Grasslands once this mini-showcase   gets more established and perhaps influence other Grasslands throughout Asia through our wider network with the Asia Pacific LOHAS Hub (thehub.lohas.com).We’d like to see how the community responds to a need for joint-spaces and connect   our clients and network with the wider Asia community for funding,collaborations, or learning. The thing about cultural tribes is that   they exist in pockets around the globe, garnering energy for their specific purposes; and social networking has done wonders in connecting them but you still need that physicality to “land” their ideas and provide a human touch to ensure   they are authentic. I personally hope we never become entirely dependent on a wired system but continue to use it as tools for the face-to-face connections that are essential for humanity to flourish.

6.Thanks again for providing Xindanwei.com this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?

Do one thing a day that scares you.Drink fresh water as much as you can, especially in the morning to flush unwanted toxins from your body and keep your brain sharp.   Realize success is about how you handle failure and that friends are more important than money. And breathe deeply, live in the moment.

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[lang_cn]人物（十二月）： Amena Lee Schlaikjer

采访和翻译／刘妍 和 Steffi 陈

问：欢迎来到xindanwei.com，请先介绍一下您自己。告诉我们您是从哪儿来，又是如何进入到现在这个推广健康生活方和可持续发展的领域？

答：我的名字是Amena Lee Schlaikjer：我是一个世界公民，出生于外交家庭，从出生起，每两年就换一个地方生活。因为我拥有美国、丹麦、荷兰血统的父亲，我拥有美国护照，但我又因为台湾原住民母亲，深深受到谦卑的乡村文化影响。人们的“生活方式”和“生活选择”一直是我的热情所在，并在我早期从事时装和化妆品工作时显露出来，随后发展到市场营销和创新。我开始对这些试图操控人们的做法感到厌烦，并经历了长时间与失眠的斗争。在长达一年的瑜伽练习和健康生活研究之后，我决心专注在那些有着真诚可靠的目的的产品和服务上面，因此我与我的两位伙伴, Kimberly Ashton 和 Georgia Zhou一起，创办了 The Wellness Works。我们是一个创新的专业人员网络，富有热情地将有意义的故事、负责任的品牌和健康的活动通过工作坊和其他一些方式带到这个市场中来。我同时还是LOHAS亚太的代理上海经理（LOHAS亚太是一个更大的实践和追求LOHAS生活方式的人们的社群）。

问：能否为我们介绍一下“青草地”这个与新单位合作新推出的项目？您希望通过这个项目产生怎样的影响？

答：“青草地”这个想法在过去一年中一直在酝酿，我们希望聚集崇尚健康、绿色的人们，在一个没有隔离的空间里共同栖息和创造。联合办公空间最终胜出成为我们的合作伙伴。我们之所以是更先进的物种，是因为我们拥有沟通的能力并能够共同繁荣和进步。我们希望创造一个空间，通过改变人们在生活方式上的行为来制造影响。没有谁比拥有相似想法的新单位更适合作为我们的合作伙伴了。

问： 作为“青草地”项目的幕后推手，能不能和我们分享下这个想法是从何而来，又是什么动力让你去实践它？

答：六年前我就有个建立一个叫“房间”的健康中心的想法，在那里相关从业人员可以一起工作，一起创造新的想法，例如互动健康诊所。但当时时机尚未成熟，项目搁浅了。在上海不健康地生活了这么多年以后，我一直觉得需要有一个专注于新生活方式的地方。它从本质上说不仅是一个健康中心，更是一个结合了这种观念的办公室，是一个聚合了不管是从人还是产品的角度渴望更加健康，更可持续的企业的地方。The Wellness Works专注于健康，而Greennovate是思考和实践可持续发展的领先者，因此我们很自然地走到了一起并提供一个能让客户看到我们生存、呼吸并合作的方式的地方。

问：是什么原因让你选择与新单位合作？

答：作为新单位活动的经常参加者，我很明显地感到他们在创造社交空间上做的非常不错。因此我们决定委托他们来管理“青草地”，因为前期准备工作的量很大。这样，他们能打造完美的“硬件”来配合我们的“软件”。

问： 能不能告诉我们对于青草地未来的计划？你希望它成为怎样的环境/社区？你打算如何扩大这个项目并产生更大的影响？

答：一旦这个迷你展示项目建立后，我们希望创造更多的青草地，或许通过LOHAS亚太的网络(thehub.lohas.com <http://thehub.lohas.com> ). 启发更多的“青草地”在亚洲建立。我们希望看到社群将如何回应这种建立联合空间的需求，并希望连接我们的客户与亚洲更广阔的社群，提供融资、合作和学习的帮助。文化部落总是散落在世界各个角落里，为它们各自目的吸收能量，社交网络在连接这些社群上起到了神奇的作用，但是还是有必要有一些可以让这些想法“落地”的实体，同时提供人性化的交流。我个人希望我们永远不会完全依存于电子化的系统，但是能够将它作为辅助面对面交流的工具，因为后者才是能使人性绽放的根本。

问：再次感谢您给xindanwei.com这个采访您的机会。您还有什么相对读者说的吗？

答：每天做一件让自己感到害怕的事情。尽量多喝新鲜的水，特别是早晨来帮助排出身体毒素并保持头脑清醒。认识到成功其实是体现在你如何面对失败，朋友比钱更重要。深呼吸，活在当下。

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